The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 322 Response
The predecessor of the Daqin Jing'an Division was the Ming Dynasty Jinyiwei. After Sun Kewang replaced the Ming with Qin, in order to eliminate the traces of the previous dynasty, he reorganized the entire Jinyiwei. All the personnel and functions of guarding the Forbidden Court, accompanying the ceremonial guards, and protecting the emperor in personal expeditions were incorporated into the Royal Guards. The responsibilities of guarding warehouses and supervising craftsmen were assigned to local towns, and the work of serving the royal family and delivering documents was transferred to the Eunuch Supervisor.

As a result, the Jinyiwei, which was stripped of all miscellaneous tasks, became a full-time secret spy organization, used to monitor civil and military officials, arrest criminals, spy on enemy military intelligence, assassinate and arrest enemy spies and important military and political personnel, and was renamed the Jing'an Division.

When the Jing'an Division was first established and developed, the Qi State Black Guards provided a lot of "business guidance" and "system construction", maintained close cooperation with it for a long time, and even carried out services such as intelligence sharing and personnel exchange.

However, not long after Emperor Qianyuan took power, out of fear of Qi and to prevent infiltration by the other side's intelligence departments, the Jing'an Division gradually distanced itself from the Black Guards and carried out a large-scale purge of some pro-Qi personnel within the division in an effort to get rid of the influence of the Black Guards.

As the eyes and ears and minion of the Great Qin Emperor, the Commander of the Jing'an Division was definitely the most trusted person by Emperor Qianyuan.

Liao Yanzhen was previously the commander of the imperial guard, responsible for the protection of Emperor Qianyuan's daily life, daily routine and travel. As they spent every day together, they established an extremely close relationship between the monarch and his subject.

In the 1728th year of Qianyuan (), the three kingdoms of Northern Ming, Eastern Dan and Bohai suddenly united to attack Daqin in Liaodong region. Tens of thousands of troops crossed the Heilongjiang River, Ussuri River and Khanka Lake, penetrated hundreds of kilometers into the hinterland of Heilongjiang and Jilin, destroyed more than forts of various sizes and nearly immigrant settlements, looted more than people, countless cattle, horses and other supplies, and almost destroyed the immigration results of Daqin over the past years.

Emperor Qianyuan was furious and imprisoned the former commander of the Jing'an Division on the grounds of dereliction of duty and failure to detect the pseudo-Ming's looting activities in advance. He then executed him by beheading him in public as a warning to all generals in the army.

Therefore, as the emperor's confidant, Liao Yanzhen was transferred from the commander of the Imperial Guard to the commander of the Jing'an Division under this background, responsible for the most mysterious and complex secret spy organization of Daqin.

In this position, he dared not slack off in the slightest, let alone take advantage of His Majesty's favor to be arrogant and lawless. He worked diligently, day and night, and tried his best to complete the tasks assigned by His Majesty.

Over the past half month, a crisis has broken out in Annan. Qi is likely to use force against this vassal state of Qin. The court is extremely concerned about this. His Majesty also attaches great importance to it and has ordered the Jing'an Division to fully investigate Annan's recent situation and find out the measures and policies taken by Qi towards Annan.

Today, after receiving the intelligence information from Annan, Liao Yanzhen did not delay and immediately delivered it to the palace in person and handed it to the eunuch Lou Enxiang, who presented it to His Majesty for his personal review.

After waiting outside the palace gate for a while, he heard that His Majesty had summoned him, and immediately hurried to Wuying Palace with the eunuchs.

When Liao Yanzhen saw Emperor Qianyuan, he knelt down and kowtowed to greet him.

"No thanks." Emperor Qianyuan waved his hand and said in a deep voice: "Mr. Liao, is the information you reported reliable?"

