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

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Ma Sanbao nodded, turned around and walked away.

After Ma Sanbao left, Zhu Yunwen looked thoughtful: "Is the matter of Annam worth waiting an entire afternoon at the palace? Could it be that Chen Tianping has made progress?"

After a moment's thought, Zhu Yunwen immediately suspected Chen Tianping. This wasn't hard to guess; if something had happened in Annam, the first two reports wouldn't have only come from Xia Yuanji, but also from Jiang Huan.

However, he only thought about it briefly and didn't dwell on it too much. After all, Xia Yuanji would be here soon and would naturally tell him the story. Why should he waste too many brain cells here?
After a while.

Led by Ma Sanbao, Xia Yuanji arrived before Zhu Yunwen.

"Your Majesty, Lord Xia has arrived!" Ma Sanbao said.

Xia Yuanji stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your subject Xia Yuanji greets Your Majesty!"

Zhu Yunwen waved his hand and said, "Get up!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Xia Yuanji stood up.

Zhu Yunwen looked at Xia Yuanji and asked, "Lord Xia, I just heard from Sanbao that you waited in the palace all afternoon. What was it about?"

Xia Yuanji respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, not long ago I took the liberty of meeting with Chen Tianping and proposed that our Great Ming should station troops in Annam. Although there were some twists and turns, Chen Tianping finally agreed to allow our Great Ming to station troops in Annam."

"Huh?" Ma Sanbao, who was standing to the side, was stunned when he heard Xia Yuanji's words. A look of astonishment appeared in his eyes. Then, he suppressed his shock and looked at Xia Yuanji with a meaningful gaze.

Although Xia Yuanji had always performed exceptionally well, he hadn't believed that Xia Yuanji was guaranteed to become the Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty. However, he now realized that he had underestimated Xia Yuanji.

Whether it was luck or ability, in short, Xia Yuanji has accomplished a great feat. As the chief eunuch accompanying Zhu Yunwen, Ma Sanbao knows best how much Zhu Yunwen cares about Annam.

Without a doubt, Xia Yuanji's appointment as prime minister is now virtually guaranteed through the garrisoning of troops in Annam.

"Oh? You actually convinced Chen Tianping? Tell me, how did you do it?" Zhu Yunwen's eyes showed a hint of surprise. Although he had guessed what had happened, he had still underestimated Xia Yuanji. However, after learning about this matter and recalling Xia Yuanji's afternoon of waiting in the palace, it made sense.

This is because they're worried about someone stealing their credit!
However, if he were in Xia Yuanji's position, he would definitely rush to claim credit immediately, since it concerns the position of Grand Secretary!
The Grand Secretary was essentially the former Prime Minister. Although he might not have as much power, who cared? All that mattered was the honor. Moreover, due to ideological factors, who would truly distinguish between the Grand Secretary and the Prime Minister? Most people would subconsciously regard the Grand Secretary as the Prime Minister.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Xia Yuanji nodded. At this moment, he finally breathed a long sigh of relief. He had reported the matter to Zhu Yunwen, and his credit was in order. Based on his understanding of Zhu Yunwen, the position of Grand Secretary was now his for the taking.

"Sanbao, take a seat!" Zhu Yunwen waved to Ma Sanbao, who was standing to the side.

Those who make mistakes will be punished, and those who make merits will naturally be rewarded.

Ma Sanbao jogged over and brought a chair, placing it in front of Xia Yuanji. Compared to before, his attitude towards Xia Yuanji was much more amiable now, which was perfectly normal, as times had changed.

Not long ago, Xia Yuanji was just a cabinet minister, but now he is basically the prime minister. The difference between a minister and a prime minister is huge.

The Ming Dynasty court has largely reached a consensus that the current Grand Secretary is the former Prime Minister. In the past, what was the Prime Minister's status? He was second only to the Emperor!
Therefore, without any enmity, Ma Sanbao's first reaction to Xia Yuanji at this time was naturally to befriend him. Of course, as someone who had accompanied Zhu Yunwen to the high walls of Fengyang for three years, it was impossible for him to be afraid of Xia Yuanji.

Xia Yuanji was a court official who assisted Zhu Yunwen in governing the Ming Dynasty, while Ma Sanbao was a family member and an absolute confidant of Zhu Yunwen. In terms of closeness and distance, Ma Sanbao was even more worthy of Zhu Yunwen's trust than Xia Yuanji!

