The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 339: Swords and Shadows
The Zheng family ruled Beihe for two hundred years, and their appeal was undoubtedly unmatched by Mo Zibu's.

After entering Tokyo City on the fifth day of May, Mo Zibu ordered people to ring the big bell of the Tokyo Palace to summon all civil and military officials to attend the court meeting.

Damn it, in the end only a few cats and dogs came, but all the eunuchs who had managed to escape with their lives in the palace came, because they had nowhere else to go and the palace was their home.

But this time, Zheng Sen issued the edict for the last time as the Grand Marshal and Chief State Advisor to the Shangfu Ruiduan, Wengong, Wude and Jingwang.

He claimed that the Zheng family's luck had run out, so he dissolved the main government and demanded that the officials of the Zheng family come out to serve the new dynasty. However, because his ancestors were descendants of the Han family, he returned to the Han family to save his life, and then people came.

And quite a few of them came, including officials of all ranks, including Pei Shida, the attendant, Ruan Li and other senior officials.

With the return of these people, I, King Mo, can finally get rid of a very embarrassing situation, that is, until now, he is still only adopting the occupation force mode and is unable to administer.

So, Mo Zibu kept his promise. After Zheng Sen gave the location of the Zheng Lord's treasury, Mo Zibu gave Zheng Sen 250,000 taels of silver without counting it, which was enough for Zheng Sen to live a carefree life for the rest of his life.

At the same time, Zheng Sen's family, including his queen, concubines, more than a dozen beauties, sisters, children, etc., all let them go.

Before boarding the boat, Zheng Sen looked at Mo Zibu with a smile on his face, and the resentment in his heart suddenly diminished a lot.

It was already a very good ending for a ruler of a fallen country like him to be able to take his family to Siam and become a rich man.

At the same time, it seems to be a good choice to live the next life carefree without having to continue carrying the heavy burden on your shoulders or worrying about the Three Prefectures Army and the high-ranking families.

Zheng Sen thought about it and realized that if he caught Mo Zibu, he would definitely not be so magnanimous and would definitely kill Mo Zibu. Although this guy was insidious and shameless, he did have the demeanor of a king who spoke with all his might.

"Mo Zhao, if you really want to use Beihe as a base to drive out the Tartars, you must first revive the Han family in Beihe. So, you have to be wary of one person." After thinking about it, Zheng Sen finally decided to give Mo Zibu some advice.

"Oh, please let King Jing tell me clearly." I, King Mo, can really be very humble. Except when he threatened Zheng Sen, he always called the last lord of Beihe "King Jing" and did not make any other insulting moves.

Zheng Sen's three sisters and two daughters were also well protected and had no ill intentions.

"Li Guidun!" A look of struggle appeared on Zheng Sen's face. After saying the name, he was silent for a long while before continuing.

"This person has already entered the Xianwang Sainthood. He is the culmination of the orthodox teachings in the Southern Kingdom. The theory of Tiannan Zhonghua, where the Southern Emperor resides in the mountains and the Southern Emperor resides, which began in the Li Dynasty, will be completed by this person.

If you cannot subdue Li Guidun, he will definitely become a great threat to you.

This person is currently hiding in his hometown of Yanhe County, Xianxing Prefecture, in the south of the mountain. Go find him quickly and don't let him escape to the north."

Mo Zibu had just thought it was a joke, but when he heard the words "become a virtuous and a saint", he no longer dared to despise it.

Because in Confucianism, the word "sage" is not just a casual word, but represents the person's realm, contribution and status in the discipline of Confucianism.

Simply put, after Confucius, the second sage Mencius, and the later sage Xunzi, the only ones who could be given the title of sage who founded the Confucian school were Dong Zhongshu, who understood the interaction between heaven and man, Zhu Xi, who explored the principles of heaven and understood human relations, and Wang Yangming, who integrated knowledge and action.

