Ch.334Northern Expedition (5)

I met with the Emperor.

The Emperor greeted me as if he had been waiting for my visit.

“Has Batur Khan returned?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Batur Khan had stayed at the northern capital before moving directly to Hanyang.

After meeting with the Emperor, the great elder of the Golden Clan, and paying his respects, he returned to the Shandong Peninsula.

Since I was also in charge of seeing him off, it was natural for the Emperor to ask me this.

“What does Batur want?”

“He wants us to deal with Taisun Khan in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.”

“Dealing with Taisun Khan…”

The Emperor wore a puzzled expression.

This was understandable, as the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun held great significance.

The Great Wall was a massive barrier built along mountain ranges.

Because of this, many nomadic tribes who entered the Central Plains considered this wall a major obstacle.

This was true for the Khitan, the Jin Dynasty, and the Mongols I once led.

In my case, I did break through the Juyong Pass, but that was thanks to the strategic failure of Commander Wanyan Shengyu.

Thus, destroying the Great Wall with pre-modern technology was nearly impossible.

In this context, asking to defeat Taisun Khan, who ruled the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, carried great significance.

It essentially meant opening a gateway to the Central Plains for Goryeo.

Currently, the Goryeo-Liaodong Federation had the entire Manchurian region under its influence.

Though they effectively governed only the Liaoxi and Southern Manchuria regions, officially all of Manchuria was Liaodong territory.

If Goryeo were to occupy the area where modern Beijing is located, the obstacle to advancing into the Central Plains would disappear.

This meant that Goryeo could project military power into the Central Plains whenever it wished.

“If Goryeo occupies the Sixteen Prefectures, it will border the Shandong territory.”

Goryeo’s ability to intervene in the Central Plains meant it could interfere in the Princes’ War.

The other princes would inevitably face political and military pressure as a result.

“Batur Khan is trying to use me as a chess piece.”

The Emperor raised the corner of his mouth in amusement.

“Well, fine. Judging by your expression, you’ve already made your decision.”

The Emperor spoke to me as if he had mastered mind-reading.

As the Emperor suggested, I had already internally accepted this proposal.

By deeply involving Goryeo in the Princes’ War, I would move closer to the Mongol throne.

“That’s correct.”

“I appreciate your honesty. However, you must explain why this proposal benefits both Goryeo and me.”

Though he spoke this way, the Emperor seemed to already know everything, smirking as if asking to see his nephew perform.

To think that after all I’ve lived through, I would need to entertain a descendant.

It felt strange, but I was now Park Soo-hyun, not Yesugei, so it was better to go along with it.

“If you accept this proposal, Your Majesty can become a First-Rank Prince.”

First-Rank Prince.

As I explained before, I only allowed Second-Rank Princes for cadet branches.

They remained at the level of military kings, but if Goryeo took the Sixteen Prefectures, they could become a First-Rank Prince, or Chin Wang.

The significance of being a Chin Wang was extraordinary.

In the current situation, without a legitimate Khagan of the Yeke Mongol Ulus, a First-Rank Prince could convene a Kurultai in place of the Khagan.

Since the Kurultai was where major national affairs were decided, having the authority to convene one directly meant essentially possessing the authority of a Khagan.

“A First-Rank Prince. Not the King of Liaodong, but the Prince of Liaodong.”

The Emperor smiled with satisfaction.

From the 12th century when I was active until now, there had not been a single First-Rank Prince.

In this situation, becoming a unique First-Rank Prince from a cadet branch rather than the main family was naturally pleasing.

“However, won’t there be those who oppose this?”

“Once you occupy the Sixteen Prefectures, what is there to fear when you can subdue the other princes by force?”

At this, the Emperor burst into laughter.

Moreover, as the family elder, the Emperor had sufficient justification.

Anyone who challenged his authority could be suppressed by force.

“Batur Khan knows this too, which is why he will support Your Majesty becoming a First-Rank Prince and convening a Kurultai.”

This was Batur Khan’s objective.

Among the princes, Batur Khan had the strongest forces.

In this situation, he wanted the Emperor to convene a Kurultai and propose who should be named the Mongol Khagan.

Then Batur Khan would step forward, and the others would object.

Of course, the princes would resist.

The Kurultai would end without reaching a decision, but Batur Khan would have already achieved what he wanted.

Everyone would gather.

And there, he intended to impress upon everyone that he was the strongest.

“He will want to demonstrate his strength at the Kurultai.”

“Then the forces near Jinan will come under his command.”

“Precisely.”

The Kurultai wasn’t just for princes.

Forces supporting the princes and those claiming neutrality would also gather.

Batur was aiming to recruit these neutral forces.

“Batur gains practical benefits, and I gain authority. It’s a good deal, but lacking in substance.”

“Batur Khan has persuaded the Prince of Jinan to provide saltpeter.”

Saltpeter was a raw material for gunpowder.

Without gunpowder, guns were merely sticks.

It was essential for the firepower of gun formations, the core of our military strength.

