Yuan Chonghuan frowned: "How is this possible?"
He asked this not because he thought the Jurchens wouldn't lack food.
In fact, his strategy for pacifying Liaodong during those five years was based on the premise that the Jurchens' grain consumption far exceeded their output.
But he also knew that the Jurchens were never reasonable.
In terms of being inhuman, the Jurchens were far more formidable than the Ming Dynasty.
The Ming Dynasty lacked both silver and grain, and at most it resorted to extorting money from the people, driving them to the brink of starvation, leaving them with no choice but to rebel.
But the Jurchens, on the other hand, took it one step at a time.
They first seized the grain, and then they killed the people.
"The Jurchens have not been massacring civilians recently, which shows that even if they are short of food, they are not so short of military rations."
Yuan Chonghuan stood up and started spinning around in place.
"So, their food shortage might be a facade, then could they possibly be..."
He was suddenly startled and froze on the spot.
"Are they deliberately feigning weakness to lure me here, and then take advantage of the situation to head south?"
Yuan Chonghuan was starting to panic.
Seeing this, Zhang Xianzhong shook his head and stood up from his chair.
"Lord Yuan, please calm down. I have something to say, please listen carefully."
Yuan Chonghuan was completely flustered at this moment, and casually nodded and said, "Then you speak."
Zhang Xianzhong smiled and deliberately coughed twice.
Then, shaking his head, he said, "In my view, the Jurchens are like clay chickens and earthen dogs."
Yuan Chonghuan was taken aback.
"Then what?"
"What, and then?" Zhang Xianzhong was also stunned. "Have I finished speaking?"
"..." Yuan Chonghuan pursed his lips, then opened them again, his expression very strange.
After a long while, he finally spoke: "Zhang Xianzhong, if you're joking, then go find the Koreans."
"I have important matters to attend to!"
After driving Zhang Xianzhong away, Yuan Chonghuan lay down on the map and the more he looked at it, the more something seemed wrong.
"The Jurchens are definitely doing this on purpose. They are lingering in Kaiyuan City to lure me into bringing my troops here!"
Although Yuan Chonghuan was full of ambition before coming to Korea, he began to feel uneasy once he arrived.
"Hey, the area around Hanjing is also a plain, which is not conducive to defense."
"If the Jurchens really charge over, we'll be in big trouble!"
"No, I must have the King of Goryeo lead the court south tomorrow and find another place!"
On the other side, Zhang Xianzhong's expression was also not good after he went outside.
"This Yuan Chonghuan is indeed useless; he didn't even understand what I meant. No wonder he was... humph!"
At the last moment, Zhang Xianzhong stopped talking.
He walked outside with a cold face and saw the King of Goryeo standing not far away.
As soon as the King of Goryeo saw Zhang Xianzhong, he hurried over.
"Esteemed envoy from a superior nation, what brings you to see me, Your Majesty?"
His words were extremely humble, showing no trace of a king's demeanor.
However, Zhang Xianzhong was not surprised.
He was originally from the Ming Dynasty and didn't think much of the Goryeo Kingdom.
In addition, Gao Qingyun often told them jokes about the later Goryeo dynasty when he taught them.
He had even less of a good impression of Goryeo.
"Your Highness, you have good judgment. I really do have something to discuss with you."
Zhang Xianzhong's eyes darted around, and he began to speak directly.
"My Ming soldiers have leftover food; you can take it and share it."
"Oh, and remember to mix everything together when you eat it, and it absolutely has to be called army stew, understand?"
These words came out of nowhere, leaving the King of Goryeo completely bewildered and unable to understand what Zhang Xianzhong meant at all.
But he dared not offend this young man of unknown origin, so he could only force a smile and say:
"I will remember this, Your Excellency. Please rest assured, we in Goryeo will certainly enjoy this army stew with great gratitude."
Zhang Xianzhong was overjoyed.
"That's it, that's right."
He left laughing.
But when he was in a good mood, the King of Goryeo was in a bad mood.
"The Ming Dynasty has truly been declining in recent decades!"
He stomped his foot heavily.
"Look at the heavenly soldiers that the Ming Dynasty sent to Goryeo decades ago, who were they?"
"Na Ma Gui and Li Rusong, aren't they both capable and virtuous?"
"And this time, the Ming Dynasty's heavenly army is truly..."
The King of Goryeo sighed deeply as he finished speaking.
"Oh dear, this is really dangerous for Goryeo!"
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Yuan Chonghuan rushing over.
The King of Goryeo quickly stopped talking and forced a smile.
"So it's Lord Yuan! Why did you leave in such a hurry? What happened?"
A glimmer of hope arose in his heart.
"Are you going to lead your troops north to recapture Gaeseong for Goryeo?"
The current Goryeo Dynasty under the Joseon Dynasty only lasted a dozen years longer than the Ming Dynasty.
Before the Joseon Dynasty Goryeo, there was the Wang Dynasty Goryeo, and the capital of the Wang Dynasty Goryeo was Gaeseong.
That's why the King of Goryeo attached such importance to this former capital of the previous dynasty.
"If we can retake Gaeseong, all parts of Goryeo will surely be inspired, and the day when we drive out the Jurchens will not be far off!"
Yuan Chonghuan gave him a disapproving look.
"King of Goryeo, you really don't know anything about military affairs. If I lead my troops north, I will only fall into their trap!"
The King of Goryeo looked puzzled: "Lord Yuan, what makes you say that?"
Yuan Chonghuan shook his head directly.
"Time is of the essence, and I have no time to say more to you."
"You should immediately order your men to pack their things and prepare to head south."
It turns out that Yuan Chonghuan had thought it over and over and decided that it wouldn't be safe to run away tomorrow.
It would be safer to run now.
The King of Goryeo was utterly speechless.
Zhang Xianzhong's delusional behavior was one thing, but it was just disgusting words; he didn't actually cause any real harm.
However, Yuan Chonghuan's request was quite dangerous.
The King of Goryeo gritted his teeth and said, "Lord Yuan, we cannot retreat south!"
At this point, he also revealed some of his true feelings.
"After the Battle of Sarhu a few years ago, many people in Goryeo bowed down to the Jurchens and even severed ties with the Ming Dynasty for a time."
"The reason I was able to ascend to the throne is because I wanted to restore friendly relations with the Ming Dynasty."
"With the Jurchens marching south again this time, there are signs that those ministers who had unclear ties with the Jurchens are making a comeback."
"Fortunately, I held the line here and saved half of Goryeo, so they dared not make a move."
"If they abandon the city and head south..."
The King of Goryeo did not finish his sentence, but his meaning was already quite clear.
No sooner had they fled than others would jump out and defect to the Jurchens.
At that time, Goryeo will have two kings.
It means we avoided taking a detour that took three hundred years less.
Logically speaking, there isn't much of a problem with the claim that he was the King of Goryeo.
But Yuan Chonghuan simply wouldn't listen to him.
"My mind is made up; I will definitely retreat south tonight."
"If you don't want to come with us, then stay here on your own!"
"I'll save you a Clippers."
Upon hearing this, the King of Goryeo gave a wry smile.
The Goryeo soldiers were already incapable of fighting, and their morale plummeted even further after they saw Yuan Chonghuan leading the Ming army away.
I'm afraid they'd collapse on the spot if they saw even three or five Jurchen scouts.
What's the point of him staying here?
The King of Goryeo sighed, "Fine, fine, then I'll retreat south with you."
He sighed inwardly, "The envoys sent by the Ming Dynasty to Goryeo this time are truly..."
"Why!"
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