After carefully inquiring about the preparations for the major battle in the central command tent, Fu Youde naturally felt much more at ease.
After dismissing the generals, Fu Youde said with a smile, "With Marquis Changxing and Marquis Wuying stationed in Liaodong and Fushan, guarding both the north and south, there shouldn't be any major problems."
Xu Huizu nodded with a smile and said, "Your Majesty is far-sighted and has naturally thought of these things."
The Ming Dynasty was undeniably stronger. However, the Ming Dynasty also considered the possibility that Goryeo might make a desperate move, and that if unforeseen circumstances arose, Goryeo might attack Busan or advance into Liaodong.
Fu Youde continued, "In this battle, the army must cross the Yalu River."
Fu Youde doesn't need to remind us of this much; whether it was the Han Dynasty's offensive or the Sui and Tang Dynasties' offensives, the Yalu River was a key point.
In fact, the situation along the China-North Korea border has changed in the past.
After the war between the Tang Dynasty and Silla, the two dynasties used the Daedong River as their border. This river is located within the territory of what is now Korea, and it is the fifth largest river in Korea.
Subsequently, after the Wang dynasty of Goryeo and the Khitan, the border moved northward to the three passes of Dingzhou, Xuande, and Yuanxing, south of Hamhung.
After Zhu Yuanzhang dispatched a large army to the north, the court also quickly sent troops to advance northward and occupied the area south of the Tumen River-Yalu River.
When Zhu Yuanzhang established the Tieling Guard south of the Daedong River, the Goryeo king did not recognize it. This led to Yi Seong-gye leading an army of supposedly 100,000 across the Yalu River to attack Liaodong.
Although a major battle did not break out, and Yi Seong-gye even returned to seize power, the Ming Dynasty was still forced to withdraw the Tieling Guard to the Liao River area.
Over the years, Yi Seong-gye and his son never gave up and continued to plot their northward advance. If it weren't for the pursuit and retreat by Lan Yu and others, and if it weren't for the great victory in Mobei two years ago, North Korea might have continued its northward push.
"The Marquis of Jiangyin has amassed a large force in Weihaiwei and is launching a cross-sea attack on Huanghai Road. If the attack goes smoothly, he can directly take Jingji Road and besiege the capital," Xu Huizu said with a smile. "The Three Guards of Busan are making a show of attack to tie down their forces. However, the Three Guards of Busan are quite far away and cannot sustain this for long."
The imperial court appears to have deployed three armies, with the Busan Three Guards advancing from north to south. However, everyone understands that the Busan Three Guards can only tie down some of the Joseon military forces, preventing them from amassing more troops.
Ultimately, the Busan Three Guards had a unique mission. They were constantly building fortifications and guarding against attacks from Goryeo. The Busan Three Guards' primary responsibility was to act as a fulcrum, supporting the silver mines of Japan—that was the key.
The main focus of this route is defense, which can tie down some troops and wait for an opportunity to strike.
The remaining two armies, led by Marquis Wu Gao of Jiangyin, crossed the Bohai Sea to seize the heartland of Goguryeo. This was also the approach taken by the Han and even Tang dynasties, since Weihaiwei only needed to cross the Bohai Sea to be at the gates of Goguryeo, putting it in a pincer movement.
The task of this large army was not easy either. Even though the Ming Dynasty's navy seemed powerful, cross-sea operations were not easy in themselves.
Therefore, the main force was the elite troops led by Fu Youde from Liaodong, and they were going to push their way down.
Fu Youde continued, "North Korea has a considerable military force. Although there has been much internal strife in Goryeo in recent years, it still has many battle-hardened soldiers. In earlier years, it claimed to have 100,000 troops to invade Liaodong, but the actual number was probably no less than 50,000."
Xu Huizu nodded and said, "With the Ming Dynasty raising its army, the entire nation will surely defend it to the death, and there will only be more troops."
This is easy to understand. Back then, Goryeo wanted to send an army of 100,000 to conquer Liaodong, although the number was somewhat exaggerated. However, if they could muster such an army, they must have had other troops within their own borders.
Now that the Ming Dynasty's army has arrived, Goryeo will surely defend to the death. Although they must be wary of Busan and also divide their forces in Hwanghae Province, most of their troops will be concentrated in the north.
Moreover, many people understand that siege warfare is never easy. The Goryeo region also has many mountainous areas, which are unfavorable for cavalry assembly and combat, which is not good news for the Ming army.
After all, the army led by Fu Youde had once routed the Mongols, and it consisted mostly of cavalry or infantry skilled at countering cavalry. Mountain warfare and siege warfare were somewhat unfamiliar to these armies who had been fighting in the northern open fields.
Remembering something, Xu Huizu said, "His Majesty's decree is that a swift victory would be best. However, if the war goes poorly and the imperial army occupies the city..."
This was actually not good news for Fu Youde, because if war were to break out, his intention would naturally be to strike at the heart of the enemy and simply take it. If he were to occupy the city now, he would inevitably have to divide his forces, which was clearly not a good idea.
However, Fu Youde also understood that the imperial court was determined to acquire Goryeo. They might even recreate the Han Dynasty's Four Commanderies, or even take over the area and appoint princes there, just like they had done in Japan back then.
So now it's not just about conquering the land, but also about leaving some people to govern it. Perhaps some officials in the imperial court are already prepared to take over at any time.
Although this might increase the difficulty, Fu Youde had no objections.
The imperial court has enjoyed smooth military campaigns in recent years, and Fu Youde has accomplished many feats, such as defeating powerful enemies in quick succession or capturing cities and territories. However, a protracted war is not a major problem, as the Ming Dynasty has made ample preparations.
In earlier years, the Ming Dynasty had been distributing cotton-padded clothing and quilts to the border troops in the north, and coal stoves and coal were being used more frequently. They were also preparing firearms based on granular gunpowder. All of this was part of the Ming Dynasty's preparations for this war, and it wasn't just for Goryeo.
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