The day after arriving in Pingxiang, Yang Duo set off for Annan.

Meng specially transferred three officials who were familiar with the road conditions from Li Daling's hands, and asked two local officials to help, and sent Yang Duo and others to chase them along the direction of the army's advance.

"There is news of the army, and the city of many states has been conquered."

The team that commanded Cai Fu to transport the wounded soldiers and booty was still on the way, and the sentinels who reported the news arrived in Guangxi first. When Li Xianling heard the news, he immediately rushed to Meng's place, and it happened that Zhu Neng was invited to discuss the matter of raising military rations, and when he saw Li Qingqing, who was in a hurry, Meng's eyes lit up instantly.

The Li clan was able to take root here, get along with the surrounding vassal states "harmoniously", and also formed deep friendships with neighboring local officials, and was very helpful to the route and intelligence work of the army to conquer Annam, and was certainly no stranger to Champang, Siam, Laos and other states. In this way, if you want to succeed, you have to ask him for help.

Time was pressing, Meng didn't have the heart to make more detours, and after greeting Li County, he immediately threw out a thunderbolt.

"This official has heard that Li Daling's fellow businessmen in Fanbang have a lot of friendships, but is the truth?"

If there is no protection from a big family like the Li family, the local officials and checkpoints along the way are enough for them to drink a pot, and no matter how miserable it is, it is possible to lose their lives and lose their lives.

Since Jin Yiwei brought the Son of Heaven's edict, Li Qingqing has been convinced by Meng.

Being able to cross the clear road of "private-life", and also getting the promise of the Son of Heaven that "you can act cheaply", is not something that ordinary people can do, and it can completely prove the depth of Xingningbo-Emperor-Favor.

There are people in the DPRK and China who are easy to do.

As a local tyrant in Pingxiang and the order of a county, Li Qingqing wants to be friends with Meng very much.

Meng was trying to hug the thighs of the Son of Heaven all the time, without noticing that in the eyes of local officials, his gold-lettered signboard was already shining, ranking among the top ten that could hug his thighs.

A tyrant like Li County Ling is naturally the first to bear the brunt. Best friends don't dare to expect extravagance, and friends with wine and meat are very good.

A few months after Xingningbo arrived in Pingxiang, the whole Siming Mansion made a fortune. The patriarch of the Li clan and the local powerful local officials-hao-clans all sighed that compared to Xingningbo, they really had a pair of tricks for nothing. Facing the gold mountain all day, I never thought of digging a shovel.

The trees that can be seen everywhere can also make a lot of money, and you can exchange salt and copper coins for a few cuts at the neighbor's house with an axe, which is completely pie in the sky, directly smashed on the brain, and smeared with oil on your face.

I thought it was to make a fortune in private, and it would be over if I made a big vote. Unexpectedly, Xingningbo had the ability to reach the sky, and the matter was played in front of the Son of Heaven, and the value of the purchased timber was doubled, and the high-quality timber would be directly transported to Beijing for the purpose of building a palace.

Oh, my God!

After confirming that the news is true, the local officials of the wealthy clan who participated in this matter are all very honored. There were quite a few young and vigorous local officials, who took their axes and their sons, and personally went to the territory of Annam to cut down trees and trees.

Before the axe, be sure to ask an experienced old man to observe the age and appearance of the tree, and you may not know which palace in the imperial city you can use for the tree you cut down. It can be shown off to the same clan, and it is recorded and passed on to the children and grandchildren, which is also the capital of the family.

The businessman, who had been holding a wait-and-see attitude, finally couldn't sit still.

Before, this matter was a private act of Xingning Botong Pingxiang County Order, although it had the support of Chengguo Gong, it was not 100% safe after all. Now that Jinyi Wei is coming, conveying the edict of the Son of Heaven, Xingningbo has no faults, this business must be a sure profit, and if you don't act early, the daylilies will be cold.

Xingningbo is too tall and tall to get along easily.

Li Daling is a local tyrant in Pingxiang, trusting a relationship, taking the door, pulling-pulling-friendship, and no pressure.

All of a sudden, the Li family was full of guests, and Li Qingqing was blocked by enthusiastic businessmen several times.

The merchants of the Ming Dynasty were quite good, but the merchants of Fanbang did not know etiquette, and even gave gifts and gave a lot of jokes.

Unable to resist the patriarch's request, Li Qingqing could only go to Meng to find out. There is no guarantee that everyone will eat meat, and giving two bowls of soup and a few bones with some meat is also a small fortune, and it can repay the favor to some extent.

Without thinking, before he could speak, Meng first threw out a thunderbolt.

Cheng Guogong sat aside, smiling incomprehensibly, very successful, Lao Tzu knows everything, you kid is going to have a bad feeling.

