Liu Xin's question was a bit strange, not because of the teasing tone, but because the question itself was unusual.
Gao Pragmatic's identity is obviously very sensitive, and now it is at a critical moment when he is granted the title of Marquis and Prime Minister, and his every move is bound to be watched by both the government and the public.
As a Japanese woman and only a concubine, Kafei Ji should not be worthy of Gao Pragmatic's personal farewell from any aspect. Liu Xin knew this, but she still asked.
"Why?" Gao Pragmatic didn't want to play a riddle and asked directly.
"Since the war to aid Korea is about to begin, don't you want to leave the impression of a 'Japanese sect' in the eyes of outsiders?" Liu Xin raised her eyebrows: "Besides, if you let her return to Japan at this time, even if you don't say anything, Outsiders will definitely make some guesses.”
"The Sea Trade Alliance has such a big business in Japan. As the spokesperson of the Sea Trade Alliance, I don't need to reinforce the impression of the Japan-knowing faction again." Gao pragmatically looked at her and pursed his lips: "So, you might as well Let’s talk about it and let outsiders guess.”
"Why have you become more and more boring after becoming the Marquis?" Liu Xin said dissatisfied: "Shouldn't you take the initiative to guess at this time?"
"I wasn't very 'interesting' in the first place, not to mention the many troubles I face now, and I have to sort out all the clues." Gao pragmatically laughed and said, "Hey, tell me, should I look for an opportunity?" Take a vacation?”
Liu Xin rolled her eyes at him and said: "I can't say whether you should take a vacation, but I think the emperor will definitely not be happy for you to take a vacation - for such a useful employee, even if you are given three times the overtime pay, you have to pay it. Isn’t it?”
Gao Pingshi smiled bitterly and said, "I am so ashamed of myself for the ridiculous praise."
Liu Xin curled her lips and said, "Let's get down to business. First of all, there is a prerequisite: with your current achievements and status, at least no one will suspect that you have foreign connections, right?"
"Are you talking about communicating with the Japanese? That's probably not the case." Gao pragmatically said: "Although the business with Japan is not small, there are still many other shareholders in the Sea Trade Alliance, and the nobles account for the majority of them. If I all communicate with the Japanese , then the whole Jingnan Xungui Group may be overturned. This is unimaginable, and no one even dares to mention it."
"In that case, it makes sense." Liu Xin said: "Since you don't know how to communicate with the Japanese, then naturally Princess Kai can only do things for you when she returns to Japan, and doing things for you means doing things for the Ming Dynasty. In this case, Wouldn't it make sense for you to give her a gift? Even..."
"Even if I don't hesitate to lower my status, I want to gain advantages for the imperial court?" After Gao pragmatically finished speaking, he thought for a moment and then said: "But I don't think this is all your intention."
"You may know the history of Japan and even their culture, but you may not know women." Liu Xin looked helpless and sincere, and said, "Don't you think that Princess Kai is marrying you? I should and will definitely work for you wholeheartedly and keep busy, right?"
"Of course not." Gao pragmatically smiled: "Why, do I look so innocent?"
"You're not naive, but I'm worried that you've been too successful during this period, and you might have inflated your self-confidence." Liu Xin sighed and said, "I think no one around you will talk to you like this anymore. Then I have to talk about it.”
Gao Pingshi listened very casually and answered very casually. Until Liu Xin said these words, he was suddenly startled. Then he stood up, straightened his clothes, bowed his hands and said, "Thank you very much."
"Hey, hey, there's no need to make it so formal." Liu Xin quickly stepped aside and waved her hand, "I'd like to thank you if you don't think I'm too nosy or talkative."
After figuring out the intention, Gao Pragmatic followed Liu Xin's thoughts and thought about what she mentioned. One thing is obvious, Liu Xin does not think that Ji Feiji's actions will naturally favor him, so she made this suggestion.
The root of this suggestion is to let him "win over" Kaiji. Of course, because of the relationship between the two parties, this kind of wooing is more of a status respect and an emotional investment.
Gao Pragmatic thinks this idea has some truth. Not only Jia Feiji, but also Meng Gu Zhezhe, both of them are different from Huang Zhiting. They originally entered the Gao family for the purpose of political marriage, and their way of thinking and action stance must be fundamentally different from Huang Zhiting.
