Seeing the attire of these six individuals, Park Dehwan abandoned all thoughts of escape and instead reversed his dagger, plunging it towards his own chest.
Dressed in flying fish robes and carrying a Xiuchun dao at his waist, these were the legendary Embroidered Uniform Guard, capable of inflicting suffering that made life unbearable and death a relief!
A common saying in the martial world was that once targeted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the most comfortable way to die was to commit suicide before falling into their hands; never entertain any侥幸心理 (jiǎo xìng xīn lǐ - false hope).
However, with a bang, a gunshot struck Park Dehwan's right hand, which was holding the dagger. Immediately after, three more shots rang out, and Park Dehwan's left hand and both thighs were hit by bullets.
Following this, Park Dehwan was bound securely.
Upon arriving at the Lingzhou County prison, the leading officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard did not interrogate Park Dehwan. Instead, he first found a hammer and proceeded to smash each of the five fingers on Park Dehwan's right hand before smiling and asking, "Confess? Or not confess?"
The pain caused the veins on Park Dehwan's forehead to bulge, and cold sweat streamed down his face like a waterfall. He let out muffled groans, but not a single word of confession escaped his lips.
"Bang!"
After smashing Park Dehwan's palm with another hammer blow, the officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard said with admiration, "They say the fingers are connected to the heart. I've smashed five of your fingers, and you can still bear it without confessing. I admire you! To show my respect, I plan to let you experience our Embroidered Uniform Guard's tortures firsthand."
A guard following the officer couldn't help but mutter, "Boss, you want him to confess, but then you should pull out that rag from his mouth. How is he supposed to confess if his mouth is blocked?"
The officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard then exclaimed, "Ah!" and reached out to pull the soiled rag from Park Dehwan's mouth, cursing, "Who stuffed this in? Such a foul rag, are they trying to stink him to death?"
As the officer spoke, he casually swung the hammer towards Park Dehwan's shoulder blade, "Confess? Or not confess?"
Park Dehwan let out a scream of agony. First, he felt a warmth in his crotch, then he gasped and shouted, "I'll confess! I'll confess! I'll confess everything!"
The officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard felt a hint of disdain.
He confessed already? This was nothing yet!
Pursing his lips, the officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard glanced at the guards behind him, then turned back to ask, "Speak. Who is your superior, and who are your subordinates? How did you contact them? If even one detail differs from what I know, I'll smash one of your bones!"
It turned out there were no tough guys among the Koreans. Merely smashing a few fingers, plus a palm and a shoulder blade, was enough for Park Dehwan to eagerly confess everything, only wishing for a quick death after.
After obtaining the desired confession, the officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard instructed a guard, "Send him to Lingzhou County. Tell Lingzhou County that if they want to add any names, they should report them first so we can prepare the evidence for them."
The Lingzhou Magistrate was not as unrestrained as the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but while the Embroidered Uniform Guard focused on punishing the body, the Lingzhou Magistrate intended to punish the spirit.
Park Dehwan, now of no use to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was taken by the Lingzhou Magistrate. Placed in a prisoner cart, he was paraded through the streets and then subjected to public trials in various villages. Park Dehwan was forced to repeatedly confess his collusion with Korean civilians and his acts of poisoning.
One had to admit, punishing the spirit was far more ruthless than merely punishing the body.
After touring all the villages in Lingzhou, Park Dehwan had become quite unhinged. Whenever he heard sounds resembling a clapboard or the clinking of chains and rulers, he would be startled, urinate himself, and cry out, "I confess! I confess! I confess everything!"
As a result, Li San and the Korean court could no longer sit still.
With Park Dehwan's capture, the spies dispatched by the Li San court were also apprehended one after another. The Ming dynasty officials dealt with these spies in a similar fashion, essentially aiming for both punishment of the body and spirit.
For Li San, losing some spies was not a significant matter. However, the Korean civilians began to suspect the Sam Byeolcho righteous army, and some even reported to the Ming authorities. This was something Li San absolutely could not tolerate.
After careful consideration and extensive consultations with Park Jun Won, the Grand Chancellor of the Korean court, Kim Sang Cheol, the Minister of War, and Gu Seon Gab and Gu I Gyeom, father and son, Li San finally made up his mind to openly raise the banner of rebellion, seeking to make Korea a vassal state once more.
To assert his legitimacy, Li San even issued a proclamation against the Ming, claiming that for over two hundred years, Korea had served the Ming as a father, and even after the Ming's demise, Korea had offered sacrifices to Emperor Chongzhen seasonally without fail. He stated that Zhu Jingsong, as the Ming Emperor, disregarded Korea's loyalty and filial piety upon his ascension, and ignored the Ming's ancestral instruction set by the first Ming Emperor that designated Joseon as the head of the non-conquest states. He accused the Emperor of being surrounded by treacherous officials who slandered him, and therefore, Li San felt compelled to raise an army for justice, hoping the world would respond to clear the emperor of his corrupt advisors and set the record straight.
One had to admit, the proclamation written by Li San was quite convincing, effectively deceiving some wavering Koreans, and many flocked to his cause.
What further excited these Koreans was that the Ming army, which had previously defeated the Qing dynasty with ease and was perceived by the Koreans as formidable, even invincible, suddenly became hesitant when facing Li San's rebellion. They merely occupied a few cities and showed no inclination to engage Li San's forces in battle.
The Ming army's performance boosted the morale of the Koreans, leading more and more of them to join Li San.
