Japan deployed a divisive strategy, and North Korea deposed Yi Sunsin

When the news of the breakdown of the peace talks and the failure of the canonization came back to North Korea, the Joseon King Yi Hao was very frightened: "How can this be? When is it expected? How large? No, you should ask for help from the Ming Dynasty right now! The widows have long said that they can't let the widows go back like that, and the Ming Dynasty has to negotiate peace, and in the end it is Shen Weijing who is deceiving the widow and North Korea, and even deceiving His Majesty the Emperor. The widows also hoped that the war would end early, but as a result, the Japanese invaded again. ”

Liu Chenglong, the leader of the council, persuaded: "Your Highness, there is no need to be so lost. We are also always ready, at least not to be as overwhelmed as we were in the year of Imchen, please be sure to strengthen your sacred heart. Li Hao affirmed this, but Li Hao was still very afraid in his heart, hoping that he would not be forced to relocate again this time.

At the meeting, Ito Shou said, "I think it's a good thing, because I can repay the opportunity to repay the humiliation of the Japanese invaders a hundredfold." The whole army should immediately march down to recapture Pusan and annihilate all the Japanese invaders. Let the Japanese never dare to set foot in my territory again! Li Dexin, the judge of Bing Cao, thought that what Yi Doushou said was too rash: "My lord, how can we not have the intention of revenge, but the Japanese will also be prepared to invade again after everything is perfect, and we must treat this matter calmly." ”

Zheng Zhuo, the minister of the central government, deeply agreed, and also believed that we should be prepared and not rashly attacked: "It is precisely like this, if the whole army goes south, if there is a mistake, North Korea will be doomed." Ito Shou claimed that his intention was to destroy the Japanese army before the Japanese landed in the array. There is no intention of being aggressive. Li Hengfu seconded the proposal, and Li Yuanyi, the right councilor, also proposed that Yi Sunsin lead the naval army to defend against the enemy at sea, and that the armies of Korea and the Ming Dynasty should garrison the three roads at any time.

Jin Yingnan, the leftist politician, also agreed with the preemptive strike: "It was because of our lax precautions and scattered sand that we were used by the Japanese and defeated. And now not only the officers and soldiers, but even the military rations of the Ming army have been prepared, and the soldiers are training day and night, so they can give it a try. ”

Liu Chenglong, the leader of the council, said: "Everyone seems to be thinking too easily. How could the wolvers not think that we would be on guard? The Japanese had only experienced two difficulties before, lack of food and naval warfare. Therefore, there was a frenzied attack on Jeolla Province and Lien Zhan Yi Sun-sin. Do you know what the key is? If I am a widow, if I can't find a solution to these two problems, I will never invade rashly. ”

After hearing this, everyone suddenly realized, Zheng Zhuo remembered the previous battle of Jinju, and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat: "Yi Sunsin will naturally not be easily defeated by the Japanese invaders, but if the Japanese invaders successfully land and attack Jeolla Province again, it will be difficult to guard again." The last time Jinju Fortress was broken, the Jeolla Province was in danger, but this time the center of gravity of the Japanese is still in Jeolla Province, which is really worrying. Because the Korean rebels were extremely disappointed with the imperial court after a series of practices and almost disappeared, Yoo Sung-ryong was also worried that Jeolla Province would be difficult to protect this time, so he had to propose: "The strong wall is clear, and the savings are based on the danger." Although it was necessary to try to prevent the Japanese from landing on the shore, once the Japanese broke through the defenses and attacked Jeolla, they would follow this strategy. Everyone agreed.

After Idou Shou secretly summoned the former naval army general in the middle of the night, and now the Jeolla Provincial Soldiers and Horses Festival envoy Won Gyun, after greeting each other, Ito Shou asked Won Gyun if he could repel the Japanese with the current military strength of Joseon. Yuan Jun replied: "In the year of Renchen, including me, the whole country took the Japanese with contempt, so that they fell apart and feared the enemy like a tiger. But now they are prepared to repel the pirates. ”

