Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 592 Overthrowing the original vassal system and tracing back to the 1500-year period

The Goryeo envoy quickly showed off his knowledge:
"The Book of Songs: Beishan says, 'All under heaven is the king's land; all the people in the land are the king's subjects.'"

"The vassal system originated in the Zhou Dynasty. After the Tang Dynasty, it was developed and expanded. The Qing Dynasty had 57 vassal states and 31 tributary states."

"Now, they all belong to the upper country."

“This is a scene of prosperity.”

……

Li Yu said coldly:

"From today on, the vassal system has changed."

"The suzerain state has protected you for 1000 years, and what did you get? A pile of scrap metal. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should do the math for me and calculate the basic security cost of 1000 taels of gold per year, and let them make up for it."

"Also, check the annual rewards from all previous dynasties and recover them all."

"Also calculate the cost of military operations in past dynasties."

"Trace it back to 1500 years ago. The interest rate should not be too high. Calculate it according to compound interest. Finally, make a list and give a total number for them to take back to their country."

"Pay back the money first, then discuss the status of vassal."

……

The Goryeo envoy could hardly believe his ears.

Repeatedly ask the Ryukyu Messenger:
"What did the emperor say just now? My Chinese is not very good, I may have misheard."

The Ryukyu messenger looked terrified and dazed.

It's over, the flow is over.

Ryukyu, it's going to be renamed Satsuma-kyu. All the people are going to change their names to the same generation, woo woo woo~
King Li Weiqi of Annan knelt on the ground and cried loudly:

"It can't be measured by money. The country is like a father, how can it abandon its sons?"

He lost his capital, and this time he came to ask for reinforcements.

……

Li Yu walked away with a puff of his sleeves.

Officials from the Ministry of External Affairs informed everyone:

"Everyone, give each of you an abacus and a piece of straw paper, and let's go outside and check the accounts carefully?"

The envoys cried out to heaven and earth as if they had lost their parents.

So, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was furious and ordered the patrol police to expel the people from the post station.

Want free food and accommodation?
no way.

Suzhou Prefecture does not support idle people~
The empire does not need poor relatives~
If you don't settle the account now, you will have to wait for the heavenly soldiers to come and settle the account.
……

The next day,

King Le Vichy of Annan was brought into the palace, where he cried and recounted his tragic experience.

Annan is in chaos now.

A reprint from the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

The Later Le Dynasty (Eastern Han Dynasty) was the legitimate dynasty, and although Le Vichy (Emperor Xian of Han) was the emperor, he had no real power.

Powerful officials were rampant and local separatism prevailed.

The powerful official Zheng (Dong Zhuo) in the north and the powerful official Ruan (Cao Cao) in the south attacked each other.

The fight was in full swing,

In the south, another Ruan family member (Sima Yi) emerged.

The Zheng family in the north supported the new Nguyen to fight against the old Nguyen in the south.

The three brothers who led the new Nguyen were very good at fighting. They killed all the old Nguyen in one breath, leaving only one prince who fled to Siam.

Then, the three Nguyen brothers launched a northern expedition under the slogan of "clearing the court", and reached the capital Thang Long City in one breath.

The Zheng Dynasty was destroyed, and the Le Dynasty was destroyed.

The remnants of the Le Dynasty were fighting guerrilla warfare in the northern mountains. At the same time, the new king Le Duy Ky came to Suzhou Prefecture to ask for reinforcements.

……

Li Yu burst out laughing.

The three brothers Nguyen Van Yue, Nguyen Van Hue and Nguyen Van Lu were originally officials in their hometown, but later they rose up in rebellion.

The three Ruan brothers copied the script of "Water Margin", followed the path of Song Jiang, but raised the banner of Confucianism. Their native place was Xishan Town, Guiren Prefecture, Annan.

Therefore, their army was also called the "Xishan Army".

Very familiar~
Seeing His Majesty laughing for no reason, Li Weiqi kept kowtowed:
"I beg Your Majesty to send troops quickly to suppress the rebellion of the Nguyen Dynasty and uphold justice. I will take responsibility for the debts owed by the vassal states, all of which I will take."

Li Yu restrained his smile and said leisurely:

"Everyone should punish traitors and rebels."

