At the court meeting the next day, North Korean King Li Huo asked his ministers why the North Korean military was so vulnerable. Li Shanhai, the political leader, responded that it was not due to weak troops but lack of preparation. Now the border patrol has led his troops south, and military camps from various places have rushed to Busan, Gyeongsang Province, which will surely inflict heavy losses on the enemy invaders.
Li He asked again: "What if we can't win? If we can't win, it will be Zhongzhou's turn. If Zhongzhou cannot be saved, it will be Wang Jing's turn!" Once these words were spoken, it was clear that the king was anxious and anxious, but the ministers could only remain silent. Silent.
After a while, Liu Chenglong reported: "Your Highness, all the elite military attachés in the country are fully prepared. Now we should immediately order the defeated troops in the south and the troops stationed around Chungju to gather in Chungju. We will mobilize the troops in the north to come back for reinforcements and worship General Shen Li as our commander." The three border patrol envoys are given arbitrary power to command the Beijing army and various ministries to join forces in Zhongzhou, and the large army is assembled under the unified command of General Shen Li, which may annihilate the enemy invaders."
This is barely a safe response, and more importantly, there is currently no better way, so Li Hao agreed and dismissed Bing Cao and judge Hong Ruchun.
Soon, at the school grounds outside Beijing, Shen Li rallied the Beijing army and issued an instruction: "Mighty North Korean soldiers, shameless Japanese pirates came across the sea. They didn't know the power of our North Korean troops and acted wantonly on our land! Previously, the North Korean soldiers Although Di Chao is said to be ten thousand, he is as fragile as a fallen leaf after autumn in front of our army. Now let the Japanese pirates who slaughtered our family repay blood with blood, and North Korea will definitely win!"
He had truly won battles, and his reputation in North Korea was at least as good as that of Li Chengliang, even if it was not as pragmatic as that of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, inspired by him, the North Korean army was impassioned and confident.
After Shen Li led his army to set off, Li Huo also summoned the leaders Li Shanhai and Liu Chenglong in the garden to discuss the affairs. As soon as Li Huo came up, he cried and blamed himself for being stupid and ignorant, for not listening to advice and being unprepared for border defense.
It is said that the king is worried about the humiliation of his ministers, and the king humiliates his ministers to death. Seeing this, Li Shanhai and Liu Chenglong hurriedly knelt down and blamed themselves. Liu Chenglong said first: "It is absolutely not His Highness's fault. It is the ministers who were not prepared. Even without permission, we should make preparations as much as possible."
Li Shanhai also said: "In the final analysis, I was just letting my guard down because I was taking a chance. It's all my fault. I hope Your Highness won't blame yourself."
Li He seemed to have something on his mind. He hesitated to speak and thought about it again and again and had to give up. In fact, Li Shanhai and Liu Chenglong are old and mature, so why don't they know what Li Huo wants to say? He just wanted to ask Daming for help if something went wrong, but it was not appropriate for him to say this himself.
Moreover, whether Daming's rescue can come, what conditions will be met if it comes, and whether it is willing to leave after it comes... These are all uncertain. If something happens in the future, who will be responsible?
Li Hao didn't speak in the end, and Li Shanhai and Liu Chenglong naturally didn't dare to mention it, so things got stuck.
At the same time, the Japanese First Army Corps led by Governor Konishi was about to break through the left and right roads of Gyeongsang. The Japanese troops massacred every city they passed. The surrounding government officials were frightened and abandoned the city and fled.
Commander Konishi then headed towards Daegu. The troops stationed in Daegu had been short of food for many days and had been waiting for the Beijing army for a long time. When they heard that the Japanese army had arrived in Qingdu, which was only half a day's journey from Daegu, how could the army not be panicked?
Although the officers suppressed it for a time, intending to prepare for battle the next day, the morale of the army was extremely disorganized. All the Daegu garrison fled that night. Later, they entered the Sangju area and tried to open the gate of Chungju.
On August 18, the 22,000-strong Second Army led by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's beloved general Kato Kiyomasa also landed in North Korea. Kato Kiyomasa was murderous and had strict military discipline. He was extremely loyal to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
At this time, he saw the rapid advance of the army by Koxi Xingchang. In order not to lose the face of the family leader, he vowed to catch up with Xiaoxi. Then he summoned the generals to draw a route and shortcut from Ulsan and Gyeongju to Yongju to Chungju, striving to be the first to enter Wangjing.