After stabilizing his mind for a while, Li Xianling asked cautiously, "Xingningbo's words, the lower officials don't understand it very well." ”

Is it dissatisfied with Lee's behavior of receiving gifts?

If you think about it carefully, the attitude and behavior of the Li family are indeed a little inappropriate, and they are very suspicious of pulling the banner with tiger skin.

Xingningbo and Cheng Guogong are the two big flags that they raised, and the Li family held the flagpole, stood under the flag, swaggered to collect money, and didn't know how to converge at all. It's not impossible to provoke these two to get angry.

Thinking of this, Li Qingqing's scalp tightened, and a cold sweat broke out in his head. I opened my mouth but couldn't make a sound. Not to mention the patriarch's request, he can't even say a word of defense.

People's hearts are not enough to swallow elephants, and the scenery in the past few days has made the Li family gradually become wanton and unassuming, forgetting the foundation of their lives. If this continues, let alone making money, the whole family will cause trouble.

The Li family has a lot of power in Pingxiang, but in the eyes of Xingningbo, they are just ants that can be crushed to death at any time.

Is Annan Hu arrogant? Extinguish in minutes.

Is the Toast of Myanmar Laos brutal? The same was flattened.

The Li family can have today, because they are under the shadow of the imperial court, they have lost the trust of the imperial court, what kind of county order do they do, what kind of local tyrant they are!

Xingningbo doesn't need to do it himself, as long as he delivers a word in front of the emperor and shows his attitude, the Li family will fall from the clouds, and the worst result will be a complete disappearance from Pingxiang.

Seeing that Li Qingqing's face was pale and he kept breaking out in a cold sweat, Meng squinted his eyes and bent the corners of his mouth.

He didn't say anything yet, but after a brief mention, Li Xianling was scared like this, power is indeed a good thing.

It is also very practical to beat a stick to give a sweet date, and it is also very practical to turn it upside down.

The Li family tasted the sweetness in the timber trade, and through the relationship between the purchase of timber, they became close to the local local officials-wealthy families, and there were faint signs of stepping out of Pingxiang and becoming the leader of Siming Mansion.

It is not uncommon for a short period of strength to swell, leading to psychological expansion, and then acting unscrupulously and disobediently.

What Meng has to do is to slam the stick down before the Li family takes a fork in the road.

The emperor assigned the matter of raising military rations to him, and there was no room for hesitation, and time became the most important thing. It is not impossible to give up the Li family and support a local wealthy family, but it is too much of a waste of time. He also needs to use Li Qingqing, and it is the easiest way to beat a stick to make Li sober up.

Li Qingqing was still sweating, and Meng smiled and said, "Li Daling doesn't have to be nervous, this official has no intention of pursuing it." ”

"What do you mean, uncle?"

"In addition to timber, this official also has a big business, and Pingxiang alone can't eat it, and even the entire Siming Mansion is also a little worse." Meng paused, and saw that Li Qingqing's pale face gradually turned bloody, before he continued, "What this official means is that I hope to invite these businessmen who have traveled to Fanbang to come and meet. It is best to be a businessman who is familiar with Siam and Laos. ”

Siam, Laos?

Li Qingqing knew that the matter of timber had passed the Ming Road, but he did not know that the Son of Heaven had thrown the military rations of the 300,000 army to Meng.

Historically, in the middle of the attack on Annam, Emperor Yongle did order to stop the requisition of grain and wages in Guangxi, but that was after the army captured the eastern capital of Annam.

The current situation is that as soon as many states are conquered, the emperor will not give food.

Xingningbo, who was - peeled, slashed, pressed - squeezed, also learned a profound lesson, you can make money, but you can't fan your wings indiscriminately. If you accidentally blow a tornado, it is very likely that you will be swept into the center of the storm.

"What business does Uncle want to do, can you tell me a thing or two?" Li Qingqing carefully explained, "The lower officials have no other intentions, but when they gather businessmen, they have to have an explanation. ”

Meng nodded, indeed, red mouth and white teeth, if he didn't know the slightest news, he would call someone over, and there would be a -eight-nine out of ten that he would ask for money in an alternative way.

Misunderstanding is secondary, has a bad impact, and is not conducive to the implementation of the food plan.

After pondering for a moment, Meng discussed with Zhu Neng in a low voice, and after obtaining Zhu Neng's consent, he told Li Qingqing that what he wanted to do was a grain business.

"Uncle wants to buy food?"

