The first troops to assemble were not Han soldiers or Li soldiers, but Jurchens.

There are currently four or five Jurchen tribes in Shuangcheng, and because not all the people who came, the number is not large, the number is not large, the number is seven or eight hundred, and the number is three or four hundred. Because of various considerations, Dunshe did not organize them into an army for the time being.

When the land was first divided, the two sides agreed that whenever there was a war, the Jurchens would give one out of two, and the war horses and weapons would be provided by themselves, and the two cities would only be in charge of food and wages. The city was broken and captured, and he was allowed to keep it for himself. If there is meritorious service or death, he will be rewarded according to the treatment of Han soldiers or bury money.

Dunshe divided a special area for them in the city. The convening order was given, and more than 1,800 people were immediately established. Among them, there are not only the Jurchens of the Twin Cities, but also some of the Jiashan Jurchens who rushed to hear the news. Coupled with Tong Doulan's people, there are more than 2,500 people in total. Tong Doulan was busy migrating the people, and since there was a war, she put it down for the time being.

Since Deng She Yongping, he has won several battles in a row, and has not tasted defeat, and his exploits have been deliberately publicized by Zhao Guo, and all the Jurchen tribes in Jiashan know about it. Since he has made outstanding achievements, the possibility of defeat is probably not very large, and the Jurchens know that he is generous and generous, and everyone is enthusiastic, and all he wants is to take the opportunity to get rich.

The Jurchens were all cavalrymen, many of whom were poor, dressed in rudimentary leather armor, with bows and arrows stuck in their backs. Most people have two horses, one of which is a war horse, which they will ride in battle only when they are free. In this respect, they were much better than the Han soldiers, and none of Dunshe's cavalry could have two horses, except for a few officers.

Two thousand five hundred people, including men and horses, from the moment of assembly, Deng She should be responsible for the grain and grass, and at the end of the day, there is a lot of expenditure, and they cannot be left idle. Deng She transferred a part of Lu Qianxi, and led the Jurchens to escort grain, grass, arrows, partial box trucks, large siege equipment, etc., to Tokugawa for transportation.

In order to prevent the Goryeo people from learning the information too early, Deng She ordered Dingju, Tokugawa, Jiashan and other front-line cities to impose martial law long before issuing the Jurchen convening order. It is forbidden to walk within ten miles of the city. If you can hide it from the Koreans, you will definitely not be able to hide it from Yao Haogu, but since he came to Deng She a few days ago and drew the bottom line, he knew that he couldn't manage it, so he simply ignored what was going on outside the window.

Chen Hu and Zhao Guo returned to the city one after another, discussed for two days in a row, and further improved the battle plan proposed by Deng She. In order to be more secure, Chen Hu asked each city to transfer a part of its military strength to supplement the expeditionary force. After careful consideration, Dunsher rejected his proposal, saying that the Tokugawa and other places were not long in their occupation, and there must be enough troops left to maintain sufficient deterrence.

Hong Jixun proposed that he could go to Tong Doulan to discuss again, and pull some Jurchens over. Tong Doulan sold his face and added another 500 people.

The generals who would go out with Deng She were also determined. Wenhuaguo's left battalion was all with the army, in addition, Zhao Guo, Zhang Zhen'er and Deng She's Chinese army also went out together; The task of local suppression was entrusted to Chen Hu and Hong Jixun. Like last time, Chen Hu was stationed on the front line in Dingzhou, and Hong Jixun was in the rear of Shuangcheng.

Taking advantage of the time when the soldiers of various departments were assembled, Deng She sent four or five detailed troops to go deep into the south and west to do the last pre-war reconnaissance.

The Koreans did not react, Wang Jing's attention was mostly focused on the south, and it seemed that a new round of large-scale infestation by the Japanese invaders had begun. The king of Goryeo had to be vigilant, after all, it was not Deng She who had ordered Wang Jing to be under martial law twice, but the Wako.

