Fu Shanhe

Chapter 396: Annan
"Sir Shangshu, the capital of Dayu is ahead.

As long as we enter the city and reveal our identities to the Great Yu court, we will be safe."

Pointing at the city ahead, the middle-aged guard spoke in a low voice.

After experiencing the incident of the envoys being killed, they disguised themselves as merchants when they went to Dayu this time.

I was in fear all the way, afraid that my identity would be revealed accidentally and I would lose my life in vain.

The effort was not in vain. After going through untold hardships, they finally arrived at the capital of Dayu.

"Ok!"

"As expected of the capital of the Celestial Empire, it is extraordinary.

If it was Thang Long City, the walls would also be so strong and it wouldn’t have fallen so quickly.”

Ruan Yixiu couldn't help but sigh.

After the defeat, the domestic political ecology of Annan changed drastically.

All the original arrogance disappeared completely in the war.

Without any persuasion from others, Hu Xinbo took the initiative to give up the title of emperor and put on the title of King of Annan again.

All the objects that violated etiquette were cleared away.

All official documents have been completely revised, and the use of titles such as Dai Viet Dynasty, Dai Viet Emperor, etc. is prohibited.

Everything he did was to gain the forgiveness of Emperor Dayu so as to end the war as soon as possible.

"Who are you and why are you lingering at the city gate?"

When the delegation stopped to watch, a team of patrolling officers and soldiers came over and asked.

As an important place in the capital, Dayu has always had the highest security level.

The Wucheng Bingmasi, which is responsible for maintaining public security in the capital, often takes the initiative to eliminate unstable factors.

Once caught, the consequences are usually very miserable.

"Sir, we are merchants from overseas.

This was the first time I saw such a magnificent city. I was so shocked that I stopped to look at it!"

The middle-aged guard hurried forward to explain.

As he spoke, a wallet was quietly handed over.

They have repeated similar operations countless times since entering the territory of Dayu.

Whenever there is trouble, money paves the way.

"You are sensible, so I won't embarrass you this time.

Remember that the capital is an important place, not your small foreign country, so curb your curiosity.

Don’t look at things you shouldn’t look at, and don’t ask things you shouldn’t ask.

Check their cargo, and if there is no contraband, let them go!"

The young general who received the money immediately gave a reminder.

This is the tradition of the Wucheng Bingmasi, to prevent the sponsor's money from being wasted.

The more money you put in, the more efficient things will be.

Of course, what needs to be investigated must still be investigated. This is the regulation of the court.

You can turn a blind eye to small things and pretend not to see them.

When you get into big trouble, falling out is the norm.

Seeing the Yu army soldiers coming to inspect, Ruan Yixiu and his group tacitly made way.

Even if they don't know much about Dayu, they know that the people should not fight against the officials.

Now that they are playing the role of businessmen, they must maintain their image well.

If you are accidentally exposed, not only will the mission fail, but you may even lose your life.

"General, these are all spices and gems, no contraband."

The sergeant leading the search responded.

"You can go!"

The Youth General Flag waved his hand and said.

In the officialdom, greed is a taboo.

Once you have obtained your share, if you are greedy and want more, you will pay the price sooner or later.

The ambitious young men among the children of nobles all went to serve on the front lines, while the rest chose to lie down.

As a member of the Lie Flat Party, the principle he adheres to has always been that it is better to do less than more.

If there had not been an order from above to strictly prevent the Annan delegation from sneaking into the capital, the job of checking merchants and travelers would have been done by the soldiers guarding the city.

Having luckily escaped the disaster, the Annamites secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

From the inspection just now, they finally understood that these officers and soldiers were deliberately looking for some documents.

Fortunately, they were alert and took emergency measures in advance and destroyed the letters of credence they carried with them.

Otherwise, once these people find the letter of credence, their identities will be exposed.

Without any hesitation, all the members of the delegation who were allowed to pass ran to line up to enter the city.

……

Wenyuan Pavilion.

"What? Someone claims to be from the Annan delegation and is clamoring to see the emperor?"

Wan Junhui asked with a frown.

The establishment of the Annan Protectorate has just been approved.

The imperial edict appointing Li Mu to guard Annan was still on the way to the front line.

At this time, an Annan delegation suddenly appeared. Isn't this going against him?

If this group of guys collude with the anti-war factions in the court and persuade the emperor to revoke the imperial edict of enthronement, his efforts will be in vain.

"Yes, Prime Minister."

“Just an hour ago, a group of Annamites suddenly appeared, claiming to be members of the Annamitage Mission.

This time I came to the capital to apologize to Your Majesty.

Unfortunately, they can’t produce a letter of credence to prove their identity, and I don’t know what to do.”

Wen Siyuan explained helplessly.

In the history of Dayu, there were people who pretended to be members of the diplomatic mission and came to deceive Dayu to obtain the title.

After suffering a loss, the Honglu Temple increased its review efforts.

The credentials and pass to prove identity are both essential.

"Since there is nothing, then why waste words.

Put them directly into jail and interrogate them strictly to find out who is pretending to be the diplomatic mission."

"Sir Wen, the court has already reached a conclusion on the Annan issue, so don't cause any trouble.

