Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

It was not yet time.

A hearty laugh came from outside the Wenhua Hall.

Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, dressed in casual clothes, strode into the palace.

He was followed by Yang Shiqi, the second-ranking official in the cabinet, and the Minister of War.

"Prime Minister Gu! Great news! A tremendous victory!"

Zhu Zhanji was beaming, waving a bright yellow report in his hand, his excitement barely concealed.

"The Ministry of War has just received an urgent message: a great victory at Zhennanguan!"

Gu Yannian rose to greet the emperor, bowed respectfully, and then slowly asked:

"But something has happened in Jiaozhi?"

"Master Gu is a diviner!"

Zhu Zhanji walked to the desk, slammed the report on the table, and could not hide his excitement.

"Since last year, following Prime Minister Gu's plan, the army withdrew to Zhennanguan, the navy blockaded the sea routes, and the black market bought grain at high prices. The leader of the Jiaozhi rebels, Le Li, was initially arrogant and domineering, proclaiming himself the King of Annam."

"Who would have thought that in just six months, food supplies in Jiaozhi would run out, and rice prices would skyrocket a hundredfold. People resorted to cannibalism, and mutinies broke out repeatedly in the army."

The Minister of War stepped forward, his face beaming, and added.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. Pham Van Kieu, one of Le Loi's generals, seeing that the army was running out of food and most of his soldiers had starved to death, conspired with several lieutenants to behead Le Loi under cover of night half a month ago!"

"Now, Pham Van Kieu, leading tens of thousands of his remaining troops, has bound his hands and is kneeling outside Zhennan Pass, offering up the head of Le Loi and a map of Jiaozhi, begging our Great Ming Dynasty for a meager amount of relief grain!"

Yang Shiqi also stroked his beard and sighed deeply.

His eyes were filled with disbelief and admiration as he looked at Gu Yannian.

"To subdue the enemy without fighting—the ancients were right! Gu Xiang's ingenious strategy of cutting off the enemy's supply lines is truly beyond the comprehension of gods and ghosts."

"Jiaozhi, which even an army of 200,000 couldn't conquer, was worn down by Prime Minister Gu using just a few checkpoints and a few taels of silver. This old minister is utterly impressed!"

Zhu Zhanji laughed loudly, "I have already ordered the Ministry of War to prepare provisions. I will now issue an edict ordering the garrison commander of Zhennan Pass to go out and accept the surrender, to re-establish the Provincial Administration Commission in Jiaozhi, to station a large army there, and to recover the lost territories of my Great Ming!"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall immediately became lively.

Reclaiming lost territory is a monumental achievement that would make any emperor famous throughout history.

However, Gu Yannian frowned slightly.

A hint of disapproval appeared on that gentle face.

"Your Majesty, please wait."

Gu Yannian's voice was calm, yet it was like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone's boiling hearts.

Zhu Zhanji was taken aback and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"What do you think is wrong, Prime Minister Gu? Now that the traitor has been beheaded and Jiaozhi is leaderless, it is the perfect opportunity for our Great Ming to reaffirm its imperial power."

Gu Yannian turned around and walked to the map of the territory on the side of the hall.

His slender fingers touched the narrow strip of land in Kochi and slid slowly across it.

"Your Majesty, the reason I proposed sealing off Jiaozhi in the past was to get rid of this mess that has been sucking the blood of the Ming Dynasty for many years."

"Although Le Loi is dead, the unpredictable and treacherous nature of the people in Jiaozhi remains unchanged. If the court were to send a large army and establish a provincial administration office again, it would be a repeat of the past."

Gu Yannian turned around and looked at Zhu Zhanji with clear eyes.

"Once the army is stationed, it will be necessary to build cities, transport grain and supplies, and distribute military pay. Jiaozhi is currently suffering from a severe famine, and the people are starving. If the imperial court takes over, it will not only have to pay the military pay, but also provide a massive amount of disaster relief grain to feed those millions of starving people."

