After favorably evaluating Jin Wei and Han Defeng who had defected to the Empire, Hyang asked Wan:
“Jin Wei and Han Defeng have requested that we save their families. How do you think we should resolve this?”
At Hyang’s question, Wan closed his mouth and pondered for a long time.
After prolonged deliberation with a serious expression, Wan shared his thoughts with Hyang.
“Currently, the Inland Fleet, Lüshun Fleet, and parts of the South Sea Fleet have combined to launch retaliatory operations. One of their missions is to destroy Ming’s major naval bases. Would it be possible to extract their families during this operation?”
At Wan’s suggestion, Hyang shook his head.
“That would require too many resources. We would need several people who know every alley of Nantong where their families live, and people who are fluent in the Ming Jiangnan dialect. Moreover, to properly extract and evacuate them, communication between the rescue team and the landing forces would need to be seamless, but we lack the means for that.”
“Couldn’t we use balloons for the communication issue?”
Though Wan offered an alternative, Hyang again shook his head.
“Meeting the first two conditions is extremely difficult. That operation is unfeasible.”
At Hyang’s words, Wan could only bow his head.
“I apologize. My inadequate abilities have caused Your Majesty concern.”
“Not at all. It’s merely an unexpected variable that has emerged. The Crown Prince need not blame himself.”
After reassuring Wan, Hyang turned to the ministers.
“If anyone has a good method, speak up.”
“…”
Though Hyang’s command fell, no minister immediately spoke up.
As Hyang had said, this was an unexpected variable. Therefore, it was impossible that anyone had a pre-planned solution.
After a long silence, Kim Jong-seo stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, once this retaliatory operation ends, Ming will have to enter negotiations whether they like it or not. During those negotiations, we could employ suitable methods to accomplish this task.”
When Kim Jong-seo finished speaking, Hyang’s eyes lit up as he responded.
“Explain in more detail.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After hearing Kim Jong-seo’s subsequent strategy, Hyang added or removed several elements, and through this process, a quite decent operational outline was created.
“Hmm… not bad.”
Nodding as he looked at the paper detailing the rough framework created through his discussion with Kim Jong-seo, Hyang commanded Wan:
“Discuss this with the navy to refine it further, then bring it back to me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Bowing his head in response, Wan received the paper that Hyang handed over through a eunuch.
Two days later, Wan submitted the operational plan to Hyang.
After reading the plan, Hyang nodded and affixed his royal seal.
“Good. Proceed with the implementation.”
“Yes. We will do our utmost.”
***
Meanwhile, the Imperial Navy’s retaliatory operations were steadily progressing.
Ming’s fleet, which had been checking the Empire’s Lüshun Fleet, immediately began retreating upon hearing news of their defeat.
“The Joseon bastards will definitely attack our naval bases! We must stop them at all costs!”
Having retreated, Ming’s vessels quickly established defensive positions at the entrances to their home ports to protect them.
Of course, there were those who spoke differently.
“Splitting up like this will only lead to us being picked off one by one! It would be better to engage the Imperial fleet in a decisive battle!”
However, such aggressive arguments immediately faced strong opposition.
“Charging at the Joseon bastards’ Challenger-class vessels with Great Blessed Ships is suicidal! It’s far better to combine forces with the home port defense units!”
“That’s right! In a naval base, there’s a chance of survival even if you fall into the sea, but in the middle of the Yellow Sea, you can’t even hope for such luck!”
Speaking thus, the retreating Ming fleet split up and returned to their respective home ports.
Around the time they returned to their home ports, an order from Jingtai Emperor had already arrived.
-The fleet is to return immediately and defend the home ports! Unnecessary naval battles are forbidden!
***
Thanks to Jin Wei’s efforts, a considerable number of vessels from Deng Shulin’s fleet were able to return safely to their home ports.
The reports from the captains of these returning vessels were immediately forwarded to Jingtai Emperor.
“Defeated!”
After reading the report, Jingtai Emperor sank powerlessly into his chair.
“Defeat? Did it say defeat?”
After repeatedly muttering the word “defeat” several times, Jingtai Emperor suddenly burst out shouting:
“Deng Shulin! How did this man command that he lost all the Twin-Headed Flame Dragons!”
After raising his voice and cursing Deng Shulin, Jingtai Emperor turned to his subjects with a tired expression.
“Our attack has failed, so it is clear that the Joseon bastards will make their move. What should we do now?”
In response to Jingtai Emperor’s question, the Left Governor-General stepped forward and answered:
“As Your Majesty said, the Joseon bastards will try to strike us. However, our naval bases are still intact. Since we’ve greatly strengthened the defenses of our naval bases after the last war, and many ships have survived, it would be best to engage in defensive warfare using these resources. The Joseon bastards, having won again, are likely to become complacent, so if we use this to our advantage, we can inflict significant damage on them.”
“Is that really so?”
Though Jingtai Emperor was half-convinced, the Left Governor-General pressed his opinion more forcefully.
“While it’s regrettable that we’ve lost our pride, the Twin-Headed Flame Dragons, so easily, it’s certain that the Joseon bastards will underestimate us because of this.”
“I also believe there is reason in this.”
When even the Cabinet Junior-Tutor added weight to the Left Governor-General’s opinion, Jingtai Emperor nodded with a somewhat brighter expression.
“I suppose so. Then, send orders to the surviving returning vessels and First Fleet. They are to return to their respective home ports immediately and strengthen defenses.”
“We receive your command!”
Having made this decision, Jingtai Emperor looked at the Cabinet Junior-Tutor and asked:
“What do you think we should do next?”
