Chapter 45 Ye Chen’s Dilemma
By the time He Xi knew these things, it was already many years later.
He Xi waited for a long time, but saw no reaction from the other party, and finally began to retreat step by step. Let the people of Liaodong, who have worked hard for more than half a year, breathe a sigh of relief. At the same time, the tribes from Naha were also dispersed and settled in Liaodong. Anyway, Liaodong is short of people. The only worry is the tens of thousands of people in the core. Not easy to place.
However, what worries He Xi the most is actually the situation in Goryeo.
He Xi secretly murmured in her heart, "How is Ye Chen doing now?" Ever since Ye Chen entered Goryeo, there has been no news at all. But there is no news, which is also good news. At least the Koreans did not break through the Yalu River defense line. Otherwise, news will definitely come.
He Xi will have to wait. Not just news from Goryeo.
There is also news from Beiping.
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Kaicheng, here in Goryeo is called Kaijing.
It was the capital of Goryeo for five hundred years. But this city was built more than two hundred years ago. Because two hundred years ago, Goryeo was invaded by the Liao Kingdom and Kaicheng was burned to the ground. Later, it was slowly repaired.
In the past two hundred years, we have experienced many wars, but now we are facing the test of war again.
It was no one else who came here. It was Ye Chen.
Ye Chen is very strict in what he does, both to himself and to others. He knew that his mission was to delay for a few months to give the army time to withdraw from northern Liaoning. Therefore, he put his original chess piece on the battlefield from the beginning.
Heading southeast, I barely thought about how to get back.
Of course, this kind of determination was only understood by Ye Chen in his heart. What others don’t understand.
It was precisely because Ye Chen didn't consider a retreat. Therefore, if you go all the way, you can think of things that others cannot think of and do things that others dare not do. The tens of thousands of Goryeo troops were left in dire straits and had no idea how to respond.
Of course, this was also the 500th anniversary of the founding of Goryeo, and the apocalyptic atmosphere had already begun. This kind of weather is not unique to this year. Going back several decades, there have always been Japanese pirates in Goryeo official records. In the several so-called good news written into the history books, the number of beheadings did not exceed a hundred people.
And the entire Goryeo coast, and even the tombs of the late kings. All were visited by Japanese pirates.
The soldiers from all walks of life in the south did not even dare to fight against the Japanese pirates. How strong can the combat capability be. They even allowed Japanese pirates to occupy coastal islands, and their harassment went from frequent to long-term. This problem was later solved by Lee's North Korea.
The army in the north also suffered from severe feudalization. The Yanbian army, yes, the army that fought fiercely with Ye Chen in Yizhou City for most of the night, belonged to the frontier army, and could be considered capable of fighting among the Goryeo army. Of course, the most capable of the Goryeo army should be the Northwest Frontier Army, or in other words, Li Chenggui's First Division.
But Ye Chen walked along the southeast route all the way south.
Along the way, we broke through the Chongchuan River and Daedong River, two large rivers, and other small rivers and ditches, which are countless. He fought three battles with the Korean border troops and numerous small battles, defeating tens of thousands of Korean troops in a row. It's not that the Goryeo army was incompetent. It was Ye Chen who had mastered Samadhi in commanding the cavalry and took full advantage of the speed of the cavalry. In addition, although the coast of Goryeo was mountainous. This is not good for the cavalry, but it is even worse for the Goryeo army, unless the Goryeo people can use the terrain like Shanhaiguan, where one man is in charge and no one can open it. Otherwise, Goryeo's troops and horses would not be able to deploy in the mountains. In addition, Ye Chen's command was very skillful. In every battle, Ye Chen chose the battlefield and fought against the Goryeo army that was no more than twice his own.
He can win every time.
As for the terrain issue.
First of all, Jurchen is also very familiar with this area. Secondly, Ye Chen can also have other help. Not someone else. He was a native of Liaodong who fled to Korea from Shenyang. A very simple reason is that these Liaodong people left their hometown and fled to Goryeo. Can they really have a good life?
Let’s not talk about the old saying that people are humbled when they leave their hometown. Let’s just talk about Goryeo’s political structure. It has been solidified a long time ago. The original person can only sink into a subordinate. Not to mention outsiders, they are the concubines of the original nobles. Nor can he be an official. Call it a bastard. A son's identity is from his mother to his father, that is, if his father is the prime minister and his mother is a prostitute, then when the child is born, he will be a slave and a pariah, even if his father is the prime minister.
