The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 42 What? I am your grandfather

When Ruan Tuoqiu heard Mo Zibu say this, he was overjoyed.

He knew where Mo Zibu came from, and was afraid that Mo Zibu would think of annexing his troops and forcibly take him to Liangshan on the sea. He immediately said:
"Qiu, I was trapped in a siege, and fortunately, the Fifth Young Master rescued me. This favor is as great as the sky and the sea. It is only natural that I should serve the Fifth Young Master at all times.

But my grandmother, mother, and younger brothers and sisters are still with my uncle Huang Gong. If you agree, I would like to return to Mengtiangang."

What Ruan Tuoqiu didn't know was that Mo Zibu actually didn't want him to follow him.

Because the composition of Mo Zibu's subordinates is already complicated enough, if Ruan Tuoqiu is added, it will be a gathering of all kinds of people, which is very unfavorable for management.

He only wanted a few hundred elite soldiers, not a rebel leader like Ruan Tuoqiu.

After Ruan Tuoqiu finished speaking, he saw that Mo Zibu did not make a decision immediately. He thought that Mo Zibu really wanted to take him to the sea, so he quickly bowed and said again:
"I have another matter to report to the Fifth Young Master. Mr. Huang of Mengtiangang is not surnamed Huang but Mo. He is actually the fourth-generation grandson of King Mingzong.

If you really want to talk about it, he is still the nephew of the Fifth Young Master. I regard Mr. Huang as my father, and the Fifth Young Master is actually my fifth uncle!"

what?
Mo Zibu was stunned!
The King Mingzong mentioned by Nguyen Tuoqiu should be referring to the last king of the Mac Dynasty, Mo Mingzong Mo Jingwan.

In terms of seniority, if Huang Gongzhi is the fourth-generation grandson of Mo Jingwan, then he is indeed the nephew of Mo Zibu.

This... this is good!

If Huang Gongzhi could hold on for a few more years than in history, his Mo Zibu's rule over Annan would have provided an additional layer of legal basis, so we must quickly understand it.

Ruan Tuoqiu was a little nervous because Huang Gongzhi was indeed a descendant of Mo Dengyong, but he was not the fourth-generation grandson of Mo Jingwan.

After Mo Jingwan lost Gaoping, his entire family was relocated to Guangzhou and other places by the Qing Dynasty.

He is the fourth-generation grandson of Mo Jingwan's cousin. Although he is not out of the five generations of kinship, he is still very different from his direct descendants.

But at this time, Ruan Tuoqiu Datou insisted that Huang Gongzhi was the fourth-generation grandson of Mo Jingwan, and said that Huang Gongzhi had the Mo family genealogy, golden seal and other things.

Of course, Mo Zibu would not delve into it further. This was a good thing for him, so he immediately bowed to the north.

“It turns out Mr. Huang is a relative of mine. It’s been two hundred years, and I didn’t expect they are still holding on.

Alas, when I think of the two branches of the Mo family, one in the south and one in the north, I think of how much they have done for Annan.

My ancestor, Mr. Mo, was in the south and expanded the territory for thousands of miles.

King Taizu of the north ended the chaotic times, and the Li family's destiny was over. They should have died of old age. However, the thief Zheng went against the will of heaven. I think the day of his downfall is not far away.

This land of Annan should be a place for my Mo family to gain a foothold!"

To Li Xianwen, Ou Long and others on Mo Zibu's side, these words were like Sima Zhao's intentions being known to everyone.

But to Ruan Tuoqiu and others, it seemed extremely reasonable.

Mo Zibu looked at Ruan Tuo who was worried and asked, "Since we are a family, if you want to go back to Mengtiangang, I will naturally agree.

You and I will each take half of the civilians outside the city. Mengtiangang is short of strong men, and if you bring them back, it will be a great achievement. I will also provide 50,000 kilograms of food to help you go north."

Mengtiangang is Dien Bien Phu in later generations. It is located in the northwest of Vietnam near Laos. It is the most sparsely populated area with high mountains and dense forests.

There are still more than 30,000 Zheng soldiers and civilians outside the city. Letting Ruan Tuoqiu take more than 10,000 people with him can greatly enhance Huang Gongzhi's strength.

Mo Zibu vaguely remembered that in history, Huang Gongzhi was only a few years away from surviving Nguyen Hue's defeat of Zheng. However, he died of anger and frustration due to internal and external difficulties at the darkest moment before dawn.

In this time and space, if Huang Gongzhi could hold on for a few more years, it would be a great help when Mo Zibu took Nguyen Hue's script and went north again.

Ruan Tuoqiu didn't expect that Mo Zibu, who was only seventeen or eighteen years old, could be so cruel as to act like the grandfather of a man in his thirties, and even called him Aqiu.

He felt a little embarrassed but at the same time he understood that in terms of seniority, Mo Zibu was indeed his grandfather. He could only bow and thank his fifth uncle.

Mo Zibu quickly pulled Ruan Tuoqiu up and said earnestly, "When Ah Qiu returns to Mengtiangang, you can tell my nephew that the Mo family not only has people in the north, but also has a foundation in the south.

I see the conflict between Zheng and Ruan dragging on for a hundred and fifty years, the gentry and common people are suffering unspeakably, and the world is about to undergo a major change. He must stay put and wait for the changes to happen!"

Ruan Tuoqiu seemed to understand, but he still answered loudly: "My grandson saved it. I will report it one by one when I get back."

"Hahahaha!" Mo Zibu burst into laughter. As soon as Ruan Tuo called him grandson, Mo Zibu immediately knew everyone in and outside Rong City.

. . . .

