Ming Dynasty: The Jingnan Rebellion has just been successful, and Zhu Yuanzhang has been resurrected

"Huh?" Chen Tianping was taken aback by Pei Boqi's words, then looked up at Pei Boqi with a somewhat excited expression and said, "General Pei, what do you mean by that? Have you heard some news?"

Pei Boqi shook his head, a bitter smile on his face: "Your Majesty, given our status, even if there were some inside information, we wouldn't be able to find out."

Chen Tianping hasn't met Zhu Yunwen yet. Under these circumstances, no rumors can possibly be true. That's just how things are in the Ming Dynasty. The emperor is high above all, and Zhu Yunwen is an extremely powerful emperor. Before meeting Zhu Yunwen, nothing is absolute.

Chen Tianping was speechless. He had thought Pei Boqi had heard some inside information when he saw Pei Boqi's confident expression, but it turned out not to be the case, leaving him disappointed.

After calming himself down, he said to Pei Boqi, "General Pei, since there's no inside information, how can you be so sure that the Emperor of Ming will help us?"

He was a little curious. Without any inside information, how did Pei Boqi conclude that the Ming emperor would help them? This statement was somewhat contradictory.

Pei Boqi smiled bitterly to himself, took a deep breath, looked at Chen Tianping in front of him, and slowly said, "Intuition!"

"Intuition?" Chen Tianping's eyes widened, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

With this explanation, he really couldn't understand why Pei Boqi had spoken so seriously just now, leaving him somewhat at a loss for words.

Looking at Chen Tianping's appearance, Pei Boqi said, "Your Majesty, I know what I'm saying is absurd, but it is truly my honest opinion. I really feel that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty will agree to help us."

He could understand Chen Tianping's current state. In addition, he was well aware that what he said was somewhat outrageous. However, he genuinely believed that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty would help them, and he really didn't know the specific reasons.

Chen Tianping looked Pei Boqi up and down, and after confirming that the other party was not joking, he took a deep breath and said, "General Pei, can you tell me why you have such a feeling?"

He wanted to hear Pei Boqi's reasons.

Pei Boqi shook his head, a helpless look on his face: "There's no reason, I don't know why I have such thoughts, but I just feel that way."

Chen Tianping was speechless after hearing Pei Boqi's words. After a moment of silence, he shook his head and said, "Alright, I hope things turn out the way you expect."

Although he didn't get an answer from Pei Boqi, Chen Tianping felt much better after talking to Pei Boqi, perhaps influenced by Pei Boqi's words.

"General Pei, when do you think we should go to see the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty?" Chen Tianping asked.

Pei Boqi thought for a moment and said, "This matter is not urgent!"

Chen Tianping looked helpless and said, "General Pei, this matter is really urgent. It was fine before when the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was not around, but now that he has returned, the sooner we go to see him, the greater the chance that the Ming Dynasty will help us."

He clearly understood that the longer the turmoil in Annam dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for him. Chen Tianping had just successfully usurped the throne and had not yet secured his position. At this time, the cost of sending troops to Annam would be minimal. Once that traitor Hu Quy Ly had completely taken control of Annam, the cost of sending troops to Annam would be much greater.

When the cost is small, the Ming Dynasty might lend a hand. However, when the cost is very high, the Ming Dynasty might simply ignore Annam's petty affairs.

Pei Boqi remained silent for a moment, then said quietly, "Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty now knows that we have come to the Ming Dynasty to seek help. At this time, we only need to wait quietly for the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty to summon us."

He saw things very clearly. Right now, they needed the help of the Ming Dynasty. They had to ask for a favor, so they didn't have time to save face. They had already reached an agreement with the Ming Dynasty's cabinet ministers. Under these circumstances, there was no need to take the initiative. The right choice was to honestly wait for the Ming Emperor's summons.

"Uh..." Chen Tianping realized what Pei Boqi meant. The Ming Emperor already knew about their plea for help. If he wanted to help them, he would summon them. If he didn't, his attitude would be very clear.

After figuring this out, Chen Tianping calmed down completely. His expression was unpredictable, and his mind was racing. One thought after another flew through his mind, but he eventually abandoned them one by one until he became completely dejected.

