The final result of today's court discussion was to reject Lin Tailai's "one hundred thousand troops and two hundred thousand silver taels" memorial.
At the same time, the proposal of Shi Xing, the left minister of the Ministry of War, was approved, and two generals were dispatched to Liaodong Town, each with 3,000 troops and horses, deployed along the Yalu River, ready to support Korea at any time.
It cannot be said that Ming officials were stupid. The main reason was that the incident happened suddenly and there was a serious lack of information.
Now, except for the time traveler Lin Tailai, no one knows how many Japanese soldiers entered Korea.
Even the defeated Korean state did not know the number of Japanese soldiers. Many people in the Ming Dynasty still habitually treated them as Japanese pirates decades ago.
Because Lin Tailai had a suggestion of "an army of one hundred thousand and two hundred thousand silver taels", Ye Mengxiong, the Minister of War, did not want to publicly oppose Lin Tailai and did not come up with a more "reasonable" plan.
Therefore, the proposal of Shi Xing, the left minister of the Ministry of War, became the mainstream opinion. Ye Da Sima had no choice but to temporarily give up the leadership and let Shi Xing take charge of the affairs of Korea.
Then Ye Mengxiong privately summoned everyone from the Update Society who were most familiar with Lin Tailai to discuss Lin Tailai's intentions.
Even his own people couldn't understand Lin Tailai's outrageous memorial. If Lin Tailai hadn't accumulated enough prestige in the past, I'm afraid even his own people would have objections.
After a heated discussion for a while, Zhou Yingqiu said: "Although I don't know the deep meaning of Lord Jiuyuan, this memorial reminds me of a story in the history books."
Ye Dashima asked with great interest: "Tell me in detail."
Zhou Yingqiu replied: "When the King of Qin was sweeping Liuhe, he wanted to destroy the Chu State. The King of Qin first asked the veteran general Wang Jian how many troops he would need, and Wang Jian replied that it must be six hundred thousand.
The King of Qin was not happy and asked Li Xin again. Li Xin replied that he only needed 200,000. Then the King of Qin sent Li Xin to conquer Chu, but Li Xin was defeated and returned.
In the end, the King of Qin had to invite the veteran general Wang Jian and gave him 600,000 troops to destroy Chu."
After hearing this, everyone suddenly understood and regained their confidence.
Lin Jiuyuan's behavior in asking for the mobilization of 100,000 troops is indeed very similar to Wang Jian's request for 600,000 troops.
Although I still don't understand where Lin Jiuyuan's confidence lies, it at least shows that Lin Jiuyuan has a thought and is not just talking nonsense.
Previously, Shi Xing, the left minister of the Ministry of War, offended Lin Tailai because of his capriciousness, and fell silent for a period of time.
Now that he was temporarily in charge of North Korea's affairs, he saw this as an opportunity to make a comeback and immediately began active deployment work.
On the one hand, an order was given to Liaodong Town to dispatch two generals to garrison the Yalu River and Datong River for first-line defense.
On the other hand, because he was unaware of the Japanese affairs, Shi Xing openly recruited talents who were familiar with the Japanese affairs. After all, the Art of War says that if you know yourself and your enemy, you will never be in danger of a hundred battles. Even a three-year-old child knows this.
Because transportation was not that developed in this era and the roads were far and wide, many family members of Beijing officials were still in their hometowns.
Therefore, there is a custom now that officials in the capital often marry a local concubine in the capital and break up the marriage when they leave the capital.
This has become a business, and many families in the capital who have daughters are looking to become concubines for capital officials, so that they can make a fortune when the partnership is dissolved.
Shi Xing had such a concubine named Yuan. Hearing that Shi Xing was recruiting talents who were familiar with Japanese affairs, Yuan's father recommended a commoner named Shen Weijing to Shi Xing.
It is said that Shen Weijing's family has been doing business for generations and traveled between the Ming Dynasty and the Japanese state. Shen Weijing himself can even speak the Japanese language and understands the situation of the Japanese state very well.
Now Shen Weijing's family fortune has declined and he is living in the capital looking for opportunities to recruit and use.
So Shi Xing invited Shen Weijing over that night for school examination and consultation.
After listening to Shen Weijing's introduction to the customs and customs of the Japanese country, Shi Xing could confirm that this Shen Weijing did understand the affairs of the Japanese country relatively well.
Then he asked directly: "How can we solve the problem in North Korea as quickly as possible?"
According to his seniority, Shi Xing should have been promoted to Minister of War last year, but unfortunately he was snatched away by Ye Mengxiong. Of course, he was not convinced.
So faced with this opportunity to make a comeback, Shi Shaosima couldn't wait any longer.
Not only does he want to solve the problem, he also wants to do it as quickly as possible.
After thinking for a while, Shen Weijing replied: "A cross-border campaign is ten times more difficult than using troops domestically, and it is difficult to achieve a quick victory using force.
Therefore, the fastest way to solve the problem should be to negotiate a peace.
I, Shen Weijing, am willing to serve Young Sima and personally go to the enemy camp in North Korea to negotiate and at the same time investigate the enemy's situation."
