Chapter 75: South Conquest of Annan
Tang Dynasty, the third year of Zhenguan.

Li Shimin, Li Jing, Cheng Yaojin and other military generals, as well as all the civil officials who knew something about the war, looked at the sky with concentration and bated breath. Firearms of various shapes appeared in the picture, and the effects of the use of each firearm were also presented.

At the beginning, these firearms only appeared as special weapons and embellishments on the battlefield. However, in the Ming Dynasty, the scenarios and scale of the use of firearms suddenly increased, but they were not yet to the extent of becoming a regular force.

Until Zhu Di established the Shenjiying, a professional firearms unit. Three-quarters of the 75,000 people had more than 56,000 people and more than 56,000 firearms, which was still an underestimation. If the spare firearms were included, the number would be even greater.

"The way of war has completely changed." Li Jing sighed. He has fought all his life and now sees a new form of war - although the sky has not yet appeared, it is inevitable. This change may not be immediate, it may be slow and imperceptible, but in the end, the form of war will be completely different.

Li Shimin agreed: "Even if only some troops have firearms, even if the firearms still have defects, it is enough to change the past wars and even determine the outcome of the war."

Cheng Yaojin was jealous: "Your Majesty, let's not worry about it. Didn't Tianmu say that gunpowder was invented in the Tang Dynasty? Can we make it in advance? I also want to try this firearm!"

Li Shimin laughed, raised his head and exchanged glances with his ministers - everyone wants to try it! To be honest, I also want to try it.

"Then let's study the firearms. Let's... start with those alchemists. After all, this is the product of their alchemy process." Li Shimin recalled the gunpowder explosion scenes on the sky screen and made a decision.

It was not only Emperor Taizong of Tang and his ministers who made the same decision. Other dynasties also followed Tianmu's example and tried to carry out the first gunpowder research project of their own dynasty.

Qin Dynasty.

The First Emperor laughed. Anyway, there were so many alchemists in the Xianyang Palace now, so it would be a waste if they were not used. These people were not very useful anymore, and since there was still the rare thing of gunpowder, it would be fine to keep them.

"Left and right guards, send a guard to the alchemist's palace and convey my order. Ask them to develop gunpowder. I want to see the results within one year."

[With the development of firearms, the form of warfare was eventually completely reshaped.]

Various powerful firearms began to play on the sky screen: some cannons could stir up huge mushroom-shaped clouds and have a range of thousands of miles; some cannons were installed on huge ships and had amazing power... There were also various fire guns that could be held in people's hands and easily kill the enemy...

These scenes made everyone watching the sky curtain stare at them intently and breathe rapidly. Some elderly people were so excited that they couldn't catch their breath and fainted.

These scenes further strengthened the emperors' determination to vigorously develop firearms. How could such a magical weapon not be owned and used by me?
[Before Zhu Di formed the three major camps, he first struck the first blow at Annan.

As early as when Zhu Yuanzhang was alive, he had set up a list of so-called "unconquered countries", including Annan, Korea and other 15 countries. These unconquered countries are generally not to be conquered at will. For these countries, it means that you are recognized by the boss, and there will be no problem if you honestly become a vassal state!
Of course, not many years later, Zhu Di conquered Annan. 】

Ming Dynasty, the 13th year of Hongwu.

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyebrows, looked at Zhu Di angrily, and said, "What's the matter? Now that you're the emperor, you don't take your father's words to heart?"

Zhu Di realized that his father was not really angry, so he immediately grew bolder and defended himself confidently: "How is that possible? Dad, your words are the family law of our ancestors, and they can never be changed. But this country that is not conquered also requires them to respect the superior country. I guess that Annan may not respect the king's law and the rules of heaven, and something illegal has happened, so I sent troops to attack them."

Zhu Quan expressed his agreement with Zhu Di, and he added: "Let's not talk about anything else, Dad, before my fourth brother ascended the throne, the country had just experienced turmoil. It's possible that some villains had evil intentions and wanted to take advantage of the situation to rob..."

Zhu Yuanzhang was not very angry at first. After hearing the two people's explanations, he no longer took Zhu Di's attack on Annan to heart. Instead, he began to think about what Annan had done to make the Ming Dynasty send troops.

[Zhu Di had a very legitimate reason to send troops to Annan.

This matter has to go back to the reign of Emperor Jianwen.

In the first year of Jianwen, the Annan Tran Dynasty, which had been in civil strife for many years and gradually declined, came to its end. Prime Minister Le Qui Ly seized power and massacred the royal family. He then deposed Emperor Tran Shao and proclaimed himself emperor. He changed his ancestral surname back to "Hu" and established the Hu Dynasty. He regarded himself as a descendant of Yu Shun and changed the country's name to Dayu.

Later, in order to appease the ministers, he passed the throne to Hu Hancang, the son of Princess Chen, and became the emperor emeritus, holding actual power.

