The general Wang Jing discussed the army, and the ghost Kato invaded the Jurchen land

After the defeat of the Ming Dynasty's Liaodong Army by the Japanese First Army in Pyongyang in World War I, General Ukita Hideie, the commander-in-chief, decided to hold a military meeting in Hanyang, the king of Korea, in early August in order to discuss the strategic deployment of the follow-up army. Those who came to Hanyang to participate in the military conference were Yukinaga Konishi of the First Army of the Japanese Army, Nagamasa Kuroda of the Third Army, Yoshihiro Shimazu of the Fourth Army, Masanori Fukushima of the Fifth Army, Mototo Nagabe of Nagamune, Takakei Kobayakawa of the Sixth Army, Terumoto Mori of the Eighth Army, Shuichi Hasegawa, Nagamasa Asano of the Ninth Army, Yoshitaka Kuki, Yoshiaki Kato, Yasuharu Kyoban, and Kanei Kuroda, as well as Mitsunari Ishida and Nagamori Masuda, Yoshitsugi Otani, Nagayasu Maeno, and Koyasu Kato.

General Ukita Hideya was the first to speak: "The second team Kato Kiyomasa and Nabeshima Naoshige are still sweeping Hamgyong Province and cannot come to participate in this military meeting, and the ninth team Toyotomi Hidekatsu unfortunately died of illness after landing in Korea, and the ninth team was led by Asano Nagamasa first. Ladies and gentlemen, the hundred cities of Korea were flattened, and the Korean army collapsed without a fight, all of which are the credit of the kings. North Korea is a subject country of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming State will come to the rescue, before Konishi Jun defeated the first batch of reinforcements of the Ming State in Pyongyang, but the Ming State will send a large army to come, and our army will also encroach on the Ming Dynasty, and there will be a war in the end, at this time we should focus on the combat methods with the Ming State. ”

Although Konishi Yukinaga defeated the Ming army in the battle of Pyongyang, he was also afraid because of this, and he said uneasily: "Although our army annihilated thousands of Ming troops in the battle of Pyongyang, it also paid double casualties, and the Ming army was brave and tall and strong, and it was stubborn and stubborn, and it was not retreating to fight to the death. ”

The general Ukita Hideya chuckled and said: "Konishi-kun is obviously victorious over the Ming army, even if the casualties are doubled, he should not be so afraid, His Royal Highness Taiko heard that Kato captured the Korean prince, and Konishi-kun Pyongyang has been rewarded for repelling the Ming army." His Royal Highness Taiko said that as long as the tactics are appropriate, the Ming army is not worried, so that we can prepare for the war with all our might, and Konishi-kun still needs to have firm beliefs. ”

Governor Konishi was stunned and stood up and admonished: "How can His Royal Highness Taiko know the truth of the war when he is far away from North Korea?!" How do you know that the battle situation is dangerous?! Pyongyang was a disastrous victory for our army in the first battle, if there is a full-scale war with the Ming army, there will be few more than 100,000 people left, even if the Ming army is defeated, our army will have no follow-up power, and then the DPRK will have tens of thousands of troops to launch a counterattack, and it will be difficult to hold the occupied roads now! ”

Konishi Yukinaga is known as brave and alert, good at strategy, good at fighting, the generals can't help but be surprised when they hear what Konishi Yukina said, the Fifth Army Fukushima Masanori sneered: "Konishi, you really embarrassed His Royal Highness Taiko, I waited here not to be intimidated by the Ming Kingdom but to defeat the enemy country, not afraid of strong enemies is the way of the samurai, I came here to compete with the Ming Kingdom, the stupid tactics have a tragic victory, if you are afraid, ask His Royal Highness Taiko for life to flee back to his hometown." ”

Governor Konishi was about to defend himself, when he overheard Ishida Mitsunari say: "In addition to dealing with the reinforcements of the Ming Kingdom, the situation in the areas occupied by Korea is still in great trouble, and all the armies have developed diseases of water and soil and urgently need medicine, and Jeolla Province of Korea has not yet been occupied, and there are people named rebels in Gyeongsang Province and Chungcheong Province who are called rebels, and the rest of the provinces are also harassed by the rebels, which has caused great trouble to our army's garrison, supply, and gathering the hearts of the people. The rear is unstable and it is difficult to concentrate combat forces to deal with the Ming Kingdom, and I have heard that the naval army will lose every battle, and now the Korean naval army will threaten Busanpo, if the naval army is completely destroyed. If Busan is occupied, our army will be trapped and die in North Korea, how can you, as a general of the naval army, explain to His Royal Highness Taiko! ”