Shi Xing responded: "Although your courage is commendable and you dare to go deep into the enemy camp, my Ming Dynasty has no reason to seek peace without fighting."
To the Ming court that wants to save face, if you don't fight, that's not called peace, it's called peace.
If Shi Xing really dares to do this, he will definitely be impeached for humiliating the country and then imprisoned.
Shen Weijing changed his words again: "When tomorrow's troops enter Korea and win one or two small victories, it will not be a loss of dignity for our superior country to start negotiating peace again.
At this time, if we can convince the Japanese military officers and negotiate a peace between the two families, it should be the quickest way."
This means that if you quickly win one or two battles to show your strength, and then negotiate for peace, it will not be considered a loss of strength and humiliation of the country.
For Shen Weijing, the greater the proportion that negotiation plays in the solution, the more important his role will be, and he will be able to get more credit.
If he doesn't go to promote peace, how can he still fight in battle?
Although "war" is unavoidable, "war" can also serve "peace".
After considering all aspects of the situation for a while, Shi Xing believed that Shen Weijing's "quick fight and quick peace" should be the most cost-effective solution.
The national treasury was already in deficit. Last year, hundreds of thousands of silver taels were spent to pacify Ningxia, and everyone at the top and bottom was unwilling to spend any more money.
If the most cost-effective method can be used to solve the problem, everyone in the court should be able to accept it.
After repeated thoughts, Shi Xing ordered: "No matter what solution, there needs to be strong support from someone in the court. After all, I am just a Zuo Shilang.
I heard that you and Mr. Lu are from the same county, so I ask you to lobby Mr. Lu first and ask Mr. Lu to support me unswervingly."
When it comes to things like peace talks, we are most afraid of trouble caused by the Qingliu forces with high moral standards.
Who can bear to be labeled as a traitor? In Ming Dynasty politics, which pays attention to smooth channels of speech, this situation must be guarded against.
Shen Weijing replied: "Dare you disobey your orders?"
He knew that this was also a test from Shi Shao Sima.
If Lu Guangzu, a fellow countryman, could not be persuaded, how could he still persuade the Japanese people?
When the Ming court began to make arrangements, in late May, the performance of North Korea once again stunned the Ming court.
Pyongyang, an important town in the north, was also lost! The officers and soldiers were routed thousands of miles away, and basically the entire territory of North Korea fell!
The king of Joseon, Ri Ho, fled in a panic to Uiju on the other side of the Yalu River. The only land he could control was a small area around Uiju!
The Ming Dynasty's court was numb from top to bottom. Your country, North Korea, is not too small. The previous organizational structure seemed to be quite complete, and it was not a loose tribal barbarian state.
As a result, almost the entire country was lost in less than two months. Could it be any more wasteful?
Lu Zongxian, who previously claimed to have some knowledge, and said in public that "three thousand miles deep, defend according to danger, soldiers and horses are available" really did not expect that at this age, he would be slapped in the face by North Korea.
At this time, the Korean King Li Huan, who was trapped on the bank of the Yalu River, frantically called for help from the Ming Dynasty and frantically called for help from the heavenly soldiers.
This morning, Shi Xing, the left minister of the Ministry of War, was about to go out to the Yamen. As soon as he walked to the front yard, he was told by a servant that someone was kneeling outside the gate.
He also said that this person sent a heavy box as a door-to-door gift.
Shi Lang stood in the doorway and looked out, and saw Yin Zhuoran, the envoy from the Korean envoy, kneeling outside, looking miserable and miserable.
Seeing Shi Shilang come out, Yin Zhengshi fell to the ground and shouted loudly: "Nian has always been respectful in our country. I beg Young Sima to send troops across the river to save our country from fire and water!"
Seeing how pitiful Yin Zheng was and sensing his sincerity, Shi Shilang did not fool him and replied:
"Five thousand soldiers and horses have been dispatched to the riverside before. Today, we urgently report to the emperor. After receiving the approval, we will order the soldiers and horses to cross the river."
Yin Zhuoran thanked him again and again, and Shi Xing sighed again: "You concealed the true situation before, just bragging about yourself, delaying state affairs, and embarrassing Mr. Lu!"
Yin Zhengshi wanted to tell Shi Xing that he had not deliberately concealed the true situation before, nor was he deliberately bragging, but he truly believed that.
It wasn't until Shi Lang disappeared at the corner of the street that Yin Zhuoran, who was kneeling on the ground, stood up sadly.
The envoy never expected that he just grabbed another job and made some money by paying tribute to the Ming Dynasty by buying and selling, but his family was gone in the blink of an eye!
I have no idea what the situation of my wife and children is now!
And he, a relaxed and happy tribute envoy, turned into an envoy seeking help on the spot!
At the request of Shi Xing, the left minister of the Ministry of War, and seeing that the vassal state of Korea was urgently asking for help, Emperor Wanli, who felt protective, gave the order to Liaodong Town.
He ordered the two troops previously deployed on guard by the Yalu River to cross the river, and with the cooperation of North Korean soldiers, attacked Pyongyang.
