Chapter 18 Chapter 18 The Second Showdown
Shen Weijing is a rather strange person. As an outsider, he resolutely engages in diplomacy, and he is not afraid of going to jail, not afraid of beheading, and he has no hesitation, which is really puzzling.
A gangster who travels thousands of miles, is not afraid of suffering and death, and comes here to intervene in national affairs. In my opinion, this is the purest blending spirit.
But since it is blending, generally speaking, there is always a motive.Because even if you are a gangster, you have to earn money to eat.But from the beginning to the end, this man seems to have no record of talking like a lion, and he hasn't taken the opportunity to make money, so we have reason to believe that he really wants to do something.
However, Shen Weijing didn't know: Although in a sense, diplomacy and politics are mixed, but it is definitely not his mixed method.If you fool around, you will lose your head.
On December 7, the 22nd year of Wanli (1594), Shen Weijing understood a truth when a person came: what has been said and what has been signed cannot be relied upon.
Xiao Xifei came, and according to the spirit of the Japanese peace talks, he, as a Japanese envoy, came to fulfill the previous promise of the Ming Dynasty.
Shen Weijing ushered in the greatest crisis in his life, because Xiao Xifei did not participate in his conspiracy, and when the Japanese envoys arrived, they would be received by high-ranking officials of the Ming Dynasty. There is no escape.
People have already arrived in the capital, and they have no guts to kill people, have no conditions to escape, even if they rush out of the country, there is nowhere to go - Japan and North Korea have also been fooled by him, and it may take hundreds of years to rush out of Asia.
From Shen Weijing's point of view, his life is considered to be the end of his life, unless a miracle happens.
A miracle happened.
On December 19th in the 22nd year of Wanli (1594), Shi Xing, Minister of the Ministry of War, was ordered to have a meeting with Xiao Xifei.
During the talks, Shi Xing proposed three major conditions for peace talks—the real conditions:
1. Japan must withdraw all its troops and return home within a time limit.
2. Toyotomi Hideyoshi was granted the title of King of Japan, but Japan was not allowed to pay tribute.
3. Japan must swear that it will never invade North Korea.
Then he told Xiao Xifei that if he agreed, there would be peace, and if he refused, the fight would continue.
Before setting off, Xiao Xifei was told that the Ming Dynasty had accepted the seven conditions proposed by the Japanese side. He came here to take away the Ming Dynasty's acknowledgment of ceding North Korea. If all goes well, he will also take away the Ming Dynasty's princess.
But now he knows that the princess is gone, ceding North Korea is out of the question, and business is hopeless.Japan's only choice was to collect some clothes and official seals from the Ming emperor, then pack up and get the hell out of Korea, vowing never to return.
Xiao Xifei was completely stunned, he finally understood that everything before was all illusion, and he was fooled again.
But then, he made an unexpected move.
Facing Shi Xing, Xiao Xifei said his answer: agree.
The so-called agreement means that Japan is willing to withdraw from North Korea unconditionally, no princess, no business, and no further demands.
Of course, this is impossible.
So the conclusion is that Xiao Xifei lied.
And as long as you analyze it, you will find that he does have a reason to lie.
First of all, he is President Xiaonishi's confidant, and President Xiaonishi is in charge of this matter. When the matter got to this point, and the news spread back to Japan, President Xiaonishi is destined to have no good fruit.
Secondly, after all, he is on the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and the other party has this attitude. If he brings up Toyotomi Hideyoshi's "dream" seven items, which annoys the other party, it is not wrong to say "the two countries should fight each other first" possible.
So the top priority is to let things go and go home.
Hearing Xiao Xifei's answer, Shi Xing was very happy, and he hurriedly reported this great diplomatic victory to Ming Shenzong.
But he never expected that Ming Shenzong would not believe it!
You know, although the emperor was lazy, he was not stupid. After he learned about this, he immediately called Shi Xing to ask about it: How could the Japanese accept such a condition so easily?
Shi Xing's brain was not very good at first, so he was completely confused when he asked such a question, and he didn't know how to answer for a long time.
In the end, Ming Shenzong came up with a solution for him:
"Tomorrow, you will ask the envoy again at the Ministry of War. There must be no mistakes."
Followed by the last sentence:
"Zhao Zhigao will go with you!"
Zhao Zhigao, who was a bachelor at the time, specifically asked him to be recruited, which showed that the emperor really lacked confidence in Shi Xing's IQ.
On December 20, the 22nd year of Wanli (1594), the second inquiry began.
For this inquiry, many people from the Ming Dynasty came. Except for Shi Xing and Zhao Zhigao, many officials from the Sixth Ministry were present to listen.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Shi Xing asked Xiao Xifei eight questions, and Xiao Xifei, uncharacteristically, responded fluently, explaining Japan's determination for peace, and the audience nodded frequently.
After deliberation, Shi Xing and Zhao Zhigao jointly came to a conclusion: Xiao Xifei can be trusted.
However, Shi Xing didn't know that the reason why Xiao Xifei answered so smoothly was because every word he said was out-and-out nonsense.
To be specific, it means saying what you think of and saying it nicely, and it is always an iconic slogan like "Heavenly God", anyway, it is worn for thousands of times, and flattery does not wear it.
Although most of the officials present were well-read in poetry and books, and there were many political veterans like Zhao Zhigao, after all, the conditions were limited at that time, and there were no places for study abroad. No one knew what was going on in Japan.
So, everyone believed it.
Relying on his outstanding performance in the Ming Dynasty, Xiao Xifei became one of the successful diplomats and became a big fool compared with Kan and Shen Weijing.
But as the saying goes, the waves behind the Yangtze River drive the waves ahead. Although he is a latecomer, Xiao Xifei has gone one step further when it comes to fooling people, and has developed it to a new level—not only fooling others, but also fooling himself.
The thing is like this, after the peace talks, according to the diplomatic practice, the officials of the Ming Dynasty were going to send Xiao Xifei back to China, but this man still had more ideas and came up with a list.
