"Counsellor Jin, if the Jurchen troops come to the city and the leader of your country chooses to surrender, what should you do?"
Facing Zuo Mengeng's question, Jin Yu's mind was buzzing.
He stared blankly at what was in front of him, still unable to get over the shock.
What was placed in front of him was a huge sand table with a radius of several feet.
On it, the landscape is lifelike and the cities are well-proportioned. Every name was extremely familiar to him, as if it was engraved in his bones.
Because this is what his hometown, North Korea, is all about.
Throughout his entire life, Jin Yu never imagined that one day he would be able to overlook the Eight Routes of Korea.
As a senior official, of course he had seen the map of North Korea. But compared with the sand table in front of me, it was simply unsightly.
He found the location of Hanyang on the sand table.
This is where he was born and his hometown. He has walked through every inch of land here, so he is extremely familiar with it.
However, looking at the identical terrain on the sand table, he felt a chill rising to the sky.
He had no idea when Shandong had such a detailed grasp of the situation in North Korea.
Since the founding of North Korea more than 200 years ago, relevant survey work has never stopped, and it is impossible to have such complete data.
Not to mention, the method of making the sand table is simply ingenious and wonderful.
He knew that with such a magical weapon, whether it was fighting a war or running a country, he would be able to get twice the result with half the effort.
It's a pity that such a good thing is in the hands of people who have no good intentions towards North Korea.
Since the connection between Jeju Island and Busan, Shandong has been continuously dispatching intelligence personnel and surveying and mapping staff to the interior of North Korea.
Under the cover of the Westerners' Party, these people traveled throughout North Korea and drew a complete map.
It can be said that Shandong's grasp of North Korea's geography has long surpassed that of North Korea itself.
Without this foundation, how could Zuo Mengeng dare to attack North Korea rashly and compete with Huang Taiji.
The impact of the sand table has not dissipated, and Zuo Mengeng's question is even more shocking than thunder.
"So that Commander-in-Chief Zuo will know that the leader of our country has issued an edict and is ready to defend the enemy. There are millions of soldiers and civilians in North Korea, and their determination to defend the country and protect the country can be learned from heaven and earth and cannot be insulted lightly."
Zuo Hua was sarcastic on the sidelines.
"You said the same thing last time, what was the result?"
Jin Yu was so ashamed that he couldn't raise his head.
The whole Dingmao was in chaos, and it was really embarrassing for North Korea to fight.
He quickly cheered up.
"It is our country that has learned the lesson from the last time, so we decided to build a city on the mountain and use the dangerous terrain to fight against powerful enemies. The Jurchens are stronger than horse fighting, and mountaineering attacks are not their strong point. If we gradually consume them like this, we, North Korea, will definitely be able to turn the crisis around."
A general next to him couldn't listen anymore.
"If I were Huang Taiji, I would not care about your mountain cities at all and lead the army to Hanyang. These mountain cities you built are all just decorations."
Jin Yu argued hard.
"If the Jurchens march straight in, our armies and righteous people will be able to cut off their return routes and destroy their food and grass. It will be easy to win in battle."
The general snorted coldly and spoke rudely.
"Can your North Korean army fight? The Jurchens only need to send a small number of troops to protect their retreat. When Hanyang is surrounded, is there any other way besides surrender?"
Jin Yu was at a loss and didn't know how to deal with it.
Whether the North Korean army can fight or not, you don’t need Shandong to comment, the North Koreans themselves know.
Just before he went on his mission, Marshal Jin Zidian had already written to Hanyang.
He said that the North Korean army not only lacked gunpowder, but also lacked clothing and armor. They could not go to the battlefield at all, otherwise they would be defeated miserably.
Zuo Hua was standing by and introduced to Jin Yu that the general was Bai Xiaoqi, commander of the Fourth Division of the Shandong New Army.
The person who spoke next was Zuo Fu, the Minister of Intelligence.
Zuo Fu introduced mainly the domestic situation in North Korea.
"Nowadays, the heavy taxes and servitude in North Korea have caused extreme hardship for the people, and many people are complaining and dissatisfied with the North Korean court. I am afraid that when the Jurchens come, these people will not only not help the North Korean court, but will also become the Jurchens' help."
Zuo Mengeng listened quietly and came to a conclusion instantly.
"In other words, North Korea is now facing constant internal and external troubles, and is it afraid that it cannot even resist a little bit?"
Bai Xiaoqi replied: "Our frontline headquarters has predicted that once a war breaks out, North Korea will only be able to hold on for less than two months at most."
Jin Yu stood aside and listened to these Shandong people commenting on the situation in North Korea. It was really painful.
Just because what these people said hit the nail on the head.
As the weaker party, the truer the words, the more harmful they will be.
Zuo Mengeng looked at him.
"This time North Korea will definitely not be able to stop the Jurchen soldiers. In order to retain power, your king will eventually choose to surrender. At that time, North Korea will worship the barbarians as the masters, abandon the orthodoxy of human ethics, and be tainted with fishy smell. I don’t know if there are any Huanghuang history books. How many people will be infamy for thousands of years because of this. Councilor Jin, it is better to live in Shandong for the time being, so that you can stay out of it. At the very least... you can keep your name clean."
What can Jin Yu say?
He also wanted to resist, but he couldn't.
At this point, North Korea's plan to send an envoy to the Ming Dynasty was completely destroyed, and the contact between the two sides was completely severed.
The monarchs and ministers of North Korea are still looking forward to the Ming Dynasty's mercy.
It's a pity that they can't wait for anything.
On the eighth day of April, North Korea's Chunxin Shi Luodexian and Li Kuo finally arrived in Shenyang.
Before entering the city, I already noticed that the atmosphere here was solemn and newly decorated.
The whole city has been cleaned up, and the streets and shops everywhere are decorated with lights.
The Jurchens coming in and out were all beaming and talking loudly, as if something big was about to happen.
Sure enough, when they requested an interview with Huang Taiji, Houjin officials informed them of the situation.
"The Great Khan is about to ascend the throne in Jianyuan three days later. He is fasting and bathing now, and there are no outsiders. Please wait for now and attend the enthronement ceremony in three days."
Luo Luo Xian and Li Kuo looked at each other and felt embarrassed at the same time.
As a North Korean envoy, if he attends Huang Taiji's enthronement ceremony, wouldn't it represent North Korea's attitude?
Thinking of their mission, both of them were extremely anxious and thought hard about good strategies.
However, the time was too short and their chips were limited, so the two could not find a way.
Three days later, the entire city of Shenyang changed drastically.
In the early morning of this day, when the white fish had just appeared in the east, Huang Taiji had already dressed up and walked out of his residence.
He officially put on the bright yellow uniform representing the emperor, and put on the yellow canopy that only the emperor could use.
Surrounded by hundreds of officials, Huang Taiji mounted his horse and walked all the way out of the palace to the Temple of Heaven outside Desheng Gate.
The emperor is the Son of Heaven. If he wants to ascend the throne, he must first sacrifice to heaven.
Riding on a tall horse, moving forward slowly. Seeing the military formations stretching on both sides of the road and the prostrate people, Huang Taiji was calm on the surface, but his inner joy had reached its peak.