Then the guerrilla Shi Ru led more than 2,000 troops, and the deputy commander-in-chief Zu Chengxun led more than 3,000 troops across the Yalu River, united with the Korean soldiers, and marched towards Pyongyang, which was occupied by Japanese pirates.
Among the Ming Dynasty's frontier army, Liaodong Town has the richest combat experience in recent years, and these five thousand soldiers and horses are elite soldiers selected from Liaodong Town.
With such five thousand elite soldiers with enough horses, in the eyes of the monarchs and ministers, they are basically enough to roam foreign countries except that they cannot go deep into the desert.
After the two troops entered the court, Shi Xing, the left minister of the Ministry of War, secretly visited Lu Guangzu, the censor of the left capital, to seek support.
Shi Xing explained: "Start with a small war, then negotiate for peace. Fight quickly and make peace quickly. Let the Japanese pirates take the initiative to withdraw from Korea. This is a way to save economic effort."
Lu Guangzu agreed: "Nowadays, the national economy is difficult. If we can negotiate at the right time and reduce costs, it will be a blessing for the court."
Shi Xing then catered to Lu Guangzu and said: "We cannot allow some people to deliberately resort to violence and use this to gather power."
Lu Guangzu scolded: "Some treacherous ministers have been fighting fiercely in the northwest for a year. After reaping the benefits, they can't stop! This time they want to repeat their old tricks. How can we just sit idly by and ignore them?"
Of these two people, one needs to quickly resolve the North Korean issue to break Lin Tailai's suppression; the other needs to try his best to exclude Lin Tailai and weaken Lin Tailai's power, so it is easy to reach cooperation.
Another half month later, in mid-June, a battle report came from Liaodong.
Due to various reasons, the two armies of the Ming Dynasty that crossed the river suffered a disastrous defeat, and even the general Shi Ru was killed while attacking Pyongyang.
Hearing the news of this tragic defeat, the government and the public were shocked again!
Five thousand elite soldiers suffered a disastrous defeat in half a month, which was really unacceptable to the court.
What kind of enemy force can quickly defeat the Ming Dynasty's five thousand elite soldiers who are well prepared?
If converted into Northern Barbarians, it would be impossible without an army of more than 20,000 people, right?
At this point, many people can't help but think of another question: How many Japanese pirates invaded North Korea this time?
The most irritating thing is that even North Korea, which was beaten to the point of collapse, still can’t tell the number of Japanese soldiers. It’s unbearable!
Shi Xing, the left minister of the Ministry of War, who advocated "limited operations" and the strategy of "quick war and quick peace", was completely confused.
Lu Guangzu, the censor of Zuodu who supported Shi Shilang, felt that he had been cheated again!
First there was Yin Zhuoran, and then there was Shi Xing. Why are my teammates here all cheating?
Many people remembered what Lu Guangzu said during the last court meeting.
But at this time, Lu Guangzu closed his door and claimed to be ill, and he did not see any guests. No one else could contact Lu Guangzu.
Therefore, Ye Mengxiong, Minister of the Ministry of War, went to the Ministry of War and recommended that Lin Tailai be appointed to be responsible for the management of North Korea.
It was already summer, and Lin Daguan, who was still in Suzhou, suddenly felt that his summer poetry collection needed to be updated.
So he held an elegant gathering in the vast and cool Humble Administrator's Garden, and dozens of celebrities attended.
Lin Daguan stood by the water, with his hands behind his back, and slowly chanted:
"The clear water of fragrant lotus is moved by the cool breeze, and the cool breeze of the water makes the summer long. The cool breeze of long summer days moves the water, and the cool breeze moves the water with the fragrant green lotus."
"Okay!" Everyone cheered immediately, and then thought hard about what was so good about it.
Why does this quatrain sound like a tongue twister? How can I praise this? Mr. Lin really gave everyone a difficult problem.
At this moment, another officer rushed over and shouted: "The imperial court has sent orders to Suzhou. Officials Lin are urgently summoned to return to Beijing day and night without delay!"
Lin Tailai let out a long sigh and said to everyone: "I don't want to have a moment of joy with you all, but have to say goodbye again.
At this moment, I can only use a poem by my martial arts teacher Qi Shaobao to express my feelings."
Then he chanted again: "I drive north and south to repay the Lord's love, and the river is full of flowers and the moon is smiling all my life. Three hundred and sixty days a year, most of them are fighting and fighting."
Everyone secretly thought, since Lin Daguan won the first prize, Qi Shaobao has not been mentioned much for a long time, right?
Today, Qi Shaobao was suddenly mentioned again. It seems to be a metaphor.
With the encouragement and hard work of Lin Daguan in the past six months, Wang Shiwu, Fan Niangzi, and Huang Wuniang became pregnant again, and Secretary Bai was also pregnant with her first child.
But in the face of national events, Lin Daguan, who was summoned urgently, could only pack his luggage quickly, bid farewell to his parents, wives and concubines, and headed north with three hundred servants who had been prepared for it.
Among the three hundred servants, sixty are old people who have actually been on the battlefield, and the other two hundred and forty are newcomers who have followed the training.