If we want to judge and interpret with a utilitarian mentality, it is probably that Huang Zhiting can share adversity, while Menggu Zhezhe and Ji Fei Ji can only share wealth and honor. The former can accompany Gao Pragmatic in the headwind game, while the latter can only accompany Gao Pragmatic in the tailwind game.
However, Gao Pragmatic thinks this is reasonable and reasonable. After all, in this era, the status of wives and concubines is not equal. Why should they ask the other party to "unequal pay for equal work"? This is not in line with human nature, nor is it in line with Gao Pragmatic's own values.
"Fortunately, I have to resign tomorrow, so I have time to see her off." Gao pragmatically said, "That's it, help me make arrangements, and I will see her out of Yongding Gate."
The capital of the Ming Dynasty is divided into the north and south cities, and Yongding Gate is the south gate of the south city of the capital. Sending Yongning Gate means sending them all the way out of the city. Whether it is for the purpose of building momentum or to show respect to Jia Fei Ji, this is enough.
Liu Xin agreed and said she would make arrangements later. When Gao pragmatic saw her saying "I'll make arrangements later," he naturally knew that she still had something to say, so he motioned for her to move on to the next topic.
Sure enough, Liu Xin took out a stack of letter paper and said: "This is the latest news from North Korea, provided by Jinghua Trading Company. It was sent from North Korea to Liaodong last night, and then arrived in Beijing from Liaodong early this morning - —See for yourself."
When Gao Pragmatic saw that there were dozens of pages, he knew that there might be a lot of things recorded in them. He immediately took it and looked at it carefully.
Sure enough, this report is not only more practical and detailed than the previous information, it is more than ten times clearer than the information obtained from the imperial court. Basically, it has been recorded in detail from the time Japan sent troops to the present day. .
According to the description in this report, the Japanese invasion force of Korea, totaling 158,000 men, was divided into nine legions and set out to sea one after another. The 18,000-man First Division headed by Yukinagako Konishi was the first to arrive in North Korea on August 14th. Busan sea area.
Commander Konishi ordered the fleet to move slowly, and a small team took a small boat to explore the North Korean shore defenses. At this time, Zheng Po, the chief minister of Busan Town in North Korea, was drinking and having fun with his soldiers after hunting. North Korea's military equipment was lax, and the Japanese army seemed to be in uninhabited territory.
Although the Japanese exploration ship was noticed by the guards at the Busan Observation Tower, the North Korean side thought it was to send the ship to Tsushima Island and ignored it. As a result, it was attacked and killed by the exploration team. The expedition team reported to Governor Konishi that there were 800 defenders, most of whom were hunting, and there was little defense in Busan. Governor Konishi then ordered the First Army to prepare to land in Busan immediately.
Zheng Po, the minister of the town of Busan, led his troops back to the city. He saw Japanese ships sailing in from a distance, and at first he mistakenly thought that the ship was sent to the island of Mashima and did not pay attention to it. When all the ships of Xiaoxi's First Army came into view, Zheng Po was shocked and hurriedly ordered the people to move outside the city to take refuge in the city. All ministries were on standby and notified Gyeongsang Zuosui envoy Pu Hong and Dongnae Prefecture envoy Song Sangxian for support.
That day, the sea fog filled the air, and Konishi Yukinagayin's army lined up in the sea fog to prepare for battle. Although the eight hundred garrison troops on Busan City were in place, there had been no war in Korea for two hundred years, and Zheng Po felt uneasy.
Fortunately, Park Hong, the envoy of Zusu, Gyeongsang, arrived before it was too late. He stepped forward and asked about the size of the Japanese pirates. Zheng Po said: "The sea fog is heavy, and the exact number of people is unknown, but there are about a hundred ships. "
Pu Hong heard this and replied: "If there are a hundred ships, there may be about 10,000 soldiers. However, according to the Beiyang Maritime Trade Alliance, most of the pirates have been wiped out by them, so why are the pirates still acting like this this time?" How many?" When Zheng Poyan realized that he was not a pirate but a Japanese army, Pu Hong was shocked.
