"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 the thing 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.
Up here, the mountains and rivers are lifelike, and the cities are well-proportioned. Every name is extremely familiar to him, as if it is engraved in his bones.
Because this is his hometown, the whole face of North Korea.
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 him, it was simply unsightly.
He found the location of Hanyang on the sand table.
This is the place where he was born and his hometown. He has walked through every inch of the land here, so he is extremely familiar with it.
However, looking at the identical terrain above the sand table, he felt a chill rising to the sky.
He had no idea when exactly 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 been continuous, 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 very well that with such an artifact, 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 rashly attack North Korea and compete with Huang Taiji?
The impact of the sand table has not dissipated, and Zuo Mengeng's question is even more shocking.
"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. The determination of millions of soldiers and civilians in North Korea to defend 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 is in chaos, and North Korea's fight is really embarrassing.
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 fought hard with reason.
"If the Jurchens march straight in, our armies and righteous people will be able to cut off their return 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 besieged, is there any other way besides surrender?"
Jin Yu was at a loss and didn't know how to deal with it.
You don’t need Shandong to comment on whether the North Korean army can fight or not, the North Koreans themselves know.
Just before he went on his mission, Marshal Jin Zidian had already sent a letter 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 eagerly awaiting Ming's mercy.
It's a pity that they have nothing to wait for.
On the eighth day of April, Shi Luodexian and Li Kuo, the North Korean messengers, 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 will be enthroned in Jianyuan in three days. He is currently fasting and bathing, and there are no outsiders. You will 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 fish had just turned white in the east, Huang Taiji had already dressed up and walked out of his residence.
He officially changed into 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 left the palace all the way 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, he moved 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.