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

Upon hearing Zhu Yunwen's words, Sun Cheng's eyes lit up, and he bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I thank you!"

If Emperor Zhu Yunwen were to grant him special favors, his research on flintlock muskets would proceed at a much faster pace. After all, with the emperor's backing, who would dare to stop him? Anything he did would be given the green light.

"Your Majesty, is there anything else you require?" Sun Cheng asked.

At this moment, he couldn't wait to study the flintlock musket and try to understand it as soon as possible. In this way, he would not only live up to Zhu Yunwen's trust in him, but also be able to get promoted and ennobled.

Zhu Yunwen's high regard for flintlock muskets was evident to him. Under such circumstances, if he could truly master the flintlock musket, promotion and advancement would be a natural outcome. Since his future was at stake, he didn't want to delay for even a moment longer.

After all, he was already quite old, and if he were to fight for it, he would really have no chance at all. He had thought about this before, but he had never had a good opportunity. Now that the opportunity had been presented to him, he had to seize it.

In the dim light, he saw a radiant avenue beckoning to him, and all he had to do was step onto it.

"It's alright, go ahead and get busy. Try to figure out how to mass-produce the flintlock musket as soon as possible. When that happens, I will definitely reward you handsomely." Zhu Yunwen waved his hand and smiled broadly.

To avoid causing Sun Cheng any worry, he immediately made a grand promise, which is also why the flintlock gun was so crucial.

"Whoosh!" Upon hearing Zhu Yunwen's words, Sun Cheng's eyes lit up with joy. He cupped his hands in greeting, turned, and started to leave. But as he reached the palace gate, he remembered something and stopped: "Your Majesty, this flintlock pistol..."

As an expert in firearms, he was well aware of the terror of the flintlock musket, a truly terrifying weapon of mass destruction.

Zhu Yunwen seemed to understand what Sun Cheng wanted to say, and waved his hand, saying, "You are in charge of keeping the things. I will send the Embroidered Uniform Guard to protect your personal safety."

The reason Zhu Yunwen dispatched the Embroidered Uniform Guard was not because he didn't trust Sun Cheng, but because the flintlock pistol was too crucial. If it were stolen by someone else, the consequences would be too severe. Therefore, for safety's sake, it was safer to send someone to protect the flintlock pistol.

Upon hearing Zhu Yunwen's words, Sun Cheng breathed a long sigh of relief and said, "Your Majesty is indeed very thoughtful. I have no further questions."

After saying that, he turned and walked away.

Ma Sanbao looked at Sun Cheng's retreating figure with a hesitant expression, then walked up to Zhu Yunwen and said, "Your Majesty, are we just going to hand over the flintlock musket to Sun Cheng like this? Isn't that a bit risky?"

The flintlock pistol was far too important. Even with the Imperial Guards watching over it, he still felt a little uneasy. In his opinion, Sun Cheng should be locked up directly, which would be much safer.

Zhu Yunwen waved his hand, without offering any further explanation.

Seeing Zhu Yunwen's appearance, Ma Sanbao could only suppress the chaotic thoughts in his mind and say no more.

Meanwhile, in Annam!
On the very first day that the Ming Dynasty sent troops, a letter was delivered to Annam at top speed.

Due to the urgency of the situation, countless horses died of exhaustion along the way.

In the palace!
Hu Quy Ly put down one of the accounts in his hand, looked in the direction of the Ming Dynasty, and revealed a strong fighting spirit in his eyes. After the abdication incident, the court in Annam gradually stabilized, and all forces were focused on one goal. This made Hu Quy Ly more determined to take advantage of the opportunity to fight against the Ming Dynasty.

If he were to actually defeat the Ming Dynasty, his influence would grow like never before, and people might even come up with reasons to defend his usurpation.

"I wonder what choice the Ming Dynasty will ultimately make." Hu Jili took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He was already prepared. Under these circumstances, he really wanted the Ming Dynasty to send troops. Although the Ming Dynasty had shown various signs of doing so, and even publicly condemned him, he knew that some things were completely useless if they didn't actually happen and all the talk was just empty words.