Subsequently, in the Gimhae area to the west of Busan, the 12,000-strong Third Division led by Kuroda Nagamasa and the 14,500-strong Fourth Division led by Shimazu Yoshihiro landed one after another and occupied Gimhae and the western part of Gyeongsang Province. After entering Xingzhou City in the north, they also began to march towards Wang Jing.
The remaining Japanese divisions have also landed in North Korea at their scheduled positions. With Ukita Hideie as the general general, the nine armies have launched a full-scale war against North Korea.
Governor Konishi was stationed near Sangju at the moment. Soyoshi reported that Kato Kiyomasa had captured Gyeongju and took a shortcut to Chungju. Governor Konishi knew that Kato Kiyomasa wanted to take the lead in capturing Wangjing, so he ordered preparations to attack Shoju.
Sangzhou was led by North Korean general Li Yi with four thousand troops and camped outside the city. His troops had heard the news that the Japanese troops were approaching Sangju a few days ago. At this time, people were panicking, but there was still no sign of the Japanese troops. Although the sentry horses encountered Japanese sentries by chance, they were far away and did not know the truth. He was accused of lying about military information. The report was reported, so that Li Yishang was not aware that when Commander Konishi was only one day away from Sangju.
So Governor Konishi waited for many days and then raided the camp while the Sangzhou Army was eating at noon. The Sangzhou Army immediately dispersed and fled. The camp was in chaos, coordination failed, and General Li Yi was nowhere to be found. In this way, Governor Konishi was able to capture Sangju, leaving only Chungju as a defense line before Wang Jing.
News of the fall of Sangju reached Wang Jing, and King Li Huo was stunned and completely at a loss. Liu Chenglong hurriedly reported: "Your Highness, the northern army has moved south, and General Shenli has deployed defenses in Chungju. If Your Highness is still worried and the humble minister dares to report, please immediately appoint the crown prince, call for the eternal survival of the royal family, and inspire the people's morale and military morale! North Korean soldiers and civilians Together with His Highness and the Crown Prince, I will vow to fight the Japanese pirates to the bitter end!" As soon as these words came out, the courtiers agreed.
Li Huan was startled and turned to Li Shanhai to ask. Li Shanhai also looked solemn and said: "Of course, when the country is in crisis, it is a sure-fire plan to appoint the crown prince to protect the country's foundation. To this day, I have no intention of naming the crown prince. Fully agree.”
Both leaders supported the government, and Li He couldn't pretend to be stupid, but he didn't want to let Lord Guanghai sit firmly as the crown prince, so he said to the ministers: "It is true that at this point, even I can't protect myself. Please You all are discussing who should be appointed as the heir apparent...but I have made it clear in advance that this appointment is not a request from the Celestial Empire, but a temporary appointment in response to the national crisis. When the national crisis subsides, the heir apparent will need to be re-decided, do you understand?"
In fact, most of the North Korean ministers did not think about what Li Huo was worried about at the moment, and no matter what Li Huo was thinking, as long as he agreed first, they all obeyed the king's orders and showed a rare appearance of unity. .
Soon after, in the palace of Joseon, Jin Guiren, the mother of Lord Xinsheng, was being persuaded by her brother Jin Gongliang: "The king loves you and Lord Xinsheng deeply, but almost all the courtiers are devoted to Lord Gwanghae. If you don't turn to the Lord as soon as possible, If His Highness makes a suggestion, the position of Crown Prince will definitely be taken away by Gwanghae!"
Jin Guiren was well aware of the King of Joseon's intention, but he acted calmly and said calmly: "The king loves Xincheng deeply, so he announced this temporary registration in the court. In addition, during the war, the prince is extremely Yi acted as a scapegoat to protect the king. In this special period, it would be better to make Lord Guanghai the crown prince. As for the future... hum, the days are long." Only then did Jin Gongliang know his sister's plan, and he couldn't help but suddenly realize it and praised her again and again.
On the other side, the queen summoned her eldest son Linhaijun and her second son Guanghaijun to ask for their opinions. Linhaijun was also very dissatisfied with being a prince in troubled times and left angrily. Lord Guanghai was left alone, unhappy, and sighed thoughtfully: "Your Highness loves Xincheng deeply, and Linhai has a stubborn temperament. I am afraid that only an insignificant person like me is suitable to become the crown prince at this time and die for the king."
The queen interrupted: "If you make Gwanghae the crown prince, how can it be insignificant? What's more, the children of the royal family should set an example for the people and do not hesitate to risk their own safety for the sake of the country and the people. As a mother, she will be inseparable from Gwanghae." Lord Gwanghae. Thank you very much.