The next day, there was deafening crying outside the city of Rong City. There were still more than 2,000 people left in Ruan Tuoqiu's army, and Mo Zibu had more than 1,000 people. They directly surrounded the panicked civilians outside the city of Rong City.

Afterwards, the two groups divided the more than 30,000 civilians roughly, with Ruan Tuoqiu taking half and Mo Zibu taking half.

The deafening wails came from the fifteen or sixteen thousand civilians taken away by Ruan Tuoqiu and the remaining thousands of people in Rong City.

Naturally, these laborers wanted to leave the hell that was Rong City, but they also didn't want to be taken to the mountainous and densely forested Mengtiangang. Most of them had already served several months of forced labor, and those who had survived were lucky enough to be alive, and their hearts were filled with longing for their loved ones back home.

Of course, I also knew that if I was taken away from Mengtiangang, not to mention the hardships on the way, I would probably never see my relatives again in this life.

But Ruan Duoqiu would not indulge these civilians. What could go wrong with the righteous army? They could immediately turn into bandit troops when necessary.

Without a leader of extraordinary talent, most of the rebel armies committed no less evil than the government troops.

It was obvious that Ruan Duoqiu was not a leader with natural talent, so these civilians suffered immediately.

Ruan Tuo asked his soldiers to beat them with sticks first, and then stab them with knives if they still refused to obey.

And they would not stab the person to death with one blow, but would specifically stab him in the stomach and then throw him onto an open space, letting everyone watch him wail in pain and slowly die.

After these laborers became more obedient, they were immediately ordered to tie a straw rope together in groups of ten. If anyone of the ten ran away, they would be beheaded immediately if the other nine did not stop him and report it.

The heart-wrenching cries scared the civilians on Mo Zibu's side so much that their faces turned pale.

No matter if they were gang leaders among the laborers or ordinary laborers, they had completely lost any courage.

Although they were guarded by the soldiers of Kunlun Mountain Hall and dared not move, they all knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Mo Zibu continuously.

It was pitch black, and their thin, tattered clothes fluttered in the cold wind like yellow leaves on trees in autumn. When the wind blew a little harder, these poor farmers could not help shivering.

The trembling mixed with the movements of kneeling and begging for mercy swayed up and down like waves.

Mo Zibu naturally would not take these laborers away, as it would be of no use taking them away, but he needed their gratitude.

"Gather them by village, into groups of at least 100 people, and let them elect trustworthy people themselves." Mo Zibu gave orders to Wu Shiying and other civil servants.

An hour later, hundreds of civilian leaders were pulled out.

These civilians didn't know what Mo Zibu was going to do and thought they were all going to be beheaded. Many of them even collapsed on the ground.

Mo Zibu looked at the oldest of them and asked loudly, "How old are you this year? You've been out for a while, right? Is there anyone at home?"

Although Mo Zibu's Hue-accented Annamite dialect was a bit difficult for these northern Annamites to understand, there was still not much problem in communication.

When the old man heard Mo Zibu's question, tears welled up in his eyes, "I am twenty-six years old this year. When I left home, my wife was already five months pregnant.

His mother had a foot disease, his father was weak, and his brothers were still young. Only his two older sisters supported the family.

I received news last month that my wife had died and two people were killed. My mother had cried so much that she had gone blind. There was no male child in the family, so my second sister was forcibly conscripted by the community to work for Duke Huan to repair the canal and she disappeared.

My younger brother and sister-in-law are hungry and cold, crying every day. I don’t even know if my family is still there. I beg you, sir, to have mercy on me and let me go back home to see them!"

Damn it!
Although Mo Zibulao was a hard-hearted person and had no good feelings towards these Annan people, he still felt as if he had been hit hard in the heart.

What kind of horrible day could make a 26-year-old man have gray hair and a hunched back like he was nearly 60?

Moreover, he was recommended by the villagers, and judging from his speech, he seemed to be well-educated.

Under the rule of Northern Zheng, have the people reached such a state?
"Master, please have mercy on me! My two brothers have long been buried in the long trench. My parents are nearly sixty years old, and I am the only one left to take care of them until their death. If I can't go back, they will surely starve to death!"

"Master, I have three children. We only have wild grass and tree bark to cook porridge at home. One of them has starved to death. I beg you to let me return home and save their lives!"

"Forget it, forget it!" Mo Zibu sighed to the sky, tears streaming down his face. Then, looking at the hundreds of Annan people and dozens of Kunlun Mountain Hall officers and soldiers kneeling on the ground, he said:

"We too are from humble beginnings, having been brought to Southeast Asia because we disobeyed the invaders. Now that we see you in such a state of misery, how can we harm you any further? I will let you return home."

When Mo Zibu said this, the kneeling Annan leader was stunned at first, and then began to kowtow in ecstasy.

Mo Zibu then said loudly: "I know it is difficult for you to return home without rice, but I don't have much rice here.

But seeing that you are truly filial today, I cannot bear to see you die of hunger and cold, so I will give each of you three pounds of dry food. Go home and support your parents and raise your children!"

"The great master's kindness is as great as the sky and as deep as the sea!" The leaders of the people were simply in disbelief. While they kept bowing, someone asked:

"I wonder which deity or Buddha the Master is descended from. If I could learn his true name, I would build a shrine for him and burn incense to worship him day and night."

At this time, someone shouted loudly: "You must remember, this is the eldest son of the Hexian Mo family!

I gave you military rations to help you, asking nothing in return. I hope you will know how I saved my life."

Amidst the undulating human figures, the cheers of more than ten thousand Beizheng civilians shook the roof tiles, and people continued to bow and kowtow, shouting, "May the Crown Prince be a noble for generations to come!"

(End of this chapter)