The news of Li Huo's decision to relocate spread outside the palace, and several groups of courtiers asked for permission to see him, all of whom came to dissuade him from relocating. To make matters worse, as the news leaked for unknown reasons, rumors immediately spread within Wang Jing, and the people and garrison soldiers gradually began to flee.
In the palace, Li Hao was unhappy, and Jin Guiren was accompanying him. Li Huo sighed: "The ministers all talk about loyalty, and all of them are seeking fame and reputation, but in the end, except for the prime minister, no one cares about others."
In order to forgive Li Huo, Jin Gui specially summoned Jin Gongliang to see him and report to Li Huo the various escape situations in Wang Jing. Li Huan was shocked and became more determined to relocate. Unexpectedly, Jin Guiren said at this time: "His Highness should order to stop the relocation at this time."
Li He was stunned for a moment, frowned and asked: "The matter has come to this, if we don't move, the royal family will be trapped in Wangjing."
Jin Guiren said: "Otherwise, orders must be given, and actions must be done. Your Majesty, you can give orders not to relocate, but in fact, you are still preparing for relocation. Your Majesty, now the people and soldiers have gradually fled, Wang Jing cannot be saved, all roads have collapsed, and the north It is also difficult for sergeants to quickly go south to Qinwang in a short period of time.
The order to stop the relocation at this time is intended to protect His Highness' wisdom, but the ministers will inevitably face the reality of having to relocate, and will eventually petition for relocation to protect the safety of His Highness. In this way, it can not only demonstrate the unity of the monarch and his ministers, but also preserve the reputation of His Highness, and also allow him to finally relocate and take refuge. "
Li Huo then turned from worry to joy and praised Jin Guiren for his intelligence. That night, he held a rally and ordered the movement to be stopped, and ordered all departments to prepare to defend the capital. The ministers took the order, some relaxed, some frowned.
Li Shanhai suspected that the king might have other motives for this move. However, as a minister, he could not question it face to face, so he had to wait and see for the time being.
At about the same time, Konishi Yukinagawa and Kato Kiyomasa also joined forces in Chungshu. Kato Kiyomasa said to President Konishi in high spirits: "Hey, Konishi, why are you stopping there? Could it be that you know you are losing to North Korea, so you are waiting here to ask for help from me?"
Kato Kiyomasa is six feet five inches tall and is considered to be extremely tall among the Japanese. At the same time, he is indeed powerful and good at fighting, and he is trustworthy and righteous. However, because of his fierce appearance and overwhelming momentum, everyone in the Japanese army is afraid of him.
However, Governor Konishi was calm and composed when facing Kato Kiyomasa. They were not on the same road at all, and could even be said to be political enemies. Therefore, Governor Konishi's tone was quite conceited: "Our army has finished the battle and has gained nothing. Now we will wait a little longer." The rest is just because my first squadron is too strong. If you don’t wait for Kato to come and capture Wang Jing alone, won’t your second squadron lose face?"
Kato ridiculed: "Forget it, Konishi, I already know that you suffered 8,000 casualties in the battle of Chungju, and half of your troops will not be able to fight again. Such a record has never been achieved among the generals in the many years His Highness Taige has led the army." Yes. Your Highness Konishi Yukinacho, who is known as a shrewd and capable businessman, you really look good on His Highness Taikaku! I think I should write the book Taikaku myself and ask him to reward you well."
Seeing Kato Kiyomasa's sarcastic remarks, Konishi Governor was unwilling to be outdone. It happened that Konishi Governor also knew that Kato's army had rebelled and surrendered to the enemy, so he smiled and said: "If it is a reward, it should be shared with Kato. I also know that your subordinates Vanguard General Echigo Mamoru Okamoto landed in Korea and led his troops to surrender without engaging the enemy. As the most elite and loyal Kato army under Taikaku, there was such a figure in the Kato army. I think His Highness Taikou would be extremely happy to hear this. .”
Kato was furious and subconsciously pressed the handle of the knife. The generals around him were shocked and quickly stepped forward to persuade him. With great difficulty, they were able to restrain Kato who was about to become furious.