This list was instructed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and drafted by President Konishi. Some names were listed on it, most of them were generals of the Japanese army. The basis for rewarding money for officials in the Ming Dynasty.
At this point, Xiao Xifei is very clear that the so-called peace talks are pure nonsense, and it will not be easy to keep his head and go back, but this man is so persistent that he still handed over the list to the officials of the Ming Dynasty and told They: The people on the list are all loyal people in Japan. I hope that the Ming Dynasty canonize all of them and don't miss them.
Knowing that it was a fool, but still fooling it to the end, it can be said that he is determined. Of course, there are also some practical reasons-Xiao Xifei's name is also on that list.
What's even more funny is that before handing over the list, according to President Konishi's previous explanation, Xiao Xifei also obliterated two names, one is Kato Kiyomasa and the other is Kuroda Nagamasa.
The reason why he did this has a deep historical origin. Although both are Toyotomi Hideyoshi's cronies, the relationship between Konishi Governor, Kato Kiyomasa, and Kuroda Nagamasa is very bad. They often scold each other and do not cooperate in battle. Chang hated the two of them to the bone.
It is said that after this incident got out, Kato Kiyomasa was so angry that he jumped up: You didn't list my name when you knew you couldn't canonize it?Fight with you!
When they returned to Japan later, these guys didn't stop, they continued to fight and fight, and finally fought a battle in Sekigahara, Japan, and it was completely over.These are all Japan's internal affairs and will not be interfered here.
Looking at the entire negotiation process, it started with fooling around and ended with nonsense. After the unremitting efforts of the founding father Shen Weijing and the rising star Xiao Xifei, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Ming Shenzong and others were all involved, and an agreement was finally reached. It is really gratifying to congratulate .
What is even more commendable is the persistence of the Japanese, especially Governor Konishi, who, knowing that peace talks are nonsense and canonization is a dream, still insists on crossing off the name of his political opponent from the list. His seriousness should be commended.
Although this is an extremely absurd and ridiculous thing, at least until now, there is no sign of revealing the truth, and with the joint efforts of both parties, peace seems to be no longer a dream.
This test has finally passed, and Shen Weijing finally breathed a sigh of relief, but it was only a month of relief.
The efficiency of the Ming Dynasty was obviously much higher than that of Japan. In the first month of the 23rd year of Wanli (1595), Ming Shenzong issued an edict to Japan according to the terms of the negotiation, and appointed Li Zongcheng, Marquis of Linhuai, as the envoy to command Yang Fangheng, as the deputy envoy, took Shen Weijing to Japan to proclaim the decree.
Shen Weijing had no choice but to go on the road, but something happened before he reached Japan.
The incident happened to Li Zongcheng, the envoy of the Ming Dynasty. It should be said that this is a person with distinct personality characteristics, specifically speaking, he is timid.
Although this person is a hereditary marquis, he has always been out of the door, and he just wants to eat at home and wait to die. Suddenly, he was given such a job abroad, and he was very reluctant, but he couldn't do it if he didn't go, so he had to take a step. Three turned around and got on the road.
After walking all the way and grinding all the way, when he arrived in Busan, North Korea, he learned the inside story of the negotiation from an insider, and immediately turned pale with fright and sweated profusely.
In fact, it's nothing. Anyway, I didn't go to Japan, so I just turned around, and it was just a waste of travel expenses.
But this brother was so timid that he left his seal and credentials and fled overnight.
When the news was sent back to Beijing, Ming Shenzong was furious and ordered Li Zongcheng to be arrested. He also ordered Yang Fangheng to replace the envoy, and Shen Weijing to continue his visit to Japan as the deputy envoy.
Therefore, Yang Fangheng, who knew nothing, and Shen Weijing, who knew everything, finally crossed the sea in July and arrived in Japan after experiencing this turmoil.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was very happy about their visit. He arranged a grand welcome ceremony and decided to entertain the envoys of the Ming Dynasty in Osaka, the most prosperous city in Japan.
In September, the two sides met for the first time, and the atmosphere was very harmonious. On this day, Yang Fangheng, on behalf of Ming Shenzong, presented the crown clothes, seals, etc. to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was extremely excited. In his opinion, Ming Shenzong sent these things as a compromise to him, and what he really wanted was about to be obtained.
Because the next day, the envoys of the Ming Dynasty will announce the imperial edict of the Ming emperor, and in that edict, all his wishes will be fulfilled.
But Shen Weijing is very clear that when tomorrow comes and the edict is opened, everything will be over.Things are irreparable, unless all Japanese people become illiterate, illiterate (the official Japanese documents at that time, almost all use Chinese characters), or... a miracle happens again.
After much deliberation, there was no way, Shen Weijing spent this desperate night in tossing and turning, and ushered in the morning of the next day.
Little did he know, he wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep that night.
After hearing the news of the arrival of the envoy from the Ming Dynasty, Chief Xiaonishi panicked.Because before that, he already knew the truth from Xiao Xifei, but he didn't report it to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
It's not that I don't want to say it, but I can't say it.
Since the beginning of the peace talks, Toyotomi Hideyoshi has been in a dream state, always feeling that someone owes him something, that he should cede the land and make a marriage.If you shake him awake at this time, tell him: In fact, you have been fooled. They don't pay attention to you at all, and they don't plan to negotiate with you.The consequences are unimaginable.
What's more serious is that President Xiaoxi is responsible for this matter. Once something goes wrong, no one will be able to find the blame.
Then fool around, one day is one day.
But now the envoys from the Ming Dynasty have arrived, and the crown clothes have also been sent, and the imperial edict will be read tomorrow, so there is no way to get along anyway.
For his own mind and future, President Xiaoxi finally came up with a solution after thinking hard all night.
So, that night, he went to find someone.A monk, to be exact.
