Chapter 107: Military Report

Hongwu Year Four, the twenty‑third day of the twelfth month.

Winter has already thickened in Kaicheng; the morning frost has formed on the outer edge of the camp tents, a blanket of white.

Zhu Yong stepped out of the marshal's tent, his breath turning to white vapor in the cold wind.

He wore thick cotton armor, covered by a Black Great Cloak that Empress Ma had sewn herself last year.

"Prince, today we set out for the capital; everything is packed," Zhang Wu reported as he stepped forward.

"Hmm, how are the troops preparing?" Zhu Yong asked.

"All set, just waiting for your command, Prince; everyone is eager to return home," Chen Heng said, walking over with a smile.

Zhu Yong nodded and gazed into the distance.

The Kaicheng royal palace has already hoisted the Great Ming banners, and Ming soldiers patrol the city walls.

After Goryeo's fall, Xu Da left Deng Yu to command fifty thousand troops to garrison the area, while civil officials were transferred from Liaodong and Shandong to begin governing the newly reclaimed land.

According to Zhu Yuanzhang's decree, Goryeo was reorganized into the Chaoxian Buzhengshisi, overseeing Ba Fu Sanshiliu Xian.

Members of the Goryeo royal family were escorted to Yingtian, and noble lands were allotted to surrendered soldiers and local peasants.

Xu Da also ordered the construction of ports and shipyards along the Goryeo coast, preparing for possible future naval operations.

"When will Xu Shu and his men depart?" Zhu Yong asked.

"General Xu set out for Beiping three days ago; General Chang and General Lan returned to Liaodong; General Li Wenzhong led his troops south to sweep up remaining resistance," Wang Gui reported.

Zhu Yong fell silent for a moment.

The campaign lasted from August to December, subjugating the Nüzhen and pacifying Goryeo; the Longxiang Army once fielded thirty thousand, now only about twenty‑six thousand remain.

Over three thousand fell in battle, five thousand were wounded, including more than eight hundred seriously injured.

Most of these casualties occurred during the assault on Kaicheng and the sweep of Nüzhen tribes.

"Have the ashes of the fallen soldiers been collected?" Zhu Yong asked.

"Collected, as per your command, Prince; each receives a porcelain urn labeled with name and hometown, a total of three thousand one hundred twenty‑seven," Zhang Wu said in a low voice.

Zhu Yong inhaled deeply and said, "Take them home."

"Yes!"

At Chen Hour, the army set out.

Twenty‑six thousand Ming troops marched out of the city, the column stretching for several miles.

At the front flew Zhu Yong's Prince Wu banner, followed by the flags of each camp.

The urns of the fallen were loaded onto twenty large carts, covered with white cloth and escorted by veterans.

Kaicheng civilians stood on both sides of the Street, silently watching the army that had conquered their nation depart.

Some elders whispered cries, some youths bore hatred in their eyes, but most were merely numb.

For a people whose nation has fallen, merely surviving is a fortune.

Zhu Yong rode his horse at the head of the column, never looking back.

War is like this: you live, I die; there is no right or wrong.

If Wang Zhuan of Goryeo had not provoked Great Ming, slain envoys, or breached the border, he would not have invited the disaster of annihilation.

Leaving Kaicheng, they followed the official road north.

After three days' march, they reached Pingrang.

Pingrang city suffered greater damage than Kaicheng; many sections of its walls had collapsed and were under repair.

Deng Yu was stationed here; upon seeing Zhu Yong's army arrive, he left the city to meet them.

"Prince Wu's triumphant return, I have been awaiting you here for a long time," Deng Yu said, bowing.

Zhu Yong dismounted and returned the salute: "General Deng, you have labored; Goryeo is newly settled and its defenses are complex, I owe you a great debt."

"It is my duty; your recent conquest will surely earn His Majesty a generous reward when you return to the capital," Deng Yu laughed.

"The soldiers gave their lives; it is not solely my achievement," Zhu Yong said earnestly.

After a few courteous words, Deng Yu ordered the army to set up camp outside the city for rest.

That evening, Deng Yu hosted a banquet at the Pingrang Fuya to see Zhu Yong off.

During the banquet, Deng Yu exclaimed, "I have fought half my life and have never seen a commander as brave as you; in the battle of Kaicheng you led five thousand men to breach the West Gate and capture the Goryeo king—truly a divine weapon from heaven."

Zhu Yong raised his cup: "General Deng, you flatter me; without Xu Shu's front‑line restraint and without the soldiers' sacrifices, I could not have taken Kaicheng alone."

"Your humility is noted, Prince, but I have a word to say; I wonder if I should speak it," Deng Yu said, draining his cup and speaking earnestly.

"General, please speak."

