When Song State Duke Feng Sheng and Zheng State Duke Chang Mao received the news, they were actually quite surprised and shocked. They did not expect that His Highness the Crown Prince would personally lead the army to their aid.
Fortunately, a small boat landed ahead of time to deliver the message; otherwise, they would have faced impeachment from some people. Receiving the emperor was a matter that could not be taken lightly, and they had to strive to do their best in this regard.
Charges like disrespecting imperial authority were unbearable, even if Feng Sheng was the third most meritorious founding father of the Ming Dynasty, and even if Chang Mao was Zhu Xiong Ying's maternal uncle. In fact, it was precisely because of their special status that they attracted even more attention, with everyone waiting for them to make a mistake so that they could launch a massive impeachment campaign.
Zhu Xiong Ying's flagship slowly docked. Zhu Xiong Ying, who had already tidied up, did not disembark immediately. His personal guards naturally needed to immediately begin assembling and taking over the defense duties. Only after these procedures were finalized did Zhu Xiong Ying slowly disembark amidst everyone's eager anticipation.
It's more reassuring to keep your feet on the ground, and Zhu Xiong Ying is trying her best to maintain her balance. After drifting on the sea for so long, her legs have become a little weak, and Zhu Xiong Ying feels as if the ground is still shaking.
"This humble general pays his respects to His Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Your humble servants pay their respects to His Highness the Crown Prince!"
The civil and military officials who came to the dock to greet them began to pay their respects with great ceremony. These people naturally did not neglect anything, as they were all very familiar with such etiquette. None of them dared to give others any reason to find fault with them over such a small matter.
Zhu Xiong Ying, adopting an air of royalty, raised his right hand and said loudly, "Rise!"
After the civil and military officials rose, Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "You all know why I have come here. Let's cut to the chase and get to business!"
Zhu Xiong Ying's attitude was extremely firm. He immediately began setting up his camp, which made his stance clear. He was here to fight, not to enjoy the scenery. He was here to deal with those audacious Goryeo bandits.
In a good mood, Zhu Xiong Ying sat in the central command tent, with Fu Rang and Cha Han's younger brother, Fo Jianu, standing on either side, each holding a long sword.
Zhu Xiong Ying didn't stand on ceremony and asked directly, "Duke Zheng, you are the commander of the Busan Guard. How is the situation with the attack by the Goryeo bandits? How are the guards and soldiers preparing for battle?"
Chang Mao immediately reported, "Your Majesty, the Goryeo rebel Yi Seong-gye has sent his son Yi Bang-won and General Wu Meng-eul with an army of 30,000. The rebel army will arrive soon."
Zhu Xiong Ying laughed and said contemptuously, "This time, Wang Wu is going to be happy. His Right Army Commander has finally dared to lead 30,000 men to offend the majesty of our Emperor!"
The Crown Prince is petty. Previously, because of the Liaodong Guard incident, Wang Wu sent less than 40,000 troops, plus 50,000 miscellaneous laborers, claiming to be 100,000, to try and seize Tieling Guard. To show his determination, he even killed 21 Ming Dynasty officials and detained 5 others.
As a result, Yi Seong-gye returned from Wihwa Island, staged a coup, deposed King U, and executed Choi Young, who advocated for pro-Yuan rule. This was followed by the deposition and installation of a new emperor, and now we are witnessing a powerful minister plotting to usurp the throne.
These events are quite interesting, and they have indeed provided many more reasons to oppose Yi Seong-gye. As for this Yi Bang-won, although he appears to be a scholar, he played a significant role in Yi Seong-gye's plot to usurp the throne.
Wu Mong-eul was Yi Seong-gye's confidant, and the complete extermination of the Goryeo royal family was Wu Mong-eul's doing.
Zhu Xiong Ying looked at Feng Sheng with a serious expression, "Duke of Song, you are a pillar of the court. Now that the rebels have raised an army, what are your plans, Duke of Song?"
This duke, who had been disliked by Zhu Yuanzhang for his repeated private dealings with his son-in-law, Prince Zhou, was clever this time. "I am entirely at Your Highness's command, this humble general..."
"Duke Song, I am here to oversee the battle." Zhu Xiong Ying made her point very clearly and bluntly. "You are well aware of the importance of Goryeo and Japan. I am not here to command troops in battle."
Hearing Zhu Xiong Ying say this, Feng Cheng felt a little more at ease. Although the Crown Prince was there to supervise the battle, he was essentially just a high-ranking military supervisor, nothing more. What he feared most was that the Crown Prince was young, impetuous, and arrogant, and that the Crown Prince would personally lead the troops.
At that time, a battle that was originally in a good position might be lost due to one factor or another, which is not impossible.
Looking at Feng Sheng, Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "I remember that the Fushan Guard originally had a garrison of 5,600 men. In addition, there were three naval guards stationed there, with 20,000 laborers. Are they all still on the register?"
Chang Mao immediately stepped forward and said confidently, "Your Highness, all the registered military households in the garrison are in their positions. In addition to the regular soldiers, the three thousand-household units that look after laborers and patrol the border are also registered."
In fact, Busan Guard was definitely a 'strengthened guard post', because an ordinary guard post would have at most five thousand-household posts. But here, there were eight thousand-household posts, not even counting the naval forces. Moreover, the military households in the guard posts were now called 'regular soldiers', and when a regular soldier went to the guard post, at least one extra soldier had to accompany him to help with his livelihood.
There were indeed deserters in the early years of the Hongwu reign, but since the military households were generally doing well, the number of deserters wasn't particularly high. The status of military households in the Ming Dynasty today was unlike that of the later, collapsing and corrupt garrison system.
Zhu Xiong Ying nodded in satisfaction. The regular army numbered nearly ten thousand, which could be considered a strong and well-equipped force. Adding in the auxiliary troops, supply trains, and miscellaneous workers, the Busan Guard had quite a few men and was not afraid of the thirty thousand troops from Goryeo. They were fully capable of fighting them.
"Our Great Ming army will certainly continue to reinforce us. This campaign against the rebels is not just about repelling them," Zhu Xiong Ying said sternly, giving a fierce look to the civil and military officials in the tent. "We must also let those people know the might of our Emperor!"
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