The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 321 Qin State Follows the Rules

March 1733, 3, Qinzhou.

In the pre-Ming Dynasty, Qinzhou Prefecture was Qin County, which was under the jurisdiction of Lianzhou Prefecture. It was once an inconspicuous coastal county. When the Tartars invaded China, the remnants of the Dashi Army, such as Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo, started from Yunnan. After conquering the entire Guangxi, they entered the western Guangdong region and then incorporated Qin County into their jurisdiction. They received a large amount of military supplies and equipment from Qi State. The constant flow of ships made this coastal county gradually bustling and lively.

After Sun Kewang conquered the entire south, the Annan Governorate occupied by Qi State imported a large number of industrial products into the inland hinterland through Qin County, thereby driving the rapid development of the local economy and people's livelihood.

When the Qin Dynasty replaced the Ming Dynasty, Qin County had risen to become the largest trade and import and export center in the south after Guangzhou, with a prosperous economy and a thriving scene.

Therefore, in the fourth year of Qianyuan (1686), the then regent Empress Dowager Zhaosheng of Daqin upgraded Qin County to Qinzhou Prefecture, and established a separate Maritime Customs Office directly under the Ministry of Revenue in the local area. She also granted various preferential trade policies and actively developed foreign trade with countries and regions such as Annan, Cambodia, Siam, and the Governor-General's District of Annan under Qi.

For a time, Qinzhou Port was crowded with sails and merchants. Boats were shuttling in the harbor, and the docks were piled with goods from all over the world. Coolies were busy loading and unloading goods from cargo ships all day long, and merchants were constantly coming and going, making the port very lively.

The streets in Qinzhou were also extremely crowded and prosperous, with colorful banners erected outside the crowded shops, swaying in the wind. There were all kinds of shops on the wide streets, including jewelry stores, pharmacies, roadside stalls, restaurants, hotels, and so on.

When night falls, the lighthouse standing in the port shines brightly, showing the way for merchant ships approaching in the night. The lights in the taverns and restaurants on the shore are reflected in the sea, appearing extremely colorful.

However, in recent months, there has been a danger of armed conflict breaking out between Annan and Qi. Qi warships have been constantly roaming in the waters near Annan, and even reaching Qinzhou Bay from time to time, causing the local situation to suddenly become tense and causing panic among the people in Qinzhou.

Of course, people were not worried that this potential conflict would affect Daqin or even Qinzhou, because, after all, Qin and Qi were still very friendly on the surface, and the trade between the two sides was very close. They would not resort to war for Annan, a vassal state of Daqin.

However, the current situation has greatly affected Qinzhou's import and export trade, causing many businessmen to complain. They all hope that the Annan crisis can be resolved as soon as possible so as not to affect trade imports and exports too much and delay everyone's making money.

Qinzhou prefect Xu Hongyun sat high up in the banquet hall, sipping the fine wine in his glass and listening to the sweet singing of a beautiful singer. He looked coldly at the businessmen whispering across from him, with a look of disdain on his face.

You businessmen, is that thing the only thing on your mind?

"Your Excellency..." An aide hurried over, walked up to him, and whispered in his ear, "The Maritime Customs reported that an Annan delegation has arrived at the port."

"Annan Mission?" Xu Hongyun was surprised when he heard this. "A month ago, Qi State blocked the sea route between Annan and Daqin. Our navy ships went to Annan several times to investigate the details, but they were all unsuccessful and could not reach the coastal areas of Annan. How did this Annan Mission get to Qinzhou?"

"Reporting to the governor, the merchant ship that the Annan delegation boarded flew the flag of Qi."

"Hmm?" After hearing this, Xu Hongyun was even more suspicious. "Could it be that... Annan and Qi have reached a reconciliation?"

"Maybe... maybe so." The aide was also confused.

Logically speaking, since the Annan secret spy assassinated the Governor of Runzhou of Qi State and His Royal Highness Prince Min, shouldn't the two sides be on the verge of a fight?

For Qi, the death of a royal relative by the Annan people was a real slap in the face, and they had to beat them up. They were probably mobilizing troops or waiting for clear instructions from their homeland before launching a fatal attack on Annan to vent their anger.