Ito Shou asked again if interception at sea was the best policy? Won Jun replied: "Of course it is the best policy, but I am worried about Yi Sunsin. Your Excellency, you also know very well that Yi Sunsin is extremely cautious, and that Yi Sunsin is only watching the battle of Menpo Naval Battle, and that Yi Sunsin has always fought battles that he is sure of, and has never been consistent with the great policies of the imperial court. ”

Yi Dosu was quite worried: "I am also worried about this, even if Yi Sunsin receives an order, he only relies on his own judgment, and he is too maverick. If he thinks that he cannot intercept the Japanese at sea first, then the Japanese will land and we will lose the opportunity. Seeing this, Yuan Jun asked for an order: "My lord, please hand over the naval army to me, as long as you are a general, you must have the courage to be fearless of life and death when you receive the military order, and I Yuan Jun has the courage that Li Sunsin does not have." ”

Seeing that Yuan Jun was going to replace Yi Sunsin, Yi Dou Shou guessed that Yuan Jun might have ulterior motives: "Although I don't know the details, I also know that you and Li Sunsin have personal grievances for many years, and if you want to command the naval army at this time, is it a little too big for Li Sunsin's personal grudges?" Yuan Jun defended himself: "My lord, the desire for merit and the desire to win or lose in competition will surely make the general stronger." My lord, please let me return to the navy. If so, I'll bury them all in the water before they land!" Yi Doushou didn't dare to promise easily, so he asked Yuan Jun to go back first, and he would think about it. Yuan Jun retired.

On the other hand, the prince Guanghaijun was also extremely worried about the war, and said to the strategist Li Erzhan: "The situation is critical, I am worried that even if I take precautions, I may not be able to stop it, so I should send scriptures to the volunteers and ask them to assist the officers and soldiers to fight together." ”

Li Erzhan replied: "Even if you send scriptures, it will not have any effect, maybe it will be counterproductive, it is better not to send scriptures." The Lord executed Jin Deling, if you were a volunteer general, how would you feel when you received that kind of scripture from the Lord and the Son? The Volunteers will fight again to protect themselves, so don't worry. In the future, we should pay more attention to Westerners like Itoju-sama, and when the war is over, the Lord will definitely hold the previous incident accountable, which is actually to hold Yoo Chenglong and the people of the south accountable. Who will be used in time for accountability? So you need to prepare in advance. ”

When the prince Guanghaijun heard Li Erzhan mention the party dispute again, he was unhappy in his heart, and accused Li Erzhan and said: "Do you have to do this in this war!" War is about to break out, but at this time consider fighting the courtiers! Why should everything be connected to party struggle? "Lear Zhan advises that war has already occurred and that it is necessary to take precautions. Shizi Guanghai said that he didn't want to pay attention to it.

In Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi wanted to get rid of Yi Sunsin and let Konishi Yukicho plot to atone for his crimes. Governor Konishi had already been prepared, and immediately offered a plan: "My subordinates thought that we should use the discord strategy, and during my stay in North Korea, I knew many North Korean officials, and secretly sent information to one of them that our fleet was going to attack Seishengura. And as far as I know, Yi Sunsin was very cautious and definitely not a person who would attack when he heard the information. Because of this, how could Yi Sunsin, who saw that Seosangpo was going to be attacked and would not attack, be spared by the Joseon king and the Joseon court? There were only a handful of people in Korea who really trusted Yi Sunsin, and most of the officials and generals were worried about Yi Sunsin's maverick behavior, and there were also many generals who were jealous of Yi Sunsin's power, and the king of Joseon was a faint king, and Yi Sun-sin who missed the opportunity to attack us would at least be removed from his post if he did not die. ”

Both Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Maeda Toshiie thought it was feasible, and Hideyoshi asked who should be used as bait? Governor Konishi immediately thought of Kato Kiyomasa in his heart, and wanted to use this to play Kato Kiyomasa, so he proposed to Toyotomi Hideyoshi: "Please ask His Royal Highness Taiko to use Kato Kiyomasa as a bait, Kato is powerful in Korea, it can be said that everyone knows it, and the king of North Korea will know that Kato is coming, he must be panicked and strictly ordered to attack, and it is only appropriate to use him as bait." Hideyoshi worried: "But because of Kato's prestige, once Yi Sunsin attacks, won't Kato die for life?" Governor Konishi repeatedly assured that Yi Sunsin would never attack.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi guessed Konishi's thoughts and laughed, "Although I know that the relationship between the two of you is not good, this is too much. But gambling with your life is the most exhilarating of all. This time, Kato's fate is in the hands of Yi Sunsin, which is really interesting. I was also suddenly interested. So Hideyoshi issued an order to convene a meeting of the lord's daimyo and his immediate subordinates.