In the eyes of the Chinese, it is simply unbelievable, but in Korea it is a normal thing.
Not to mention, people who are fleeing. More were enslaved by the Koreans and served as slaves and maids.
Ye Chen's headquarters only had a few hundred people, so he let the Jurchens plunder a lot, and he didn't take any of the proceeds from the plunder. Just horses. Let the Jurchens strive to be the first. After discovering these Liao people, he personally avenged them and let those Liao people with blood feud join the army.
Therefore, after several battles, Ye Chen's troops also suffered losses, and they even suffered more and more losses.
What Ye Chen didn't expect was that many slaves would rise up and respond to him in places where he didn't go. This further weakened Goryeo's military strength. Only then did he win many battles and reach the gate of Kaicheng like a miracle.
Ye Chen looked at Kaicheng. After all, Goryeo is a big country in the east of the sea, and it still has some background. Kaicheng looks very solid, and more importantly, there are several small cities outside Kaicheng. Soldiers and horses were also stationed. Form a complete defense system.
Even if he comes with tens of thousands of troops, he must first break through several outer cities of Goryeo and then attack Kaesong. Not to mention the current situation.
Kaicheng cannot be defeated.
Ye Chen was not prepared to fight either.
He just looked at the top of the city and thought to himself: "It's almost time, it's time to return to the army. If you don't go back, you won't be able to go back."
Others didn't know, but he knew that the reason why he could reach here was because the Koreans were not ready. But the problem was that his route back was almost certain. The Koreans must have set up layers of defenses on their way back.
There must be fierce battles that are more dangerous than before.
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On top of Kaicheng City.
King Wang You of Goryeo is in his early twenties. He led the ministers up to the top of the city and looked at the majestic Ming cavalry below the city. With an extremely ugly expression on his face, he said, "You are all the pillars of the country, how could you just see the Ming thief being so arrogant?"
All the ministers were silent.
Under this current situation, most of the foundation of Wang Yu's rule has been shaken.
Wang Yu wanted to conquer the Ming Dynasty and connect with the Northern Yuan Dynasty. Many people disagree. But many ministers acquiesced in sending troops to the border. After all, the threat from Ming Dynasty does exist. Wang Yu was not a wise king. His father died early and he ascended the throne at the age of ten. On the one hand, no one restricted his behavior and did not educate him well. The bad things Wang Yu did, such as hunting and killing living people. For example, if you see a beautiful girl, grab a horse and take her back. For example, go directly to someone else's house to sleep with their daughter. etc.
But on the other hand, just because Wang Yu ascended the throne as a young man, his father died abnormally. There are rumors among the people that he is not the son of the late king. He advocated starting a war, but in fact he also had the idea of gathering power, because he wanted to conquer the country himself. Gather all the power of Goryeo in his hands.
Of course, he was young and energetic, and was quite dissatisfied with Ming Dynasty's activities on the east bank of the Yalu River.
However, he had not expected this at all. He was not ready yet. He had not yet convinced the old guys, and he had not yet settled the frontline generals. The Ming army actually came. Not many, just a few thousand people. But it's like entering a deserted place. Killed to the foot of Kaijing City in one breath.
That feeling frightened and frightened him.
But this kind of fear cannot be shown. He became more and more angry and angry. Showing an aggressive attitude, he said to the silent minister: "I have said long ago that I will never die if I am wise. I have to strike first. If I strike early, how can I be in today's situation?"
"Your Majesty." An old minister couldn't stand it anymore and said: "The old minister thought that the military disaster in front of him was small, and the Ming people only had thousands of troops. It would not be difficult to retreat. The harm in the future would be the greatest. When the former king was here, within a year, several people The second envoy to Ming Dynasty was sent to obey His Majesty the Emperor. The Emperor treated Goryeo very well, freeing horses, paying less for food, and passing on books. The two families loved each other as if they were one family. Goryeo, a small country, should adhere to the principle of taking things seriously and ignore the disputes between Yuan and Ming Dynasties. Only those who are great can follow it, and this can ensure the king's wealth and honor for thousands of years."
