You have truly caused me great suffering!

As noon approached, Yuwen Xuzhong submitted several more important memorials.

Chen Shao flipped through it, clicked his tongue, and then remained silent.

After Dai Viet submitted to the government, the court established Annam Circuit, which was divided into eighteen prefectures, with the former Thang Long City, now renamed Jiaozhou, as its capital.

In fact, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was only one 'Jiaozhou' in this area, but now the imperial court has divided it into eighteen provinces for easier control.

However, the newly appointed officials are now finding it difficult to implement their policies.

Local powerful figures use subtle tactics; you can't find any dirt on them, but they just quietly refuse to cooperate.

The six prefectures on the Red River Plain were alright, but the more remote the areas were, the less they submitted to the emperor's rule.

What do you think we should do?

Yuwen Xuzhong's eyes narrowed, and he said, "Kill them. Killing them is not enough to deter the villains."

Chen Shao pursed his lips and said, "We can't just kill them, can we?"

He realized that he really needed to control the overall direction; these scholars could be far more ruthless than warriors when they got angry.

Yuwen Xuzhong quickly said, "Of course we cannot kill people indiscriminately. My idea is to first try diplomacy before resorting to force. Let's first abolish the Li Dynasty's 'she' (village self-governing unit) and implement the Song Dynasty's 'xiangli' system: 110 households form 1 li, with a li head; five li form 1 xiang, with a xiang shushou; household registers are compiled every three years and reported to Jiaozhou for record."

"Replace the village head and cut off the control of local powerful families over the people."

“Government orders are sent directly to the countryside. Anyone who is still dissatisfied is arrested, and anyone who refuses to change their ways is killed.”

Chen Shao nodded and said, "This method does have an effect, but it can only eliminate some of the powerful figures' subordinates, which is not enough to address the root cause."

Yuwen Xu was waiting for this very sentence, so he quickly said, "Your Majesty is wise! The powerful clans of Annam dare to defy the king's orders simply because they have deep roots in their homeland and have been hiding there for centuries. They also know that our holy dynasty prioritizes benevolence and forgiveness and will not wield the sword indiscriminately."

Chen Shao nodded, deeply agreeing. If they were like the Manchus, killing all those who disagreed, there would be nothing they could do.

But the Great Jing Dynasty would definitely not follow the path of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. They were bandits who came to make a quick buck, while the Great Jing Dynasty was the legitimate Central Plains dynasty and had to consider the people's hearts.

After all, he reclaimed this territory not to flex his muscles or to intimidate others with killings, but to restore this homeland and ensure its long-term stability.

After Zhu Yuanzhang conquered Yunnan, he used a combination of force and diplomacy to completely integrate Dali into the Central Plains system by forcibly recognizing its ancestral origins. While Zhu Di did indeed wage a bloody war after conquering Jiaozhi, Jiaozhi was forever separated from the Central Plains.

Strictly speaking, Jiaozhi has been part of Jiaozhou since the Eastern Han Dynasty, and has been one entity for over a thousand years. Dali, on the other hand, only nominally belonged to Jiaozhou in parts of the country, and its period of complete independence was even longer. Logically speaking, it should be easier for Jiaozhou to remain a permanent vassal state.

In this matter, Yuwen Xuzhong's comfort zone was touched. He might not know as much about overseas trade as Chen Shao.

However, dealing with this traditional Chinese-barbarian rule was a piece of cake. Yuwen Xuzhong continued, "To eliminate its troubles, we must first dig out its roots, then prune its branches and leaves. In this way, even a towering tree will eventually become a piece of rotten wood."

“Establishing villages to isolate the people is to cut off their roots, and then cutting off their connections in the army and officialdom is to sever their leaves! Because Zhang Boyu betrayed the Joseon Dynasty and established his country with the support of Da Jing, he dared not use the old Joseon generals. A large number of military generals he promoted did not have powerful family backgrounds. They made many contributions in Srivijaya, Cambodia, Java and other places, and also plundered a lot of money.”

"Most of them are young and strong, and now that they have money and merits, they must be ambitious and want to replace the old bureaucrats and military generals. It's just right to send them back to their local areas to cooperate with the officials we send to begin a thorough investigation into corruption!"

“They have been entrenched for a century, and none of them are clean. Let these young and meritorious officials take action. In a few years, the troubles of Annam will be resolved on their own.”

After careful consideration, Chen Shao agreed that it was feasible and said to Chen Chong, "Summon Li Tangchen, Wu Jie, Liu Jizu, Bai Shizhong, and Zhang Boyu to discuss matters."
-
Jinling, the study in the rear residence of the Prince of Yue.

