Chapter 710: The More One Urges Benevolence and Forgiveness, the More Ruthless the Emperor Becomes

Oda Nobunaga is lying. His ambition is to sweep across the three kingdoms, including Great Ming. His so-called three promises—not to cross Hancheng, to cede Incheon, and to swear not to harass Great Ming—are as worthless as a fart. It is very, very certain that between the lines of this state letter, it is filled with stalling for time.

Throughout Great Ming, even a pig understands one principle: under no circumstances must the Japanese pirates be allowed to land! If the Japanese pirates land, Great Ming will never have a day of peace!

Zhu Yijun, holding the state letter, furiously berated the King of Joseon because, even now, the King of Joseon does not even know how to conduct diplomacy, consistently failing to provide any concrete or clear commitments.

"The King of Joseon, to this day, refuses to even give a commitment regarding provisions, still attempting to bind Great Ming to his war chariot by invoking the ancestral laws of Great Ming and the 'parental state' relationship. I have already clearly informed the Joseon envoy: if sufficient provisions are not seen at Yizhou, My great army cannot proceed to Jiuliancheng to enter Joseon and fight! Don't even think about it!"

"The King of Joseon is still having Li Houbai lobby the ministers, attempting to make Great Ming bring its own provisions," Zhu Yijun said, throwing Oda Nobunaga's state letter aside, extremely angry.

This King of Joseon, Li Yan, who is currently being criticized by Zhu Yijun—the Li Yan who lost his capital to the enemy in nineteen days—was given the temple name Xuanzong after his death, and very quickly, in the hands of his son, it became Xuanzu.

What virtue or ability did Xuanzu have to be called an ancestor, when he lost his capital in nineteen days?

Moreover, later generations of Joseon civil and military officials held this person in high regard. His greatest achievement was preserving Joseon's rule amidst the Japanese pirates and the Great Ming heavenly troops; his second greatest achievement was realizing the 'tribute of the Jurchens,' which was making the Jurchens, the Outer Khalkha tribes, and parts of the Uriankhai tribes pay tribute to Joseon—which is the so-called offensive and defensive alliance with Ming.

This was Li Yan's greatest merit in being called Xuanzu.

But what was the price of Li Yan doing this? It was the people of Joseon. His behavior of playing both sides caused the specific timing for Great Ming to enter Joseon and fight to be repeatedly delayed, while the atrocities of the Japanese pirates in Joseon had reached the ears of Zhu Yijun, even far away in Great Ming.

The eight provinces of Joseon were plunged into misery.

The nine divisions, including those of Konishi Yukinaga, Kato Kiyomasa, Kuroda Nagamasa, and Kobayakawa Takakage, immediately began slaughtering the cities wherever they conquered in Joseon.

Minister of War Ceng Shengwu produced several intelligence reports and said: "Great Ming coastal defense inspector 'Water-Flying' is active in Joseon. I have here several reports of the tragic scenes witnessed by Water-Flying himself, the massacres that occurred in Hancheng, in Shuiyuan, in Hongzhou, in Qingzhou, in Guangzhou, in Busan, and other places."

"Chen Tiande, as the 'Lashan' of Joseon, is responsible for 120 coastal defense inspectors active in Joseon, spying on enemy intelligence. This is the intelligence report from Chen Tiande."

"I will read two of them. This is somewhat cruel; I ask you, my lords, to bear with me."

"The Japanese pirates in Hancheng drove the Joseon people to build several pools, diverting water from the Hanjiang. They began storing water every afternoon and releasing it in the morning. One pool could hold about a thousand people. Each division would send 100 to 200 foot soldiers to drive the people of Hancheng into these pools, using long poles tipped with blades. Whoever tried to climb out of the pools would be stabbed back in."

"A two-year-old child was lifted up by such a long-poled spear. The child's mother stood up abruptly, wanting to snatch her child back. Even knowing her child was already dead and that she would die too, the mother still wanted to snatch the child back, but the mother was stabbed into the water by another Japanese pirate, provoking the raucous laughter of the Japanese pirates."

