My uncle's name is Zhu Di

Chapter 175 Zhu Di's Face Changing Skill
If there is anything that excites Zhu Di more than building a business and expanding the territory, it is probably getting rich, especially this kind of business of several million taels a year, which makes Zhu Di's heart skip a beat.

But when he saw what Xu Jingchang took out, he frowned again.

"You let me admit that the Hu family has usurped power, how can this be done?"

Xu Jingchang said: "Your Majesty, it's just a matter of changing Annan's king. As long as he still listens to us, what's wrong?"

Zhu Di hummed: "The Lord of Annan was conferred by the Shang Kingdom. If they change the Lord at will, it is disrespectful to the Shang Kingdom. I must send troops to crusade."

Xu Jingchang frowned, he really couldn't understand Zhu Di's thoughts.

"Your Majesty, I have the courage to ask you, who are you attacking Annan?"

"Naturally the Hu family who usurped the country."

"Then you destroy the Hu family, who will Annan hand over to?"

"Give it to Chen Tianping, I will help him restore the country."

"What about after the restoration of the country? Can he secure the throne?" Xu Jingchang asked again.

Zhu Di was at a loss for words, if the Chen family could secure the throne, they would not be overthrown by the Hu family. Now that there is only one brat left, it is impossible to expect him to secure the throne.

"I can send troops to help Chen Tianping and stabilize the situation in Annan."

Xu Jingchang smiled faintly, "Your Majesty, so you are going to intervene in Annan's internal affairs? Then I want to ask you, who is your opponent at this time?"

Zhu Di frowned, pondered for a long time, and then said, "Speak clearly."

Xu Jingchang said: "If your Majesty wants to garrison Annan, he will inevitably have conflicts with the locals. In the eyes of these people, the soldiers and horses of the Ming Dynasty are villains who invaded their homes, and they will definitely arouse their resistance. I admit that the soldiers and horses of the Ming Dynasty are very powerful. , head-on confrontation, not afraid of them at all, but the continuous and continuous harassment, can Daming withstand it? Back then, hundreds of thousands of troops in the Yuan Dynasty conquered Annan, and they suffered repeated defeats and heavy losses. This is a lesson from the past. I didn’t think clearly, who were I fighting against!”

Zhu Di snorted, "Then tell me, who are you fighting with?"

Xu Jingchang took a deep breath, "Your Majesty, please allow me to bring up Annan's map."

Zhu Di nodded, and not long after, an eunuch brought up the map of Annan, and the monarchs and ministers surrounded him.

Xu Jingchang began to explain that Annan is the northern part of Vietnam in the future, bordering Guangxi and Yunnan in the Ming Dynasty... The part of the border is undulating mountains and densely covered with jungles. It is a traditional smoky land. A ghost place with layers of skin.

The essence of Annan is all around the capital city of Thang Long Mansion and the flat area extending southward.The water and heat conditions here are excellent, and the grain is cooked three times a year.

Facing this map, Xu Jingchang had it easy.

"Your Majesty, please see that in the north and west of Annan, among the mountains, there are many tribes hidden, just like our chieftains, perhaps even more scattered. They rely on their geographical advantages and refuse to obey the king. Not to mention the people of Ming Dynasty, Even the Annan court doesn't care. No matter who it is, as long as they enter their territory, they will be attacked. How can we deal with such an enemy?"

Zhu Di frowned into the word Chuan. He didn't know that there were a lot of chieftains in the southwest in the Ming Dynasty. How powerful are these chieftains?

That's not necessarily the case, if you pull them out, maybe a hundred thousand troops won't be able to defeat a few thousand elite Ming troops.

But once they are scattered in the rugged mountains, relying on the terrain for shelter, they are elusive, so that you can't catch or hit them, and things will be troublesome.

The army of the imperial court needed logistical supplies, and the mountainous land was barren and could not support the consumption of the army, so it had to be transported from the outside, and the rugged terrain in turn restricted the efficiency of transportation.

A hundred shi of grain, which cost people money and money to send to the front line, is estimated to be less than ten shi.

The supplies of soldiers and horses cannot keep up, and soldiers are prone to diseases due to the heat, and non-combat attrition is serious. Within a few months, a strong soldier is left with a pile of sick and disabled waste. It is difficult to retreat completely, let alone fight.

From a military point of view, it is absolutely not cost-effective to attack such a place.

Zhu Di pondered: "Even if what you said is reasonable, isn't it okay if I arrange soldiers and horses to pass through, and only fight against the traitors of the Hu family?"

Xu Jingchang shook his head, "Your Majesty, it was not long before Annan became self-reliant in the Central Plains at the end of the Tang Dynasty. There are many aristocratic families in the country, and there are many tribes in the area. Any court in such a place is far less stable than the Central Plains Dynasty. Your Majesty sent troops to kill The Hu family, if they lose the suppressed local forces, they will definitely become chaotic. At that time, if they want to walk away, they can only continue to invest in it, and support Chen Chao, who cannot be supported, Annan will become a Ming ulcer, bleeding and consuming wealth soldiers The horse is definitely not worth the candle."

Zhu Di weighed it in his heart. What Xu Jingchang said, Annan is not only a Hu Dynasty, but also a lot of local forces, which are intricate and complicated. The problem cannot be solved if the Hu Dynasty is resolved.