Pyongyang has just changed the left-behind officials, and the new Xijing Yin is named Li Chunfu. According to Hong Jixun, this person has no talent, although he has repeatedly worshiped the privy council, but he only takes it as his business to meet the horse and cater to the heart, at best, the capital of the Chinese.

That is, he is not worthy of attention. However, another piece of news caught Dunshe's attention. The soldiers and horses in the northwest of Goryeo also changed to a new person, it was Cui Ying, who was discussed by Wenhwaguo and Hong Jixun, who was a fierce opponent and should not be underestimated.

Deng She's knowledge of him was mostly hearsay, and in order to grasp accurate information, he came to the courtyard of Qing Qianxing under house arrest that afternoon.

This yard is carefully selected, not big, but elegant, the courtyard rockery flowing water, thick green, lawn around the green trees. Along the winding path paved with cobbles in the forest, facing the flour wall and Zhu Hu, the painted windows are carved, and the singing voice of a woman is faintly heard from within.

The soldier leading the way stopped, and Dunshe motioned for him to stand back for now. He stood outside the window and listened intently for a moment. In the sound of the orchestra, the woman was singing: "Competing for fame is like a car going downhill, who is thrilling?" Yesterday, the Yutangchen suffered a disaster today, and he scrambled to walk in a comfortable nest like me to avoid the turmoil. ”

This is a song written by Guan Yunshi in the previous generation, called "Qingjiang Introduction". Although Guan Yunshi is a color eye, a child ranger, when he grows up, he can read in a broken section, and he has been under the scientific name of Confucianism Yao Sui, and his poems, essays, words, and books are good, especially good at loose songs, which can be called a generation of everyone.

His songs spread far and wide, and Dunsha often heard them, so he knew them. After the woman finished singing, she heard Qing Qianxing's voice, he laughed and said, "Good tune!" Looking through the window, I saw him drinking a bowl of wine, clapping his hands, and exclaiming, "Do it again." After a pause, the woman began to sing again.

Deng She smiled slightly. It's only been two months, and Qingqian's search for death and life at the beginning of his rise has become a self-comparison of happiness, and Hong Jixun has made a lot of contributions. The meaning of this song is "Competing for fame is not as good as a comfortable nest", but if Qing Qianxing really sees through it, why do you need to listen to it back and forth over and over again?

Deng She was not in a hurry to go in, patiently waited for the woman to sing again, applauded, and said: "Strive to walk in my comfort nest to avoid the storm, the words are well written, and the songs are sung well." "Step inside.

There are not many furnishings in the hall, just a few, a chair, and a screen. Three or two musicians lined up on the side of the column, a singer knelt on one side, in front of the marble screen, Qing Qianxing leaned on a few chairs, holding a wine bowl in his hand, just poured.

When he saw Deng She come in, he did not get up, but raised the wine bowl by himself, and raised his head to dry it. Deng She said with a smile: "Beautiful wine, beautiful music, and the general is so leisurely." ”

The musician and the singer bowed to the ground and were about to retreat, but Qing Qianxing stopped him and said, "What are you doing?" Before you have heard enough of the tunes, who told you to go down? ”

What Deng She said was just the opposite, Qing Qianxing was not leisurely for the past two months, he was bored. At first, he begged for death, but he was unwilling; Second, people beg for death but take a breath, and as soon as they pass, they will fade. Who would go on and day long, with their eyes open and closed, clamoring to die? Just like the one who sees through his fame, if he really wants to die, he doesn't have to ask for it, he has hands and feet, and he has already broken it, so why wait for two months?

Since the heart of seeking death fades day by day; In addition, Hong Jixun's clever words, Deng Shejie's success, expanding ten cities, supporting tens of thousands, marrying the Jurchens, pacifying the place, as if he had become the king of Guanbei, faintly had the strength to compete with Goryeo, and his idea of not being willing to give a mediocre name to future generations became stronger day by day. I had the heart to talk to Deng She, but Deng She was busy fighting and didn't have much effort; Want him to take the initiative? He was resolute at the beginning, and he couldn't save face.

