Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 385 An Unprecedented Victory! The Human Traffickers' Doom Has Arrived!
"Buddha above, could it be that our war with the Ming Dynasty was merely a misunderstanding?"

In Ayutthaya, when the people of Siam heard the news, they all stood there dumbfounded, their faces filled with disbelief.

Immediately afterwards, a look of surprise spread across everyone's face, and they cheered and jumped for joy.

Joy spread rapidly through the crowd like ripples.

Just moments before, they were filled with fear, worried that the Ming army's iron hooves would trample into Ayutthaya, and that their lives and property would be in imminent danger.

Who could have imagined that the next moment they would learn that the Ming army had come to protect them?

Such a huge change left everyone somewhat bewildered and overjoyed.

"Which despicable traitor caused such a terrible misunderstanding? Such a person deserves to be torn to pieces!" A burly man said angrily, his fists clenched tightly, his eyes burning with rage.

"Yes, such a person must have been sent by the devil. Fortunately, Buddha is merciful and protected my Ayutthaya. Now all the disasters have vanished." An old woman put her hands together, her face full of relief, and kept chanting the name of Buddha.

"Don't worry, His Majesty the Wise King saw through the schemes of those treacherous villains long ago. They have all received their due punishment and were decisively executed by His Majesty!" A young man, his face full of pride and chest puffed out, couldn't wait to boast about the Siamese King, whom he regarded as a god, as if he had seen it with his own eyes.

"I heard that our Ayutthaya has signed a military alliance with the Ming Dynasty. From now on, any attack on Ayutthaya will be considered a provocation against the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty is so powerful, doesn't that mean that our Ayutthaya can rest easy and be invincible in the world?" A young boy's eyes shone brightly, full of anticipation and excitement.

"We can't say we're invincible, can we? At least the Ming Dynasty is still stronger than us," a scholar-like man said calmly.

"The Ming Dynasty is our friend, our ally, not our enemy. How can you compare us like that!" A hot-tempered burly man immediately jumped out to retort, his face filled with displeasure, as if the other party had desecrated something sacred.

These people are filled with love for their country and yearn deep in their hearts for Ayutthaya to be powerful and invincible.

Therefore, when someone acts as a "nitpicker" and expresses a different opinion, they are instantly besieged by other people, and accusations rise and fall.

The scholar dared not speak again!

"The Ming Dynasty will also send troops to garrison our Ayutthaya to protect our country from invasion," an old man said proudly, his back ramrod straight, his voice booming, as if it were an immense honor.

"All of this is thanks to His Majesty the King's wise decision!" someone in the crowd exclaimed in praise. "May Buddha bless Ayutthaya with such a wise king!"

"To be able to form an alliance with the Ming Dynasty is a victory for the court, a victory for Ayutthaya, and a victory for all the people." A citizen who always liked to talk about politics gave a thumbs up when he mentioned this.

"Long live His Majesty the King! Long live the Ming Dynasty! Long live the friendship between Ming and Siam!" Someone started it, and instantly, the rousing cheers soared into the sky. Everyone raised their arms and shouted, and their voices merged together, echoing for a long time in the sky above Ayutthaya.

The entire city of Ayutthaya was completely engulfed by waves of joy, utterly immersed in a sea of ​​jubilation.

People dressed in their finest attire, their faces beaming with radiant smiles, sang and danced with abandon, celebrating in the most enthusiastic way how Ayutthaya and the Ming Dynasty had reconciled and successfully become allies.

The Siamese court made the extremely wise choice to conceal the full text of the treaty from the public.

After all, this is not something that the general public needs to know or understand.

All they need to know is that under the brilliant leadership of the wise and great King Ramaputra II, Siam achieved an unprecedented and unparalleled diplomatic victory, forging an eternal alliance with the most powerful dynasty in the world, the Ming Dynasty.

In the propaganda of the Siamese court, this was undoubtedly a great thing with no downsides.

Everyone should be thrilled, raise their arms in celebration, and give thanks for His Majesty the King's wisdom and virtue!

As for the other details behind the treaty, the general public need not delve too deeply into them.

In short, it is enough to conclude that Siam has achieved a "great victory"!
When the news reached the Ming army camp like a whirlwind, Zhu Shou was so shocked that his eyes widened and his mouth gaped open, almost dislocating his jaw.

He stood there dumbfounded, completely unable to believe his ears.

He was secretly amazed, never expecting that the Siamese court could play such a game.
From "victory" to "victory".

This sounds like something out of a fairy tale, full of absurd and magical elements.

Upon closer reflection, Li Sicong's previous analysis was nothing short of divine, with every detail hitting the mark precisely.

Zhu Shou couldn't help but admire his wisdom and strategy immensely, his heart filled with admiration.