Just when the North Korean defenders were uneasy, the Japanese troops came out of the fog, slowly like a forest, and the sound of armored steps resounded throughout Busan. Governor Konishi signaled Soyoshi to order the entire army to attack, and the Japanese Ashigaru took the lead in charging towards Busan.
Seeing this, Zheng Po ordered to fight back with fire cannons and flying thunderbolts. Unfortunately, North Korea's firearms were inferior and scarce, and the firepower was insufficient to suppress the Japanese army, so Zheng Po ordered the archers to shoot again. Although the Japanese army suffered casualties, they still quickly advanced to the city gate 150 steps away. Governor Konishi ordered the wooden fence to be pushed forward to block the bows and arrows, and to cover the iron gunners' three-stage attack to kill the gate guards alternately.
The Japanese iron cannon fired accurately and had strong penetrating power. Under the three-stage cyclic firing of the iron cannon, the Busan city defense was in chaos in an instant. The Japanese Ashigaru took the opportunity to rush to the wall to set up a ladder, crashed into the city gate, and used sword samurai to climb the city. Gun samurai Then, the iron gunners covered and fired.
With less than a thousand soldiers in Busan, it was difficult to stop the enemy. The Japanese army took the opportunity to break through the city gate with baked jade. Then the Japanese troops poured into Busan. Although the Korean soldiers and civilians fought hard and bloody, they were no match for the well-trained Japanese soldiers. Seeing that the Japanese army was unstoppable, Pu Hong, the envoy of Zuoshui in Gyeongsang, withdrew from Busan after burning the grain and grass in the government treasury. Zheng Po, the chief minister of Busan Town, died in the battle.
Busan fell within half a day, and few soldiers and civilians in the city survived.
Pu Hong escaped and immediately sent people to Beijing to report. King Li Huo of North Korea was shocked beyond words after the review. The chief minister comforted him and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness, the army will surely defeat the enemy." Li Huo calmed down for a moment and ordered the court meeting at night.
All the officials were silent for a long time, and Li Hao was furious: "Why are you speechless? I once said that there would be no Japanese changes, but now you are laughing at me!"
Hong Ruchun, the judge of the Northern Army Cao, said: "Your Highness, it was the Japanese pirates who allowed the Japanese invaders to capture Busan because they were not prepared. Please grant me death!" Since someone took the lead, the next step was naturally for the ministers to apologize. Li Yuanyi, the judge of Li Cao, reported: "Your Highness, the top priority is to immediately mobilize troops to fight."
Li He asked the leader what Li Shanhai should do to discuss politics. Li Shanhai said: "In my opinion, these are just pirates. Although ten thousand is a large number, it is a small number if it is an invading army of the Japanese country. And in terms of strategy, The enemy should not land in Busan, but should capture Jeolla Province, which is the land of barns."
"That's right!" General Wang Jingjing Yin Shenli added: "Your Highness, the benefits of Jeolla Province should be known to both the enemy and ourselves. So far, we have not heard of any military information in Jeolla Province. If it was a national war, how could we be so reckless and only attack Busan? Where? Therefore, I agree with what the Prime Minister said, the fall of Busan should be caused by large-scale pirates."
Li Hao was about to agree, but Zuo Yizheng Liu Chenglong said: "Your Highness, there is only one memorial to be reported now. It is difficult to tell the truth. It would be a blessing if there is no more military information outside Busan. And it is not clear whether the remaining legions of the Japanese country have not yet landed. But you know, it’s better to be cautious.”
Hong Ruchun argued: "The report clearly stated that there are only a hundred Japanese ships! The Japanese country is weak, and even if it is a local army, the size of such ships must be limited."
And Li Shanhai's son-in-law Li Dexin said: "Be prepared for any danger. Instead of speculating here, it is better to immediately order the mobilization of arms to the Eighth Route Army of North Korea."
After hearing this, Li Huan was hesitant to mobilize the Eighth Route Army due to the Gyeongsang Province coast issue. The official Cao Cao wrote a petition to Li Yuanyi to mobilize the Beijing army to suppress it. Shen Li personally asked to lead the Beijing army south to Busanpo to wipe out the Japanese pirates. Another general, Li Yi, also invited himself to go with him. Shen Li and Li Yi were the pillars of Korea's national defense. They fought against Japanese pirates in the south and Hu Di in the north. They were sure to win every battle and had outstanding military exploits, so Li He was very happy.