"The Japanese pirate division daimyo demanded that the corpses be piled up centrally to prevent the outbreak of plague. In a courtyard in Hancheng, it was piled full of corpses—men, women, and children alike—placed haphazardly. Some were headless, some had their bellies ripped open, some had their hands and feet chopped off, and some had been hacked into two sections. On the courtyard wall, countless human heads were impaled. The heads of children were inside the house, neatly impaled by the dozens."

"The blood inside the house was three inches thick, all frozen into blocks of blood. Like the corpses outside, one could see that after these people died, monks had performed rituals inside to deliver their souls."

"Both banks of the Hanjiang were piled full of corpses frozen into blocks of ice. The reason they were piled up like this was to prevent a counterattack by the Joseon army, and when the spring warmth comes next year, these corpses will flow into the sea along the Hanjiang."

"Many of the massacres did not require the Japanese pirates to do it themselves; they only needed to drive the people. There were many Joseon 'Hwarang,' Hwarang with tattoos covering their entire arms, who became running dogs for the Japanese pirates. The Japanese pirates called them the 'Hwarang Cooperation,' or the 'Imperial Cooperation Army.' They were responsible for driving the people. Many crimes were not only committed by the Japanese pirates, but also by the Hwarang Cooperation, and they were even worse."

Ceng Shengwu finished reading the first one. This was the tragedy of the first day after Hancheng was captured, an intelligence report sent back to Great Ming by 600-li emergency express.

Oda Nobunaga fought in the name of the Japanese Emperor, launching the war on the grounds that the King of Joseon refused to go to Kyoto to pay homage, which is why they were called the "Imperial Cooperation Army."

"The Japanese pirates are lying. They told all the people in the city that someone was resisting the 'Imperial Army,' saying someone shot arrows from windows, someone assassinated, someone hugged gunpowder to perish with the Imperial Army. This is a lie. None of the refugees in Hancheng dared to resist. The talk of resistance was merely an excuse."

"The Japanese pirates did not want to take prisoners. I saw with my own eyes a commoner kneeling at the feet of a Japanese pirate, kowtowing incessantly to beg for his life. The Japanese pirate stabbed him to death with a short sword, and then used a long Japanese sword to cut off his head. Because he didn't know how to cut off a head, he hacked ten or more times, and the head was still hanging by the neck. The Japanese pirate left in a huff."

"The second day, at the dawn of the day, I was awakened by screams. The massacre began again. I went out and saw a Japanese samurai, with four foot soldiers, chasing three commoners. A woman was holding a naked infant in her arms, about four months old. During the escape, the infant accidentally fell to the ground and looked like it wouldn't survive. The woman was shot dead by arrows. The adult male fell while running, and the Japanese pirates caught up to him."

"I walked up and showed my fire-token, intending to save this adult male. But as I walked over, a foot soldier stabbed a short sword into the adult male's neck, stabbing fiercely three or four times. Blood flowed all over the ground. The Japanese pirate warned me not to meddle. I and three coastal defense inspectors stood off against the other side. Finally, the Japanese pirates exchanged quick words and retreated."

"I learned from a merchant accompanying the army that Oda Nobunaga and the Japanese daimyo demanded that all Japanese pirates entering Joseon must not attack Great Ming people. The Great Ming people currently active in Joseon are easy to identify: tall and sturdy, having two horses, and possessing long and short firearms and other weapons. So I can see these, but what about those I cannot see?"

"Should I do something? Perhaps, but I can do nothing."

"On the first day alone, more than 20,000 people in Hancheng were killed by the Japanese pirates using various means. I don't know how long the Japanese pirates will kill, or how many they will kill, but I know the slaughter will not stop, and it will become increasingly intense, just like the crimes they committed in the southeast of Great Ming back then."

"The stability of the southeast lies on the maritime frontier."

Ceng Shengwu finished reading the second one. He still had many, many such intelligence reports in his hand. He looked at the silent ministers and continued: "Chen Tiande was teased by Japanese pirates when he was very young and was castrated by them. He only wants to exterminate the Japanese pirates as long as he lives. He has extreme hatred for the Japanese pirates."

The Great Ming Emperor knew of Chen Tiande's encounter. This tough guy, who had no children and no worries, had the greatest dream of dying in the war to exterminate the Japanese pirates.