Governor Konishi sneered and said: "The casualties of our army are indeed too large. Although most of them are only minor injuries, for the sake of safety, it is not appropriate to attack Wang Jing alone. Suwen Kato's army is extremely brave, and the first and second divisions We should join forces to advance the army to ensure nothing goes wrong. I am waiting for you to come here to discuss military strategies with you."
Seeing that he was talking about business, Kato would probably think that he was neglecting public affairs for personal reasons, so he had no choice but to calm down and discuss countermeasures with President Konishi with a cold face.
On the other side, the North Korean King Li Huo issued an order to defend Wangjing. However, the current situation of Wangjing's defense was extremely bad, and the various departments were unable to do anything about it.
Seeing the Japanese army approaching day by day, but no ministers petitioned for relocation, Li He became anxious and impatient, so he proposed relocation again at the court meeting, but the ministers once again raised objections.
Li Hao said angrily: "Do you think I am a person who is afraid of the enemy and death? I can't wait to pick up a sword and a gun to fight the Japanese pirates to the death, but my life is not my life, but the life of the country!"
From the time the order to stop relocation was issued until now, have we ever seen people united in their will and sharing the same hatred against the enemy? The subjects deeply let me down, but I dare not let the people of the world down, so I have no choice but to leave the capital temporarily, reorganize the army, regain the people's support, and then restore the country!
I will now make Lord Gwanghae my crown prince, and send Lord Linhai to Hamgyeong Province. When I gather soldiers from all over the country, I will tell the world to fight the Japanese pirates to the death! Prepare to move immediately without any mistakes! "
As soon as this statement came out, the officials were shocked, but considering that the crown prince was about to be established and Linhai Lord was also arranged to be dispatched, they finally had hope, so in the end there was no strong backlash and they acquiesced.
The next day, the Crown Prince's canonization ceremony was held hastily, and Gwanghae Jun was officially crowned. The important officials of the court petitioned the Crown Prince to lead the country, assist the king in overcoming difficulties, and create a peaceful and prosperous era. Lord Gwanghae was impassioned and vowed to live and die with the people, and the courtiers were quite pleased.
After the ceremony, the royal family members gathered together. Lord Linhai, Lord Xincheng, Jin Guiren and the queen all congratulated Lord Gwanghae, but King Li Xin was unhappy.
Li Hao looked at Lord Guanghai coldly and asked tentatively: "The country is in crisis and is in ruins. How does the Crown Prince feel? Is there any joy at all?"
Although this was a scoring question, Lord Guanghae still answered seriously: "At this time, my son feels that there is a heavy burden on his shoulders, he feels that the responsibility is profound, and he even feels panic all day long."
Li He nodded, squeezed out a fatherly smile, and said: "Of course, you should feel this way, and it is precisely to make you feel this way that I canonized you as the crown prince. This canonization is to win over the people's morale. , it is only a temporary registration and has not yet been reported to the Celestial Empire. Please do not have any unreasonable thoughts. When the Japanese rebellion subsides, I will renegotiate with the courtiers and decide the country's foundation after consulting the Celestial Empire. You need to keep these in mind. "
Lord Gwanghae's eyes were wet: "I understand that I will make overcoming the national crisis my only responsibility. Father, please rest assured."
Li Huo nodded and sighed: "I am very pleased that you know your responsibilities very well. Do it well." Then Li Huo left the table to prepare for the broadcast.
Lord Gwanghae had been practicing Confucianism since he was a child, and he was considered to be benevolent and righteous. He had no intention of competing for the throne, and it was even less popular with his father. This time, when he was crowned the crown prince, Gwanghaejun wanted to rush to the national crisis, but was sneered at by his father. He felt even more disappointed and sad.
The queen advised: "As the crown prince, you should not care what others say. Only by being strong and self-reliant can you be a model for the country. How can you lead the country to recover from the national crisis if you are weak and weak? How can you win the hearts of the people and keep your position as the crown prince?"
Lord Guanghai thanked you: "Thank you so much for your teachings, I will definitely take heart. I only hope that the national crisis will end soon. If the world is at peace, I will not be greedy for the position of the heir apparent."
Next, Li Huo re-activated Yi Dooshou and Li Hengfu of the Western Party for the relocation matter. Yi Dooshou was quickly appointed as the general of the royal camp, responsible for the security of the royal family; Li Hengfu, the official of the restoration of the capital, was responsible for conveying the king's orders.
