Fu Shanhe

Chapter 434 Resolving Conflicts at Their Fundamentals
The advantage of being far from the emperor's reach and in a remote area became apparent at this time.

When the imperial envoy's entourage finally arrived in Yunnan, it was already spring of the eighth year of Yongning.

After such a long period of time, the body of the Yunnan governor had long since decomposed beyond recognition.

All relevant evidence at the scene was completely destroyed.

Li Mu didn't know how the imperial envoy would investigate the case, but he did have a group of people on his side seeking refuge.

It's clear that the Duke of Qian's mansion still couldn't bring itself to silence all those who knew the truth.

If he were to stab them in the back and hand these people over, the Meng family's foundation in Yunnan would be destroyed.

However, Li Mu would definitely not do something that would damage his character.

He selectively ignored these uninvited guests.

The current Annam Protectorate is just a huge construction site.

He was in charge of this project and was extremely busy every day.

On the one hand, we need to vigorously promote immigration and land reclamation, and on the other hand, we need to strengthen the ideological construction of the team. He needs to personally oversee many things.

Delegating power is impossible. If he dares to relinquish control at this stage, a group of "minor warlords" will spring up in the shortest possible time.

The Great Yu Dynasty had its own national conditions.

The traditional system of household retainers created favorable conditions for the emergence of warlords.

Under the previous system of civil officials controlling the military, military generals were suppressed as soon as they stood out, and these problems were not obvious.

As the aristocratic faction rose to prominence and the military power followed suit, the situation gradually changed.

It was no accident that the Duke of Qian's mansion dared to take action against the Governor of Yunnan.

If the central government's deterrent power hadn't declined, they wouldn't have dared to do such a thing, even if they had the guts.

The "Yongning Massacre" tore away the last fig leaf, and the respect that powerful military officers in various regions had for the imperial court was greatly diminished.

Even some generals from the nobility faction began to compromise their duties when carrying out imperial orders.

The loyalty of other non-direct-line military officers to the imperial court has also decreased significantly.

If it weren't for the support of the Duke of Cheng and the Marquis of Zhenyuan in the court, which deterred a host of ambitious individuals, the emperor's edicts would have been treated like mere scraps of paper.

Relying on powerful ministers to intimidate local officials is ultimately not a long-term solution.

If the court fails to restore central authority, the disintegration of the empire is only a matter of time.

Compared to the threats from rebels and northern barbarians, this internal division within the ruling group was the most fatal.

Having learned from such a lesson, Li Mu naturally had to draw lessons from it.

He put a lot of effort into the ideological development of the team.

Fortunately, most of his trusted generals came from humble backgrounds and their thinking was not so complicated.

Driven by the need for strategic expansion, the current guiding principle in the military is "to create living space for the people of Dayu and establish a prosperous and stable Protectorate."

From officers and soldiers to ordinary citizens, everyone benefits from this concept, making its promotion very smooth.

The "Outline for the Development of the Annam Protectorate" and the "Guide to the Development of the Army," personally compiled by Li Mu, became study materials for the army.

In addition to these, he has recently been busy drafting the "Strategy for Industrial and Commercial Development," preparing to introduce legislation to encourage the development of industrial and commercial manufacturing.

Only by experiencing it firsthand can one truly understand how troublesome it is to reshape a political system.

By the time the Great Yu Dynasty had developed to this point, the economically developed coastal areas had already seen the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution.

Unfortunately, the feudal scholar-official class was too powerful, preventing any further advancement.

The Annam Protectorate, starting from scratch, had a better chance of triggering an industrial revolution.

The emerging military cliques were busy expanding outwards, and out of military necessity, they were actually supporters of the Industrial Revolution.

For example, the Annamite Navy was very interested in steam-powered ironclad warships.

The army has put a lot of effort into promoting the development of firearms technology.

The unique climate of the Indochina Peninsula, with its abundant rainfall, meant that traditional firearms could not meet the needs of combat in rainy weather.

The military proposed the "self-generating flintlock musket," a modified flintlock musket, which was born in the hands of craftsmen.

Due to instability limitations, it has not yet been widely adopted throughout the military.

However, this is only a matter of time. As the needs of the battlefield evolve, self-propelled muskets will inevitably replace traditional muskets.

The development of artillery technology was also affected.

The army needs lighter, more portable artillery, while the navy needs more powerful naval guns.

These requirements may seem to target only the military industry, but in reality they involve multiple other industries.

The steel industry was the first to be affected.

Like Dayu, the Indochina Peninsula suffers from a lack of copper production.

In the process of military production, it is inevitable to find alternatives.

Conventional cast iron cannons cannot meet the requirements; alloy steel with higher performance is needed.