Therefore, Chen Tiande went to the most dangerous place. He had a great hatred for the Japanese pirates, but this did not mean his records had any bias. On the contrary, in order to take care of the Emperor's feelings, Ceng Shengwu did not read out the even more atrocious atrocities.

Ceng Shengwu continued: "This is just Hancheng, and it is just the beginning of Hancheng. These tragedies are happening in every part of Joseon. Wherever they slaughter, the Japanese pirates will dance a dance celebrating the harvest."

"The Japanese drums with family crests are beaten incessantly. The horizontal flute is a musical instrument that makes a sharp sound, short and sharp, resounding through the sky. The samurai selected to dance all carry a plain cloth bag on their bodies, with their names written on them. Inside the cloth bags are the stolen wealth. At the end of the street, there are many spirit tablets, which are the so-called 'heroic spirits' of the Japanese pirates."

"The moment the gong sounds, the Japanese drums are lifted up, the plain cloth spirit banners are erected, and the dance celebrating the harvest begins."

"Oda Nobunaga once strictly prohibited this dance. Even in Japan, if one danced this dance at home, one would be severely punished, or even beheaded and displayed. Because the Japanese daimyo fought each other, they often created various massacres and often celebrated like this. Oda Nobunaga could not control it either. The Japanese pirates in Joseon dance once every time they complete a massacre."

In the Zhao Wenhua Hall, all the ministers were silent. Killing civilians to claim merit is a crime not allowed in Great Ming. Even Li Chengliang, the Marquis of Ningyuan, was tainted by such accusations, and it was like mud smeared on his trousers—no matter what, he couldn't explain it clearly.

They were all soldiers. Since the 34th year of Jiajing, because the Japanese pirate scourge had gradually ceased, the nine battalions of Zhejiang had begun to patrol and resist floods. To call the Japanese samurai beasts is a compliment.

On the surface, it is celebrating the harvest and sacrificing to heroic spirits, but in reality, it is a ceremony celebrating the slaughter. For the Great Ming lords, it is very difficult to understand. Obviously, Oda Nobunaga also knew this was wrong, but he could not control or restrain it.

The so-called wisdom of the King of Joseon, Li Yan—the wisdom that the Great Ming heavenly troops cannot be too strong, and the Japanese pirates cannot be too strong, preserving the rule of the Joseon royal family in the cracks—is itself realized at the tragic price of the people.

This is losing the Dao.

Zhu Yijun was also silent. He closed his eyes for a long time before opening them, looking at all the ministers and saying: "The Ministry of Rites knows: urge the Joseon side to prepare enough provisions for the great army to use for five months, and pile them up in Yizhou; the Ministry of War knows: issue an order to the Liaodong Regional Military Commission, have the Marquis of Ningyuan send officials to check clearly and report to the imperial court."

"The Wenyuange shall draft an edict: Li Yan has lost the Dao. Deprive Li Yan of his title as King of Joseon. Effective immediately, the Crown Prince, Prince Gwanghae, shall succeed to the throne and actively prepare provisions and other matters. If the war opportunity is delayed, execute without pardon!"

"Continuing to grind teeth with such a group of vermin is simply making the world sneer at Me for being soft!"

"A group of vermin!"

This order from Zhu Yijun was equivalent to violating the ancestral laws, the ancestral instruction of the 'non-conquering countries' during the Hongwu period. Zhu Yijun no longer complied, but deeply interfered in the affairs of Joseon, because as the Great Ming Emperor, he really could not stand this group of vermin in the ruling class of Joseon.

The Japanese pirates have always been like this, not having learned three parts of human appearance, and seven parts of beastly nature are deeply rooted. Even Oda Nobunaga knows this clearly. But Joseon claims to be 'Little China,' and the ruling class is also such vermin, which Zhu Yijun cannot tolerate.

Someone must be responsible for the fall of Hancheng, and this person is the King of Joseon, Li Yan. I don't know what the values of Joseon are like. Such a bastard can actually be called an ancestor. Such garbage would only harvest infamy in the Central Plains.