"Yes, that's all I can tell you." Meng Dao, "This matter is very important, Li Daling should know what to say and what not to say." It's a good idea to do a screening when gathering merchants. If the background is vague, don't bring it to the official. ”

"Yes." Li Xianling arched his hand and said, "Xia Guan understands what Uncle means. If there is nothing else to order, the lower official will go back and start arranging, and he can give the uncle the news at the latest in ten days. ”

"Ten days is too slow." Meng Dao, "At the latest, it doesn't matter how many people there are, the important thing is to walk in Siam and other places all the year round, be well-informed, and be trustworthy." ”

"Yes, the subordinate will definitely do it."

Li Qingqing was ten times more respectful than before, and he was a little more cautious in his speech.

After he left, Zhu Neng stood up from the circle chair and moved his hands and feet, "Brother Xian said okay, today is the battle for Brother Xian, he has a good thing to make money in the future, and he must be counted as a brother." ”

"If Grandpa Guo doesn't say it, the lower officials don't dare to forget it."

"Brother Xian is just too polite." Zhu Neng has a straightforward personality, and before he is confused, he has a very good relationship with Shen Xuan, so he will naturally take care of Meng a few more points. After seeing Meng's methods, in addition to taking care of him, he also had the intention of intersecting with him.

From Zhu Neng, Meng learned a profound truth, be kind, and be cautious when making friends. To be friends with Emperor Yongle and his subordinates, you must be prepared to be peeled, cut, pressed, and forced. The word sincerity is not advisable.

"Li Qingqing is credible." Zhu Neng was seriously ill, and his physical strength was not as good as before, so he stretched his arms, and he sweated a little, "The person he found may not be credible." ”

"The lower officials also know about this." Meng poured a cup of tea and sent it to Zhu Neng, "But the matter is urgent, and the businessman pursues profits, if one times is not good, it will be two or three times, five times or even ten times, and the benefits are so far, smart people will consider the consequences of retrograde." ”

"The truth is the truth." Zhu Neng was still a little uneasy, "In this way, aren't we suffering?" ”

"Not really." Meng smiled, "Recently, there are not a hundred or fifty people who come to visit the Li family. As long as it is not a business, there is room to reduce prices. Besides, it's a no-brainer deal. It was the Li traitor who paid the money. ”

Zhu Neng still frowned, "Although Your Majesty is allowed to do it cheaply, but the army - too few captures are always bad." ”

"Grandpa Guo is worried."

"Oh?"

Meng turned around and took out a map of Annam, Siam and other countries, the lines were a little simple, and even the countries were not marked, only the outlines of the adjacent countries, and some of the border lands that were highlighted and demarcated.

"Grandpa Guo, please look here." Meng pointed to an area adjacent to Champa and Annam, "It is said that these lands were originally owned by Champa and later occupied by troops from Annam. This time, the king of Champa asked to go out with the army, revenge is secondary, and retaking these lands is fundamental. ”

"You mean?"

"I pushed people with sincerity to the Son of Heaven, and in order to save the people of Annan from fire and water, I sent a teacher of benevolence and righteousness. Champa is a vassal to our court, and he pays tribute every year, and he should preside over justice for him. The king of Champa must show his sincerity. One line has ten effects, there is a precedent for occupying the city, and Annan Linfeng naturally followed suit. ”

Zhu Neng's brows gradually relaxed, "Go on." ”

"In addition, the imperial court set the name of the traitor, Li Ji Yak and his son are the first evil, and there are those who follow the evil and those who are innocently involved, which should be screened."

The work of screening naturally cannot be done in vain, and it is appropriate to give points to show it. Otherwise, one carelessness can be the difference between a bright future and a straight trip to heaven.

"There are also those who are with the Li clan and their rebellious blood enemies, and they are determined to slash their enemies. After the Chen family was reinstated, the vassalage arrangements should also be considered. ”

Meng's words were half said and half left, but Zhu Neng heard it very clearly.

If you have a grudge against Annan, you want to take revenge with your own hands, so you must be interesting.

Throwing himself into the Ming Dynasty, if he wants to restore the official position or even go further after the fall of the Li clan, he must also express it.

These are all foreign treasures that cannot be put on the table, and if they are handed over to the imperial court, the imperial historian will definitely jump high. It is a pretty good idea to buy food and pay to enrich the army.

However, all of them need to be paid upfront.

The higher the risk, the greater the gain.

Wait until the war is over and the whole territory of Annam is calm, and then you will leave the relationship, who will care about you? The imperial court's edict was a certainty, and if you wanted to send money, you couldn't find the door, the window didn't have it, and the chimney had to be blocked.

Of course, not everyone's "heart" is accepted in full. It is necessary to identify which ones are sincere and which ones are two-faced. The imperial court went to great lengths to defeat Annan and prop up a regime that would oppose itself? Head in water!