At this time, Zong Yizhi found a Japanese interpreter from among the prisoners in the Konishi Gyōchang barracks in Sangzhou. Since Governor Konishi had always been worried that if the Ming Dynasty sent reinforcements in the future, it would be forced to prolong the war in North Korea, so he had always hoped to negotiate with North Korea to obtain favorable conditions and avoid being in trouble.
Zong Yizhi then said to Xiao Xi: "When we traveled to North Korea several times before, there was a man named Li Dexin who was now an official and was living with the governor. His father-in-law is the current leader of North Korea and can deliver news to the King of North Korea for us." I was so happy when I went west that I immediately ordered a Japanese interpreter to return to Wang Jing and convey that I needed Li Dexin to negotiate as an envoy.
The king of Korea, Li Xin, was puzzled by Governor Konishi’s sudden proposal to negotiate. Li Shanhai was also worried about fraud, and Liu Chenglong said: “The Japanese pirates could have marched straight in and attacked Chungju and even Wangjing. Other Japanese pirates were also there. Arrogant and raging. At this time, if the deception is just to remove an official, it is really unnecessary, so I think there is something to talk about... Even if there is no negotiation in the end, our court can take this opportunity to reorganize its armaments. "
Li Dexin bowed and said, "I am willing to be an envoy. As long as I can buy time for the country, I will never regret it." Having said this, Li Huo could only agree.
Arriving at the palace gate, Li Shanhai was reluctant to leave Li Dexin and warned him repeatedly, but Li Dexin left in tears.
Besides, the border patrol envoy Li Yi has disappeared since the war in Sangju. In fact, he fled all the way north and finally arrived at the Shinli military camp in the south of Chungju. Shen Li comforted him and said, "It is said that the border patrol officer died in battle. Fortunately, nothing happened. You and I should fight side by side to annihilate the enemy invaders." Li Yi was ashamed and sighed: "The defeated general has no face to fight, and he only wants to fight. Death on the battlefield, I hope the three border patrols will be completed."
Shen Li helped Li Yi sit down, and then asked about the strength and firepower of the Japanese army. Li Yi said: "Compared with these, I have another question. Why did the general not choose Bird Ridge, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, to set up defenses, but chose an open and safe place around here? I don't know what the significance is?"
Shen Li replied: "I once stationed at Guoling, but it was too far away from Chungju. Most of the enemies were infantry, while our army was mostly cavalry. Although Guoling is easy to defend and difficult to attack, the passive defense will cause a stalemate, which will make our army We are trapped, and we have not fallen to the point where we need to take risks.
I think that compared to the steep mountain range of Tooling, it is more beneficial to our army to spread out on flat ground. The troops stationed in various places are afraid of the enemy and are afraid of fighting, which is an insult to the country's prestige. The elite soldiers of North Korea are no worse than the Japanese pirates. I must convey this belief to the world. It is necessary to fight quickly to inspire fighting spirit and drive directly to Busan. I intend to fight the Japanese pirates to the death, so I camp here! "
Li Yi immediately expressed his opposition and said: "Although the enemies are mostly infantry, most of them hold iron cannons. Their shooting is accurate and powerful. Any shot from a hundred and fifty paces away will definitely hit."
Shen Li said disdainfully: "Beidi's bows and arrows have a longer range, and it takes a lot of time to reload the iron cannon after one shot. By the time it is reloaded, our army's bows, arrows and cavalry have already been killed in front of us. Why should we be afraid?"
In fact, both of them exaggerated the number of enemies they had avoided. The Japanese iron artillery might be able to hit 150 steps, but "every shot will hit" is pure nonsense. Moreover, at that distance, it is basically useless;
The "longer range" of Jurchen bows and arrows is nonsense. It is true that some generals' reinforced walking bows can do this. Unfortunately, there is only one person in a thousand who can accurately hit and kill people at such a distance.
Li Yi refused to give up and continued to persuade: "I see that the enemy invaders are in a three-stage attack formation with continuous iron cannon fire just like the Celestial Empire. If we fight rashly, we will suffer heavy casualties."
Although Shen Li hesitated, he finally did not agree to Li Yi's request. Shen Li sighed: "The Japanese pirates must have passed through Sangju at this moment. Our army is here to guard the road to Zhongzhou. If we march to Joryeong to set up defenses again, , It may waste time, or it may make it easy for Japanese bandits to find a way to sneak into Zhongzhou, or even use false troops to contain our army and attack Wangjing first. What can be done?