In the Japanese camp, Kato Kiyomasa deliberately did not wait for Konishi Governor to lead the army to Wangjing in order to capture the King of Korea as soon as possible. However, he did not know that Konishi Governor had secretly sent Soyoshi to lead the army in the early morning of that day. The detachment rushed towards Wang Jing. From this point of view, although the two men maintained harmony on the surface, they became increasingly competitive in private.
Jingzhe Xuansu asked Governor Konishi: "Is His Highness Zong Yizhi leading only one detachment a little short of strength? Wang Jing is huge and has many guards. Such an arrangement may be extremely risky."
Governor Konishi snorted and said with a smile: "This is because you don't know something. It is easier to attack because it is where the capital is. Since landing in Busan, our army has advanced rapidly, and the North Korean army was defeated at the first touch. The only one who can be regarded as the hope of the North Korean monarchs and ministers The First World War also ended in Chungju, and the winner is still me. I think the monarchs and ministers of North Korea are now in panic and panic all day long.
North Korea is already weak, and such fear will definitely make Wangjing a mess. If our army can fully exploit the psychology of the Korean people, it only takes a few hundred people to occupy the huge Wangjing. Therefore, I appease Kato and make him unaware of our secret cavalry. Even if Wang Jing retreats ten thousand steps, Wang Jing will resist strongly, then let Kato Kiyomasa go and slaughter them. Our army only needs to capture the King of Joseon first. It's enough to report your merits to His Highness Taige and kill Kato in shame. "
Jingzhe Xuansu nodded and asked: "If the King of Joseon is indeed captured, what should be done?" Xiaoxi replied that the people's will should be the main concern.
Jingzhe Xuansu asked again: "What does Your Highness mean, if the people support the King of Korea, he will be persuaded to surrender, and if the people hate the King of Korea, he will be killed?"
Governor Konishi narrowed his eyes and said: "That's right. Stabilizing the people's hearts is crucial for us to occupy North Korea. In order to prevent reinforcements from the Ming Dynasty, we must end the war as soon as possible, seal off North Korea, recuperate, and prepare for the follow-up. This is the best policy." Jingzhe Xuansu nodded and said nothing.
On the other side, Kato Kiyomasa wanted to hurry up and capture Wangjing on the second day of September. His subordinates admonished him: "Your Highness, we have been working day and night since landing. The whole army has hardly been repaired. With such a lack of men and horses, I am afraid it will be difficult to capture Wangjing on the second day of September."
Kato Kiyomasa waved his hand and said: "Our army has set out ahead of Konishi's army. After arriving at Wangjing, it will surround and then rest. After the first army arrives, we will attack Wangjing together. Our army's primary goal is to capture the King of Joseon before Konishi, and then Report your merits to His Highness Taige. By then, our army will have already captured Wangjing on September 2nd."
There is a reason for what he said. According to his arrangements and rhetoric, the capture of the King of Joseon was his sole responsibility, and the capture of Wangjing was his selflessness. He took the initiative to share the credit with Yukinagako Konishi, and neither left nor right. However, at this time, a detective came to report that the Xiaoxi Army Zongyi Zhi Division had secretly set out for Wangjing in the early morning. Kato Kiyomasa was furious when he heard this and quickly ordered the entire army to march to Wang Jing.
In the early morning of August 30, the 20th year of Wanli, it rained heavily. King Li Huo of Joseon led the members of the royal palace and the families of important officials in the imperial court, and set out from Wang Jing to move northward under the protection of the generals of the imperial camp. When thousands of people heard the news, they blocked the king's drive, knelt down and cried, wailing endlessly, begging the king not to abandon the people.
Li Huo was moved and promised to the people that he would gather troops to fight against the enemy and return to Wangjing. The people cried and begged again and again, but they could not kneel down and blocked the streets. Li Huo was extremely sad, but after all, the relocation was a serious matter, so he ordered the imperial camp general Yi Dou to do so. Shou led the troops to drive away the people and opened a road to protect the king from the city.
