Im Gyeong Eop - After War and Deceit

After War and Deceit

In 1637, the Manchu Qing Empire requested reinforcements from Joseon to defeat Ming forces, and Im was sent as the Naval relief force. However, Im, wanting to repay Joseon's defeat during the Invasion, secretly sent a message to the Ming forces, revealing the Manchu plan and diminishing Ming casualties and worsening Manchu casualties.

In 1640, he was again sent as reinforcements to the Qing but again he used a Buddhist monk as a messenger to the Ming to replay his double-sided plan. This way, the Joseon forces never actually engaged with the Ming in combat, while the Manchus did most of the fighting. The following year he returned to Seoul where suspicious Qing influence made him lose his rank. However, he soon regained another governmental position.

However, in 1642, a Ming general affiliated with Im surrendered to the Manchus, thus revealing Im's relations with Ming forces. The Manchus immediately sent an arrest force in Korea, who seized Im Gyeong Eop and transported him to Beijing. However, in Hwanghae province he managed to escape and entered a Buddhist Shrine, where he disguised himself as a monk, only to escape to the Ming a year later.