Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 283 The general went south and there would be no mercy!
"assassin!"

"There are assassins!"

"..."

In the Siyi Pavilion.

A sharp howl was heard.

The lights in every courtyard and room were lit up, and in an instant, the inn was brightly lit.

The patrolling soldiers quickly moved out and headed towards the direction where the sound originally came from.

After the Ryukyu Islands annexed the Ming Dynasty, only thirteen countries remained under the rule of Emperor Taizu Gao.

Although the Goryeo Kingdom existed in name only, the Ming Dynasty still gave it respect and prepared a separate courtyard and room for the Goryeo Crown Prince Yi Yang who fled to the capital.

Next door was the envoy sent by Li Chengliang, who called himself the king, to negotiate, and was also Li Chengliang's brother, Li Chengcai.

now.

The window of Li Chengcai's room was wide open, and Li Chengcai was standing in front of the window with a bloody knife in his hand.

Under the window of the courtyard, a masked thief was lying on the ground. There was a wound on his back that was long from shoulder to waist and deep enough to see the bone. Blood was oozing out of him. In just a short while, the blood was all over the ground.

The thief was obviously unconscious, and judging from the soldiers' eyesight, there was no need to save him with such injuries.

The one who screamed "assassin" was the night watchman in the inn.

The soldiers did not act rashly. This matter involved diplomacy and there would be special people to deal with it.

The Jinyiwei arrived quickly, and the leading captain frowned, and the situation was clear at a glance.

Based on the traces inside and outside the window, it is not difficult to see that the thief broke into Li Chengcai's room at night with two knives with bad intentions.

However, he was discovered by Li Chengcai. After a fight, he realized that he was no match for his opponent, so he broke the window and tried to escape, but was stabbed hard by Li Chengcai from behind.

Although the thief rushed out, he fell into the yard and stopped moving on the spot.

The leading captain glanced at Li Chengcai, who was still on guard. This guy was really strong.

It seemed that Li Chengcai was fine, so the leading captain went forward to check the condition of the thief. With such serious injuries, it was impossible to save him, but they had to check the identity of the thief.

When the mask was pulled down, the face of Goryeo Crown Prince Lee Hyo suddenly appeared. The leading captain was shocked and subconsciously looked at the crowd of envoys from various countries who had gathered there, but Lee Hyo was indeed nowhere to be found.

Things are getting serious!
As the leading captain stepped aside, the envoys from various countries saw the appearance of the thief and were immediately horrified.

However, the leading commander noticed that the expression of the Japanese envoy Hosokawa Fujitaka was unusual, as if he was pretending.

……

Late at night, at the Prime Minister’s residence.

Gao Gong was having a strange dream.

The vast ocean is sometimes turbulent and sometimes calm.

In the distance, you can see merchant ships lined up on the sea, shuttling back and forth.

There were people from Middle-earth and barbarians with red hair and blue eyes on the ship, and it was extremely noisy.

Suddenly, these boats crowded together and turned into a huge wheel, rolling towards the shore. Wherever it passed, villages and streets were razed to the ground in an instant. When the farmers working in the fields saw the wheel, they fled in panic, and the scene was magnificent and terrifying.

"Boom~"

"Dong dong~"

The knock on the door disturbed the strange dream.

Gao Gong sat up on the bed, with some cold sweat on his forehead. He managed to calm himself down and said, "Come in."

"Report to the Lord, there is news from the Siyi Pavilion that the Crown Prince of Goryeo, Yi Yang, attempted to assassinate Li Chengliang's envoy and brother Li Chengcai at night, but was killed by Li Chengcai instead!" Stepson Gao Fushi came in to report, holding the manuscript in both hands and handed it over, "This is the report from the Siyi Pavilion."

Just as the world will be in turmoil if the emperor has no heir, the court will be in turmoil if the prime minister has no son.

Gao Gong had no children to this day, so even though he didn't want to, he could only adopt a son from his brother Gao Cai.

As Zhang Juzheng left the court, Gao Gong took back the position of Cabinet Secretary, a position that was a close confidant of the Prime Minister, and replaced it with his stepson Gao Youshi.

Zhang Wei, the former cabinet secretary, went to a county under Xuzhou to govern, which truly started his official career.

Therefore, whether at home or in the cabinet, Gao Youshi always stayed by Gao Gong's side.

"what?"

……

cabinet.

The elders gathered.

Gao Gong, Hu Zongxian, Li Chunfang, Wang Chonggu, and Jinyiwei Commander-in-Chief Lu Bing sat down. Gao Youshi served tea to these top figures of the Ming Dynasty and then retreated to the door of the cabinet. The cabinet elders were discussing matters and no one was allowed to approach.

Although Li Chengliang called himself the King of Goryeo, Li Yang was still the Crown Prince of Goryeo officially canonized by the Ming Dynasty. According to the system of the Ming Dynasty, Li Yang was the Crown Prince of a County.

Especially since King Yi He of Goryeo had died without any other offspring, Yi Hye could almost be regarded as the King of Goryeo and a prince of the Ming Dynasty.

Although a prince is not as good as a prince, he is still a royal title after all.

