HLnovel Chapter 641: He is the pioneer in the first battle?
Chapter 641: He is the pioneer in the first battle?
On the dock.
The generals' voices were so loud that they could almost penetrate the clouds and reach the sky.
The soldiers looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of generals in exquisite armor surrounding a young man and kneeling down in unison.
Among them are their immediate superiors whom they rarely see in their daily lives, and figures who are like the top of the pyramid in the military camp.
Even the most demanding generals looked obedient and submissive at this moment.
"Is that our Highness?"
A soldier whispered to his companion beside him.
His companion rolled his eyes at him and said, "Nonsense! Who else but Your Highness could make so many generals kneel down in devotion?"
The soldier's face was full of surprise: "Your Highness is so young, I thought he was already in his thirties or forties..."
His companions laughed and scolded him for being useless, but they were also a little worried in their hearts.
There are too many soldiers in Feng State now, and many low-level soldiers have never seen Li Che in person.
And Li Che's achievements in battle really don't seem like something a young man in his early twenties can achieve.
"Oh...oh my god..." the soldier muttered, "My son looks two years older than Your Highness..."
"Cough cough."
There was a cough behind me.
The two soldiers looked back and saw a man in a white robe holding a small book in his hand, staring at them with a warning look on his face.
The two of them immediately shrank their necks and became obedient.
Although ordinary soldiers did not know what the Night's Watch did specifically, they recognized the uniforms and knew that they were His Highness's personal guards.
What is the status of His Highness? How can he be compared with my own stupid son?
The night watchman looked at the two of them again, closed the small notebook in his hand, snorted coldly, and walked forward.
On the other side, Li Che helped the generals up one by one, and then called Huai En:
"Pass the order down and go to the tent to discuss the matter!"
"I obey your command!" Huai En bowed and replied.
The big tent had already been erected and was located in the very center of the port, occupying a large area.
This is no ordinary military tent, but a huge structure made of huge trees, covered with thick waterproof tarpaulin, and covering an area of half an acre.
It is more like a temporary palace than a tent.
The space inside the tent is extremely spacious, and the floor is covered with thick wool felt blankets to isolate the humidity of the port.
Li Che turned and walked into the commander's tent, sitting upright on a large commander's chair at the deepest part.
On the left lies a large tiger, and on the right lies a giant snow-white bear.
Li Che slowly sat down and calmly swept his eyes over the generals gathered in the tent.
The tent was so crowded that there was hardly any room to stand.
Wang Sanchun, He Conglong, Yue Yun and other military district commanders from Fengguo stood in the front row on the left like a stabilizing force.
Officials from the Ministry of War, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Works, and other important ministers accompanying the emperor stood on the other side, their faces focused and solemn.
There were also generals, staff members, and soldiers of all levels, with shining helmets and armor, filling the entire tent.
However, this is far from all.
There were more figures standing at the edge of the tent, and even outside the tent near the door.
The generals of the Portuguese, Korean, and Nanyang armies, as well as officers below the rank of corps commander, could not squeeze in, so they could only stand awkwardly outside the curtain, listening to the faint sounds coming from inside with nervous expressions.
As the meeting began, the atmosphere became tense.
Admiral Li Sheng was the first to step out and saluted, "Your Highness, I will command you!"
"The First Fleet is willing to serve as the vanguard and directly attack the Japanese navy's lair. We will crush their naval forces into dust and clear the way for the landing of the army!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Neng, the commander-in-chief of the Fourth Fleet, immediately stepped forward, unwilling to be outdone:
"Your Highness, I am willing to lead the Fourth Fleet in the vanguard!"
"Although our warships are slightly inferior to those of Commander Li, our soldiers are willing to sacrifice their lives and are eager to fight! We will show the Japanese the sharp edge of our Fengguo sea borders!"
The two naval commanders rushed to ask for battle, and the other Feng State generals in the tent nodded and did not fight with them.
Everyone understood that the first battle would definitely be fought by the navy.
After all, no matter how fast the cavalry can run, they cannot reach the sea, and no matter how strong the Dongfeng Army can fight, it is impossible to concentrate its targets across the sea.
With the current strength of the Fengguo Navy, it is a foregone conclusion that it will crush the Japanese Navy.
However, to everyone's surprise, Li Che did not agree to their request, but slowly shook his head.
He did not look at Li Sheng and Zhang Neng, but instead his eyes wandered around the tent, as if looking for something.
"Commander Li, Commander Zhang, your courage is commendable, but I have another choice for the first meritorious service in this battle."
"Another candidate?"
Li Sheng and Zhang Neng were both stunned.
The generals in the tent also looked at each other in confusion.
Apart from these two naval admirals, who else is more qualified to fight this crucial first battle at sea?
Could it be that General Yueyun’s cavalry can fly over?
Li Che's eyes swept across the generals in the front row, continued to scan the back, and finally stopped in the direction of the blurry figures of the generals at the edge of the tent.
He frowned slightly and asked, "Where is General Park?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole tent fell silent.
Everyone followed Li Che's gaze and saw that those groups of people were crowded in the corner. There were crowds of people in front of them, and they were almost completely blocked.
When Park heard his name being called, he was startled.
