Chapter 20

(Author's note: Apologies to users accessing the domain 3g.17k.com, simply put, mobile users, as I was previously unaware that the internet on mobile devices and computers are different, which led to a delay in responding to several comments on the mobile web. I apologize for this and promise it will not happen again!)

In the helicopter, Lin Yuan was reading the profile of the Qing army's commander, Ye Zhichao. During the Battle of Pyongyang, Ye Zhichao led his troops to abandon Pyongyang and prepare to retreat back to China. On the road to Yizhou, they encountered an ambush by the Japanese army, suffering heavy casualties. Later, the Qing court sentenced Ye Zhichao to death under the charge of "commanders and generals who abandon their posts when attacked by the enemy, leading to the loss of the city or fort, shall be beheaded." However, he was later pardoned.

At this moment, Ye Zhichao had gathered his old troops from Pyongyang and was stationed in Jiuliancheng, a key town on the Sino-Korean border. After reviewing his profile, Lin Yuan had a clear idea of how to negotiate. He put the profile aside and, for some reason, suddenly thought of Shen Wanqing. After returning to the ship, due to the lack of evidence to confirm her true identity, she was temporarily restricted in her movements. She appeared very calm, but her calmness made Lin Yuan feel very uncomfortable.

The helicopter landed outside Jiuliancheng. Lin Yuan originally wanted to wear the clothes of a Qing dynasty commoner, but then he thought it wouldn't be appropriate. Ye Zhichao, after all, was a high-ranking official of the court, and how could he meet a commoner like himself? So, he put on a suit, looking like a gentleman who had studied abroad.

Lin Yuan's attire was too eye-catching. As soon as he walked into a populated area, he was stopped by several soldiers. As the saying goes, "A man is judged by his clothes, and a Buddha by his gold." The soldiers, seeing Lin Yuan dressed like this, knew he was a wealthy and influential person. Noticing that he didn't have a queue, one of the more knowledgeable soldiers thought he might be a foreigner. In those days, foreigners were not to be trifled with.

Lin Yuan walked up to the soldiers with a swagger and said boldly, "Is Ye Dazi here?"

The soldiers were all taken aback. "Ye Dazi" was Ye Zhichao's nickname from his early years, given because he fought so fiercely that he seemed to feel neither pain nor fatigue, like a fool. In ancient times, calling someone by their name was already considered very impolite, often seen as a prelude to a fight, let alone calling a commander by his nickname!

The soldiers dared to use this nickname in private, but this strangely dressed man dared to use it in public, showing that he was no ordinary person. The soldiers did not dare to be negligent and reported the matter layer by layer. Lin Yuan soon met Ye Zhichao.

At this moment, Ye Zhichao was on pins and needles. Although he knew the Japanese did not have the audacity to cross the border to pursue him, he was afraid of the Qing court's punishment. After a defeat, the literati officials would certainly not let him off easily. These pedantic scholars would surely speak ill of him before the emperor, and the emperor would likely order his execution to appease public anger.

When Lin Yuan met Ye Zhichao, he smiled and greeted him, extending his hand for a handshake. Ye Zhichao, seeing this, immediately concluded that Lin Yuan was someone who had studied abroad, and in those days, such people were not to be trifled with.

Ye Zhichao was not used to people not kneeling before him, but he still asked, "Where does Mr. Lin come from? Where is your hometown?"

Lin Yuan replied, "I come from Pyongyang. I am from the capital and have studied in Britain."

The two sat down, and a servant brought tea. This tea was not to be drunk. The term "serving tea to see off guests" comes from this custom. If the host felt the conversation was over but was too polite to ask the guest to leave, he would offer the guest a cup of tea. As soon as the guest touched the tea, the servant would shout, "See the guest off," thus ending the meeting.

However, these customs had long since disappeared in modern China, so Lin Yuan did not understand them. After walking in the hot sun for a while, he was already thirsty and drank the tea. The servant, who had fled back from Pyongyang with Ye Zhichao, was still shaken and distracted, not noticing that the master had not offered the tea, and shouted, "See the guest off."