Although we are currently only in the stage of raising demands and have not yet achieved any remarkable results, the general direction of industrial development has indeed been positively affected.

In addition to heavy industry, light industry and animal husbandry were also affected.

Warfare requires not only weapons but also a large amount of logistical supplies, and the related industrial chain has benefited from this.

Unfortunately, these industries are only just beginning in Annam, and the biggest beneficiaries are actually Guangdong and Guangxi.

Half of the military's supplies are purchased from there.

Sometimes, when demand is high, we have to go to even more distant places like Fujian, Zhejiang, and Southern Zhili to make purchases.

While it appears that the Annam Protectorate is launching a foreign war, in reality, the southeastern provinces of the Great Yu are all providing support for the war.

The spoils of war, apart from large quantities of supplies such as food which were kept for personal use, were all transported to the territory of Dayu for sale.

Li Mu was confident in conquering the Indochina Peninsula, not only because his army was strong, but also because he had a behemoth that controlled 45% of the world's economy as his backing.

Wars are all about money, supplies, and logistics, and the small countries of the Indochina Peninsula are no match for the Great Yu.

In the past, the biggest problem preventing the Central Plains dynasties from annexing the Indochina Peninsula was transportation, followed by harsh natural conditions.

With the development of navigation technology, transportation restrictions no longer exist.

Even if they fought all the way to Malacca, the logistical transportation costs would be less than one-third of those in the northern frontier.

As the countries on the peninsula continue to develop, the harsh natural conditions are gradually changing.

The global cooling during the Little Ice Age was also a favorable factor.

……

"My lord, news has come from Yunnan."

The Siamese, passing through Burma, presented their credentials to the imperial envoy, hoping to end the war.

The imperial commissioner has accepted the case and begun investigating the causes of the war.

Lan Linjie said nervously.

The imperial envoy's thorough investigation into the sudden death of the Yunnan governor, theoretically speaking, had nothing to do with the Annam Protectorate.

But the letter from the Siamese people suddenly changed the situation.

Before the war was launched, the report submitted to the court stated that the Siamese had colluded with the remnants of Annam to invade, forcing the Protectorate to launch a counterattack.

However, a lie is still a lie, and once the imperial court investigates, loopholes will be found everywhere.

Before launching the southern expedition, the Kingdom of Siam and the Annam Protectorate did not share a border.

They only became neighbors after successively destroying Champa and Zhenla, as well as a number of chieftains.

Throughout the entire attack, Yu's army was on the offensive, and the Kingdom of Siam was beaten without even realizing it.

If this were to reach the imperial court, it would be considered "deceiving the emperor."

"There's no need to worry too much. Everything should be based on evidence. My words are far more credible than those of the Siamese. The Imperial Envoy's task is to investigate the sudden death of the Yunnan Governor and the war between the Protectorate and the Kingdom of Siam. It's not his place to interfere."

Without His Majesty's decree, we can refuse any investigation.

"Pass down the order: everyone should stick to the same story and shift the blame for the war onto the Kingdom of Siam."

Li Mu said, feigning composure.

It wasn't difficult for the imperial envoy to gather evidence; the Kingdom of Siam could provide it itself.

Having evidence is one thing, but whether or not to admit it is another.

The imperial envoy investigating the sudden death of the Yunnan governor went off to investigate the Annam Protectorate and the cause of the Siam war, which was itself an overreach of authority.

By insisting that the other party fabricated evidence to slander them, the matter can be directly dragged into partisan infighting.

With the emperor thousands of miles away, it would be difficult for him to discern the truth from falsehood on both sides, and the matter would most likely be dropped.

The aftereffect is that the emperor's fear of him will deepen further.

After all, some things don't need evidence; suspicion is enough.

During the height of a dynasty, external expansion was a great way to demonstrate the emperor's military prowess.

Towards the end of the dynasty, the situation was quite different.

The emperor's primary concern was the stability of the dynasty, leaving him with no time to expand the territory.

The earlier conquest of Annam was due to Li Mu's constant building of momentum, coupled with the politically correct claim of recovering the lost territories of Jiaozhi.

Once the fait accompli was established, Emperor Yongning, who valued his reputation, would not voluntarily abandon the territory.

As a consequence, Li Mu was also forced by the emperor and civil officials to serve in the local government, permanently stationed in the Annam Protectorate.

In the eyes of the powerful and influential in the capital, this was a disguised form of exile.

If he were to cause any more trouble in the Kingdom of Siam, the emperor would inevitably label him as "restless."

"My lord, we can deny it to the death, but the Duke of Qian is probably in trouble."

The case of murdering the governor of Yunnan is easy to cover up, but the fact that he provoked a border war without authorization is probably not so easy to conceal.