Even Li Longji, who created the Kaiyuan Prosperous Age, was laughed at for nearly a thousand years after he fled Chang'an in a panic. Zhang Juzheng even cited Li Longji's deeds many times to teach the Emperor the difficulty of ending well, letting the Emperor take it as a warning.

"Your ministers obey the edict." Zhang Juzheng stood up, leading the ministers to bow and accept the order. Just as Qi Jiguang said, Great Ming has maritime supremacy, so everything it does is right, while Japan has no maritime supremacy, so everything it does is wrong.

Zhu Yijun looked at the Ministry of War and said: "Issue an edict to the Nagasaki Governor's Office, demanding that Oda Nobunaga order a full withdrawal from Joseon. If not, the heavenly troops will surely arrive."

This imperial edict, in fact, like Oda Nobunaga's state letter, was a lie that had to be told. The general idea was that if Oda Nobunaga withdrew his troops, the Great Ming army would not go.

Oda Nobunaga was absolutely unable to withdraw his troops. Even if he ordered it, he couldn't withdraw them. And "the heavenly troops will surely arrive" was not a declaration of war, but a warning before the declaration of war. The manifesto for the oath-taking expedition is the declaration of war.

In just nineteen days, the Japanese pirates committed dozens of indiscriminate massacres. Zhu Yijun's order was accelerating the process of the war.

When Li Shunchen met the Emperor, he said he hoped the Great Ming heavenly troops would save the people of Joseon from being hung upside down. The Great Ming Emperor didn't take it seriously when he first heard it, but now he had a deeper feeling. The Great Ming army was indeed heavenly troops to the Joseon people, indeed saving them from being hung upside down.

At the court meeting on this day, the Great Ming ministers and the Emperor reached a consensus to push for accelerating the process of the war. During the court meeting, there was a very strange thing, which was that the Great Ming coastal defense inspectors could actually operate openly in the enemy-occupied area, and the Japanese pirates actually executed the military order and did not attack the Great Ming coastal defense inspectors. It was not that the Japanese pirates were strictly disciplined, but that the Japanese pirates did not dare to attack.

Because behind the coastal defense inspectors stood 100,000 naval troops, and the *Youlong* was anchored in the harbor of Jizhou Island.

After the court meeting, Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang remained in the Zhao Wenhua Hall. Big matters are discussed in small meetings, and small matters are discussed in closed-door meetings. This closed-door meeting between the Great Ming Emperor and his right-hand men was mainly to determine the direction of the war. "Your Majesty, oath-taking and departure at the beginning of next year. Your minister thinks that Li Rusong can be allowed to take three cavalry battalions and go one step ahead to Jiuliancheng. Once the provisions are gathered, immediately enter to interfere. At the same time, the naval troops shall cut off the Japanese pirates' maritime supplies." Qi Jiguang stood in front of the map and informed the Emperor of the first phase of the combat plan formulated by the Jiangwu Academy.

Cutting off the Japanese pirates' maritime supplies means that the Great Ming army can land and fight at any point along the long coastline. Now the Japanese pirates are on the peninsula like a snake on Mount Chang. The advantage of maritime supremacy allows the Great Ming army to cut them in half at any time.

Doing so is to force the Japanese pirates to contract strategically, opening up the situation for the Great Ming army to enter Joseon.

A very domineering and crushing style of fighting. The confidence of the cautious Qi Jiguang in formulating such a combat plan comes from the thirteen years of strengthening the military, and the Emperor's continuous, day-after-day drilling of troops at the North Camp through wind and rain.

The trust crisis between the Emperor, generals, and soldiers—the Great Ming Emperor used his own diligence and perseverance to give a top-down solution, and Qi Jiguang used "reporting to the Son of Heaven above and saving the common people below" to give a bottom-up solution.

It is these two solutions that have laid the foundation for the invincibility of the Great Ming Beijing Camp and the naval troops.

Zhang Juzheng said with a heavy face: "Your Majesty, your minister thinks that we should be wary of this battle becoming a case of 'nurturing bandits to maintain self-importance' and 'holding troops to maintain self-importance'."

