Chapter Forty-Four: The Wandering Yuan Master (Part Two)

After arriving in the Northeast, the reality was not much different from Wang Baobao’s expectations. Whether it was Emperor Zhaozong entrenched in the southern desert region or the local strongman Nahachu in the Northeast, neither truly welcomed him. Guo Kang pointed out, “These people would rather see Wang Baobao and the Ming forces exhaust each other, buying themselves some breathing room. If he really engaged in a mutually destructive battle with the Ming main army, everyone would probably celebrate with a feast.”

“Although the Ming Dynasty has been repelled several times, they will certainly not let him off the hook; sooner or later, they will come knocking again. Serving as a guest army here is far from stable.”

“However, they have also devised ways to respond.”

“To the east lies the Kingdom of Goryeo, which has become increasingly unstable in recent years.” He showed everyone Goryeo’s location and explained, “Throughout history, although this country has been weak, its ambitions have always been grand—it’s a restless force.”

“The strategists have studied history and believe that although Goryeo claims lineage from ancient Goguryeo, it was actually one of the regimes that emerged after the dissolution of Silla. Originally, the Silla people came from the southern part of the peninsula. Through a submissive attitude, they gained the trust of the Tang Dynasty and, under Tang protection, defeated the northern invader Goguryeo and the southern maritime Japanese. Eventually, they absorbed the defeated Samhan tribes. However, they later turned against the Tang, expanded northwards, and invaded the former Han Four Commanderies, extending their territory to the line between the Datong and Cheongcheon Rivers.”

“During the turbulent reign of Empress Wu, the Khitan and Turkic forces repeatedly invaded the Yan region. The Tang could not resist, and the northeast was almost entirely lost. Since then, it was only nominally controlled and effective governance never reestablished. The Song, Liao, and Jin dynasties were powerless to intervene, allowing Silla and its successor, Goryeo, to expand freely, even reaching the Yalu River basin.”

“With the imperial army at its peak, the realm finally halted centuries of northward expansion by Silla and Goryeo, pushing Goryeo back south of the Datong River. On the reclaimed land, they established the Shuangcheng General Office in the east and the Dongning Prefecture in the west to manage the area. But as the Yuan Dynasty descended into internal chaos and the Red Turban Rebellion swept through, the northeast fell into disorder, and Goryeo seized the opportunity to retake the two regions.”

“Therefore, the strategists believe that reclaiming these lands is both reasonable and feasible. Previously, that useless Nahachu had tried to seize this territory but couldn’t even defeat the Goryeo forces, so the plan was shelved. Now is the opportunity for all.”

“Half a year later, Wang Baobao’s force of over forty thousand, well-prepared, set out from Liaoyang, invaded Goryeo, retook the Western Capital Dongning Prefecture, and regained their base.”

“Is this their justification?” Borzhan expressed skepticism. “Honestly, it sounds more like a one-sided declaration of war, designed to condemn all the enemy’s misdeeds. But I have difficulty believing that a weak state would provocatively expand its territory for hundreds of years. It just doesn’t seem plausible.”

“I haven’t verified whether the misdeeds are exaggerated unilaterally, but the century-long expansion is true,” Guo Kang replied without hesitation. “If left unchecked, they would expand all the way to the Yalu and Tumen Rivers.”

“They’ve been spoiled,” Li Xuanying interjected. “Normally, a small state wouldn’t constantly provoke a great power. But the lands they seized were basically power vacuums—no one could control them.”

“Under normal circumstances, even if they had the strength of Goguryeo in its prime, they would have been wiped out long ago. But the chaos stirred up during Empress Wu’s reign in Yingzhou completely disrupted the entire northeast. From the Murong clan’s rule during the Sixteen Kingdoms onward, centuries of foundation were basically destroyed. The massive efforts of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong were all in vain.”

“So, we don’t need to care whether Wang Baobao’s accusations are correct or not,” Li Xuanying glanced around and reminded them. “Whether it’s the Tang or Rome, they are great powers. When faced with border issues, condemning the surrounding small states or cursing the barbarian tribes at the borders is of little significance. The real root cause always lies within the country itself; internal problems are far more destructive than a few troublesome neighbors. This has been the case throughout history.”

“Yes, yes,” the group echoed in unison, some glancing intentionally or unintentionally at the Empress as they expressed agreement.

The Empress herself sensed something was amiss.

She looked at Li Xuanying, then at Guo Kang, displeased. “Perhaps you should be more explicit.”

“Well… the Silis language is always profound and cannot be understood simply by literal meanings; otherwise, it’s too easy to misunderstand,” Guo Kang quickly smoothed things over. “Brother Xuanying is deeply devoted to the country and spoke out of feeling upon seeing history, with no other intent.”

“That’s right,” Shi Ke chimed in to support him. “We military officials and soldiers are simple folk, born to serve the country loyally. Please don’t doubt our loyalty.”

“I have never doubted your loyalty to Rome…” the Empress began but hesitated and finally gave up. She turned to Guo Kang, “Please continue.”

“Very well,” Guo Kang eagerly resumed.

“When Wang Baobao’s forces advanced south, they encountered little resistance. Unlike the Mongol irregulars under Nahachu, his troops were local landlord militias from Henan, with reliable combat ability. Thus, they quickly forced the Goryeo king to surrender and reestablished the Eastern Expedition Province founded during the Shizu era.”

“Past experience showed that the Wang family’s Goryeo regime had no loyalty to the court and revealed their true colors when it mattered. Therefore, Wang Baobao symbolically submitted a memorial to Emperor Zhaozong demanding the deposition of the Goryeo king and the appointment of a new leader. After going through the formalities, it was approved.”

“At that time, many rallied to Wang Baobao’s side. Among the most active was Goryeo official Lee Seong-gye, whose ancestors had deep roots in Shuangcheng Prefecture.”

“Lee Seong-gye’s great-grandfather, Lee An-sae, was originally a Goryeo official. After falling out of favor due to a scandal involving a government-provided courtesan, he was forced to flee to the frontier. When the Mongols invaded, Lee An-sae surrendered early with his followers and even offered female relatives to the Mongols, earning their trust and being appointed as a commander of a thousand households. His great-grandfather, Lee Haeng-ri, moved to Shuangcheng Prefecture and was promoted to darughachi, becoming a major local power and rising in prominence.”

“The Lee family had close ties to the Yuan Dynasty; Lee Seong-gye’s grandfather Boyan Temür and father Uru Suba had already adopted Mongol names. But at this time, with Yuan rule collapsing, Uru Suba defected to Goryeo. With him as an insider, the Goryeo army captured the Shuangcheng General Office and expelled Yuan administrators.”

“However, Wang Baobao’s forces fought back, surpassing Goryeo court expectations. The upper and lower echelons were in uproar, hastily dispatching troops for defense. At the crucial moment, Lee Seong-gye seized the opportunity, defected again on the battlefield, and surrendered to Wang Baobao. Because of this example, he was retained and even promoted.”

“Of course, such a man was never fully trustworthy. So Wang Baobao, while reorganizing local officials and settling his men, continued eastward, preparing to campaign against Japan.”