Chapter 459
The Fall of the Joseon Dynasty
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Initially, under the regency of Li Changjie and others, the Joseon army invaded the Song Dynasty, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the three prefectures of Qin, Lian, and Yong. In particular, after the fall of Yong Prefecture, a horrific massacre occurred in which "not a single one of the 58,000 soldiers and civilians surrendered." Subsequently, the Song Dynasty launched a large-scale counter-offensive, and a peace agreement was reached after the Battle of Fuliang River.
After that, Li Qiande was constantly restless and unable to eat or sleep.
Don't misunderstand, Li Qiande wasn't feeling guilty, but rather afraid.
It's important to know that the Song army was almost at the city gates at that time. If it weren't for the outbreak of plague and food shortages in the Song army, the Joseon Dynasty might have perished.
Emperor Shenzong of Song did not actually want to negotiate peace with the Joseon Dynasty. What he really wanted to recover was Western Xia and the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. The Joseon Dynasty could only be put on the back burner.
Therefore, Emperor Shenzong of Song could only keep this score in mind for the Joseon Dynasty, intending to settle the score properly with them after he recovered Western Xia and the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.
Unexpectedly, in the subsequent war to recover Western Xia, the Song army launched a five-pronged attack on Xia, but failed to conquer it. In addition, hundreds of thousands of Song elite troops were killed, and the war cost tens of millions of strings of cash. Almost all the wealth that Wang Anshi's reforms had accumulated for the Song Dynasty was squandered, and the recovery of Western Xia ended in failure.
As for the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, there's no need to even think about it.
The Joseon Dynasty was thus safe.
When Gao Taotao came to power, she changed the name of the mother to the son, returning the small gains made during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of Song to Western Xia, making the Song Dynasty's recovery of Western Xia a complete joke.
The Joseon Dynasty became safer.
Li Qiande was thus relieved.
However, Li Qiande's good days did not last long before Emperor Zhezong of Song came to power.
Not long after Emperor Zhezong of Song came to power, he launched a war against the Western Xia and heavily relied on Zhang Dun, who had previously helped the Song Dynasty expand its borders in the south. Later, he simply made Zhang Dun the prime minister of the Song Dynasty.
More importantly, during the reign of Emperor Zhezong of Song, the Song Dynasty repeatedly won wars against the Western Xia.
Most importantly, Emperor Zhezong of Song was young, only in his teens or twenties.
If Emperor Zhezong and Zhang Dun had recovered Western Xia and then the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, the Joseon Dynasty might have ended up on the list of the Song Dynasty's destroyed kingdoms.
At that time, Li Qiande was terrified.
Fortunately, Emperor Zhezong of Song died in his early twenties.
Before Li Qiande could even breathe a sigh of relief, the emperor of the Song Dynasty was changed to Zhao Yu.
What made Li Qiande extremely anxious was that as soon as Zhao Yu came to power, he continued the work that Emperor Zhezong of Song had not accomplished. He not only continued to launch wars abroad, but also carried out major reforms at home.
As a result, under Zhao Yu's leadership, the Song Dynasty experienced unprecedented vitality domestically and launched a series of wars externally, recovering Qinghai and Tibet, Western Xia, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, Goryeo, the Northeast, Japan, the grasslands, the Western Regions, and Tibet, conquering the entire north in one fell swoop. This made the Song Dynasty unprecedentedly powerful, even surpassing the strength of the Han and Tang dynasties.
Moreover, when the Song Dynasty conquered these regions, it had amassed an army of one to two million men, and these were highly capable and skilled soldiers.
If the Song Dynasty doesn't continue to wage wars against other countries, how will it accommodate so many troops?
Looking around the Song Dynasty, it seems that only the countries to the south of the Song Dynasty are left to fight.
If that's the case, then the Joseon Dynasty, as a neighbor of the Song Dynasty and having had very serious conflicts with it in the past, would certainly be the first to be affected.
Furthermore, the Song Dynasty vigorously developed maritime trade, which ushered in the Age of Exploration, and the Joseon Dynasty was located on the route that the Song Dynasty took to sail to the Western Ocean and Southeast Asia.
How could Li Qiande feel at ease under such circumstances?