He subconsciously wanted to squeeze forward, but was blocked by the towering figure of the Feng State general in front of him, and was at a loss for a moment.
There was an awkward silence in the tent, and the generals had puzzled expressions on their faces.
Letting these ragtag troops lead the charge—what a joke! Don't we have any dignity left?
In this silence, a steady voice sounded from near the tent door:
"Your Highness, General Park and his subordinates are crowded inside the tent, and some Goryeo officers are still waiting outside for orders."
The speaker was the 'God of Detectives' Ma Zhong who was standing in the corner. He was not the top general of Feng State, his duties and status were rather special, and he was a low-key and pragmatic person, so he stood at the back.
At this moment, he was wearing an inconspicuous black leather armor, clasping his fists and reporting in a clear voice.
Li Che heard this, not only was he not angry, but he laughed out loud:
"Hahaha, it's because my tent is too small that I neglected my friends who came from afar!"
He laughed heartily, finally breaking the awkwardness a little, and then said to Huai En who was standing beside him:
"Huai En, please invite the generals to come forward and talk!"
Huai En immediately took the order, and with a few guards, he separated the crowd and respectfully invited Park, who looked frightened, to come over.
Park was completely bewildered by this sudden "honor". Standing among a group of imposing top generals from Feng State, he felt uncomfortable all over.
After all, his memory was not so bad that he forgot that it was this group of people who invaded Goryeo three years ago and slaughtered the Goryeo king's army one by one like killing chickens.
Park immediately bowed, not daring to raise his head too high. "I pay my respects to His Majesty the King!"
Li Che had a smile on his face, and his eyes slowly swept across Park's face, taking in every subtle expression on his face.
"General Park, your loyalty is commendable, having journeyed across the ocean. This is truly heartwarming to me."
He paused, his eyes suddenly became sharp, and he asked word by word:
"Now that the war is imminent, I want to use this battle to show the power of my army and intimidate the Japanese villains. You..."
Li Che's voice suddenly rose, with an unquestionable determination:
"Do you dare to be the vanguard and lead the charge?!"
boom--
These words, like thunder from the sky, exploded in the huge commander's tent!
"what?!"
“Let them take the lead?!”
"Your Highness, think twice!"
"How...how can this be done?!"
After a brief silence, the tent suddenly exploded!
The generals of the Fengtian Army, whether they were as calm as He Conglong, as cold as Yue Yun, as hot-tempered as Wang Sanchun, or as tough as Wang Sanchun, all expressed strong opposition!
Let these Goryeo troops, whose combat capabilities are unknown and who may even have ulterior motives, go to fight the most crucial battle in the war against Japan?
If they retreat at the critical moment or collapse at the first blow, it will not only severely damage morale, but will also put the subsequent main fleet in a passive position.
Li Sheng's face turned pale. He took a step forward and said urgently, "Your Highness, this is absolutely impossible! This first cross-sea battle is crucial to the morale of the entire team!"
"Although the Japanese pirates' navy is weak, they will still fight like cornered beasts. We must use our country's elite troops, who have fought hundreds of battles, to strike them with lightning speed. Only then can we intimidate the enemy and secure victory in one fell swoop! How can we entrust this to..."
He didn't say the rest of the words, but when he glanced at Park and the others, his meaning was obvious.
Zhang Neng was even more direct, his neck stiffening as he roared, "Your Highness! Old Zhang is willing to issue a military order. If these Korean... Korean boys take the lead and something goes wrong, wouldn't that delay Your Highness's important task?"
"I'll be the first to disagree. Let me, the Fourth Fleet, take over!"
He Conglong couldn't help but step out, his voice filled with worry. "Your Highness, this first battle is of great importance! General Park is exhausted from his journey, and his ships and equipment are unlikely to match those of our Fengtian main fleet. He is also unfamiliar with the Japanese pirates' tactics. Taking on this heavy responsibility so suddenly is too risky!"
The crowd in the tent was filled with outrage, and the voices of opposition grew louder and louder.
Almost all generals thought this was an extremely risky, even absurd decision.
Park, who was pushed to the forefront of the storm, had a blank mind at this moment!
Take the lead?
pioneer?
me?
Park's face turned pale and his forehead was instantly covered with cold sweat.
He knew the level of the Goryeo navy very well. They were like children's toys in front of the Fengguo navy. Why would they fight the Japanese pirates?
This...isn't this just courting death?
Park's lips were trembling and he could hardly speak.
Inside the general's tent, the voices of opposition almost overturned the tent.
All eyes were focused on Li Che, waiting for him to retract this ridiculous order.
Li Che sat upright like a mountain. He ignored the fierce opposition of his ministers and kept his eyes fixed on Park.
"What I'm asking is... do you dare?"
He deliberately emphasized the word "dare", which was full of scrutiny.
"If you don't dare, I will choose another good general and will not force you. It's just..."
Li Che changed the subject, his tone became calm, but it contained a deeper meaning:
"But I do not keep useless men under my command! To serve the country, we do not need useless generals!"
"If your Pu family wishes to gain a place in the glorious cause of Feng State... you must show some courage and ability, and let this king and these generals see it!"
Li Che leaned forward slightly, his eyes like two cold lightning bolts:
"It all depends on you, General Park... whether you dare to accept it!"