The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 311 Stress
April 1732, 12, sunny.

On the coast outside the city of Hung Yen (now Nha Trang, Vietnam), a simple wooden pavilion was built. Kuang Wenhuan, the Governor-General of Annan, was lazily lying on a rocking chair with his eyes slightly closed, enjoying the cool sea breeze.

This season is the most comfortable season in Xing'an. There is neither the rainy and humid weather of the rainy season nor the high temperature and scorching heat of the summer. The temperature is moderate, the sun is shining, the sky is clear, and there is a breeze blowing from the sea, making people feel extremely comfortable.

Several grandchildren were playing on the beach, and their laughter like silver bells could be heard from time to time. Every time this happened, Kwong Man-huan could not help but smile knowingly.

As an old minister during the reign of Emperor Taiping, being arranged to serve as governor of the precious land of Annan before his retirement was definitely the greatest praise and trust he received from the royal family and the cabinet, allowing him to spend the last part of his official career here safely and retire smoothly.

The Governor-General's District of Annan was not as connected as the neighboring Governor-General's District of Runzhou, but was divided into three fragmented blocks by Champa and Guangnan. Like a wedge, it was deeply embedded from the coastal strongholds to the inland hinterland, which not only separated the direct connection and communication between the two countries' forces, but also maintained the balance of the situation in the entire region.

Although the Governor-General of Annan had divided the Kingdom of Nanpan together with the Champa Kingdom more than 20 years ago and thus possessed a certain vast and deep inland hinterland, the inland terrain was mainly mountainous and jungle, making development more difficult, so the Governor-General of Annan's business focus was still on the coastal areas.

Coastal ports such as Nanping (now Cam Ranh, Vietnam), Lin'an (now Vung Tau, Vietnam), Xing'an, and Yongping (now Tuy Hoa, Vietnam) have all developed into extremely prosperous trade and commercial centers in the region, gathering a variety of commodities and goods from the mainland of Hanzhou, the South China Sea islands, and the Qin State on the mainland, and flowing with endless wealth.

Unlike the Annan Li Dynasty, the Kingdom of Guangnan was not only full of fear and rejection of the invasion of Qi's commercial forces, but also resisted the promotion of regional economic and trade integration led by Qi, which was very unsociable. However, the Kingdom of Guangnan, which ruled the south, was more knowledgeable and sensible. In addition to fully opening up its own market and giving the most preferential policies to Qi's goods, it also actively introduced Qi's capital to promote the development of its own industry and commerce.

In order to better integrate into the economic circle of the Xia Dynasty, a few years ago, Guangnan State even asked Qi State to build a railway from the capital Fuchun (now Hue) all the way to Yongping, and connected to the Runzhou railway network, thereby speeding up the flow of materials and personnel in the entire region and further promoting the economic development of Guangnan State.

As early as ten years ago, in terms of economic strength, Guangnan Kingdom had surpassed the Le Dynasty in the north. Although the huge gap in population size between the two sides made its army far less in number, the thousands of elite new troops trained by Guangnan Kingdom were gradually equipped with advanced Qi firearms and continuously trained by Qi military instructors. In a contest of equal military strength, their combat effectiveness could definitely beat their Annan compatriots in the north.

In time, as the strength of both sides continues to increase and decrease, even without external help, Guangnan Kingdom is very confident that it will complete the Northern Expedition and achieve the unification of Annan.

"Haha..., even if we eventually destroy the Northern Le Dynasty, we will not allow Guangnan to unify the entire Annan." Kuang Wenhuan took a coconut from his eldest son Kuang Mingzhe, held it in both hands and drank two sips, then placed it on the small table beside him. "Based on the empire's geopolitical arrangement for the entire Annan region, once the Zheng family of Annan is destroyed, Guangnan can at most advance northward to the Lanjiang line. By then, the entire northern Annan will be completely divided between our Da Qi and Liang State. Moreover, in order to strengthen the strength of Liang State, the wealthy Red River region will also be given to Liang State, and our Da Qi will occupy several important places along the coast to maintain military deterrence against Annan and the Qin State's Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou regions."

"Father, if we want to take action against the Zheng family of Annan, the Qin State will certainly intervene, right? Not to mention, the Annan Li Dynasty is a vassal of the Qin State. Even if it is to ensure the border security of Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou, they will not sit idly by and watch us divide and annex the Zheng family of Annan. In this way, there will be no buffer zone between Qin and Qi, which will make the emperor of the Qin State in Nanjing City uneasy."

"Do you think there is a buffer zone between Qin and Qi?" Kuang Wenhuan smiled. "Everyone knows that behind Beiming stands our Great Qi. Without our military support, would Zhu dare to provoke Qin again and again in Korea and Liaodong? Apart from Liaodong and Korea, the entire coastal area of ​​Qin is also under the military threat of our Great Qi navy, especially the prosperous Jiangnan area, which is not far from our Great Qi's Ryukyu Governor-General's District and Luzon Governor-General's District. Artillery fire can hit Qin's coastal cities at any time. So, there is actually no buffer zone between Qin and Qi."