"Teacher!" Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng with some surprise and said: "Teacher, enriching the country and strengthening the military was first advocated by you in the first year of Wanli, and full military pay for the Great Ming army was also a new policy you implemented in the third year of Wanli and executed in the sixth year of Wanli."

Strengthening the military is an important part of Zhang Juzheng's new policy! Now Zhang Juzheng instead reminds the Emperor to prevent it from becoming a messy war of nurturing bandits to maintain self-importance.

"Your Majesty, strengthening the military and preventing the nurturing of bandits to maintain self-importance are not contradictory," Zhang Juzheng said very firmly. "If it really becomes a messy war of nurturing bandits to maintain self-importance, then we must negotiate peace and end the war quickly. We must absolutely not delay the implementation of Great Ming's new policy because of Joseon."

"The war has not started yet, and the imperial court should make all possible preparations."

Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng, was silent for a moment, and said: "What you said, Teacher, is reasonable."

Zhang Juzheng's meaning is very clear: do not let the situation on the Joseon Peninsula drag down Great Ming's development and interrupt the progress of Great Ming's new policy. Great Ming's interests are higher than Joseon's interests.

His words are also a kind of prudence of considering defeat before victory. As a decision-maker, as the Emperor looked up to by hundreds of millions of Great Ming people, one must maintain sufficient rationality and distinguish between the light and the heavy, the urgent and the slow.

Zhu Yijun deeply agreed with this.

The strategy of the Central Plains dynasties throughout history has always been defensive against the north, offensive when strong and defensive when weak against the Western Regions, and generally offensive against the southwest, that is, the various countries of Lingnan. As for the Joseon Peninsula, because of its shallow strategic depth, small area, sparse population, and backward economy, it poses little threat to the Central Plains dynasties and should not be a strategic direction.

But history is often unreasonable. The Joseon Peninsula direction often develops into a major strategic direction, eventually leading to disastrous consequences.

For example, Emperor Yang of Sui conquered Goguryeo three times, and all three battles were defeated. In the end, even the Sui Dynasty perished.

By the time of the Tang Dynasty, the Zhenguan Prosperous Age and the Yonghui Prosperous Age, the Great Tang could be called the strongest empire in the world, but it also took five large-scale military operations to completely settle the northeast front. The Tang Dynasty paid a great price for this. Constrained and dragged down by the northeast front, the Tang's operations against the Turks and Xueyantuo on the north front and against Tuyuhun, Tubo, and the Western Turks on the west front were all greatly affected, often falling into strategic passivity with insufficient troops.

Great Ming is reopening the Western Regions. If it follows the old path of the Tang Dynasty and the northeast front becomes a messy war of nurturing bandits to maintain self-importance, Great Ming's reopening of the Western Regions will become a castle in the air.

Fang Xuanling, a famous prime minister of the early Tang Dynasty, left a last word to Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, on his deathbed: "Your Majesty's prestige and merit are enough. Expanding territory can also stop. If Goguryeo violates the duty of a subject, kill it; if it harasses the people, destroy it; if it can become a disaster for China in the future, remove it. Now there are no such three conditions, but we are sitting and bothering China, internally washing away the shame of the previous generation, and externally avenging Silla. Is this not a case of saving little and losing much?"

Fang Xuanling said that Your Majesty's prestige and merit are enough, and expanding territory can stop. If Goguryeo violates the duty of a subject, kill it; if it harasses the people, destroy it; if it threatens the Great Tang, remove it. But there is no such crisis, and dragging down the Great Tang just to wash away the shame of the Sui Dynasty and avenge Silla is an act of little gain and great loss.

Zhang Juzheng's advice in the closed-door meeting and Fang Xuanling's last words are consistent: we cannot let the problems of the Joseon Peninsula drag down and bother Great Ming.

And a messy war of nurturing bandits to maintain self-importance is a drag.

"If it becomes a messy war, in fact, there is no need to negotiate peace. The Great Ming Beijing Camp withdraws, and the Great Ming Liaodong Army enters Joseon, responsible by Li Chengliang and his son. If they want to nurture bandits to maintain self-importance, let them nurture bandits to maintain self-importance. Periodically open the cage door of the Yamatai military port, release some Japanese pirates into Joseon, let the Marquis of Ningyuan nurture bandits to maintain self-importance and kill them for fun, and also bleed the Japanese mainland. It is not impossible. What do you think, Teacher?" Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng and gave another answer.