Looking forward to the stars and the moon, it was easy for Deng She to come, his face was cold, his heart was surprised, he breathed a big sigh of relief, and said dryly: "The general is very busy, why are you here today?" ”

There was no place for Dunshe to sit in the hall. The musician with quick hands and feet ran out and moved a chair, and respectfully placed it in the center, too far away from Qing Qianxing, Deng She moved it next to the screen with his own hands. There is a picture on the screen of a woman dipping her feet by the water.

Deng She looked at it, sat down, and said with a smile: "Guigan no, I haven't seen the general for a while, I miss it very much." Take advantage of the free time today, I came to visit. ”

"Haha. It's ridiculous! Who is a general? I am a prisoner, and I should not be visited. Qing Qianxing snorted twice, knocked on the case, called the singer, and said, "Zhu'er, what are you doing on your knees in a daze?" The general is here, don't hurry up and show off your spirits, sing a good song, and welcome our distinguished guests. ”

It was exactly what Deng She wanted, before talking about business, he tried Qing Qianxing's mind first, uncovered the last layer of window paper that he wanted to surrender or not, and nodded with a smile at the moment.

With his approval, the musician let go of his courage, and suddenly the huqin played, the sandalwood board was melodious, and the drums were urged, and the singer called Zhu'er sang the fan, danced and sang the song, and sang the "Qingjiang Yin" three times in a row from beginning to end.

Sing it again, Qing Qianxing took a sip of wine. He drank a lot, but he was not drunk, and while drinking, he tapped his fingers on the table with each other. It's just that the heart is not here, and in less than half a day, Deng She heard it and had already made a mistake three times in a row.

Deng She coughed and said, "The song is wrong, Zhou Langgu." The general Haidong is a famous general, but he is also quite proficient in the rhythm, he is really like this Yunshi, and he is all-round in civil and military affairs. After a pause, Qing Qianxing did not react at all, and Deng She said again, "I once heard a song when I was a child, and it was also made by this Guanyunshi, the tune is the same as this tune, it is the same as the palace tune, but in terms of artistic conception and connotation, it seems to be better. The song card is called "Huan in front of the palace", I don't know if the general has heard it? ”

"Which one is "Joy in front of the Palace"?"

"But it's King Chu Huai." Deng She clapped his hands gently, and the musicians in the hall immediately changed the tune, and Zhu'er sang in response: "King Chu Huai, loyal ministers jumped into the Miluo River." "Lisao" is empty and melancholy when read, and the sun and the moon are the same light. Come and laugh sadly, laugh at you, why don't you let go of your body and mind? The waves pollute you, you pollute the waves. ”

The king of Chu was mediocre, Qu Yuan committed suicide, leaving it to future generations, but it made people sad to laugh. Did the waves pollute him, or did he pollute the waves? This song and the painting of the woman's feet on the screen are contrasting, Deng She's allusion is clear, Qing Qianxing's expression changes, and the song ends for a long time without saying a word.

Deng She knew that the time had come, and he owed it, but with a final push, he waved his hand slightly, and the singer and musician went by himself.

He stood up, took out the steps prepared for Qing Qianxing, and said generously: "Huan in front of the Quming Palace, can the monarchs and ministers really be happy?" General Qing, how could I not know your mind? You are determined to be an upright and loyal minister, but if the king of Goryeo can really get along with your monarch and ministers, I am not a talented person, and I am not a despicable villain, how can I ruin your reputation for my own benefit?

But is that really the case? I entered Goryeo, thousands of people, why did I destroy the city and pull out the village, as if I had entered a no-man's land? Even if a brave and wise person is as good as a general, he can't save his decline, why? Although the general is brave, he can't be reused; Although Li Yan is cowardly, he can be trusted by King Li. Pro-villain and far away virtuous ministers, how can the Li army be undefeated?