According to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's habit, whenever important documents are read out, monks are required to do it for him. In addition to the large number of Buddhist believers in Japan and the high status of monks, there is another important reason-monks are educated and generally do not speak white characters.
President Konishi's purpose was very clear. He found the monk and told him that if you read out the documents tomorrow and found that the conditions of the meeting were different from those of the previous meeting, or that would offend Toyotomi Hideyoshi, skip them all and don't read them out.
Of course, some exhortations, such as if you read it, I will do what you want, that is unavoidable.
After arranging everything, President Xiaoxi reluctantly returned home. With such troubles, he could only live one day at a time.
In any case, just fool around tomorrow.
The next day, the meeting begins.
In terms of the number and scale of the participants, this was an unprecedented and united conference.Because in addition to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, princes and ministers, and princes big and small, Tokugawa Ieyasu also came.
As Toyotomi Hideyoshi's old enemy, this man was able to be there, which fully shows that the work of the conference is positive and in place.
What is even more unprecedented is that, in order to show his respect for the Ming Dynasty, Comrade Toyotomi Hideyoshi actually put on Ming Dynasty costumes himself, and forced all his subordinates to change into costumes to attend the meeting (all accompanied by Ming clothes).
Then he held his breath, waiting for that exciting moment to come.
According to the procedure, the monk slowly opened the edict.
At this moment, Shen Weijing's nerves were stretched to the extreme, he knew that the miracle would not happen again.
President Konishi was also very flustered. Although he had done the work beforehand and knew what to do, there was no guarantee that Hideyoshi Toyotomi would not read it again when he was excited.
All in all, everyone is nervous.
But the most nervous one was the monk.
When President Xiaoxi came to him last night and asked him to skip reading, he already knew that something was wrong - if there is no problem, the ghost will come to you.
And after reading the imperial edict, he was sure that what he was holding in his hands was an out-and-out powder keg.
Read it all, you will be cleaned up; if you don't read it, you don't know when it will be cleaned up.
After a fierce struggle, he finally made a decision and began to read the imperial edict.
As the recitation continued to echo in the venue, the expressions of the participants began to change drastically.
Chief Xiaoxi stared at the monk, and he was finally convinced that there would be retribution for cheating.
But Tokugawa Ieyasu's group of people had quite relaxed expressions. After all, it feels quite good to see the enemy make a fool of themselves.
Shen Weijing was relatively calm, because this was already in his expectation.
The most gaffe was Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
At the beginning, this man listened carefully without saying a word, but the more he listened, the more ugly his face became. When the monk read the passage about Fengri King, he finally couldn't help it.
He jumped up, grabbed the edict, fell to the ground, and spit out the anger in his heart:
"If I want to be a king, I will be a king (if I want to be a king, I will be a king), do you still need to be crowned?!"
It's understandable to let off steam after being fooled for so long by others.
The next thing will be a matter of course, let's settle the accounts first.
The first one was Shen Weijing. He was a foreigner after all, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi was kind enough, so he gave him a scolding and drove him away.
The second one was President Xiaoxi. To this confidant, he naturally didn't say anything politely. With a wave of his hand, he immediately went out to behead him.
Fortunately, Comrade Xiaoxi was usually very popular, and everyone begged for mercy for him one after another. Out of respect, after a beating, they let him go.
In addition to these two, the Japanese personnel who participated in the deception were also punished.
Then came the declaration of war.
After being useless for so long, it is really unreasonable not to fight a war.So this time, he bet big again.
In September of the twenty-fourth year of Wanli (1596), Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued a general mobilization order to form the Eighth Army:
First Army: Commander Kato Kiyomasa, 10,000 people.
Second Army: Commander Konishi Xingchang, 14,000 people.
Third Army: Commander Kuroda Nagamasa, 10,000 men.
Fourth Army: Ueshige Nabeshima, 12,000 men.
Fifth Army: Shimadzu Yoshihiro, 10,000 men.
The Sixth Army: Changzong, our department, Yuanjin, has 13,000 troops.
Seventh Army: Hachisuka Housekeeping, 11,000 men.
Eighth Army: Maori Xiuyuan, 40,000 soldiers.
They are basically old acquaintances, so I won’t introduce them one by one.
The above number totaled 120,000, plus the reserve force stationed in Pusan, the total strength of the Japanese army was about 140,000.
Relatively speaking, the total number of Ming troops in the dynasty is more accurate, a total of 6,453 people.
While the Japanese army was stepping up preparations, the Ming Dynasty was in the midst of liquidation.
Yang Fangheng is undoubtedly the most innocent comrade in this bluff. He was originally a leader of the army, but was sent to peace talks, but the leader ran away halfway, so he had to take over by himself, and was ordered to go to Japan when he was in danger. After thinking about it, the other party suddenly turned his face again and kicked himself out, which is considered useless.
Of course, although Comrade Yang Fangheng is a rough man, he is not too slow. He was kicked out for no reason. Talking with others, he finally understood that the culprit was by his side.
When the truth came to light, he was just about to find someone to arrest Shen Weijing, but he learned that this brother had already slipped away under the pretext of having other missions.
Is it possible that the king's soil is all over the world, and he can't escape the earth anyway.Yang Fangheng went back to Beijing in a fit of anger.He also sent a memorial to Ming Shenzong, explaining the ins and outs of the matter.
Now the emperor became angry, and immediately ordered Shen Weijing to be arrested. After looking for him, he found that the brother had fled to Gyeongju, North Korea. There was no extradition procedure back then, so he was pulled back after putting on a rope, and he was imprisoned. Three years later After review by the Ministry of Criminal Justice, he was sentenced to death and killed.
Shen Weijing's life is full of confusion. He is said to be timid and dared to break into the Japanese army camp alone; he is said to be a fool and braggart. Toyotomi Hideyoshi often invites him to dinner. fight.
Regardless, cut it.
From his death, we can roughly get the following revelation:
Some things can't be mixed casually, and some things can't be mixed.
