The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 299: The Letter of Submission is the Pass

Rebellion in ancient times was actually not as difficult as people in later generations imagined.

Because in ancient times, information was blocked, transportation was poor, and the political structure was relatively simple, the closer to the central government, the more concentrated the power was, and it would drop sharply outside the capital.

The emperor or king who holds the greatest power in this political center will find it difficult to detect it at the first time due to the relative lack of information.

Even if they noticed it, they would hesitate for various reasons, unlike later generations who could use videos, photos, recordings, etc. to make immediate judgments and quickly convey notifications and orders.

At the same time, the emperor and king trapped in the capital were restricted by transportation, and their means of escape were limited and they could not escape quickly. There was even the possibility that no one would recognize them if they left the central government.

Therefore, at this time, a coup only needs to be carried out in the capital, and then the guy closest to power in the central government should be dealt with. The central power institution will be in your hands, and the rest is nothing more than whitewashing and gaming.

Look at the African coups of later generations; they are actually quite similar.

Especially if the rebels are from a wealthy family near the capital, it will be even easier.

The appearance of such a noble family in the capital area means that the power of the monarch has been greatly eroded or even lost.

Secondly, they have been in contact with the monarch for a long time and have far less awe in them than ordinary people. They are also familiar with the monarch's habits and even weaknesses. Therefore, when they rebel, they are more determined and more direct in attacking the vital points.

Anyway, the more Mo Zibu thought about it, the more scared he became. If it weren't for this sting operation, these guys would have joined forces with each other when he was in the Hue Royal Palace, and he might have really capsized.

Think about how Erzhu Rong, the most powerful man in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, fell. He was a overlord who had all the heroes in the north under his control, but he still died at the hands of Yuan Ziyou. This is very similar to the current situation of Mo Zibu.

Don't think that the Xingtang Kingdom is very stable. In fact, this stability depends entirely on Mo Zibu alone.

No one except him can control so many stakeholders. Once Mo Zibu dies, the kingdom will immediately collapse.

Mo Zibu decided that he would stay in Hoi An from now on. Whoever wanted to go to Hue could go. He also called back all the Minh Xiang people from Hoi An. Without them, I, King Mo, could not sleep.

. . . .

Since Mo Zibu was aware that he would be in danger in Hue, the high-ranking officials in Hue naturally knew Mo Zibu's weakness.

To be honest, if I, King Mo, had not been so vigilant, and if the Yuan Cong Guards had not been with him almost all the time in Hue, and if Queen Zheng Shishi and several women had not personally served him meals, the high-ranking officials in Hue would have taken action against Mo Zibu long ago.

When the Yuan Guards were transferred to West Borneo to fight, my King Mo was very cunning and ran to Hoi An.

The people of Hui An are from Minh Huong, and the high-ranking officials of Hue have no way of infiltrating here, so they can only sigh in despair.

Ruan Youcai sat in the first seat, watching the noise below. He felt a headache and rubbed some cooling oil on his temples to make his mind clearer.

"Of course I know that to catch a thief, you must first catch the leader. But this thief Mo is too cunning. He is always accompanied by thousands of people when he goes out to patrol or enter the imperial palace. His daily life and food are all taken care of by the northerners and Siamese.

We finally managed to get a few chefs in, but they were under constant scrutiny while they cooked, and he kept running back and forth to Hoi An, so we had no idea where to start."

Hearing Ruan Youcai say this, the Song family's patriarch nodded in anger, "What's even more abominable is that most of Mo's personal guards are foreign soldiers from the west.

These foreign soldiers don't buy property in the South; most of their favorite things are in the West, and only the Mo thieves can provide them. We don't even speak the same language, so we can't infiltrate them."

When these things were mentioned, everyone in the room frowned. They certainly knew that if they wanted to cause trouble, it would be best to kill Mo Zibu while he was in Hue, so that the Xing Tang Kingdom would immediately fall into chaos.

At that time, they would lead the Northern Zheng army south to bring back the eighteenth son Nguyen Phuc Thang and enthrone him as the Nguyen Lord. It would be perfect.

But unfortunately, Mo Zibu did not give them this opportunity.

"Uncle, let's take action, otherwise my uncle will be beaten to death by that bastard Wu Changzhu." A young man from the Pengshan Tao family mixed in the crowd and pleaded miserably.