The rest, even Yang Xiong, Confucius of Western Shu, the two Cheng brothers who could make people stand in the snow outside Cheng's door, and Zhang Zai who wrote "Establishing a Mission for the People", can only be called top-level sages and scholars, but not saints of Confucianism.

Mo Zibu had never heard of Li Guidun mentioned by Zheng Sen. Mo Zibu also did not believe what Zheng Sen said, that Li Guidun was already a Confucian sage who could aspire to become a saint.

But one thing is certain, to be praised so highly by a king like Zheng Sen, who could be called a writer and poet, he must be a person who has made deep studies in Confucianism.

In particular, Zheng Sen also reminded Mo Zibu that Li Guidun was perfecting the theoretical basis of "Southern Emperor's Mountain and Southern Emperor's Residence", which aroused Mo Zibu's vigilance even more.

He bowed solemnly to Zheng Sen and said, "Thank you, Prince Jing, for reminding me. After you go to Siam, you can use the surname Zheng to interact more with my father-in-law.

He attaches great importance to his fellow townspeople and family, and cannot write two characters of Zheng in one stroke. Prince Jing will definitely be treated favorably for this.

Furthermore, Siam still practices slavery. After Prince Jing arrives in Siam, he can first ask the King of Siam for a title, and then he can buy slaves and land, not only to ensure his own safety, but also to accumulate land for his descendants."

Mo Zibu still felt unsure, "If Prince Jing trusts me, you can have the escorting troops stay in Hoi An for a while.

The Queen has hundreds of very useful Siamese servants around her, and she can assign twenty of them to serve as Prince Jing's stewards. With them, Prince Jing will be able to gain a foothold in Siam more quickly."

Zheng Sen looked at Mo Zibu with a complicated expression in his eyes. He slowly raised his hand and bowed to Mo Zibu. "Thank you, King Ren De. I will not refuse."

Mo Zibu also returned the greeting to Zheng Sen, "Have a safe journey, Prince Jing. I beg your pardon for not being able to see you off!"

Seeing Zheng Sen leaving, Mo Zibu immediately called Huo Ran over and said, "Secretly monitor Li Guidun's family. You will be in charge personally and place visible and hidden sentries around the Li family.

If they don't run away, just keep an eye on them. If they do, bring back the entire family, including the maids, servants, and the laundry and cooking women. Leave no one behind."

Huo Ran took the order and left. Mo Zibu called Zheng Jinshui over and asked, "Have Wu Shishi, Wu Shiren, and Pan Huiyi and his son arrived?"

Zheng Jinshui quickly replied, "After receiving the king's order, the three of us have already set out and will reach Tokyo in three days at most."

Mo Zibu nodded. He certainly would not believe Zheng Sen's one-sided statement, so he wanted to ask the Wu family's father and son. They were all masters of Confucianism and must know more details.

"Have the three of them come to Tokyo and immediately come to the palace to meet the emperor."

. . . .

In the carriage, Wu Shiren and Pan Huiyi were sweating profusely as they helped Wu Shishi delete the content.

Because before Mo Zi Bu entered the Bac Ha, Wu Shishi was responsible for continuing the writing of the "Complete History of Dai Viet" for Wu Shilian, a historian who lived more than 200 years ago and was also his great-great-grandfather.

Just as I finished writing the history of the Mo Dynasty, King Mo attacked Tokyo City. Wu Shishi was so scared that he quickly deleted the text that had previously cursed the Mo Dynasty and filled it with some good words that were in line with Mo Zibu's theory.

As for why they were in such a hurry to make deletions, it was because everyone in Beihe knew that Wu Shishi was serving as a historian and continuing to write the complete book of Dai Viet History.

In order to build reputation for himself, Wu Shishi even revealed where the article was written.

Good heavens, if we don't quickly delete and add some, what if King Mo summoned the three of them to Tokyo just to read this history book? If we really submit the original text, it's unknown whether the three of them can save their heads.

My hands were cramping from revising all the time, but I finally finished the revisions before entering Tokyo City. The father and his two sons breathed a sigh of relief at the same time, feeling that their souls had finally returned to themselves.