A prince, regardless of his valuable status, actually went to assassinate another person. Such behavior is difficult for everyone present to comment on.

But considering that Li Yang was deceived by the Japanese envoy Hosokawa Fujitaka and accused the Ming Dynasty of sending troops to invade the peninsula in a letter, and also ran to Qipan Street shouting and yelling, it is not impossible that with such a stone head, he went crazy and planned the assassination.

"The assassination is also related to Hosokawa Fujitaka." Lu Bing said faintly, "According to what the Jinyiwei know, in the past month, Li Yang has been practicing the so-called 'Niten Ichiryu' with Hosokawa Fujitaka. During the practice, Li Yang was often praised by Hosokawa Fujitaka as a genius among geniuses. Not long ago, Hosokawa Fujitaka lost to Li Yang in a competition. After the competition, Hosokawa Fujitaka said that even if it was the Forbidden City, with Li Yang's martial arts, he could kill anyone he wanted, and then leave lightly."

Gao, Hu, Li, Wang: "..."

Even scholars often curse warriors as vulgar, but they only look down on the recklessness of warriors. They do not look down on the warriors' martial arts strength, nor do they deny that martial arts are not easy to learn.

Practice three-nine in winter and dormant in summer.

To some extent, learning martial arts is more difficult than studying hard for ten or even dozens of years.

The ministers were not quite sure about how good Hosokawa Fujitaka's martial arts were, but if anyone could practice martial arts for a month and claim to be invincible, anyone with a little common sense would know that this was not credible.

Of course, Li Yang might just have a little bit of brains and didn't go to the Forbidden City to give it a try.

Ever since the Empress became pregnant, the Forbidden City has been under martial law. There are four lines of defense for the outer perimeter alone: ​​the garrison, the Imperial Guards, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and the Eastern Depot. Even the Cabinet is not quite sure about the inner defense.

Even if an army of tens of thousands were to attack, it could still be delayed for several hours.

Li Yang, who lost his country, was very dissatisfied with the attitude of the Ming Dynasty in the previous negotiations. He also hated Li Chengliang and Li Chengcai, the brothers who killed his father. Therefore, after his "divine power was perfected", he wanted to take revenge in his own way. It was understandable that he was young and vigorous. But he was killed by others, which was ridiculous.

A foolish boy who was fooled!
Li Yang died.

In fact, it had no impact on the negotiations between the Ming Dynasty and Li Chengliang. He was just a chess piece.

But this is a suitable excuse. Li Chengliang killed the King of Goryeo, and Li Chengcai killed the Crown Prince of Goryeo. Whether there was a reason or not, the result was the same.

The 50,000-strong army of the Northern Construction Corps on the peninsula has almost consolidated the territory north of Pyongyang, and it is time to continue moving south to kill the traitors.

As the chief minister of the cabinet, Gao Gong did not want to incorporate the peninsula into the territory of the Ming Dynasty, but the peninsula was a place that could not be avoided in the Ming Dynasty's strategy, and he had to take it even if he had to hold his nose.

Since they are going to turn against each other, there is no need to hesitate any longer. Gao Gong said, "Commander-in-chief Lu Du, let the Jinyiwei take down Li Chengcai."

In previous negotiations.

Li Chengcai repeatedly used the lives of captured Liaodong Army Deputy Commander-in-Chief Yin Zhengmao and others as a threat in negotiations.

However, he completely forgot that by setting foot on the territory of the Ming Dynasty, he had become a threat.

Exchanging conditions for conditions, exchanging Li Chengcai's life for the lives of Yin Zhengmao and others, Li Chengliang knew clearly which was more important.

"Yes." Lu Bing nodded.

Gao Gong looked at the sky. It was an early summer morning, and the east was gradually getting brighter. He said, "I will go to the palace to meet the emperor!"

……

Ok Hee Palace.

After listening to Gao Gong's report and the cabinet's plan, Zhu Houcong nodded and said, "Li Chengliang led his army to rebel, first beheaded the King of Goryeo, and then killed the Crown Prince of Goryeo in the capital. I have no intention of distinguishing right from wrong. I will send an order to the peninsula to march south immediately!

Let Dayong return to the peninsula and persuade the Liaodong army soldiers who were held hostage by Li Chengliang. Those who are willing to lay down their weapons will be forgiven, and those who are enemies of him will be killed!"

Dayong.

He was the lieutenant general of the Liaodong Army with 5,000 men who had surrendered his military power in Pyongyang, been escorted back to the court for trial, and then pardoned.

The deceased Goryeo Crown Prince Yi Yang once expressed a solemn protest to the Ming Dynasty regarding the pardon of these 5,000 people, but the state affairs of the Celestial Empire could not be interfered with by a "crown prince from another county."

After the 5,000 troops under Dayong were pardoned of all their crimes, they were disbanded on the spot, and all of them, except Dayong, were sent back to their hometowns.

As for the money and treasures looted from the peninsula by these five thousand men, they were considered evidence of their crimes and were all deposited into the national treasury.