Afterwards, Li Shanhai summoned the important ministers at Beibiansi, listened to the strategic plan of Hong Ruchun, the military commander, and decided to take Li Yi as the vanguard to go to the middle road, the left defense sent Cheng Ri to go out of the east road, the right defense sent Zhao Bing to go to the west road, and then the rebel army The help of soldiers and cao can prevent the bandits from continuing to move northward.
Liu Chenglong also urged Li Shanhai to order the Beijing army to go south as soon as possible before deciding on follow-up strategies. Li Shanhai then ordered Shen Li and Li Yi to prepare to set off as soon as possible.
While Wang Jingjun and his ministers were deploying, Governor Konishi was preparing for the response on the spot after capturing Busan, and at the same time commanding troops to seize two ports. On the 15th, his troops attacked Dongnae.
In Dongnae City, Song Sangxian, the envoy of Dongnae Prefecture, and Li Yu, the Zuobing envoy of Gyeongsang Province, discussed: "Busan fell, was outnumbered and was attacked by a surprise attack. It was really caught off guard. There are 3,000 troops stationed in Dongnae, and the military and civilian contract is 20,000. If the defense is properly guarded, we will definitely defeat the enemy." Can stop the enemy."
Li Yu thought for a while and said: "I will lead my troops to ambush on Shanshan. When Donglai and the bandits are at odds, I will attack their backs to make them vulnerable from both sides." Song Xiangxian quickly persuaded Li Yu, saying that a surprise attack with few soldiers would be ineffective. , it is better to join forces together, Li Yu insisted not to do so.
Outside Donglai City, Xiaoxi Xingchang was in the formation and making plans with the generals. Konishi Yuzhang said: "The terrain in Dongrai is flat, North Korea's ordnance is old, and the soldiers' combat effectiveness is low. Although there are three thousand troops stationed, they are just a mob. It is better to write a letter to persuade them to surrender as a courtesy."
So President Konishi sent a letter to Song Xiangxian. The letter said that fighting means fighting, and not fighting means falsehood. Song Xiangxian replied that it is easy to die in battle, but difficult to pretend. Governor Konishi was overjoyed after seeing this and ordered the immediate capture of Donglai.
The Donglai defenders, under the command of Song Xiangxian, first used fire cannons to bombard the formation. However, the North Korean fire cannons were not powerful enough and had a very low effective range. In addition, the Ming Dynasty had restricted the export quota of gunpowder to North Korea since Zhu Yuanzhang, resulting in North Korea's gunpowder reserves being extremely limited. .
In order to resist the precise shooting of Japanese iron cannons, Song Xiangxian ordered a shield wall to resist the iron cannons, and archers and fire cannons fired alternately. As for the iron cannon, although the Korean shield could block it for a while, it would break after three rounds. Governor Konishi gathered the iron artillery team to fire multiple rounds of volleys. The Japanese army even used large iron cannons to fire volleys. The Korean shield array could not hold up, and there were many casualties among the city defenders.
While the Japanese army was building ladders and fighting with North Korea, the city gate of North Korea had been breached by Baolaoyu. Soyoshi ordered a thousand ashigaru gun formations to be in the front to contain the enemy, while the iron gunners gathered in the rear. The samurai followed up to attack the city defenders. When the iron artillery was assembled, the ashigaru formations were deployed to both sides to cover.
More than half of the Korean soldiers were killed or wounded under multiple volleys of iron artillery fire. The morale of the soldiers collapsed and they fled. Governor Xiaoxi ordered a cover-up, Song Xiangxian died in battle, and Donglai City was destroyed. When Li Yu, the Gyeongsang Province Zuobing envoy stationed at Sunsan Mountain, saw that Dongnae City had been destroyed, he feared the enemy like a tiger and immediately withdrew his troops. After Captain Konishi captured Donglai, he repaired for two days and then attacked the four towns of Qizhang, Liangshan, Milian and Zhaolian.
When the news reached Wang Jing, the North Korean King Li Huan was horrified, and only then did he realize that it was definitely not pirates causing trouble. Li Huo had been weak and sick since he was a child, and he indulged in drinking and sex. This time he was so frightened that he fell into coma.
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