Overjoyed, Yuan Chonghuan did not ask any further questions about where the troops came from.
He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this time when I go to Goryeo, I will definitely give the Jurchens a good beating!"
Zhu Youjian smiled and nodded, not taking the matter to heart.
In his view, no matter how much the Jurchens cause trouble now, once the imperial garrison in Beijing has completed its training...
The cannons purchased from foreigners have all been put into service.
At that time, the Jurchens will be like fish on a chopping board, to be killed however they want.
It was certainly a good thing that Yuan Chonghuan was able to open up a new situation in Goryeo.
Even if he suffers a crushing defeat, it doesn't matter.
Zhu Youjian lowered his head and thought for a moment, then casually said, "This time when you go to Goryeo, I will also send you a military supervisor."
"That man has already arrived at the army camp. When you lead your troops into battle, just take him with you."
Yuan Chonghuan didn't take any of this to heart at all.
He was originally a civil official, which gave him an edge over military generals.
This time, they were again going to fight in Goryeo across the sea, and communication with the imperial court was inconvenient.
A mere military supervisor couldn't possibly restrain him.
He quickly replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will certainly get along well with that supervisor."
Zhu Youjian's lips twitched a few times, as if he was trying to suppress a laugh.
"Hehe, then I'll wait for your good news."
"Alright, court adjourned."
After leaving the palace, Yuan Chonghuan returned to his home almost without stopping, took dozens of servants as guards, and then hurriedly headed towards the city gate.
As he left the capital, he was still wondering about it.
“I am the Minister of War. The troops His Majesty has sent me this time are neither from the Beijing Garrison nor from Liaodong.”
"Where did these people come from?"
Just as he was wondering, he saw a burly man stop his carriage.
"Lord Yuan, I've finally found you."
After stopping the carriage, the man climbed on as if he knew it intimately.
"You run really fast. If I weren't fast too, I probably wouldn't have been able to catch up with you."
Yuan Chonghuan was completely bewildered: "Who are you? How dare you speak to me like that?"
The burly man laughed heartily.
"Lord Yuan, how come you don't recognize me? I'm your military supervisor."
"What the heck?" Yuan Chonghuan asked in surprise, his words losing their usual elegance. "You're my military supervisor?"
"Then why haven't I seen you before!"
The burly man shook his head.
"I used to be in the palace, studying under Mr. Gao. You probably don't know me."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Chonghuan finally understood.
The person in front of me was also Gao Qingyun's disciple.
He thought to himself, "No wonder there are rumors circulating in the court recently that His Majesty not only trusts that Master Gao, but also intends to use his student to gradually replace high-ranking officials in the court."
"Many high-ranking officials and ministers tried every means to get their children into the palace to study."
"Looking at it today, this claim is not entirely unfounded."
But Yuan Chonghuan had no time to think about these things now.
His heart had already flown to Goryeo, hoping to defeat the Jurchens there.
Yuan Chonghuan casually asked, "So, what's your name?"
The burly man smiled broadly: "My name is Zhang Xianzhong."
"Zhang Xianzhong? That's a good name."
Yuan Chonghuan shook his head and said, "Xianzhong, did you choose this name to pledge your loyalty to the Ming Dynasty?"
For some reason, as soon as he said those words, Zhang Xianzhong reacted as if he had been stressed, immediately stood up, and pounded his fist on his chest.
He muttered something quite strange: "Offer your heart to the Ming Dynasty!"
"What kind of nonsense is this?" Yuan Chonghuan shook his head, not understanding what he meant at all.
But he was too lazy to ask.
"Alright, Xianzhong, let's get going right away."
"By the way, where exactly are the troops that the imperial court has prepared for me, and what is their origin?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xianzhong subconsciously blinked.
"Lord Yuan, don't you know?"
"The troops the imperial court gave you are just those canal workers!"
"What the heck?" Yuan Chonghuan exclaimed once again.
He himself didn't realize that since meeting Zhang Xianzhong, he had been exclaiming in surprise quite often.
But soon, he calmed down, frowned, and said:
"Well, being a canal worker is fine, it's better than being a complete recruit."
It turns out that not long ago, after the imperial court dealt with the gentry in Jiangnan, it did not let the canal workers off the hook either.
The ordinary canal workers were simply reprimanded.
However, the imperial court dealt a heavy blow to those leaders of the canal transport workers, especially the so-called canal gangs.
Tens of thousands of people were arrested at once.
After a selection process, the imperial court sent more than a thousand of the more obedient men to Pi Island to replenish Mao Wenlong's troops.
The remaining 10,000 people were imprisoned near the capital.
They usually train with the Beijing garrison.
Yuan Chonghuan lowered his head and began to calculate:
“These canal workers, who had to make a living on the canal, often had to work in groups, so they were already better off than ordinary people.”
"They trained with the Beijing garrison for another month or so, and they improved even more."
"It's a pity that the canal workers I've been handed over to are the most unruly. I doubt they'll be so obedient on the battlefield!"
As early as when Qi Jiguang formed the Qi Family Army, he had already summarized his experience.
The most reliable soldiers are from farming families; it's best not to choose worldly city dwellers.
The more worldly experience one has, the more ideas one has in one's mind, and when one arrives on the battlefield, one will not be able to follow orders without question.
These canal workers had even more trouble than ordinary city dwellers.
"Fortunately, the Jurchens are no longer useful, otherwise my trip to Goryeo would have been really difficult."
Thinking of this, Yuan Chonghuan finally raised his head.
"Alright, let's make him a canal worker then."
"Xianzhong, when do we set off?"
Zhang Xianzhong said nonchalantly, "We'll have to see when the ship arrives before we can set off."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Chonghuan felt a sense of helplessness.
"Of course I know that a ship is needed to cross the sea to Goryeo. What I'm asking is when the ship will arrive!"
Zhang Xianzhong still maintained his nonchalant attitude.
"Asking me about this is useless; I have absolutely no idea."
Yuan Chonghuan took several heavy breaths, almost cursing out loud.
He thought angrily, "Although Master Gao is a coward, I've heard that the students he taught, such as Li Zicheng and Zheng Chenggong, are quite good."
"Why did they send me such a dud?"
But at this point, he couldn't possibly go to Zhu Youjian and ask the emperor to replace him with a different military supervisor.
Yuan Chonghuan could only sigh helplessly: "Fine, I shouldn't have asked you."
To everyone's surprise, Zhang Xianzhong nodded seriously after hearing this: "It's good that you know, Lord Yuan. Just don't make the same mistake again."
Yuan Chonghuan was utterly speechless, and waved his hand wearily, saying, "Oh right, I won't ask anymore."
After this incident, Yuan Chonghuan had lost all hope in Zhang Xianzhong.
Fortunately, after Zhu Youjian ascended the throne, the Ming court became much more reliable.
Zheng Yiguan's navy had received the news long ago and made preparations in advance.
Yuan Chonghuan had just received the 10,000 canal workers when he received a notification that he could lead his troops onto the ships at any time.
He then smiled and said, "This Zheng Yiguan is quite reliable!"
"Alright, let's get going."
"Target... Korea!"
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