Facing this situation, even Li San, who had intended to hide in the deep mountains to evade the Ming army's suppression, was bewildered.
What was going on?
Did the Ming army also find this unbearable?
In light of this, Li San immediately intensified his efforts. He dispatched people to spread propaganda that Korea belonged to Koreans and that the Ming army's morale was low and they would soon be driven out of Korea. As the King of Joseon, Li San called upon all Koreans to join him in clearing the emperor's advisors.
Under these circumstances, the Koreans were immediately divided into two factions.
Some Koreans intended to follow Li San in clearing the emperor's advisors, while another group of more steadfast Korean citizens, who wished to remain subjects of the Ming Dynasty, led by Yi Ui, hurried towards the riverside with their families.
Yi Ui once again echoed the words of his ancestor, Yi Seong-gye: "Better to die at the hands of one's own kin than to die at the hands of rebels!"
In essence, Yi Ui declared that while he might not be able to defeat Li San, he could lead the loyal subjects of the Ming to flee towards the river. Even if they died en route or at the hands of their Ming "father," they would never die at Li San's hands.
This, in turn, made things convenient for the Ming court. Those Koreans who rebelled with Li San would either die on the battlefield or perish in mines and construction sites, with essentially no other path available to them.
Then, the army stationed in the Joseon Provincial Administration Commission by the Left Army Commandery began to mobilize.
The Ming army's combat strategy was relatively simple: artillery first, followed by a barrage of divine-machine arrows, then a carpet of grenades, and finally, infantry sweeping the battlefield.
This straightforward, almost untechnical combat approach had previously routed the Qing army like dogs, reduced the Giao Chi rebels to dust, and turned two thousand Portuguese soldiers into a towering monument of skulls.
Before Li San could even react, he discovered his army was collapsing like a mountain. His forces were either dead on the battlefield or had scattered, disappearing to unknown locations.
Upon regaining his senses, Li San's first thought was to flee into the deep mountains: "The Ming army is now powerful, and our war efforts are unfavorable to Joseon. In my opinion, it would be best to temporarily retreat into the mountains and use our familiarity with the terrain and other advantages to slowly engage the Ming army."
However, Kim Sang Cheol, the Minister of War of the Li San court, offered a different opinion: "Your Majesty, surrender. The war has reached this point; there is no longer any need to continue fighting!"
Gu Seon Gab, the Commander of Training, shared Kim Sang Cheol's sentiment: "Your Majesty, even if we hide in the mountains, we may not be safe. Instead of delaying further, it would be better to surrender as soon as possible and beg for the Ming Emperor's forgiveness."
Fortunately, Li San's father-in-law, Park Jun Won, showed some loyalty to Li San: "Surrender to the Ming? If we surrender to the Ming, how would the Ming Emperor spare Your Majesty? You prioritize your own interests and disregard Your Majesty's safety. This is truly deserving of death!"
After reprimanding Kim Sang Cheol and Gu Seon Gab, Park Jun Won asked Li San for permission: "I request to execute anyone who speaks of surrender again!"
With his father-in-law's support, Li San also solidified his resolve: "Anyone who dares speak of surrender again will be executed!"
Faced with the father and son-in-law duo, Li San and Park Jun Won, who were bent on hiding in the deep mountains, Kim Sang Cheol and Gu Seon Gab were utterly despairing.
Park Jun Won, as Li San's father-in-law, was bound to Li San by shared fortune and misfortune, so he naturally sided with Li San.
Furthermore, Li San, the King of Joseon, was a coward who feared death to the point of dragging the remaining Koreans to their deaths with him.
With no other recourse, Kim Sang Cheol and Gu Seon Gab could only agree to Li San's proposal and accompany him into the deep mountains.
One had to admit, Li San's plan to hide in the deep mountains was correct in the short term, as the Ming army stationed in Joseon was not adept at mountain warfare, and the troops familiar with mountain combat were under the jurisdiction of the Front Army Commandery and Right Army Commandery, and could not be mobilized immediately.
Of course, this problem would not stump Liu Er Niu, who was in charge of the Left Army Commandery.
It did not matter that the Left Army Commandery's troops were not skilled in mountain warfare. The Rear Army Commandery possessed an army highly skilled in mountain combat.
For the price of a bottle of wine, Liu Er Niu borrowed a unit of Solon Camp soldiers from the Rear Army Commandery to cooperate in suppressing the Koreans hiding in the mountains.
This was the end for Li San!
Since Wanyan Aguna of the Solon tribe was enfeoffed as a noble consort, and the Ming sent people to the Solon tribe to guide them in farming and animal husbandry, the Solon tribe's living conditions gradually improved, and they slowly began to lean entirely towards the Ming.
However, the Solon tribe was somewhat dissatisfied. Although the Ming treated them the same as the Han civilians, the Ming had never separately conscripted Solon soldiers for battle. Apart from soldiers who enlisted normally, the Solon tribe had only a contingent of three thousand cavalry responsible for imperial palace guards. Although the Solon tribe still had the Solon Camp designation, they had few opportunities to fight on the battlefield.
Now that the Ming had finally separately conscripted the Solon Camp, the Solon tribe, eager to display their bravery and loyalty to the Ming Emperor, rejoiced.
With the principle that every dog on the road would be slapped twice when the Solon Camp marched, these Solon Camp battle-hardened warriors immediately headed for Li San's hiding place upon arriving in Joseon.
According to Wanyan Agutai, the Commander of the Solon tribe, when it came to mountain warfare, if the Solon tribe couldn't beat the shit out of the Koreans, then he would consider himself a clean Korean.