Controllable nurturing of bandits to maintain self-importance, a very ruthless way of playing.

Negotiating peace is a very shameful choice for Great Ming. This bone in the throat became a drag by the Chongzhen period. The Chongzhen Emperor intended to negotiate peace in the face of the Jianzhou Jurchens, but the public opinion in the court forced him not to negotiate peace.

Zhu Yijun thought about it and didn't necessarily have to negotiate peace. Dragging it on like this is not impossible. Anyway, the Liaodong Army itself has engaged in nurturing bandits to maintain self-importance, and Great Ming also wants to exterminate the Japanese pirates. The battlefield is in Joseon, not in Great Ming. Every time it comes to this stage of fighting for blood bars, Great Ming's blood bar will make the enemy despair.

"Ah?" Zhang Juzheng looked at the Emperor, somewhat suspicious. The Emperor's words were truly cold and ruthless. A messy war of nurturing bandits to maintain self-importance, actually bleeding Japan, and as long as the Japanese pirates invade periodically, the Joseon people will remember the fear of being poisoned by the Japanese pirates, which is conducive to Great Ming's rule on the Joseon Peninsula.

Zhang Juzheng's whole life can be called a life of omnipotence. As long as he is still alive, no one dares to subvert the new policy. If there are any regrets, it is that Zhang Juzheng urged the way of benevolence and forgiveness for thirteen years. The more he urged, the more ruthless the Emperor became.

"Your minister thinks it is good." Zhang Juzheng recognized the Emperor's ruthlessness.

Qi Jiguang wanted to speak but stopped. If he told Zhang Juzheng about the Emperor's "Heavenly Flower Combat Method," perhaps Zhang Juzheng would understand even more clearly that the Emperor hadn't listened to a word of the advice to urge benevolence and forgiveness. Qi Jiguang finally didn't say it. That was the Emperor's final bottom-line means. In this battle, Great Ming might not win, but it will definitely not lose.

Li Rusong was to lead three cavalry battalions to set off first, go to Liaodong first, and then go to Jiuliancheng on the border, waiting for the provisions to be in place before entering Yizhou, Joseon. The Great Ming army began to interfere directly.

Li Rusong once again became the vanguard general of Great Ming.

On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month in the 13th year of Wanli, Zhu Yijun came to the Wu Ying Building of the North Camp, waiting for the troop inspection at the drill ground and the departure ceremony to proceed.

Zhu Yijun held the seal of the Assistant Regional Commander for Pacifying the Japanese in his hand, looked at Li Rusong, and said sternly: "Li Rusong, you are the number one fierce general of Great Ming. I have always known your bravery, but the responsibility of the vanguard is heavy. Remember not to advance rashly. Great Ming can afford to wait now. Plan everything before deciding. If the King of Joseon goes back on his word or even colludes with the Japanese pirates, withdraw from Joseon and discuss it in the long run."

"At that time, I will send the Beijing Camp again and wipe them all out."

Zhu Yijun handed the seal of the Assistant Regional Commander for Pacifying the Japanese to Li Rusong and continued: "Since you have received the general's seal, you must know that you bear the lives of ten thousand people, so do not take it lightly."

The Great Ming Emperor leaned forward and whispered: "General Qi told Me that only by thoroughly understanding the sentence 'victory or defeat is a common matter for military strategists' can one be a commander. When you arrive in Joseon, just fight well. If you can't win, run. Staying alive is winning. As long as the green hills remain, there is no need to worry about firewood. As for the imperial court, I will hold it up for you. There is no need to risk your life for Joseon."

"Ah?" Li Rusong didn't know how to express his surprise. The Emperor's earnest instructions were actually to tell him to run if he couldn't win and not to risk his life for Joseon. This was really beyond his expectations.

Zhu Yijun's military talent was zero, but when he looked at the Wanli Korean War, he found that fierce generals like Li Rusong and Chen Lin fought some very stupid battles. They could have retreated a little bit and then gathered superior forces to eliminate the opponent, but they often didn't retreat a single step, refusing to withdraw even when 500 people fought 50,000; they could have reduced losses, but they just wanted to risk their lives; they had cavalry, but they couldn't exert their mobility advantage and fought to the death with the Japanese pirates.

