Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Annan, Xuan Quang Town.

After news of the Ming army's great victory arrived, the Yunnan governor's camp fell into a period of quiet.

While a friendly victory is nominally a good thing, the overwhelming nature of the victory deprived them of the opportunity to continue their achievements.

In particular, they set out before the imperial army, yet they are still trapped in Xuanguang Town.

This is even more embarrassing, making them seem incompetent.

As a result, although the Yunnan soldiers won the battle, they were all listless.

Many people are still calculating the gap in merit between themselves and the imperial army:
"They're fighting a major battle over there, and a decisive one at that, so the war merits can be doubled."

"I heard that the soldiers who participated in the war all had merits and were heroes in the elimination of Annam."

"This is a feat that could destroy a nation! Anyone who is willing to stay can become a soldier."

They spoke of all this with envy, the Yunnan soldiers extremely envious of the imperial army participating in the battle.

As the military merit system became more and more perfect, the soldiers fighting on the front lines quickly realized that it was easier to make meritorious contributions in major battles.

The ambush south of Lang Son was a typical battle, where 100,000 enemy troops were faced and their main force was annihilated.

Then the enemy was no longer able to mount a resistance, and the capital was abandoned.

Such a great achievement brought generous rewards. Besides doubled merit and a share of the spoils, every soldier who participated was honored, and at the very least, could become a hereditary sergeant.

This is what ordinary soldiers envy the most. Although sergeants are not officers, they are different from the military households of the past. Not only do they have more land inherited from their ancestors, but they can also go to military academies to study and get the opportunity to become officers.

Many soldiers from military households dreamed of becoming sergeants.

Unfortunately, the reform of the military garrison system has not yet been implemented in Yunnan. Only the newly established military garrisons after the She-An Rebellion were governed by the new system.

These people were extremely envious when they learned that allied soldiers, regardless of their merits, could at least be granted hereditary military titles once they went to the battlefield.

What they envied even more was the astonishing casualty ratio in this battle:
The imperial army suffered only 75 casualties, yet still managed to defeat an army of 100,000.

In their eyes, this was nothing short of a mythical achievement:

"How did you type that?"

"Is the Zheng family really that vulnerable?"

"Why aren't we so lucky that we can just go and fight them directly?"

The soldiers were whispering among themselves, and some of the well-informed ones said:
"We started the war ahead of schedule because we wanted to seize the credit."

"And the result? We're stuck in Xuanguang Town."

“The Wu family is no match for the Zheng family, otherwise they wouldn’t be a regional military governor.”

"We'll fight Zheng's 100,000-strong army, humph..."

He shook his head, not optimistic about the situation.

There's some truth to what they said, but more than that, it's a matter of disagreement.

They felt that since the Zheng family had suffered such a crushing defeat, even if they themselves suffered greater losses, they wouldn't necessarily fail.
-
Wu Sangui, who served as a military officer with the title of a military graduate, listened as he walked through the barracks. He knew that the Yunnan troops could not achieve such a record.
"The imperial army uses new firearms; they are not only equipped with muskets, but also with cannons and cavalry."

"What's available in Yunnan? They only have a thousand modern handguns."

"It would be good enough if we could defeat Xuanguang Town; it would be very difficult to defeat the Zheng family alone."

This was his thought; as the commander of the new army, he was keenly aware of the power of the new-style firearms.

The reason why Xuanguang Town was easily defeated by them was because these 1,000 new soldiers displayed extremely amazing combat power.

Wu Sangui was surprised, but not entirely unable to understand, that the imperial troops, fully equipped with modern firearms, had achieved such an impressive record.

Because his new army rarely suffered casualties in battle.

Unfortunately, the new army was too small in number, and faced with the harassment from the remaining forces of Xuanguang Town, they could only advance little by little using the old methods.

With this thought in mind, Wu Sangui entered the tent. Facing Yuan Chonghuan, he still spoke with respect:
"General, what do we do next?"

Has the imperial court issued any instructions?

Yuan Chonghuan seemed to have aged a few years, and said wearily:
"The imperial court ordered us to wipe out Xuanguang Town and leave no one to resist."

“All those who have been involved in military operations and cannot speak Chinese must be relocated to ensure that no one in Xuanguang Town will rebel.”

This command made Wu Sangui's eyes widen as he confirmed it:
"Does the imperial court mean to relocate all those who resist?"

"Why would these people obediently migrate?"

Yuan Chonghuan slammed his fist on the table in anger, gritting his teeth as he said:

"What else can we do if we don't relocate?"

"Are we just going to let them keep making trouble?"

"If it weren't for these people causing trouble, I would have already marched all the way to Thang Long."

He felt extreme hatred for the rebels in Xuanguang Town who hindered his chances of making meritorious contributions.

In his anger, he said:
“Go and send someone to keep an eye on things, and make sure that everyone who stays can speak Chinese.”

"They won't just move out if they don't talk to us; anyone who dares to resist will be killed."