Hideyoshi preached at the assembly, "If you have rested for too long, your knives will rust. I didn't want to sustain this war, because the casualties were very large, and the country was impoverished because of it, but Korea and Ming actually humiliated us repeatedly, and we fought bloodshed for several years, and in the end we didn't even have land compensation, and the soldiers just died in vain! Therefore I have made up my mind that they must repay ten times the suffering you have suffered! Re-attack North Korea! ”

Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued a military order, ordering Kato Kiyomasa to lead the first team of 10,000 as the vanguard and land in Ulsei Seungpo by boat, Kato Kiyomasa was unbelievable for a while. Hideyoshi said, "Why this expression? Kato, do you think your exploits in North Korea will make me abandon you? You have always been the most loyal to me, and you were the first to protect me during the last earthquake, and in my heart, you are like a son. ”

Kato Kiyomasa was deeply moved, couldn't help but burst into tears: "His Royal Highness Taiko, I, Kato Kiyomasa, will never be able to protect His Royal Highness's kindness, and I will do my best for His Royal Highness Taiko for generations to come!" This time, the head of the king of Joseon will be dedicated to His Royal Highness Taeko! ”

Hideyoshi picked up Kato Kiyomasa, and Masashi advised: "Not only the head of the King of Joseon, Kato, but also the head of the Emperor of the Ming Kingdom, the King of Joseon is just a cowardly and incompetent person, who only knows how to escape, and you take his head is like chasing a crazy rabbit." What I want is the self-proclaimed son of heaven, extremely arrogant, the head of the emperor of the Ming Kingdom, I want to trample him under my feet! "Kiyomasa Kato took the order.

Subsequently, Hideyoshi ordered Ishida Mitsunari to read the watch, and ordered Kato Kiyomasa to lead the first team of 10,000, Konishi Yukinaga to lead the second team of 14,000, Kuroda Nagamasa to lead the third team of 10,000, Nabeshima Naoshige to lead the fourth team of 12,000, Shimazu Yoshihiro to lead the fifth team of 10,000, Nagamune Ibu Motokina to lead the sixth team of 13,000, Mori Hidemoto to lead the seventh team of 31,000, Ukita Hideie and Kuroda Rusui to lead the eighth team of 20,000, and divided into the captains of the left and right armies. Rendezvous with the Busan reserve, a total of 140,000. The navy ordered the nine ghosts Yoshitaka, Fujido Takatora, Kato Yoshiaki, Wakisaka Yasuharu, and Kurijima Tsuri to lead a total of 7,200 people, and invade Korea again by land and water.

Maeda Toshiie added: "Under no circumstances is it permissible to negotiate peace and consultation, not only to kill the Korean army and the Ming army, but also to kill the Korean people, regardless of gender, age or child, if they resist at all!" If it was not convenient for the teams to bring back the heads, their noses were cut off, salted with salt and lime, and sent back to the place for examination. But there are exceptions, and captured Korean craftsmen serve us as captives! All Koreans who favored Japan were to be taken prisoner. Hideyoshi ordered all of them to get ready and wait for orders. The people took the command.

Ukita Hideie, Kuroda Rusui, and Konishi Yukicho were the first to arrive in Busan and began to arrange for the leakage of military information. The marshal of the Joseon capital, Kwon Lee, was also discussing the military situation, and after receiving the order to discuss the government, Kwon Li commented: "Although it is not a brand-new tactic of war, it is the most suitable tactic at the moment. I should personally go and inspect Jeolla Province and inspect the military camp. "Suddenly, the right soldier of Gyeongsang-do sent Kim Ying-su to report that the Japanese general Kato Kiyomasa was about to attack Seosangpo and landed in Ulsan. Kwon Li was shocked that the Japanese army would be so fast, and hurriedly asked where did Gyeongsang-do know about it? After learning that it was sent by President Konishi, Kwon Li hurriedly met with the king of Joseon, Li Hao.