After the king left the capital, the order in the city was completely out of control. In addition to the people who were scrambling to pack up their belongings and had already fled, the people who were angry that the king had left the capital and felt abandoned, broke into the palace and robbed it.
Due to the relocation of the royal family, the palace was unguarded. After the people broke into the palace, the remaining gold, silver, jewelry, silk clothing, utensils and food were looted. Then these angry people set fire to the palace to vent their hatred. When the king drove not far away, he saw the palace in flames soaring into the sky. Li Huan was frightened and almost wanted to go back and send troops to kill him.
The king drove to Kaicheng. Li Huo gathered the courtiers and inquired about the situation in Wang Jing. Li Shanhai, who led the discussion, said: "Since His Highness left the capital, the palace was looted and all the people in the city were dispersed. The general who stayed in the capital sent a message saying , because Wang Jing’s garrison has been properly deployed, he has arrived at Imjin River first, hoping to join the reinforcements at Imjin to attack the enemy and prevent them from moving north.”
Hearing this, Yi Dooshou was furious and shouted: "What nonsense! This villain is greedy for life and afraid of death! His Highness appointed him as the general who will stay in the capital. He should serve the country loyally and buy time for the king to move and for the people to evacuate. Not only did he cower in front of him, Jin, you are still talking shamelessly, and your crime cannot be forgiven!"
Li He also felt angry after hearing this, so he asked Yi Dooshou what should be done. Yi Dooshou raised his eyebrows and said: "Leaving Wangjing has made the people fearful and uneasy, and it is difficult for the people to reunite. Now that Kaicheng has abundant food and complete defenses, I thought that here The priority is to revitalize the army. Please order His Highness to post a notice to inform the people that Your Highness is determined to hold on to Kaicheng. Then the people's hearts will be stable and the Japanese pirates can be stopped. After a great victory, the capital can be returned as soon as possible."
Liu Chenglong, the leader of Zuo Yizheng, agreed with this and said: "This is very good. If we hold on to Kaicheng, I will immediately mobilize troops to serve the king and recover Wangjing." Li Shanhai, the leader of Zuo Yizheng, also agreed.
Li Huo immediately ordered a list to be published. The people in Kaicheng were overjoyed and rushed to tell each other. People fleeing from all over the country flocked to Kaicheng. At noon that day, Li Huo had no intention of eating, so he pretended to be ignorant, saying that he was deeply ignorant and had lost the support of the people. How could he enjoy food and drink now that the country was facing a crisis?
Yi Dooshou urged: "Your Highness, the temporary relocation is not your fault, and you must not blame yourself. Although the people were wailing and blocking the way, it shows their support for Your Highness. After today's announcement to hold on to Kaicheng, the people all cheered, but then Things are complicated right now, and there is a mountain of urgent matters that need to be dealt with, so Your Highness needs to be in high spirits."
After much persuasion, Li Huo started to eat. Li Hengfu, who had been ordered by the capital, came to meet Li Huo at this time and brought a memorial from the courtiers, which was a memorial from Li Shanhai, the leader of the court.
Li Huan saw through what the courtiers were pointing at at a glance and squinted his eyes and said: "These people are asking for Li Shanhai's punishment, which has caused the destruction of the country and his family, and they are asking for his dismissal from the government. In my opinion, they are not asking for blame for Li Shanhai, but actually want to blame me for it." "The person they want to remove may not be Li Shanhai, but I want to remove him!"
But having said that, the current situation is already extremely bad. It is really better to do less than to do more, and it is not easy to deal with it forcefully. Li Huan was in a depressed mood, so he asked Yi Dooshou and others to retreat first, and he was left alone to meditate.
After a long time, Li Huo issued an edict, which stated: Li Shanhai, the leader of the government, and Liu Chenglong, the leader of the left government, were lucky enough to turn a blind eye to the Japanese rebellion. As a result, the military preparedness was slack, the country's prestige was greatly reduced, the people were killed, and the thieves forced Wang Jing. Liu Chenglong, the Zuo Yizheng, had no way to manage the affairs, and the proposal of Li Shanhai, the leader, to relocate had unsettled people's hearts. Therefore, Li Shanhai and Liu Chenglong were immediately dismissed from their posts as Zuo Yizheng, and Yi Dooshou was promoted to Zuo Yizheng.
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