This shocked Zhu Di deeply.

Secondly, sending troops over will make it difficult to get out, and it will become an ulcer of Daming, which also makes Zhu Di worried.

"You said you can't send troops, so will your method work?"

Xu Jingchang said: "Your Majesty Qizuo, I think that to deal with places like Annan, it is not to focus on who the king is. The real key is to have someone have the final say and to establish order. We do business with the Hu family, give them benefits, help They train talents, give them weapons, and help them swallow up those scattered tribes and establish a truly unified regime. At this point, we can only hope to annex the Hu Dynasty directly."

Zhu Di said: "From what you mean, you want to help Hu Chao?"

"No." Xu Jingchang said again: "What I mean is that the first step is to get money from Annan. If you want to make money, no matter what you do, you can't pay it!"

Xu Jingchang took up his draft contract again.

Annan has nothing else, food is still abundant, especially in the coastal plain area, which is rich in food.

As long as Daming gets a port and establishes a trade route, it will be able to get a steady stream of grain, which can be sent back to Daming in addition to supplying the fleet going to the West.

"Your Majesty, in fact, Annan's national conditions determine that the Hu family can't control the overall situation. As long as we go in, we can take advantage of their internal conflicts and make great profits. Even if the Hu family is unwilling to trade with us, it feels that it is a loss for us to sell grain. Well, they can’t stop it. After all, if they block the wealth of those families, this group of people will rise up, overthrow the Hu Dynasty, and change another king.”

"And as long as we control a stronghold, we can build a strong castle with our backs against the sea. As long as we arrange one or two thousand people to defend the city, tens of thousands of Annan soldiers and horses will not even try to break through. We can send reinforcements by sea at any time. Arrived At that time, it was Annan who mainly attacked us, not our hundreds of thousands of troops who went all over the mountains and plains to find Annan people. The most important thing is that these constructions and the money for raising soldiers can be earned from Annan. Provide a lot of food to enrich the treasury of Ming Dynasty."

Xu Jingchang introduced here, and Zhu Di couldn't help being moved.

Zhu Gaochi next to him is even more prostrate, his cousin's hand is really beautiful and impeccable.

In fact, it is not that the past dynasties have never thought of including Annan in the territory, nor have they never sent troops to fight. The problem is never how to get in. The trouble is how to hold it, how to use lower costs, and control the territory.

With great fanfare and an army of one hundred thousand fighting over, it will not work anyway.

Xu Jingchang's thinking, one of the most basic things, is not to burden the Ming treasury, and there is no need to invest too many troops.

Focusing on business and trade, make money first, and then gobble it up. The most important thing is to use local conflicts to cultivate forces close to Ming Dynasty.

"Father, the ministers thought that what Ding Guogong said was the right theory for the country. Those ministers who were in charge of the war did not take into account Annan's national conditions at all, nor did they sympathize with the difficulties of the treasury, and they abandoned their previous ideas. They were just warlike. Why do you care?"

Without hesitation, Zhu Gaochi initiated impeachment against several ministers who were in charge of the battle.

Liu Jun, Minister of the Ministry of War, was also full of embarrassment... He thought that Zhu Di would lead the battle, and if he wanted to expand the territory and cater to the emperor, he would surely succeed.But no matter what, it never occurred to Xu Jingchang to make a move and come up with a complete plan... It can not only make a fortune, but also be able to penetrate the stone and annex Annan.

Not to mention whether it can be done in the end, but it is always right to make some money first.

After all, Ming Dynasty was not rich, and Zhu Di wanted to use troops, but he wanted to use troops to the north, completely cut off the threat of the Mongolian tribes, and to use troops in Annan and other places.

"Your Majesty, the Hu family usurped the country, and Chen Tianping begged the superior country to show mercy and help restore the country. Instead of helping the Chen family, Daming helped the Hu family's rebellious ministers. I was afraid that I would lose people's hearts!"

Zhu Di frowned, and suddenly shouted angrily, "Who said the Hu family is a traitor? When did I say that? Could it be your Liu Shangshu's intention?"

Liu Jun was so frightened that he trembled all over, and his face changed too quickly, "Your Majesty, I dare not, I have no such intention, please forgive me."

As he spoke, Liu Jun knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

He was really terrified, not to mention offending the crown prince, even His Majesty turned his face, now he is thinking about resigning as soon as possible.

Zhu Di pondered for a moment and didn't continue to say anything. After all, he was also one of the main battlers.

"Decree Qian Guogong, ask him to hand over Annan's situation, it must be detailed and careful."

Zhu Di issued an order, and all the officials dispersed.

Zhu Gaochi chased after Xu Jingchang happily, "My dear brother, what you said this time is very good. If you listen to them, not to mention the waste of people and money, it is easy to lose troops and lose generals. These things keep saying that they cherish fame and fortune, and govern with benevolence... In the end, when something happened, It always adds to the chaos, and it harms the country and the people."

Xu Jingchang smiled and said: "That's right, how to deal with vassal states, you can't listen to their rotten Confucians. Because we put the interests of Ming Dynasty first, and when necessary, we need to deal with villains, and we have to abandon some uncooperative and worthless people." Good people, this is something their heads can’t understand. So we should avoid involving them in specific foreign affairs in the future. They only need to know who is good and who is bad. Of course, this is our definition of good and bad.”

(End of this chapter)