"What? That's really what they said in Korea?"
Haug looked at the latest intelligence, a hint of excitement in his eyes.
"Now look what's happened, Goryeo is doomed!"
Meanwhile, the other Jurchen high-ranking officials were all all smiles.
"Yes, the King of Goryeo actually destroyed his own Great Wall and was about to turn against the Yangban."
"Then we don't need to worry about anything even if we retreat immediately."
The news that the King of Goryeo intended to seize the lands of the Yangban and distribute them to the Ming army had already spread.
If this is true, then the original nobles of Goryeo would definitely become alienated from the Goryeo king and the Ming army.
The Jurchens no longer needed to worry about their rear.
Jirgalang stood up and said, "Great Khan, since Goryeo has lost its mind, shouldn't we stop heading south and just retreat?"
"Every day we linger in Korea increases the danger in Guangning!"
Haug hesitated after hearing this.
He was by nature indecisive.
Otherwise, historically, he wouldn't have squandered the position of Great Khan that he had already obtained.
"Then...shall we withdraw our troops and head north?"
Jirgalang quickly said, "Since the Khan thinks so too, then let's withdraw our troops immediately!"
Others naturally wouldn't object.
Seeing this, Hauge nodded and said, "In that case, let's withdraw our troops!"
After receiving the order and leaving the Khan's tent, Jirhalang suddenly felt a little worried.
“We have just come south from Imjin River, and now we have to turn north again. The army will definitely be in chaos.”
"What if the Ming army takes this opportunity to attack..."
But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he put it aside.
"I must be overthinking it. Since the Ming army has already started acting recklessly and is about to turn against the nobles of Goryeo, where would they find the spare strength to send troops?"
"The most urgent task now is to retreat to Liaodong as soon as possible."
With that thought in mind, he no longer hesitated and turned to arrange the withdrawal of troops.
But he didn't realize that his worries were not unfounded.
Just as Hauge ordered the withdrawal, the Ming army also set off from the north gate of Hanjing.
"This time, speed is of the essence!"
Zhang Xianzhong stood casually at the door, addressing the canal workers around him.
"When the Jurchens hear that we have sent troops, they will surely flee at the mere sight of us."
"If we don't act quickly, they'll definitely get away!"
The canal workers didn't react much after hearing this; they were all thinking about the land distribution after the war, and their morale was incredibly high.
But the situation was uncertain for the hundreds of actual Ming soldiers.
"Lord Zhang, isn't this a bit risky?"
The four newly appointed generals went straight to the point and began to offer their advice.
Although they had witnessed Zhang Xianzhong's good fortune firsthand, in their view, such good luck could only last once or twice, and could not continue indefinitely.
More importantly, they were already generals, although the title of general was somewhat exaggerated, they were still the number one figures in the Ming Dynasty.
The four of them had already put on their shoes, so naturally they were less likely to take any risks.
Zhang Xianzhong shook his head and said, "You're wrong about that. What risks could there be in this?"
"In my opinion, the Jurchens were nothing but chickens and dogs."
"My lads, don't you agree?"
Zhang Xianzhong turned around and roared at the canal workers.
The canal workers all eagerly agreed, "Lord Zhang is right!"
"Let's charge in and divide up the land!"
Seeing this, the four generals knew they couldn't stop Zhang Xianzhong.
He could only sigh and say, "Since that's the case, we have no choice but to risk our lives to accompany you."
Zhang Xianzhong waved his hand and said, "What discouraging things are you saying?"
"This time we're not going to our deaths, we're going to make a name for ourselves!"
With that, he simply rushed to the front and headed north.
Seeing this, the other Ming soldiers could only sigh and obediently follow behind him.
At this time, the Jurchens were completely unaware of this.
Hauge's military skills were indeed inferior to those of his deceased grandfather and father.
He actually allowed news of the Ming army's eastern expedition to spread within his own army.
Upon hearing that the Ming army was attacking Liaodong, the Jurchens at the front were all eager to return home, wishing they could fly back to Liaodong.
After Hauge ordered a retreat, the entire Jurchen army turned and left without hesitation.
Those Jurchen scouts who had scattered were the first to return north.
We need to open up the road to the north.
As for whether the Ming army might move north, that was not within their consideration.
"We've been heading north all this way, but we haven't seen any Jurchen scouts at all?"
As Zhang Xianzhong led his troops, they drew ever closer to the Imjin River.
The Ming army gradually realized that something was wrong.
The four generals gathered together and began to talk loudly as they traveled.
It wasn't that they didn't want to keep their voices down; they had simply run dozens of miles and were too exhausted to keep quiet.
A general gasped, "Could it be that the Jurchens discovered our movements and are deliberately luring us in?"
The others all nodded in agreement.
"I guess that's really the case."
"The Jurchens have always been known for their cavalry, so there's no reason for them to suddenly stop sending scouts!"
"Let's hurry over and persuade Lord Zhang to stop."
The group quickly jogged a few steps and caught up with Zhang Xianzhong.
"Lord Zhang, please slow down!"
They ran over breathlessly and grabbed Zhang Xianzhong.
"We can't continue heading north!"
Zhang Xianzhong raised an eyebrow: "Why can't we continue?"
"Haven't we had a very smooth journey? We haven't even seen a trace of the Jurchens."
"In my opinion, it's clear that the Jurchens are already scared and have already run away."
"Now is the perfect time to press our advantage and eliminate the enemy!"
Those men didn't pay attention to the poem Zhang Xianzhong inadvertently quoted, but sighed and said, "My lord, it's precisely because we haven't encountered any trace of the Jurchens that it's so terrifying!"
"Yeah yeah……"
They wanted to share their judgment with Zhang Xianzhong.
But Zhang Xianzhong waved his hand dismissively.
"What's so scary about that?"
"Don't worry, as long as you follow me, we're guaranteed to win."
After he finished speaking, he rushed to the front again.
The four of them were almost in tears.
"Is this Lord Zhang clever or foolish?"
"I think he's a bit crazy!"
The group exchanged glances, already considering backing out.
Although they knew that if they withdrew now, it would be the end for them.
Not only will the newly acquired position of general be taken back by the imperial court.
Whether he can save his life is another matter.
But they were truly terrified.
"If we continue forward, we'll definitely fall into the Jurchens' trap and be wiped out!"
"Let's slow down and stay at the back of the group, so we can escape later!"
They didn't speak, but they understood each other perfectly.
They all slowed down and fell to the back of the army.
Not long after, they heard gasps of surprise coming from the front of the column.
The four men exchanged a glance and quickly said, "This must be the Jurchen ambush troops coming out!"
"Let's run away quickly!"
The group turned to run, but just then they heard the canal workers ahead shouting excitedly.
"Did the Jurchens really cross the river without any precautions?"
"This is truly a godsend!"
"If we attack now, isn't this exactly what they call 'attacking while the enemy is crossing the river' in storytelling?"
"You never study, kid! What do you mean by 'attack while crossing the river'? This is clearly 'Xiaoyao Ford'!"
The four of them were stunned for a moment.
"Was Zhang Xianzhong really that lucky?"
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