Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 208 Chongba, didn't you say that the Hongwu Grand Ceremony was your idea? What about the Yongle Grand Ceremony?
The monk Daoyan walked out of a luxurious mansion, holding a staff in one hand and a begging bowl in the other.

Of course, this luxury is only in comparison to this place.

Compared to the luxurious mansions in Yingtian City, as well as Suzhou and Zhenjiang, it is far inferior.

But in Annam, this is already considered top-tier.

The owner of this mansion is none other than Tran Hien, the son of the current emperor of Annam.

Chen Xian's choice was made after the monk Daoyan came here, after careful consideration and a thorough understanding of the situation in Annam.

Foreign monks can chant sutras, let alone Daoyan, who is a monk from the Ming Dynasty.

Today, Annam nominally recognizes the Ming Dynasty as its suzerain state, and its emperors must first report to the Ming Dynasty before ascending the throne. Only after the Ming Dynasty agrees to bestow their titles can they become true emperors.

With this halo of prestige, when the monk Daoyan arrived in Annam, he naturally carried the advantage of being a person from the Celestial Empire.

In addition, the monk Daoyan was a truly capable person; he was genuinely skilled at chanting scriptures.

He has a broad knowledge of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and his understanding of all of them is quite profound.

Being a monk was just a profession for him.

Under these circumstances, Dao Yan came here and only slightly displayed some of his talents, but he quickly made a name for himself.

She successfully caught the attention of Crown Prince Chen Xian, and after several meetings, she was quickly treated as an honored guest by Chen Xian.

To be honest, although Chen Xian is now the crown prince of the Annam emperor, he is not a person with real power.

Even the current emperor, Chen Jing, is unable to exercise absolute power.

The current situation in Annam is quite bizarre.

Alongside the emperor, there was also the retired emperor.

This retired emperor was not the current emperor's father, but his elder brother, Chen Wei.

Several years ago, the old emperor of Annam, Trần Dụ Tông, passed away, leaving behind an edict that, having no heir, he would pass the throne to Trần Nh Lý, the grandson of Trần Minh Tông and son of Trần Nguyễn Dụ, Prince Cong Suk.

However, he is now called Yang Rili.

The reason for this is that he is said to be the son of the actress Yang Jiang.

When Yang Rili's mother was pregnant, Chen Yuanyu was attracted by her beauty and took her as his concubine. After the child was born, he took him as his own son.

Yang Rili was courting death. His performance was extremely poor. He indulged in drinking and debauchery, spent his days in banquets and outings, and was fond of acrobatic performances. That was bad enough, but he even wanted to regain his surname Yang. All the imperial family members and officials were disappointed.

Thus began the resistance. Members of the Chen clan and their officials met and welcomed Chen Wei as emperor.

Chen Wei initially had some doubts, but seeing the ministers' repeated earnest petitions, vowing to fight to the death, he led his troops back to the capital in November of that year.

On the thirteenth day, Yang Rili was demoted to Duke of Hunde.

On the fifteenth day, Chen Wei ascended the throne, changed the era name to Shaoqing, and became known as Emperor Yi.

However, Chen Wei was not very good at leading troops. During the process of seizing the throne, his younger brother contributed a lot and commanded a large number of troops.

So after reigning for two years, Chen Wei abdicated the throne to his younger brother Chen Jing, citing his brother's great contributions, and became the retired emperor.

Although Chen Wei had become the retired emperor, he still wielded considerable power.

In Dao Yan's view, his relinquishment was not sincere.

They only took this action out of necessity due to the circumstances.

If Chen Jing, the younger brother, were to become emperor and be ruthless enough to eliminate Chen Wei, who had become the retired emperor, then the situation in Annam would be somewhat chaotic in the short term.

However, if handled properly, the hidden danger can be completely eliminated quickly.

But Chen Jing was clearly not that kind of person; he was rather simple-minded and did not do such a thing at all.

After becoming emperor, he allowed his elder brother to continue as the retired emperor. Not only that, but he also did not show any intention of hindering the retired emperor from interfering in political affairs.

In Dao Yan's view, this was undoubtedly a path to self-destruction.

Compared to his younger brother who held military power, the retired emperor Chen Wei was a true master of political maneuvering.

Chen Jing could never outwit his brother.

Chen Wei's abdication of the throne to his younger brother was merely a temporary measure to prevent Chen Jing from using force against him with his troops.

In a few years, Chen Jing will be killed by his elder brother, the retired emperor Chen Wei.

Emperor Emeritus Chen Wei has been quite busy these past few years.

Based on what he knew, Chen Wei still held considerable power.

On the other hand, they are also constantly cultivating their own power.

For example, his maternal relative, Le Quy Ly, was someone he vigorously cultivated.