This left Lin Yuan stunned. Why was he being asked to leave so soon after arriving?

Ye Zhichao, being well-versed in the world, immediately realized that Lin Yuan was not familiar with these customs, thinking he had been away in the West for too long and had forgotten them. He felt even more respect for him.

Ye Zhichao laughed heartily and said to the servant, "You may go now." Then he turned to Lin Yuan and asked, "Mr. Lin, what brings you here?"

Lin Yuan thought it was time to get to the point and said, "I have come to bring a great gift to General Ye!"

Ye Zhichao was taken aback. According to official etiquette, one did not discuss gifts upon meeting; they were usually delivered through subordinates. He asked, "What kind of gift?"

Lin Yuan said, "My great gift is the heads of ten thousand Japanese soldiers in Pyongyang!"

Ye Zhichao could hardly believe his ears and asked, "What do you mean, Mr. Lin?"

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "I come from Pyongyang, where a shocking event has occurred! The commander of the Japanese First Army, Lieutenant General Yamagata Aritomo, the commander of the Third Division, Lieutenant General Katsura Tarō, and the commander of the Fifth Division, Lieutenant General Nozu Michitsura, have all been assassinated! The Japanese ammunition depot and grain storage in Incheon Port have been destroyed by the resistance forces. The Japanese in Korea are now in a state of extreme shortage of ammunition and food. General Ye, if you lead your troops back to Pyongyang, won't those ten thousand heads be in your hands?"

Ye Zhichao was moved. He could not determine whether Lin Yuan's words were true or false. The Qing army had no information about the situation in Pyongyang, and the Japanese would certainly keep the death of their commanders secret. Ye Zhichao thought, "Is Lin Yuan here to use a Japanese strategy?"

Lin Yuan knew Ye Zhichao was hesitant and continued, "General Ye, you must be doubting the truth of my words. Let's put that aside for now. Do you know how the common people evaluate your decision to abandon the city?"

Ye Zhichao sighed and said, "What else could they say? They would call me a coward who fears death and is timid!"

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "You are right, but I can understand your predicament. You abandoned the city because the garrison in Pyongyang was out of food and ammunition, and the Japanese had surrounded the city. The outer defenses, such as Mount Mudan and Xuanwu Gate, had fallen. If you did not retreat, your entire army would have been annihilated! Therefore, you ordered the retreat. Is what I said accurate?"

Ye Zhichao sighed and said, "Mr. Lin, what you said is very true. The roads in Korea are rugged, and our army's supplies and weapons were piled up in Yizhou, which we could not transport to Pyongyang. Moreover, small Japanese forces had already appeared in Yizhou, making transportation even more difficult. In Pyongyang, food was scarce, and ammunition was almost exhausted. That is why I proposed to abandon the city and retreat north."

Lin Yuan said, "General Ye, I can understand your predicament, but can the literati officials in Beijing, the emperor, and the Empress Dowager understand you? Especially the Empress Dowager, who will soon celebrate her sixtieth birthday. By losing Pyongyang, you have caused her distress. Do you think she will let you off easily?"

Ye Zhichao was moved. Lin Yuan had truly hit the nail on the head!

Lin Yuan continued, "General Ye, after a defeat, someone must take the blame to appease public anger. If you remain in Jiuliancheng, you will be known as a general who abandoned the land and suffered defeat, disgracing history! But if you lead your troops back to Korea, retake Pyongyang, and recapture Seoul, you will be the greatest hero in the three hundred years of the Qing dynasty! Which would you choose?"

Ye Zhichao clenched his fists, pondered for a long time, and then slammed his hand on the table, saying, "Men, gather the remaining troops and retake Pyongyang!"

(Regarding Ye Zhichao's decision to abandon the city, the common view is that he was a coward. This article adopts the perspective of modern Chinese history expert Mr. Chen Yue in his book "The Sunk Year of the Jia Wu War," which states that Ye Zhichao abandoned the city due to a lack of food and ammunition.)

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