The rain was pouring down, and the thunder and lightning were like a giant beast that had been trapped for a long time breaking out of the prison, tearing the night sky crazily.
A huge arc of electricity tore the darkness apart, before being swallowed up by night. The battle between darkness and light has not yet decided the winner. Lightning explodes again, kicking away the darkness and making the night sky bright!
Thunder rolled and wind and rain rolled into the curtains.
Li Fangyuan stood behind the window, letting the wind and rain blow.
Hong, the princess of Huishan, looked at the sad Li Fangyuan, changed into a dress, pushed out the door, walked into the courtyard, and started dancing in the storm and thundering heaven and earth.
Li Fangyuan withdrew his contemplative gaze and looked at the dancer who was flickering in and out. She was his concubine, and she was originally the Fuchuan prostitute "Kexi'er", but at this moment, it was not pleasant for her to do this.
The rain soaked my clothes, making my dance a little heavy.
Even so, Lady Huishan still has a delicate body and charming movements, trying her best to attract Li Fangyuan's eyes and please the king.
Li Fangyuan looked away from Hong, looked at the night sky, and said softly: "Let her go back."
The chamberlain walked out and said a few words to Mr. Hong.
Lady Huishan didn't want to leave, but was escorted out by the chambermaids.
Queen Yuanjing happened to see this scene and ignored Princess Huishan. After entering the palace and bowing, she said to Li Fangyuan: "Your Majesty, no matter how critical the frontline is, you should put your body first. This rain is wet and cloudy, and it will never fall on you. good."
Li Fangyuan looked at Queen Yuan Jing and let out a long sigh: "With your eyes and ears, I can't hide state affairs from you. But knowing is one thing, consulting is another. The Queen must be careful when speaking, there are some things that cannot be done Transgression."
Queen Yuan Jing pretended to be relaxed and smiled indifferently: "I don't dare to say anything, but if the king's body cannot bear it, how will he deal with a lot of state affairs. At the moment, Li Bao and Li Bin are not in Songjing, so they can do whatever they want to relieve the king's worries. No. I hope your Majesty will take care of your body and don’t catch a cold." Five
Li Fangyuan took the handkerchief sent by the maid and wiped the rain on his face. Queen Yuan Jing closed the window, waved back, and personally helped Li Fangyuan change clothes. She said softly: "I know that there are some things that I shouldn't say. It's a big deal." It has to do with the fate of the country. Now that the situation is in danger, the king should put down his dignity and immediately request reinforcements from the Emperor of Heaven. He should not sit back and watch any longer and let the situation get out of hand."
Li Fangyuan chuckled and shook his head: "Queen, do you really think that I didn't ask the Ming Dynasty to send troops because of face issues? No, I was afraid. I was afraid that North Korea would become the second Annan, and the second Yili would control it!"
Queen Yuan Jing frowned and wrapped her clothes: "I have heard that Annan rebelled against the Ming Dynasty first, and then sent troops to attack after the Ming Dynasty. The Chen family had no heirs, and then it was included in the Ming Dynasty. That Yilibaoli was destroyed by Timur's army, The Ming Dynasty drove away Timur, so it is reasonable to occupy that place..."
Li Fangyuan sneered: "Is it really reasonable? Do you know that there is news that the king of Yilili, Shami Chagan, is imprisoned in the clan palace of the Ming Dynasty! If the Ming Dynasty did not have the ambition to annex Yilili, why not annex Yilili? Please return the land to Shamichakan! Also, the Chen family in Annan has no descendants. Is there anyone with the surname Chen? The royal family members want to find out, even if they are from a remote bloodline, they can still take charge of the overall situation!"
Queen Yuan Jing's face turned pale: "So, Ming Dynasty has the ambition to annex other countries?"
Li Fangyuan clenched his fists and said painfully: "Annan, you can also control the Three Kingdoms of Ryukyu, Jiugang, and Boni Island! The ambitions of the emperor of Ming Dynasty are unpredictable! If I ask Ming Dynasty to send troops for assistance, will they still leave? ? At that time, will there still be me, Queen Li, inside and outside the palace? Queen, if that is the case, our best outcome is to go to the Daming Sect Mansion!"
Queen Yuan Jing was a little scared.
No wonder Jeolla Province and Gyeongsang Province were lost, Chungcheong Province was basically lost, Gangwon Province faced heavy military threats, Gyeonggi Province was about to be directly exposed to the shogunate army, and Li Bangyuan still refused to ask the Ming Dynasty to send troops!
The survival risk behind this is what Li Fangyuan has to consider.
"But if we don't ask for help, can we stop the shogunate's army?"
Queen Yuan Jing was worried.
If it cannot be stopped, the country will inevitably be destroyed. I heard that these shogunate troops were all beasts and were ruthless in their methods. They would kill people and rob food whenever they saw them. In every city they occupied, very few people could
Escape.
Lightning once again lit up the room, followed by thunder.
Li Fangyuan pondered for a long time and finally sighed: "This is exactly the dilemma."
If you seek help from Ming Dynasty, you may be eaten by Ming Dynasty.
Without asking for help from the Ming Dynasty, judging from the current situation on the front line, the Japanese shogunate army is like a wolf and a tiger, and it is extremely difficult to resist it. Judging from the combat power of the Korean army, I am afraid that it will be able to withstand it for a year at most.
Li Bangyuan could not say anything about blocking the opponent for ten years, and North Korea did not have an unbreakable front that could defend it for decades. In fact, North Korea's city defenses are very backward and dilapidated, and there are few cities with walls higher than two feet.
It's not that Li Fangyuan didn't do anything, it's that the Goryeo property he took over was too rubbish.