He already holds considerable military power.

The current emperor, Chen Jing, disregarded the opposition of many and prepared to wage war against his arch-enemy, Champa.

Le Quy Ly also held a very good position in it, and suddenly gained more military power.

If this trend continues, the current Emperor Trần Ngợng of Annam is not far from death.

Logically, if he went to Chen Jing at this point, gained Chen Jing's trust, and helped Chen Jing resolve the situation, he could easily have reached the pinnacle of power.

But Daoyan clearly wouldn't do that, because his purpose in coming here was to take Annam and offer it to China, thus expanding China's territory.

The more chaotic things are in Annam, the better it is for him to fish in troubled waters.

In this way, he can seize the opportunity to rise up.

If we truly help Chen Jing eliminate the hidden dangers, then it won't be easy for Annam to return to the embrace of China.

Therefore, Dao Yan remained calm and observed the changes in these matters.

He just wanted to quietly watch the blood flow like a river, and incidentally chose Chen Jing's son, Chen Xian.

After all, Chen Xian is only sixteen years old, which is much easier to fool than an old fox like Chen Jing.

Moreover, there are no outstanding figures around him now.

It would be easy for him to make a name for himself here.

Emperor Chen Jing's position also meant that after his death, his heir apparent Chen Xian would not be able to wield much power.

They will be severely suppressed by the retired Emperor Chen Wei, which is exactly the effect Dao Yan wanted.

If he wasn't exploited terribly, how could he have gotten them to obey him completely, gradually turn the tables, and eventually turn this place into the Ming Dynasty's territory?

Although the current Emperor of Annam, Trần Đơn, is physically strong and energetic, in Dao Yan's eyes, he is already a dying man.

He felt that he was very likely to die in this battle against Annam.

Regardless of how much Emperor Emeritus Chen Wei wanted to execute his brother, reclaim the throne, and pass it on to his son.

However, in order to appease the people and to give an explanation to the Ming Dynasty, the suzerain state, they dared not do certain things openly.

After Chen Jing's death, although no one could control the retired emperor Chen Wei, Dao Yan predicted that Chen Xian would become emperor again after Chen Jing's death, but he would only be a puppet.

Without him, Chen Xian would inevitably be suppressed by his uncle, the retired emperor Chen Wei, and would be unable to move, becoming a puppet for life.

Whenever Chen Wei decides to reclaim the throne and pass it on to his son, he will kill him.

But now that he's here, the situation is naturally different.

With him around, Chen Xian will gradually seize power and begin a reign of terror in Annam.

He wants to see rivers of blood flow in Annam, and he will see rivers of blood flow there.

In the process, he will also cultivate his own power, and in the future, with the help of the current crown prince Chen Xian, he will kill all those who deserve to be killed.

He also persuaded Chen Xian to lead his people to surrender to the Ming Dynasty and changed Annam to Annam Prefecture.

Of course, if Chen Xian doesn't want to do these things in the future, this monk also knows a little bit about martial arts.

This will help him make this choice.

Having been in Annam for nearly a year, Monk Daoyan now has a clear plan regarding the situation there, how he can conquer Annam, and how to peacefully integrate Annam into China to contribute to its development.

Of course, plans are one thing, but to actually accomplish them is extremely difficult.

Often, a slight misstep can lead to total defeat.

But Dao Yan was confident that he could win this treacherous, complex, and bloody struggle and take control of the situation in Annam.

If he can't even figure out how to navigate Annam, then all his knowledge has been wasted.

His previous idea of ​​assisting people in rebellion and seizing the throne in the Ming Dynasty was now even more impossible.

Therefore, he must do this well!
If I do something wrong and lose my life because of it, then... so be it.

It's because he's less skilled than others.

If one cannot put one's knowledge to use, what is the point of living?
The monk Daoyan walked forward, carrying a staff and a begging bowl, dressed in a kasaya.

Behind him followed two servants from the household of Prince Trần Hiện of Annam, who treated him with utmost respect.

Everyone felt that Master Daoyan, who came from the Celestial Empire, was a very good person, a truly enlightened monk, compassionate, and well-versed in Buddhism. Listening to his words often gave people a sense of sudden enlightenment.

It was an honor for them to be sent by the Crown Prince to serve such a high-ranking monk.

They had no idea what a fierce tiger lurked in the heart of the seemingly compassionate monk they admired.

……

"To advance is fraught with difficulty, to retreat is to suffer a crushing defeat. Ever since Zhu Zhanji withdrew his troops from Jiaozhi and admitted defeat, the Ming Dynasty has never been able to reclaim Jiaozhi."
During the late Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong fought a battle with Annam, initially winning but ultimately losing.