"Your Majesty," Liao Yanzhen bowed and said, "This news should be reliable. Qi has blocked the coastal areas of Annan, and no unrelated ships can enter the ports of Annan. I have never been able to obtain any information from them. Therefore, I have used spies in Guangnan, Ha Tien, Cambodia, Siam, and even Borneo to indirectly find out the movements of Qi and Annan. After multiple channels have confirmed, Qi has indeed carried out a full-scale war mobilization in Ha Tien, Guangnan, Liang Quoc, Borneo, and the Annan Governor-General's District and Runzhou Governor-General's District of Qi. Therefore, I am very sure that Qi's expedition to Annan is imminent and is about to be launched."

"Your information is from a month ago." Emperor Qianyuan asked, "In your opinion, has Qi already started to attack Annan?"

"I think..." Liao Yanzhen couldn't judge accurately, but since His Majesty asked, he had to answer. So he hesitated for a moment and said, "I think Qi should have launched military operations at this time, or... invaded Annan."

"It has only been three months since King Min of Qi was attacked and killed. How could Qi decide and arrange to attack Annan in such a short time?" Emperor Qianyuan still did not believe it. "Annan is thousands of miles away from Hanzhou. It takes more than two months for a boat to go back and forth. How could they react so quickly?"

Our Great Qin is so close to Annan, but it still took us more than two months to receive the news from here. Your Qi State and Hanzhou mainland are several times closer to us, so you shouldn't react so quickly, right?

"Your Majesty, the Qi people have telegraphs." Liao Yanzhen whispered, "As far as I know, the Qi people have already extended the telegraph line to Pattani, and the speed of obtaining information is... far faster than that of our Great Qin."

"Hiss..." Emperor Qianyuan took a breath of cold air when he heard this.

Damn it, how could I forget that the people of Qi have this method of "transmitting sound over thousands of miles"!

Emperor Qianyuan paced back and forth in the hall anxiously, wondering how to deal with the fact that Qi might have invaded Annan.

Immediately deploy troops across the northern border and force Qi to stop the war?

Or, was it just a verbal warning, asking Qi to "fully respect" the special status of our Great Qin in Annan?

"Mr. Liao, you are a military man. In your opinion, how long will it take for Qi to defeat Annan?"

"..." Liao Yanzhen's head suddenly became as big as a bucket. He didn't dare to make any rash judgment. He didn't know how to answer.

If the answer is wrong and misleads His Majesty's decision-making, it will be a capital crime.

"Let me tell you, even if I made a mistake in my judgment, I will forgive you."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Liao Yanzhen took a deep breath and said slowly: "The strength of Qi is well known to the world. With Annan's weak strength, it is naturally difficult to withstand Qi's thunderbolt attack. It is only a matter of time before the army is defeated. As for how long it will take Qi to defeat Annan, I think... it may take less than three months. If the morale of Annan's army is low, the army has no combat power, and the generals have no fighting spirit, Qi may decide the outcome quickly, and it will not take more than two months."

"Oh?" Emperor Qianyuan frowned after hearing this. "During the Yongle period of the former Ming Dynasty, the Ming army dispatched 300,000 troops (this number is questionable) and spent nearly a year to pacify the entire territory of Annan. Although Qi is more powerful, it is limited by its remote location and the number of troops it dispatched must be much smaller than the size of the Ming army. How could it take only two or three months?"

"Your Majesty, this is a different time!" Liao Yanzhen said, "In the past, the Ming army conquered Annan. Although they had a large number of troops, they all attacked by land, advancing from Pingxiang, Guangxi and Mengzi, Yunnan, and joined forces at Baihe River. Then they pushed forward all the way, captured cities and strongholds, and successively recovered the eastern and western capitals of Thang Long and Thanh Hoa. In the end, the army pursued to the Qiluo Seaport in Rinan Prefecture, and only then did they completely defeat the remnant army of Annan and establish a complete victory. But if Qi attacks Annan, it can rely on the advantages of its ships to cross the rivers of Annan and directly attack the heart of Annan. In addition, Liangguo, which is entrenched in the north of Vietnam, and the Nguyen family of Annan south of Hengshan will also accede to Qi during the war and attack Annan from both ends of the north and south. In this way, Annan will inevitably lose its way when it is attacked from both sides, and will eventually be taken advantage of by Qi. It will lose its troops and territory, and the army will be defeated and destroyed in a few months."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianyuan nodded slightly, agreeing with Liao Yanzhen's judgment.

