Yuan Chonghuan frowned, feeling that the name was quite strange.
When Japanese pirates invaded Goryeo during the Wanli era, the Ming Dynasty did not directly recruit soldiers when it sent troops to aid Goryeo.
I have already committed a serious taboo by doing this.
If recruitment is absolutely necessary, then using a name like "Goryeo Righteous Army" to skirt the law might be a way to fool people.
But to directly call them "Beiyang soldiers" is not just courting death, it's practically suicide.
Yuan Chonghuan shook his head and said, "No, absolutely not!"
But Mao Wenlong didn't care about all that.
All he wanted to do now was find out where Haug was so he could capture him and achieve great success.
As for whether Yuan Chonghuan is alive or dead...
Hehe, Mao Wenlong may not say it, but he still remembers what happened before.
"Back when you were in Liaodong, you always tried to trick me into going to Ningyuan. Don't think I don't know what you're thinking!"
"This is a perfect opportunity to set a trap for you!"
Mao Wenlong then laughed loudly and said, "Since Lord Zhang has put it this way, why should you refuse, Minister Yuan?"
"Don't forget, this Lord Zhang comes from the palace."
"Perhaps all of this was ordered by Master Gao?"
Yuan Chonghuan was taken aback.
He hurriedly asked Zhang Xianzhong, "Is this matter really related to Master Gao?"
Gao Qingyun had never said those things.
However, Zhang Xianzhong was also someone who lied without blushing.
He nodded and said, "Of course!"
"Hmm... Master Gao mentioned to us during class that there was indeed a great man surnamed Yuan who once trained the Beiyang Army."
"Moreover, this Lord Yuan did indeed start his career in Goryeo."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Chonghuan felt a surge of excitement.
"That Gao Qingyun is probably really good at predicting things. Since he said so, doesn't that mean..."
"In the future, will I really be able to train a Beiyang Army and then serve the country?"
"On the other hand, the fact that I survived such a suicidal act only proves how great my contribution is!"
"Could it be that the abolition of the feudal system and the establishment of prefectures in Goryeo was truly a great success?"
After much deliberation, Yuan Chonghuan gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! Then I, the Minister, will issue an order to recruit Beiyang soldiers from Korea."
Zhang Xianzhong, always eager for a good show, said to Mao Wenlong, "Lord Mao, why don't you rename your Dongjiang Town as the Beiyang Fleet?"
Mao Wenlong was completely numb.
He agreed with Yuan Chonghuan in order to trick him.
Although it now seems that Gao Qingyun's influence was behind this incident, it may not have directly led to Yuan Chonghuan's death.
But he didn't want to get involved.
Mao Wenlong awkwardly laughed and said, "This humble official is of limited talent and knowledge, and has few soldiers and generals, so I will not get involved in this matter."
But Zhang Xianzhong shook his head again.
“How can this be? If we only have the Beiyang Army but not the Beiyang Navy, something will always be missing.”
Yuan Chonghuan nodded as well.
Although he already had confidence, he didn't mind dragging Mao Wenlong into the mess.
The more people involved, the lower the risk for Yuan Chonghuan.
“Especially Mao Wenlong, who used to be at odds with me.”
"Even if someone in the court uses this matter to attack me, saying that I trained the Beiyang Army to rebel, I can bring Mao Wenlong into it as well, which can be considered a shield."
"After all, no one in this world would drag their enemy into a rebellion."
Yuan Chonghuan stared at Mao Wenlong, his expression darkening slightly.
"What? Lord Mao refuses to join us? Does he perhaps think I've done something wrong?"
"Just now, Lord Mao himself also agreed with my decision to recruit the Beiyang Army!"
Mao Wenlong felt helpless.
What he just said has put him in a very difficult position.
He had no choice but to nod and say, "In that case, count me in."
Zhang Xianzhong immediately laughed loudly, "Good, good, good!"
"When this news reaches the capital, both Master Gao and His Majesty will surely be very happy."
Mao Wenlong sighed inwardly.