The authority of a First-Rank Prince.

And the practical benefit of saltpeter.

After mentioning these two points, the Emperor nodded in understanding.

“Very well.”

Then he rose.

As he extended his hand, the Dragon-Shouldered Attendant approached me as if on cue.

In Im Kkeokjeong’s hand was a battle-axe symbolizing imperial authority.

The fact that the battle-axe was already prepared suggested the Emperor had already made his decision.

“I command General of the Three Kingdoms Park Soo-hyun to lead the Northern Expedition.”

With the Emperor’s single command.

I bowed respectfully in response.

* * *

Northern Expedition.

From Goryeo’s perspective, the Sixteen Prefectures were located to the north, so the term “Northern Expedition” was appropriate.

In any case, the Emperor had transferred military authority to me.

The battle-axe behind my back existed as evidence that I had the power of life and death over the entire Goryeo army.

Having become the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition, I immediately summoned the generals.

On my right was Grand General Nurhachi, on my left was Hanseong Magistrate Ko Yoon, and below them were military officers of general rank.

Additionally, Lee Hwang and Jo Sik participated as staff officers.

“I’ve summoned you because His Majesty has commanded a Northern Expedition.”

The assembled generals nodded.

Looking at them, I continued.

“Grand General.”

“I await your orders.”

“What is the scale of troops that can be mobilized for the Northern Expedition?”

“We can mobilize 100,000 infantry and 50,000 cavalry.”

A large force totaling 150,000 could be conscripted.

When I lived as Yesugei, I intimidated Goryeo into providing 300,000 troops.

Compared to then, this was only half, but considering that Goryeo had enjoyed decades of peace, it was a respectable situation.

“How will supplies be managed?”

“Supplies will be delivered via two routes: by sea through the Yellow Sea and by land through Liaoxi.”

The most important aspect of combat was logistics.

Moving by land from the Korean Peninsula to Liaoxi carried significant risks, so traveling by ship was advantageous.

In the case of the Yellow Sea, with the Yellow Sea Fleet led by the Prince of Jinan, it was essentially a safe supply route.

In addition, we planned to directly requisition and support supplies from Liaoxi, which was close to the Sixteen Prefectures, in case of unforeseen circumstances.

“A good plan.”

I said this and turned my head.

Now that we had determined the scale of the army and supplies, the important task was how to prepare.

“We will head north in the spring two years from now. Until then, we will conduct strategic and tactical training and prepare supplies.”

Then I looked at Ko Yoon.

“I will entrust infantry training to the Hanseong Magistrate.”

Ko Yoon bowed in response.

While preparing for the recent campaign against the wild Jurchens, Ko Yoon had learned about gun formations.

This was because he had been in charge of all military training in my absence.

That’s why I assigned Ko Yoon to infantry training.

“The Director of Education will assist him.”

Lee Hwang bowed in response.

“The cavalry training will be handled by myself and the Chief Inspector.”

When recruiting Jo Sik, he needed a suitable official position.

Accordingly, the Emperor, who had been watching him closely, gave Jo Sik the title of Chief Inspector.

The Chief Inspector was a senior third-rank official who remonstrated with the king when he mishandled state affairs.

While an important position, since current Goryeo was close to an absolute monarchy, unlike Joseon, the Chief Inspector’s influence was not great.

In other words, unlike in original history, the Chief Inspector had become a position close to an honorary office.

“I will obey your command.”

The Chief Inspector bowed respectfully.

Afterward, I assigned tasks to each person gathered here.

With war coming in two years, we needed to prepare step by step from now to ready an army of 150,000.

* * *

“Use your legs better!”

“Don’t fall off the horse!”

“Focus on your shooting!”

Jo Sik was pushing the wild Jurchen soldiers hard.

The soldiers gritted their teeth as they looked at him.

“He’s so strict.”

“Even though he’s from Goryeo, he rides better than us…”

“We have to follow him.”

Jo Sik was from Goryeo and had lived a life far removed from nomadic ways.

In a normal situation, it would be natural for him to be worse at riding than the Jurchen soldiers who had lived their entire lives on horseback.

But Jo Sik was an excellent rider.

This was possible thanks to his ridiculous leg muscles.

These muscles were so strong that he showed not the slightest wobble while riding.

He could even control his horse using only his thigh muscles, without holding the reins.

Because of this, the Jurchen soldiers had no choice but to follow his guidance.

While the Jurchen soldiers were thinking this, Jo Sik mounted his horse.

And he galloped off without even holding the reins.

“Watch carefully.”

Jo Sik used his inner thigh muscles to command the horse.

As if by magic, the horse charging toward the target began to move sideways near the target.

At that moment, Jo Sik drew the pistol from his waist.

Bang!

With that sound, a large hole appeared in the scarecrow’s head.

“This is how it’s done.”

Jo Sik spoke as if it were very easy.

The Jurchen soldiers who witnessed this impossible skill could only stick out their tongues in amazement.