He was now ready for battle. The mere shouts and threats from the Ming Dynasty were of no consequence to him. He even considered writing a letter to provoke the Ming Dynasty, but reason told him not to do so.

Although he was prepared for battle, the Ming Dynasty was, after all, a colossal power with terrifying strength. If it was possible to avoid conflict with the Ming Dynasty, it would be best to avoid fighting altogether.

"Your Majesty, it's time to rest." Zhao Ping walked over and said respectfully. He was originally Hu's steward, but with Hu Jili's successful rebellion, his status rose directly, and he became the chief eunuch in the palace.

As for castration, he was already disabled when he was the housekeeper of the Hu family. Of course, he was castrated after he got married, started a family, and had children. Moreover, his son also worked in the Hu family. In his case, his family had basically worked for the Hu family for generations.

Of course, the previous situation should not apply to him now. After all, the Hu family has now become the royal family of Annam. Serving the Hu family before was fine, but now he has to serve the princes and noble consorts in the palace. Such positions are very sought-after and need to be fought for. Succession is no longer an option.

However, Zhao Ping was not too worried. Having served Hu Jili for many years, he was already very familiar with Hu Jili's personality. When Hu Jili got old, he would teach his son how to take over his position.

It's hard to say about other places, but being the chief eunuch in front of the king means that the position will be in the Zhao family's pocket from now on. Although it requires castration, after getting married, starting a family, and having children, castration is nothing compared to power.

"Hmm!" Hu Jili nodded. Although he was eager to know the situation in the Ming Dynasty, it was not something he was in a hurry for. Even if he were anxious, it would be of no use at all.

"Your Majesty, a letter from the Ming Dynasty!" At that moment, a guard rushed over.

Hu Jili was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at the guard. When he saw the red letter in the guard's hand, his expression immediately changed.

He knew all too well what the red letter represented. He had once been fortunate enough to receive such a letter, and then he got into trouble, paying a heavy price before finally getting out.

Taking a deep breath, Hu Jili stepped forward, took the letter from the guard's hand, and then waved his hand.

The guard bowed, turned and walked away.

Hu Jili looked at the letter in front of him and felt inexplicably nervous. He knew very well that the contents of the letter would directly affect the situation of both the Ming Dynasty and Annam.

Whether a fight breaks out or the matter is resolved peacefully, the outcomes are drastically different.

Time passes minute by minute.

After a while, Hu Jili calmed down. He gave a wry smile and shook his head, saying, "Weren't we all prepared? Why am I getting nervous now?" After a pause, he muttered to himself, "Anyway, the outcome is already out. It's really wrong of me to be so timid and afraid to find out more."

He took a deep breath and opened the letter.

The letter contained very little text, just a short line with a few words: The Ming Dynasty has sent troops!

Hu Jili stared blankly at the letter before him, his expression lost in thought: "It's finally come to this."

He felt somewhat flustered. Although he was prepared to fight against the Ming Dynasty, and although he had hoped that the Ming Dynasty would send troops, he found himself still feeling a little panicked when the Ming Dynasty actually made its move.

After all, the Ming Dynasty was such a behemoth, it was simply too powerful.

Hu Jili took a deep breath to calm himself down. Now that the Ming Dynasty had already sent troops, there was no point in thinking about anything else. What he needed to do next was to do everything he could to defeat the Ming Dynasty.

At this moment, a sense of relief rose in his heart. Fortunately, he had the foresight to stabilize the hearts of the court officials by abdicating early on. Otherwise, he really wouldn't know what to do now.

"Since the Ming Dynasty is going to send troops, let's have a showdown!" A fierce glint flashed in Hu Jili's eyes.

Zhao Ping, watching Hu Jili's expression change after reading the letter, felt a chill in his heart and thought to himself, "This is bad. It seems that the Ming Dynasty is about to send troops."

The Ming Dynasty is too powerful. If it were to take action against Annam, it would be a severe test for Annam.

"Go, summon the King to me." Hu Jili waved his hand.