Faced with this situation, it seemed that he could do nothing but wait for the Ming emperor to summon him, which made him feel deeply powerless.

Pei Boqi looked at Chen Tianping's appearance and sighed inwardly. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say anything. He knew clearly that in the current situation, no matter what he said, it would not make any difference.

"Knock knock knock!" Just then, a knock came at the door.

"Who is it?" Pei Boqi turned his head to look at the door.

"General Pei, is His Majesty the King present? I have come on His Majesty's orders to invite His Majesty to the banquet tonight," Xia Yuanji's voice came from outside the door.

"You're invited to the banquet tonight!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Tianping and Pei Boqi were both startled. The next second, Chen Tianping quickly stepped forward and opened the door: "Lord Xia!"

"Your Majesty!" Xia Yuanji bowed slightly.

"Lord Xia, please come in!" Chen Tianping invited Xia Yuanji into the house. At this moment, he desperately needed Xia Yuanji to answer his questions. It could be said that Xia Yuanji's arrival was perfectly timed.

"What's going on? Why are you so agitated?" Xia Yuanji looked at Chen Tianping in front of him, feeling a sense of astonishment. With his doubts, he followed Chen Tianping into the room.

"Lord Xia!" Pei Boqi greeted Xia Yuanji with a smile. Xia Yuanji nodded and then said, "Your Majesty, please speak frankly. There's nothing we can't talk about. If I can help, I certainly won't hesitate."

Since he didn't know what was going on with Chen Tianping, he decided to take the initiative and test the waters first. Of course, the credibility of what Chen Tianping said could only be taken as a reference.

"Thank you, Lord Xia!" Chen Tianping bowed to Xia Yuanji, then, without further ado, asked, "Lord Xia, His Majesty the Emperor sent you to invite me to tonight's banquet. Does this mean His Majesty intends to help me?"

He directly voiced his doubts. After all, in his view, as a cabinet minister, Xia Yuanji would definitely inform Zhu Yunwen of his visit to the Ming Dynasty to seek help, now that Zhu Yunwen had just returned to Yingtian Prefecture. Zhu Yunwen would certainly discuss this matter with Xia Yuanji and other cabinet ministers.

Xia Yuanji thought for a moment, looked at Chen Tianping's expectant eyes, and nodded, saying, "Your Majesty, my king does indeed intend to help you, but it all depends on your actions. His Majesty is very worried about the situation in Annam and wants to send some troops to protect Annam's safety, and also to protect your safety."

After much hesitation, he decided to test Chen Tianping beforehand, so that if Chen Tianping disagreed, Zhu Yunwen could make some preparations in advance.

Zhu Yunwen's ultimate goal was to station troops in Annam, thus directly strangling Annam by the neck. To be honest, in Xia Yuanji's view, stationing troops in Annam was much more ruthless than directly occupying Annam, essentially treating Annam as a power bank.

To put it bluntly, although Annam is just a small country, if the Ming Dynasty were to directly send troops to occupy it, there would definitely be a constant stream of uprisings. Because Annam is relatively far from the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty would be overwhelmed by Annam, and a large part of the Ming Dynasty's energy would be diverted to Annam.

By then, Annam would be a hot potato for the Ming Dynasty. If they threw it away, all the effort the Ming Dynasty had put in would be for nothing. But if they didn't throw it away, they would be constantly dragged down, resulting in a waste of manpower and resources.

Historically, Zhu Di dealt with the unrest in Annam and directly occupied it. However, besides adding a significant chapter to Zhu Di's personal achievements, Annam posed a greater threat to the Ming Dynasty. Almost from the moment it was occupied by the Ming, Annam was constantly causing trouble until it was finally abandoned by the Ming.

However, there is an undeniable fact: while it is true that the Ming Dynasty abandoned Annam, it had already consumed a great deal of resources from the Ming Dynasty before doing so. Of course, there was a very important factor behind all of this: Annam was simply too far away from the Ming Dynasty, and its terrain was complex.