Then he ordered his eunuchs to find a map of Annan and hang it on the wall of the hall. Then he folded his arms, stamped his feet in front of him, and fell into deep thought.

Judging from the intelligence information currently available, the Qi army must have already launched an attack on Annan. If our Great Qin does not take any action, even if the isolated and helpless Annan tries its best to fortify its walls and defend its fortresses, it may not be able to withstand the siege of the Qi army from several directions, and the situation must be precarious.

Since the Annan crisis broke out, our Great Qin has not received any message for help from them. I think it is because they are blocked tightly by Qi State and cannot go ahead.

But the Qin State cannot just sit there and do nothing or turn a deaf ear to the situation and not provide any help. If Annan really fails to hold out for three months as Liao Yanzhen predicted and is destroyed by Qi, the Qin State will lose face.

If we can't even protect our own little brothers, I wonder how the neighboring countries will look down on our Great Qin?

"Come here, summon the ministers of the cabinet, the Minister of War, the Minister of Revenue, the Central Military Governor's Office, and the Dingwu Army Commander-in-Chief to the palace to discuss matters." Emperor Qianyuan secretly made up his mind, and then turned around and ordered: "In addition, the Minister of Rites, the Minister of Honglu Temple, the Military Preparation and Military Affairs Department, and the Governor-General of the Navy should also come to the palace to meet with him."

"Slave, obey your command!"
-
April 4th, Siming Prefecture, Pingxiang Pass (now Pingxiang Friendship Pass).

Pingxiang is located in the southwest of Siming Prefecture, Guangxi, bordering Annan on the southwest and south, with a border line of nearly 1053 kilometers. As early as the Western Han Dynasty, due to the special topography of the area, it was like a natural checkpoint. The court began to build border defenses here, hoping to use the natural barrier to resist foreign invasions, eliminate disasters and bring blessings, and overcome difficulties and bring good luck. In the fifth year of Huangyou in the Song Dynasty (), "Pingxiang Cave" was established and a checkpoint was built, thus the place name Pingxiang Pass came into being.

Pingxiang Pass is a karst landform, winding and steep, guarding the southwest gate. It is surrounded by mountains on all sides and is a narrow strip of land with only one passage leading to the south. Therefore, it has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times. It has a steep terrain where one man can block the passage of ten thousand men. In the past, when Guo Kui of the former Song Dynasty and Zhang Fu of the former Ming Dynasty attacked Annan, they both entered the northern part of Vietnam from this pass, and then captured cities and territories, severely inflicting heavy losses on Annan.

When the Qin Dynasty replaced the Ming Dynasty, the Hao family of Liang State, with the support of Qi State, occupied the northern part of Vietnam, cutting off the connection between Annan and the Qin Dynasty. In order to prevent the Liang State from "plundering the border people" and luring the people to abandon their homes and go south, the Guangxi local government rebuilt the once abandoned Pingxiang Pass, rebuilt it, and stationed more than a thousand soldiers to guard the fence and protect the border.

In recent months, rumors about Qi's impending attack on Annan have continued to appear in Guanshang, causing panic among the local military and civilians.

Especially a month and a half ago, the Yunzhan Pass (now Dongdeng Town, Vietnam) belonging to the Liang State across the border was suddenly closed, prohibiting the entry and exit of all personnel and goods, which made the Qin army in Pingxiang Pass immediately alert, wondering whether a major change had occurred in Annan, forcing the Liang State to cut off all contact between the two sides to avoid exposing some unknown news.

After the situation was reported to Siming Prefecture and the Guangxi Governor's Office, it was immediately taken seriously and the soldiers stationed at Pingxiang Pass were ordered to increase the corresponding level of alert, but they were not allowed to act rashly without military orders.