With the Qing army's retreat, China completely lost its last opportunity to reclaim Annam...

Inside the Wuying Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Empress Ma and spoke, his voice filled with regret.

Such a good place, yet they couldn't get it back in the end. Not only that, the monkeys from that place still want to jump around there when they're in modern times.

There are even many claims that places like Guangdong and Guangxi belong to them, etc.

Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang got angry.

Now that we can start over, Annam must be taken back and made Jiaozhi County of China.

With Dao Yan around, he felt that taking over Annam, establishing Jiaozhi Prefecture, and ruling Annam would definitely be much less troublesome.

Zhu Yuanzhang had great faith in Daoyan's abilities.

This is a person whose abilities have been proven by history.

Gold shines wherever it is placed.

Although the situation in Annam is unclear, Dao Yan's plan to take over the country by himself is extremely difficult, something that ordinary people would not even dare to imagine.

However, thinking about the Fengtian Campaign he assisted the fourth prince in carrying out, things in Annam don't seem so difficult after all.

He felt that Dao Yan was very likely to give him a big surprise.

Of course, even if Dao Yan is unable to complete the task, he will take matters into his own hands and remove An Nan.

Annam has been part of China's territory since ancient times. How can we allow it to remain separated from China for so long?
"In February of the seventh year of Yongle's reign, the fourth prince sent envoys to the Tatars, requesting peace and harmony. He said, 'I rule China, and the Khan rules the northern deserts. Let us live in peace forever.'"

As a result, the envoy was killed, which enraged the fourth prince.

Those who speak against the mandate shall be exterminated!

In July of that year, the fourth prince appointed Qiu Fu, the Duke of Qi, as the Grand General of the Expedition against the Tartars, leading an army of 100,000 to conquer the Tartars.

As a result, when Qiu Fuxian led more than a thousand men to the Luqu River, he underestimated the enemy and advanced recklessly, and his command was inappropriate. He died in battle along with Marquis Wucheng Wang Cong, Marquis Tongan Huo Zhen, Marquis Jingan Wang Zhong, and Marquis Anping Li Yuan.

The troops he led were also wiped out at Luqu River.

When the news reached the fourth prince, he was furious and decided to personally lead the expedition.

In February of the eighth year of the Yongle reign, the fourth prince led an army of 500,000 deep into the northern desert to personally lead an expedition against the Tatars.

In May, they decisively defeated Benyashiri's army on the banks of the Onon River, and Benyashiri escaped with only seven horsemen.

Subsequently, our Ming army defeated Arutai's army at Xinganling.

Arughtai's troops were routed, and Arughtai fled far away with his family. The Ming army won a great victory.

Later, Arughtai surrendered, and the fourth prince enfeoffed him as the Prince of Hening.

Prior to this, the fourth prince had already appointed Mahmud, the leader of the Oirat Mongols, as the Prince of Shun Ning; Taiping as the Prince of Xian Yi; and Batu Boluo as the Prince of An Le.

However, the Oirat forces continued to grow stronger, not only blocking the Ming Dynasty's passage to the northwest, but also attempting to control the Tatars.

Therefore, in February of the twelfth year of the Yongle reign, the fourth prince once again went beyond the Great Wall to personally lead an expedition against the Oirat Mongols.

In June, during the Battle of Khulan Khushiwen, Daliba Khan, along with Mahmud, Taiping, and Batu Boluo, led their cavalry in three columns, arrayed on a hilltop more than ten miles from the Ming army. The force numbered approximately 30,000 men, each accompanied by three or four horses.

The Ming army sent troops to challenge Mahmud. Mahmud sent Mongol cavalry to charge down the hillside to meet them, but they were driven back by the dense barrage of fire from the Ming army's cannons and had no choice but to gather on the mountaintop.

Subsequently, the Ming army's eastern and western flanks advanced, resulting in casualties on both sides.

At dusk, the fourth brother commanded several hundred elite cavalry as the vanguard, followed by a volley of musket fire. Taking advantage of the momentum, the cavalry launched a fierce attack, and the Oirat tribe suffered a great defeat.

The prince and more than ten others were killed in action, and thousands were slaughtered.

Daliba, Mahmud, Taiping, and Batuboluo escaped and fled to the Tula River.

After the Ming army decisively defeated the Oirat Mongols, they sent a message of victory to Arughtai, who soon dispatched envoys to the Ming court.

The following year, Oirat Mahmud and others sent envoys to apologize to the Ming Dynasty and restored the tributary relationship with the Ming Dynasty.

The fourth prince led a total of five northern expeditions, and the first few expeditions all yielded very strong results.

The enemies behind them became cunning and no longer confronted the fourth brother head-on. They achieved some results, but not as significant as before.