Ishida Mitsushi became a close confidant of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, which can be called a high power, and the nine ghosts Kataka was already resentful of the defeat of Lien Sunsin, and he was even more terrified when he heard Ishida Mitsunari question: "The defeat of the navy is hard to blame, I have made it clear to His Royal Highness Taiko, if the sea route is really cut off by North Korea, even if he commits suicide, it will be difficult to wash away the shame, His Royal Highness Taiko and Lord Rijia have ordered the army to help, I will also do my best to deploy ironclad warships and study the strategy of breaking the enemy, during this period I will stick to the harbor, and I will fight for my life and will never let Busan be captured by North Korea." "Yoshiaki Kato and Yasuji Kyoban vowed to kill Yi Sunsin.

Ukita Hideie said: "The sea supply is all on the shoulders of the navy, and I have also received an order from His Royal Highness Taiko to destroy the stronghold of the Korean navy, and our army must completely destroy the Korean rebels, and each army must make every effort to clear the roads under its jurisdiction, and the Shimazu team, the Fukushima team, and Kobayakawa have deployed the area where they are stationed, and the rebel army has almost disappeared. However, Gyeongsang-do was still rampant, and the 7th and 9th teams needed to fight together, in addition to clearing out the scattered rebel army, concentrate their forces to capture Jinju, not only destroy the main force of the rebel army, but also open up the access road of Jeolla Province, destroy the location of the Korean naval army, and cooperate with the 6th team to occupy Jeolla Province. At the same time, each army needs to carefully prepare for the reinforcements of the Ming Kingdom, what are your plans for this, Lord Kobayakawa? ”

Kobayakawa Takakei offered: "I agree with Governor Konishi's concern about the Ming army, our army is now scattered and the rear is unstable, considering the Ming army's combat strength and its national strength are indeed worrying. And now suffering from disease, lack of food, all parts of Korea are resisting, if there is a case, the future is endless, for the sake of safety, I suggest abandoning the three capitals of Korea, collect military supplies and ordnance, all the armies retreat to the Pusan area, grain and expand troops, so that neither the Korean rebels will not be disturbed by the attack, nor the worry of running out of food, the Korean navy will not dare to make a time, concentrate all efforts to annihilate the Ming army and the righteous army in a battle will surely shake the Quartet, then it will be easy to capture the Korean Eight Provinces in one go, and if there is no resistance, our army will be able to attack Liaodong after a little rest, Straight into the capital of the Ming Kingdom. ”

After hearing this, Ukita Hideya asked the generals for their opinions, and Asano Nagamasa of the Ninth Army seconded the proposal: "In this way, all our troops will retreat to Pusan, and they will be invincible, and then it will be easy to break through Jinju to the west and destroy the Korean naval army." ”

Seeing that Kobayakawa Takakei proposed to retreat south, Mori Terumoto thought that this would greatly reduce the pressure on the seventh team in Gyeongsang-do, so he immediately seconded it: "Uncle is a famous general, and he has been in battle for a long time, this plan is very safe and foolproof, and my Mori family firmly supports it." At present, it is gradually falling into a predicament, and if it is still fighting separately and cannot work together, it will definitely be defeated, and it will be shameless to face His Royal Highness Taige. Shuichi Hasegawa agreed.

