Chapter 4

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Meeting Jeong Seong-gong.

Johan whistled.

'Wasn't he the Admiral of the Navy? I thought he would be a colonel or major at most, so why is his office so luxurious?'

Jeong Seong-gong's office was different from the start, just by the door.

It was large and gilded, making it feel even more opulent.

'Well, he's not just any general; he's practically the heir to the Samseong Group, so it's only natural, I guess.'

As he was thinking this, the door to the office opened.

"Please come in."

Guided by a servant, Johan entered the office and saw two men waiting for him.

One was standing, and the other was sitting in a chair, which was Jeong Seong-gong.

Jeong Seong-gong looked like a handsome nobleman.

Johan had expected the son of the Pirate King to be rough and rugged, but he was completely wrong.

Of course, the first impression Johan had when he saw Jeong Seong-gong was not about his appearance but something entirely different.

It was his youth.

"Young."

"......"

Johan felt a jolt inside.

For a moment, he thought the other man had read his mind.

He had thought the same thing about Jeong Seong-gong that Jeong Seong-gong had just said.

"How old are you?"

"I am in my twenties this year."

"Good. The future of the Ming and Joseon is bright."

Although he said this, Jeong Seong-gong was only 22 years old.

For this reason, Johan barely suppressed a snicker.

In fact, his real age was thirty.

Since his avatar in the game was 18, he had just roughly said he was twenty.

"Born in Joseon and coming from the Western Regions, you must miss your homeland."

"Not really."

"Hmm. If you don't miss it, why did you sail ten thousand miles away from where you were born and raised?"

"They didn't recognize me in the Western Regions. Even though I won a hundred battles."

When Johan said this, the general standing beside Jeong Seong-gong frowned.

"A hundred battles undefeated at your age. My lord, there's nothing good about keeping such a braggart close."

"What? You? This guy!"

Jeong Seong-gong's adjutant, Gan Hui, was incensed by Johan's retort.

Unable to control his anger, he moved toward Johan, but Jeong Seong-gong stopped him.

"Enough. Gan Hui, what is this rudeness to a distinguished guest?"

"I apologize, my lord."

After calming Gan Hui, Jeong Seong-gong smiled gently and spoke to Johan.

"Experiencing a hundred battles undefeated is even better. In fact, the reason I called you here is to hear your advice."

"Please, go on."

"In your opinion, what strategy should we use to drive the Manchus back to the northeast?"

Johan was inwardly satisfied.

Asking him such a question meant that Jeong Seong-gong highly regarded him.

"The most urgent task is to recruit talented people. All problems can be solved with the right talent. If we place the right people in the right places, we can easily win the war."

The reason Johan gave this advice was simple.

It meant he wanted to be used more effectively as a talented person.

"You're right. It's also mentioned in the Analects. In politics, the first priority is to obtain talented people. If the Ming had proper talent, we wouldn't have lost Nanjing."

"Furthermore, proper governance must come first."

In fact, Johan thought this was the most urgent.

Although he didn't know much about the Southern Ming, even he could see that their governance was a mess.

Jeong Seong-gong's father, Jeong Jirong, had made the Yongwu Emperor the emperor, but many Ming people still did not recognize the Yongwu Emperor as the legitimate ruler.

This was because a man named Laowang threatened the Yongwu Emperor's legitimacy.

Without a proper center of gravity, and with Jeong Jirong, a former Pirate King, holding the highest power, the situation could not be good.

Bribery was rampant, and the exploitation of the people grew worse every day.

In contrast, the Qing Dynasty was winning the hearts of the people by lowering taxes and corvée labor.

"That's a quote from The Art of War. Indeed, The Art of War also states that proper governance is the first priority. Proper governance means that the ruler and the people share the same purpose, face life and death together, and fear no danger."

Johan's words made Jeong Seong-gong respond with a serious expression.

'Why does this guy act like he knows so much? He seems to be the type who likes to show off.'

Every time he spoke, he added unnecessary comments about the Analects, The Art of War, and the Spring and Autumn Annals.

Johan found Jeong Seong-gong's behavior merely amusing.

"Diplomatic efforts are also necessary. I've heard that the Southern Ming has no allies. We need to quickly form alliances to prevent the Qing from growing stronger."

"If so, in your opinion, which country is the most suitable ally for the Southern Ming in the current situation?"

"Of course, it's... "

Johan and Jeong Seong-gong said simultaneously.

"Indeed, Joseon?"

"Daeseo Kingdom."

For a moment, they looked at each other in confusion.

'Joseon is already a vassal state of the Qing, so why are you talking about Joseon?'

As Johan thought this, Jeong Seong-gong asked with a slightly angry tone.

"Daeseo Kingdom? You mean those bandits?"

"Yes. Even if they were bandits, the urgent matter now is to deal with the Qing."

Daeseo Kingdom was a state founded by a bandit named Zhang Xianzhong in Sichuan.

The Ming ruling class hated Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng, the rebel leaders, more than the Qing.

Jeong Seong-gong, like the Ming ruling class, clearly showed his hostility toward Zhang Xianzhong.

"Because of those bandits, the Ming is in this situation. How can we ally with them?"

In fact, the Ming was not destroyed by the Qing.

The Ming was brought down by internal rebels, specifically the peasant army led by Li Zicheng.

When the main Ming army was tied up at Shanhaiguan, Li Zicheng captured Beijing.

Zhang Xianzhong had once joined Li Zicheng in the rebellion.

Naturally, it was difficult for Jeong Seong-gong to consider Zhang Xianzhong, who had caused the fall of the Ming, as an ally.