More than ten days ago, Pingxiang Pass received news from the rear that in order to deal with the Annan crisis, the imperial court had transferred more than 5,000 foreign soldiers from Jing and Hu areas to Nanning Prefecture, and they could go to the border to support at any time. This made the defenders feel a little relieved.

Not to mention, with Qi causing such a big commotion in Annan, it was impossible for the border garrisons close to northern Vietnam not to be nervous, fearing that it would affect them.

Although our Great Qin has never fought a war with Qi, but as long as we refer to the military strength of Northern Ming, we can estimate that their military strength is definitely above that of our Great Qin and should not be taken lightly.

Otherwise, how could the Great Qin take the Liang State, which was established by the former Ming rebel forces such as the Hao family, seriously? We would have sent troops to wipe it out at the request of Annan long ago.

But the State of Lang Son was quite savvy. Before Lang Son could gain a firm foothold, it clung to the thigh of the State of Qi and was willing to be its vassal. Thus, it relied on the military support of the State of Qi and gradually grew stronger, almost occupying the entire northern Vietnam region.

Once Qi wants to attack Annan, Liang will definitely rush to the front and follow Qi to attack Annan. The Yunzhan Pass is closed, maybe they have already transferred the troops here to the south, and they have no choice but to do so in order to prevent the Qin from discovering the defense of this pass.

"Reporting to the headquarters, the general who just patrolled the border reported that Yunzhan Pass has been reopened, allowing the flow of people and goods." Fang Chengji, the guerrilla garrison commander of Pingxiang Pass, hurried to the city defense mansion to report the news he had just received to Siming Guard Lieutenant General Cen Feng, "In addition, the patrol officers and soldiers also found that there were a large number of Qi soldiers at Yunzhan Pass."

"Oh?" Cen Feng was surprised when he heard this. "The Yunzhan Pass has been reopened, and there are soldiers from the Qi State inside. Can the soldiers patrolling the border confirm these situations?"

"The leader of the team said that he saw it with his own eyes and even went up close to observe and confirm it carefully."

"Really?" Cen Feng still didn't believe it. "Everyone knows that the military uniforms worn by the officers and soldiers of Liang State are almost the same as those of the Qi State Army, except for the cap badges and shoulder straps. They just want to scare us! This time, they will not fly the flag of Qi State again and scare us with their tiger skin?"

"General..." Fang Chengji said with a wry smile, "Although they are also Han troops, the spirit and pride of these officers and soldiers, as well as the weapons and equipment they are equipped with, cannot be fake."

"Ah?" Cen Feng was stunned after hearing this. "The Qi people...are really here? Are they...are they going to help Liang defend the gate?"

"General, I suspect..." Fang Chengji had something in mind, but he was still a little hesitant. He said hesitantly, "I suspect that Liang State reopened Yunzhan Pass and resumed the passage of people and goods across the border, and the Qi State army appeared here. It may be that the Annan incident... has been resolved."

"Is the matter of Annan settled? ... What do you mean by that?"

"I believe that Qi has joined forces with Liang to defeat Annan and force it to surrender."

"Impossible!" Cen Feng said decisively: "Even if the count starts from the time Liang State closed Yunzhan Pass and Qi State invaded Annan, it would be impossible for them to defeat Annan and force the entire territory to surrender in such a short time."

"General, if something happens..."

"What if?" Cen Feng was stunned. "Can Qi destroy Annan within a month? But the problem is, Annan is not one of those small countries in Southeast Asia!"

"What if?" Fang Chengji murmured.

"What if... What if Qi has really destroyed Annan, then wouldn't my Great Qin be unable to react at this point?"

"..." Fang Chengji looked at Cen Feng's unbelievable expression and smiled bitterly.

"No! We need to send someone to investigate immediately and get accurate information for the court."

"...General, I obey your command."

Within two days, several riders on fast horses rushed out of Pingxiang Pass one after another, not sparing any horsepower and heading quickly towards Nanning Prefecture.

(End of this chapter)