Shen Weijing was not the only one who was unlucky, Shi Xing, who was directly in charge of this matter, was not spared either. Comrade Ming Shenzong deeply felt that he was being fooled by others, and when he was furious, he wrote a strange article, the excerpt is as follows:
"Shi Xing, former Shangshu of the Ministry of War, deceived the emperor and wronged the country. It has been to this day. He is hateful and unfaithful. Take it from Jin Yiwei, and the judicial department will say it from the crime of imitation!"
Judging by his tone, he was really anxious.
Soon, Shi Xing was arrested and imprisoned, and his wife and children were also sent to the frontier. After staying in the prison for several months, he died inside, whether he was in poor health or was blackmailed.
It is said that once the emperor gets angry, the minister is useless, and he cannot accept it.
Since we can't reach an agreement, we can only fight.
But how to fight it is hard to say.You must know that helping North Korea to fight the war is a loss-making business. There is no money, no food, and so many demands. It can be said that it is tiresome. Therefore, before this, the Ministry of War issued a document to North Korea, which contained this sentence:
"It is advisable to defend yourself, not to rely solely on the celestial dynasty."
In layman's terms, this is to handle your own affairs and not bother others.
Moreover, the Ming Dynasty at that time did not take Japan seriously, and felt that it was necessary to reflect on and understand some truths after killing tens of thousands of people.Who knew that the tradition of this group of people is stubborn and persistent, and until today, it seems that there has been no improvement.
But in any case, no matter what seems to be unreasonable, so after comprehensive consideration, the Ming Dynasty still sent its own reinforcements, as follows:
Wu Weizhong, 3,700 people.
Yang Yuan, three thousand people.
complete.
Judging from this posture, the Japanese army is regarded as a guerrilla.
Although there are not many soldiers, the generals are still fully equipped, and several new faces make their debut.
The first person, named Yang Hao, was the Chief Secretary of Shandong Province at that time, and later changed to Youqin Capital Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, responsible for managing North Korea's military affairs.
This is a person who had a great influence on the history of the Ming Dynasty. Of course, it was not a good influence.
Yang Hao is a bit of a mess.The so-called "fucking" in Beijing dialect is muddled; in Shanghai dialect, it is called unclear;
In fact, Yang Hao is a good man out and out, because according to the Korean historical records, the Koreans had a very good impression of him, and also left behind his heroic deeds. The relevant historical materials say this:
Wherever he went, the vegetables for the solar eclipse were all pulled out of silver and left behind.
This means that brother Yang Gao has a good military discipline, and he always pays in cash for purchases, and never defaults.It is strange that such a generous master has a bad impression.But whether we can fight or not is another matter.
As a Jinshi in the eighth year of Wanli, Yang Gao successively served as magistrate, censor, councilor, and political party. He has very rich experience in politics.But this time to North Korea, he was not in a very happy mood.
Because not long ago, he led Li Rusong's younger brother Li Rumei to attack Mongolia, but he was defeated and hundreds of people were killed or injured. He was supposed to be dealt with, but it happened that North Korea was fighting.
Wearing a crime means that this person is not very good, but he was sent to North Korea to make meritorious service. It seems that he really treats the Japanese as bandits.
Objectively speaking, Yang Gao still has some military talents, and he has a good character and meticulous workmanship, but his strengths are precisely his weaknesses.
Ertai, a famous minister of the Qing Dynasty, once said: Don’t be confused about big things, but be confused about small things.
This is a wise saying, because people's energy is limited, but the toss in the world is infinite, and it is impossible to devote limited energy to infinite toss.
Li Rusong is a sensible person. He knows that he is a soldier, and a soldier should fight, and winning is morality, and other issues are secondary.
Yang Hao is a fool, and being a fool is destined to suffer.
Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty also sent a sensible person.
In the twenty-first year of Wanli (1593), after bidding farewell to Li Rusong, Ma Gui came to Yansui to serve as the general soldier and continue his war career.Here, he defeated the Mongolian tribes many times, made countless great achievements, and won countless awards.In the twenty-fourth year of Wanli (1596), I finally got tired of it.So he proposed to the court to retire.
Considering his hard work, the Ministry of War agreed to his application, and Magui happily packed up his bags and went home to recuperate.
But the work is destined to be endless. In the 25th year of Wanli (1597), the second Korean War broke out, and Magui recovered.
And the position he was appointed was the commander-in-chief of General Beiwo and concurrently served as the admiral of North Korea.
After receiving the order, Magui immediately set out on the road without any delay.He is very clear that a few years ago, that incomparable person had held this position and created brilliant and great achievements.
Four years ago, I followed you and climbed up the city tower. Now, your unfinished business will be completed by me.
Ma Gui's actions were very fast. On July 7, the 25th year of Wanli (1597), he had arrived in Seoul and began preparations for the battle.Because based on years of military experience, he judged that the Japanese army would launch an attack soon, and time was running out.
But in fact, his judgment was wrong. It was not that there was not much time, but that there was no time at all.
On July 25th in the 25th year of Wanli (1597), the full-scale offensive began.
The 120,000 Japanese troops were divided into left and right armies. The commander of the left army, Konishi Xingchang, led 49,000 men to attack Namwon, an important town in Jeolla Province.
The commander of the Right Route Army, Kato Kiyomasa, led an army of 65,000 people and attacked Quanzhou.
Judging from the military plan, the Japanese army's ambitions were not great. They no longer wanted to occupy the whole of Korea.
And to say that the army was unprepared is not right, because there are also troops stationed in Nanyuan and Quanzhou.
For example, in Nanyuan, the guard Yang Yuan has 3,000 defenders.
For example, in Quanzhou, Chen Yuzhong, the guard, has 2,500 defenders.
The calculated results are as follows, the Japanese army attacking Nanyuan was about 16.3 times that of the defenders.The number of Japanese troops attacking Quanzhou was about 26 times that of the defenders.
That's pretty much it.Calculated, it is estimated that only gods can keep it.