What can I say about this father and his two sons? Their personalities are not the kind of so-called upright people who are extremely noble, self-admiring, loyal, and dedicated to the country and the people.

Historically, when Nguyen Van Hue entered Bac Ha, most of the noble families were unwilling to cooperate with him and refused to accept the official positions granted by the Tây Sơn Dynasty.

At that time, his father Wu Shishi had died, but Wu Shiren and Pan Huiyi both defected to the Thaishan Dynasty and became high-ranking officials of the Thaishan Dynasty.

It can be said that the philosophy of life of these three people is that they will follow whoever values them. They do not seek to become high-ranking officials. As long as they can continue the profession passed down from generation to generation in the Wu family - historian, and maintain the noble and prestigious status of the Wu family and the leader of the literati, that is enough.

What's more, in Annan, the better one learns Confucianism, the more inclined one is to return to it.

Because as long as you keep learning, you will eventually find that everything in Annan actually originated from the Central Plains and is a part of the Central Plains.

After entering the palace and walking to the door of the hall, Wu Shiren couldn't help but ask his father Wu Shishi.

"Father, we deleted the words that were unfavorable to the Mo Dynasty and supported King Rende's proposal. If this gets out, I'm afraid it will cause ridicule among the scholars!"

"Yes, Mr. Quy Tang (Le Quy Don) is also compiling a general history of Dai Viet. If we write something contrary to his, we might be considered an outsider, which would damage the Wu family's status in the literati community."

Wu Shishi looked at his son Wu Shiren and son-in-law Pan Huiyi, then looked at the nearby Wanshou Hall of the royal palace, and said in a low voice:
“Don’t worry, Le Quy Don is doomed, because he has just finished writing the biography of traitors in his General History of Dai Viet, and has named Mo Dang Dung as the greatest traitor in the world. He has also announced that he, Le Quy Don, will not change a single word of it.

Humph! Now that the king is from the Mo family, how can he tolerate him? "

Wu Shiren and Pan Huiyi were overjoyed when they heard this. As long as Li Guidun was gone, no one would come out to blame them.

Wu Shishi looked at his two still somewhat naive sons and sons-in-law, and his heart tightened. They still had no political vigilance. If he did not make arrangements for them, what kind of life would they live after he passed away?

Well, it wasn’t a big deal. Twenty years later, both of them were dragged to the Temple of Literature in Hanoi by Nguyen Phuc Anh and Nguyen Xiaoqiang, stripped naked and whipped on the back.

Wu Shiren was beaten to death by his good friend Deng Chenchang, who had become his enemy. Pan Huiyi was so ashamed and resentful that he ran away to the countryside and hid. He never served as an official again and even left his hometown.

Therefore, with concern for the future of his son and son-in-law, Wu Shishi took the initiative to hand over the revised complete history of Dai Viet to Mo Zibu without waiting for Mo Zibu to ask, and was particularly considerate to turn directly to the page of the Mo Dynasty.

Ah? You're asking what would happen if Wu Shishi made a wrong bet and Mo Zibu lost control of Beihe?
Don't worry, these people are very smart. At present, there is no one in Annan who can compete with Mo Zibu. Even if the Qing Dynasty interferes and fails to enter Beihe, we can still enter a second time. The Qing Dynasty cannot station troops in Beihe forever.

Even if the Qing Dynasty had been stationed in Beihe all the time, it would be good enough if it could stabilize Beihe. Could it still take over Guangnan, Andai and Jiaxi (West Borneo) of King Ren De?
This is also the biggest reason why people in Beihe are optimistic about Mo Zibu. Up to this moment, I, King Mo, am basically invincible. It’s just a matter of whether it’s a small win, a big win or a special win.

Mo Zibu flipped through the book and saw that Wu Shishi's writing ideas were basically consistent with his, that is, he regarded the Ming Dynasty as the first unified dynasty after the Tang Dynasty, and believed that Mo Dengyong's submission to the Ming Dynasty was a righteous act.