“In a few days, people from the vassal states of Southeast Asia will send ships over. The development there needs people to do hard labor.”

While not as cruel as killing everyone, this approach was still extremely ruthless. As a Confucian scholar, Yuan Chonghuan certainly knew that this would damage his reputation.

However, he has no room for negotiation now. The Privy Council has strictly ordered him to complete the mission and not to change the strategy without authorization.

Han Kuang also told him about the trouble he was in by offending the Privy Council, and that his position as governor of Yunnan was now somewhat unstable.

If he is dismissed from his post as governor of Yunnan by the imperial court, he will have little chance of making a comeback.

Now, he needs to make great contributions to the governance of Annam and continue to redeem himself through meritorious service.

Soon, a bloody storm swept through Xuanguang Town.

The Yunnan troops, who had previously only been clearing out harassers, began a massive search. Anyone who couldn't speak Mandarin was arrested on the spot.

The remaining cases will be further investigated to determine whether they have harassed the Ming army; otherwise, they will also be arrested.

This naturally provoked a lot of resistance, and Wu Sangui's new army was divided into small teams and sent out.

They suppressed all resistance with their new muskets, which had a long range and a high rate of fire.
-
This is the scene that Zheng Zhibao, who was sent by Zheng Zhilong, saw.

He never expected that Yuan Chonghuan, a governor-general who had passed the imperial examination, would lead such a cruel army.

Seeing some soldiers killing indiscriminately during the arrests, he couldn't help but say to Wu Sangui, who was accompanying him:

"Captain Wu, this needs to be addressed!"

"The court is talking about relocation, not about ordering them to kill people."

Having witnessed countless deaths in Liaodong, Wu Sangui carried out Yuan Chonghuan's orders without any regard for consequences. He said:

“These people dare to resist; we have no choice but to kill them.”

“You need slave laborers, you need obedient people.”

Zheng Zhibao listened with a heavy heart, knowing that this was the truth of the matter.

If these people try to rebel after arriving in the vassal state, they will be in big trouble.

But such killing is far too cruel; not only will it reduce the number of slaves captured, but it will also sow seeds of hatred, which is detrimental to future stability. He advised:

"His Majesty said that elite troops cannot be used for counterinsurgency operations, otherwise it will affect combat effectiveness." "Just like playing chess, you need to play against a master to improve; playing against a lousy player will only make you worse."

"The reason why the imperial court established the crime of depravity and forcibly relocated those who had degenerated was because once depraved behavior begins, it will mostly become more and more depraved."

"If you use the new army like this, military discipline will collapse, and in the future..."

He shook his head, thinking that this army would be ruined if things continued like this.

Wu Sangui's eyes widened as he listened, and he realized the problem.

He was determined to lead this army to achieve great merit; he couldn't bear to see them fall apart.

He immediately considered sending someone to recall the troops, but then hesitated, remembering Yuan Chonghuan's orders.
"The commander-in-chief has given a strict order; we cannot disobey."

"Without the new army to hold the line, the captured soldiers would have suffered losses."

Zheng Zhibao disagreed, saying:

"Didn't the imperial court say that auxiliary troops could be used?"

"You come from a military family in Liaodong, surely you know how to train troops?"

“Recruit Annamese who have surrendered to the Ming Dynasty to form a vassal army, and then use the new army as a supervisory force.”

"Even if they are attacked and die during the arrest, we don't need to worry too much about it."

Upon hearing these words, Wu Sangui seemed to have an epiphany, and his mind suddenly opened up.

Isn't this exactly what the imperial court calls traitors? In Annam, we should actively cultivate these kinds of people.

Therefore, he quickly adopted Zheng Zhibao's suggestion to select auxiliary soldiers from among the Annamese who had surrendered.

Although these people would be relocated to other places, as long as they learned Chinese, they could obtain Chinese identity as military and civilian households or even soldiers in the garrison.

Xuanguang Town was transformed into a large military camp, and most of the people, terrified by the previous carnage, were willing to join the auxiliary army.

Then, under the leadership of these locals, almost everyone in Xuanguang Town was arrested and organized into an ever-growing army.

Wu Sangui led his troops to suppress resistance fighters throughout Annam, building a formidable army in Xuan Quang Town. His fame spread throughout Annam, and his reputation was so great that it could even stop children from crying at night.

In contrast, Zhu Xieyuan had the Mo family of Gaoping bear the blame.

The Mo family's troops were treated as auxiliary forces, overseen by a battalion of new soldiers led by Zhang Shan, tasked with suppressing local forces that were allied with the Le Dynasty.

Almost all those who had served as officials in the Le Dynasty had their homes confiscated and were exiled; the scholars of Annam were almost all implicated.

Under such harsh orders, the Mo family's reputation quickly became tarnished, making it impossible for them to establish themselves in Annam. They were forced to relocate from Cao Bang as required by the Ming Dynasty.

The two armies effectively maintained stability in Annam, clearing enough land for the remaining soldiers and the immigrants who were about to arrive.