However, overall, it greatly weakened the strength on the northern grasslands.

Whenever the fourth prince went on a military campaign, he would have the crown prince oversee the country.

Therefore, many people in later generations jokingly said that the fourth son was the general who led the northern expedition for his son...

Zhu Yuanzhang naturally knew what his fourth son's greatest pursuit in life was.

That was to prove that his replacement of Zhu Yunwen was justified, and that he would be far superior to Zhu Yunwen after becoming emperor.

If I were to meet him in the afterlife, I would be able to stand tall with my head held high.

He dedicated his entire life to this cause.

That was really well done!
The fourth prince continued his northern expeditions, hoping to completely conquer the grasslands and solve the problems in the north.

Thus, after his successful pacification campaign and the reduction of the power of the princes, he rebuilt the defense line against the grasslands established by his father, the emperor, through the enfeoffed princes.

Unfortunately, even by the time he passed away, he was unable to completely clean up the grasslands.

Especially with Zhu Qizhen, that infuriatingly wicked fellow, all of the fourth prince's hard work was truly wasted.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his sister, thought for a moment, and finally decided to put the matter aside for now and talk to her about it when he had the chance in the future.

Otherwise, he was really afraid that his sister wouldn't be able to handle the repeated shocks.

"In addition to personally leading five expeditions into the desert and establishing a formidable reputation, the fourth prince also extended his reach to the Western Regions, establishing the Hami Guard there to garrison troops."

Most importantly, the Nurgan Regional Military Commission was also established.

In the first year of the Yongle reign, the fourth prince sent people to the Nurgan region to pacify the tribes. The following year, the tribes submitted to the emperor, and the court appointed the leaders as commanders and other officials.

In the following years, the Ming Dynasty used this as a basis to gradually establish 131 guards in the Heilongjiang and Ussuri River basins.

In the seventh year of the Yongle reign, at the suggestion of local official Hulaxiunu, a Regional Military Commission was established in the area where the Heilongjiang River estuary flows into the sea to govern the various guards.

Kang Wang was appointed as the chief commander and Wang Zhaozhou as the deputy commander.

The territory under the jurisdiction of the Nurgan Regional Military Commission extended southeast from the Sea of ​​Japan, including Sakhalin Island, west to the Onon River, and north to the Outer Khingan Mountains...

However, at that time, the management of Northeast China was not given enough attention, and most of the local officials were hereditary and not under the control of the central government.

In the ninth year of the Xuande reign, the Nurgan Regional Military Commission was officially abolished…

Mentioning this makes Zhu Yuanzhang furious; he wishes he could whip his fourth son's good grandson into a ball and beat him half to death!

What kind of person is Zhu Zhanji?!
They're really shameless to sell their father's land without a second thought!

Was it easy for his grandfather to conquer this land? Such a great place, and he just threw it away so easily, without even blinking an eye!

Many things, once lost, are very difficult to get back...

If these areas were still under our control, the development of that vast region in Northeast China would be even better now.

What a great sea outlet, so much land, so many mineral resources, and they just handed it all over to someone else!

It's heartbreaking to think about.

"The fourth brother fought battles in the south and north, and also actively ventured westward, constantly expanding his territory."

During the reign of the fourth emperor, Yongle, the territory of our Great Ming Dynasty reached its peak.

If we include all of these, the land area of ​​my Great Ming Dynasty is approximately ten million square kilometers.

Unfortunately, the fourth son's descendants were incompetent and couldn't hold onto most of the territory he acquired, so he had to give it all back...

Empress Ma listened from the sidelines, her eyes shining with admiration. Her fourth son was incredibly brave!
They've accomplished so much, expanding their territory! Just thinking about it makes one yearn for it!

No wonder he was called the Yongle Emperor by later generations.

His remarkable military achievements alone surpass those of many others.

The only pity is that, just as Chongba said, the descendants were not ambitious and sold off their grandfather's land without a care.

Much of the territory that the fourth brother had worked so hard to conquer was lost for nothing.

If only we could hold on to it, how wonderful that would be?
As Chongba said, only countries with vast territories can become powerful nations.

It is a tiny place with absolutely no potential to become a powerful nation.

"Zhongba, how is the fourth prince's civil administration?"

"Civil administration is certainly good."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in affirmation: "If there is only military prowess but no civil administration, it cannot be called the Yongle Prosperity."

In terms of civil administration, the fourth son also accomplished a great deal.

The most eye-catching of them all is the Yongle Encyclopedia…

The Yongle Encyclopedia?

Empress Ma was taken aback upon hearing this.

The way they looked at their own Chongba had changed.

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly realized that he had let something slip and hurriedly tried to shut up, but it was too late...

(End of this chapter)