chsdbacks Page 2646
Page 2646
Then, they began to abduct the people of Thang Long Prefecture, which lasted for more than three months, with an average of 30,000 people being abducted each month!
This is no domestic immigration; their treatment is worse than that of exiled criminals in the Ming Dynasty.
There were many escapes and deaths along the way; only the people of Thang Long province who managed to reach Lang Son alive...
Of the 100,000 people, only 70,000 to 80,000 remain; once they reach Guangxi, only 60,000 to 70,000 remain.
Annam's Grand Commandant Yang Ying'er also attempted to attack the Ming army responsible for escorting them.
As a result, more than 10,000 Annamese troops ambushed 2,000 Ming field soldiers, but were defeated and fled by the Ming army.
Moreover, the Ming army suffered only a little over a hundred casualties.
However, several thousand of the captured Annamese civilians escaped while the two armies were fighting.
After Yang Zaixing left, Du Yingwu led his troops back to take over Thang Long Prefecture.
Only a little over a thousand households remained in the entire city, many of whom had fled back with their families after learning of the Ming army's withdrawal.
Chapter 3618 The Great Battle in the South
"Sister, Luoyang is just ahead," Du Yingwu said as he entered the cabin.
Empress Dowager Du sighed, "If I alone can bring about peace between the two countries, it will be a good deed for my descendants."
Du Yingwu gritted his teeth and said, "This grudge will be avenged!"
The siblings said this not only because Thang Long Prefecture had been completely looted, but also because the conditions along the way were particularly tragic.
The discipline of the Ming Dynasty's field army and garrison troops was acceptable, but the local soldiers from Yongzhou were no different from bandits in Annam.
These barbarian soldiers from Guangxi were sent to garrison small towns along the way, where they committed all sorts of atrocities, burning, killing, looting, and causing great harm to the people of Annam.
In addition, Annam's own defeated soldiers and the fleeing captives also looted and plundered throughout the area.
All these atrocities were attributed to the Ming army.
From Thang Long to Lang Son, nine out of ten houses along the route are empty!
Not many civilians were killed; most were too frightened to leave their homes.
Empress Dowager Du instructed, "After you return to your country, you must assist my son well."
"His prestige plummeted after this battle, and the powerful clans in the country were eager to make a move. Fortunately, Yang Ying was there to stabilize the situation."
“I understand,” Du Yingwu said.
Grand Commandant Yang Ying'er suffered a series of defeats and even allowed the Ming army to capture Thang Long Prefecture.
Instead of taking the opportunity to reduce his military power, King Li Yanghuan continued to entrust him with important responsibilities.
This made Yang Ying'er extremely grateful, and he actively gathered the remaining troops to suppress the rioters, while also deterring other forces in the country from making any rash moves.
Gradually, Yang Ying bore the brunt of the infamy, while King Li Yanghuan remained firmly in control of the kingdom.
Du Yingwu was promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guard Infantry for defeating the combined forces of Champa and Zhenla and capturing Wuzhou in Champa.
The Annamite Imperial Guard was thus brought under Du Yingwu's control. It is estimated that he will be granted a noble title upon his successful mission to the Ming Dynasty and his return to China.
The Commander of the Palace Guard was the same position held by the founding monarch of the Ly Dynasty in Annam when he donned the yellow robe!
Du Yingwu said "This revenge will be taken," but what he really thought was that his nephew had died young, leaving behind an orphan and a widow, so that he could continue to rule as regent.
At that time, he will be free to choose whether to become regent or to be crowned emperor.
That afternoon, the official ship arrived in Luoyang.
The Annamese delegation was led to the Sifangguan Pavilion. This time, they did not bring any auspicious beasts, but only presented a lot of valuables as tribute.
Officials from the Court of State Ceremonial came to receive them and took away Annam's letter of request for investiture, signifying that the Ming Dynasty would officially invest the King of Annam.
The following day, Cao Tuan, an envoy from Western Xia, moved in, replacing the original envoy stationed in Ming.
Empress Dowager Du peered through the arched doorway and asked, "Are those also envoys from foreign lands of the Ming Dynasty?"
Du Yingwu said, "I've inquired, and they are new-style envoys from Western Xia."
“The Western Xia envoys lived in the Sifangguan for a long time, and the chief envoy was replaced every two or three years.”