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Xia Yuanji was extremely excited, but he tried his best to suppress it on his face, without showing it at all.

Zhu Yunwen waved his hand and said, "Tell me, what exactly happened!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Xia Yuanji nodded and said, "Originally, I was just trying to find out Chen Tianping's attitude by asking around."

Zhu Yunwen nodded. Xia Yuanji was quite reliable in handling matters. If he had asked about this matter directly, he would have been suspicious. After all, anyone with a bit of backbone would probably not agree to the Ming Dynasty stationing troops in Annam.

Although Chen Tianping has nothing now, who knows if he has any backbone? If he comes up and asks directly, there is a fifty percent chance that he will mess things up.

Although Zhu Yunwen did not care whether Chen Tianping opposed him or not in the matter of Annam, things are not always so simple. As a cabinet minister of the Ming Dynasty, Xia Yuanji would be unqualified if he acted rashly.

"To my surprise, Chen Tianping was very cowardly. So I intensified my efforts and brought up the matter of our Great Ming stationing troops in Annam. After this was proposed, it was met with strong opposition from Pei Boqi," Xia Yuanji said.

"Pei Boqi's objection?" Zhu Yunwen was taken aback upon hearing this, then his eyes were extremely strange as he asked, "What about Chen Tianping? Did Chen Tianping agree directly?"

He felt that Xia Yuanji would not be so careless as to only mention Pei Boqi and forget Chen Tianping. In this case, it would mean that Chen Tianping might have agreed to the Ming Dynasty's request to station troops in Annam.

Xia Yuanji nodded with a smile on his face and said, "Yes, Your Majesty is also very incredulous. In addition, Your Majesty is wrong. Chen Tianping not only agreed to our stationing of troops in Annam, but he also misunderstood and thought that our Great Ming was going to swallow Annam, so he directly nodded in agreement."

"What?" Ma Sanbao couldn't hold back when he heard Xia Yuanji's words.

Originally, he felt a little strange that Chen Tianping could agree to the Ming Dynasty's decision to allow Zhu Yunwen to reside in Annam. It wasn't that he couldn't bow his head, but rather that he agreed to it as soon as it was proposed. Wasn't that a bit too spineless?

To his utter surprise, he had overestimated Chen Tianping; the guy actually wanted to sell out Annan.

Ma Sanbao opened his mouth, a thought popping into his mind: "It's truly terrifying!"

Although Chen Tianping was in exile, the Ming Dynasty hadn't even mentioned it yet, and he had already betrayed Annam. That's a bit twisted!

"Your Majesty!" Ma Sanbao looked up at Zhu Yunwen. Although Zhu Yunwen's goal was to station troops in Annam, it seemed better to simply swallow Annam whole.

Xia Yuanji understood Ma Sanbao's meaning and also spoke up: "Your Majesty, I can see that Chen Tianping is not joking. If our Great Ming really swallows up Annam, he will really agree!" Both of them looked at Zhu Yunwen.

Zhu Yunwen waved his hand and said, "It's easy to swallow Annam, but governing Annam is a problem. Moreover, if we swallow Annam, we may be distracted by a lot of our energy, which is not conducive to the development of the Ming Dynasty."

Unlike the grasslands, Annam has a complex terrain and a humid climate. If the Ming Dynasty were to annex Annam, it would be very difficult to govern it. Moreover, Annam's national conditions are different from those of the grasslands. Although the grasslands are a powerful enemy, Zhu Yunwen is not afraid to fight such a powerful enemy. On the contrary, although Annam is weak, they have their own beliefs. If the Ming Dynasty were to occupy it, it would most likely encounter resistance from the local residents.

In Zhu Yunwen's strategic plan, Annam was a thorn in the side of Southeast Asia. He wanted to use Annam as a base to radiate throughout Southeast Asia and expand the influence of the Ming Dynasty in this region.

In addition, unlike occupying Annam, if the Ming Dynasty stationed troops in Annam, it could achieve the goal of siphoning off Annam's ruling class and supplying blood to the Ming Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, this is a very good opportunity. If we miss this chance, we will never have another one," Ma Sanbao advised.

Zhu Yunwen waved his hand, without saying anything more.

