402.The Mandate of Heaven is wavering.
Based in Jiangzhou, Jin Yuliang initially swept through the Yangtze region with overwhelming momentum.
He captured Taiping, a key strategic point on the river, breaking through Zhu Yuanzhang's defensive line.
Riding that momentum, he pressed toward Yingtiān Prefecture (Nanjing).
But at Longwan, a narrow inlet at the mouth of the Qinhuai River, the course of the war was completely reversed.
The defeat at Longwan struck.
Originally, Jin Yuliang had held the advantage in that battle.
He had many supporting forces, and the flow of the battlefield favored him.
However, he was drawn into the deception of Zhu Yuanzhang's close aide, Kang Maocai.
The great host became entangled as it pushed along the narrow waterway.
Counterattacked by the main Ming force drawn out from Yingtiān,
Jin Yuliang's army suffered a crushing defeat.
This loss did not end as a simple setback.
It signaled the collapse of the entire front.
As Jin Yuliang's forces retreated and their power base crumbled,
military orders fell into disorder.
Command no longer reached the ranks.
Anqing was lost.
Jiangzhou was lost.
They were pushed back from Nanchang.
The main force retreated to Wuchang.
His power unraveled across the entire middle reaches of the Yangtze.
In effect, from the Battle of Longwan onward,
the position of "the defeated" passed from Jin Yuliang to Zhu Yuanzhang.
Yet something strange occurred.
Among the soldiers who scattered and fled to Wuchang,
incomprehensible rumors began to circulate after several days.
"Since the defeat, the qi of Heaven has changed."
"They say the waters of Poyang Lake flow backward every night."
"Enemy commanders are seeing a gray-robed warrior in their dreams."
Veteran soldiers shook their heads.
"The Mandate of Heaven is wavering."
That the routed army did not collapse outright
was something even Jin Yuliang himself could not understand.
And it was then that the Goryeo warrior unit, which had slipped quietly into Wuchang,
detected an inexplicable change in Park Seong-jin.
A single light step of his sent ripples outward,
lifting the fighting spirit of nearby soldiers as if by shockwaves.
Yun Dam confirmed the change.
He spoke quietly to Jin Yuliang.
"My lord."
"The defeat you suffered was a defeat written by history."
"But now, Heaven is trying to overturn the board once more."
"Fight one more war at Poyang Lake."
"This time, the defeated may change."
Jin Yuliang did not fully grasp the meaning of those words at the time.
But from that day onward,
history began—quietly yet unmistakably—to tilt in another direction.
At Yun Dam's counsel, Jin Yuliang began a series of reforms.
The defeat at Longwan did not end as a mere military loss.
It was an experience that shook even his own Mandate.
And it was then that Yun Dam spoke softly.
"My lord."
"The war has already been overturned by Heaven."
"What remains is preparation by human hands."
Those words lifted Jin Yuliang back to his feet.
From that day on, he began reforms in politics, military affairs, and administration.
The system that had relied on forced contributions from wealthy households
was converted into taxation.
In Jiangnan, wealthy families had long complied reluctantly when Jin Yuliang demanded war supplies—
or deceived him and siphoned them away.
Forced levies are fast.
But they cannot sustain continuity.
Yun Dam advised quietly.
"Filling the bellies of the rich with fear works in the short term."
"In the long term, it leaves nothing to gain."
Jin Yuliang made his decision.
"No more forced contributions."
"Collect taxes instead."
The ministers and generals were startled.
"Taxes, suddenly?"
"You intend to institutionalize taxation in the middle of a war?"
Jin Yuliang replied.
"Yes."
"War is not about winning immediately."
"You win by being able to keep fighting."
The measure produced effects beyond expectation.
The avenues through which wealthy households secretly diverted supplies narrowed.
A long-term, sustainable network for food and weapons took shape.
Rather than turning away, popular sentiment gradually inclined toward Jin Yuliang.
Amid chaos, the outline of a state began to form.
The army was reorganized.
Mercenaries gathered from across the land were unified into a single force.
Originally, Jin Yuliang's army had been a mixture of regional warlords, mercenaries, and local troops.
Its training system was weak.
Its tactical framework unstable.
Its chain of command uneven.
While victories came easily, the flaws remained hidden.
Once it collapsed, it scattered like a sandcastle.
Yun Dam's words were uncompromising.
"My lord."
"In battle, order defeats strength."
Accordingly, Jin Yuliang issued his command.
"All forces will be unified."
"There will be one chain of command."
"One set of formations."
This time, he summoned Goryeo officers.
Yi In-jung.
Officer Jong Hui.
Song Yi-sul.
Those who understood the bones of war laid down the framework of training.
They reorganized the soldiers into new units, hundreds strong.
Infantry.
Archers.
Crossbowmen.
Cavalry.
Naval forces.
Engineers.
Vanguard units.
Reconnaissance.
They divided branches and assigned tactical roles.
Training was brutally harsh.
But the effect was unmistakable.
The shattered army began to harden again, like forged iron.
The opening of military farms followed.
An army that could feed itself was established.
Yun Dam said,
"The most frightening enemy in war is not spear or shield."
"It is supply."
"A starving army cannot fight."
Jin Yuliang decided.
"The army will cultivate the land it eats from."
"Open the military farms."
The soldiers began to till fields with their own hands.
As grain grew, they filled the granaries themselves.
The military farms spread rapidly across Jiangnan.
The effect was overwhelming.
Anxiety over provisions diminished.
The army gained the strength to endure long wars.
Local residents began to support the army.
From this point on,
the people of Jiangnan began to see Jin Yuliang's forces
not as a warlord's host,
but as the foundation of a state.
Naval reform began.
It was preparation to become master of the Yangtze.
Jin Yuliang's strength had always been his navy.
Yet reliance on large vessels and slow maneuvering
had become a fatal weakness in the narrow channels of Longwan.
With the riverbed lowered,
the ships settled into the mud.
They became prey for Zhu Yuanzhang's forces.
Yun Dam's view was decisive.
"Large ships provide rear firepower."
"Medium and small vessels must maneuver at the front."
Jin Yuliang issued orders at once.
Large ships would handle fire attacks, bombardment, and long-range strikes.
Medium ships would handle maneuver and close combat.
Small boats would move through shallow waters and strike flanks and rear.
Training was bold.
In narrow channels, dozens of small boats moved like birds, shielding the large ships.
They struck from the sides and withdrew in an instant.
At first, it was chaos.
Collisions were frequent.
Capsizing occurred.
Formations broke apart in uproar.
But through repeated drills, the navy grew stronger by the day.
A completely different force was born.
Three months later, Jin Yuliang stood on a hill and looked down at his army.
It was no longer the same.
What had once scattered like sand
now possessed a combat system hardened like steel.
Provisions were ample.
The navy had become a living spear, cutting through the current.
He did not smile.
He quietly exhaled.
"Now we can win."
"We can overturn history."