Sending Dayong to the peninsula is a clear proof to show the more than 20,000 Liaodong troops north of Pyongyang the authenticity of the order to lay down their arms and forgive bygones.

This is grace.

Those who insist on joining forces with Li Chengliang and taking up arms to resist the court will inevitably be punished.

Most of the families of the more than 20,000 Liaodong army soldiers lived in Liaodong Town, and the imperial court could issue an order at any time to search for and execute their entire clan.

This is a deterrent.

Use both kindness and force to conquer people's hearts and demonstrate strength.

Gao Gong did not accept the order immediately, and said hesitantly: "Your Majesty, there are many people in this world who are ruthless and do not care about the elderly and children in their families. They are blinded by the immediate benefits. There may be innocent people in the family extermination."

It is said very subtly and tactfully.

This time is different from the killing of the Japanese in the southeast war.

The Japanese slaves relied on Japanese pirates and wreaked havoc in the southeast for two to three hundred years. Those Japanese slaves gained a lot of benefits and drank the blood of the people in the southeast. The Japanese slaves deserve to be killed.

But under that infinite karma, the imperial court only killed the Japanese slaves, but did not kill the Japanese slaves' families.

This time, the lives of the rebellious Liaodong Army and the families of the soldiers who remained in the Ming Dynasty were linked together. This kind of threat was a bit despicable.

Furthermore, the Ming Dynasty's deregistration and changes to the military household system only began last year. Whether in Liaodong Town or other military towns, the soldiers in the border towns have only had full meals for a few days, and the military household families have never enjoyed a few days of happiness.

Gao Gong had heard about the more than 20,000 Liaodong troops who followed Li Chengliang to capture Seoul. After the capture of Seoul, Li Chengliang did not ask for anything and allowed the more than 20,000 people to run rampant in Seoul for ten days.

It can be said that the people who followed Li Chengliang now had bulging pockets, and any woman who was slightly pretty in Seoul had been raped.

According to the judgment of the cabinet, it is not ruled out that the more than 20,000 people became Li Chengliang's die-hard fans, distanced themselves from the Ming Dynasty, or even became its enemy.

It would be too innocent for the military households who had suffered from confinement for more than two hundred years to be implicated in this incident.

Zhu Houcong glanced at Gao Gong, said nothing, picked up the bronze bell, turned around and entered the temple.

On the imperial desk, an imperial edict was written and stamped with the emperor's seal. Then Huang Jin, the eunuch in charge of the imperial seal of the Imperial Household Department, brought it to Gao Gong and reminded him, "Lord, this is an imperial edict to go south immediately..."

Huang Jin did not say anything else. Gao Gong slapped his head and suddenly realized that he might have had a strange dream last night and was woken up because he did not get enough sleep. His head was still groggy and he did not react.

It was an imperial decree to order Yu Dayou to lead his army south to attack Li Chengliang, but the words about laying down arms or not came from the mouth of a former lieutenant general of the Liaodong Army who was dismissed from all his posts. It was not an imperial decree.

Whether those who followed Li Chengliang laid down their arms or not had nothing to do with their relatives and clansmen in the Ming Dynasty. Saying that was a means of making Li Chengliang's army disloyal.

That's just the way it was said about the clan's execution.

When the Peninsula incident was over and Dayong "disappeared", all the promises vanished with him.

Gao Gong was not a pedantic person, so he naturally would not say anything like "the king never jokes". With a smile on his face and the corners of his mouth, he took the imperial edict.

After expressing his gratitude to Huang Jin, Gao Gong turned around and prepared to return to the cabinet. However, as soon as he stepped out of the door of Yuxi Palace, Gao Gong thought of a problem.

If Dayong arrived at the peninsula and successfully persuaded all his former comrades to lay down their arms, and the talk of clan extermination was a joke, then on the other hand, if he was not punished for all crimes, wouldn't that also be a joke?

Gao Gong left Yuxi Palace and looked sideways at the large gilded characters on the palace gate. He felt a chill all over his body.

Zhu Houcong walked out of the monastery again and stood outside the door of the main hall, his long robe gently blown by the morning breeze.

When Li Chengliang captured Seoul, Yu Dayou had already taken control of the cities north of Pyongyang on the peninsula. The news that the court had labeled Li Chengliang a traitor also spread throughout the peninsula.

It is completely understandable if we say that the generals of the Liaodong Army were deceived and coerced by Li Chengliang before they entered the peninsula.

It is barely understandable that the Liaodong Army continued to be deceived and coerced by Li Chengliang after the capture of Pyongyang.

Just like Dayong's five thousand troops, the court was willing to give them a chance to reform.

After taking Seoul, the generals of the Liaodong Army said that they were deceived and coerced by Li Chengliang. This is hard to understand.

Now, more than a month has passed since the Liaodong Army’s revelry in Seoul, and the Liaodong Army’s generals have remained silent from beginning to end, let alone any contact with Pyongyang.

Perhaps the generals of the Liaodong Army did not do it voluntarily, but under Li Chengliang's offensive of money and beauties, they all fell and became de facto rebels.

The Ming Dynasty will never forgive treason!
(End of this chapter)