"But Annan is a place with poor mountains and bad waters, long journeys, dense forests, and miasma and poisonous insects. Emperor Yongle conquered Annan and finally incorporated it into his territory, but you refused to accept it and resisted for 20 years, causing the death of several generals of the Ming Dynasty, tens of thousands of elite soldiers, and millions of silver and money."

"In the end, the Ming Dynasty withdrew, which benefited your Le Dynasty."

"My Lord, to be honest, I think it is not worthwhile to recognize you as my vassal. It is not worthwhile at all."

……

"Lord Li, apart from the old accounts, how much extra military expenses can you contribute this time? If the rebellion is successfully suppressed, how much will be the reward afterwards?"

In an instant, thunder rumbled in the sky.

The envoy from the Tây Sơn Nguyen family, who arrived just at the same time as Li Weiqi and was arranged to eavesdrop next door, opened his mouth and eyes in surprise.

its not right.

The superior country recorded in history books is not like this!

Seeing his surprise, Fan Jing, who was accompanying him, sneered:
"Your Excellency, you may make your offer now."

"Since the Le Dynasty has always been submissive and orthodox, and you, the Nguyen family, are traitors. Therefore, the price you offer must be double that of the Le Dynasty in order to be treated as equal."

"Someone, arrange a room for him and give him paper, pen and abacus."

……

An impromptu imperial meeting was held in the Wu Palace. It was small in scale, with only a dozen people attending.

Everyone passed it around and marveled at it.

In order to persuade the Heavenly Soldiers to come south,

In addition to the old account of 400 million taels of gold, the Le Dynasty was willing to pay a special military fee of 150 million taels of silver, 50 dan of rice, 300 beauties, 100 handsome men, and 10 women from the royal family for this expedition (the condition was a guaranteed win).

The new Nguyen family is unwilling to admit past grievances.

This alone is enough to reject it. Unfaithful dogs are not needed!
Fan Jing was the first to speak:
"Your Majesty, the Nguyen family's rebellious intentions are obvious."

Hu Xueyu also nodded:

"No sincerity."

Du Ren smiled and said:

"Your Majesty, I think this Lord Li is also a cunning person. He is selling out the small country for nothing. He is selling out the Nguyen family's country~"

Everyone laughed.

I always find it funny.

……

Li Yu stood up, picked up the baton and walked to the wall, pointing to Annan's location on the large map.

Loud voice

"Annam is a country with a long and narrow territory, flat in the south and dangerous in the north. Since ancient times, the kings have guarded the country's borders and established their capital in Thang Long City. Who is he guarding against? Guarding against us!"

"The mountains in the north are high and the forests are dense, and the terrain is steep."

"The successive dynasties who went south to conquer Annan had long and difficult logistics and encountered attacks everywhere. Moreover, miasma, poisonous insects, and climate caused a large number of casualties, which were even ten times the casualties in combat."

"At first, Emperor Yongle established the Provincial Administration Commission, but the Annan people continued to rebel. In just 20 years, Emperor Yongle wasted military funds and countless soldiers died in battle. He gained nothing and it was all for nothing in the end."

The ministers looked serious and thoughtful.

……

Li Yu observed everyone's expressions and said:

"Learning from history, our foreign strategy should be based on two words: pragmatism."

"For thousands of years, the surrounding foreign states have been accustomed to giving more and receiving less, believing that the superior country only seeks reputation, not reality, and will not easily interfere in the internal affairs of the vassal states."

"Times have changed. The Empire must adopt a more flexible attitude towards these vassal states. It must ask for money, interfere, and actively support different factions within them.

"A vassal state that is united as one is not a good vassal state. The lessons learned from the past are painful."

"Annan is doing very well now."

Everyone laughed again.

Li Yu continued:

"The Nguyen and Le clans are equally matched, fighting each other. Only the empire can make the most of a small force and maintain the balance of Annan with the least amount of troops."

"I have decided to take Annan as an example and take the first step towards reorganizing the empire's vassal states."

……

Fan Jing was excited and stood up and said:
"Your Majesty, I suggest that you weaken them first and then swallow them. Your Majesty can accomplish what Yongle cannot do."

Li Yu waved his hand:
"Lord Fan, your idea is good. But you have to consider the cost after annexation. To appease the people, to set up prefectures and counties, to station troops, it will be a loss-making business for at least 100 years. With only investment and no return, it is not sustainable."

"The road to the rise of an empire must not be burdened with encumbrances."

Fan Jing sat down awkwardly.