With the help of these people, the Ming Dynasty was able to establish itself in the Red River region.

Zhu Xieyuan focused his energy on this and did not continue to pursue the fleeing Zheng family.
-
Zhang Shize was extremely dissatisfied with this, and went directly to Zhu Xieyuan, angrily saying:
"Commander-in-Chief Zhu, the Le Dynasty and the Trinh family are still alive, why not continue the fight?"

"The court has ordered you to eliminate Annam, but simply taking over the capital is not enough."

Zhu Xieyuan glanced at him and said calmly:

"When the imperial court sent troops, it said that the Red River Plain would belong to the imperial court, and the rest would be divided into vassal states and territories."

"If you can take it, then go ahead and do it. Don't expect the imperial court to help you."

"The Restoration Army has been transferred away, and the remaining imperial troops will be used to establish the Jiaozhou Guard."

Zhang Shize was furious when he heard these words, because the Duke of England's fiefdom was located in Qinghua and Yi'an to the south.

The resistance in these two places was fierce, and it was from these places that the early Ming Dynasty was defeated.

Zhang Shize thought that the two places would most likely become Xuanguang Town, so why would he want to rely on his own troops alone?

Thinking of the losses involved, Zhang Shize angrily said:
"General Zhu, is this how you help us open up the vassal states?"

"The founding dukes and marquises who quelled the rebellion were enfeoffed here. Aren't you afraid of offending us?"

Zhu Xieyuan chuckled and said:
"So what if I offend you?"

"I am carrying out orders from the imperial court."

"Young Master, you'd better send out your troops sooner rather than later. It will be difficult to fight once the rainy season arrives."

"If we delay things, I don't know if the old man will be able to see it."

They didn't take these founding dukes and marquises who had fought against the rebellion seriously at all.

He knew that the emperor's purpose in establishing the title of "Heroic Official of the Restoration" was to distinguish them from the heroes of the founding of the dynasty and the pacification of the rebellion.

If he were to meddle with these people without knowing the proper etiquette, he might incur the emperor's wrath.

Having already rendered meritorious service in destroying a nation and thus securing his position as a revived duke, Zhu Xieyuan was certainly not so lacking in wisdom.

"you……"

Zhang Shize was so angry that he pointed at him, but he couldn't say a word.

He knew that Zhu Xieyuan's reminder was correct; it would be more difficult to wage war after the rainy season.

Even though most of the soldiers he recruited were from Guangdong and Guangxi, adapting to the rainy season there was not easy.

Thinking of his grandfather lying on his sickbed, hoping to hear the good news of the establishment of the vassal state, Zhang Shize endured the humiliation and led his troops south to pursue them.

Zhu Xieyuan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him leave with his troops.

He knew that by suppressing Zhang Shize, he would suppress everyone else, and he wouldn't need to send imperial troops to help the various vassal states open up new territories.

This was what the emperor had repeatedly instructed him before his departure: he only needed to control the Red River Plain, and the rest should be left to the nobles to develop.

It would be good if these people won, but we shouldn't worry about them if they lost. As long as they don't threaten the Red River Plain, we can let them do as they please.

Therefore, Zhu Xieyuan has been focusing his energy on surveying the Red River Plain these days.

He discovered that the land was indeed fertile and could support millions of people.

What he had to do was set up defensive lines in the surrounding strategic locations, and distribute the rest to nobles as fiefdoms.

Next, he also planned to establish a market in Thang Long City, which was renamed Jiaozhou City, to provide the supplies purchased by the Logistics Department and the Equipment Department to the nobles of the Kaifan.

These nobles' funds were used to help the court maintain wartime procurement, save the court's military expenses, and even make money.

Soon, the wealth accumulated by these nobles over hundreds of years flowed into the imperial court.

However, these people did not suffer losses, because in addition to their fiefdoms, they could also plunder wealth when they opened up their domains.

The powerful clans of Annam were almost entirely wiped out and replaced by their own people.

The enthusiasm of the Ming dynasty's nobles for establishing vassal states grew rapidly, as they saw an opportunity for their families to expand. Those who attached themselves to them were even more eager, wanting to serve as officials in the vassal states they had established.

These nobles, who had not fought on the battlefield for generations, were able to win one victory after another in Annam by relying on the court's new firearms and with their newly formed guards.

Some even found the ambition of their ancestors and wanted to achieve greater feats and open up larger territories.

Annam and the surrounding areas quickly descended into chaos, their presence felt everywhere. These people, relying on the Red River Plain, expanded outwards.

Wu Sangui's auxiliary troops in Xuanguang Town gained a reputation during this process and helped them solve many problems.

The various vassal states of Southeast Asia were even more delighted, as many previously undeveloped swamps and dense forests were gradually developed by the Annamese slaves they purchased.

In some places, rice was grown; in others, sugarcane was grown; and still others, palm trees brought by the Ming Dynasty envoys were planted, creating various types of plantations.

The plantation economy in Southeast Asia gradually developed. (End of Chapter)