Although it was late at night, he was not sleepy at all. The Ming Dynasty had already sent troops, which was not good news for Annam. Although he had made countless preparations, no amount of preparation was excessive in the face of such a powerful enemy as the Ming Dynasty.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhao Ping nodded, turned and left in a hurry. He was well aware of the situation Annam was facing. If they won in the end, that would be fine, but if they lost, others might be able to live, but he and Hu would definitely be doomed.

at the same time!

After several days of investigation, the officials of Annam also learned the truth about why Ho Quy Ly abdicated in favor of Ho Han Cang: it turned out that the Tran family still had living direct descendants.

For a moment, everyone's expression was complicated. However, that was all they were capable of. They couldn't bring themselves to betray Hu Jili and Hu Hancang and turn to support Chen Tianping.

At worst, they can just have Hu Hancang change his surname to Chen after Hu Jili dies.

"I never expected that there would be any Chen family members who escaped the net and even fled to the Ming Dynasty to ask for their help. No wonder that old scoundrel Hu Jili wanted to give up his throne."

"Well, that's good. As long as the Chen family line hasn't died out, that's good. But now that the Chen family is asking the Ming Dynasty for help, will the Ming Dynasty agree? If they do... well, why did they have to go to the Ming Dynasty for help? If the Ming Dynasty sends troops, Annam will face a huge test!"

"I knew it! That old dog Hu Jili was definitely not the kind of person who would abdicate the throne. Sure enough, there's more to the story. But considering he's quite sensible, let's just let it go. However, Chen Tianping's request for help from the Ming Dynasty is a bit tricky!"

"We need to ask the Ming Dynasty for help. That damned Hu Jili had to do this to his death. If the Ming Dynasty attacks, Hu Jili will be a sinner of Annam."

"I never expected that this turmoil would eventually attract the tiger that is the Ming Dynasty. However, I heard that the Ming Dynasty is currently at war with the grasslands, so they probably can't attend to our Annam. They can't attend to us now, but who knows what will happen in the future."

"The Chen family has always been very respectful to the Ming Dynasty. I wonder if the Ming Dynasty will lend a hand. Our Annam has a complex terrain, and all our troops have fallen into the hands of Ho Quy Ly. I feel that even if the Ming Dynasty wanted to help, it would be quite difficult!"

"."

In an instant, all sorts of thoughts arose in the minds of the Annamese courtiers. Some were worried, some were indifferent, and some were all smiles. A variety of emotions were expressed.

Regardless of the circumstances, everyone learned the truth behind Hu Quy Ly's abdication of the throne, and of course, some people expressed their admiration for Hu Quy Ly.

The fact that he was able to so decisively pass the throne to a son with Chen blood after learning that Chen Tianping was still alive and had sought help from the Ming Dynasty shows a decisiveness that is not common among ordinary people.

In the palace.

Hu Jili and his son Hu Hancang sat facing each other.

During this time, they had vaguely heard rumors that the entire court probably knew of Chen Tianping's existence, but neither the father nor the son made any statement.

What good would it do to know? Would they still support Chen Tianping? Right now, the power in Annam is in the hands of the father and son.

"Father, has something happened?" Hu Hancang spoke first, his eyes hesitant.

It was the middle of the night, and he had just fallen asleep when he was woken up. He was initially a little annoyed, but when he heard that his father was looking for him, he immediately suppressed his anger.

Although he was young, his mind was definitely very gloomy. When Hu Jili came looking for him in the middle of the night, he immediately knew that something big must have happened.

Hu Jili looked at Hu Hancang and nodded, saying, "I just received news that the Ming Dynasty has sent troops!"

"The Ming Dynasty has sent troops!" Hu Hancang was shocked upon hearing this, and his pupils contracted sharply. He had considered the possibility that the Ming Dynasty might send troops, but the decisiveness and speed of the action were beyond his expectations.

"Damn it, has the Ming Dynasty gone mad?" Hu Hancang exclaimed in shock and anger.

He also knew about the Ming Dynasty's military campaign against the grasslands. He had initially thought the Ming might take a short break, but unexpectedly, the Ming had barely finished fighting the grasslands before interfering in Annam's affairs. Did they really think they were invincible? (End of Chapter)