Yang Yuan is not a god, but he is not a coward either, so although Nanyuan fell, he is not ashamed at all.Facing an enemy ten times larger than his own, Yang Yuan desperately resisted, and went into battle to fight the enemy himself. He was seriously injured, shot several times in his body, led more than ten people to break out, and the rest of the troops were all killed.
Relatively speaking, Chen Yuzhong in Quanzhou is much more flexible. This man is obviously not worthy of his name, and he is not stupid and loyal at all, but he is quite flexible. Hearing that the Japanese army was attacking, he left with his troops and did not lose any of his troops. .
Namwon and Jeonju fell, and the two Japanese armies joined forces in Jeonju and began to prepare to march towards Seoul. Four years later, they once again took the initiative on the battlefield.
When Yang Yuan fled back, Ma Gui personally met him and said something to him:
"The defeat of Nanyuan was not a crime of war."
Thinking about it, it is true. Thousands of people beat tens of thousands. After all, they did not surrender, which is not bad.Yang Yuan felt unusually warm about the leadership's care and understanding.
However, he didn't really understand the meaning of this sentence.
In fact, just when he was feeling very comforted, Ma Gui wrote these words in his letter to the Ministry of War-"According to the military law, the defeated army will be punished".
The so-called "non-war crime" does not mean "not your crime".Although Yang Yuan is very good at fighting and escaping, but the city is still lost after all, and he must be responsible for losing it.A few months later, he was taken to Liaoyang, where he was beheaded before all the troops.
Ma Gui understood Yang Yuan very well, but he still killed him, because he wanted to use this man's head to tell everyone: This war, if you can't win, you die!
Now, before Magui's eyes, is an extreme crisis.
After the capture of Quanzhou, the main force of the Japanese army joined forces, with a total strength of more than 100,000 troops. Their morale was greatly boosted, and they were marching towards Wangjing.
At this time, another bad news came. The North Korean navy was defeated in Xianshan, and the whole army was destroyed.
Although North Korea's wars are not very good, it must be admitted that they are still quite capable when it comes to political struggles.Immediately after the end of the first war, he started his old business without stopping.
This time, it was Yi Sun-sin who suffered the disaster. After repelling the Japanese army, Li Sun-sin was appointed as the commanding officer of the navy, commanding the Chungcheong, Jeolla, and Gyeongsang naval forces.
Very beautiful results, is very unlucky.Before he had been proud for a few days, someone became upset. Yuan Jun, who was also a navy general, saw that he was not pleasing to the eye, so he found a few like-minded buddies, and dealt with Li Sunchen.The revolutionary hero was immediately dismissed, and only one life was saved, and he was sent to the army to make atonement for his crimes.
But Yuan Jun got what he wanted, his official career was prosperous, and he took over the position of Yi Sun-shin.
But what is certain is that Comrade Yuan Jun's mind is not very good, because he has overlooked a very important and obvious problem-while enjoying power, he must also assume obligations.
In June of the 25th year of Wanli (1597), Yuan Jun took office, and on July 7, the Japanese army attacked.
From a technical point of view, fighting a war is a matter of level. If you can fight, you will win, and if you can't fight, you will lose.And Yuan Jun belongs to the category that cannot be played.
The commander of the Japanese navy was Todo Takatora. As far as his command level was concerned, he was a level lower than the previous Kuki Yoshitaka, but unfortunately, compared with Yi Sun-shin, Won Kyun was basically no level.
It didn't take long for the two sides to fight. I don't know whether it was a formation problem or a command problem. The North Korean army was quickly exhausted, and more than 400 people were killed or injured.Yuan Jun immediately led his army to retreat, and began his escape life from then on.
On July 15th, Yuan Jun was overtaken by the Japanese army after fleeing for a week.The two sides started a battle on Qichuan Island, the North Korean army was defeated again, and Yuan Jun fled again.
On July 23rd, another week, Yuan Jun was overtaken by the Japanese army again.The location of this battle was Geoje Island, and the North Korean army was defeated again, but Yuan Jun finally made some progress, and he did not escape any further—he died on the spot.
After several naval battles, the Japanese sank more than 150 ships without any effort, and the Korean Navy was completely destroyed.
The imperial army was over, and the number of naval forces in the Ming Dynasty was very small. The Japanese army thus controlled the dominance of the sea. The 120,000 troops marched by land and water, and rushed towards the seemingly easy-to-reach target-Wang Jing.
The general guarding Wangjing is Ma Gui, who has mobilized all the troops he can deploy, a total of 7,843 troops.
Regarding this number, Ma Gui had some ideas, so he sent someone overnight to find the direct leader, Xing Jie, Minister of the Ministry of War and Governor of Jiliao, and asked to give up Wang Jing and retreat.
Xing Jie's answer is simple: no.
Since the leader said no, then there was no choice but to die.After all, Yang Yuan's example is in front of him. If he can kill Yang Yuan, Xing Jie can kill himself.
But there are only so few people under his command, and all of them are taken out to fight desperately. The fight may not be effective, and death is certain.After pondering over and over again, Ma Gui decided: lay an ambush.
After careful planning, the ambush was set at Jishan near Wangjing. Not only was the terrain dangerous, but there were also many jungles, so hiding thousands of people would not be a problem.
On the night of September 6th, Ma Gui personally selected 2,000 elite soldiers to go out of the city late at night and set up an ambush on Mount Ji.
He knew very well that this was his entire family property, if the ambush was not successful, it would only be benevolence when the Japanese army came.
Life and death success or failure, everything is in the dark.
On September 7, 12,000 Japanese vanguard troops arrived at Jishan.
In the eyes of the Japanese army commander, the current situation is very good, not a small good, but a big good. A hundred thousand troops against a few thousand people, no matter what, they are sure to win.
The optimism of the superior leaders also infected the majority of the Japanese army. They all expressed that when they entered the capital, they would wholeheartedly burn, kill and loot, and never let down the trip.Under the guidance of this emotion, the various units of the Japanese army fought bravely and strived to be the first to grab the first place. The formation of the army was extremely chaotic.
