However, some people have some concerns.
"If we just assemble an army like this and head south, isn't that just a rabble?"
"Won't something unexpected happen?"
The others immediately burst into laughter.
After what just happened, they were now practically in the same boat, and their relationship had become much closer.
"You're overthinking it. The seven or eight hundred soldiers we've mustered are indeed not as effective as our main force, but do you really think these Koreans are that good at fighting?"
The person who had expressed concern earlier also laughed.
"Yes, yes, I was overthinking it."
"Even if we don't mention that the Koreans have already fled, our seven or eight hundred men would have a much better chance of winning if we faced those ten thousand or so Korean soldiers head-on!"
"As for the Ming army... haha, Yuan Chonghuan is not worth fearing at all."
Although they were somewhat dissatisfied with Jirgalang's orders, they still trusted his judgment completely.
Jirhalang looked down on Yuan Chonghuan, so they had no worries about this Governor Yuan.
"Let's secretly gather our troops right now, but we absolutely mustn't let Jirgalang find out!"
After returning to their respective camps, these generals immediately selected over a hundred trusted confidants and had them secretly assemble outside the city.
Because the Jurchens had been pressing the Goryeo people, and there was also a shortage of food in the city.
Therefore, the Jurchen troops who opened the city often went out to plunder grain, so when the soldiers guarding the city saw them, they would just shake their heads and laugh a few times, without reporting it at all.
After these people left the city, they gathered together outside the city, numbering more than seven hundred.
Nikan, who was leading the troops, laughed loudly: "Haha, this time it's our turn to make a name for ourselves!"
"Come on, follow me south!"
At his command, hundreds of soldiers immediately sprang into action.
At this time, the Eight Banners were at their peak, especially since they had been holding out in Kaesong for so long and were eager for war.
Now that they have the opportunity to fight, they are even more excited.
"After capturing Hanjing, we might be able to go even further and pursue the Goryeo people."
"If we can win another battle, I'll be able to defeat 10,000 with only 800. Wouldn't that make us famous in the Later Jin?"
"From now on, I, Nikan, will be the number one Baturu of Manchuria!"
Nikan was filled with fervor and immediately ordered the entire army to speed up.
They were not allowed to linger even for a moment.
But he forgot that although his troops were elite, they were not made of iron.
There are more than 100 li between Gaeseong and Hanjing.
His more than 700 men rode there at high speed, which greatly depleted their horses' strength.
When they finally saw the walls of Hanjing in the distance, many of the horses began to foam at the mouth.
By this time, it was already getting dark, and the roads on both sides were completely obscured.
Someone immediately approached Nikan: "General, shouldn't we take a short rest?"
"Or at least send some scouts ahead to explore the area."
"Although the King of Goryeo has fled, there will still be some troops guarding the capital of Han."
"This is still somewhat dangerous."
However, Nikan didn't care about any of that. He casually waved his hand and said, "What's the danger?"
Even if some Goryeo people are still unwilling to give up, they will remain in Hanjing.
"They'll be terrified when they see us and run away immediately!"
"Hmph, if you're scared, then I'll go into the city myself!"
After saying that, Nikan rode forward alone and continued towards Hanjing.
Seeing this, the others also gave wry smiles.
"That Nikan has some nerve!"
"But he's right, those Koreans are just hopeless."
"We can rest after we enter the city; it won't be too late then."
They hurriedly called out, "General, wait for us! You're all alone ahead; what if something happens to you..."
Nikan smiled slightly when he heard that they had followed.
"Hmph, I knew they would follow."
He casually turned around and said dismissively, "What danger could there be? Do you think someone's lying in ambush nearby?"
Before Nikan could finish speaking, a chorus of shouts of battle suddenly erupted around them.
"Brothers, kill them!"
Nikan couldn't understand Chinese, but he could understand the word "kill".
What's going on?
He was startled and quickly turned back.
Only then did they see that many soldiers had emerged from the surrounding hilltops.
In the darkness of night, it was impossible to tell how many of them there were.
Upon seeing this, Nikan was overjoyed.
"Haha, these Koreans are practically asking for death!"
"Brothers, come on over here and kill the enemy to earn merit!"
He mistook the Ming soldiers in front of him for Koreans, and naturally felt a bit disdain for them.
However, the cavalrymen behind him, being farther away, were easier to see.
"That's not right. The flags those soldiers are carrying seem to have the words 'Great Ming' written on them."
"Could these people be Ming soldiers?"
"Wait, could there be a great general from their Ming Dynasty around?"
The "great general" here refers to artillery.
The news that Huang Taiji was killed by a cannon shot has now spread among the Jurchens.
Moreover, the Jurchen leadership deliberately concealed the truth and refused to explain the situation clearly.
This story, on the contrary, became incredibly exaggerated.
Some people even believed the Ming Dynasty's initial claim that the Great General Cannon could indeed "destroy dozens of miles with a single shot."
How could they not be afraid at this moment?
"Let's assess the situation first!"
But their hesitation really got them into serious trouble.
He assumed his troops would arrive soon, so he was careless and charged directly into the Ming army.
Although Nikan is young, his martial arts skills are truly extraordinary.
In just a few exchanges, he actually killed several Ming soldiers.
But despite his skill, his horse was already struggling to keep up.
Furthermore, the Ming army lacked martial ethics and directly attacked the horses with spears.
Nikan gradually lost his momentum.
But he wasn't panicked at all.
In his view, his own cavalry should have already caught up with him.
He turned around and smiled: "Brothers, you guys got here so fast... wait, where are you all?"
When he turned around, he found that there were no cavalrymen at all.
On the contrary, he himself was already heavily surrounded by the Ming army.
He roared angrily, "What are you all afraid of?"
Hearing Nikan's roar, while the other troops were still hesitating, his own hundred men had already sprung into action.
With them leading the way, the other six hundred cavalrymen also reluctantly charged forward.
Seeing this, Nikan finally felt relieved.
"Hmph, as expected, family is the most reliable."
He felt a sense of relief and was about to say something when he heard a cold snort from behind him.
"You little brat, do you really think we don't exist?"
A spear suddenly pierced his lower back, and although it did not pierce his armor, it knocked him off his horse.
Upon seeing this, the surrounding Ming soldiers swarmed forward and attacked Nikan.
In just a few breaths, he was beaten into a pulp.
Upon seeing this, the leading Ming general burst into laughter, saying, "Haha, we've really done a great service this time!"
"Judging from the armor this kid is wearing, he's at least a Niru Zhangjing."
"In our Great Ming Dynasty, that would be equivalent to a thousand-household commander."
Everyone else flattered him, saying, "You've done a great job."
But suddenly someone had an idea.
"Sir, do you think your ability to kill this man has anything to do with the name that Zhang Xianzhong gave you?"
The general rubbed his head: "What does this have to do with anything? You don't actually think that just because he gave me a nickname, I can actually become a top-ranked player, do you?"
"Besides, there's nothing special about the name Li Dingguo."
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