"And I, Deng She, am I really for my own selfish interests? The general should know better than me about the situation of the people of Goryeo. I am an army from afar, and everywhere I go, the beautiful people eat pot pulp and look happy, like welcoming the king, what is the reason? There are many wealthy families, and the nobles are clothed and fed; The annexation is serious, and the poor cannot get half a meal. Zhumen's wine and meat stink, and there are frozen bones on the road, why doesn't Limin welcome me?

"Besides, my Central Plains and Goryeo are one family! That's all I have to say, General. It is a foolish and loyal minister who should be martyred for the faint king, causing future generations to laugh; Or as a real hero who begs for the lives of all people, he will be remembered in history. The general was chosen. ”

There was silence in the hall.

After a long time, Qing Qianxing sighed and said, "The general has good intentions. The general of the defeated army is not brave enough to be brave, and the four words of real hero dare not be ashamed. To be able to leave a name in history, I want to. ”

Deng She is overjoyed, you can relax! He laughed and said, "General today, I'm like a tiger!" He has said this metaphor many times, and the more he says it, the more slippery it becomes. The window paper was opened, and there was a farewell to the humility, Qing Qian got up, bowed down on the head, and said: "The last general has seen the general." ”

Deng She hurriedly stepped forward, held his hands up, laughed hand in hand, and said, "Why bother to see outside? Pulled him out, "Go, go, go." It's not easy to get the general to return to his heart, I'm really happy. It just so happens that all the generals are in the city, and I want to put on a feast to welcome the generals into the group! "He was born as a horse thief, and Qing Qianxing also knew that he was deliberately joking.

Qing Qianxing refused to leave, as he said, the general of the defeated army, if he does not make some contributions, where can he have the face to meet the victors of the former battlefield? He said: "Yesterday, Mr. Hong came, and I heard that the general is going to fight Pyongyang? "A good opportunity, there is no one more familiar with Pyongyang than him, and this time is the most important.

"Pyongyang? There is no hurry. Let's go and meet the generals first, and then talk about the excitement. ”

Qing Qianxing insisted and said: "The general is kind, and the last general is heartfelt." In the past two months, he has often been treated with meticulous hospitality by the general, and now that he thinks about it, he feels very guilty. If you don't succeed, you will not be punished, and then you will follow the general. ”

Deng She pushed the boat down the river and said empathetically: "It's okay." Tongqing Qianxing sat down and said in a deep voice, "Speaking of fighting Pyongyang, to be honest, I'm still a little hesitant. …… The general is familiar with Pyongyang inside and outside, and thinks it is possible to fight or not? If you fight, how sure is our army? "Hesitation may not be, take this to inquire about Qing Qianxing's opinion.

Qing Qianxing said: "A battle between two cities,...... Ha, a battle between two cities. He smiled bitterly, "The general is talented, and the general will be defeated." ”

Deng She smiled: "If you can get a general, I am willing to defeat if I am replaced." ”

Qing Qianxing felt that he was taken seriously, knowing that Deng She's words were not true, he felt much more comfortable, smiled, and continued: "In the Battle of the Two Cities, the last general's headquarters were annihilated by four or five thousand, which can be described as the main force of Pyongyang. There were no more than 10,000 veterans in Pyongyang, and there were no more than 4,000 in the city. I ,...... to the court," he paused, and then changed his words, "there are few people in the north and many people in the south, or there may be supplements, and it is expected that most of them are untouchables in the south." The untouchables are not of our race, and their combat effectiveness should have been seen in Tokugawa, not to mention new pawns, even old pawns, they are vulnerable. ”

"How's the castle?"