Ukita Hideya looked at the ministers, and Otani Yoshitsugu thought for a moment and made another suggestion: "I don't agree with the withdrawal of the whole army to Busan, and we should defend Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces. It is too early for the Ming army reinforcements to arrive, so far it has not been able to capture Jeolla Province, how can we stop here, capture Jinju to eliminate the main force of the rebel army, destroy the Korean naval base, and seize the Korean grain production area is extremely important, Jeolla Province is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it is necessary to occupy this place while the Ming army has not yet arrived, so as to support our army's battle and reduce the supply pressure. There are many fortress strongholds in the north and south of Gyeongsang, which are deep and deep, and there are many harbors, so it is convenient for our troops to support each other, so it is not necessary to concentrate on the decisive battle of Busan, and only by sitting on Jeolla and the north and south of Gyeongsang can we be invincible. ”

Masuda Nagamori was worried that the outcome of the military meeting would be different from what Toyotomi Hideyoshi had hoped, so he asked, "His Royal Highness Taiko is full of ambition and has ordered us to prepare for war with all our might. Even if you have the truth to consider, if you report it like this, Your Highness Taige will be annoyed, what if Taige is angry? ”

Maeno Nagayasu thought it was no big deal: "His Royal Highness Taiko ordered to prepare for war with all his might, and now it is to discuss the preparations for war with all his might. If His Royal Highness Taiko is angry, he will also come to Korea to direct the whole army to fight, and then Lord Maeda Toshiie, Tokugawa Ieyasu and others will also lead the army to join His Royal Highness Taiko to personally conquer Korea and the Ming Dynasty. Our country's elite soldiers and strong generals are combined with the heroic strength of His Royal Highness Taige, and we only need to follow to be invincible. ”

The military discussion was about to reach an agreement, but Kato Mitsutai immediately got up and scolded: "Everyone here has fought in the south and the north, and has made countless military achievements, how can a lord be so cowardly and cowardly, it is a great trust that His Royal Highness Taige has entrusted you with such important tasks, and you should fight to the end to repay His Highness Taiko's kindness." Mingguo and North Korea even planned to invite Taige to recruit in person. What's the face? Busanpo has hundreds of miles of land according to this, and what kind of face is it called a strategy to abandon the three capitals without a war? ”

Governor Konishi asked rhetorically: "If the soldiers' rations are not continued, what can I do?" Kato Mitsuyasu shot back: "If the food is exhausted and it is difficult to replenish it, eat sand, soil and rocks to satisfy hunger and seize the enemy's food." Ishida Mitsunari rebuked: "Kato! Do not talk gibberish, and calm your anger! How can people eat sand, soil and stones, and how can they fight for His Highness Taiko? ”

Kato Mitsutai said with a smile: "I don't know how to eat sand, if the monarchs decide to abandon the three capitals and retreat to Busan, then I will no longer stop me, I will stay and fight the enemy to the end, and carry out the military orders of His Royal Highness Taiko!" If I am blessed by the gods and Buddhas after the war and am lucky enough to survive, I will come to meet you! ”

Fukushima Masanori saw that Kato Mitsuyasu was emotional, and he also got up with joy in his heart and said: "I am also against abandoning the defense and retreating south, since I followed His Royal Highness Taiko's campaign, I have never participated in such a cowardly military meeting, Kato Kiyomasa did not arrive and I also spoke for him, the second and fifth teams will never retreat south, and will compete with the Ming army to not give up an inch." Konishi, if Kato Kiyomasa is present, he will personally slash you, a coward, Kobayakawa-sama, Otani, you are also a famous general, how can you go against the will of the Taiko to come up with this strategy, the captain must not adopt it, I can also report to the Taiko to decide. ”

Otani Yoshitsugu was unhappy in his heart, but remembering that Fukushima Masanori was the first class fierce general of the Toyotomi family, he persuaded: "Fukushima, don't be rash, this is a military discussion is the safest way to discuss warfare, not a place to be loyal here, even if His Royal Highness Taiko is here, we will also propose this strategy for His Highness Taiko to choose." ”

Ishida Mitsunari also said: "Now that there is a predicament at home, and strong reinforcements from the enemy army are coming, we should plan more and be prepared." Fukushima Masanori, who was already dissatisfied with the pursuit of the Bunji faction, even sneered at Ishida Mitsunari's flattery to Taiko, and when he saw that it was Ishida Mitsunari who came to persuade him, he became even more angry, and repeatedly ridiculed Ishida Mitsunari for not knowing the art of war, but only knowing how to please Taiko, and Ishida Mitsunari and Fukushima Masanori had a big dispute.