Could it be that, under the strong military pressure from Qi, Annan had been forced to agree to all the harsh conditions proposed by them and choose to compromise and keep the peace?
A month ago, in view of the tense situation in Annan, the Guangdong Governor's Office had issued orders to Lianzhou Prefecture and Qinzhou Prefecture (both places were under the jurisdiction of Guangdong at that time) to reorganize military equipment, requiring local authorities to inspect the military personnel in the towns and check the government treasuries in case of emergency.

Similarly, the neighboring Guangxi Governor's Office also sent an order requiring Taiping Prefecture (now Chongzuo City, Guangxi), Siming Prefecture (now Ningming County), and Zhen'an Prefecture (now Debao County), which were close to the Annan border, to increase vigilance, reorganize the military, and await the final decision of the court.

In case, in order to prevent Annan from being destroyed by Qi, we might have to mobilize local garrison troops and march to the border of Annan to show the determination of our Qin to protect the vassal state and force the other party to be cautious and not to do anything too extreme.

In Xu Hongyun's view, Qi could launch a limited retaliatory military strike against Annan for the murder of royal relatives, but the bottom line of our Great Qin court was that it could not destroy its country and occupy its entire territory.

Otherwise, the reputation of our Great Qin would be torn down by the State of Qi, thrown to the ground and stepped on hard.

After all, Annan recognizes our Great Qin as its overlord, and its land is connected by mountains and rivers (in fact, most of it has been separated by Liang State). We cannot let Qi State destroy it like this.

Xu Hongyun immediately left the noisy banquet hall, returned to the prefectural yamen, changed into formal official uniform, and hurried to the dock with a group of subordinates to welcome the Annan delegation.

Qin inherited the Ming system, and the vassal system management system also mostly followed the previous Ming Dynasty. Whenever a vassal state's tributary state delegation came to Beijing, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War would send a letter to the governor of the province where the delegation was located and grant a permit. After receiving the letter, the governor had to appoint a capable person from the Tongzhi and Tongpan of the province to escort the delegation to Beijing. At the same time, the governor had to dispatch a garrison officer from the town to send troops to escort the delegation along the way.

During the trip, the tribute missions enjoyed different levels of post station treatment, and local officials had to provide rations, servants, and horses in a timely manner. Because only 20 to dozens of tribute missions could enter the capital, and the rest had to stay in the local area, the food and drink expenses of these people could not be neglected. If they were negligent, the local officials would be punished according to the rules.

However, the arrival of the Annan delegation in Qinzhou this time was not a normal tribute act. Its purpose should be to make certain explanations and explanations to our Great Qin regarding the Annan crisis.

However, after receiving the Annan delegation, Xu Hongyun couldn't help but feel full of doubts.

Because this delegation is too shabby!

There is one chief envoy, two deputy envoys, and four attendants, a total of no more than seven people.

Moreover, the Annan delegation did not bring any gifts or tributes, not even any local specialties!
If he had not checked their customs documents and imperial decrees, Xu Hongyun would have even had reason to suspect that they were a fake delegation, preparing to come to our Great Qin to get free food and drink.

On the way to the post house in the city, Xu Hongyun was chatting and greeting the chief envoy Ruan Xiyao, and kept asking around to find out the current situation in Annan.

But the other party was very tight-lipped. During the conversation, he either pretended not to understand or talked about other things and never mentioned Annan's current situation.

However, Ruan Xiyao hinted that Annan had reached a "reconciliation" with Qi, the clouds of war had dissipated, and Daqin could rest assured.

As for how to achieve "reconciliation" and how to end the war, he did not mention a word. But his face revealed a hint of bitterness and sadness, which made people want to explore one or two of them.

Yes, the war in Annan is over, and it ended at a speed that caught no one off guard.

Until now, Ruan Xiyao, as a temporary envoy appointed by the "Transitional Kingdom Government" to visit Qin, has already arrived in Daqin by boat, and he has not yet come to his senses. It took only ten days for the Qi people to start the war, stop resisting, and then surrender.

