Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The competition among the front-line committee members in Annam was fierce, mainly because neither the government nor the public believed that the war would be particularly difficult.

In the fourth year of the Yongle reign, the imperial court launched a campaign against Annam. From the dispatch of troops in July to the entry into Annam in October, and then to the capture of Thang Long in December, it only took five short months.

During the Jiajing era, conquering Annam was even easier. The court simply dispatched a large army to intimidate and quell the chieftains who were in league with Mo Dengyong, which forced Mo Dengyong to surrender and become the governor-general of Annam appointed by the court.

Annam is now divided into the Mo, Vu, Trinh, and Nguyen clans, among others, making a conflict all the more likely.

Almost everyone believed that once the Ming army arrived, the Annamese would either surrender or flee far away.

The real challenge lies in the subsequent governance, and whether this land can achieve long-term stability and security.

In the Wuying Hall, during a meeting to discuss the commander-in-chief of Annam, Zhu Youjian first asked Qian Qianyi:

"I ordered the Imperial Academy to compile materials concerning Annam. What progress has been made so far?"

What lessons can be learned from Emperor Chengzu's and Emperor Shizong's campaigns against Annam?

A stack of documents was piled up in front of Qian Qianyi, who replied:

"During the Yongle and Jiajing reigns, when the emperor campaigned against Annam, the troops would set out in July and arrive in October."

"After reviewing the memorials and documents, I found that October to January is the cool season in Annam, when the climate is most pleasant."

"Even so, many soldiers were not used to the Annam climate, and Zhu Neng, the Prince of Dongping, died of illness in Guangxi."

This was the greatest loss during the Yongle reign's campaign against Annam. Zhu Neng, the Duke of Cheng, who was only thirty-seven years old, died in the army because he could not adapt to the southern climate. He was posthumously granted the title of Prince of Dongping.

Otherwise, if he had been alive, Emperor Chengzu would not have had to personally lead the expedition after Qiu Fu's death in battle.

Zhu Youjian nodded in approval and praised:

"This is what they call the right timing!"

"The further south you go, the hotter it gets, which can make people from the north feel uncomfortable."

"When conquering Annam, we should choose to send troops during the cool or dry season, and never wait until the rainy season."

"It's already December, and the cool season will soon be over. When March and April come, Annam will be rainy, and the soldiers will be even more unaccustomed to it, and logistics will also be difficult."

"The imperial army must arrive before the end of February, and then it will take one to two months to defeat the main force of Annam."

"The commander-in-chief for the campaign against Annam needs to be decided as soon as possible."

Privy Councilor Yuan Keli said:
"The soldiers who will conquer Annam should mostly come from the south, or be deployed from nearby areas."

"Fu Zonglong, the governor-general of the five provinces of Sichuan and Guizhou, was stationed in Yunnan and Guizhou, and his troops had been stationed in the south for a long time."

"I believe that he should be dispatched as soon as possible to take charge of the war in Annam."

Theoretically, this would be most appropriate, but Zhu Youjian knew that the chieftains in the southwest had been causing trouble since the end of the Ming Dynasty. Even if he couldn't remember the details, he wouldn't easily mobilize the troops from the southwest. He said decisively:
"The reform of the Tusi system in the southwest, which replaced the Tusi with the Weisuo system, is a matter of long-term stability and must not be interfered with."

"Not to mention transferring troops from the southwest, even after the White-Spear Army returns to the capital, they should be transferred back to the southwest. We should try to clean up all the unsubmissive chieftains and establish military and civilian prefectures and military and civilian guards."

This clearly rejected the idea of ​​appointing Fu Zonglong as head coach and leaving him in Guizhou to oversee the overall situation.

Grand Secretary Han Kuang seized the opportunity to say:
"Yunnan is more stable than Guizhou, and the chieftains are more submissive."

“It is permissible to dispatch Yunnan Governor Yuan Chonghuan to lead the submissive chieftains to conquer Annam along the Red River.”

"This can be a direction," Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement.
“Yuan Chonghuan, the governor of Yunnan, and Li Yun, the governor of Guangxi, could both serve as the main generals for the campaign against Annam.”