For this reason, our army is not allowed to leave this place. We must imitate the sages of the celestial strategists and fight with all their might! The cavalry army I lead has been in battle for a long time, and the enemy invaders will surely be torn apart under the iron hoofs of our army! "
On August 28, the two armies deployed in the area of Tanqintai in the Nanhan River. Shen Li asked the deputy general Jin Ruwu: "If you were a Japanese pirate general, how would you deploy it?" Jin Ruwu replied that he should divide his troops to surround them. Shen Li approved.
Li Yi asked for advice on how to alert the iron cannon, and Shen Li replied: "Try to increase the distance between the horses. When the distance is close, first use bows and arrows to disperse the enemy's forces, and then make a sudden advance."
After a pause, he continued: "Since the enemy invaders landed in Pusanpo, they have been unstoppable all the way, which has reduced the prestige of our country and made all the troops fear the enemy like tigers. At this time, if we want to boost morale, we must win against the enemy head-on. Even if we lose, we can annihilate half of the weak troops." With the enemy's strength, the pressure on the Han River defense will be reduced, and you should be aware of this." The generals accepted the order.
At this time, Governor Konishi learned that Shen Li's army had approximately eight thousand troops, three thousand of which were cavalry, and he quickly decided on a strategy. Governor Konishi personally led the seven thousand troops to silence the troops in the front. He used the dense forest on the piano platform to block the sight of the North Korean army and secretly approached the North Korean army for another surprise attack.
He also ordered Mune Yoshitomo and Matsuura Jinnobu to lead three thousand troops each, and attack North Korea along the banks of the Han River on the left and right sides. He also ordered Arima Harunobu, Omura Kizen, and Goto Jungen to lead three thousand seven hundred troops to secretly circle behind the enemy's rear, waiting for the two armies. After the battle, he led his army to march directly to Chungju and cut off the enemy's return route.
Governor Konishi took the lead in launching the charge. By the time Shen Li realized that North Korea had been surrounded on three sides. Shen Li ordered two generals, Jin Ruwu and Li Yi, to lead a thousand infantry and five hundred cavalry each to block the Japanese troops on both sides. He also led five thousand soldiers and horses to attack Konishi Governor head-on.
Shen Li ordered to charge with a thousand horse troops first, use bows and arrows to cover the enemy's fire, and then use a thousand horse troops to attack the enemy's position, disrupt their positions, and attack with the infantry to cause the enemy to collapse.
Upon seeing this, Commander Konishi ordered the iron artillery team to be divided into two parts, the front and rear, protected by ashigaru gun clusters, while the samurai samurai team and spear samurai team were on standby.
The cavalry of Shenli's cavalry were relatively good at horseback shooting, and arrows rained down like rain. Although Konishi Yukinagawa's front line was covered by wooden fences, there were still many Japanese casualties. However, when Shenli's cavalry suddenly reached a hundred steps, the Japanese iron artillery fired in three consecutive attacks, killing more than half of the Korean vanguard cavalry.
The Japanese iron artillery team then retreated and was met by the Ashigaru Gun Formation. The remaining 500 cavalry of the North Korean vanguard still attacked the gun formation. Under the two attacks, although the Japanese gun formation was in chaos and suffered hundreds of casualties, all the Korean vanguard cavalry were also killed, and the battlefield performance was tragic.
However, before the Japanese army could reorganize, Shen Li took the opportunity to lead a thousand cavalry to charge into the Japanese formation. The Japanese front line Ashigaru and the iron artillery team could not withstand it and the entire army was wiped out. Shen Li was overjoyed when he saw this, thinking that he was about to win a great victory. He immediately ordered his cavalry to charge directly to the enemy's main formation and join forces with the infantry to annihilate them.
However, Governor Konishi was completely unmoved. He ordered the spear samurai troops to be divided into formations on the left and right to surround the enemy, and the iron artillery troops in the rear immediately fired. As a result, the Japanese army fired continuously from three sides with iron artillery, and there was a larger iron artillery team in the rear to suppress the formation. The cycle continued, and the Korean army was defeated.
The Japanese spear warriors immediately followed up and attacked. The Korean army's horses were frightened, confused themselves, and counterattacked the Korean infantry. The North Koreans suffered many casualties under the iron cannon fire. On the other side, Generals Jin Ruwu and Li Yi were also unable to withstand the Japanese firepower and retreated, joining forces with Shen Li.
Muneyoshi and Matsuura Zhennobu quickly completed the encirclement, and Governor Konishi ordered the entire army to attack. The Korean army led by Shin Li was surrounded and fought hand-to-hand with the Japanese army. As a result, the Korean army was not as good as the Japanese army in terms of armor, weapons and morale.