"How can His Majesty be happy? It's a miracle he's not worried!"
Now that he's already on the wrong path, it's not a good time to pour cold water on him.
Mao Wenlong said to Yuan Chonghuan, "Minister Yuan, there is no time to lose, you should spread this news as soon as possible."
"The best course of action is to organize our troops immediately, capture Hauge first, and then head north to launch a surprise attack on the Jurchen rear."
"As long as we make enough contributions, the court and His Majesty won't think too much about it."
Yuan Chonghuan nodded immediately.
"That makes sense!"
"I will immediately spread this news throughout Goryeo!"
He simply stood by the roadside and had the Ming soldiers bring him pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, and wrote a notice in plain language.
Then, hundreds of copies were made and sent to various parts of Goryeo.
But just as this document was sent out, the King of Goryeo came running over, panting.
"Lord Yuan, what trick are you up to now?"
"I have already agreed to your offer to allocate land to the Ming army, and the Jurchens have already suffered a crushing defeat."
"It is estimated that it will not be long before they have to withdraw from Goryeo, or even be completely wiped out."
"At this time, you want to recruit soldiers in my Goryeo and even say that you will give them land. What kind of logic is this!"
The King of Goryeo was furious.
If it weren't for the fact that Yuan Chonghuan was the Minister of War, he probably would have already rushed forward.
However, at this point, Yuan Chonghuan no longer cared much about the King of Goryeo's opinion.
His expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, "If Your Highness feels that I have done something wrong, you may go to the capital and meet His Majesty."
"I believe His Majesty will surely give you justice."
The King of Goryeo immediately nodded.
"Hmph, that's exactly what I was thinking!"
"Lord Yuan, then you shall prepare ships for me."
Yuan Chonghuan deliberately said, "Well, please wait a few days, Your Majesty."
"My ships are mostly used to intercept ships on the Imjin River."
"Only a few newly repaired ships are anchored near Hanjing."
"This ship has not been inspected yet, so I'm afraid it can't sail far."
The King of Goryeo sneered.
He had already inquired about it; the claim that several ships had just been repaired was a complete pretext.
In reality, Yuan Chonghuan was worried that if he lost the battle, he wouldn't have time to escape by land.
That's why a few ships were specially left to anchor not far from Hanjing.
The King of Goryeo thought to himself, "These ships are probably not only risk-free, but also among the most reliable of all the Ming army's ships!"
"Yuan Chonghuan's words are clearly a delaying tactic!"
"He intends to make the rice stale first."
"At that time, even if I were to meet the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty, I fear it would be too late to reverse the situation!"
So he said, "That's fine!"
"Since the barbarians started their rebellion, our Goryeo envoys have mostly traveled by sea to pay homage to the Ming Dynasty, and there has never been any mishap."
"I believe I will be fine if I make this trip now!"
Yuan Chonghuan sneered inwardly: "This fool has indeed fallen for the trap!"
But with a helpless expression on his face, he said, "Since Your Highness has said so, then I will arrange a boat for you."
The King of Goryeo nodded repeatedly.
"Very well, then I shall depart immediately!"
Yuan Chonghuan watched his retreating figure, his gaze flickered, and he said to the Imperial Guards behind him, "Does His Majesty know what I have done?"
The Imperial Guard smiled slightly.
"If Your Majesty wants to know, you will naturally find out."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Chonghuan breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's good, that's good!"
The assassination of the King of Goryeo was something that could be done but not talked about.
This matter cannot be kept from Zhu Youjian, otherwise it would be a serious crime of deceiving the emperor.
Today you can kill the King of Goryeo, are you going to follow the Donglin Party's example and make me go swimming again tomorrow?
But we can't tell the emperor openly either.
Otherwise, wouldn't it be as if the emperor tacitly approved his ministers to assassinate the princes?
Ultimately, it's just like the death of the Little Ming King at the end of the Yuan Dynasty.
Do you think Zhu Yuanzhang did this?
Or perhaps Zhu Yuanzhang knew this beforehand?
So it is.
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