This is exactly what the Ming army expected.
At dawn, the Japanese army entered the ambush circle, commanded by the Ming army, and the deputy commander Jiesheng launched an attack.
The unprepared Japanese army suddenly went into chaos, and the Ming army was extremely cunning. They did not immediately rush out to fight melee, but hid in the jungle and fired muskets and artillery. Therefore, although the killing sound was loud, there was no one there.After being beaten and unable to find the owner, the Japanese army became more and more flustered.
Hearing the news, Kuroda Nagamasa, the commander of the Third Army, immediately led 3,000 people to support, but the panic was useless. Instead, his army was overwhelmed by the defeated former army and had to flee.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Jie Sheng immediately ordered a general attack, and two thousand Ming troops attacked across the board, chasing the Japanese army bravely.
This was another collapse of the Japanese army. Simply put, it was two thousand Ming troops chasing fifteen thousand Japanese troops, and they pursued them relentlessly.This scene left a deep impression on the Japanese army, so in the relevant Japanese historical materials, there is such a record: In the Battle of Jishan, the Ming army invested 40,000 troops, covering the mountains and forests without seeing the beginning and the end (all over the mountains and fields). .
Only ghosts know where the extra 38,000 people came from.
In this way, the Japanese brigade was chased by two thousand Ming troops and suffered heavy losses. The game of chasing ducks continued until four o'clock in the afternoon, and it was not over until the main force of the Japanese right army arrived.
In this battle, the Japanese army was defeated, with more than 800 people killed and countless wounded. It is known as the "Jishan Victory" in history.
This is an extremely critical battle. Although the Japanese army still has an absolute advantage, Magui's adventure confuses the opponent.Almost all Japanese commanders believed that what awaited them in Wangjing was a bigger trap.
So they stopped.
This was an extremely wrong military judgment, and they have never been able to move forward since then.
Ma Gui, who was bluffing, won time, and Xing Jie, who was not allowed to retreat, did not disappoint him.In just two months, he had completed the deployment and deployed more than 20,000 people to fight in North Korea. In addition to the troops that had arrived one after another, the number of Ming troops in the North had reached 50,000.
The Japanese army who missed the opportunity suddenly realized, but it was useless, and then the whole army retreated, retreating to the southern coast of Busan, only one step away from going to the sea.
The initiative of the war returned to the hands of the Ming army again, and Ma Gui knew that it was his turn.
In order to let the Japanese army go to sea boldly without any worries, Magui formulated a brand new battle plan.
The 40,000 Ming army was then divided into the following three groups:
The Left Route Army, led by Li Rumei and Yang Gao, with 16,000 troops, marched into Zhongzhou.
The Central Route Army, commanded by Gao Ce, with 11,000 troops, marched into Yining.
The Right Route Army, led by Ma Gui, with 14,000 troops, marched into Andong.
In addition, more than 10,000 North Korean troops marched into Quanzhou.
This is a very interesting formation, because the marching direction of the various armies is the gathering place of the Japanese army, and they will face different enemies.
In front of the Central Route Army is Sacheon, where the Japanese Shimadzu Yoshihiro Division is stationed.
In front of the North Korean army is Suncheon, and the one staying here is the commander of the Japanese army Konishixing.
The two armies marched aggressively towards the target, however, they would not attack.
These two troops were sent out for only one reason - to confuse the enemy.
The Japanese army had 120,000 troops, and the Ming army had only 40,000, so defeating them separately was the only option for the Ming army.
The final target chosen by Magui is Ulsan.
Ulsan is the last barrier of Busan. Its strategic location is extremely important, with convenient transportation and direct access to the sea. It is an important stronghold of the Japanese army.
Based on this, Magui judged that as long as Ulsan is captured, the Japanese army's logistics can be cut off, its retreat can be prevented, and the Japanese army can be wiped out.
Kiyomasa Kato was stationed in Ulsan, with a force of about 20,000, not too many in terms of numbers, and it seemed that he was an ideal target.
But things are not that simple. The Japanese army has obviously learned the lessons of four years ago and is very good at deploying formations.The Japanese armies in Suncheon, Sacheon, and Ulsan formed a formation in the shape of a character, forming a very solid defense system that echoed each other.
So Ma Gui decided to play a trick. He sent two groups of troops to advance towards Suncheon and Sacheon, creating a false appearance and making it impossible for them to judge the direction of attack.Afterwards, he divided more than 30,000 people from the main force of the Ming army into left and right groups, and marched towards different destinations to reduce the vigilance of the Japanese army.