Nguyen Youjin, the ancestor of the Xiangyun Nguyen family, was a general of the third generation Nguyen Lord Nguyen Phuc Lan. He came from a poor family, but was brave in battle and had a basic understanding of literature and art, so he was highly regarded by Tao Weici, the ancestor of the Tao family.

Tao Weici not only recommended Nguyen Huu Tien to Nguyen Phuc Lan, but also married his daughter to him, making them father-in-law and son-in-law.

So even after more than a hundred years, the relationship between the Pengshan Tao family and the Xiangyun Ruan family is still very close.

This is also the important reason why Tao Weide does not approve of them causing trouble, but still knows some inside information.

Having said that, in this world, strength is still what matters. When I, King Mo, entered Hue, I fought a really beautiful battle!
Facing the personal expedition of the Zheng Lord and the famous Annan general Huang Wufu, they managed to capture and kill more than 30,000 Zheng soldiers while suffering only a few hundred casualties of their own.

This gave the high-ranking families in Hue a great shock. Otherwise, this incident would have been much more powerful, and there would definitely not have been only a dozen high-ranking families involved.

At least it was only after Tao Weide witnessed the bravery of the Xing Tang Army that he decided to cut ties with the Xiangyun Ruan family.

Because he knew that no matter how many conspiracies and tricks he had, as long as he couldn't kill Mo Zibu, he would definitely lose everything. Without military support, he could not defeat the powerful Xing Tang Army by relying on conspiracies and tricks alone.

After hearing the Tao family's children's cries, Ruan Youjin remained silent for a while, then said to the family heads and representatives in the room:
"Although Lord Dexuan does not support us expelling the northerners and taking back Hue from us southerners, they are still our own people after all. Lord Dexuan is not young anymore. If we delay any longer, I'm afraid his body will not be able to bear it."

Everyone understood immediately that Ruan Youcai was afraid that Tao Weide could not endure the hardship and would reveal the whole thing. Although Tao Weide only knew a general idea, it was enough to attract the government troops.

Thinking of this, everyone in the room felt a chill. They definitely could not defeat the Xing Tang Army head-on, so they could not let Mo Zibu be on guard. So they quickly nodded in support and no longer insisted on waiting for Mo Zibu to arrive in Hue before taking action.

“Okay, then we won’t wait any longer. It’s good that the thief Mo is not in Hue. By the time he reacts, we will have killed all three guards of Hue.

As long as we kill his spies and keep him from ever finding out what's going on, Mothie will be unable to move an inch. From now on, whether we fight or negotiate will be up to us." Seeing that everyone had finally reached an agreement, Ruan Youcai felt a sense of relief. He had been planning for half a year, putting it off again and again, and now he could finally take action.

. . . .

Twenty kilometers east of Hue City, Chen Guangyao had already arrived here with a large army of 5,000 people. In addition to the Hakka First Regiment and 1,500 Chinese volunteers, there were also 2,500 Tây Sơn troops.

To be precise, they used to be the Xishan Army.

These people were the defeated troops gathered by Bui Thi Xuan's senior brother Wu Wenchu after the brothers Nguyen Van Yue and Nguyen Van Hue were defeated.

Two years ago, after Chen Guangyao and Pei Shichun pleaded for mercy, Mo Zibu pardoned Wu Wenchu and gave him the designation of Yanqing Regiment, which was affiliated with Chen Guangyao's Jiading Town.

"Sir, since we have a preliminary list, I think it would be better if you led the brothers of the First Regiment to block the four gates of Hue and check them one by one.

Deputy General Ye and the thousand-household commanders of the three Hue Guards will attack separately to eliminate all the rebellious thieves from the noble families, while I will go straight into Xiangyun!"

The garrison troops of the Xing Tang Kingdom are now generally equipped with auxiliary troops, that is, Chinese volunteers. On the one hand, they can serve as the labor force of the garrison troops, and on the other hand, they can be taken to the battlefield to see some blood, making it easier to draw on new troops in the future.

Finally, it is not so easy to get the benefits from me, King Mo. When the Chinese who go to Southeast Asia come, they will have land to share with the native women, and basically they will have to serve in the volunteer army for three to five months.

And there is another benefit to doing this, that is, the military medical level and system at this time are far higher than those of the civilians under the personal supervision of Mo Zibu.

These Chinese served as volunteers when they arrived in Southeast Asia. If they suffered from acclimatization or other diseases, they could be directly recuperated in the army. By the time their service was completed, they would have basically adapted to the environment in Southeast Asia, greatly improving their survival rate.