Has our country of Dali been destroyed?
It seems that there is no such thing. The Zheng family, who was authoritarian and tyrannical, was overthrown. King Zheng Gang of Weinan and his officials were escorted back to Nanping (now Cam Ranh, Vietnam), waiting for an opportunity to be sent to Hanzhou to be tried and punished by the Emperor of Da Qi and the cabinet government. Emperor Yongqing was taken to Thanh Hoa by the Qi people, preparing to use it as the capital, re-establish the court, and continue the Dali Kingdom.

However, most of Annan's territory was facing the possibility of being divided up by other countries. The border of Liang State would be pushed southward to the line of the Tang River and the Taiping River, occupying half of the fertile land of Hebei Province; Guangnan State would expand its northern border northward to the line of the Lan River, and allow it to expand westward to areas such as Champasak and Vientiane.

The vast Red River Delta area south of the Lingjiang River and Taiping River and north of the Dijiang River was occupied by the State of Qi. It was said that they were going to establish a so-called Red River Governor's District in this area to directly implement colonial rule.

The former capital of Dali, Dongjing, was opened as a free trade city by Qi, allowing merchants from all countries to come to the city to engage in trade without any restrictions. After this, although the glorious Dali Dynasty still existed, its entire territory suddenly shrank by 70%, and its population lost more than 60%, completely becoming a marginal and inferior small country.

Moreover, the entire country's court affairs and military diplomacy must comply with the "careful guidance" and "sincere advice" of the advisory group sent by Qi. It is truly a puppet kingdom.

Oh, by the way, the title of the emperor of the Le Dynasty was later abolished, and he could only be called a king, which was the Great Le Kingdom, and was under the unified vassal management of the Qi State.

As for sending this delegation to visit Qin, it was naturally to eliminate the fear caused by the Annan crisis in Qin and to inform the Qin emperor and the cabinet government that Annan was "safe and sound" and that the entire region had completely restored "peace".

Although our Dali Kingdom has experienced some "political changes" and "territorial changes", it will not affect the border security of Daqin and the peace and stability of the entire region.

Well, business can continue, people can continue to travel, and culture can continue to be exchanged.

As for whether the vassal system with the Qin State would continue in the future, the order given by the Qi State advisor was to temporarily use an "ambiguous" approach to the Qin Emperor Qianyuan and the Ministry of Rites to blur the concept, and when the time was ripe, the vassal relationship between the two sides would be severed.

Today, the Kingdom of Dali has been completely cut off from the Qin Kingdom by Liang and Qi. If they want to contact them again, they can only do so by sea. However, with the strength of Qi's navy, how can they allow Qin to connect with Annan and exert influence?
It can be said that when the Qi army attacked the city of Dongjing, the Qin Dynasty had actually lost Annan, its most important vassal state.
-
March 3, Nanjing, Forbidden City.

"Confused!"

In the solemn Wuying Hall, Emperor Qianyuan sat at the imperial desk, reviewing memorials submitted by cabinet officials one by one. Sometimes he frowned in thought, sometimes he smiled, sometimes he picked up his pen to write quickly, and sometimes he closed his eyes and remained silent.

The eunuchs and palace maids serving in the palace did not dare to breathe, they all lowered their heads and eyes, like sculptures.

Just as the eunuch chief eunuch Lou Enxiang reached the palace gate, he heard a low shout from Emperor Qianyuan, which frightened him so much that he shuddered all over and hesitated whether to go in and report the news from the Jing'an Division.

"Come here, return this death penalty review file to the Ministry of Justice and ask them to re-evaluate the verdict."

"Yes, Your Majesty." A eunuch stepped forward, took a file from the desk, and then walked backwards out of the hall.

"Captain..." The eunuch met Lou Enxiang at the door and hurriedly bowed again.

"Shh..." Lou Enxiang made a gesture for silence, then waved his hand, signaling him to hurry up and do his job.

"Who is outside?" A majestic question came from inside the hall.

"Your Majesty, I greet you." Lou Enxiang immediately walked quickly into the hall, then knelt down and kowtowed in front of Emperor Qianyuan.

The eunuchs of the Qin Dynasty could refer to themselves as "ministers" in written memorials submitted to the emperor, just like the civil and military officials. However, in private or more casual occasions, eunuchs generally used "slaves" as a self-proclaimed term inherited from the pre-Ming Dynasty, reflecting their private status in the palace and their respectful attitude towards the emperor.