If something goes wrong, it won't be a good thing for you or the court."

Wan Junhui scolded angrily.

This is his political achievement, how can he allow it to be destroyed?

Fortunately, he was on duty today. If it was someone else, who knows what would have happened.

Deep down, his dissatisfaction with Wen Siyuan increased a little.

No wonder he is still wasting his time as the Minister of the Ministry of Rites at his old age.

Given his political sensitivity, it was a miracle in the officialdom that he could even hold the position of Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Regardless of whether the mission is real or fake, it must be fake now.

If the matter is exposed and the enthronement is messed up, it would mean cutting oneself off from the entire civil service group.

If Li Mu is left in the court, when the dispute between civil and military officials breaks out in the future, even the emperor will probably hate him.

"Thank you for your advice, Prime Minister. I will go back and deal with these rebels right away!"

Realizing the seriousness of the problem, Wen Siyuan immediately expressed his opinion.

Even though the imperial court had already made a decision, he still dreamed of overturning it. This was a huge political failure.

Fortunately, he was stopped by the Prime Minister, otherwise he would have offended many people after today.

As for the Annan delegation that was dealt with, it was just bad luck for them.

He had no credentials or customs documents in his hand, and no local government office had reported the matter in advance. He could easily determine that these people were fakes within the rules.

Even if the imperial court investigated afterwards, they could not find any fault.

No official dared to identify the members of Annan's mission in the absence of physical evidence.

If these people suddenly exploded and attempted to attack the emperor or senior officials in the court during a meeting with the emperor, they would be guilty of a serious crime punishable by the execution of their entire family.

Once involved, no matter who the official is, he will be held accountable.

In this case, the common way of dealing with it is to rather kill the wrong person than to be careless and let him go.

……

Dien Bien Phu, the temporary capital of Annam.

For some reason, Hu Xinbo suddenly became irritable, as if something big was about to happen.

"Lord Chen, which battlefield on the front line has suffered a major defeat?"

Seeing the Minister of War coming in, Hu Xinbo asked first.

He hadn't received any good news since the war broke out.

Occasionally there were a few reports of victory, but they were also contributed by pirates and rebels.

Whenever they encountered the main force of Yu’s army, they never won.

Losing cities and territories has long become the norm.

"Your Majesty, wise!"

"We have just made contact with the central and southern regions, and the situation is not optimistic. The rebels and pirates active in various places did not clash with the Yu army, but directly took the cities and land and defected to them.

Except for a few who managed to escape, most of the officials we sent over to recruit them became their tokens of surrender.

Judging from the current situation, most of the central and northern parts of the kingdom have fallen into the hands of the enemy.

Except for a few areas in the south where local forces took advantage of the chaos to establish themselves, the rest of the area also came under the command of Dayu."

Chen Chuyang's honesty made Hu Xinbo so angry that he had no place to vent.

I have long known that the situation was not optimistic, but I never imagined it would be so bad.

In just a few months, the Yu army had conquered most of their territory.

"You mean that three quarters of the great...Annan Kingdom, fell into the hands of the Yu army?"

When the words were on the tip of his tongue, Hu Xinbo quickly changed his tone.

If we seek forgiveness from Dayu and then use the Dai Viet Dynasty, we will be seeking death.

The capital he had was almost gone, and his confidence was becoming increasingly weak.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Chen Chuyang replied in a deep voice.

"If you have any other bad news, tell me too. I can handle it."

Hu Xinbo said with a bitter look on his face.

Having brought the country from its heyday into the abyss, he could already imagine how history books would evaluate him.

If the negotiations with Dayu failed and the country was unfortunately destroyed, it is estimated that there would not even be a chronicle of the emperor.

From Dayu's point of view, Annan is a separatist regime and a complete traitor.

Once the country is unified again, the history before that will become local chronicles.

“Your Majesty, we are running low on food.

The enemy blocked the main transportation routes and prohibited even a grain of food from flowing into our controlled area.

The Xuanfu Division next door also received a warning from the Dayu court and sent troops to block border trade.

It is difficult to feed a large army with only the people of a few states within the jurisdiction.”

After the Minister of Revenue Ruan Xinjie finished speaking, the hall fell into dead silence.

In order to feed their army and bureaucracy, they have resorted to aggressive warfare in the areas they control.

However, there are still a number of chieftains of varying sizes in these mountainous provinces.

In peacetime, these chieftains are not very honest, let alone at a time like this.

In order to give face to the chieftain village, they also paid a symbolic tax to them.

If you don't give us face, we will just send troops to drive them away.

He wanted to send troops to conquer the enemy several times, but considering the cost and benefits were not proportional, he finally gave up.

“Send a warning to the Xuanweisi next door. If they dare to block the trade route, I will drag them to hell with me.

Someone was sent to contact the King of Burma to tell him that the annexation of Cheli Xuanweisi, Mengyang Xuanweisi and other areas had happened.

If Dayu can destroy us today, he will not let him go tomorrow.

Or join forces with us and drive out Yu’s army together.

Or we should all clean our necks and wait for the enemy to strike us with a knife!"