"It seems to be a lucrative post, with Western Xia officials vying to come and be stationed in the Ming Dynasty."
Empress Dowager Du remarked with emotion, "It seems that Western Xia and the Ming Dynasty have excellent diplomatic relations. I hope that my Great Yue and the Ming Dynasty can be the same."
The Western Xia envoy, who enjoyed excellent diplomatic relations with the Western Xia, was angrily rebuked by officials of the Court of State Ceremonial on the same day.
"If the Western Xia herdsmen dare to cross the border again, it will be fine if there is no dispute, but if they harm the border people of our Great Ming, we will definitely send a large army to punish Western Xia!"
"I dare not, our country will certainly strictly regulate the border residents."
Cao Tuan, the envoy from Western Xia, quickly put on a smiling face.
Cao Tuan was the younger brother of Consort Cao of Western Xia, the maternal uncle of the Crown Prince of Western Xia, and the grandson of the former Grand Commandant of Western Xia.
His ancestor was Cao Yijin, the military governor of Guiyi Army (Zhang Yichao's grandson-in-law).
Cao Tuan said, "This time it was purely due to the foolishness of the border people who accidentally crossed the border of the Great Ming Dynasty. My lord has severely punished those border people."
After finally seeing off the officials from the Court of State Ceremonial, Cao Tuan returned to his courtyard and sighed deeply.
The Ming Dynasty is too wicked. It has a shortage of people on its own borders, so it actually lured and recruited people from the Western Xia!
There were only three or four places in the Western Xia Dynasty where grain could be grown.
One of these routes is the line from Hengshan to Tiandushan, and then to Lanzhou.
For the Ming and Song dynasties, that area was a barren border, but for the Western Xia, it was fertile land suitable for both farming and grazing.
The Northern Song Dynasty built fortified villages and gradually encroached upon the territory, and the Ming Dynasty recovered the Northern Song territory, severely compressing the strategic space of the Western Xia and causing a decrease in the amount of grain produced by the Western Xia.
The herders and farmers on the border of Western Xia were becoming increasingly impoverished, while the Ming Dynasty was using smugglers to promote more favorable tax policies.
The first to attempt to cross the border were the agricultural and pastoral slaves, who could no longer endure the increasingly severe exploitation and tried every means to escape into the territory of the Ming Dynasty.
As a result, they were immediately resettled and given land and livestock, transforming themselves directly from slaves into self-sufficient farmers.
Following this, impoverished farmers and herders along the Western Xia border also crossed the border one after another to seek refuge with the Ming Dynasty.
These people have little sense of national or ethnic identity. They were caught between the Northern Song and Western Xia dynasties and suffered every time there was a war.
They could either serve as soldiers for the Western Xia or the Northern Song; no matter who they served, they were cannon fodder.
Now that the Ming Dynasty is stronger and treats its people well, the people of Western Xia have voted with their feet and come over.
The Tangut border tribes, having lost their herdsmen and tenant farmers, could no longer bear the population loss, so they crossed the border to the Ming Dynasty to capture slaves.
Chapter 3619 International Class
The two sides fought a match earlier this year.
The Ming garrison in the Hengshan area killed and captured hundreds of Dangxiang people, and even crossed the border into the Western Xia territory!
After the conflict broke out, Li Qianshun was quite worried and hurriedly sent his brother-in-law as an envoy to the Ming Dynasty.
Fortunately, I only got a scolding.
Cao Tuan stayed at the Sifangguan for a few days and found that the conflict did not affect the relationship between the two countries, so he relaxed and enjoyed the prosperity of Luoyang.
The Japanese envoy to Ming China has also changed. This time, the chief envoy is Kawachi Keikoku, and he also brought a student named Taira no Kiyomori.
Taira no Kiyomori is seventeen years old this year. Due to the reform of Japanese customs, he did not dye his teeth black.
This guy carries a Japanese sword on his waist and wanders around Luoyang all day long.
In two months, the new semester at Taigaku will begin, and Taira no Kiyomori will be attending the "International Class".
The international class at the Imperial Academy only admitted children of noble families from foreign lands.
The curriculum was not extensive; it began with introducing the international students to Confucian classics, followed by various poems and essays.
"Cousin, I've heard there's a martial arts school a few miles outside the city."
Taira no Kiyomori somehow found out about the military academy.