After careful study, one can know that it is not that the fierce generals don't know military affairs, or don't value the lives of the soldiers, but that the Great Ming imperial court doesn't trust these generals, but believes the words of the King of Joseon, Li Yan. This kind of partial listening caused the generals on the front line to have to advance even if they couldn't move due to lack of provisions. Not advancing was a crime, and they were even more afraid of being cowardly or defeated.

Therefore, Zhu Yijun's earnest instruction was that there is no need to risk one's life for Joseon. Their king doesn't take the lives of the Joseon people seriously, so the Great Ming army should also be more flexible.

"This is a secret instruction. Keep it well. This is My highest instruction. If something happens, I will take the blame." Zhu Yijun handed a secret box to Li Rusong. Inside was a secret instruction stamped with a cross-seal. Inside was just one sentence, which was what he said: there is no need to risk one's life for Joseon. Daring to give such a promise is because Great Ming can afford to wait and can hold it up.

Great Ming is the Celestial Empire. The worst result is a messy war of nurturing bandits to maintain self-importance.

Qi Jiguang stood by. He originally wanted to say that benevolence does not command troops, but in the end, he didn't say it. He felt that the Emperor's instruction was right. Wan Shi must be asked why. Only by unloading the burden for the front-line soldiers to fight for something as vain as a "parental state" can they fight more flexibly.

The horns of the Great Ming North Camp sounded. The auspicious time for departure had arrived, and the great army was ready to set off.

The Great Ming Emperor walked step by step from the Wu Ying Building to the drill ground, looking at the cavalry battalions gathered on the drill ground, the ten-thousand-man team, wearing cotton-padded clothes, cotton shoes on their feet, and quilts in their bulging military bags on their backs. Each soldier wore a felt hat.

This hat was an invention of the Great Ming Emperor Zhu Yijun. The hat was made of rabbit fur. This kind of rabbit came from France and was introduced to Great Ming in the third year of Wanli by Antonio, the King of Portugal, who was enfeoffed by Great Ming. According to Antonio, the rabbit is the king of rabbits. Its fur is soft, its warmth is extremely strong, and it is easy to breed, and the meat is very delicious.

Antonio didn't brag. After the rabbit was introduced to Great Ming, through the careful cultivation of the Baoqi Division, it became an extremely important source of fur in the Great Ming Imperial Manor.

The felt hat is made entirely of leather. The front edge has a hard wooden board as support to block wind and snow, and the outer cloth ear flaps have chin straps that can be fixed, which can protect the ears from frostbite. The front of the outer cloth ear flaps has buckles, which can protect the cheeks. The entire outer cloth ear flaps, together with the neck protection, can be folded to the top, so that even in spring and autumn, it will not be inconvenient to move.

Spring and autumn can freeze people to death. The temperature changes rapidly, and people can also freeze to death from hypothermia.

This hat was nicknamed by the soldiers as the "Wanli Hat" or "Longevity Hat." Each soldier was equipped with two, and could receive one every year. This is imperial grace, because a pure leather felt hat can be used for more than ten years without breaking. If you cherish it, it is not an exaggeration to pass it on for three generations. But the Emperor gives each soldier one every year, so that in the three-level schools of the North Camp, those children who are still studying can each wear such a hat.

The price paid is that millions of rabbits in the Imperial Manor are killed every year, and this rabbit meat also becomes one of the big meats to reward the three armies, and the rabbit meat is also called "Longevity Meat" by the soldiers.

Rabbit meat is delicious, and Zhu Yijun likes it very much.

The cost of this hat is only two *qian* of silver, and the standard for each soldier's clothing, bedding, and quilts per year is three *liang* of silver. This is a benefit outside the fixed military pay of eighteen *liang*.

"Great Ming Army, mighty!" Zhu Yijun did not have a long-winded speech. Every time he set off, there was only this one sentence.

Because the Great Ming Army is truly mighty. ===== CHAPTER 711 =====