Hu Xinbo roared almost like a roar.

Although he knew that even in his heyday, he could not defeat Dayu, and adding a Burmese Kingdom would be of no use.

But at the critical moment of life and death, he still wanted to give it a try.

Even if we want to end this damn war through negotiations, the more bargaining chips we have, the better.

“Your Majesty, I’m afraid this will backfire.

The relationship between us and our old nest Xuanweisi has always been very bad.

During the reign of Emperor Xian, three conflicts broke out successively, all of which ended with great victories by our country.

During this period, they annexed many territories of local chieftains, and the two sides had long been at loggerheads.

When we were strong, they didn't dare to make trouble, but it is different now.

If we provoke them further, they might send troops together with Dayu to attack us from both sides.

The Kingdom of Burma probably cannot be relied upon either.

They are just a bunch of cowards who don't have the guts to challenge Dayu."

Ruan Xinjie shattered Hu Xinbo's fantasy on the spot.

In the past, even if they knew that the boss’s decision was wrong, they would still consider his face and would only oppose it in a tactful way.

However, as the situation on the battlefield continued to deteriorate, Hu Xinbo, who initiated the war, had long become a sinner in the eyes of countless Annan people.

There were even calls within Annan to depose Hu Xinbo and apologize to Dayu.

The officials who came from aristocratic families now looked at Hu Xinbo with different eyes.

If we were not worried that changing the king without authorization might trigger a civil war, we would have taken action long ago.

When we communicate on a daily basis, there is no longer the respect we used to have.

"That's it!"

"Since you can't find any reinforcements, you can just do whatever you want!"

Hu Xinbo's exhausted words put an end to this unpleasant exchange.

……

Hanshuihou Mansion.

"The imperial edict has arrived!"

When the eunuch's voice sounded, the marquis's mansion, which had been well prepared, had already opened the central door and set up the incense table.

Li Mu, dressed in official uniform, brought his family, young and old, to an open area to welcome the imperial edict.

"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims: Marquis of Hanshui, loyal and dedicated to the country..."

Li Mu simply ignored the series of words of praise. He only knew that his painstaking plan was successful.

The day came faster and went more smoothly than expected.

It was as if the emperor and the officials were afraid that he would refuse, so they promised him a bunch of additional conditions.

Not only was he appointed as the Protector General of Annan, governing the Annan region for generations, he also took over the Three Xuans and Six Weis.

Although Dayu only had nominal rule over these areas.

Apart from symbolically collecting taxes and imposing corvée labor each year, the imperial court never interfered in local affairs.

But legally, these areas still belong to the territory of Dayu.

With the authorization of the court, he could legitimately intervene in these areas.

The most crucial thing is that the position of Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi was not revoked immediately, but he was allowed to serve a full term.

As for the promised financial subsidies, Li Mu simply chose to ignore them.

Given the corrupt nature of the imperial court, these promises could only be fulfilled in the first few years, and once financial difficulties arose, they became empty promises.

"Your Majesty, thank you for your grace. Long live the Emperor!"

After saying this, he raised his hands above his head to receive the imperial edict, then stood up and placed it on the incense table.

"Eunuch Su, before I leave, does His Majesty have any instructions?"

After going through the entire process, Li Mu asked.

The eunuch who was delivering the imperial edict had always been serving Emperor Yongning.

The reason he was sent out this time was obviously not just to announce the imperial decree.

"My Lord, His Majesty said that state affairs are difficult, and I am sorry to have wronged you this time.

If you need anything, just ask, and we will definitely do it for you if we can!"

Su Haoyu replied seriously.

Times are different, and the perspectives on issues are also different.

In the eyes of the civil and military officials in the court, Annan was a more remote and wild place than Guangxi.

Asking the high-spirited marquis of the current dynasty to guard such a hellish place is tantamount to exile.

The most severe punishment the imperial court could offer to criminals short of the death penalty was exile to Lingnan.

Looking at the map, the territory of Annan closest to Guangxi happens to belong to Lingnan, and more of its territory is still south of Lingnan.

Such arrangement of meritorious officials is obviously intended to suppress them deliberately.

If Li Mu could not be made to accept the order willingly, and the news got out, it would mean that the court was treating its meritorious officials poorly.

"Your Majesty is serious.

There is no such thing as feeling wronged when serving the country.

In the past, the Duke of Qian gave up his comfortable life in the capital for the sake of his country, so naturally this Marquis can do the same.

Please tell His Majesty that the affairs of Southern Xinjiang are in my hands and I will not let him down.

However, the situation in Annan is complicated and the local people are not stable, so it is not appropriate to recruit local young and strong people into the army for the time being.

For a long time in the future, the troops from Guangdong and Guangxi will be needed to assist in defense.

The Protectorate was unable to raise funds for all military expenses and needed funding from Guangdong and Guangxi.

In order to balance the population structure, I propose that part of the Guangdong and Guangxi troops be incorporated into the Annan Protectorate.

Migrate a group of military households to settle here and cultivate land on the spot to reduce financial expenses. "

Li Mu responded immediately.

"Don't worry, my Lord. I will convey this matter truthfully."

……

(End of this chapter)