Moreover, the Duke of Qian's mansion had a history of illegal activities within Yunnan Province.

If the imperial envoy wasn't stupid, he could uncover a whole host of problems.

If the imperial court investigates the responsibility of the Duke of Qian's mansion, it might force them to rebel, which would put us in an awkward position.

Wang Jingchuan, an advisor standing nearby, offered a reminder.

Li Mu's ability to govern Annam for generations was partly due to the Guizhou State Duke's Mansion's endorsement of its 300-year-old political reputation.

For hundreds of years, from the Song Dynasty to the present, there have been very few serious incidents of nobles rebelling.

Even if trouble was stirred up during that time, it was only due to internal royal struggles, and they were passively drawn into it.

This tacit understanding would be broken if the Duke of Qian rebelled.

At that time, Li Mu, who will hold a large army, will become the court's primary target for defense.

After all, the Duke of Qian's mansion, though firmly established, does not possess strong military power.

Li Mu was the number one general of the Great Yu Dynasty. His former subordinates were all over the world, and he could raise an army of hundreds of thousands with a single call.

If a rebellion were to break out, the entire country would change color instantly.

No one knows for sure how many people in the world will respond.

Anyway, with this commotion, it's highly likely that they'll take the Great Yu Dynasty away.

"Don't worry, the Duke of Qian's mansion will not rebel, and they can't rebel either."

The problems that the imperial envoy can uncover are the same problems that they want the imperial envoy to uncover.

Bringing these issues up in court is not a threat; on the contrary, it puts His Majesty at ease.

Li Mu waved his hand and said.

The nobility group is too closely tied to the empire; while enjoying the benefits, they must also pay a corresponding price.

Once they raise an army in rebellion, they will be despised by the people of the world.

Even if one seizes the world by force, it is still an illegitimate way to obtain the country.

The Duke of Qian's mansion, with its meager resources, couldn't possibly conquer Yunnan and Guizhou even if it rebelled.

Rather than resorting to extreme rebellion, it would be better to let the imperial envoy uncover some problems and then proactively admit their mistakes to the court.

Compared to plotting to become the governor of Yunnan, his unauthorized instigation of border wars and hoarding of minerals are all insignificant.

As long as one admits their mistakes sincerely and demonstrates loyalty to the court, the emperor will not touch a long-established ducal family, nor will the nobility allow them to do so.

"My lord, the reasoning is sound, but we can't stop some people from trying to cause trouble."

The Qingliu Party members, having suffered a major defeat in the previous party struggles, are certainly not willing to accept it.

Now that the Duke of Qian's mansion has come knocking on their door, they're bound to make a big fuss about it.

If anything else is stirred up and the conflict escalates further, His Majesty will have no choice but to deal with the Duke of Qian's mansion.

Wang Jingchuan said coldly.

He had personally experienced factional strife and knew that many officials in the court would do anything for political gain.

Over the past few decades, the Qingliu Party has been able to grow rapidly and become the largest faction in the court. In addition to its attractive political ideology, the main reason for its success is its low moral standards.

People who usually flaunt their morality are often the most immoral.

It is precisely because of a lack of morality that there is a need to constantly emphasize it and label oneself as a morally perfect person.

On the surface, they are impeccably dressed, but in secret they are scoundrels who commit all sorts of evil deeds.

The degeneration of the gentry is a collective phenomenon, and no political group is an exception.

The difference is that some people, after coming together, also have political ideals.

Some people, after gathering together, simply want to seek personal gain.

Perhaps they thought about changing the world when they were young, but things have changed now.

They talk about the nation and the world, but all they think about is personal gain.

"Ok!"

"The Qingliu Party members are indeed capable of doing such things."

However, this is a matter concerning the Duke of Qian's mansion, and it has little to do with us.

The main task of the Protectorate at present is to develop itself.

Since the Kingdom of Siam is attempting to create trouble for us through the court, then let's resolve the problem once and for all.

Orders were sent to the front-line troops to prepare for a spring offensive.

The objective of this operation was no longer to seize territory, but to destroy the Kingdom of Siam as soon as possible.

As for the local resistance forces, we'll find another opportunity to gradually eliminate them later.

Li Mu immediately gave the order.

He originally did not want to start a war in the spring, the season for planting, but the Siamese brought it upon themselves.

The official letter had already reached the hands of the imperial envoy; there was no time to intercept it.

If this isn't dealt with quickly, it could escalate to the imperial court, causing considerable trouble.

Even if the matter can be suppressed, it will still affect his reputation in the court.

If you can't solve the problem, then solve the people who created it.

With no one left to file a complaint, the responsibility for initiating a war without authorization naturally also disappears.

For the sake of their own reputation, they had no choice but to make the King of Siam sacrifice himself.

(End of this chapter)