"But Annam is a large country after all, and we failed to take it completely the previous two times."

"We must be cautious this time and send a capable minister to oversee the troops and command all the armies."

His gaze fell on Zhu Xieyuan, clearly indicating that he favored this person.
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Among the generals and commanders of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Youjian actually trusted Zhu Xieyuan's abilities the most.

This man was truly forged on the battlefield, having once commanded an army of 100,000 to quell the She'an Rebellion. Zhu Youjian valued him highly and had previously assigned him to the Great Wall to guard against the Jurchens and Mongols, thus preventing a major catastrophe like the Jisi Incident.

Now that the Jurchens have fled and the southern Mongolians have been decimated by them, they can no longer threaten the Great Wall.

Zhu Youjian, wanting to reward him for his merits, thought of having him lead the army to attack Annam, achieve the merit of destroying the country, and then rightfully bestow a title upon him.

Zhu Xieyuan was naturally very grateful for the emperor's idea.

After Sun Chengzong and others were granted titles, it was impossible for him not to have the idea of ​​earning a title through meritorious service.

Having learned of the emperor's intentions, they had long been planning how to attack Annam.

Pointing to the map in the hall, Zhu Xieyuan said:

“Northern Annam is mountainous. If we can capture Lang Son, we can gain a geographical advantage and march straight to the Red River Plain where Jiaozhou is located.”

"It is currently the cool season, and Guangxi has been preparing for over a year. I believe that Li Yun and Zhang Shize should lead the troops to attack Lang Son first."

"If we can capture Lang Son before the imperial army arrives, the imperial troops can head south directly to seek a major battle."

This strategy, clearly considering the overall war situation, won widespread praise from the court officials.

He let the front lines take the initiative, clearly giving up his chance to make a contribution.

If Li Yun and his men had won before he arrived, it would have been difficult for him to share in the credit.

With such dedication to the public good, it's no wonder the emperor chose him as commander-in-chief.

Zhu Xieyuan did this because he knew the emperor would not mistreat him.

Apart from playing a role in the Battle of Niuzhuang, Sun Chengzong, the military governor of Liaodong, practically won without lifting a finger afterward, yet he remained the number one contributor to the pacification of Liaodong on the front lines.

As long as he formulated the strategy for attacking Annam and controlled the overall situation, he didn't need to worry about not being able to gain merit. No matter who won the battle on the front lines, he could share in the credit.

Moreover, he did not focus solely on Guangxi, but prepared four armies.

Pointing to the map, Zhu Xieyuan said:
"Lang Son is the main target of the attack. The court can order Cao Bang Mo to assist, with Li Yun and Zhang Shize as the commanders."

"At the same time, the Yunnan troops, under the command of Yuan Chonghuan, advanced along the Red River, forced the Wu clan of Xuanguang Town to surrender, and threatened Jiaozhou Prefecture from the west."

"Your Majesty and General Xu have dispatched the new army from the south of the capital garrison to march south, also by land."

"Another Marine Corps unit, led by Yang Yufan and Zheng Zhilong, will take the sea route and head straight for Jiaozhou."

Four armies advanced simultaneously, each with its own generals.

Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction and appointed seven people as commissioners for the front lines in Annam, with Zhu Xieyuan serving as the chief officer.

The war against Annam is about to officially begin. Zhu Youjian asked Zhu Xieyuan:

"Taking Annam is not difficult; the difficulty lies in governing it."

"What strategies do you have to ensure long-term peace and stability in Annam?"

Zhu Xieyuan pointed south of Jiaozhou and said:
“Governing the Red River Plain area is not difficult.”

"The Lê dynasty started its rebellion in Thanh Hoa province, which ultimately forced the court to withdraw from Annam."

“This area is unruly and mountainous; I believe a vassal state should be established to guard it.”

"Including Yi'an in the south, it should also be governed by capable and meritorious officials."

“Apart from Jiaozhou and Lang Son, all other places can be granted fiefdoms.”

"The imperial court only needs to control these two regions to control Annam." (End of Chapter)