一切都按计划进行，万历二十五年（1597）十二月二十日，左右两军突然改变方向，在距离蔚山不到百里的庆州会师，麻贵的最后一层面纱终于揭开。
明军即将亮出屠刀，敌人却还在摸黑。相对而言，日军的将领都是比较实诚的，接到敌情通报后，小西行长和岛津义弘立刻加紧自己防区的戒备，严防死守，而没有敌情的加藤清正，由于没有任务，竟然离开了蔚山，跑到附近的西生浦出差去了。
将领水平如此低下，当兵的还不挨打，那就没天理了。万历二十五年（1597）十二月二十二日夜，明军从庆州出发，黎明到达蔚山，进攻正式开始。
先锋李如梅率先出击，带领三千骑兵直插日军城外大营，对于这群不速之客，日军毫无思想准备，当场被斩杀一千余人，损失惨重。明军乘胜追击，彻底击溃了城外敌军，日军全线退守城内。
明军进攻之时，加藤清正正在西江浦扛砖头修工事，而他也用自己的实际行动，证明了这样一个道理——没有最慢，只有更慢。
这位仁兄实在是迟钝到了极点，之前毫无准备不说，仗打了一天，日军快马来报，他竟然还不相信，等败退日军前来亲身说法，他才大惊失色，直到晚上才赶回蔚山。
二十三日夜，各路明军陆续到齐，除左路杨镐、右路麻贵外，中路军董策一部也已赶到，共四万余人，成功实现合围。
对麻贵而言，一切都很顺利，三个月前，他仅凭七千余人，就吓退了十余万日军，两个月后，他得到了增援，并成功地分割了日军，包围了敌城。现在，他相信，最终的胜利即将到来。
实在太顺利了，顺利得超出了想象。
古语云：反常者必不久。
第二天，事情出现了变化。
明军没有丝毫松懈，于凌晨再次发起了猛攻，而战局的发展与麻贵设想的一摸一样，日军虽顽强抵抗，但在明军的火炮猛攻下，逐渐不支，而更出奇的是，就在双方僵持不下时，城内突起大火，乱上加乱的日军再也扛不住了，随即撤往内城高地。
到目前为止，命运之神始终在对麻贵微笑，现在，他准备哭了。
日军盘踞的地方，叫做岛山营，此地建于陡坡上，城墙由石块筑成，极其坚固，是加藤清正的杰作。
虽然这位仁兄在日本国内被称为名将，但就其战场表现来看，实在是惨不忍睹，不过此人倒也并非一无是处，在某些方面，他还是很有水准的，比如说——搞工程。
在修筑工事和城楼方面，加藤清正是个十分合格的包工头，工作认真细致，日本国内的许多坚固城池，都出自他的手笔。而岛山营，正是他的得意之作。
在这个世界上，有些事情是不能勉强的，打仗就是其中之一。
明军士气旺盛，人多势众，火炮齐发，日军士气低落，人少势孤，枪炮很少，无论怎么分析，明军都是稳赢的。
但现实是残酷的，明军的攻击失败了，只有一个原因——地形。
日军城池依山而建，不但高，而且陡，云梯架不上，弓箭也射不到，火炮虽有效果，但面对石头城，杀伤力有限，加上敌军防守严密，明军仰攻一天，毫无建树，只能收兵回营。
弓箭火炮都不顶用，云梯又太短，想来想去，也只有爬了。
于是自十二月二十五日开始，在炮火的掩护下，明军开始爬山。
二十六日，明军休息，朝军奉命爬山，被击退。
二十七日，明军继续爬山，未果。
二十七日夜，经过商议，明军决定改变策略，以炮火掩护，准备柴草，借火箭射入城，发动火攻。
二十八日，大雨。
从天堂到地狱，这大概就是麻贵现在的感觉。攻击不利，好不容易想了个招，又被天气搅乱了。但事实上，一切才刚开始，因为据说地狱有十八层，而他刚进门。
就在二十八日下午，麻贵得知了另一个消息——小西行长就要来了。
作为兵力最多，脑袋最好使的日军将领，小西行长轻易摆脱了朝军的纠缠，率领船队日夜兼程，向蔚山赶来。加藤清正可以死，但蔚山不能丢，虽说平时势不两立，但现在同乘一条破船，只能拉兄弟一把了。
形势越来越严重了，目前久攻不下，士气不振，如果让敌军成功会师，明军就有被分割包围的危险。
敌人越来越多，没有预备队，没有援军。打到这个份上，如稍有不慎，后果将不堪设想。许多将领纷纷建议，应尽早撤退。
经过慎重考虑，麻贵终于做出了决定——围城。
这是一个让所有人都吃惊不已的抉择，但麻贵坚信，自己是正确的。
他敏锐地意识到，如果就此撤退，敌军将趁势追击，大败不可避免，虽然日军援军已到，但决定战斗成败的，却是城内的敌人。只要残敌覆灭，胜利仍将属于自己。
于是他调整了作战部署，派部将卢继忠率军三千堵住江口，组织火炮弓箭，加强防御。高策则带兵监视釜山及泗川日军，其余部队集结于城下，断绝敌人的一切补给，总之一句话：打不死，就围死！
麻贵的决定是明智的。因为此时明军处境不佳，日军却更惨，基本上算是山穷水尽，城内没有水源，只能喝雨水，粮食吃光了，石头又不能啃。打仗还能提提神，不打就真没办法了。
于是在明军围困两天后，加藤清正主动派人送信给杨镐，表示希望讲和，杨镐倒也实在，说你出来吧，出来我和你谈判。
加藤清正回复，你们明朝人不守信，我不出来。
在我看来，这就是随意忽悠的恶果。
日军的境况持续恶化，之前日军有两万余人，战斗死伤已达四五千人，躲入城的，由于没有粮食衣被，许多都冻饿而死，到万历二十六年（1598）正月初一，城内仅余四千余人。
麻贵十分肯定：敌人，只剩下最后一口气。
可这一口气，终究没能挺过去。
到目前为止，麻贵的判断一直是正确且周密的，从假象、兵力部署、战略战术、计划变更，都无一失误。
综观整个战役，他只犯了两个错误，两个看似微不足道的错误。
然而成败，正是由细节决定的。
第一个错误的名字，叫做心态。
虽然麻贵准确地判断出了日军的现状，做出了继续围困的决定，但他却忽视了这样一点：城内的日军固然要比明军艰苦，但双方的心态是不同的。日军如果丢失蔚山，就会失去退路，除了下海喂鱼，估计没有第二条路走。所以他们唯一的选择，就是顽抗到底。