"Your martial prowess is unrivaled, a sharp blade for the nation, but a blade too sharp can break and wound; upon your return to the capital, the court may criticize you for excessive slaughter, claiming it harms heavenly harmony. You must be prepared."

Zhu Yong fell silent for a moment, then nodded: "Thank you for the warning, General; I will remember it."

Zhu Yong was silent for a moment, nodded and said, "Thank you, General, for the reminder; I'll remember it."

When subjugating the Nüzhen, he ordered that all males over fifteen be executed, and women and children relocated to Liaodong for settlement.

The three Nüzhen divisions saw over forty thousand killed and eighty thousand captured.

After pacifying Goryeo, when Kaicheng fell, remnants of the Goryeo army hid among civilians to resist; he ordered a city‑wide hunt, executing all resistors without mercy, beheading another three thousand.

These deeds are recorded clearly in the battle reports.

The civil officials at court will surely claim he is unmerciful.

The civil officials in the court would certainly say he is unkind.

On the battlefield, it is you die or I perish; showing mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself.

Moreover, his eradication of the Nüzhen was to remove a future threat.

The conquest of Goryeo was to expand Great Ming's territory.

The destruction of Goryeo is for Great Ming to expand its territory.

My conscience is clear.

……

At the same time, Yingtian Prefecture.

The good news had already been reported back.

On the tenth day of the twelfth month, the first dispatch of good news reached the capital: Prince Wu led his army to break Kaicheng, captured Goryeo Wang Zhuan, and Goryeo fell.

Zhu Yuanzhang let out a loud laugh on the Fengtian Hall and immediately issued an edict: reward the three armies and confer titles upon the meritorious soldiers.

On the fifteenth day of the twelfth month, the second dispatch of good news: Prince Wu swept across the whole of Goryeo, pacified the remaining resistance, beheaded over ten thousand, and captured fifty thousand.

The court and the world were shaken.

On the twentieth day of the twelfth month, the third dispatch of good news: Xu Da and Chang Yuchun's units had each returned to defend, and Prince Wu led the Longxiang Army on the twenty‑ninth of the twelfth month to set out back to the capital.

The news spread, and Yingtian Prefecture boiled.

Tea houses and taverns, streets and alleys, everyone was discussing.

"Did you hear? Prince Wu is coming back!"

"Goryeo is destroyed! That was a country, and it's gone just like that!"

"Prince Wu truly is a deity descended; fighting under him, Great Ming never loses!"

……

Inside the Imperial City, Kunning Palace.

Guanyin Nu's belly grew larger; now she and Chang Shi were assigned to live inside Kunning Palace, under the watch of Empress Ma.

She sat on the warm kang, stitching children's clothes; the needlework wasn't fine, but every stitch was done with care.

Empress Ma sat opposite, looking at the two daughters‑in‑law, her eyes full of affection.

"Minmin, Yong Er is coming back soon; relax and nurture the fetus well."

Guanyin Nu nodded, but her hand trembled slightly as she said, "Imperial Mother, I… I'm just worried; on the battlefield swords have no eyes, he is brave, but…"

"Mother knows, but Yong Er is blessed with great fortune, nothing will happen; see, he's coming back, right?" Empress Ma grasped her hand and said.

Just then, Zhu Biao entered from outside.

"Imperial Mother, the second brother's letter has arrived," he said, holding a letter.

Guanyin Nu's eyes lit up, she tried to stand, but Empress Ma held her down.

Zhu Biao laughed, "The second brother wrote in the letter that he has set out from Pingrang, and should reach the capital soon; tell us not to worry, he is fine."

He said this while handing the letter to Guanyin Nu.

Guanyin Nu took the letter and examined it carefully.

The letter was dictated by Zhu Yong, transcribed by the clerk, the handwriting neat, the content brief:

"Father, Mother, elder brother, Minmin, I'm all fine, unharmed, Goryeo is pacified, Nüzhen is destroyed, the war is over, I'll be home soon, wait for me… Yong"

The final character "Yong" was written by Zhu Yong himself, crooked and twisted, yet with great force.

Guanyin Nu looked at the character, and tears fell.

"This child writes letters so naively," Empress Ma laughed, her eyes also reddened.

Chang Wan comforted from beside, "As long as the second brother is safe, this war of annihilating a nation is a merit for millennia; Imperial Father has issued an edict, when the second brother returns to the capital, a grand triumph ceremony will be held, so the world can see what a hero Prince Wu of Great Ming truly is."

"That's too flamboyant…" Guanyin Nu whispered.

"It should be flaunted; Yong Er was born into death, expanding the nation's lands, a monumental merit, and the world should know." Empress Ma said seriously.

Zhu Biao nodded, "Empress Mother is right; the second brother's merit deserves this honor."

……