"Father, then the probability of a war between our Great Qi and Qin is still very high?"

"That depends on how far Qin can retreat under the pressure of our Great Qi."

"Annam? Or North Korea?"

“Most likely North Korea.”

"Why?"

"After Korea, there is Liaodong." Kuang Wenhuan pondered for a moment and said slowly: "If Qin loses the protection of Korea and Liaodong, the entire north will face extremely severe defense pressure, just like the heavy pressure faced by Liao and Jin during the pre-Song Dynasty."

"That is to say, when our Great Qi swallows up the Annan Zheng family, the Qin State may choose to actively intervene to maintain the prestige of the Eastern power, or it may choose to be patient and give in, sacrificing the Annan people to avoid the risk of direct armed conflict with us."

Kuang Wenhuan did not respond. He lay down in the rocking chair, closed his eyes, and rocked gently.

Over the years, with the growing strength of Qi, the gap between Qin and Qi has become increasingly larger. Various radical remarks such as "the struggle for China's discourse power", "the Qin threat theory", "completely breaking the Qin market", etc. have continued to arise in Qi and have many supporters in all walks of life.

What's more, some people even proposed to conquer the continent, merge Qin and Qi into one country, and eventually establish a Chinese Empire spanning the East.

Although the officials of the court did not pay much attention to these remarks, they did not suppress or ban them either. It seems that there are many radical people like this in the court, but due to the relatively friendly relationship between Qin and Qi, they have not yet made it public.

What's more, the close economic exchanges and personnel contacts between the peoples mean that the general trend between the two countries is still positive.

But, how to say it?

Just like the brothers who separated from the family and set up their own business, in order to show that they are living a better life, to demonstrate their strong strength, and to establish the right to speak and dominance of the entire family, they have to take some practical actions to prove it all to everyone.

Well, there may be another point, that is, there cannot be two tigers in one mountain, and two mountains cannot meet.

"Hoo ho ho..."

The sound of rapid horse hooves broke the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere on the beach. A guard from the Governor's Office rode his horse straight towards the pavilion. When he was still more than 20 steps away, he pulled the reins hard, then jumped off the horse and hurried to Kuang Wenhuan.

"Governor, urgent telegram from Nanping!"

Kuang Mingzhe took the telegram from the guard with a puzzled look on his face, then returned to the pavilion and handed it to his father.

Kuang Wenhuan sat up straight, took a pair of reading glasses from the small table next to him, put them on his nose, then opened the folder and took out a telegram.

"Hiss..." After reading it, Kuang Wenhuan took a breath, a shocked expression appeared on his face, and he was speechless for a long time.

"Father..." Kuang Mingzhe called out carefully upon seeing this.

"Annan...something big is going to happen!"

"..." Kuang Mingzhe looked at his father with a stern expression, then looked at the telegram, feeling worried.

"…King Min was stabbed to death on the ship by a captured Annan spy three days ago."

"Ah?..." Kuang Mingzhe was shocked. "How could King Min be stabbed to death by an Annan spy on a ship? Oh, wait, he was stabbed to death by a captured spy! How... how... is this possible?"

"Prepare the carriage and return to the city." Kuang Wenhuan ignored his eldest son's shock and directly instructed the guards around him.

"Yes, Lord Governor."

"Order all prefectures and counties in the Governor's District to enter Level 2 combat readiness status and immediately check and verify the storage of supplies in strategic reserve warehouses in various places."

"Yes, Governor." "Order Yongping to immediately block the border passage with Guangnan and closely monitor all military movements in that country."

"Yes, Lord Governor."

"In addition..." Kuang Wenhuan hesitated for a moment, then continued to issue orders, "Order all prefectures and counties to temporarily detain all Annan people in their territory. If there are those who evade or resist, they can be killed on the spot."

"Yes, Lord Governor."

"Father..." Kuang Mingzhe looked worried.

"...It's just to prepare for a rainy day." Kuang Wenhuan turned his head to look at his grandchildren who were still playing on the beach, sighed softly, and then turned and left.

"Is a large-scale war about to break out in Annan..."
-
December 12th, Fuchun.

On the north bank of Xianghe River, a huge royal palace is under construction. Over 8,000 craftsmen and masters, under the supervision of the Guangnan State Engineering Department's supervising officer, are working day and night, regardless of rain or scorching heat, in an effort to complete this grand palace in the shortest possible time.

Early that morning, King Nguyen Phuc Thu of Guangnan suddenly had an idea and led more than a dozen civil and military officials, holding umbrellas, to personally inspect the progress of the construction of the royal palace.

Today, Guangnan enjoys a peaceful and prosperous time with good weather and good government.

