Chapter 81: Not Russians, but Koreans

Unfortunately, many of these items were tributes from subordinate states and thus limited in quantity. Would they even be able to purchase them? Observing everyone's reactions, Chen Mu quickly spoke up.

"The state-run shops carry curry produced in Da Xia, which is quite good. If you wish to purchase the Persian tribute curry, you may reserve it. When Persia delivers its tribute tomorrow, you can buy it at the state-run shops."

Pre-sale—a novel concept that no one had heard of before. Chen Mu patiently explained it in detail, and soon many people expressed their willingness to place orders. He instructed his attendants to record their names, telling them to send deposits to the corresponding state-run shops later to complete the procedures.

After this banquet, the culture of luxury goods immediately swept through the capital, and as people traveled, its influence expanded further and further. This strategy brought a substantial increase to Da Xia’s treasury revenues. Chen Xing Tian would often wake from dreams smiling, delighted by the outcome.

As a result, those powerful families who had withdrawn from the Central Plains now deeply regretted their decision. Their departure caused Chen Mu no trouble whatsoever; on the contrary, it opened up the market for him. Now, having relocated to new regions, they had to start all over again.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Yin Tang Organization persuaded several more large families to join its ranks.

After the New Year, Chen Mu began preparations for the civil service examination on the second day of the second month. He established a National Academy to recruit talented young men from among the populace for study.

Yet, just as his plans were taking shape, urgent news arrived from the frontier—there was an incursion by foreign tribes in the northeast. The region had already established cities, and both officials and civilians were settled, but having missed the season for spring planting, they still relied on government grain allocations for survival.

The five thousand cavalry Chen Mu had stationed remained near the cities on patrol; the area of land being reclaimed was too vast for them to cover adequately. Initially, small groups of foreign soldiers came to harass the region, but now large numbers were abducting Da Xia citizens and Donghu slaves.

Chen Mu surmised that the invaders were likely seeking able-bodied laborers, since those sent to reclaim the northern wilderness were all young and strong, with no elderly, weak, or infirm among them. The Donghu slaves were also skilled at hard labor.

Chen Mu asked, "From which direction are these people coming?"

The messenger replied, "Your Highness, they are coming from the southeast."

"Southeast?" Chen Mu instantly understood—not the northern barbarians, but the Koreans.

In this era, the Koreans had little power; if it was merely a matter of combat, any competent general could handle it. But only Chen Mu knew how to exploit the resources unique to their land.

Although their productive capacity was certainly poor, what if there were untapped natural resources? Chen Mu had no intention of letting such opportunities slip away.

As for the National Academy, he would leave it to the scholars; he had already set the overall direction and trusted they would manage well enough.

"Father, I request permission to campaign against the Korean State," Chen Mu declared.

Chen Xing Tian responded, "Hmm, the Korean State?"

Chen Mu nodded, "The reports say the foreigners are using clubs as weapons—let’s call them the Korean State then."

Chen Xing Tian said, "Very well. With your abilities, I’m confident you’ll quickly subdue this Korean State."

With the matter settled, Chen Mu began selecting troops.

He possessed a tremendous advantage—knowledge of the approximate terrain of the Korean peninsula, enabling him to choose the most suitable military units. In his recollection, the peninsula offered limited open spaces, making cavalry ineffective.

Moreover, in this era, the Korean State couldn't have established many cities—likely similar to the former Donghu. Thus, there was no need to bring excessive soldiers for city occupation.

Chen Mu ultimately decided to bring only five thousand Invincible Flying Troops and three thousand Wudang Flying Troops, thereby minimizing provisions consumption. Quality over quantity, and this force should suffice against the Korean State.

A month later, Chen Mu arrived with his troops in the northeast. The city under attack, Coastal City, lay to the south. After entering, Chen Mu questioned the county magistrate about the current situation.

The magistrate replied, "Your Highness, the Korean State’s soldiers are peculiar—they do not ride horses, but drive chariots. They lack iron weapons, wield only clubs, yet their clubs are so hard our long swords cannot cut through them."

"I suspect they use chariots for easier abduction of people," he added.

Chen Mu nodded. The magistrate’s reasoning made sense, though another possibility was that the Korean State lacked horses. According to Chen Mu’s knowledge, the peninsula had no native horse breeding; any horses possessed by the Koreans were likely acquired through trade with the Donghu.

Now, with Da Xia controlling the area, perhaps the Korean State thought Da Xia was easy to exploit and came to plunder. With the language barrier, Da Xia’s soldiers had no way to warn them that this northeast region was only a corner of Da Xia, whose true strength was formidable and not to be provoked.

Since that was the case, it was time to let their blades do the talking.

Chen Mu gathered intelligence on the enemy and ordered the cavalry to expand patrols, focusing on locating larger enemy units. The Invincible Flying Troops and Wudang Flying Troops camped outside the city, ready for action at any moment.

A few days later, scouts reported the approach of a large Korean convoy. Chen Mu immediately led his troops to attack.

Though both the Invincible Flying Troops and Wudang Flying Troops were infantry, their rigorous long-distance training meant they could move much faster than ordinary foot soldiers. Guided by the scouts, they quickly arrived at the scene.

At that moment, the Korean State’s army was chasing Da Xia’s citizens. Without hesitation, Chen Mu ordered a full assault.

The Korean soldiers, seeing Da Xia’s troops arrive, abandoned their pursuit of the civilians and turned their chariots toward Chen Mu’s forces.

Watching the chariots, Chen Mu couldn’t decide whether this was progressive or backward—if backward, it was the mainstay of warfare in the Spring and Autumn period of his previous life; if advanced, it offered no advantage against Da Xia’s cavalry.

However, since Chen Mu led infantry, facing chariots posed some disadvantages—namely, the need to maintain dense formations without splitting the force.

Fortunately, the Korean troops were rather foolish, charging straight at Chen Mu’s army.

Chen Mu ordered the Invincible Flying Troops and Wudang Flying Troops to halt and adopt a defensive formation, planting their shields firmly into the ground.

The Korean chariots were swift; as soon as Chen Mu’s formation was ready, they were upon them. The chariots plowed into the Da Xia lines, overturning soldiers before coming to a halt. At this moment, the chariots’ advantage over cavalry became apparent: once cavalry fell into infantry ranks, it was difficult to protect both rider and horse.

But these Korean chariots had one driver controlling the horses, while two others wielded clubs in combat. The height of the carriage protected their legs, allowing them to simply stand and swing their weapons.