After Hu Hancang succeeded to the throne, he submitted a petition to the Ming Dynasty, falsely claiming that all the descendants of the Chen family were extinct and that he became the king because he was the nephew of the Chen family, and he requested to be conferred the title.

It was the first year of the Yongle reign, and Zhu Di was naturally suspicious of this nephew of the Chen family who suddenly appeared, so he sent people to investigate the situation. However, Hu Hancang summoned all the officials of Annan to write a joint letter, and under such circumstances, Zhu Di named Hu Hancang the King of Annan. 】

Ming Dynasty, Hongwu Years.

Zhu Di was even more confident when he saw what happened in Annan: "I told you I wouldn't attack an unconquered country, Dad." He turned around and started to scold Annan's Prime Minister Li Jizhen: "This villain not only usurped the throne, but also tried to deceive the country to satisfy his wishful thinking. By doing this, it is obvious that he does not take the Ming Dynasty seriously and has no respect for his elders!"

Although Zhu Bo was also dissatisfied with Annan's behavior, he still curled his lips at Zhu Di's words: "Fourth brother, you were still deceived, and you even gave them the title of king."

Zhu Di was choked and wanted to teach his brother a lesson, but seeing that the timing was not right, he could only say: "Then I sent troops later, so I must have discovered the truth."

Zhu Bo wanted to continue complaining, but Zhu Yuanzhang stopped the two people from arguing.

He waved his hand, "Stop arguing. Fourth Brother, even if you find out the truth later and try to fix it, it's a fact that you were deceived in the first place. But now that we know it, we can solve the problem earlier." He waved his hand and called a eunuch, "Go ask the Minister of the Honglu Temple to check if there is an official named Li Jixi in Annan now. If there is, send someone to kill him directly."

The eunuch took the order respectfully and left in a hurry.

Zhu Yuanzhang turned around and continued to talk to his sons: "We have helped the Annan Chen family, so that they will not be usurped again in the future and we will have to waste our good men to suppress their rebellion."

[Of course, although the father and son of the Hu family seemed extremely humble to the Ming Dynasty, their suzerain state, in fact, they were never introverted and low-key people.

Others all say that "Wang Mang was humble before he usurped the throne", but before Hu Jinyi usurped the throne, he had already dealt cruelly to the court and royal family of Annan more than once, so the voices of opposition to him in Annan never stopped.

This meant that Hu's plan to deceive the Ming Dynasty did not last long.

In the second year of Yongle, the remaining ministers of the Chen family came to Beijing to seek an audience, and later people who claimed to be "descendants of the Chen family" came to Beijing. Both accused the Hu family of usurping the throne and demanded the restoration of the Chen Dynasty. When Zhu Di ordered the Hu Dynasty envoys to meet with the two, the envoys all "knelt down in astonishment, and some cried", confirming their identities.

Seeing that the matter was irreversible and that it was useless to conceal it, Hu changed his words and said that he wanted to "welcome back Tianping". Perhaps because he felt that the matter was not a big deal, or perhaps because the domestic situation still needed to be eased, Zhu Di did not decide to send troops because of Hu Chao's actions, but planned to send Chen's son back and let Hu "return to the old master and return to his original position".

In December of the third year of Yongle, Governor Huang Zhong led 5,000 troops to escort Chen's son back to Annan.

This was originally a win-win situation for both of us, because Zhu Di promised Hu that "you will be made a duke and granted a large county." This means that if you respect your monarch well, I will grant you a large county and let you become a duke.

However, in March of the fourth year of Yongle, Huang Zhong's troops were intercepted by the Hu army at Zhiling Pass in Vietnam, and Chen Tianping and some soldiers were captured. Afterwards, Chen Tianping was interrogated by the Hu Dynasty and then "executed by slow slicing".

What do you call this? This is called slapping Zhu Di in the face! Slapping the Ming Dynasty in the face!

Can Zhu Di tolerate this? Of course not! If I tolerate this, wouldn’t I, Zhu Di, become a thousand-year-old turtle? 】

Not to mention Zhu Di who couldn't tolerate it, no normal emperor in any time and space could tolerate it.

In the 13th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang had originally disdained Annan, and ordered the Honglu Temple to check whether there was a person named Li Jizhen. It was just a matter of convenience. But seeing the Hu Dynasty jumping up and down like this, he could not help but get angry and sneered: "You are a small country, a barbarian. You don't understand the king's teachings, don't receive the emperor's grace, you are arrogant and conceited, and you will die!"

Don't tell him that the Hu Dynasty was a problem between the Hu father and son. In his opinion, since the Hu family was able to successfully usurp the throne and then sent troops to intercept the suzerain state, there is no good person in Annan and they all deserve to be plowed down!
Han Dynasty, the first year of Yuanshou.

Wang Mang had just been recalled by Emperor Ai of Han to serve Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun, and he had no official position.

He knew that Emperor Ai was afraid of the Wang family's power and wanted to suppress them, so he didn't say much and just planned to make arrangements slowly in private; at the same time, after decades of hard work, his reputation could no longer be shaken by Emperor Ai's suppression, so he was not very worried.