Of course, Zhu Shou also knew that all of this was actually His Majesty's scheme.

His Majesty had already calculated everything.

With such talent, who in the world can match him?

Upon being astonished, Zhu Shou reacted swiftly and immediately ordered that when Ming soldiers came into contact with the Siamese, they must fully cooperate with the Siamese court's propaganda efforts, maintain a friendly attitude as much as possible, and actively promote the deep friendship between the Ming and Siamese!

You must give them enough face and make the right gesture, while steadily securing the benefits you are entitled to.

Of course, there are many astute and intelligent people among the Siamese people who have already noticed the "trickery" involved and have vaguely guessed the truth of the matter.

However, being intelligent people, the vast majority of them were well-versed in the ways of the world and wisely chose to remain silent.

After all, in such a situation, seeing through things but not saying them is the best way to protect oneself and survive in the long run.

A few people who didn't know what was good for them were also despised and cursed by the Siamese people.

They believed that those who destroyed the "deep friendship and affection" between Daming and Ayutthaya should be trampled to death by elephants, and their bodies should be fed to wild animals.

Someone reported the "rumors" they had spread to the authorities.

The Siamese government immediately arrested and imprisoned these people, severely punished them, and issued a proclamation that attacks and insults against the court and damage to the friendship between the Ming and Siam would not be tolerated.

The imperial court will severely punish such "bad guys" without leniency.

Not long after, the "Ming-Siam Friendship and Mutual Assistance Agreement" personally signed and confirmed by King Ramaputva II was sent back to the Ming army camp.

The agreement is now officially in effect!

At the same time, the Ming Dynasty delegation led by Li Sicong once again entered Ayutthaya.

Unlike their previous quiet and low-key arrival, this time the Siamese court meticulously prepared a grand and solemn welcoming ceremony for them.

Almost the entire population of Ayutthaya poured out of the city, crowding the streets and eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Ming envoy.

Li Sicong sat upright on the back of a tall and strong elephant, which moved forward slowly with steady steps.

The Siamese people lined both sides of the street, cheering and casting enthusiastic glances at the envoy from the Ming Dynasty.

Li Sicong accepted the highest honors bestowed upon him by the people of Siam with equanimity.

King Ramaputra II, dressed in magnificent and solemn attire, personally led the civil and military officials of Siam, waiting respectfully outside the palace.

His gaze was fixed on the approaching elephant, his expression a mixture of anticipation and awe.

When Li Sicong dismounted from the elephant, Ramaputra II eagerly rushed to greet him.

He quickly clasped his hands together and slowly raised them above his head with utmost reverence, saying, "Honorable envoy of the Great Ming Dynasty, dear friend from afar, the Kingdom of Ayutthaya warmly welcomes your arrival."

In Siam, the wai (prayer hands) is the standard greeting when receiving friends, and it has several variations.

The high-ranking wai (hands clasped above the head) was traditionally used only by subjects when addressing members of the royal family. The middle-ranking wai, with hands raised to nose level, was used when addressing elders or those of higher status.

The gesture of pressing the palms together and raising them to the chin is a common greeting between friends.

The chest greeting involves placing both hands together in front of the chest, and is usually used when addressing subordinates or people of lower status.

Looking back, when Rama Bodh II first met Li Sicong, he was extremely arrogant. Although he did not force Li Sicong to kneel down, he did not even perform the most basic chest greeting.

This time, however, he used a high-level wai (hands pressed together in prayer) that he had never used with anyone before.

After all, as the King of Siam, Ramaputra II held a higher position than anyone else in this land.

As a king, it's impossible for him to perform a chest salute in return to his subjects.

No Siamese minister could accept such a response!

Only when facing envoys from the Ming Dynasty would he perform the high-ranking wai (hands pressed together in prayer).

“Your Majesty, there is no need for such formality.” Li Sicong smiled and quickly stepped forward, warmly taking Rama Bodhi II’s hand: “The Ming Dynasty and Siam are neighboring countries, sharing mountains and rivers. We should naturally get along well, be as close as family, and not distinguish between each other.”

The two looked at each other, then simultaneously tilted their heads back and burst into hearty laughter.

All the unpleasantness of the past seemed to be wiped away by this joyful laughter, disappearing without a trace.

The two walked side by side, hand in hand, into the Royal Palace of Siam.

Their intimate manner was like that of old friends who had not seen each other for many years and were finally reunited, without any barriers between them.

Upon entering the main hall, another round of elaborate and solemn rituals ensued.

Then, Ramaputra II turned slightly to the side, made a gesture of invitation, and with a humble smile on his face, invited Li Sicong to his study.

After the two men were seated in the study, Ramaputra II said earnestly, "Please rest assured, Your Excellency, I have issued a strict order to arrest all human traffickers within Siam."

