Ming Dynasty: pacifying the rebellion and defending the border, dominating the world

Chapter 381 The Battle Report That Shocked the Capital

Annam was not unfamiliar to the powerful officials and nobles of the Ming Dynasty.

During the Yongle reign, the Ming Dynasty launched several southern expeditions.

Later, Annam (Jiaozhi) was renamed Jiaozhi Chengbu Administration Commission.

It wasn't until the reign of Emperor Xuanzong that the Ming Dynasty believed that the annual tax revenue collected from the Jiaozhi Provincial Administration Commission was only a few hundred thousand taels, while the cost of stationing troops and officials was as high as several million taels. Ultimately, he deemed the expenses too high and abandoned the Jiaozhi Provincial Administration Commission.

In the early part of the twelfth year of the Zhengde reign, Annam, which had been independent for over a hundred years, completely broke away from the Ming Dynasty.

Unexpectedly, only two years after Annam declared independence and ceased its reliance on the Ming Dynasty, it was defeated again.

and……

It was a war of annihilation!
"Annam has been destroyed?"

"The Ministry of War should make the announcement in the next day or two, right?"

"I heard that the Tian Ce Prefecture only sent 30,000 troops in this battle, of which less than 12,000 were actually Tian Ce Army soldiers. They captured seventeen cities in Annam in one night, advancing from south to north with unstoppable momentum. Is that true?"

"Is this fake? I didn't see it this morning, it was an urgent message from 800 li away!"

"What's so special about conquering seventeen cities in one night? According to news from the palace, the strategist of the Tian Ce Mansion, through his masterful planning, destroyed Annam in just one day. The King of Annam wanted to surrender, but before he could even issue a royal decree, he was captured by the Xuanjia Secret Guard."

"He carried a jade disc and led a sheep, baring his chest as he surrendered."

"The King of Annam has truly lost all face."

"The capital has fallen. What face does a deposed monarch have to speak?"

The people were abuzz with discussion, all feeling a sense of pride in the Ming Dynasty's renewed expansion of territory.

After all, the more prosperous and powerful the Ming Dynasty was, the better their lives would be.

Not to mention anything else, the pressure from exorbitant taxes and levies will be less.

Someone gazed in the direction of the palace and said in a low voice, "That prince in the palace still has some old feelings for our Great Ming. If he had used the same ruthless methods that the Tian Ce Mansion used when it was in charge of Burma and Annam during the Jingnan Rebellion, let alone half a month or more, he probably wouldn't have needed seven days to march all the way north from Shaanxi to the capital."

The people were still unaware of the detailed battle reports.

Anyone with a little knowledge and who has read some military books knows the significance of being able to conquer seventeen cities in one night, and understands the unparalleled feat of destroying a country in a single day.

If Zhu Jinzhen had followed this standard when he launched the Jingnan Campaign...

Seven days was definitely not the limit for the Prince Su's residence, but rather the most optimistic estimate by the Ming Dynasty court.

Looking at the reverent and proud citizens of the capital, some people sighed inwardly and couldn't help but shake their heads: "His Highness Prince Su has slaughtered countless people in the capital, leaving officials terrified and living in constant fear."

There have been some rumors circulating recently.

"But now, all the unease will dissipate on its own."

Having succeeded in the Jingnan Campaign, he also carried the power of destroying a nation.

Even if Zhu Jinzhen slaughtered countless officials in the capital and wiped out powerful families one after another, causing considerable turmoil, so what? A war that destroyed a country was enough to soothe the unease in the hearts of the people.

This will further deter those with ulterior motives.

Moreover, none of the high-ranking officials and powerful figures in the capital who were executed by the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard were clean or willing.

"Recover the Burmese Tusi, destroy Annam, and place it under the jurisdiction of the Jiaozhi Provincial Administration Commission."

"Siam, caught in the middle, is probably doomed as well, isn't it?"

"Right? After all... for the soldiers of the Tian Ce Mansion who are fighting on the front lines, it seems to be just a matter of course?"

The fact that the destruction of a country could be described as "easy" demonstrates the immense prestige the Tian Ce Mansion had achieved after the Jingnan Campaign and the wars that annihilated Annam and Burma.

Spring is here.

An old man with gray hair and a somewhat lewd smile chuckled and said, "You guys, don't just focus your attention on those tiny places like Annam and Siam."

"You should know..."

"The news that our Prince Su once wielded the Heavenly Sword and trained the two invincible armies, Cangyun and Tiance, has already spread far and wide. The surrounding Sui, Song, Mongol Yuan, and Liao dynasties are all eyeing him covetously!"

The situation in the Central Plains at that time was one of fragmentation, with five major powers vying for power and numerous smaller states.

The Ming Dynasty, the Sui Dynasty, the Song Dynasty, as well as the Mongol Yuan Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty.

The competition is fierce.

This person's reminder drew everyone's attention.

But soon, a sneer rang out: "I say, you little bastard, since you know that the surrounding countries are eyeing our Great Ming with covetous intent, why don't you know that they dare not act rashly precisely because they are most afraid of provoking our Great Ming?"

"Pah! You're the grandson of a turtle! Call me Grandpa Grandson of a Turtle!"

The lewd old man spat, then a mysterious smile appeared on his face: "I know everything you're saying, and I even know something you absolutely don't know."

“From the royal family of the Great Song Dynasty to the south.”

Upon hearing this, the patrons and girls of Zuichunlou all widened their eyes and stared at the lewd old man who called himself Grandpa Turtle.

The young man who had just called him a bastard, with women on either side of him, immediately put on a warm smile and waved to the madam in the distance: "Today, all of your expenses, you bastard, will be on my tab."

"okay!"

The madam happily agreed.

"Grandpa Turtle, what do you think?"

Seeing the fawning smile on the young man's face, Grandpa Turtle nodded in satisfaction and said, "Since you are so sincere, then I will tell you and satisfy everyone's curiosity."

"When His Highness Prince Su was ordered to quell the rebellion, a battle that swept across the world broke out outside the Ming Dynasty."

"It is titled 'The Battle of the Heavenly Sword'."

"It is said that Princess Shaomin of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty stole the Heavenly Sword from our Prince Su."

This matter has already caused a great uproar, even more so than Zhu Jinzhen's campaign to quell the rebellion and his purge of officials. In particular, places like Zuichunlou, known for their romantic atmosphere, are already common knowledge.

No one interrupted Grandpa Turtle; instead, they waited quietly for him to continue.

"You've all probably heard about the Battle of Jingnian Temple in the Great Sui Dynasty, right?" Grandpa Turtle Sun deliberately showed off, or rather, enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention. He paused for a moment until everyone's patience was wearing thin before continuing slowly, "In that battle, many land-based immortals from various countries were dispatched."

"In our Great Ming Dynasty alone, there are the old sword god Xie Xiaofeng and the mad sword god Yi Tianxing on the surface. It is rumored that there are also two other unidentified terrestrial immortals involved in the secret."

"In the end, they, including the experts sent by our Prince Su, all disappeared without a trace, their fate unknown."

Such news does not spread quickly throughout the world.

The realm of terrestrial immortals is something that ordinary people cannot know.

Upon hearing this, many people seemed to suddenly realize something, as if they had just woken up from a dream.

This was clearly the first time they had heard of it.

Unable to contain their curiosity, someone asked, "What does this have to do with the Song Dynasty's royal family?"

(End of this chapter)