"Is there something you want to report?" Emperor Qianyuan placed the memorial in his hand on the desk, leaned lightly on the soft leather chair, and then twisted his stiff neck a few times.

"Your Majesty, the Jing'an Division has received news from Annan."

"Oh?" Emperor Qianyuan was shocked and sat up straight immediately, "Show it to me!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Lou Enxiang handed over a report.

It was obvious that Emperor Qianyuan had been waiting for news from Annan for a long time. He took the report, opened the seal, and took out the documents inside.

Ever since receiving the express message from Guangzhou more than 600 miles away more than ten days ago, the entire court was in an uproar.

The governor of Runzhou, His Royal Highness Prince Min, was assassinated by a spy from Annan on a ship. This was a very sensational news, which would inevitably lead to changes in the situation in Annan. It was possible that Qi would launch an expedition to Annan in revenge.

Emperor Qianyuan summoned all his ministers to discuss the matter and what measures Qin should take to deal with the various extreme reactions that Qi might make.

Annan is a vassal state of our Great Qin. Whether out of the obligations of the suzerain state or for the sake of maintaining the dignity and power of the Great Qin, we will definitely not allow the Qi people to take this opportunity to swallow up the country and occupy all its land.

However, if the Qi royal family was assassinated by Annan's secret agents, it would be unreasonable for them not to get angry and teach Annan a lesson. If the Qin Dynasty insisted on stopping it, it might anger Qi and cause unnecessary disputes between the two countries, and even the possibility of armed conflict.

Today, the northwest of our Great Qin is not yet peaceful, and the southwest (U-Tsang) is still unstable. Moreover, the Northern Ming, Eastern Dan, and Bohai are frequently provoking trouble in the northeast, making the main forces of our Great Qin distributed in the border areas, and we are simply unable to bear the serious consequences of an immediate conflict with the State of Qi.

Not to mention, the prosperous southeastern coastal areas of our Great Qin are all under the threat of Qi's powerful navy. If we are not careful, Qi will take advantage of us, attack from the sea, and devastate the entire Jiangnan region.

The best plan for now is to use force as a backup and diplomatic mediation as a priority. We should do our best to dissuade Qi from starting a war and impose a small punishment on Annan. We must not destroy its country or swallow up its territory.

Okay, give my Great Qin some face and stop, just let Annan cede some land, pay some money, and make some concessions, and then we can continue to be friends and brothers happily.

To this end, Emperor Qianyuan ordered the transfer of more than 8,000 local garrison troops from Hunan and Guizhou to the Guangdong and Guangxi regions. At the same time, he ordered the Jiangsu and Zhejiang navy to dispatch more than 20 ships to Guangzhou, thereby increasing the size of the military forces in the south to a certain extent for deterrence purposes.

The Cabinet and the Ministry of Rites also met with the Qi envoy in Nanjing several times and proposed holding a tripartite diplomatic negotiation involving Annan affairs, preferably to resolve the political crisis in the region peacefully.

Although the Qi envoy politely rejected the court's suggestion on the grounds that he had not obtained local authorization, and asked them to contact Chang'an directly or conduct necessary consultations and mediation with the Governor-General's District of Annan, I, the Great Qin, informed Qi of my position through this method, and hinted to the other party that I, the Great Qin, was going to protect Annan, and they should think before taking action and must fully consider the attitude of the Great Qin.

Now, more than half a month has passed, and the court still has no idea what the situation is in Annan. Everyone is eager to get the latest news.

There was no way. The Qi Navy had almost blocked the entire coastal area of ​​Annan. It was extremely difficult to send people directly to Annan to gather information. Fortunately, the Jing'an Division fulfilled the emperor's order and obtained the much-needed intelligence. Your Majesty had no choice but to open it and study it carefully.

"Is Liao Yanzhen waiting for orders outside the palace?" After reading the urgent report, Emperor Qianyuan frowned and then looked up and asked.

"Your Majesty, the commander of the Jing'an Division, Liao Yanzhen, is waiting outside the palace for orders."

"Xuan!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

(End of this chapter)