Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

Thang Long City, Bao Guang Palace.

The news of the fall of Hengshan Pass had been transmitted back for several days. This time, the Ming army suddenly made a detour from the sea and made a sneak attack. It can be said that they were caught off guard.

In previous battle experiences, the Ming army has always launched attacks from the border. This detour by sea is the first of its kind, which inevitably makes people feel uneasy.

Now that the Hengshan Pass has fallen, it directly blocks the connection between the northern and southern parts of Li Dynasty. Neither military supplies nor soldiers can be successfully delivered to the royal capital.

King Li Sicheng of Annan quickly called on several close ministers to discuss countermeasures. After some careful analysis, he quickly came to the conclusion: the real strategic intention of the Ming Dynasty in sending strange troops across the sea to seize the Hengshan Pass was to cut off their southern forces. Zhennan Pass The Ming Dynasty army must have taken the opportunity to come out in full force, and then headed straight for Hualong City.

To drive straight into the royal capital has always been China's simple and crude style of play.

Since they had already guessed the Ming Dynasty's strategic intentions, they were not in a hurry to send troops to regain the Hengshan Pass. Instead, they strengthened their deployment in the north, so that the Ming Dynasty army would not be able to come back.

As for the Hengshan Pass, they also sent personnel to detour to the sea, and the counter-rebellion army led by Li Renxiao recaptured this insignificant pass.

Li Thou Yu garrisoned troops on the right, Zheng Highway led his troops on the left, and Li Nong was in the rear to provide support at any time. The three parties' forces had already been deployed, and they were just waiting for the Ming army to "fall into the trap".

one day!

Two days!

Three days!

…

Time passed day by day, and there was no movement on the southwest border of the Ming Dynasty. Instead, news came that Laos was gathering a large army, and it turned out that they were going to take the opportunity to invade the important town in the west of Li Dynasty.

Laos was originally inaccessible to the Central Plains. It was not until the reign of Zhu Di that the second generation king of the Nanzhang Dynasty, San Sentai, sent envoys to pay tribute, so Zhu Di established the Lao Military and Civilian Exhortation Department.

When the news came, everyone knew that this must be the work of the Ming Dynasty. This was to join forces with the Nanzhang Dynasty of Laos to invade their Li Dynasty.

"Mingting must be afraid of our Li Dynasty!"

"So what if we add Laos? It's just a bunch of rabble!"

"The more the Ming army is like this, the more it shows that they lack confidence, and they will surely defeat Guangxi when the time comes to counterattack!"

…

Faced with Laos' sudden entry into the war, the Le Dynasty did not appear too panicked. Instead, it increasingly felt that the Ming army that had been boasted was not scary at all.

The monarchs and ministers of the Li Dynasty still maintained an optimistic attitude, and were even planning to capture Zhennan Pass.

The Nanzhang Dynasty took the initiative to light a fire on the western front, forcing the support army led by Li Nong to temporarily move their troops to the west, but this was to prevent the Nanzhang Dynasty from taking the opportunity to seize their territory.

As the king of Annan, Li Sicheng naturally had an ace army under his command.

When things got to this point, he had no choice but to spend his own money and immediately sent Wang Jun to fill Li Nong's position. But their focus is not on reinforcements, but on preventing the Ming army from invading the hinterland of the royal capital.

Faintly, everyone seemed to smell a smell of gunpowder and knew that the Ming court had now completed its layout and the Ming army was about to invade in large numbers.

I have to admit that the military achievements of the Ming Dynasty are indeed not at the same level as theirs. It is no wonder that the British Duke Zhang Fu was able to easily defeat Annan.

At present, the Ming Dynasty's army has not officially invaded. As a result, the troops in the south were cut off, and troops were sent to the west, leaving the entire royal capital in a state of emptiness.

"What? Ruan Jin has rebelled!"

"The Ruan clan has rebelled? How is this possible?"

"Ruan Jin personally beheaded Li Renxiao, and I heard that he slaughtered all the rebels!"

"The Ji family now calls itself Nanyue Kingdom, and has been canonized by the Ming Dynasty!"

…

It was at this time that the latest news came from the south, shocking the whole country.

The Ruan family is actually the Li family. The Li dynasty of Annan at that time ruled Annan for more than 200 years. However, after the Taizu of the Chen Dynasty usurped the throne, the surname Li was changed to Ruan.

Now the Nguyen family is openly independent. Although it is a betrayal of the Li Dynasty, it actually has a certain legal basis.

In the main hall of Baoguang Palace, there was a sound of broken porcelain.

"I don't agree! I don't agree!"

Li Sicheng originally thought that the north-south passage was cut off, but when he learned that the Ruan family not only murdered Li Renxiao, but also took the opportunity to declare independence in the south, he couldn't help but vent his anger by throwing things.

When several of the servants saw the broken porcelain, they knelt on the ground as if they dared not breathe heavily, but they had never seen their king be so out of character.

Li Tingyan came in from the outside and saw broken porcelain all over the floor. He felt slightly frightened because he had come at the wrong time.