"Such expenditures will drain most of Taicang's reserves within three years. Why would the Ming Dynasty undertake such a thankless and arduous undertaking?"

Upon hearing this, the Minister of War hesitated and said, "But if we do nothing, Fan Wenqiao and his men will have nowhere to turn and may return to their old ways, harassing our borders."

Gu Yannian smiled faintly, a glint of deep cunning flashing in his eyes.

"Of course we cannot ignore it. My suggestion is to accept their surrender and annex their land, but not to govern their people."

Zhu Zhanji raised an eyebrow slightly: "What do you mean by 'failing to govern the people'?"

"Your Majesty may issue an edict to appoint Na Pham Van Kieu as the Governor-General of Annam, and demote the Kingdom of Jiaozhi to the Annam Governor-General's Office, nominally under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty, but in reality, allowing it to govern itself."

Gu Yannian spoke calmly and slowly, recounting his strategies for governing the country.

"The Ming Dynasty did not send a single soldier across Zhennan Pass. Fan Wenqiao wanted to stabilize the situation and provide disaster relief, so he told him to find a solution himself."

"The Ming Dynasty can set up border markets to sell old grain to Annam at high prices in exchange for gold and silver ores and precious woods mined by them."

The Ming Dynasty ordered its naval commander, Chen Dingyuan, to permanently station his fleet in Annam's coastal ports, controlling all its sea routes. Any Annam wishing to engage in maritime trade would be subject to inspection by the Ming navy and heavy taxes.

"Finally, and most importantly, Annam is rich in copper mines. The imperial court could grant special permission to several large merchants from Jiangnan to bring Ming Dynasty workers to Annam to mine."

"The Annamite government must provide protection and convenience, and the Ming Dynasty will forcibly purchase the copper mines produced at 30% of the market price and transport them back to the capital to mint copper coins."

After Gu Yannian finished speaking, the Wenhua Hall fell silent.

Yang Shiqi and the Minister of War gasped in shock.

This is hardly a surrender ceremony.

This is clearly putting a shackle on Annan that he can never break free from!

The Ming Dynasty did not need to spend a single penny to govern the people of Annam.

There's no need to expend military supplies to suppress the rebellion.

By simply controlling their sea routes, we can control the lifeline of their mineral resources.

Then they could legitimately extract endless wealth from Annam.

The so-called "Annam Military Governor" Pham Van Kieu was nothing more than a puppet placed there by the Ming Dynasty.

He was just a contractor who looked after mines and maintained order for the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Zhanji's eyes widened upon hearing this, his heart filled with a turbulent storm.

He used to only know that a vast territory meant a prosperous era.

They never imagined that they could seize all the wealth of an enemy country without occupying its territory.

Gu Yannian's "blood-sucking and marrow-draining" yet seemingly legitimate national policy.

This completely overturned the understanding of the tributary relationship throughout history.

"Meow! Meow, beyond words!"

Zhu Zhanji's face was flushed.

"Prime Minister Gu's scheming is truly unprecedented! If the Ming Dynasty can control Annam in this way, not only will it not lose a single soldier, but it will also gain a continuous treasure trove!"

"Minister Yang, draft an edict immediately, and proceed according to Prime Minister Gu's wishes! Confer titles upon Fan Wenqiao, and order the navy to take over the ports, and to open mines and trade!"

Yang Shiqi bowed and accepted the order, praising it repeatedly.

A few days later, the imperial decree was delivered by fast horse to Zhennanguan.

When Fan Wenqiao, who was kneeling outside the pass, starving and dizzy, heard that the Ming Dynasty had not only spared his life but also appointed him as the military governor of Annam, he was overjoyed.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, he repeatedly kowtowed.

Little did he know that behind this seemingly magnanimous decree lay a cold and ruthless bloodsucking fang.

Merchants and overseers of the Ming Dynasty were eager to get started.

They were preparing to set foot on that land and bring Annam's mineral resources and wealth back to the Ming Dynasty.