"Huh?" Everyone was stunned when Zhang Xianzhong said this.
I have no idea what he meant by that.
As for Mao Wenlong, he wiped the sweat from his brow, walked over to Zhang Xianzhong, and whispered:
"Xianzhong, you're pointing in the wrong direction."
"Goryeo is to our southeast, while you are referring to the west, which is where our Great Ming Dynasty is..."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xianzhong turned around without changing his expression and pointed his finger back in the correct direction.
Then he repeated: "The enemy is just across the sea."
People with thin skin really can't be immature.
Yuan Chonghuan, seeing Zhang Xianzhong's state, didn't know what to say.
However, after Zhang Xianzhong's interruption, no one noticed that Yuan Chonghuan had just shown disrespect to Mao Wenlong.
The army left Pi Island and continued south. It took them more than ten days to encounter ships sent by the King of Goryeo.
"Waaah, the Ming Dynasty has indeed sent heavenly soldiers."
The moment the King of Goryeo saw Yuan Chonghuan, he pounced on him, leaving Yuan Chonghuan speechless.
"Your Highness, there's no need for that."
"Since the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Goryeo has been a vassal state of our Great Ming. How can our emperor stand by and watch us die?"
The King of Goryeo was still deeply moved.
"The Ming Dynasty is indeed a celestial empire."
But just as things were getting along well, Zhang Xianzhong suddenly spoke up again.
"That's right, you Goryeo people are truly blessed to be our Ming Dynasty's dogs."
Even Yuan Chonghuan couldn't hold back anymore.
Some things you can just think about and keep to yourself, why would you say them out loud?
After all, the King of Goryeo was a prince of our Ming Dynasty.
He quickly turned around and angrily said to Zhang Xianzhong, "You brat, apologize to His Highness the Prince right now!"
However, before he could finish speaking, the King of Goryeo interrupted him.
He actually nodded in trepidation and said:
"This sir is right. To be a dog of the Ming Dynasty is indeed the greatest honor!"
Yuan Chonghuan was now completely speechless.
He glanced at Zhang Xianzhong, then at the King of Goryeo, and wondered if he had come to the wrong place.
"Just what kind of outrageous country is Goryeo?"
"These Jurchens can't even defeat the Koreans?"
However, his silence led the King of Goryeo to misunderstand, thinking that he was not being respectful enough.
Then the King of Goryeo added:
"Our country is currently under attack by the barbarians, and we have even lost our capital. We simply do not have the resources to properly entertain Lord Yuan."
"After we drive out the barbarians, I will definitely thank Lord Yuan handsomely."
Yuan Chonghuan quickly shook his head.
"That's not necessary."
He first glared at Zhang Xianzhong, telling him to stop talking nonsense.
Then he asked the King of Goryeo:
"What is the current situation of the Jurchen army?"
"How many soldiers does Goryeo have?"
Upon hearing Yuan Chonghuan's question, the King of Goryeo gave a wry smile.
"Well, to be honest, sir, what you see now is all the troops I have under my command."
After scanning the area, Yuan Chonghuan frowned deeply.
He was also a veteran of military affairs, and with just one glance, he could tell that the Goryeo king's army numbered around ten thousand, and most of them were old, weak, sick, or disabled.
He asked in bewilderment, "Goryeo is a large country with a vast territory and a population of tens of millions. You still have half of Goryeo under your control, so how come you only have a mere ten thousand people?"
The King of Goryeo was immediately embarrassed.
"Well..."
However, at this moment, Zhang Xianzhong spoke up.
"I understand."
Yuan Chonghuan was startled, thinking that Zhang Xianzhong was about to say something nonsensical again, and he immediately reached out to stop him.
However, Zhang Xianzhong was prepared. He took a step back, dodging Yuan Chonghuan's hand, and continued speaking:
"The Goryeo court was controlled by the Yangban, and its military preparedness was already lax."
"Decades ago, Japan invaded Goryeo again. In order to fight against Japan, the Goryeo king at that time was forced to sell official positions and titles."
"As long as they can contribute grain or join the army to fight, they will become nobles and will no longer be required to pay taxes."
"Although after driving out the Japanese, the later king of Goryeo used some methods to prevent Goryeo from being filled with nobles."
"But since then, the Goryeo court's tax revenue has been declining, and the army has become increasingly weak."
"Now that the King of Goryeo has lost almost half of his territory, he naturally can't muster many men."
Zhang Xianzhong's words this time were quite reasonable and well-founded. After listening, Yuan Chonghuan subconsciously turned to look at the King of Goryeo.
Then they saw the King of Goryeo looking at them with admiration: "This lord seems to know Goryeo very well."
He sighed to Yuan Chonghuan:
"That is indeed the case."
Yuan Chonghuan nodded slightly, his opinion of Zhang Xianzhong finally changing somewhat.
"Although this kid always says some nonsensical things, he knows quite a lot."
"They even know the situation in Goryeo like the back of their hand."
"However, the knowledge he possesses was probably taught to him by that Master Gao."
"That's strange. How did Master Gao know all this?"
Although Yuan Chonghuan was curious, he did not ask any questions.
He said to the King of Goryeo, "If that's the case, why don't the Jurchens continue their southward advance?"
After all, at this time, the Goryeo court only had 10,000 old, weak, sick and disabled people.
The King of Goryeo wore an embarrassed expression once again.
"This... I don't know either."
Seeing this, Yuan Chonghuan could only sigh helplessly.
"In that case, Your Highness, please prepare a camp for my soldiers."
"I will send someone to investigate the situation myself."
Upon hearing Yuan Chonghuan's words, the King of Goryeo breathed a sigh of relief.
"Please rest assured, sir, we have already made preparations on our side."
The King of Goryeo hurriedly ordered the Ming soldiers to disembark and set up camp in nearby cities.
Yuan Chonghuan, on the other hand, held back Zhang Xianzhong.
"Xiao Zhang, is there anything else you know about Goryeo?"
After what just happened, his attitude towards Zhang Xianzhong improved considerably.
Zhang Xianzhong, however, was not pretentious.
He smiled broadly and nodded earnestly, saying, "Then I know it all too well."
Yuan Chonghuan was secretly delighted: "Then what else do you know?"
The smile on Zhang Xianzhong's face gradually became strange.
"I know a lot of things. For example, the clothes that Korean women usually wear are very distinctive..."
He lowered his voice and whispered in Yuan Chonghuan's ear.
After listening for a moment, Yuan Chonghuan looked somewhat speechless.
That's it?
"What are you thinking, you brat!"
There was a hint of disappointment in his voice.
"I want to ask about matters of national importance!"
Now it was Zhang Xianzhong's turn to shake his head.
"Lord Yuan, shouldn't you be the one to send people to investigate this matter yourself?"
These words left Yuan Chonghuan speechless.
He was silent for a moment, then nodded helplessly: "You're right, I should indeed send someone myself."
Yuan Chonghuan raised his hand and sent out dozens of cavalrymen to scout ahead.
The troops he brought to Goryeo this time included not only the 10,000 canal workers, but also several hundred regular soldiers.
After all, if there were no government troops at all, those 10,000 canal workers would probably scatter as soon as they disembarked.
In addition, these soldiers were also there to protect Yuan Chonghuan and Zhang Xianzhong.
If things really go wrong, these people will protect them and help them escape.
A few days later, the scout returned to the army camp and met with Yuan Chonghuan.
"Reporting to Lord Yuan, we have investigated and found out the truth."
"After the Jurchens occupied Kaesong, they were slow to move south because they were really short of food and supplies."
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