Therefore, over the years, Li Gande has sent people to deliver gifts to Zhao Yu every year, especially on Zhao Yu's birthday, which he never dared to miss.
If Li Gande hadn't been childless, he would have wanted to offer his own daughter or granddaughter to Zhao Yu.
Later, out of fear, Li Gande selected the most beautiful woman from the imperial clan, adopted her as his daughter, bestowed upon her the title of Princess Yanping, and presented her to Zhao Yu.
All of Li Qiande did was to prevent the Song Dynasty from attacking the Li Dynasty.
However, it is counterproductive.
In the winter of the twenty-fifth year of the Hongwu reign, the Song Dynasty launched a war almost without declaring war.
—On the day before the war, Zhao Yu sent a declaration of war to Li Gande, telling him that because the Joseon Dynasty had sponsored pirates, causing the Great Song Dynasty to suffer huge losses, and because the Joseon Dynasty had frequently invaded the Great Song Dynasty in the past, abducting people from the Great Song Dynasty to serve as slaves and carrying out massacres within the territory of the Great Song Dynasty, the old and new grievances had reached the point where war was inevitable. In addition, the Joseon Dynasty still condoned slavery, and there were a large number of slaves in the country. The key point was that most of these slaves were people from the Great Song Dynasty. As their emperor, I must rescue them, so I must fight against you.
Immediately afterwards, under the leadership of Li Gang and Zhao Li, the 200,000 Song troops that had already been mobilized launched a combined land and sea attack on the Joseon Dynasty.
Before Zhao Yu went south of the Yangtze River, he had already made up his mind to recover Dali, and the chosen commanders and generals were Li Gang and Zhao Li.
As I said before, Zhao Yu had already recovered all the other regions of China, so how could he possibly leave Dali behind and leave himself with only regrets?
Therefore, not long after Li Yanxian recovered Tibet, Zhao Yu used the pretext of defense deployment to transfer a large number of troops between the Song Dynasty and Dali, as well as between the Song Dynasty and the Joseon Dynasty.
Now that Zhao Yu has decided to first reclaim the Joseon Dynasty, he has transferred more than 200,000 troops from two places to Guangnan West Road. Li Gang had already gone there to make arrangements.
When Zhao Li arrived at Guangnan West Road with Zhao Yu's Shenji Vanguard Army, the Song army used Guangnan West Road as its core strategic starting point and launched a thunderous offensive against the Joseon Dynasty, relying on a two-pronged deployment of land and water advances.
On the land front, the main force of the Song army was concentrated in Yongzhou.
This place is a military stronghold on the border between the Song Dynasty and the Joseon Dynasty, and it is also the site of the Yongzhou Massacre. It not only has ready-made city defenses and military supplies, but also can be used to unite the army.
Li Gang and Zhao Li, with Zhao Yu's adopted son, Li Zhong, a former general from Goryeo, as their vanguard, led Song soldiers from Goryeo, Japan, the grasslands, Tibet, and the Western Regions, supplemented by the Dongding militia of Guangnan West Road, southward along the Zuojiang-Taipingzhai-Yongpingzhai line, advancing along the old route taken by Di Qing during his southern expedition.
The terrain along this route was relatively flat, and there were many streams and valleys along the way that could be used for transporting supplies. The Song army took advantage of the surprise attack and the lack of preparation, and used its cavalry to quickly conquer cities and seize territory.
Faced with the Song cavalry sweeping across the entire north, the Joseon Dynasty's defenses were practically nonexistent, and its army was utterly vulnerable.
However, it cannot be said that the Joseon Dynasty's army was entirely useless.
At least for a time, the Joseon Dynasty's war elephant troops did cause some trouble for the northern soldiers who had never seen elephants before.
Unfortunately, elephants are timid. A Song soldier threw a bomb into the Joseon army, which caused the elephants to run back in a frenzy, resulting in a devastating disaster for the Joseon army.
In short, faced with the fierce attack of the Song army, the Li army either collapsed or surrendered, and the Song army broke through the northern border of the Li Dynasty without encountering large-scale resistance, heading straight for Lang Son. After capturing Lang Son, the Song army took advantage of the situation to move south, heading straight for Bac Giang Prefecture, a transportation hub in the heart of the Li Dynasty, and opening up the land route to Thang Long City.