Kawachi Keikoku was actually surnamed Minamoto and was the first in line to succeed the head of the Minamoto clan, but he lost the position due to internal strife within the family.
Taira no Kiyomori was his cousin, and Minamoto no Yoshitomo was his cousin.
Hanoi Kinh Quoc warned, "Do not spy on it recklessly; it is a military stronghold."
Taira no Kiyomori said, "I came to the Ming Dynasty not to study Confucian classics, but to study the military strategy of the Ming Dynasty."
"Iwami Castle has been occupied by the Ming Dynasty for a long time. Once I inherit the Taira clan's business, I will lead troops to take back Iwami Castle!"
“You are too young and only know how to talk nonsense,” Hanoi Gyeong-guk said worriedly. “Moreover, when two countries are at war, food and armor are the most important. You can’t defeat the Ming army by only learning military strategy.”
Taira no Kiyomori said, "We should secretly learn the art of firearms from the Ming Dynasty."
Hanoi Gyeong Quoc said, "We cannot learn by stealing in Luoyang; we should secretly contact gunpowder craftsmen in coastal cities."
"First learn how to refine gunpowder, then find out how the cannons shoot out the gunpowder."
"I have bribed some of the samurai who have defected to the Ming army to learn some of the essence of the Mandarin Duck Formation used by the Ming army in Iwami Province."
"Please teach me the Mandarin Duck Formation, cousin!" Taira no Kiyomori exclaimed excitedly.
Kawachi Keikoku sighed. He knew that Japan's real weakness was not its soldiers or food supplies.
It's an internal affair!
Kawachi Keikoku's father was the eldest son of the Minamoto clan, and his mother was the eldest daughter of the Taira clan.
He was of dual races, yet he watched as the conflict between the two races intensified.
And the Emperor... well, now we call him the Heavenly King, but the Heavenly King can't control the local counties and kingdoms.
What good would it do for Japan, a country riddled with internal strife and disunity, to possess firearms?
Kawachi Keikoku came to Ming China to learn how to govern, and he wanted to solve Japan's internal problems.
Although, this is a dream.
After touring Luoyang for a few days, Cao Tuan took the initiative to meet with the Japanese envoy.
Both sides could speak Chinese, and Cao Tuan was even of Han ethnicity.
After exchanging pleasantries, Cao Tuan asked, "Brother Jingguo, have you ever heard of Bodhisattva Man?"
"The previous envoy to Ming China already said that he heard the dance skills of the Bodhisattva Man were extremely amazing," said Hanoi Kyungguk.
Cao Tuan smiled and said, "Why don't we invite the Annamite envoy along as well, and go to visit him together?"
"With envoys from the three kingdoms arriving together, Aranya Monastery should at least give us some face and have Bodhisattva Man come out to drink with us."
Although Hanoi Kyung-guk was concerned about national affairs, he was also very active in such matters, and he had a great time in Japan.
So the two of them went together to visit Du Yingwu.
Du Yingwu said, "I will be sending my elder sister to the palace tomorrow. I will go after we leave the palace."
Cao Tuan was a little confused. He saw that Du Yingwu was around thirty years old, so his sister must be in her thirties.
Could such a woman be sent to the Ming Dynasty palace?
Cao Tuan clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Congratulations! Annam has also formed a marriage alliance with the Ming Dynasty."
“My princess from the Great Xia Kingdom has also married the Emperor of the Great Ming as a concubine. From now on, you and I are relatives.”
"Of course."
Du Yingwu was too embarrassed to speak and could not reveal more.
The king offering his mother as a sacrifice was nothing unusual in Annam, but it would be extremely embarrassing to tell envoys from other countries in the Ming Dynasty.
Zhao Yuan took half a day to meet with the envoys from various countries.
Besides the Western Xia, Annam, and Japan, there were also Dali, Champa, Zhenla, and Huangtou Uyghur.
The reason they all came to Luoyang in the last month or two is because they all chose to set off after the beginning of spring and arrived one after another by early summer.
In a side hall of the Chuigong Hall, envoys from various countries gathered to wait.
Du Yingwu glanced at the Champa and Zhenla envoys, a disdainful smile on his face.
Last winter, he led his troops south, toying with the combined forces of the two countries like monkeys, and with a little trickery, he defeated their allied forces.