Until this moment - "when Wang Mang was humble and had not yet usurped the throne"?
"Usurpation"? What is usurpation? Usurpation is when one seizes something by force!
All those who saw the sky curtain were shocked. They all knew Wang Mang, and they also knew that he was humble. Wasn't Wang Mang's reputation for being humble, loving the people, being fair and honest, etc.? But what did the sky curtain mean before he usurped the throne?

Wang Mang wanted to usurp the Han Dynasty! And all this humility was just a disguise before he usurped the throne!
Emperor Ai of Han quickly issued an order: "Go to Changxin Palace and arrest Wang Mang. If he refuses to comply, kill him on the spot!"

Wang Mang felt his hair stand on end and cold sweat dripped down his body. The Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun looked at him with a strange look in her eyes: "Good boy, are you planning to usurp the Han Dynasty?"

[In July of the fourth year of Yongle, the Ming army officially set out.

Zhu Di went to Longjiang in person to see him off and appointed Zhu Neng as the General of Conquering the Barbarians, Zhang Fu and Mu Sheng as deputy generals, and ordered them to lead an army of 800,000 to conquer Annan - of course, this 800,000 was said by the Annan side and was very likely exaggerated.

During the Jingnan Campaign, Zhu Yunwen's maximum military strength was 500,000 without mobilizing the northern and southern border defenses and important inland garrisons. After the Jingnan Campaign, it was even more impossible for Zhu Di to mobilize 500,000 troops in a short period of time, let alone 800,000.

The Ming army launched an expedition in July and captured the city of Dubang in December, and then captured Thang Long, the eastern capital of Annan.

For the Ming army at this time, the Hu family of Annan is already a pile of dry bones in the grave, and we must capture them with our own hands.

Does Hu regret it now? Yes, he does.

Why did Hu deceive the Ming Dynasty and kill the Ming army? Because Hu believed that he had a safe haven - Annan was full of malaria, with a dense network of waterways, a complex terrain, and all the people were soldiers.

In history, there are countless emperors who failed in conquering Annan, such as Kublai Khan, Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin... and even if they succeeded, they would still cost a lot, such as Qin Shi Huangdi, Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu...

In addition, the civil war in the Ming Dynasty had just ended, and Hu concluded that Zhu Di would not easily mobilize troops, and even if he did, it would be difficult for him to do anything to them. 】

Ming Dynasty, the 16th year of Yongle.

Zhu Di smiled, revealing his sharp white teeth: "It's a pity that they underestimated me and the power of the Ming Dynasty. Besides, the Ming Dynasty is not the kind of people who don't learn from the lessons of their predecessors."

Humph, he laughed out loud in his heart, on the one hand at the self-righteous Hu, on the other hand at the emperors mentioned in the sky curtain who had failed in the expedition to Annan or suffered heavy losses. Let’s forget about the First Emperor, because that was the first time, but the rest of the guys were all idiots in this matter!
Zhu Gaochi had no idea what his father was thinking, and agreed, "We go there even though we know there's a tiger there. We do this because we're fully prepared!" Inadvertently, he was also hinting at other emperors along with his father.

Other time and space.

Liu Xiu, Zhao Kuangyin, Kublai Khan and others who were mentioned sneezed three times in a row, which frightened the ministers and attendants so much that they surrounded them and asked about their well-being.

Zhao Kuangyin waved his hands impatiently: "I have nothing to do. But it seems that I need to think about the expedition to Annan for a long time."

Zhao Guangyi took the opportunity to suggest: "Why not take a look at what Emperor Taizong of Ming did, and learn from it."

[Zhu Di had long been aware of the situation in Annan and had learned enough lessons from history.

The reason why he ordered the Ming army to set out in July was to avoid the hot summer. As the weather turned cooler, the miasma in Annan would also be weakened.

At the same time, he gave three instructions to generals including Zhu Neng and Zhang Fu.

First, we must be quick, fight quickly and make a quick decision, and never delay. If the time is too long, on the one hand, there will be the problem of logistics and food consumption, and on the other hand, the miasma will become more severe after the hot weather, which will inevitably cause a large number of non-combat casualties.

Second, do not make enemies with the people of Annan and avoid expanding the war. "Annan is my son, the main culprit, the father and son, must be punished, and all others who were forced to follow will be released."

While Zhang Fu and his men followed this order, they also used this incident to dispel the hostility of the people of Annan. While fighting, they continuously published manifestos, stating the crimes of the Hu father and son, and saying that the Ming Dynasty only "comforted the suffering of the people and restored the ancestral worship of the Chen family" and would never implicate others. In order to let more people see the manifestos, they also carved the articles on wooden boards and floated them down the river.

The third is caution. Zhu Di asked the Ming army to "not take risks and not rush in for profit" and made sufficient logistical preparations.

Under Zhu Di's decision, the command of generals such as Zhang Fu, and the heroic fighting of the Ming army, Annan was quickly conquered.

(End of this chapter)