"At the same time, immediately release all innocent people of the Ming Dynasty who are imprisoned, detained, or sold into slavery."

"At this moment, our officials are leading soldiers to carry out operations in every corner."

"I solemnly assure you that we will handle this matter properly as quickly as possible and give the Ming Dynasty a satisfactory explanation."

He took the initiative to bring up the matter first.

After all, the war between Siam and the Ming Dynasty was ignited by this very incident.

Li Sicong nodded slightly, a satisfied expression on his face.

King Ramaputra II bowed slightly, his voice low and cautious: "I wholeheartedly agree with and support the Ming-Siam Friendship and Mutual Assistance Agreement, but... regarding the issue of military reparations, Siam is indeed short of funds at present and cannot come up with such a huge amount of gold and silver treasures at the moment."

He looked up, his eyes filled with a hint of fear, afraid that the Ming envoy before him might suddenly become angry and turn his back on him. He quickly added, "But please rest assured, Ming envoy, I will do my utmost to raise the funds. I am willing to devote all the resources of Ayutthaya to befriend the Ming Dynasty and make the Ming Dynasty happy and satisfied."

Although the Ming Dynasty's expeditionary force was not large in number, it was fed with countless amounts of silver.

The soldiers enjoyed extremely high treatment, the warships were incredibly advanced, and the firearms and cannons were extremely expensive to build, each one costing a fortune.

The number of shells and bullets consumed during the war was staggering.

According to the established rules of the Ming Dynasty, bullets and shells produced by the Ming military factories had different pricing levels.

The equipment supplied to the Ming army was priced at the lowest possible cost, essentially at cost price, which reflects the court's strong support for its own army.

Secondly, there were mercenaries organized by royalty and nobility, who enjoyed relatively favorable prices, costing about five times more than the cost price.

Further down the line are the mercenaries formed by wealthy private merchants. The prices they pay for artillery shells and bullets are more than ten times higher than the prices paid by the Ming Dynasty's military.

However, the preferential treatment given to royalty and nobility was not permanent, but rather a limited-time offer.

Its purpose was very clear: to encourage princes and nobles to quickly form mercenary armies to go to sea, thereby driving a nationwide wave of going overseas and promoting overseas trade and development.

The offer will be cancelled once the specified period has passed.

When calculating war reparations for Siam, the price of bullets and shells should naturally be calculated based on commercial selling prices.

“Your Majesty need not worry. As I have said before, the Ming Dynasty can provide Siam with low-interest loans.”

Li Sicong's lips curled up, revealing a gentle smile: "Not only that, the Ming Dynasty also plans to invest in the development of mines and estates in Siam."

"I believe that in a few years, Siam will be much wealthier. At that time, why would His Majesty have to worry about not being able to repay the loan?"

Upon hearing this, King Rama Bodhidharma II was first taken aback, then his face lit up with joy. Although
He said he had heard the special envoy report on this matter before, but he still felt it was not quite real and did not have high expectations.

Hearing it from Li Sicong's own mouth now, he truly realized that this was not a joke made by the people of the Ming Dynasty.

"That's wonderful!" King Ramaputra II rubbed his hands together excitedly, his voice trembling slightly. "With this money, all of Siam's problems will be solved."

"I will always remember the great kindness and virtue of the Ming Dynasty, and never forget it."

He abruptly changed the subject and quickly suggested, "Many of the human traffickers that the Ming Dynasty is hunting down, as well as the people it is trying to rescue, are not in Siam, but in Bago."

"If the Ming army intends to attack Pegu, Siam is willing to be its vanguard!"

Siam and Pegu have a long history of enmity, with constant warfare over the years, leaving the border stained with blood.

Previously, Ramaputra II was under great pressure from the Ming army, which led him to consider allying with Pegu in an attempt to jointly resist the Ming Dynasty.

But now that he has personally experienced the formidable strength of the Ming army, he knows that his own country has no chance of competing with the Ming.

They immediately changed course, thinking of using the power of the Ming Dynasty to punish the Bago, and even hoping to take the opportunity to annex it.

Even if he could not achieve this grand goal, Ramaputri II would be very willing to kill as many Bago people as possible.

After all, this can be seen as revenge for the Siamese soldiers who died in the past battles against Pegu.

"Good!" This was exactly what Li Sicong had in mind.

If the army of Siam could be used to conquer Pegu, the difficulty of the campaign would be greatly reduced.

Unexpectedly, this Rama Bodhi II was so sensible as to bring it up so proactively.

"Then let our two countries join hands to attack Pegu, bring all those human traffickers protected by the Pegu warlords to justice, and give the people of the Ming Dynasty justice!"

"The end is nigh for human traffickers!"

……

(End of this chapter)