On the waterway, the main force of the Song Dynasty's navy set sail from Guangzhou Port and Qinzhou Port, splitting into two routes to form a pincer attack.
The eastern naval force, led by Li Jun, departed from Guangzhou, passed through the Qiongzhou Strait into the Beibu Gulf, and sailed along the eastern coast of the Joseon Dynasty. Their target was Hualu Port, an important port of the Joseon Dynasty, which was to cut off the Joseon Dynasty's connection with overseas and prevent it from escaping or seeking help.
—The Jinghai Camp, which was reorganized from the Tanka bandits, was in this navy. Shi Honggu, who was already pregnant, wanted to personally command this battle and even wanted to serve as the vanguard, but Zhao Yu stopped her.
The western naval force, led by Li Bao, set off from Qinzhou Port and sailed up the Red River, a crucial waterway for advancing on Thang Long City.
The western naval forces' warships were all improved wheeled ships and tower ships, with iron hulls that provided extremely strong defense. The bows and sides of the ships were equipped with Li Lin cannons and fierce fire oil tanks.
The Joseon Dynasty's bamboo and wooden warships hastily intercepted the Song army on the Red River, attempting to prevent them from entering Joseon by water. However, they were instantly routed by the bombardment of Li Lin's cannons, with corpses floating on the river and the wreckage of the warships blocking the waterway.
The western naval force swept through the forts and strongholds along the Red River, reaching the Red River crossing outside Thang Long City, where it joined forces with the land army to encircle the city.
The Eastern Route Navy, relying on the long range and powerful firepower of its Li Lin cannons, advanced along the sea route all the way to the Joseon Dynasty's Hua Lu Port. After a barrage of cannon fire, it captured this most important port of the Joseon Dynasty. Subsequently, the Shenji Vanguard Army, which was operating with the Eastern Route Navy, landed at Hua Lu Port and then headed straight for Thang Long City.
The coordination between the land and naval forces was incredibly precise. Just as the land army broke through Bac Giang Prefecture, the two naval forces arrived just outside Thang Long City. The pincer movement formed by the two-pronged attack completely locked down Thang Long City.
Li Qiande, standing in the city, gazed into the distance from his railing and saw that the surface of the Red River was covered with the banners of the Song Dynasty's navy. Hundreds of warships were cutting through the waves, with Li Lin cannons mounted on their bows arrayed in a menacing formation. Before even reaching the riverbank, they had already launched their attack.
A thunderous roar tore through the sky, and scorching hot shells fell to the ground like thunderbolts, shattering the stone fortifications and wooden palisades that the Joseon Dynasty had built along the river. Amidst the flying mud and rocks, the Joseon Dynasty's camp was instantly turned into a sea of fire.
The Joseon navy hastily sailed its bamboo and wooden warships to meet the attack, but they were no match for the Song army's ironclad warships. Several volleys of cannon fire from Li Lin blasted the warships, breaking their masts and hulls and capsizing them. Corpses floated on the river, and blood stained half of the river red.
At the same time, the Song army advanced simultaneously on land, with cavalry in the lead, infantry in the middle, and Li Lin cannons pulled by tractors following closely behind.
Joseon mobilized its elite infantry, with elephant cavalry as the vanguard, and charged towards the Song army lines with a roar.
But then, Li Lin's cannon in the Song army formation roared and struck the elephant herd.
The startled war elephants turned tail and ran wildly, which instead broke through the infantry formation behind them.
Taking advantage of this lull, the Song army's cavalry immediately pressed forward, continuously reaping the lives of the Joseon soldiers, with screams echoing everywhere.
Immediately afterwards, the Song army's infantry carried out precise capture and killing of those who had escaped.
The Ly Dynasty's defenders suffered repeated defeats, and the Song army advanced with unstoppable momentum, with prefectures and counties along the way surrendering at the mere sight of them. Within a month, the Song army was at the gates of Thang Long.
The walls of Thang Long were high and the moat deep. The Ly Dynasty defenders kept the city gates tightly shut, attempting to put up a stubborn resistance with the city's defenses.