Shen Li ordered the entire army to gather their forces and form a circular formation to defend against the enemy, with shields in front and spears in the back, and archers in the middle to regroup their morale. In the critical situation, Shen Li shouted: "If you lose, your country will be ruined and your family will be destroyed. If you win, you will be rich and noble. Don't let the Japanese pirates go to Wangjing!"
However, the objective gap in combat effectiveness sometimes cannot be reversed by encouragement. After all, the Japanese army is also very motivated to fight at this moment. So the battle continued until dusk, when the Korean army was completely wiped out. Shen Li led Jin Ruwu and Li Yi in two separate groups to break out of the encirclement, while Konishi Governor pursued Shen Li and surrounded him.
Shen Li fought and retreated to the river cliff with no way out. He and Jin Ruwu said goodbye to each other and each threw themselves into the river. Li Yi fled to Zhongzhou, only to find that the place had already been attacked and occupied by the Japanese army. As soon as he arrived, the Japanese army Arima Harunobu, Omura Kimae, and Goto Jungen immediately led their troops to attack. Li Yi was so frightened that he quickly ran away.
However, although the Korean army was defeated in this battle, the losses of Konishi Gyōchō's army were not small. There were more than 8,000 casualties. It can be said that nearly half of the entire army was injured. It was a heavy loss. Although most of them were minor injuries, they had to stay in place as a last resort. After resting and recuperating, it was difficult to continue marching into Wangjing, so this main front was temporarily relaxed.
News of the defeat on the front line reached Wang Jing. Li Huo and other ministers knew that Shen Li's army had been defeated, and almost the whole court was silent. The emperor and his ministers were disheartened and looked sad. After a long while, Li Huo said feebly: "Shenli has been defeated and Wang Jing is in danger. At this time...should we move?"
Li Yuanyi, the official judge, advised: "Your Highness cannot move. Although General Shenli is defeated, it will still take some time for the Japanese pirates to leave the capital. Soldiers should be summoned to defend the capital!"
Jin Yingnan, the newly-appointed military officer, admonished: "Once moved, it will be extremely difficult to move back. Your Highness, please think twice."
Li Shanhai, the leader of the political council, sighed: "Since your highness should think twice, we should move. Chungju is three hundred and fifty miles away from Wangjing, but the enemy invaders fought all the way from Busan to Chungju in less than half a month. Now before Wangjing, There are no more available troops, and the army will reach the capital within three days. There are only five thousand troops stationed in the capital, how can we resist it?"
Liu Chenglong disagreed, saying: "Three days are not short. We can pay military salaries, mobilize the people to replenish the army, and prepare weapons to fight the enemy again."
Li Shanhai angrily rebuked: "Why did the Japanese invaders advance so quickly? It was because they were outnumbered and the deserters were scattered. Now they still expect the people to fight with blood? Why don't you go out of the palace and see the people in the city? They are already panicked and unable to avoid them. There is no way to do it." People will obey orders and protect Wang Jing!"
Liu Chenglong also angrily rebuked: "If this is the case, then it should not be relocated. His Highness's will to resist foreign enemies and how many soldiers and civilians can be united to fight together are crucial! If he is relocated immediately, it will be like abandoning his subjects. If the people's morale is lost, it will be difficult to gather the military's morale." , Your Highness, please take a closer look!”
Li He was worried and had no confidence in what Liu Chenglong said. He sighed: "If we have the will to resist, the army and the people will unite to defend our country? I don't agree. If there are such patriotic soldiers and people, the Japanese pirates will And why did they arrive at Wang Jing in less than half a month?
If I don't want to relocate, my subjects will abandon the capital! I listened to the wishes of all my beloved ministers, but the result has been like this. I sent a messenger but failed to detect the hostility, sent a message to the Celestial Empire but was misunderstood, and repaired the military equipment and failed to stop the foreign enemy... Until now, I still hope that I will listen to your nonsense. language!
According to my will, I did not move voluntarily, but temporarily left Wangjing to reorganize my fighting strength. Aiqing has various reasons for objecting to the relocation. Don't you know what consequences it will have for the country, the country and the people if the king is captured during the war?
There is no need to discuss this matter again, the Bibian Secretary is preparing to relocate immediately! "
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Thanks to book friend "Cao Mianzi" for your reward and support, thank you!
Thanks to book friends "Yun Fuyue Yu" and "Cao Mianzi" for their monthly support, thank you!
PS: Today is 5K+, and I paid off the debt from the day before yesterday.
