The emperor of the Ming Dynasty made a big move; the Ming court once again mobilized its troops.
The three major battalions of the capital army naturally had to accompany the army on campaigns; the capital army of the Ming Dynasty was no longer just for show. In times of war, the three major battalions would always draw elite troops to fight alongside the garrisons in various regions. The three major battalions were indeed the strongest fighting force in the Ming Dynasty, heavily trained and equipped with advanced weaponry.
The commotion on the Ming Dynasty's side was quite significant, especially with the Duke of Zhongshan leading three elite battalions as his deputy general, along with a large army led by generals from the Five Military Commissions, heading towards Liaodong. Many people immediately became tense.
Actually, there were no Korean students at the Siyiguan (Four Barbarian Hall). This was partly due to Yi Seong-gye and Yi Bang-won, even though Korea had a strong Confucian culture. However, after Yi Seong-gye usurped the throne, the Joseon Dynasty he established was not recognized or officially recognized by the Ming Dynasty.
Furthermore, Yi Bang-won inherited some of Yi Seong-gye's ideas, and naturally, they adhered to the principle of "serving the great power," meaning that a small country should serve a large one. This has been a characteristic of Koreans throughout history.
They were well aware that if anything happened in Korea, the Ming Dynasty would send troops to punish them.
Therefore, they were constantly striving to obtain investiture from the Ming Dynasty and to gain recognition of their status. However, at the same time, they also did considerable work to fortify their cities and stockpile provisions. While seeking good relations with the Ming Dynasty, they also maintained a certain distance.
In fact, over the years, the Ming Dynasty has rejected tributes from Korea many times.
The Ming Dynasty had no interest in ginseng, straw mats, lacquerware, fox tails, leopard skins, or otter pelts, and there was no question of reciprocating. During the years that Yi Bang-won controlled Joseon, he didn't forget to continue offering tributes. In addition to the traditional tribute items, he even tried offering male children—who were intended to be used as eunuchs—or beautiful women, gold, and so on.
Even after the Ming Dynasty came to question him, Li Fangyuan didn't actually stop; he was very nervous.
While attempting to send envoys to Chen Bian in the Ming Dynasty, he was also busy preparing for war. In order to focus all his efforts on dealing with the Ming Dynasty, Li Fangyuan even tried to contact the remnants of the Northern Yuan, and he was also trying to ease the long-standing and complicated relationship with the Jurchens.
Because of the Ming Dynasty's military intervention, Yi Bang-won was forced to halt some of his reforms.
For example, Li Fangyuan originally hoped to abolish the private army system and implement a unified military system, concentrating military power in the central government. However, such a plan has to be put on hold at this time.
Sitting on the warship, Geng Bingwen said with a smile, "Traveling by boat is much more tiring than riding a horse."
"What Marquis Changxing said makes sense. Traveling by boat is indeed uncomfortable," Chang Sheng replied with a smile. "Riding a horse is at most a bit bumpy. But on a boat, some waves might make you seasick. In this vast ocean, you never know when the ship might be destroyed and people might die."
Geng Bingwen felt the same way. Although the Ming Dynasty's navy was very powerful, and Geng Bingwen had participated in naval battles before, those battles were fought on rivers and lakes, not on the vast ocean.
Geng Bingwen is not young anymore; he is a 66-year-old veteran. He doesn't really want to talk about unlucky topics, as not everyone has seen through life and death.
"Speaking of the Busan Three Guards, although there is no issue of them receiving salaries without working, if Goryeo were to fight to the death, I'm afraid they would be unable to withstand them." Geng Bingwen asked with some concern, "Can our Great Ming Dynasty only rely on Tianjin to supply provisions and soldiers?"
Chang Sheng immediately said, "There used to be a place called Tsushima in the southeastern sea, which was called Daifang during the Han Dynasty. It stretched between Japan and Korea. On a clear day, you could see Japan from Busan. Previously, there were some Japanese pirates who occupied this place, and there was also Munemasa, who was appointed as the island lord by the Japanese monarch."
Upon hearing Chang Sheng's words, Geng Bingwen naturally understood that Busanwei was the "gateway to the sea" for Korea and a base for the Ming Dynasty to occupy Goryeo.
However, there is also this island of several hundred square kilometers, which the Ming Dynasty also occupies. It serves as a natural transit point and an escape route for the Ming Dynasty's Busan Garrison. Of course, Tsushima Island is also intended to counterbalance Japan.
Geng Bingwen had more confidence and expectations. His mission was to hold the line and prevent Korea from trying to fight to the death. He couldn't let it affect the Ming Dynasty's control over the silver mines in Japan.
In fact, Geng Bingwen still had a mission. Although the Busan Three Guards were unlikely to launch a preemptive strike, their continued existence would tie down a significant amount of North Korean military power. If the opportunity arose, they might even be able to launch a preemptive strike to further constrain North Korean forces.
If we're talking about creating a pincer movement, this campaign against Korea clearly has a greater chance of success, allowing this war of annihilation to proceed more smoothly.
This wasn't particularly difficult for Geng Bingwen, but it wasn't exactly simple or easy either. Having fought for most of his life, Geng Bingwen didn't want to ruin his reputation at this point.
Moreover, as a veteran of the battlefield, even though he is now over sixty years old, he still sometimes misses the days of fighting and the heroic spirit of his youth.
If nothing unexpected happens, this will be his 'final battle,' and he will likely never have the chance to lead troops onto the battlefield again.
If he could achieve some merit at this time, even if he couldn't be "upgraded" to the rank of Duke, he could leave more hereditary titles for his descendants, which was also one of Geng Bingwen's expectations.
At his age, he's no longer just thinking about his own future. Geng Bingwen has experienced enough in his life; now, he hopes his children and grandchildren can firmly establish themselves within the Wuxun Group.
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