As early as the period of the previous king Nguyen Phuc Thuy, after sending envoys to the State of Qi many times, begging for tribute and being named king, he was finally granted permission and was given a gold and silver seal with "Treasure of the Town of Nguyen Phuc Yong, Guangnan" (treatment of a prince).

As a result, after serving as the "temporary King of Guangnan" for more than a hundred years, Nguyen finally became a full-time king and officially competed with the Zheng family of the Northern Dynasty.

Your Le Dynasty was first granted the title by the Ming Dynasty, and later by the Qin Dynasty. You "served as tribute for generations" and claimed to be the legitimate dynasty of Annan.

Today, our Guangnan Kingdom has been recognized and ennobled by a great power. We are no longer the rebel you Zheng family calls us to be beaten and killed!

It is a pity to say that Guangnan was severely beaten by Qi several decades ago. Its capital city Fuchun was also captured by Qi troops, and the king and his subjects were taken captive. However, as time went by and the regional situation evolved, Guangnan quickly realized the situation and understood that with the huge gap in strength between the two sides, it would be difficult to avenge itself. If it insisted on being an enemy of Qi, it might face the threat of Zheng in the north and the invasion of Champa and Qi in the south. In the end, it might not even be able to keep its country.

In that case, why not just hold on to someone powerful?
The Guangnan Kingdom was not like the Annan Le Dynasty, which had too many historical baggages. It was originally an independent local force. There was no such thing as loyalty between the monarch and his subjects, and it was not bound by the morals of sages. As long as it could maintain the legitimacy of the Nguyen regime and ensure that it would not be swallowed up, it would be natural for it to find a backer and recognize a suzerain.

What's more, after following the State of Qi for more than 40 years, not only was its own security greatly guaranteed, but the strength of the entire country also grew rapidly.

Rice, sugar, timber, fish and other commodities were continuously exported to the mainland Qin State, Japan, Ryukyu, Siam, Cambodia and other neighboring countries and regions through Qi merchants, bringing a large amount of gold and silver currency to Guangnan State.

At the same time, various industrial products from Hanzhou have greatly enriched Guangnan's commodity market and effectively improved the living standards of local people.

These days are so much better than before.

The people's lives have gotten better, so as a king, shouldn't you also enjoy yourself?
Then build yourself a palace.

"Your Majesty, if the construction of Jinhua Palace continues at the current pace, it will be completed by the end of October next year." The supervisor led the King of Guangnan to inspect the entire construction site and said with a firm tone: "In some buildings of this palace, we used a lot of cement and steel according to the suggestions of Qi engineers. We will build the main hall more grand and more solid."

"Very good!" Guangnan King Nguyen Phuc Thu nodded with satisfaction, "You must serve the Qi craftsmen who are guiding the construction here carefully and do not treat them lightly."

"Your Majesty, I will obey your orders."

"Of course, we cannot treat these conscripted craftsmen and teachers too harshly. They must be adequately fed and fed daily, and they should also get enough rest during hot and rainy weather."

"My king is kind and benevolent, and this is a blessing to all the people!"

"By the way, we need to speed up the construction of the Royal Garden to ensure that it is completed by the middle of next month. The Qi envoy informed me that the rare birds and animals presented to Guangnan by the Qi Emperor and the Prime Minister have been shipped from our country. When the time comes, we must have a place to store them and keep them."

"I will never disgrace the king's order!"

"Your Majesty, urgent news from Da Nang..."

As he was speaking, a eunuch suddenly rushed in with an urgent document in his hand. After he approached, he knelt on the ground and presented the document to the Prince of Guangnan with both hands.

Nguyen Phuc Thu reached out to take the document, opened the seal, and took out the confidential document inside.

"Haha... God helps me!"

After reading the letter quickly, Nguyen Phuc Thu was overjoyed and tightly grasped the secret document in his right hand.

"Order that the new Divine Guards, the Imperial Guards, the Left and Right Guards, and the garrison troops in various places enter a state of full combat readiness."

"My lord, take your orders."

"Order, the Tuoyi Navy fleet will weigh anchor and set sail immediately, approach the Beichao waters and wait for orders."

"My lord, take your orders."

"Order the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works to take inventory of their stores and immediately collect more food, fodder, weapons and other supplies to prepare for a major war."

"…I obey your command."

"Your Majesty, what are you doing now?" The Prime Minister of the Kingdom, Chen Xianping, looked surprised and puzzled.

"Mr. Chen, the Governor of Runzhou of Qi, His Royal Highness Prince Min, was assassinated at sea by a spy from the Northern Dynasty." Nguyen Phuc Thu's face was full of excitement. "The Northern Dynasty caused such a disaster, how could it not be retaliated and attacked by Qi? In this way, it will be just around the corner for Guangnan to recover the north and unify Annan!"

(End of this chapter)