The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 263: Only the Spring and Autumn Annals Know My Sins
Before Mo Zibu arrived in Hue, he received a secret report from Chen Lian.

Naturally, the only people around him who were qualified to know this were Chen Guangyao, Wu Wenyong and others.

Chen Guangyao, who had just won a great victory, said with a smile: "This man is very smart. He knows that he can't return to Beihe without our permission."

Wu Wenyong was very surprised, and inexplicably felt a little nervous about the name Nguyen Van Hue.

"The news of our victory over Lord Zheng should not have reached Hue yet, but this person actually figured it out in advance.

"General, if this is what Nguyen Van Hue really figured out, he must be no ordinary person. Letting him go back to Bac Ha would be like letting a tiger return to the mountains!"

Mo Zibu's heart was also beating fast. Although Nguyen Van Hue was praised by the Viet Cong in later generations, he was indeed a rare outstanding person in Vietnam.

He unified Vietnam, which had been divided for two hundred years, defeated Siam in the south, and resisted the Qing Dynasty in the north. He was much more capable than Kang Gam-chan and Yi Sun-sin who were praised by the Koreans, and even more capable than the famous generals praised by the Japanese.

If he is sent back to Beihe, it will definitely cause considerable obstacles to his future.

Because just as Nguyen Van Hue had expected, Mo Zi Bu would not be able to go north in a short time.

The fact that the entire Guangnan had been destroyed was secondary. The most important thing was that Mo Zibu was not yet ready to turn against the Qing Dynasty.

Mo Zibu estimated that based on the impression he had made on the Qing Dynasty and the good relationships he had established in Myanmar, the Qing Dynasty would not cause trouble for him if he did not enter Beihe.

Therefore, placing Nguyen Van Hue in Bac Ha at this time is basically equivalent to giving Nguyen Van Hue relatively sufficient time to develop.

However, Mo Zibu thought of another possibility.

If he wanted to counterattack, or even just wanted the Qing government to acquiesce in his annexation of Annan, he would definitely need a major war, a brutal war to make the Qing Dynasty recognize him.

So instead of building up the Red River Plain and then having it destroyed by war, it is better to do this in advance.

Moreover, the Red River Plain now has a population of four million, and the number of Yue people is obviously too large. It would be better to treat the Red River Plain as a Shura field in the future and consume some of the population so that we can make room for newcomers.

"Tell Li Guangcai that I accept this condition. I can spare the lives of Nguyen Van Hue and his thousand men."

After that, Mo Zibu sent Wu Wenyong away and said to Chen Guangyao, "Ayao, go tell Pei Dexuan that he must still be in contact with the Fan brothers on Nguyen Van Hue's side. Ask him to confirm it secretly."

Although Mo Zibu could generally confirm Li Guangcai's loyalty, such matters still needed to be confirmed from multiple sources.

However, Chen Guangyao read a different message from Mo Zibu's words.

The Pei family's allegiance has always been in a very awkward situation.

Because although they said they had taken refuge, it was not because Mo Zibu needed the Pei family that much. There were two factors at work that made Mo Zibu still accept the Pei family after the cake was almost divided.

One is Chen Guangyao, or we can also add that Pei Shichun's family saved Mo Zibu's life, and Yuan Cong's contribution in the initial stage.

The second is the line of Pei Shida of the Beihe Pei family.

But now, Pei Shida had some ulterior motives, causing the Beihe line to lose its value, and the leg supporting the Guiren Pei family suddenly became lame.

Pei Dexuan was also very nervous because of this. When he saw Chen Guangyao coming, he immediately went to greet him.

Without waiting for Pei Dexuan to speak, Chen Guangyao said directly, "Send Pham Thi Lien over. Let Pei Rixuan go to Hue City personally and make sure Nguyen Van Hue completes the task."

This sentence contained so much information that Pei Rixuan was stunned for a long time and didn't know what to say. He stammered twice and was about to speak when Chen Guangyao shot him a sharp look again.

"Don't tell me you don't know where Fan Shilian is. Of the Pei and Fan families, only one can survive now. This is your last chance. I can't protect you forever."

Chen Guangyao's words were so clear that Pei Dexuan swallowed all his sophistry. However, he remembered the second half and asked with some doubt:
"Sir General, what does Nguyen Van Hue want to do that requires Ri Xuan to risk entering Hue City?"