"What's the matter?" When Li Sicheng saw Li Tingyan coming, he knew that something was up to him, and immediately made a serious face.

Li Tingyan did not dare to make eye contact with Li Sicheng, so he bit the bullet and asked cautiously: "Your Majesty, there is something I don't know whether to say or not!"

"Say!" Li Sicheng now felt that he had become deaf. Fortunately, he once thought that the south was fine, so he ordered with a cold face.

When Li Tingyan heard this answer, he felt relieved and said: "Your Majesty, the Ming army in Zhennanguan is calling out to Zheng Jiujiu today! They claim that the Ruan family has established itself as the South Vietnam Kingdom. They claim that if Zheng Jiujiu can lead his troops to abandon the dark side and surrender to the Ming Dynasty, the Ming court will support Zheng Jiujiu. His family founded the North Vietnam Kingdom, and Zheng Gongdao was the king of the North Vietnam Kingdom."

this……

Several attendants couldn't help but look at each other in shock when they heard such conditions.

The Nguyen family has already established itself in the south. If the Zheng family takes over the north and becomes independent, then the Li Dynasty will cease to exist, and the Ming Dynasty will have solved everything without sending troops.

"Sow discord! Sow discord! How can I believe such a little trick?" Li Sicheng clenched his fists tightly and said angrily, showing his attitude immediately.

Li Tingyan's eyes flashed with disappointment. He had always wanted to get rid of his political enemy Zheng Gongguo quickly, and the Zheng family was also a scourge in the Li Dynasty, but His Majesty did not accept this trick at all.

Bang!

Just as Li Tingyan left, another exquisite porcelain plate was smashed.

However, Li Sicheng did not forget the power of the Li Dynasty family. A murderous intent flashed through his eyes: "We are about to send someone to secretly keep an eye on Zheng Gulu's family!"

Unlike the Ruan family who had already moved to Guangnan City, the Zheng family had always lived in the royal capital, and Zheng Gonglu's family members were all in the royal capital now.

It would be fine if Zheng Gongdao didn't have any rebellious intentions. If Zheng Gongdao really wanted to join the Ming Dynasty and create the North Vietnam Kingdom, then he would first have to cut off Zheng Gongdao's descendants.

In the north, the Li army defended according to the danger.

Zheng Gongguo was standing on the hillside in his armor, looking at the Ming Dynasty flag in the distance in front of him, with an indescribable desolation in his eyes.

Their Li Dynasty's best chance of winning was that the Ming army underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly, but the Ming army, let alone rushing into their ambush circle recklessly, could not garrison troops at Zhennanguan.

According to the latest intelligence, the Ming Dynasty is continuously delivering supplies to Zhennan. Now the Zhennan granary has been consolidated, and people's life is to drink, eat meat and train troops every day.

On the other hand, their troops here now need to defend according to danger, and many soldiers have to eat and sleep in the open every day. However, the supply of military food in the rear has been affected to a certain extent.

If this continues, once their army is tired, what will they do to deal with the invasion of Ming Dynasty's elite troops and generals?

"Dad, I just found out that the news that the Ruan family is independent in the south is true!" Zheng Chun strode from behind and reported respectfully.

The corner of Zheng Gongli's mouth was bitter, and he couldn't help but sigh: "The Ming court is really going to push our Zheng family into the pit of fire with such a trick!"

"Dad, the Ming court deliberately sows discord, we will explain to His Majesty immediately!" Zheng Chun knew that this was Ming's way of sowing discord, so he made a serious proposal.

Zheng Gonglu glanced at his son indifferently, and then asked bitterly: "How do you want to explain? Are you saying that our Zheng family has no intention of rebellion and handing over military power, or are you asking Your Majesty not to suspect that our Zheng family continues to hold military power?"

"Military power is the foundation of our Zheng family. Why should we hand over military power? And we really have no intention of rebellion!" Zheng Chun knew the importance of military power in the Li Dynasty, so he shook his head and denied the plan.

Zheng Gonglu sighed, his eyes full of worry: "I understand your Majesty's temperament! Now the Ruan family is independent, and our Zheng family has always been too powerful, so they will definitely be suspicious of us! If your majesty switches us with Li Nong, this will be counterproductive It’s the best result if he doesn’t take any action!”

Having said this, I couldn't help but sigh again.

"How?" Zheng Chun immediately became alert.

Zheng Gonglu did not continue, but asked an irrelevant topic: "You fought with the Ming army at Hengshan Pass. What was your experience?"

"Dad, to be honest, I think we are... Yelang is arrogant!" Zheng Chun hesitated for a moment, then said what he was thinking.

Zheng Gonglu looked at his son deeply, but he knew that what his son said was probably true.

In the past few years, he had been fighting for the Li Dynasty in the south and the north. All he had read were Chinese military books, but he knew that what he had learned about the art of war was only superficial knowledge of the Chinese.

This time, the Ming court did not actually send troops. They only detoured from the sea and raided the Hengshan Pass, successfully instigating the Nguyen family to rebel. As a result, the southern region that the Le Dynasty had worked so hard to conquer declared its breakaway.

