Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 309 Xia Yuanji's Request 2
"It is a great joy that His Highness has an heir. As his subjects, it is only right that we offer him a congratulatory gift!" Mu Sheng was startled upon hearing Xia Yuanji's words, but he still agreed.

Mu Sheng knew that this old man Xia wanted to use the entire Annam as a 100-day gift for his newborn grandson!
Since it's a gift, simply conquering Annam might not be enough. After all, as far as Mu Sheng knows, the army and navy have already taken most of Annam. If they accelerate the offensive at all costs, they could probably occupy Annam completely in a month or so. But Mu Sheng knows that if a gift can get this old man Xia Yuanji to mention it, it must be something even more impressive.

In other words, Xia Yuanji is planning something big, he's ready to go all out!
In Mu Sheng's view, the most pressing issues for Annam at present, besides the complete occupation of Annam, are the recruitment and improvement of officials, land surveying, the establishment of Taoist temples, and the improvement of the selection process for the military academy. Other minor matters can be postponed. However, Mu Sheng believes that these tasks are all very difficult to accomplish!
It seems that Old Man Xia is really going to go all out for his grandson! Mu Sheng muttered to himself as he looked at Xia Yuanji's excited face.

As expected, Xia Yuanji's next move surprised Mu Sheng.

"Within one hundred days, the Ministry of Personnel will fully improve the government offices in various parts of Annam, so that all government offices can be fully operational; and will assist in the establishment of Taoist temples in various prefectures."

The Ministry of Justice will begin the initial implementation and dissemination of the new laws drafted for Annam.

The Ministry of Revenue will establish preliminary records of land, household registration, taxes, salaries, and other matters in Annam.
The Ministry of Rites will complete the planning and layout of academies in various prefectures of Annam;

The Ministry of Works will take comprehensive measures and develop construction plans; meanwhile, the Yunnan ocean-going merchant fleet will fully support the Prince's construction in Annam!
"Does Lord Mu have any suggestions?" Xia Yuanji asked excitedly, first explaining what he planned to do over the next hundred days.

The work Xia Yuanji described left Mu Sheng speechless. He had initially thought Xia Yuanji was simply trying to show off. But to Mu Sheng's surprise, this old man was going to risk his life! And judging from the work Xia Yuanji described, it wasn't just risking his life, it was working himself to the bone! "It's just being a grandfather, is it really necessary for you, old man Xia?!" Mu Sheng complained to himself inwardly.

In response, Mu Sheng said, "Old man Xia, you just wait! When I get back today, I'll pick two of the best young ladies of marriageable age from the clan and send them to the Prince's mansion tomorrow. Anyway, your daughter has already given birth to the eldest son, so I'm not going to hold back from making my move!"
"Lord Xia has truly gone to great lengths!"
In that case, the Ministry of War naturally couldn't lag behind. Besides the complete takeover of Annam, the army and navy would continue to send more personnel to survey the land;

At the same time, the two armies will accelerate the elimination of foreign tribes in various parts of Annam; and fully assist the Taoist temples in carrying out their construction.
Complete the construction of the military academy and identify the first batch of students.
Finally, the Ministry of War will clarify the next expansion targets for both the army and navy, initially selecting Zhenla and Nanzhang! While marveling at Xia Yuanji's desperate efforts, Mu Sheng also decided to give it his all. He then adopted a determined attitude, stating his work goals for the next one hundred days.

"Lord Mu is indeed a pillar of the state!" Hearing Mu Sheng's words, Xia Yuanji was somewhat stunned. He had originally thought that he was the only one going crazy, but he hadn't expected Mu Sheng to join in. However, this didn't diminish Xia Yuanji's praise for Mu Sheng. At the same time, however, Xia Yuanji also developed a certain wariness towards Mu Sheng.