Chen Guangyao's expression suddenly changed, and he slapped Pei Dexuan to the ground.

"You guys are still in contact with Ruan Wenhui!"

"I slapped Chun because he saved my life in Fulu Society. If you ever try to bet on both sides again, your entire Pei family will die!"

The slap was so heavy that it made Pei Dexuan spin several times like a top. Blood flowed from his nose, his entire chin was bright red, and the right half of his face was swollen like a pig's head.

Pei Dexuan even lay on the ground with stars in his eyes for a long time and was unable to get up, as if his jaw was dislocated.

Chen Guangyao squatted down, held Pei Dexuan's chin and pushed it gently. With a click, it closed immediately.

“If you hadn’t made some contributions in Guiren, and if Wu Wenchu hadn’t been tactful and had brought people to pay homage, your Pei family wouldn’t have had this opportunity.

You don't need to know what Nguyen Van Hue is going to do. Let Pei Rixuan carefully record everything he sees.

Then continue to contact Pei Shida. Our uncle is much more ambitious than you think, and we can take advantage of him.

As for whether he will bring disaster upon himself or achieve success in the future, that is up to the fate of the Pei family of Haiyang."

Pei Dexuan nodded quickly, knowing full well that he had indeed just been to the gates of hell.

If it weren't for the relationship and usefulness they still had, he was sure that Chen Guangyao would have already thought of killing them.

. . . .

Hue, Royal Palace.

Ruan Fuyang remained calm as he watched Ruan Wenhui approaching step by step.

As a Nguyen Lord who was captured shortly after ascending the throne and is still not recognized by the people of Guangnan, Nguyen Phuc Duong is actually very familiar with all of this.

Because ever since the death of his grandfather, King Nguyen Phuc Khoa, Zhang Fuluan, who holds great power, has been thinking about killing him all the time. His treatment has always been very miserable and has never changed.

"It seems that Fuchun can no longer be defended, right?" Ruan Fuyang listened to the screams coming from his ears. His body was shaking constantly and his voice was trembling a little, but he generally maintained his composure.

"Yes, my lord!" Nguyen Van Hue looked at Nguyen Phuoc Duong, who was wearing a bright yellow robe with dragon pattern on the throne, and suddenly fell to the ground.

"Your Majesty, Nguyen Van Hue, originally raised an army to purge the imperial court, destroy Zhang Fuluan, support Wang Sun, and clean up the court. However, fate has not been what we wished, and today, I have no choice but to commit an offense."

Ruan Fuyang looked at Ruan Wenhui expressionlessly, not caring whether Ruan Wenhui was sincere or just pretending to say these words, but stood up trembling.

"I heard that Taoist Qingyang died in the ocean, right? Is there anyone to take over the throne now?"

Taoist Qingyang is King Dinh Ruan Fuchun who died at sea. Since no one gave him a posthumous title in this time and space, he is generally called by his title Taoist Qingyang.

Nguyen Van Hue nodded, "Indeed. The southern thief Mo Zibu is said to want to support the Sixth Prince."

Fourteen-year-old Ruan Fuyang suddenly let out a long sigh, "Master Qingyang was confused in life and died confused. He will never know who killed him until he dies."

Ruan Wenhui was shocked when he heard this, and Pei Rixuan, who was not far behind him, was already sweating profusely.

"Huang Tinghui, you can't beat Mo Zibu. I've seen him before. Back then, he was just a big, stupid guy, but his eyes were very bright. I heard that he was a coward, but those Ming people in Fuchun were still willing to follow him.

Now that he's awake, no one can stop him, not even you."

When he heard Nguyen Phuoc Duong call him Huang Tinghui, there seemed to be a look of ridicule on his face. When he heard this kid say that he could not beat Mo Zibu, Nguyen Van Hui, who had no respect for the Nguyen Lord in the first place, stepped forward.

When Nguyen Phuc Duong saw Nguyen Van Hue coming forward, he sat back on the throne, leaned forward and stretched his neck.

"I still want some respect. Considering that your ancestors have been receiving salaries from the Ruan family for over a hundred years, please use white silk."

Ruan Wenhui nodded. He had no intention of using weapons, as that would be too unsightly. It would be better to execute a king gently and civilly. With a wave of his hand, Li Guangcai, who was somewhat worried, stood on the left, and Fan Wenxing stood on the right.