Seeing that the scene was already very embarrassing, the military advisor Kuroda said again: "The road from Pyongyang and Hanyang to Pusanpo is far away, the rebels are rioting, the disease is spreading, and it is inconvenient to transport materials, but it is also a pity to abandon Hanyang. If we do not retreat south, there is also a strategy to control the enemy and shrink part of the front front, our army is first and foremost to keep Wangjing Hanyang, and Pyongan Province and Hamgyong Province are far apart, once the Ming army enters Korea in a big way, it will be difficult for Pyongyang and Kaesong to defend the enemy alone, and it will be difficult for the second team and each province in Hamgyong Province to rescue or defend Hanyang. It is better to abandon Pyongan Province and Hamgyong Province, and the first, second, and third teams retreat to Gyeonggi Province, and build several fortresses for each army to support each other within a one-day journey north of Hanyang. The sixth team went north to assist in the defense, so it was foolproof to stick to Hanyang. The 7th and 9th teams stabilized the north and south provinces of Gyeongsang, and worked together to capture Jinju and open up Jeolla, first moving south to occupy the Korean naval garrison and then north to capture Jeolla Province. The fourth, fifth, and eighth teams were stationed and held firm. After waiting for the opportunity to annihilate the Ming army, our army can once again move north, retake Ping'an and Hamgyong, and then enter Liaodong. ”

After hearing this, the head of Changzong and my department praised: "The officers and soldiers are worthy of being the think tank of His Royal Highness Taige, and they are really thoughtful, which is a plan for both worlds." After listening to Kuroda's plan, most of the generals in the audience agreed, but Shimazu Yoshihiro, Fukushima Masanori, and Kobayakawa Takakei still disagreed.

Shimazu Yoshihiro said: "The plan of the Kankan and Kan Guards is indeed safe, but I do not agree with the abandonment of Pyongyang and Kaesong, and the occupation of the three is a symbol of the occupation of Korea, and His Royal Highness Taiko also attaches great importance to this. Pyongyang and Kaesong were both strong fortresses, but the weakness of Korea made it easy for our army to occupy them, and relying on the fortresses and the bravery of our army was enough to hold Samdu. ”

Seeing this, Kobayakawa Takakei slightly changed the policy of Kuroda Kanwei: "Even so, the first team was still stationed in Pyongyang, and I led the sixth team north to garrison Kaesong to assist the first team, while the second and third teams retreated to Gyeonggi Province to assist the eighth team, and the rest of the teams also paid attention to mutual communication. Kuroda Kanbei did not speak on this and acquiesced. Only Fukushima Masanori was still dissatisfied, and Kuroda Nagamasa of the Third Army said: "Fukushima, the military discussion has reached this point, and all the monarchs have no objections, so you have to make noise here, otherwise the chief captain will be involved in military law, and His Royal Highness Taiko will never spare you." Fukushima Masanori saw that the military agreement had been decided, so he no longer objected.

The commander-in-chief, Ukita Hideie, issued a military order and reported it to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and the various armies immediately left Hanyang one after another and returned to their respective stations to act according to the order, clear the rebel army, store food for rest, and mobilize to prepare for war. The order was conveyed to the Second Army of Hamgyong Province, at which time Kato Kiyomasa personally led the vanguard across the Sino-Korean border, crossed the Tumen River, and broke into the Jurchen territory of Liaodong and Haixi. Although this place is the territory of the Jurchen tribe's activities, it is also nominally under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty, and Kato Kiyomasa is the first person among the Japanese generals to invade the territory of the Ming Dynasty, so it is difficult to hide his excitement and joy.

Kato Kiyomasa led the vanguard to search everywhere, and finally found the location of the Jurchen camp, where the five battalions were in the village, and the soldiers were ordered to go out to fight, and the battalion was only guarded by the chief Buzhantai and a few warriors who guarded the camp, and the rest were women, children, old and children. Kato Kiyomasa gathered the vanguard and immediately launched a surprise attack, relying on the surprise attack and arquebus superiority to capture five camps of the Jurchen coalition army one after another.

When the chieftain Bu Zhantai saw that the camp was attacked, he hurriedly went out of the tent to inspect, but saw that the people were scattered, and the enemy who came to attack was not other Jurchen tribesmen, but ghost soldiers dressed in strange armor, armed with firearms, and speaking with a foreign accent. The coalition chieftain Buzhantai was defeated, and Kato Kiyomasa dispersed a total of 2,000 Jurchen tribesmen, beheaded more than 900 people, and plundered to the edge of Jianzhou, plundering cattle and sheep, and slaughtering the Jurchen tribes. He then occupied the Uliangha region and sent a messenger to return to Japan to report Toyotomi Hideyoshi's victory.