Hu Xueyu bowed:
"Your Majesty, what you mean is that our dynasty will fight the strong and support the weak, maintain moderate internal conflicts in Annan, and at the same time station a small number of troops, and the military expenses of the garrison will be borne by the Annan people?"

"The father-in-law is right." Li Yu pointed to a place, "Here, Jinlan Bay."

……

Learn that the heavenly soldiers want to uphold justice.

The King of Annan, Le Vichy, was overjoyed. He kowtowed again and again and cried uncontrollably.

The Ruan envoy standing by had a look of dejection on his face, and dared not speak out although he was angry.

The Wu Dynasty was indeed a civilized empire. They did not kill him, nor torture him. Instead, they sent cavalry to escort the envoy back to their country, asking him to send the message back to Thang Long City to inform the three Nguyen brothers.

Heavenly soldiers are coming.

Get ready for battle!

This kind of arrogant strategic confidence made the Nguyen envoys nervous.

He rode at full speed, crossed mountains and rivers, and flew into the clouds, rushing back to Thang Long City in time. With his dying breath, he took out the declaration of war from the superior country - gentlemen, prepare to fight to the death.

That lingering nightmare is here again.

...In the Wu Palace, the atmosphere is relaxed.

"Your Majesty, Li Weiqi has composed another poem."

"Leave it there."

This is already the 7th ode, and between the lines, it praises Emperor Wu from every angle.

Translated into the crudest language:

Dad, great.

Dad, I love you.

Dad, please send troops quickly.

Annan is an outstanding disciple in the Confucian circle.

Li Weiqi had a good knowledge of Confucianism and his poems were standard. Although he did not have the talent of Li Bai and Du Fu, it was not a problem for him to become a juren.

……

The Navy Department was intensively planning operations against Cam Ranh Bay.

The garrison fleet will dispatch five main battleships to join the South China Sea Fleet in this operation.

When going on an expedition overseas, logistical support is crucial.

Food can be collected locally, but other supplies must rely on domestic supplies.

His Majesty approved the opening of two supply routes to Cam Ranh Bay from Lan Fang Pontianak Port and Guangzhou Port.

Cam Ranh Bay is of great significance.

It will be the Empire’s largest port in the South China Sea, garrisoned by both the navy and the army, and will provide the 4th Legion, the protector of the colonies, with another defense zone.

Orders were issued one after another from Suzhou Prefecture.

The letters were sent to Guangzhou, Pontianak, Lan Fang, Tainan, and Batavia, Java, using a combination of communication towers and brigs.

……

The capital of Annan, Thang Long City.

Teams of soldiers wearing rattan armor escorted prisoners from the Le Dynasty here and chopped them down with their swords.

The Red River was filled with corpses and eventually washed into the Beibu Gulf.

2 days ago,

The envoy rushed from Suzhou Prefecture to Thang Long City and brought back news that the Wu Dynasty was going to send troops to intervene.

Commander of the Tây Sơn Army, Nguyen Van Nguyễn, tossed and turned all night and was under tremendous pressure.

Everyone felt like there was something stuck in their throat, full of hatred and fear.

finally,
The three Nguyen brothers decided to fight!
The Xishan Army was assembled in the north, relying on the natural pass to resist the Wu Army.

At the same time, Nguyen Van Hue led a detachment of 2000 men to attack Wu's army's food supply route through the dense forest.

The Annan people had a lot of experience in how to resist the heavenly soldiers, and they passed it on from mouth to mouth, because except for the Song Dynasty, other dynasties had taken the initiative to conquer Annan.

……

The three Nguyen brothers vowed to inflict heavy damage on Wu's army.

Let the Wu Dynasty know that Annan is a hedgehog, with little meat but lots of thorns.

after that,

Submit another petition for peace and give enough face to the Wu Dynasty.

Everyone take a step back.

The superior country named him the King of Annan and he paid tribute to the country every year without missing any.

As the military order was issued,

A steady stream of Tây Sơn troops were mobilized from the southern Gia Dinh (near Ho Chi Minh City) front to the north, placing the entire defense focus in the north.

of course,

The Nguyen family did not forget to kill the supporters of the Le Dynasty first, which led to the river of blood and the blockage of corpses outside the city of Thang Long.

……

The 4th Corps has its main base in Tainan City.

In order to adapt to his position, Huang Si made internal adjustments, disbanding all the artillery and baggage and mixing them with the infantry.