"Mr. Wu Feng is very thoughtful. For hundreds of years, the world has misunderstood my great-uncle, the king. Some people only see the small family of Tiannan and fail to see the great family of the world. This is really wrong."

Mo Zibu was very satisfied. The three members of the Wu family were respectful and influential among the scholars, making them the best targets for unity.

Wu Shishi quickly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty is right. The Eastern Tartars are now occupying the Central Plains, just as they were during the Mongols' time. Now that Your Majesty has responded to Heaven's will and seized upon this opportunity, this is precisely our opportunity, the Han people of the Southern Kingdom. We should join Your Majesty in driving out the Tartars and returning to our homeland."

"Well said!" Mo Zibu praised, and then without hiding anything, he directly told the biggest reason for summoning the Wu father and son.

"Is Mr. Wu Feng familiar with Li Guidun? What is his academic record?"

It turned out to be because of this matter. Wu Shishi felt relieved and immediately decided to give Li Guidun some bad medicine.

In addition to Wu Shishi's desire to make a name for himself in order to ensure a smooth future career for his somewhat naive son and son-in-law, a major reason for this was the opposition between Wu Shishi and Li Guidun in historical academics.

Wu Shishi advocated respecting Confucianism and learning from the north, believed that more should be learned from the Central Plains, and was in favor of maintaining a vassal relationship with the central dynasty.

However, Le Quy Don believed that Annan was the Southern Dynasty and the Central Dynasty was the Northern Dynasty. It was okay to learn from them, but not to respect them. The vassal relationship was a shame and should be severed. He even advocated that Chinese characters be completely replaced by Han-Nom characters.

This person even believed that the Vietnamese nation was as civilized as China in its early days.

He also specifically compared the population, regional size, and scope of Jiaozhi County in the Han Dynasty with those of Nanhai, Cangwu, Hepu, and Yulin, and believed that Jiaozhi was more developed than Nanhai and other counties.

Based on the fact that the Governor of Jiaozhi concurrently governed Guangdong and Guangxi and ruled from Longbian (Tokyo), they believed that the capital of their country was the central place and the gathering place of all four directions.

According to this theory, among the three provinces of Lingnan, Guangnan (Jiaozhi) is the richest. Hanoi far exceeds Guangzhou and is the center of the three provinces. Hanoi is the center of civilization in the South, radiating the light of civilization of the small China in the south to the surrounding areas.

These two ideas were actually the theoretical basis for the later Vietnamese to believe that Guangdong and Guangxi belonged to them and shamelessly inherited Zhao Tuo's Nanyue Kingdom.

"You bastard! You are so bold, you are absolutely crazy!" I, King Mo, was furious and started cursing.

"According to this perverse theory, Zhao Tuo is a foreigner, and Emperor Xiaowu of the Han Dynasty, when he recaptured Lingnan, was he not invading? This villain has ulterior motives and is truly despicable!"

"I also heard that Le Quy Don is compiling the history of Dai Viet, and has identified your majesty's great-uncle Mo Taizu as the chief of the traitors, and recorded it in the first chapter of the Biography of Traitors." Seeing that the time was right, Wu Shishi immediately began to add more information.

"How dare you, Mang Nu!" Mo Zibu was really mad. He kicked over the table in front of him while still shouting.

"Call Li Quan and have him take the Imperial Guards to Yanhe County and arrest Li Guidun's entire family, including servants and maids, and bring them to Tokyo. Don't let a single one escape!"

Although he seemed extremely furious, Mo Zibu discovered that he had found a reason to implicate a large number of high-ranking families.

He wanted to expand this history revision case and kill all those who were related to Li Guidun and had the same ideas as him.

Thinking of this, Mo Zibu immediately walked behind the screen and gave Wu Ren an order.

"Go find Deng Chenchang and go with him. Secretly arrest all those who have a teacher-student relationship with Li Guidun. Don't let any of them escape."

(End of this chapter)