The Japanese army invaded the Jurchen territory and defeated Buzhantai soon spread throughout the Jurchen tribes, and the leader of the Jurchens in Jianzhou, Nurhachi, who was the general of the Dragon and Tiger at the time, immediately ordered the mobilization of Jianzhou soldiers and horses to prepare for war, and summoned his brother Shuerhaqi and said: "This is the attack of the Japanese invaders, and I have also reported that Korea is being invaded by the Japanese invaders, and I have sent a letter to the king of Korea willing to send troops to help, although the original intention was to take advantage of the Korean detour to flank the Haixi Jurchens, but the DPRK has not been able to reply." And the Haixi Jurchen should be unified by my love Xinjueluo, how can they sit back and watch the Japanese invade and occupy? I'm also curious about the Wakos, and I'm taking this opportunity to find out. ”

Shulhaqi reminded: "The Korean border pass has always been garrisoned by elite soldiers from the six towns, which is a great disaster for the Jurchen tribes. Now that the Japanese can invade Haixi through Korea, the soldiers of the six towns must have been defeated by them, although in addition to my great trouble, it can also be seen that the strength of the Japanese is above the six towns, and the brother must not underestimate the enemy, once it suffers a heavy blow, Jianzhou will be in danger. ”

Nurhachi also felt reasonable, lightly cut his hair braids, and looked at the sky: "We should be cautious, and it is taboo for soldiers to underestimate the enemy's rash advance, but we can't compare our statehood with the six towns, if our strength can't be above the six towns, then what's the use of unifying the Jurchen?" This expedition to suppress the Japanese is also to compare the gap between us and the six towns of North Korea. Hurry up and prepare. Shulhazi commanded.

In September, after discovering Kato Kiyomasa's station, Nurhachi, the leader of the Jianzhou Jurchens, led Fei Yingdong, He Heli, Hu Erhan, Eyidu, An Feiyangu, Shuerhaqi, Murhaqi and other Jianzhou generals with 7,000 elite soldiers to rush forward and attack Kato Kiyomasa at night. In the midst of the shining fire, the Jurchens were killed, and the Japanese iron artillery lined up, and due to the extreme distance, they only shot and killed more than 200 Jurchens, and then turned into a melee.

Fei Yingdong led one to copy from the left, and the other from the right to detour, He Heli led his troops to concentrate on shooting the Japanese iron artillery team, and the Japanese army was surrounded by the Jurchens on three sides in the rain of arrows, and the iron artillery team was defeated. The close combat with the Jurchens did not prevail, the Jianzhou Jurchens were all experienced in a hundred battles, and the instinctive reaction tempered by the war made them more alert, and Kato Kiyomasa also personally drew his sword to face the battle, and even beheaded the four Jurchens to inspire the army.

Kato Kiyomasa led the department to resist with all his might, and it was difficult to distinguish the victory and defeat for a while, the Jurchen casualties were five hundred, and at this time, the Jurchen elite cavalry was exhausted, and Nurhachi led Shulhaqi, Murhaqi, Anfeiyangu, and Eyi all killed, and the Japanese army was defeated. Nurhachi led the crowd in pursuit, ordered to keep a distance, and rode and shot the enemy at a distance of the arquebus, Kato Kiyomasa's 3,000 troops were only nearly 1,000 left, and suffered heavy casualties, but fortunately, the general Nabeshima Naoshige led 5,000 troops to respond, and Kato Kiyomasa was able to return to Korea safely. When Nurhachi saw that the Japanese army was coming to meet him, he stopped pursuing and collected the Japanese firearms and knives and returned to Jianzhou. When Kato Kiyomasa received the order to withdraw from Hamgyong Province, he was furious and immediately tore up the order and refused to carry it out. Intending to reorganize the army to invade the Jurchens again, the Jurchens of the Haixi gathered a large number of troops and attacked from all sides to seek revenge from Kato Kiyomasa, but the Japanese army was tired of running around and fought hard to no avail, so they had to withdraw to Korea.