Ruan Wenhui gently wrapped the white silk around her neck and handed the two ends to Li Guangcai and Fan Wenxing.

Ruan Fuyang touched the white silk and smiled a little neurotically. An extremely sad look flashed in the eyes of a fourteen-year-old boy.

"His brain isn't working well anymore, but maybe this way he can live to the end of his life."

After that, at Nguyen Van Huy's signal, the white silk at both ends began to tighten suddenly. Nguyen Fuyang's face turned purple and his body began to struggle involuntarily. Suddenly, he roared:
"In my next life, I hope I won't be born into a royal family!"

In an instant, Ruan Fuyang and Ruan Wenhui looked at each other inexplicably, as if the heaven and earth began to shake, and it seemed that another picture began to appear in their minds at the same time.

Ruan Fuyang stretched out his hand with difficulty and pointed at Ruan Wenhui. He wanted to say something but didn't say it.

Finally, his face turned blue and purple, saliva kept flowing out of his mouth, and a small black and purple tongue tip could occasionally be seen in his half-open mouth. His hands and feet curled up involuntarily, but he finally stopped struggling and ended his tragic life.

The Nguyen family of Guangnan came to an end.

. . . .

Outside the city of Hue, Mo Zibu listened quietly to Pei Rixuan's report with an expressionless face.

When he heard Ruan Fuyang say that Ruan Fuchun "was confused when he was alive and died confused, and he didn't know who killed him until his death", Mo Zibu couldn't hold it in any longer.

It seems that Wang Sunyang is indeed intelligent, but the current situation does not give him any chance.

Just like Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, and Duke Gaogui, Cao Mao, when history reaches this point, both wise and foolish are meaningless.

"Only the Spring and Autumn Annals know me and judge me!" Mo Zibu said nothing else, nor did he argue for himself, saying that he didn't do it or something like that, which was meaningless.

And from this incident, Prince Dinh Nguyen Phuc Thuan deserved to die because of his own misfortune, but the others, whether it was the Nguyen clan or the nearly one hundred Hoi An Minh Xiang people who sank to the bottom of the sea with them, they were indeed innocent.

But sometimes there are some prices that must be paid.

The Guangnan Nguyen family claimed that their ancestor was Nguyen Fu, who was a close confidant of Ding Buling in the late period of the Twelve Lords, and was a contemporary of the son of Wu Quan, the governor of Jinghai Army.

Although their family actually moved south from Fujian in the late Song Dynasty and early Yuan Dynasty, the entire Nguyen family undoubtedly carried a distinctive Han Chinese Beijing-style political line with Annan characteristics.

Ruan Fuyang's death represents the complete end of this path, and another path will be born from Mo Zibu's hands.

Mo Zibu slowly squatted down, facing the direction of the sea in the east, piled up a pile of earth with his hands, took out the incense and candles that he had prepared long ago, and lit them gently.

"I will take good care of your parents, wives, children, brothers and sisters. Decades later, I will come down and apologize to you from the depths of my grave."

Mo Zibu muttered softly. Since he came to this world, at least eighty thousand people had died because of him.

Only the nearly one hundred Mingxiang people who died in the sea with Ruan Fuchun were innocent people in Mo Zibu's heart, and they died because of him.

"Let's build a hometown tower at the mouth of Shun'an River in the future to guide those wandering souls on the sea back to their hometowns, where they originally set sail."

After Mo Zibu finished speaking, Chen Guangyao and Luo Zhongan, the son of Grandpa Luo, were shocked. They naturally knew what Mo Zibu was talking about.

After hesitating for a long time, Chen Guangyao said in a low voice: "General, you shouldn't say these words."

Mo Zibu knew what he was worried about and waved his hand, "Let history judge his merits and demerits."

Then Mo Zibu patted the dirt off his hands and said, "But history is written by the victors."

Luo Zhongan was a little tearful. Those who died on that ship in his family were not just his brother Luo Zhongda, but also more than a dozen members of the Luo family and dozens of familiar fellow villagers.

"I thank the general for not forgetting them." Luo Zhongan said in a low voice.

"History will not forget them!" Mo Zibu added.