Li Hao was also very surprised by this, I don't know why President Konishi behaved like this? Li Hengfu boldly speculated about this: "Your Highness, as far as I know, President Konishi and Kato Kiyomasa are incompatible, and everyone knows it. Konishi Yukinaga had repeatedly tried to end the war by making peace, so if he could defeat Kiyomasa Kato, who was the vanguard, at sea, it would be a good way for Konishi to end the war. ”

Li Hao agreed with what Li Hengfu said: "What you said is not unreasonable, if the vanguard general of the Japanese can be buried on the sea, our side will win a big victory, and the leading power of the war will be decided by North Korea." It's a godsend. And Liu Chenglong advised to be cautious: "Your Highness, if this is the enemy's trick to lure the enemy, the navy will definitely fall into the enemy's trap and suffer heavy losses." The biggest obstacle for the Japanese was Yi Sunsin, and both the Japanese and we were well aware of this, so we must not easily trust any information sent by the enemy generals in this situation. ”

Quan Li had doubts and could not fully agree with Liu Chenglong, so he asked: "Leader, but if the attack is true and we sit idly by, we will lose this golden opportunity, and we will no longer be able to intercept the Japanese landing at sea." Losing the opportunity to allow the Japanese to run rampant will inevitably cause great harm to our defenses, so what should we do then? Liu Chenglong replied: "I know this, but this matter is very important, you need to think twice, and you can't act rashly." ”

Li Hao didn't want to miss the opportunity, so he ordered: "This is clearly a God-given opportunity, it is the ancestors of the Joseon Dynasty who are taking care of this country, and immediately convene a meeting of the Bibian Division to deploy the action!" After Li Hao gave the order, Bibeji had a heated discussion, and Ito Shouli advocated an immediate attack on Kato Kiyomasa, while Li Dexin was worried that it would be a trap for the Japanese and would cause heavy damage to the navy. Kim Ying-nam, the left-hand government, believes that compared to the losses of North Korea's eight provinces, as long as Kato Kiyomasa can be defeated, the losses of the naval army are insignificant.

And Li Yuanyi, the right-hand politician, retorted: "The Japanese are attacking, the morale is strong, the combat power is strong, and it is bound to fight viciously, and if it is a trap, the victory is also a miserable victory." If the navy suffered heavy losses and was on the verge of collapse, it would mean that Korea's strongest defensive line had collapsed, and it would not be able to resist the landing of the remaining Japanese invaders. Therefore, I also agree with the view of the leader, and should not attack rashly. ”

Zheng Zhuo also believed that the naval force commanded by Yi Sunsin was half of the combat strength of North Korea, and it must not be easily lost. Yi Dosu sneered: "People who don't know still think that Yi Sunsin is the only patron saint of Korea, so cowardly, delaying the fighter plane, and after the Japanese invaders landed, they shed rivers of blood and corpses all over the field, why did they have to let the people suffer another unwarranted disaster!" What's the point of us people here?! ”

Li Hengfu proposed: "You can order Kim Yingshou to closely observe the Japanese military camp with the right soldier of Gyeongsang, and let Yi Sunsin wait for the military order first." If what Governor Konishi said is true, then attack immediately. Li Dexin agreed. Liu Chenglong shook his head and said: "Even if it is an investigation, it is difficult for me to rest assured, if the enemy is carefully deployed, it will not be easy for us to find out the truth, but there is no other way for the time being, so it will be done." So the DPRK ordered Gyeongsang-do to investigate the enemy's situation.

In the Sandao Navy Command Battalion located on Xianshan Island, they also received instructions that the Japanese were about to attack Xishengpu, and the imperial court hoped that the water army would attack. Pei Xingli, the same governor, immediately ridiculed the ignorance of the imperial court: "It's really unreasonable, even if there is discord between the Japanese generals, how can it be possible to end the war by sacrificing the naval army, this is an obvious trap." Song Xili also thought that this should be a trick of lure, and Yi Sunsin's subordinates also had their own opinions on this, and Yi Sunsin said: "Of course, such information can be ignored, but the orders of His Royal Highness and the imperial court cannot be ignored. It should be a fact that Kato Kiyomasa crossed the sea, and His Royal Highness and the Imperial Court have been inclined to this as an opportunity to end the war in one fell swoop. Pei Xingli asked, what should I do if I received an order to attack? Yi Sunsin has not yet made a decision, so he did not answer.