The Song army was in no hurry to attack the city. Instead, they anchored their warships on the river and turned Li Lin's cannons to point directly at the city walls.
After several volleys of fire, the thick city wall was blasted open in several places, and amidst the flying bricks and stones, the defenders fell to the ground with cries of agony.
At the same time, the Song army on land set up ladders and, under the cover of Li Lin cannons and tiger squat cannons, launched a fierce attack on the city.
However, before the army could even enter Thang Long City, the city gates were blown apart by the navy's cannons.
The Song army's iron cavalry roared in, charging and fighting alongside the infantry.
Although the city's defenders fought desperately, they were no match for the Song army's superior firearms. The streets and alleys were filled with the sounds of muskets and shouts of battle.
Before a day had passed, the outer city of Thang Long City fell, and the capital city, which had been built up by the Ly Dynasty for generations, fell into the hands of the Song Dynasty. Ly Can Duc led the royal family, the royal clan, the court officials, and the nobles in the city out of the inner city to surrender.
The Song Dynasty's ability to conquer Thang Long and destroy the Ly Dynasty in just over a month was not primarily due to the fighting prowess of its frontline soldiers. The key to victory lay in the Song Dynasty's advanced transportation system, which enabled the precise and rapid delivery of provisions, supplies, and ammunition through a combined land and water transport network, achieving a high degree of coordination with the frontline offensive.
It must be said that in recent years, the Song Dynasty has made great efforts to build railways and highways, extending them all the way to the border. It has also vigorously developed trains and automobiles, as well as shipbuilding and navigation technology, which has brought great convenience to the transportation of troops, food supplies, and firearms and ammunition.
The situation of mobilizing tens of thousands of troops and requiring hundreds of thousands or even millions of people to transport grain and supplies, which was common in the past, no longer needed to occur in the Song Dynasty.
The Song Dynasty only needed to gather trains, cars, and ships to quickly transport its army, laborers, and supplies to its borders.
The Song Dynasty's cavalry learned the fighting style of the nomadic peoples of the grasslands, only carrying a small amount of supplies into battle, relying entirely on looting—no, on "captured goods."
This undoubtedly greatly reduced the logistical burden on the Song army.
In addition, there was the Song Dynasty's powerful transportation capacity.
The Li Lin cannon, which could be considered the most lethal weapon at the time, along with a sufficient supply of shells, was able to be delivered to the battlefield on time and with precision. This allowed the Song army to maintain its advantage of having ample food and ammunition during its swift offensive, ultimately enabling it to successfully encircle Thang Long City.
With the Li Lin cannon and other advanced weapons and equipment, how could it be difficult to eliminate a small country like the Joseon Dynasty?
On the 27th day of the 12th month of the 25th year of the Hongwu reign (1389), just three days before the most important Spring Festival for the Han people, Thang Long City fell, and Li Gang and Zhao Li led a large army into the city.
Prior to this, Li Gang had already sent people into the city to convey Zhao Yu's imperial edict, stating that: "Our Song Dynasty has come here only to liberate slaves and will not harass civilians. People in the city need not panic. Regardless of whether they are soldiers or civilians, Han or Li, as long as they surrender, our Song army will not commit any offenses. If they resist stubbornly, they will be killed without exception."
Li Gang and Zhao Li led several thousand elite troops into Thang Long City in a grand procession.
Just see:
The incredibly aged Li Gande led the people of the Li Dynasty to kneel and surrender.
At this moment, Li Qiande knelt on the ground, holding the imperial seal high with both hands. Behind him were a coffin and a white lamb.
Upon seeing this, Li Gang smiled slightly, while Zhao Li bluntly said, "If you just stripped yourself naked and tied yourself up, the play would be complete."
Neither of them felt any pity for Li Gande, because hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Guangnan West Road were watching for the retribution that would befall Li Gande and the Joseon people.
Furthermore, Li Gang and Zhao Li did not accept Li Qiande's surrender because they were not entitled to it.
Li Gang immediately ordered that Li Gande, along with the entire royal family, clan, officials, and nobles of the Li Dynasty, be sent to Fuzhou to be dealt with by their Emperor Zhao Yu…
...(End of chapter)