Imjin River.
The Jurchen camp.
Hauge looked at the military intelligence sent from the rear, his face showing hesitation, and he seemed quite undecided.
"The Ming army actually launched a large-scale operation?"
"This is really..."
Haug felt somewhat helpless, and even more so, somewhat apprehensive.
He suffered a loss at the gates of Hanjing a few days ago, and now he is somewhat afraid of the Ming army.
"These canal workers in front of us have only been trained by the Ming Dynasty court for half a year, and they are already so capable."
"The troops that the Ming Dynasty sent on this eastern expedition were all elites selected from the Northwest, and they had been training hard in the capital for more than half a year."
"Just how powerful must it be?"
Haug was already somewhat frightened even before he had heard about the dozen or so Italian cannons.
If he heard this false news, he would probably be even more restless.
He gave a wry smile: "I don't even know if my Later Jin dynasty can get through this."
"Alas, just over a year ago, my Later Jin was still thriving."
"However, ever since that young emperor ascended the throne, how did our Later Jin dynasty decline so drastically, eventually reaching this state?"
As he spoke, his voice began to tremble with emotion.
Hauge is still young, and after suffering a series of setbacks, his mentality has begun to break down.
The Jurchen generals present felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this.
Upon seeing this, Jirhalang immediately spoke up.
"Great Khan, please don't say that. Although our Later Jin is in danger now, it is not to the point of certain defeat!"
Hearing this, Haug felt as if he had grasped a lifeline.
"Oh? What makes you say that?"
Jirhalang didn't really have any ideas, but he saw Hauge looking at him expectantly.
The other Niru'e also looked over.
He had no choice but to bite the bullet and say:
"Great Khan, although our situation is critical, it is still much easier than the situation at Sarhu back then."
"If the old Khan could lead us to victory over the Ming Dynasty back then, we might be able to do it today too!"
This statement doesn't really make any sense. How can things in this world be compared so simply?
Not to mention that Hauge is far inferior to Nurhaci, the Jurchen army today is also not as strong as it was back then.
Even if Nurhaci were resurrected and led the Jurchen army of yesteryear to fight against the Ming army of today, he would not gain any advantage.
But after hearing this, Haug seemed to feel reassured.
"you're right!"
"Our Later Jin is like the rising sun, while the Ming Dynasty is already in the west."
"Even if the Ming army gains some advantages in this battle, the final victory will definitely belong to our Later Jin!"
As Haug talked, he finally regained his composure.
But he recovered somewhat too much.
"By order of the Khan, we shall first march south to capture Hanjing and completely annihilate the Ming army before us, and then march north to relieve Guangning!"
Jirhalang was dumbfounded.
"Your Majesty, this..."
Hauge turned and looked at him, then said seriously, "What's wrong?"
"When the old Khan won the Battle of Sarhu, the Ming army split into several routes."
"However, the old Khan did not care how many Ming armies came from, he only cared about attacking one of them."
"In the end, they indeed defeated the Ming army one by one."
"Now I will follow the example of the old Khan!"
After hearing this, Jirhalang hesitated.
At first glance, Haug's words didn't seem to have any major problems.
If Hauge were to lead his troops away now, the situation in Goryeo would definitely be completely reversed.
Territories already occupied by the Jurchens would be lost in an instant.
When the King of Goryeo raises his banner again and recruits soldiers throughout Goryeo, he will likely be able to produce tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of cannon fodder.
Although the Goryeo soldiers were not very strong, these 100,000 men were able to provide logistical support for the Ming army.
"At that time, the Ming Dynasty will send more troops to Goryeo, and then march north to attack Shengjing."
"Wouldn't our Later Jin be caught in a pincer attack?"
Upon thinking this, Jirgalang looked up and said earnestly, "The Khan's words make sense."
"We really should attack Hanjing."
"Even if we can't directly breach the city walls, we must still intimidate the Ming army and the Goryeo king inside, so that they won't dare to make any rash moves in the short term."
"As long as we keep them in fear for a month or two, and hold out until the Great Khan defeats the Ming army in Liaodong and relieves the siege of Guangning, that will be enough."