After saying that, Mo Zibu looked at Pei Rixuan, who felt that he knew General Mo's greatest secret and was trembling with fear. He guessed that there was a high probability that he would be silenced.

"I heard that your sister Pei Shiyan is Chun's junior apprentice and is also very skilled in martial arts?"

Pei Rixuan's eyes gleamed a little, and he quickly knelt down and replied, "That's right, although my little sister Ayan is not as talented as Chun, two or three ordinary men still can't get close to her."

"Okay, let her come to Hoi An and be my bodyguard."

Pei Rixuan was overjoyed, finally knowing that his head was saved. Although he might have to do dirty work for General Mo for the rest of his life, his status and wealth were guaranteed.

And his fifteen-year-old sister Pei Shiyan is the link.

Well, in history, Nguyen Van Hue’s two queens, Pham Thi Lien and Bui Thi Ngan, were both taken away by Mo Zi Bu.

But Mo Zibu would not want Fan Shilian. This woman was a bit troublesome. It was said that she and Nguyen Van Hue had already secretly decided to spend their lives together and were in love. She was a tool that could be used, but there was no need to keep her around.

January 1773, 1, the fifth day of the first lunar month, was the thirty-eighth year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign in the Qing Dynasty.

After Mo Zi Bu let the entire army spend the New Year outside Hue City, he immediately began to attack Hue City.

Before this, Chen Lian, who was responsible for the siege of Hue in the early stage, had already filled up the moat east of Hue City, and the outer earth wall was piled higher than Hue City.

After Mo Zibu arrived, he rewarded the three armies and Hui Liangren was also rewarded. Even the hard-working laborers were given meat meals for three days.

Morale exploded, and thousands of people moved six 36-pound naval guns from the HMS Loyalty and placed them on the earth wall.

Although the artillery of Hue City is heavy, its caliber is not large due to the backward casting technology, and the amount of gunpowder is not as good as that of a twelve-pound cannon, not to mention its range.

As a result, they could only be bombarded in the city and were completely unable to fight back.

After bombarding for a day and a half, Huang Wufu could no longer hold on. Zheng's army took advantage of the night to lower hundreds of elite soldiers down from the city wall in an attempt to destroy the Xingtang army's artillery positions.

As a result, they were completely wiped out by the Xing Tang Army which had been well prepared.

On the third day, the city wall of Hue was blown down, and the Xing Tang army rushed in through the breach. After fighting for less than half a day, more than a thousand Zheng soldiers were killed, and the remnants retreated to the royal city of Hue.

Huang Wufu threatened Mo Zibu with the detained ministers of the Guangnan royal family and the leaders of the Jinghan clan in Hue, and demanded that Mo Zibu release them and return north.

Mo Zibu agreed to Huang Wufu's request, but asked them to release the people first. Zheng Jun demanded that they reach the north of Shunzhou before releasing the people.

Naturally, the two sides could not reach an agreement and could only continue fighting.

On the 13th day of the first lunar month, the Xing Tang army broke through the extremely strong Hue Royal City. More than half of the 5,000 Zheng troops in the city were killed or wounded. The commander Huang Wufu committed suicide by swallowing gold in the palace. The deputy commander Ding Xirang and the general Nguyen Tai De were killed in the battle.

Almost all the officials of the Guangnan royal family in the royal city were killed or injured, and almost all of the remaining 10,000 residents were buried with them.

In a rage, Mo Zibu, who entered the city, issued an order to kill. Except for a few hundred Zheng soldiers who managed to escape, more than 13,000 soldiers in the city were all killed.

At this point, the Three Prefectures Army, which had influenced Beihe's politics for two hundred years, was killed by Mo Zibu, leaving only a few small soldiers.

One hundred and fifty miles north of Hue, Nguyen Van Hue and Nguyen Huu Ching, surrounded by Huang Dinh Bao, more than a thousand people were fleeing rapidly northward back to the Bac Ha.

Nguyen Van Hue looked towards the south painfully. He didn't know if he could return to his hometown after leaving. He didn't know into whom would fall the arms of his unforgettable first love, Phan Thi Lien. Was the Qing Dynasty really reliable?
For all this, the only people he can rely on are the few hundred people around him.

　I will resume two updates tomorrow. I had planned to update today, but these past few days there have been banquets and I had to go help out. The New Year celebrations are much more tiring than usual.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)