"Among the cities in the northwest of Goryeo, Pyongyang is the largest and has the highest fortress. And the north of the city bears the Dragon Mountain, and the south ring Datong River, which is a place of shape and beauty. If you can get a general to command, it is not easy to attack. Qing Qianxing asked, "Does the general know who is in charge of the army in Xijing Yin and the northwest today?" ”

"Xijing Yin Li Chunfu, northwest soldier envoy Cui Ying."

Qing Qianxing frowned and said, "Li Chunfu is mediocre, so you don't need to care. Cui Ying is a man with a burly demeanor and great martial arts, and he is quite prestigious in the Li Dynasty, so he is not easy to deal with. Then he said, "But the general need not worry. There are two parties in the Li Dynasty, one is the Jinmeng Yuan, and the other is the Prince of Qinli. Cui Ying was the leader of the pro-Yuan party, while Li Chunfu was a member of the Wang party. Li Chunfu has a low character, Cui Yingsu is not very good, and the civil and military discord cannot become a problem for our army. ”

This kind of news is not known to outsiders except for the people of Li Chaozhong. Deng She listened attentively to his detailed analysis of the antagonism and discord between the pro-Yuan party and the royal party.

It turned out that it has been eight years since the current King Liwang ascended the throne, and the Central Plains has been in turmoil, Meng Yuan is too busy to take care of himself, and his control over Goryeo has been greatly weakened, and no one wants to be a puppet forever, so he has the idea of taking the opportunity to stand on his own.

It's just that many ministers in the court have married high-ranking officials of the Yuan Dynasty, including Emperor Yuan and the crown prince of Yuan. The crown prince of the current Yuan Dynasty, whose mother is a Goryeo woman Qi, has a concubine surnamed Quan, and is also a Goryeo.

With this link, these ministers naturally did not want to lose the big backer of the Yuan Dynasty. As a result, together with another group of people who had studied in the Yuan Dynasty or came to Lihan to serve as officials in the Li Dynasty, they formed a faction and formed a faction with the royal party that supported King Li, and there was a faint sense of-for-tat.

-for-tat does not mean that they are not loyal to Goryeo, and in any case, it is better than unity and harmony. For Dunshe, it was a good opportunity. Deng She nodded and said, "Does the general know about Pyongyang's reserves of grain, grass, and ordnance?" ”

"The big city of Pyongyang has abundant food and grass, and there are plenty of weapons, but there are not many firearms. It is worth noting that Pyongyang is off the coast and surrounded by the Taedong River, so there is a naval army. A few years ago, Emperor Yuan brushed the Li Dynasty army and horses to attack Gaoyou, including 300 Xijing naval troops. ”

"How many people are there in the Xijing Water Army?"

"Twenty or thirty large and small ships, and more than a thousand military horses." There are not many more than 1,000 people, and there are not many of them, and Deng She has no boat, so he needs to be careful on the water. He secretly wrote it down, asked the question he was most concerned about, and said, "The general thinks that if I go out to the army, how will Wang Jing react?" ”

"The Japanese invaders have repeatedly disturbed the south, the Li Dynasty's treasury is empty, and Li Yan's new defeat is like adding insult to injury, even if Wang Jing reacts, it will not be too fast. The general does not need to worry too much. The cities north of Pyongyang do not have many soldiers, and the general only needs to put an army on the banks of the Cheongchon River, which is enough to deter. "The Kiyokawa River is on the north side of Tokugawa and other places.

Kyung Qianxing analyzed it thoroughly, and finally concluded: "Pyongyang has a strong city, weak soldiers, internal discord, and no external assistance; Although the food is sufficient and the equipment is fine, it is prepared for the general, and the general will take the ear. He asserted, "Fifteen thousand men down the river are enough to break the city." Pyongyang can not only be fought, but our army is sure of victory. ”

The most favorable factor, he didn't say, and Dunshe didn't ask. The northwest is mostly his old department, and with Deng She's exploits and prestige, Pyongyang may not be able to, but it is not impossible for the cities along the way to decide without a fight.