"Gulp~" At this moment, Liu Erniu swallowed hard, completely stunned. As the head of the guards of the Prince's mansion and the deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he suddenly felt like a child facing an adult when faced with these two big shots fighting. This was because these two big shots were fighting too hard, leaving him at a loss for what to do.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard will improve the configuration of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in each prefecture and county of Annam and establish a complete intelligence system."
And assist the two armies and local officials in completing the field survey; After thinking for a while, Liu Erniu cautiously told about the two important things he was going to do next, after all, he really didn't have that many people under him, and he could only do as much work as he could.

"General Liu is a mature and prudent man," Xia Yuanji praised Liu Erniu first. Although it was a compliment, Liu Erniu knew that Xia Yuanji was subtly pointing out his shortcomings: "Your workload isn't enough!"

"General Liu, please work with Minister Mu of the Ministry of War to prepare for the establishment of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the areas to be expanded."
"At the same time, we need to collect all kinds of useful information about the areas we are about to expand into, in preparation for wartime." Xia Yuanji glanced at Liu Erniu and then added two more important tasks to him. "Lord Xia is right to remind me." Hearing Xia Yuanji add more work for him, Liu Erniu could only helplessly grit his teeth and accept it.

In the rear palace of the Prince of Han's residence, Zhu Zhanhe saw his son, who had been cleaned and wrapped up tightly.

"A bit wrinkled, isn't it?" Zhu Zhanhe carefully cradled his son in his arms, looking at his son's wrinkled little face and squinting eyes, and muttered to himself. Of course, he only dared to mutter these words to himself; if he dared to say them aloud, he would probably get a good beating from his mother, Madam Wei!
"Waaaaah~waaaah~waaaah~" Perhaps sensing the malice in his unreliable father Zhu Zhanhe's heart, young Zhu Qiyu burst into tears without any regard for propriety. For a moment, Zhu Zhanhe was flustered and didn't know what to do.

Seeing Zhu Zhanhe's bewildered expression, Princess Xia looked at her husband with a blissful expression, her eyes filled with happiness.

"Your Highness, let me do it." Seeing Zhu Zhanhe's flustered state, Aunt Xiu'er quickly stepped forward, took the child from him, and rocked him in her arms for a couple of moments. The child immediately stopped crying.

"Sir, you've had a hard time." Looking at his son, who wasn't crying or making a fuss, Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help but twitch his lips. Then, Zhu Zhanhe turned his head and looked at his wife, Xia, who had just given birth, his eyes full of heartache and pity.

"Your Highness, this is what I should do!" Xia Shi, who had been staring at her husband intently, felt even sweeter after hearing his words.

Just as Zhu Zhanhe was enjoying the sweet life of being a father, the news of the birth of the eldest grandson of the Prince of Han's mansion had already spread throughout the areas radiated by the Prince of Han's mansion.

Inside the Provincial Administration Office of Guangdong and Guangxi.

"Gentlemen, another letter has arrived from the Prince of Han's residence. His Highness the Crown Prince of Han's eldest son has been born. Please take a look." The Guangxi Provincial Governor handed the letter to his colleagues sitting below.

"Some time ago, the Prince of Han's Palace sent a letter requesting a list of all officials in Guangxi. They said that in this Annam expansion project, land would be allocated to us officials according to the original plan. Those who did not want land would be exchanged for gold and silver of equal value." The Left Provincial Governor looked at the letter in his hand, which was signed by Xia Yuanji, and then mentioned another important matter from the letter from Yunnan some time ago.

"It's not just the list we need; Lord Xia has also sent a land reclamation and allocation plan, asking us to offer any suggestions we may have." The Right Provincial Governor glanced at the letter in his hand and added, following the Left Provincial Governor's words. However, they still addressed Xia Yuanji as "Lord Xia."

"Colleagues, is this land matter important? The eldest grandson of the Prince of Han has been born; should we send a congratulatory gift?" At this moment, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Guangxi spoke up, addressing the most important issue that had brought everyone together!
"What suggestions do you have, colleagues?" the provincial governor asked, sitting in the superior seat.

(End of this chapter)