Geng Bingwen understood all this, but asked seriously, "General, I dare to ask, if the Koreans refuse to submit to the king's rule, can I suppress them with iron-fisted methods?"

Fu Youde's expression was calm, and his tone was even more indifferent, "That's natural. If the Koreans don't understand the king's ways, Marquis Changxing will naturally act as he sees fit. However, I've heard that His Highness the Prince of Shu is about to depart, so Marquis Changxing shouldn't go too far in killing them."

Understood. Anyone who disobeys can be forcefully suppressed. However, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Goryeo will be granting fiefdoms to members of the Ming Dynasty's imperial family. Therefore, we must maintain some decorum and not exterminate everyone here at once.

As if remembering something, Fu Youde asked, "Ji Gang, how are things going with the Busan Three Guards?"

Ji Gang stepped forward, quickly knelt on one knee, clasped his hands, and said, “Reporting to the General, the Marquis of Wuding is stationed at the Three Guards of Busan. Previously, the traitors of the Li clan sent troops to harass us, but the Marquis of Wuding held firm for more than ten days and launched a surprise attack to defeat the Goryeo rebels. Previously, Tianjin Guard sent its navy, along with thirty cannons, a thousand muskets, and several thousand hand grenades, making the Three Guards of Busan as solid as a rock.”

Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying, two veterans, started at a level no lower than Fu Youde, but their later development basically couldn't keep up with Fu Youde's.

Fu Youde has already been granted the title of Duke, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will be posthumously granted the title of Prince. As for Guo Ying and Geng Bingwen, they will also be posthumously granted the title of Duke, and they are currently just some of Fu Youde's generals.

Looking at Marquis Zhang Huan of Puding, Fu Youde said, "Marquis Zhang Huan, I will give you five thousand elite troops to be the vanguard of the army. When you encounter mountains, you must clear the way and when you encounter rivers, you must build bridges. You must not engage in close combat with the Goguryeo army. If you encounter the enemy, you must hold your ground and wait for reinforcements."

Marquis Chen Huan of Puding was another veteran general of the Ming Dynasty. In his early years, he joined Zhu Yuanzhang and followed the army to quell the rebellions of Zhang Shicheng and Chen Youliang, and to launch a northern expedition against the Yuan Dynasty. He also followed Fu Youde in the southern expedition against Ming Xia and Yunnan, and served as the commander-in-chief of the various armies in Yunnan.

However, compared to the founding generals, Chen Huan was not as confident. He was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Puding in the seventeenth year of Hongwu for his meritorious service in pacifying Yunnan and for his contribution to the founding of the country. The title of Marquis was hereditary and could be considered one of Fu Youde's core members.

Then, looking at Xu Huizu, Fu Youde said, "Lord Zhongshan, now that the Li family has been defeated and fled, they can only coerce the people. The rebels dare not fight the royal army in the open field. The army should besiege the city and kill those who stubbornly resist."

Xu Huizu understood perfectly; those in the military must not be soft-hearted, and military action is also a continuation of politics.

Although the Ming Dynasty's army would leave after the battle, it was clear that some potential threats needed to be eliminated.

Inflicting casualties on the Goryeo army and depleting Goryeo's war potential was also something that Fu Youde and his team needed to do. After all, the Ming Dynasty couldn't just punish Goryeo; they also had to govern these regions.

Even if it seems like only the Ming Dynasty's imperial family established a kingdom here, we should still pay attention to eliminating Goryeo's potential.

Fu Youde continued, "Now the Li family is like a trapped beast, only able to concentrate their forces to defend the city. The imperial army should not divide its forces too much; it should conquer one city at a time, and not allow the Li family to launch a counterattack."

Xu Huizu then spoke up, “This subordinate obeys! I hope the general understands that although there are supplies in winter, the eastern army lacks some firearms. Although the army has muskets and grenades, it still lacks explosives for breaching cities, and even more so, large-caliber bronze cannons.”

Fu Youde smiled and said, "Lord Zhongshan, do not worry. The army has ample food and supplies, and is fully equipped with firearms. I heard that the gunpowder produced in half a year has been transported to Goryeo. Many garrisons still need to replace their cannons, and those will also be supplied to Goryeo first."

That's a bit of an exaggeration, actually. Some garrisons still have iron cannons, although they aren't as durable as bronze cannons. But in that era, having a few heavy cannons to defend a city meant they were undeniably heavy firearms. Even if their firepower seemed average, their sheer presence could intimidate the enemy.

The Ministry of Works was also rushing to produce some heavy cannons, but the Ming Dynasty was simply too vast. Even with continuous upgrades to firearms, it was impossible to completely replace all the garrisons with cannons all at once.

Furthermore, some places were simply too far away, so the Ming Dynasty still had several cannon-casting bases. In areas with abundant coal and iron, they naturally had to take on the responsibility of supplying cannons to the surrounding garrisons.

Bronze cannons are certainly better, but iron cannons are also indispensable. This can be considered a combination of high and low quality, and there are differences between siege and defense cannons.

It is well known that Emperor Hongwu valued firearms, but Emperor Yingshi actually valued them even more. He invested a great deal of resources in the research, development, and replacement of firearms, and the Ming Dynasty's firearms made considerable progress. Emperor Yingshi's contribution to this must be acknowledged.

The Institute of Engineering has been working hard for more than ten years. This place, which many people initially thought was just a playground for the Crown Prince, has shown great potential and achieved remarkable results.

Improving the spinning machine might not seem to have much impact on the army. But don't be fooled; the north is still quite harsh and cold. Back then, when he was still the Crown Prince, Emperor Ying Shi vigorously promoted cotton cultivation, which provided many border troops with cotton clothing and quilts.

More direct improvements to firearms, whether muskets or cannons, were subject to stricter supervision. Some military officers even heard from scholars that Emperor Ying Shi was implementing Qin laws at the Ministry of Works Academy and other locations.

In other words, those firearms can actually be used to hold people accountable.

However, this is an exaggeration. For example, in places like official kilns, people could actually be held accountable. This isn't to say that Qin law only existed now, or that it was only Qin law that was so strictly enforced. In reality, everyone understands that some scholars, for whatever reason, could find excuses for anything.

The development of granulated gunpowder, hand grenades, landmines, and other technologies significantly aided the development of firearms in the Ming Dynasty. This progress, however, may only be the beginning, as technological advancements require a period of accumulation.

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!