而明军作为进攻方，占据优势，就算战败，回家睡一觉再来还能打，毕竟是公家的事儿，犯不着玩命。而在战役的最后阶段，这一看似微小的差别，将成为决定成败的关键。
正月初二，外海的日本援军发起了潮水般的进攻，明军拼死作战，终于遏制了日军，暂时。
正月初三，日军发动猛攻，明军在付出重大伤亡后，再次抵挡了进攻，但士气已极度低落，开始收缩阵地。
正月初四，麻贵做出决定，撤退。
事情已经很明显，敌人异常顽强，此战已无胜利可能，如不立即撤退，必将全军覆灭。在随后的军事会议上，麻贵做出了具体的撤退部署——城北右路明军先行撤退，其他部队随后跟上，部将茅国器率军殿后。
而统领城北明军的任务，他交给了杨镐。
这是他犯的第二个错误。
在接到撤退命令后，杨镐带队先行，开始一切都很顺利，部队有条不紊地行进着，但随着部队的行进，越来越多的明军得知了撤退的消息，特别是受伤及患病的士兵，唯恐被丢下，开始喧哗起来。
应该说，在撤退中，这种事情是难免的，如能及时控制，就能平息风波。退一步讲，就算杨镐没能力，控制不住，毕竟有人殿后，也不至于出大事。
然而在蜂拥的士兵里，嘈杂的叫喊声中，杨镐慌乱了。
这个厚道的老好人，这个连买根白菜都要付现钱的统帅，终于在最关键的时刻，暴露出了他最致命的弱点。
面对眼前的乱局，惊慌失措的杨镐做出了毁灭性的决定——逃跑。
局势再也无法挽回。
从某种意义上讲，撤退就是逃跑，但两者间是有区别的：撤退是慢慢地跑，有组织地跑，而逃跑的主要内容，只有跑。
杨镐毫无顾忌地带头逃跑了，领导有跑的权力，下属自然没有不跑的义务。一个跟着一个，明军很快大乱，四散奔逃。
沿海日军趁机登岸追击，明军大败，伤亡惨重，余部退回庆州。蔚山之战就此失败。
此战，明军伤亡共计两万余人，进攻受挫，战线收缩至王京，而日军损失也高达一万余人，无力发动反击，朝鲜战局再度进入了僵持状态。
战争最残酷的地方，其实并不在于死了多少人，有多少财产损失，而是它一旦开始，就很难停止。
开打前可以随便嚷嚷，可要真打起来，那就痛苦了。双方各出奇谋，什么阴招狠招都用出来，全都往死里掐，如果双方实力差距大，当场掐死了还好，赔款割地，该干嘛就干嘛。最恶心人的，就是死掐偏掐不死，你能打，我也不差。
但凡遇到这种情况，双方都头疼，要不打吧，死了那么多人，花了那么多钱，这笔帐找谁算？更何况，还有一个面子问题。
麻贵面临的，就是这种状况。
蔚山战役之后，明军开始收拾残局。
第一件事是整军队，麻贵亲自出马，把战败的士兵重新集结起来，并向朝廷打报告，要求增兵。
第二件事是整人，也就是追究责任，首当其冲的就是杨镐。这位仁兄自然没个跑，仗打成这样，作为主要责任人，处罚是免不了的。被言官狠狠地参了一本，搞得皇帝也怒了，本打算劈他，大臣求情，这才罢官免职，没挨那一刀。这位兄弟的事还没完，后面再说。
善后处理圆满结束，可是接下来就难办了。
日本方面力不从心，很想和谈。打到今天，独占朝鲜是不敢想了，可毕竟投入本钱太多，还是希望多少捞点好处，挽回面子，才好走人。
然而明朝却是死硬派，根本就没想过谈判，别说割地赔款，连路费都不打算出，且毫无妥协退让的意思。
谈是谈不拢了，可要打也打不起来。日军虽然人多，但之前被打怕了，只是龟缩在沿海地区，不敢进犯。估计是学精了，占多少是多少，死赖着不走。
明军倒是很有进取精神，总想赶人下海，无奈兵力实在太少，有心而无力，只能在原地打转。
总而言之，谁也奈何不了谁，于是大家只能坐在原地，继续等待。
等着等着，日军开始吃不消了。因为他们部队太多，且长期出差在外，国内供养不起，又没人种田，只能陆续往回拉人，在朝日军人数随即减至八万。
与此同时，明朝军队却源源不断地开入朝鲜，加上麻贵之前整顿的新军，总数已达七万。
明军从未如此强大，日军也从未如此弱小，于是麻贵认为，行动的时候到了。
万历二十六年（1598）七月，麻贵再次做出了部署：
东路军，由麻贵亲率，所部三万人，攻击蔚山。
中路军，统帅董一元，所部两万六千人，攻击泗川。
西路军，统帅刘綎，所部两万人，攻击顺天。
九月七日，三路明军正式出征，这一次，没有假象，不用转弯，所有的军队，都将直奔他们的对手。
在当时的麻贵看来，选择这个时候出征，实在是再好不过了。此时距上次出征已有半年，各部修整完毕。而在此期间，锦衣卫也来凑了把热闹。事实证明，这帮人除了当特务，干间谍也有一套，探明了日军的虚实和实际兵力，并提供了大量情报。
出于对特务同志们的信任，加上手里有了兵，麻贵相信，最后的胜利即将到来。
但是他又错了。
麻贵不知道的是，锦衣卫的工作虽然卓有成效，却绝非尽善尽美，因为有一条最为重要的情报，他们并未探知：
万历二十六年（1598）八月，丰臣秀吉病死于日本，年六十三。
这位日本历史上的一代枭雄终于死了，他的野心也随之逝去，归于梦幻，但他亲手挑起的这场战争，却还远未结束。
丰臣秀吉死后，日本方面封锁了消息，并指派专人前往朝鲜，传达了这样一道命令：
极力争取议和，如议和不成，即全线撤退。
撤军日期为万历二十六年（1598）十一月五日，此日之前，各军应严加布防，死守营垒，逃兵格杀勿论，并应誓死击退明军之一切进攻。
为保证撤退成功，当时知道这一消息的，仅有小西行长、加藤清正等寥寥数人，连许多日军高级将领也不知道。
但世上没有不透风的墙，丰臣秀吉的死讯竟然还是传到了朝鲜，然而没有人相信，因为根据以往的传闻计算，丰臣秀吉至少已经死掉了十多次。
于是，在前方等待着麻贵的，是日军最后的疯狂。