Now there are rebels in the south, Ming troops in the north, and Laos in the west. It can be said that they are attacked on three sides. This is the real military strategy of the Ming army. It puts the Li Dynasty in danger before the war begins.

After all, the Ming Dynasty did not occupy the city. Now the Ming Dynasty can easily force Zhennanguan to garrison 100,000 troops. The two countries are not fighting at the same level at all.

"Dad, what should we do now?" Zheng Chun asked seriously when he saw his father suddenly became silent.

Faced with the Ming court's alienation plan, Zheng Gongli had to make two preparations: "You should sneak back to the capital immediately! If necessary, you will move all your family members to a safe place, and everything will be done with the safety of your family in mind." In first place!”

Although he had no intention of rebellion, he had to be on guard. The most important thing now was the safety of his family.

"Yes!" Zheng Chun vaguely felt that his father had made a choice, but the most important thing now was the family members who stayed in the royal capital, so he solemnly expressed his position.

Everyone knows that the Ming court's recruitment of Zheng Gongdao is a tactic to alienate people, but the monarchs and ministers know that this is a strategy but have to beware of it. This is the Ming Dynasty's conspiracy.

In fact, they themselves may not even realize that what everyone is discussing now is not whether the Ming Dynasty will fulfill its promise, but whether Zheng Highway will betray the Li Dynasty. It can only be said that the credibility of the Ming Dynasty is too strong.

While people in the north are panicked, the sun is still shining brightly in the south.

Wang Zhi came to Guangnan City and announced the decree in public: "The emperor is entrusted with the destiny of heaven, and the edict says: The name of Nanyang is the more beautiful. Now the Ruan family has been taught by the saints, and has the style of benevolence and filial piety... The people under Ruan Jin can live and work in peace and contentment, and now In addition to the name of Annan, the name of Nanyue should be followed, and Nguyen Jin should be awarded the golden title of the king of Nanyue. It is sincerely suitable to broadcast to the outside world, and to change it. It is the first time to serve, and it is appropriate to show mercy. In the play! The business is established, and it is known as the country. , carry out political affairs and benevolent, and serve as a servant..."

"The little king accepts the decree, long live my emperor!" Ruan Jin's fat face showed uncontrollable excitement and he said respectfully.

Wang Zhi handed the imperial edict to Ruan Jin's hand, then patted his shoulder and said: "King of South Vietnam, as long as you respect the Ming Dynasty as your sovereign state, the Ming Dynasty will definitely not stand idly by whether there is civil strife or powerful enemies in the future. , I will definitely help your Ruan family to rule South Vietnam forever, and share the country with the Ming Dynasty for thousands of years!"

"Xiao Wang, please remember!" Ruan Jin knew that now he could only hug Ming Dynasty's thick thigh tightly, and then made a gesture of invitation and said: "Your Majesty, Xiao Wang has prepared some wine, please move on!"

"The banquet is no longer necessary! The King of Champa is now leading his troops to take over the northern part of Guangnan. The Hengshan Pass must also be handed over to the Champa army for defense, so as not to cause trouble due to drinking, the miscellaneous family will have to rush over to take a look!" Wang Zhi raised his head and looked to the north, but he was lightly Shake his head gently.

Ruan Jin couldn't help but be stunned, but he said in surprise: "Will Hengshan Pass also be handed over to Champa?"

"Our Ming Dynasty only provides military assistance. Since the Hengshan Pass is a territory belonging to the city, they naturally have to take over the defense! But don't worry, our Ming army will still assist in defense, especially during the period of our exchange. We will definitely not let it go. The Li thieves broke through and disrupted our territory!" Wang Zhi knew that Ruan Jin was still worried about the Li army, so he calmly comforted him.

Ruan Jin immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Master Wang is stationed here, and Master Wang is about to break the capital of the Li Thief King. This is a matter that Xiao Wang is worrying too much about!"

"It's easy for our Ming Dynasty to defeat Thang Long City! It's just that the north also needs a royal family that can be as loyal to the Ming Dynasty as your Ruan family, so the time to attack Thang Long City has not come yet. Now you just wait and watch the show!" Wang Zhi He shook his head gently.

Ruan Jin knew that he had surrendered to the Ming Dynasty. Now it was no longer his place to dictate how the Ming Dynasty would use its troops against the Li Dynasty, but he could only laugh sadly.

Under the coordination of the Ming Dynasty, the Champa State obtained the territory in the northern part of Guangnan, where it would be restored. The South Vietnamese Kingdom withdrew from the northern part of Guangnan and established itself in the southern part of Guangnan.

As for the issue of the royal capital, since the king of Champa voluntarily abandoned the old royal capital of Champa in ancient times, he received certain compensation from the South Vietnamese Kingdom and will build a new royal capital in Hue in the north of Guangnan.

The Ming army retreated to Da Nang in the center, and a new Ming city would be built here. A garrison would also be stationed here, and trade would be conducted with the Champa Kingdom and South Vietnam.

The temperature in Indochina has dropped in October, and the Ming Dynasty settled firmly in Da Nang, which can be regarded as the first step for the Ming Dynasty to enter the Indochina Peninsula.