“Negotiate with Joseon. We should enter negotiations claiming that this incident was caused by Deng Shulin acting on his own due to his inability to abandon his bellicosity.”
“Using Deng Shulin as a sacrificial stone… will the Joseon bastards believe it?”
“Whether they believe it or not, we must make that claim.”
After mulling over the Cabinet Junior-Tutor’s words, Jingtai Emperor soon nodded.
“There’s no other answer. Then, form a negotiation team.”
“We receive your command.”
Thus, by the time Ming’s First Fleet returned to their home ports from checking the Empire’s Lüshun Fleet, Jingtai Emperor’s order had arrived at the naval base.
However, the Empire’s counterattack had already begun.
***
The Imperial Navy’s counterattack first began at Shanhaiguan and Tianjin.
Imperial naval vessels anchored along the coastline of Shanhaiguan began bombarding the outer walls of Shanhaiguan.
Due to the rain of shells, the outer fortifications of Shanhaiguan were reduced to ruins, just as they had been in the previous war.
After stripping Shanhaiguan of its coastal defense capabilities, the Imperial fleet moved toward Tianjin.
Since the last war, quite high and solid batteries had been erected to the left and right of Tianjin’s naval base, and large-caliber cannons had been placed there.
Additionally, vessels that had belonged to the First Fleet and returned were guarding the entrance to the bay where the port was located.
Two assault ghost ships leaped into battle against them.
The charging assault ghost ships easily broke through the Ming vessels’ defensive line and entered inside.
Though the batteries continued to fire at the assault ghost ships that had successfully penetrated, the armor of the assault ghost ships withstood their bombardment.
“There! That place! Take out those big copper lumps first!”
The captains of the assault ghost ships skillfully assessed the situation and began methodically neutralizing the large guns positioned in the batteries.
Meanwhile, at the entrance to the port, Challenger-class vessels were sweeping away Ming’s ships.
Finally, when the coastal batteries and vessels defending the port were subdued, the waiting Panokseon warships rushed into the port.
The Panokseon warships that charged at the port’s docks and nearby beaches immediately began landing troops.
The bow section of the Panokseon had been greatly modified. The bow from slightly above the waterline was lowered, followed by a wooden gangway that was lowered to touch the ground.
The main force of the landing troops attempting to land at the docks initiated the landing operation.
As soon as the gangway touched the ground, the first to rush out were Jurchen cavalry.
The horsemen, who had descended via the gangplank while mounted, immediately kicked their horses’ flanks and charged.
“Heya! Heya!”
Neighhh!
Bang! Ratta-tat!
As the Jurchen cavalry charged forward, swinging their curved swords above their heads, the Ming troops who had gathered in formation for defense began frantically pulling their triggers in panic.
However, not many Jurchen cavalrymen fell to such indiscriminate fire, and they immediately crashed into the Ming defensive line.
The combination of large European warhorses and Jurchen cavalry possessed incredible breakthrough power, and the Ming’s second defensive line—no, the first land defensive line—was immediately penetrated.
Having broken through Ming’s defensive lines at various points on the docks and beaches, the Imperial forces immediately rushed deep into the naval base.
The Imperial forces’ objective was to destroy the military facilities at the naval base.
Due to the Imperial forces’ assault to achieve their goal, the naval base’s headquarters, supply warehouses, coastal batteries, ship repair facilities, and construction facilities gradually turned to ashes.
Through such persistent attacks over two days, Tianjin’s naval base became useless.
***
Tianjin was just the beginning.
The Imperial Navy methodically moved south, destroying Ming’s naval bases one by one.
And what began as destruction limited to naval base facilities gradually expanded in scope.
As naval bases and surrounding areas were methodically reduced to ashes one by one, numerous refugees began flocking to Nanjing.
“The Emperor’s there, so it must be the safest place!”
“The north is no good! It’s not just Joseon that’s a problem, there’s Northern Yuan too! The north is no good!”
Since most refugees held such thoughts, they flocked southward, toward Nanjing.
The same was true for Nantong.
It was the closest naval base to Nanjing, where Jingtai Emperor was located, and had extremely powerful defensive installations since it also housed the shipyard that had built the Twin-Headed Flame Dragons.
Knowing this, refugees who couldn’t enter Nanjing flocked to Nantong, causing law and order to collapse. Ming’s naval forces and garrison troops were trying to maintain order, but they were overwhelmed.
In this situation, one person was moving stealthily.
It was Wang Degu, a Ming merchant who had maintained good relations with Kim Il-su at the Joseon trading post in Shandong.
***
“Aigoo… what’s with this stamina tonic…”
Wang Degu continued grumbling as he cautiously moved.
-I have a request for you, Lord Wang.
-Haven’t our navy and Ming’s military just had a major clash? Quite a few Ming officers were captured in that battle, and one person who was wrongfully blamed for the defeat felt resentful and defected.
-He’s asked for his family to be rescued, and I was hoping Lord Wang could help.
-In return, I’ll provide generous amounts of the Empire’s premium seafood, ginseng, and bear gallbladder. How much would you like?
That’s how Wang Degu came to be involved in this operation.
“Well… it’s obvious what happened without even looking. Is Yue Fei’s case so uncommon? If I report this, I’d only get a few coins in reward, but the compensation for success could allow me to become independent. Plus, I’d be helping the family of someone who’s been wrongfully accused. Better to do good than harm. Yes!”
Wang Degu was justifying himself by recalling the story of Yue Fei, who was a loyal subject and great general but died unjustly after being falsely accused, and by thinking of the substantial rewards he would receive after succeeding.