Hauge nodded repeatedly: "Since Jirhalang has said so, then let's do it this way!"
"All troops, prepare yourselves! We're heading south again to attack Hanjing!"
However, he did not expect that before he could head south, the Ming army in Hanjing would have the idea of heading north.
"Lord Yuan, listen to this! The people are all thinking about war!"
Zhang Xianzhong pointed at the soldiers outside and burst into laughter.
Yuan Chonghuan was speechless, but had nothing to say.
After a long while, he forced himself to remain calm and said, "This matter still needs to be considered carefully."
Zhang Xianzhong is right. The morale of the Ming army, or rather the morale of these canal workers, is indeed incredibly high.
It turns out that news of Zhu Youjian's acceptance of Zhang Xianzhong's reward and his intention to appoint four generals in succession has already reached this place.
When the Ming army heard about it, they were immediately in an uproar.
"When has the imperial court ever kept its word?"
"So it turns out that following that guy surnamed Zhang really does lead to promotions and wealth!"
"What promotion and wealth? This is practically instant ascension to the top!"
Along with the news of the appointment of the general, the imperial court also announced the method of rewarding the Beijing garrison.
"By the way, have you heard? If you make a contribution in this battle, you'll be allocated paddy fields in Jiangnan."
"If we also achieve merit in battle, will we be eligible for the same benefits?"
"Let's go ask Lord Zhang."
Many people blocked the entrance to the government office, shouting inside, "Lord Zhang, please come out and tell us, what kind of reward will we receive if we perform meritorious service?"
Now they don't recognize anyone else, they only recognize Zhang Xianzhong.
Hearing the commotion, Zhang Xianzhong came out laughing.
Zhu Youjian didn't actually intend to cause any more trouble in Goryeo.
In his view, as long as Li Ruolian and Qin Liangyu perform normally, the Jurchens will be severely injured, if not killed.
There's no need to take risks here in Korea.
But Zhang Xianzhong, being incredibly clever, started to use his brain again.
"Since His Majesty has not issued a clear decree, it means I am to act according to circumstances!"
"That's true. Last time, I led a few hundred men and utterly defeated the Jurchens. That was truly amazing."
"His Majesty must not know how to command me, so he let me act freely."
Zhang Xianzhong slapped his forehead and immediately started making empty promises to the canal workers outside.
"Don't worry, our Great Ming Dynasty is very fair in its rewards and punishments. As long as you make contributions, you will definitely be rewarded."
He rolled his eyes and said directly, "The imperial court has already allocated the fertile lands in Jiangnan and the Central Plains to the Beijing Garrison, and it is impossible for them to allocate any more to you."
"Then it's settled. If you succeed this time, then... then we'll reward you with land from Goryeo."
"Give him one hundred acres each!"
Upon hearing this, the canal workers were immediately displeased.
"How can the land of Goryeo compare to the paddy fields of Jiangnan?"
But then they thought about it again and found themselves somewhat tempted.
"No matter what, it's still land, and there are still a hundred acres!"
"Back in our hometown, that would be considered a large landowner."
Most of the canal workers came from both sides of the Huai River, which was practically synonymous with a small population and abundant land.
Therefore, this hundred acres of Goryeo land is still attractive.
As for whether the reward offered by Zhang Xianzhong would ultimately be fulfilled, they had no doubt whatsoever.
The imperial court could bestow titles upon four generals and even use paddy fields from Jiangnan to reward the capital garrison.
What can't this land of Goryeo offer?
If the emperor dared to crack down on the gentry of Jiangnan, how could he be afraid of the King of Goryeo?
"This deal is definitely worth it!"
The canal workers gradually became interested and looked up in unison, saying, "Lord Zhang, let's make it a deal."
"You should quickly lead us north to fight the Jurchens!"
Zhang Xianzhong laughed heartily and was about to nod in agreement when the King of Goryeo, who was watching the commotion from the side, became somewhat anxious.
"Envoy of the superior nation, this...this cannot be!"
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