Having learned from history, Zhu Yunwen never intended to incorporate Annam into the Ming Dynasty's territory from the beginning. His idea was to use Annam as a power bank, a transit point, to support the Ming Dynasty.

In Zhu Yunwen's plan, the Ming Dynasty would have countless military fortresses like Annam in the future, and then the Ming Dynasty would use these fortresses to evolve into the world's military police.

"Huh?" Chen Tianping and Pei Boqi were both stunned when they heard Xia Yuanji's words. Because Xia Yuanji's words were rather vague, they did not quite understand the deeper meaning behind them.

Pei Boqi thought for a moment and said, "Lord Xia, please convey to His Majesty the Emperor that once we have eliminated the traitor Hu Jili, we will surely be able to stabilize Annam."

“That’s right, that’s right. Please convey to His Majesty the Emperor that our Chen family has ruled Annam for hundreds of years, and stabilizing the situation in Annam is not a problem. Please rest assured, His Majesty the Emperor,” Chen Tianping said.

Upon hearing their conversation, Xia Yuanji's face instantly darkened. He said, "Your Majesty, are you sure you can govern Annam well? Have you decided to forgo the protection of the Ming army?"

"What's going on?" Chen Tianping and Pei Boqi were both puzzled as Xia Yuanji's expression gradually turned from a smile to an extremely ugly one. They looked at each other, wondering what had gone wrong.

It seems that everything they say is aimed at currying favor with the Ming Emperor!

Pei Boqi steadied himself and said cautiously, "Lord Xia, please forgive my ignorance, I failed to understand the meaning of your words. Please explain more clearly. Please believe me, we are extremely respectful to His Majesty the Emperor!"

Although Chen Tianping didn't speak, he nodded frantically. At this moment, he felt a little dizzy. His intuition told him that he had said something wrong, but he couldn't understand why.

Looking at Chen Tianping and Pei Boqi, Xia Yuanji thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, "His Majesty plans to send an army of 50,000 men to Annam to protect Annam's stability and prevent further unrest."

The sight of Chen Tianping and Pei Boqi emboldened him, and he decided to intensify his efforts to test their psychological defenses. Of course, he was gambling. If he won, his position as chief minister would be secure; if he lost, not only would he lose the chief minister position, but it might even affect his position as a cabinet minister.

"Govern troops in Annam!" Upon hearing this, Chen Tianping and Pei Boqi's expressions changed drastically, and both fell silent.

They weren't stupid; they knew very well what it meant for the Ming Dynasty to station troops in Annam. The biggest problem between the Ming and Annam was distance. If the Ming Dynasty stationed troops in Annam, then distance would no longer be a problem. From then on, Annam would be in the Ming Dynasty's grasp.

Pei Boqi snapped out of his daze, looked at Xia Yuanji, and said, "Lord Xia, we are willing to hand over the cities of Anxi and Zhenshan to the Ming Dynasty. Is that acceptable?"

Xia Yuanji shook his head and said, "General Pei, you misunderstand. His Majesty said that he will not ask for any land in Annam. Our main purpose in stationing troops in Annam is to protect our own interests. As for the governance of Annam, it is still up to His Majesty the King."

Seeing the reactions of Pei Boqi and Chen Tianping, Xia Yuanji relaxed a little. After all, he was also a little scared. If he messed things up, he wouldn't be able to bear the consequences.

Chen Tianping looked at Xia Yuanji, gritted his teeth and said, "Lord Xia, please tell His Majesty the Emperor that even if His Majesty the Emperor wants to seize Annam, I agree."

After hesitating for a moment, he went all in.

Since he has nothing now and has no right to negotiate with the Ming Dynasty, he might as well go all in and gamble on the Ming Dynasty's character.

"Whoosh!" Pei Boqi was stunned upon hearing Chen Tianping's words, then quickly stopped him, saying, "Your Majesty."

Chen Tianping waved his hand at Pei Boqi, interrupting him before he could speak: "General Pei, my mind is made up!"

Xia Yuanji looked at Chen Tianping, whose expression was resolute, and gave him a deep look before saying meaningfully, "Your Majesty, rest assured, our Great Ming has never intended to swallow Annam!" (End of Chapter)