Seeing Zhu Yunwen's expression, Ma Sanbao and Xia Yuanji knew that he had made up his mind, and they felt somewhat helpless.

What a great opportunity!

"Your Majesty, the banquet is ready." At this moment, a young eunuch walked over and said respectfully.

Zhu Yunwen nodded and said, "Understood!"

The next second, he said to Xia Yuanji, "Minister Xia, you have done a good job this time. You can take on the position of Grand Secretary for now. I will formally appoint you in court tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Xia Yuanji's expression changed, and he rose and knelt before Zhu Yunwen, saying, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty!"

After all that hard work, it finally paid off. He successfully secured the position of Grand Secretary, and now he will put all his knowledge and skills to good use to make a name for himself in history.

"Alright, get up. The banquet has already started, let's go over there!" Zhu Yunwen said, and then took the lead and walked out.

"Congratulations, Lord Xia!" Ma Sanbao said with a big smile as he congratulated Xia Yuanji.

His eyes were filled with envy. As an observer, he knew very well that luck played a big part in Xia Yuanji's rise to the position of Grand Secretary. However, in the current situation, none of that mattered anymore. Whatever the reason, Xia Yuanji had the last laugh.

"Congratulations to you too!" Xia Yuanji showed no pride whatsoever; in fact, he was even more humble than before. He knew perfectly well that while the position of Grand Secretary was prestigious, countless eyes were undoubtedly watching him from behind the scenes. Therefore, he could not give others an excuse to attack him.

In particular, he has only received Zhu Yunwen's verbal order and has not yet officially become the Grand Secretary. Opening champagne at the halfway point is absolutely unacceptable.

At the banquet!
The atmosphere was very lively. As it was a victory celebration banquet for the grasslands, everyone who attended had a big smile on their face.

"Gentlemen, you didn't see it. His Majesty led us on the grasslands, and we fought our way in and out seven times. It was truly awe-inspiring."

"Who can argue with that? When those tribes on the grasslands saw His Majesty, their legs went weak with fear. Before His Majesty could even speak, they all knelt down."

"To be honest, although I feel it's not a good way to say it, I really want those tribes on the grasslands to rebel again, so that we can go with His Majesty and teach them a lesson."

"Heh, well, only those tribes on the grasslands would dare to do that. Right now, they'd probably tremble at the mere mention of His Majesty's name!"

"."

A group of generals chatted loudly, each of them looking spirited and high-spirited. Following Zhu Yunwen on his northern expedition against the grasslands was definitely the most exhilarating battle of their lives. Moreover, it was a great victory with the emperor, so they had to show it off properly!
"What a group of fierce generals!" Chen Tianping and Pei Boqi, standing to the side, watched the group of Ming generals talking loudly and felt a surge of emotion.

"Gentlemen, I am Zhu Gang." Zhu Gang noticed Chen Tianping and Pei Boqi, who seemed out of place in the crowd, and walked over with a smile.

With the conclusion of the great battle on the grasslands, he made a decision: he would join Zhu Di and serve under Zhu Yunwen.

There was nothing he could do about it. Whether he went out to conquer a fiefdom or came to Yingtian Prefecture to live a life of leisure, neither was the life he wanted.

Originally, he was thinking about how to befriend Zhu Yunwen when the turmoil in Annam broke out, and Chen Tianping and Pei Boqi came to the Ming Dynasty to seek help.

Unlike others, he accurately gleaned a piece of information from a series of actions in Yingtian Prefecture: Zhu Yunwen had designs on Annam.

Upon receiving this news, he was overjoyed.

He knew his strength: the battlefield.

The grasslands had already been pacified by Zhu Yunwen, and Zhu Di had been dispatched to keep an eye on them. Under these circumstances, Annam became one of his biggest targets.

If he performs well enough, Zhu Yunwen might send him to Annam.

Because he had designs on Annan, he spent a lot of time studying Annan's knowledge. Annan's situation was not particularly easy for him, but he did not back down.

He knew clearly in his heart that Annam was his last chance. If he missed this opportunity, he might not be able to board Zhu Yunwen's warship for a while, and his best choice at that time would be to leave the Ming Dynasty.

Although he never said it, deep down he was unwilling to leave the Ming Dynasty. In his view, leaving the Ming Dynasty was tantamount to abandoning the homeland where he grew up, which he was extremely reluctant to do. (End of this chapter)