Kiyomasa Kato's first team has set off in Nagoya, and Yukicho Konishi and Zong Yoshitomo bet that Lee Sun-sin would never attack, and Zong Yoshitomo wondered why he was so convinced? Governor Konishi was full of confidence, and when he saw that Zong Yizhi was full of doubts, he analyzed him: "Because Yi Sunsin has a big shortcoming, that is, he can't grasp the battle at hand and never attack, and he cherishes the lives of his soldiers too much, and he doesn't want to have senseless sacrifices. And the information I send will definitely make him suspicious, and will also weigh the battle damage and gains and losses, and his suspicion and measurement during this period will definitely make him finally choose not to move, and my plan will definitely be realized. Zong Yizhi suddenly realized.

After being observed by Gyeongsang-do, it was believed that Kato Kiyomasa would attack Seosangpo, and the imperial court finally ordered Yi Sunsin to attack immediately. Yi Sunsin pondered and meditated, and after much thought, he decided not to move. The generals were worried that disobeying the king's order would lead to fire, but Yi Sunsin still insisted on not attacking. Therefore, Kato Kiyomasa easily took Nishishengura.

When the king of Joseon, Yi Hao, learned of this, he was furious: "Is Yi Sunsin crazy? Didn't he know that this was a great opportunity? Didn't he know what it meant to let the Japanese land in Seishinura? All of them agreed, did the widow's order have been clearly conveyed to Yi Sunsin? Du Chengzhi repeatedly said yes, and Li Hao became more and more angry, deeply feeling that the royal power had been despised by Li Sunsin.

Ito Shoujin said: "Your Highness, Yi Sunsin's arrogance has gone out of line, and his arrogance will ruin the fate of the country, please order that Yi Sunsin be immediately dismissed and escorted back to Beijing." Jin Yingnan, the left councilor, seconded the proposal, and Zheng Zhuo admonished: "Your Highness, Yi Sunsin is an extraordinary general, there must be hidden circumstances in this matter, and it is not too late to convict after a detailed investigation." Li Dexin and Li Hengfu were also worried about the collapse of the navy and the benefit of the Japanese army, and believed that Yi Sunsin should not be punished lightly. The right-wing politician Li Yuanyi proposed that Yi Sun-sin should be allowed to make meritorious contributions.

Yi Dosu said angrily: "Yi Sunsin, relying on his great military exploits, is now so arrogant that he ignores the orders of the imperial court and despises His Royal Highness, this is not the first time that this has happened. Yi Sunsin's crimes have been unredeemable. How can it still be exonerated from the crime! ”

Zheng Zhuo reminded that all the above things have long been forgiven, and Yi Doushou refuted that it was because of forgiveness that today's situation was caused, and Li Hao saw that Liu Chenglong, the leader of the council, did not say a word, so he asked the person who recommended Yi Sun-sin to talk about his views, and Liu Chenglong said: "Your Highness, the minister knows Yi Sun-sin's personality better than anyone else, and Li Sun-sin is by no means a person who will be unruly after repeated military exploits. How could he not know the consequences of disobeying the king's order, but despite this, he still disobeyed the order and disrespected the fact that there must be an inevitable secret that is more important than his life, and it is most appropriate for the minister to investigate and then ask for the guilt. ”

It was most difficult for the Joseon king Yi Hao to tolerate contempt for the royal power, but in fact, he had already made up his mind, and sneered several times: "The widow knows no less than the leader of Yi Sunsin now, and in his heart, he is no longer the widow as the king, and the people follow him as a hero." He mistakenly thought that he was already the ruler of Korea! A deposit should be made immediately, and Yi Sunsin should go to Beijing to ask for the crime! Li Hao said that the ministers seconded the proposal to severely punish Li Sunsin's crime. Li Hao issued a royal decree to remove Yi Sunsin from all official positions and arrest him in Beijing.