These Chinese volunteers were usually led by a deputy general who was equivalent to a deputy general, so Wu Wenchu asked Deputy General Ye to take the volunteers and act separately with the three guards.

"It is said that those thousands of elite soldiers are hiding in Xiangyun Society. The Ruan family is also the descendant of a fierce general, and their servants are quite capable." Chen Guangyao said to Wu Wenchu.

"The brothers of the Yanqing Regiment have been raised by the King, and all of them are eager to repay his kindness. A mere master and servant are nothing to us. Rest assured, General, I promise not to let any of you escape."

The thing called a letter of allegiance is actually very common, especially for a former core member of the Xishan Army like Wu Wenchu. Although he has a close relationship with Pei Shichun, this can only ensure that he will not be used as cannon fodder, but will not become a confidant.

Just look at the equipment of the Yanqing Regiment and you will know. They are still using the swords, spears and muskets of the Xishan Army. When it was first established, Mo Zibu gave it 300 flintlock rifles.

Moreover, all officers and soldiers in the Yanqing Regiment had no military ranks, which was even more unusual within Xingtang. Without military ranks, they could not enjoy the benefits that Mo Zibu had established for the officers and soldiers.

This includes retirement after ten years, where military pay can be deposited in a bank to earn interest, and after retirement, military rank will be converted to civilian nobility, with arrangements for patrol officers, constables, etc. based on rank.

"Brother, we are family and should keep our distance. You should know who is behind the many masters coming down the mountain this time.

The noble families of Hue are but a bunch of fools who have run out of tricks. Only those who unite them from behind are the truly rebellious and ruthless. We must not allow them to make any mistakes."

Hearing what Chen Guangyao said, Wu Wenchu nodded. Who else could it be? Nguyen Van Hue, a remnant of the Tây Sơn Army like him.

Because one of Nguyen Van Yue’s former queens, Yadu, known as the Maid General, was the daughter of the leader of the Shang people.

More than two years ago, after Nguyen Van Yue was defeated and killed, Yadu retreated to the high mountains in the west with thousands of Shangren soldiers. It is said that she even cut her face and vowed to avenge Nguyen Van Yue.

The Shangren tribe is complex and has a small population. No one except Yadu would be so desperate to gather so many Shangren soldiers and pass through the land of King Champassak in the west and walk through the jungle to reach Hue.

"Don't worry, General. I know what's right and wrong, and I know who deserves my loyalty. If Huang Tinghui really comes, I will capture him alive and present him to the king."

Wu Wenchu immediately made a very direct statement. For him, the Tây Sơn Army had sunk long ago, and the only survivor, Nguyen Van Hue, had changed his name to Huang Dinh Hue.

The most important thing for him now is to gain the trust of King Mo.

Moreover, King Mo gave Ruan Wenhui's first love, Bai Yueguang, to Chen Guangyao, and even gave birth to a son. It is said that Ruan Wenhui was so angry that she vomited blood on the spot.

Wu Wenchu can only survive with the protection of Chen Guangyao, so naturally he has to kill his former comrades ruthlessly. Otherwise, not only will he not be valued by King Mo, but Chen Guangyao will definitely not protect him anymore.

"In that case, I'll let Chen Guangdong take five companies with you. There are capturers from the military commanders in Hue City who can be used. Five companies are enough to blockade it!"

When Chen Guangyao heard Wu Wenchu directly call Nguyen Van Hue Huang Dinh Hue, he was immediately very satisfied.

Watching Wu Wenchu take the order, Chen Guangyao called over his cousin Chen Guangdong and whispered,

"Three of your five companies were transferred from the Imperial Guards by my request to the King.

Zhu Wenjie, the deputy captain of the Longxiang Guards Cavalry Battalion, has also arrived. His 300 cavalrymen will be stationed to the east of Xiangyunshe and can provide support at any time.

Furthermore, the loyalty of three companies in the Yanqing Regiment can be guaranteed. If Wu Wenchu makes any rash moves, you will be in full command and eliminate him and his superiors together."

"I obey your command!" Chen Guangdong accepted the order, but couldn't help but look at Wu Wenchu's back and touched his chin.

Brother, do you think this man is still unreliable? He wouldn't be so stupid as to still want to be with Nguyen Van Hue, right? "

"It's not the best, because the king is going to send him to support Huang Gongzhi, so his loyalty must be verified."

(End of this chapter)