The regiment-level organization is too large.

It is not suitable for fighting colonial wars.

For colonial expeditions, it is more appropriate to deploy battalion-level (500 people) and company-level (250 people) forces.

In addition,

Fixed garrison bases are organized in platoons (50 people).

A battalion was stationed in Keelung, the northernmost part of Taiyuan Island, and a company was stationed in Changhua in the middle.

Three infantry battalions were deployed on the island of Java.

Two infantry battalions (transferred from Java) were deployed in Lan Fang.

Because Annan was an independent kingdom in Indochina.

Unlike Tainan, Java and Borneo, it is possible that it will face a siege of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of enemy troops.

Therefore, Huang Si planned to dispatch 4 to 7 infantry battalions to garrison in Cam Ranh Bay.

……

2 months later.

The Wu army fleet arrived off Cam Ranh Bay, including 2 third-level ships, 6 fourth-level ships, 10 fifth-level ships, 5 troop transports, and 3 supply ships.

The last resupply was in Guangzhou.

The fleet then sailed south along the coastline and easily arrived at Cam Ranh Bay under the guidance of the Le Dynasty guides.

King Li Weiqi of Annan was on the flagship, feeling surprised, happy and worried all the way.

What was surprising was that the heavenly soldiers did not take the land route from Zhennan Pass to the south. This had been the traditional war route between the two countries for thousands of years.

The good news is that the heavenly soldiers are mighty and full of martial virtues.

What worries me is that I can’t pay off the huge debt.

Before leaving.

He has signed a treaty to station troops in Annan.

The Le Dynasty needed to bear all expenses of the garrison.

The Wu Dynasty promised that the number of garrisoned troops would not exceed 5000 and the number of garrisoned locations would not exceed 3.

In principle,
The garrison will not interfere in any internal affairs of Annan unless the Le Dynasty takes the initiative to request it. At any time and in any place, it will protect the Le Dynasty from being invaded by any external forces.

The Le Dynasty was fully open to the Wu Dynasty.

Goods from the Wu Dynasty did not have to pay any customs duties when entering Annan.

The people of the Wu Dynasty could freely enter and leave Annan, travel, settle down, do business, mine, marry, and do charity.

……

Li Weiqi, who was under his roof, did not dare not to sign the treaty.

What qualifications do I have to bargain? What about 400 million taels of gold?
I am currently just a lonely emperor of a fallen country~
What if, by some chance, I don’t sign and Ruan does, I will suffer a huge loss.

In the Wu Palace,

He saw the Nguyen envoy from afar.

The threat from Wu is very clear. Don't think that you are a rare commodity. At worst you can just find someone else to support you.

There are so many people who are worthy of being the emperor!

Let’s not talk about the distance.

Nguyen Phuc Anh, the fugitive prince of the old Nguyen regime in the south, was in Siam at this time. He was lobbying the King of Siam while colluding with Frankish missionaries to buy arms and raising funds from various sources in an attempt to restore his country.

If Emperor Wu had beckoned, Qu Fuying would have definitely come to Suzhou with a smile on his face to sign the treaty.

In the race to sell small countries, the competition is fierce.

……

"fire!"

The warships opened fire on the Cam Ranh Bay fortifications.

There were only 300 defenders, 10 pitiful small boats, 1 military camp, and 1 shabby artillery battery.

Just a quarter of an hour.

Hit by a shell and caught fire.

A level 1 ship ventured into the bay as a vanguard.

Li Weiqi stood high on the flagship, holding a telescope and observing excitedly.

"The Heavenly Soldiers are mighty. Well done, good fight."

The mouth of Cam Ranh Bay is only half a mile wide, with peninsulas guarding on both sides. The harbor is so large that not only sailing warships but even aircraft carriers can be docked.

It is truly the best port in East Asia, without a doubt.

……

Liu Wu put down the telescope and said with a smile:

"Open a bottle of good wine."

A group of people stood on the deck, raised their glasses and shouted: "Victory!"

then,

Everyone clinked glasses with Li Weiqi one by one.

The good thing about the navy is that it can create a sense of ceremony.

Half an hour later, the entire fleet entered the port and captured several small boats.

The troop transport docked and the soldiers went ashore to clear the area.

So relaxing!

Firstly, the Annan army lacked strategic vision at sea. Secondly, there were years of fighting, with weaklings fighting each other.