"To win the war, we cannot be picky about means and methods. If we don't stop the Qing, the country will fall. What's the point of dwelling on the past?"

"It's only been a year."

"On the contrary, the rebels who once shook the Ming were suppressed by the Qing in less than a year. I've even heard that Li Zicheng is dead."

"That's just a rumor. The Manchus haven't found Li Zicheng's head yet."

Johan shrugged.

It didn't matter to him.

In fact, it would be better if Li Zicheng were still alive.

It would mean he could form an alliance not only with Daeseo Kingdom but also with Dachun Kingdom, which once had hundreds of thousands of troops.

However, Jeong Seong-gong, showing no intention of cooperating with the rebels, frowned and asked for other suggestions.

"Any other ideas?"

Johan inwardly sighed at Jeong Seong-gong's reaction.

'It's no wonder the Southern Ming didn't last long. Even Jeong Seong-gong, called the best talent in the Southern Ming, thinks so short-sightedly.'

As far as Johan knew, the Southern Ming had a short history.

It lasted for 50 years, or perhaps even less.

Given that he, who had studied Korean history, had no memory of the Southern Ming, it was already a generous estimate.

"In my opinion, what this country needs now is a single victory. The Qing must be in turmoil internally, so now is the opportunity."

The Southern Ming was currently in a defeatist mood.

Out of 13 provinces, only 4 remained.

The trusted army of Sajabap had suffered repeated defeats against the Qing.

In the end, Sajabap died.

Given this situation, it was no wonder the entire Ming was in a defeatist mood.

'That's why a victory is needed.'

In a way, Johan's words might be right; this could be the Southern Ming's only chance.

After capturing Nanjing, the Qing implemented the "toudu bianfa" policy in all occupied territories.

Even the social elites, who had accepted the dynastic change, could not tolerate having half their heads shaved.

Rebellions broke out everywhere after the implementation of toudu bianfa.

The problem was that the Southern Ming, lacking in intelligence, was unaware of these facts.

"Are you suggesting a northern campaign? I agree with the idea, but this country has no regular army. After the collapse of Sajabap's army last year, the Ming army has barely maintained its size."

"Regular troops naturally emerge through combat."

"Are you serious? It's impossible to win a battle without regular troops."

"Send me to the battlefield. I will prove that even an undisciplined army can defeat the Qing."

Johan spoke confidently.

In fact, he had no confidence that an undisciplined army could defeat the Qing's Eight Banners.

The Qing didn't dominate China for nothing.

The Eight Banners were elite of the elite.

In contrast, the Southern Ming's army, as he had seen, was like the Tang army.

However, he spoke confidently, knowing that it would give him more opportunities in the future.

"Explain your specific plan. How do you plan to defeat the Manchu army?"

"Increase the ratio of musketeers to an extreme."

Not enough elite troops?

In Johan's view, it wasn't a big concern.

Using muskets, it was easy to train regular troops.

"Ha! Nonsense!"

"What's nonsense?"

"Are you saying we need to increase the ratio of musketeers even more? Then, the reason the Ming lost at Songshan was because we had too few musketeers?"

Gan Hui, overhearing their conversation, interjected.

"Right. The reason the Ming suffered repeated defeats against the Qing was due to insufficient firepower. If we had stronger firepower, we would have crushed the Qing long ago."

Johan knew the future.

The Mamluks of Egypt and the Qing's Eight Banners in the 19th century could not defeat the line infantry.

Therefore, training line infantry was the right answer.

Of course, looking at European military history of this period, the once invincible Spanish Tercios experienced their first defeat, and the rise of heavy cavalry for shock attacks increased with the appearance of Gustavus Adolphus.

'But that's because the musket was not yet fully developed. If we create bayonets, sights, and bayonet tips, the musket will truly become the protagonist of the battlefield.'

The bayonet, which might seem like a simple idea, was called a great invention in military history.

The appearance of the bayonet reduced the role of cavalry over time.

This meant that the Qing's Eight Banners could be phased out.

"Are you saying that with stronger firepower, we can win the war? There's no way musketeers can defeat cavalry!"

"General, I will prove it. If you give me the opportunity, I will show you what kind of army will dominate the battlefield in the future."

Johan spoke confidently, but he thought to himself.

'He won't send me to the battlefield just because I say this, right?'

Of course not.

Even if the Southern Ming lacked talent, they wouldn't send him to the battlefield without any proof.

"General! Li Zicheng's remnants have appeared in Daejeon County. Their number exceeds a thousand!"

At that moment, a soldier, who seemed to be a messenger, burst in and reported.

'Daejeon County is near Fuzhou, right? How did they breach the border?'

Johan had studied the surrounding geography in detail over the past few days.

He knew better than anyone how important it was to understand the geography when going to war.

The capital of the Southern Ming was Fuzhou, and Daejeon County was a village just a few days' journey from Fuzhou.

Although their numbers were small, it meant that rebels had appeared near the capital of a country.

The Southern Ming's army was worse than he had imagined.

'Why is he looking at me?'

Johan flinched when he felt Jeong Seong-gong's intense gaze.

After hearing the messenger's report, Jeong Seong-gong whispered to Gan Hui and then gave him a meaningful look.

"You said you could defeat the Qing even with an undisciplined army, right?"

"Yes, I did say that."

"Then, dealing with bandits should be even easier."

"......"

Sure enough, Jeong Seong-gong said something incredible.

It seemed like he was about to send Johan to the battlefield immediately.

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