It looked like an army of tens of thousands.A force the Goryeo army—only fifteen thousand—could not possibly withstand.
In front of Liaoyang's South Gate, long banners above the gate flapped while frozen stiff.The fields outside were covered in snow, and in the middle of that whiteness stood a single white horse.Standing alone on the white snowfield, it was far too easy to see.
The herald on horseback sat upright.The metal straps over his fur coat were covered in frost and shone faintly, and in his hand he held a letter stamped with a red seal.
He lifted his head and shouted."By proclamation of Naghachu, Left Chancellor of the Great Yuan, I hereby address the commanders and soldiers of this fortress!"His voice was not loud.Yet it rode the air and struck the walls clearly.
Left Chancellor?Men who look like the bosses of rural bandit gangs always seem to boast about some official title.
And since he said "I proclaim," that meant Naghachu himself was not there.This was not the main army, but an advance detachment.
The soldiers on the walls stayed silent.No one moved.Only a foreboding feeling seeped in through the falling snow.Someone muttered low."This fight… isn't about justification. It's whether we live or die."
Before the words even finished, the banner on the watchtower snapped wide again.The herald unfolded the letter.And read it out coldly.
"Letter of Naghachu — Before the South Gate of Liaoyang Fortress"
"I, Naghachu, Left Chancellor of the Northern Yuan, respectfully address the commanders of the Goryeo army.
The Mandate of Heaven has already shifted, and the balance of the world has been settled in the northern court.
Your country once followed the command of the Great Yuan and received its favor.Now you do not think to repay that virtue, and instead act against reason—how could such a path ever last?
Have you not seen the end that came to the people of Song?They defended their cities and burned their own bodies; they drank water and cut off their own lives—until they became dust and ash.
Now I lead troops to the southeastern border not for invasion or plunder, but to carry out the rightful Way.
Your Liaoyang Fortress was originally land opened by our ancestor, General Muqali.To recover the old territory now is to serve the Mandate of Heaven.
If you recognize Heaven's intent, open the gates and submit, then soldiers and civilians will be preserved, and commanders will keep their positions.
If you stubbornly persist in delusion and refuse to awaken, then before this great snow ends, your fortress will become a sea of fire and return to ash.
Think on it. Think on it again.If ruler and ministers together defy Heaven, then all the heavens will abandon you.
Written by Naghachu, Left Chancellor of the Great Yuan, in the winter tenth month of Zhizheng 27 (1367), at the encampment of Golden City."
When the reading ended, silence fell upon the fields again.Snow drifted, and only the horse's breath rose white.
The letter had been delivered, and the herald remained standing as if waiting for an answer.No—his face looked as if he already knew the answer.
The letter was relayed and delivered to General Baekin-gun.
The wind seized the last line and scattered it across the ramparts."If ruler and ministers together defy Heaven, all the heavens will abandon you."
Then it happened.On the watchtower, the General stepped forward by one pace.He took the letter into his hand.He looked down at the characters for a moment, and a very faint smile touched the corner of his mouth.
And then he set it on fire.
A red flame rose from the edge of the paper.Fire burning in the snow.When the wind blew, sparks flew.The letter burned down without a word.It rose like paper money burned for the dead.The Mandate of Heaven, the declarative threats—everything vanished into flame.
Someone on the wall swallowed.Before the flame died, everyone understood.Words were over now,and what remained was only blood and iron.
The war began.
----*
"Letter of the Goryeo Great General"Reply from the watchtower of Liaoyang Fortress
"I, Baekin-gun, Great General of Goryeo, respectfully send this letter in reply to the chancellor Naghachu of the Northern Yuan.
You say the Mandate of Heaven rests in the northern court—this is to deceive Heaven and defy reason.Heaven's will stays with a land of benevolence and righteousness, not with violent tyrants.
Liaoyang is originally the old land of our realm.In former times our king even held the title King of Liaoyang, guarding the frontier and stabilizing the four seas.This is not land opened by your ancestors, but the boundary and fief established by ours.
Now you bring troops to our walls and seek to seize old territory—this is to forget righteousness and throw the world into disorder.
Our court does not covet the land of a single fortress.We only uphold the living charge of our ancestors and protect the settled lives of the people.
If you repent and withdraw, this land may still share peace together.If you stubbornly advance, then our army will answer fire with fire, and wash blood with blood.
This letter is not to argue right and wrong with words, but to show our resolve.Know it well.
Written in the winter tenth month of Zhizheng 27, from atop Liaoyang Fortress.Goryeo Great General Baekin-gun, in reply."
The tent cloth above the tower whipped in the wind as if torn.General Baekin-gun stared down at the letter for a moment, then pressed the red seal with a cold hand.He raised his brush and wrote the final line again.
"Answer fire with fire.Wash blood with blood."
When the brush stopped, before the ink even dried, an officer asked carefully,"Will you truly… send it?"
Baekin-gun looked for a long time at the field outside the walls.In the snow, the Northern Yuan formations lay spread like a black tide.Without speaking, he folded the letter and handed it to his subordinate."Deliver it clearly. To Naghachu."
At that moment, a horn sounded below the tower.The gate opened, and the courier bearing the letter sprinted out like wind.On the snow-covered field, two heavens denied each other.That was the true beginning of the defense of Liaoyang Fortress.