From the lord to the courtiers, the new Annam regime was bound to maintain fairly friendly relations with the Ming dynasty. Although Meng knew that in the Yongle Dynasty, Annan was included in the territory of the Ming Dynasty, but there is such a variable as him, how history will develop, and whether there will be another "Prince Chen" who will emerge, is really difficult to predict.

After all, Zhu Neng has survived, what else is impossible?

In essence, Zhu Neng is a military general, but he has no lack of political acumen, otherwise he would not have rebelled with Zhu Di, and became the first general under Zhu Di after Zhang Yu's death.

After listening to Meng's words, he pondered for a long time, and after thinking through all the tricks in it, he couldn't help but sigh, "The future is terrifying." ”

Meng pouted, he was called "virtuous brother" just now, and in the blink of an eye, he was "born later".

Zhu Neng said: "Brother Xian told all the reasons, and he was really moved by his trust so much." ”

Meng continued to pout, pretending, continuing to pretend! When he didn't see this staring at the map, the wolf-like eyes?

In exchange for the matter of raising military rations under the auspices of the Duke of Chengguo, the targeted Fanbang is by no means as simple as peeling off the skin.

It can be seen that he is really a kind person!

Those who have been cheated or are about to be pitted by Meng Shishilang don't know how they will feel when they learn about this self-evaluation. I will probably find a place to cry, and by the way, grab the soles of my shoes and shoot the villain.

Hinningbo kindness? Are there any traitors in this world?

Meng planned to raise grain, Zhu Neng vigorously supported it, Li Qingqing ran errands with all his might, businessmen from all over Guangxi and Yunnan heard the news, and a trading network covering Siam, Champong, Laos and other countries was about to be rolled out. And the role of this invisible-giant-net in the future was not even anticipated by those who weaved the web.

At the same time, the Ming Dynasty army attacking Annam was moving south along the Fuliang River and attacking the eastern capital of Annam.

With the experience of attacking the cities of Duobang, the large army still opened fire with artillery, firearms, bows, crossbows, and arrays, small cavalry charges, and foot soldiers launched the final attack.

The twelve elephants captured in the city of Dobang played an unexpected role.

The Annan who surrendered to the Ming army and the elephant slaves who went out with the army drove the elephants, pulled the rolling logs, and rushed straight to the eastern capital.

The defenders in the city had no sharp artillery, and no meritorious death squads, so they could only watch as the city wall was smashed into one gap after another by large iron balls, and then knocked down by the elephants that rushed up.

Resist?

Resist X!

Escape matters!

Amid the drums and horns of the Ming army's charge, the defenders of Annam abandoned the city and fled.

The defenders in the city saw that the situation was not good, and ran faster than their subordinates. Millions of stone grain and a large amount of ordnance in the city were all left to the Ming army.

The weapons of the Annamite people were not looked down upon by the Ming army. Mountains of grain are good.

The Ming army launched an attack north of the eastern capital, and most of the grain and grass were stored in the southeast of the city.

After capturing the eastern capital, the army camped directly in the southeast of the city to ensure the safety of the grain and grass obtained. The walls that were not strong were all - pushed down - so as not to obstruct the view. There are Wugang cars and wooden buildings, and the city wall of less than three meters has become a chicken-rib, which is not as good as pushing-down, and it is also convenient for future reconstruction work.

Shen Xuan led his troops into the city, except for the rubble and the corpses of the Annan army, only the Annan Shu people kneeling on the side of the road.

"Zhou Rong."

"Inferior!"

"Lead people to the east of the city to count the military rations."

"Yes!"

"Gao Fu."

"Inferior!"

"Lead people to the south of the city, and don't disturb the people."

"Yes!"

"Order the army to translate and post the list and send the soldiers to all places, saying that the Son of Heaven is benevolent and virtuous, and only the first evil will be investigated, and those who surrender and return will be found to have no offense against the officers and soldiers, and the officials can be reinstated, and the people will be restored to their hometowns, and other arrangements will be made for the generals."

"General Rong, do you want to report to the court to appease you again?"

Shen Xuan grabbed the reins of the horse, and before he could speak, a soldier came to report that the court angel had arrived.

"Someone from the court?"

Shen Xuan rode back to the camp, and saw Yang Duo, the commander of the brocade guard, who was wearing a big red brocade robe and standing with a knife with one hand.

Yang Duo clenched his fists, "Dingguo Gong, long time gone." ”

"Why is Commander Yang here?"

"This official bears the edict of the Son of Heaven." Yang Duo smiled, but there was no trace of warmth in his smile, "If you can catch up with the army at this time, you have to thank Xingningbo for help." ”

Shen Xuan turned over and dismounted, his dark armor, his back to the sunset, and his jade-like face seemed to be covered with a layer of ice.