Goryeo was a subsidiary of the Yuan Dynasty. The Yuan Dynasty did not allow Goryeo to build a large city, so Goryeo could not build it.
The Li Dynasty was only a few years old, only seventeen years in total, less than twenty years. Li Chenggui spent most of his time rectifying the officialdom, causing internal strife and childbirth, and Li Fangyuan spent most of his time killing his brothers. Now, who has time to defend and repair the city?
After Li Fangyuan came up, it was not that no cities were built, but there were only three cities, one was Songjing at his feet, the other was Shuozhou, an important border defense town in the north, and there was another one that had always wanted to move the capital, but had not yet done so. Moved there, Seoul is still under construction.
If the two cities of Wonju and Yeoju are lost, Seoul will be surrounded!
The time to decide the fate of North Korea is getting closer and closer. Once Seoul falls, Songjing will step by step become the frontline of the war, and there is even a risk of being besieged!
But, can Li Fangyuan continue to wait? Is it still too late to wait until Seoul is gone before asking for help from the Ming Dynasty?
Although the Ming Dynasty is next door, just across the river, Zhu Yunwen does not live on the other side. He is in the distant Jinling, waiting for documents asking for help to go back and forth, which takes twenty days in less than a month. If Seoul is lost, people's hearts will be in chaos. Facing the rapidly marching Japanese shogunate army, does Matsukyo still have twenty days?
The distance limit determines that calling for help cannot be done afterward, but must be done in advance. But if we advance, the situation is unclear. If Seoul is defended and the Japanese shogunate army is blocked, and Ming Dynasty agrees to send troops, what should we do?
Disaster!
Li Fangyuan has never felt so difficult.
Tossing and turning, sleepless night.
It was dark, but it was already the second day.
Li Fangyuan summoned He Lun, Li Mao, Li Zhan, Yu Xuanbao, Li Yu and others to discuss military affairs and discuss whether it was necessary to ask for help from the Ming Dynasty.
After fierce debate, He Lun and others determined the military strategy:
Defend Wonju and Yeoju, and mobilize troops to garrison Seoul to resolutely defend Seoul. At the same time, they fortify the walls and clear the country, transporting away everything that can be eaten and burning everything that cannot be transported away.
No matter the cost, Seoul must be defended no matter what.
Li Fangyuan knew the importance of Seoul and sent Li Ji, the minister of the government, to gather 100,000 troops and station them in Seoul.
It is said that there are 100,000 soldiers, but in fact there are only 40,000 regular troops. The rest require Li Ji to recruit civilian power in Seoul and organize the people into soldiers.
Li Ji had rich experience as an official. He had climbed up from the bottom step by step. He was also an important figure who assisted Li Fangyuan in ascending to the throne. In addition, he is the father of Palace Master Shenshun and the father-in-law of Li Fangyuan, so he can be regarded as a relative.
As for whether to request reinforcements from the Ming Dynasty, it is more difficult to determine the outcome. Some people are worried that the Ming Dynasty is eyeing it and will try to keep things in check no matter what happens. After all, the situation in North Korea is very similar to the situation in Yili. If the shogunate army opens Songjing, it will be basically the same, and the results can be imagined.
But if Ming Dynasty is not asked for help, North Korea can only wait for the shogunate army to open Songjing...
In the end, it was Helun who suggested: "Your Majesty, no matter what, the country cannot be destroyed! The shogunate's army is coming, and if we can't stop it, the country will be destroyed. If the Ming Dynasty helps, the country may not be destroyed. But if there is fire, it can become a prairie fire. Be careful. Seek help from Ming Dynasty without delay."
Li Fangyuan lamented: "In that case, let's draw up a document and ask the Ming Dynasty to prepare to send troops. Who will take on this important task?"
"Go, my lord."
Judge San Changshou stood up and said, "I have been to the Jinling Tomb of the Ming Dynasty many times to decide on the general.
The document was personally presented to Emperor Jianwen, asking him to order the Liaodong Dusi and Navy to be ready to help North Korea out of trouble. "
Li Fangyuan nodded slightly: "In that case, let you lead the team and bring more gifts. In addition, in the draft document, please once again apologize to the emperor for the Japanese envoys entering the Ming Dynasty."
Just lower your posture, that's all.
He Lun said: "The situation is critical now, so the envoy should leave immediately and return as soon as possible. In addition, I suggest that people should be sent to Liaodong Dusi and the Daming Navy Port on Jeju Island to implore them to send troops."
Li Mao frowned: "Liaodong Dusi and Jeju Island Daming Navy, how could they send troops without the emperor's will?"
He Lun solemnly said: "They need orders to send troops. The problem is that the speed of our envoys may not be faster than theirs. Every time we request them, they will immediately inform the Ming Emperor. Where we go, it is just Use their mouths to tell the Ming Emperor that the situation in North Korea is critical."
Li Fangyuan understood He Lun's intention and arranged: "Just do it."
Everyone agreed.
Li Fangyuan stood up and shouted with a majestic look: "Send a message to Li Shufan, Li Congmao and others in Wonzhou, and Jin Jiude, An Yi and others in Lizhou. They must defend their families no matter what! The royal family will support them! If If the city is destroyed, they will not come back! There is no room for loss in this battle!"
Hao Changshou did not dare to waste time. After drafting the document in Helun and printing it with Li Fangyuan, he prepared all the necessary items for the trip. He took more than thirty people with him and rode out of Songjing, heading straight for Liaodong.
The North Korean shipping company did not have steam engines and the speed was slow. If they wanted to save time, they could only use the Ming Dynasty's steam engines in Liaodong Bay.
Jeju Island.
Yang Rong dropped the information in his hand, looked at Luo Guanying and others solemnly and said, "The Japanese shogunate's army still didn't run far enough!"