The mansion's owner, Zhang Boyu, was currently disregarding his manners, bending over with his backside sticking out, rummaging through various treasures in a bedside cabinet.

At this moment, Zhang Bojin walked in and asked in confusion, "Brother, what are you doing?"

"Today, the Liu family on the Qinhuai River is hosting a banquet. I'm looking for a suitable gift to celebrate."

"Brother, why do you keep going to those kinds of places! I know you want to tarnish your image, but you don't have to make it so obvious."

Zhang Boyu chuckled and said, "Self-deprecation, self-deprecation is good. You all think I'm self-deprecating, which saves me the trouble of explaining."

For someone from the frontier who had been nurtured by the poetry and literature of the Central Plains, it was truly impossible to resist the elegant and alluring atmosphere of a brothel.

Especially in Nanjing.

Not to mention them, even scholars in the Central Plains are not immune to this.

Don't go today!

"You little brat, you're the eldest brother and a father figure to me, and you're trying to tell me what to do! Even if it were our father himself, I'd still go if he came back to life today!"

Zhang Bojin snorted coldly, "His Majesty summoned you to the palace for an audience. Since you are going to Chang Le Lou, I will go back to the Inner Palace to deliver the imperial eunuch's decree on your behalf."

"what!"

Zhang Boyu was startled and quickly shouted, "Quickly, find my official robe!"

When the servants brought in the official robes, they saw the gentleman, who had been all smiles these past few days, pacing anxiously back and forth, his thick eyebrows furrowed as if he had endless worries on his mind.

The old steward was brought by the Zhang family from Jiaozhi. He was loyal and kind, with a gentle and honest appearance.

Seeing this, he quickly asked, "Sir, what's wrong?"

"It's over. His Majesty summoned me. I'm afraid it's nothing good. There's probably something fishy going on in Jiaozhi. Those damned beasts, Wu Jie should kill them all!"

With the intention of going to the execution ground, Zhang Boyu arrived at the palace, only to find several important officials already inside.

The atmosphere inside the hall was pleasant, filled with laughter and conversation, which calmed Zhang Boyu down a bit.

He quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your subject Zhang Boyu greets Your Majesty!"

"Offer a seat to the King of Yue."

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Chen Shao coughed lightly and said, "Shutong, tell me what happened."

Yuwen Xuzhong stood up, walked to the center, and looked around, saying, "Gentlemen, recently many officials in An'nan Circuit have submitted memorials saying that government decrees are not being implemented; the people do not rebel, but they also do not comply." Zhang Boyu broke out in a cold sweat. So this was the reason. If His Majesty were to take his anger out on me, I would be dead!

He really didn't want to die. After arriving in Jinling, he realized that the life he had lived before was not what one would call a life of luxury.

Even in Thang Long City, the food, clothing, and daily necessities were comparable to those of a villager compared to those in Jinling.

I thought I could continue to enjoy it.

He glared suddenly and shouted, "These unruly commoners deserve to die!"

Everyone in the hall looked at him, and saw that Zhang Boyu was so anxious that his face was red and his neck was thick, and it seemed that he was not faking it.

Yuwen Xuzhong smiled and said, "King of Yue, please calm down and listen to me."

"His Majesty and I have discussed the matter, and our solution is to sever its roots and remove its branches!"

After saying that, he reiterated his theory of eradicating roots, and everyone else nodded in agreement.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Boyu not only didn't hold a grudge against him, but even asked him to send someone back to oversee the liaison.

He couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself. He had overestimated himself. In His Majesty's eyes, Jiaozhi was no match for him.

He wasn't even worried about taking the opportunity to build up his power in Jiaozhi.
Chen Shao was indeed not afraid, because his sphere of influence had already reached Java and Srivijaya.

After Dali is taken over, Jiaozhi will no longer be considered a frontier region, but merely a coastal area.

Yuwen Xuzhong's strategy is excellent. Once implemented, Chen Shao is confident that he can completely conquer Jiaozhi.

After all, with the Red River Plain firmly in their grasp, Jiaozhi (Vietnam) simply couldn't develop a force capable of rebellion.

At this moment, Zhang Boyu's heart was filled with a mixture of joy and sorrow, like experiencing both ice and fire.

He secretly vowed to send his most ruthless brother back to completely destroy these birdmen and prevent them from ever having the chance to implicate him again.
-
At the end of May, the Kingdom of Kasikorn and the Kingdom of Srivijaya in Java successively sent envoys to request Da Jing to mediate and withdraw their troops.

Da Jing ordered the recall of Annam troops from overseas, began bestowing rewards, and temporarily ceased hostilities with Srivijaya.

Wu Lin was dispatched south to Jiaozhi to establish a navy.

Wang Bing remained stationed in the Red River Plain as the Pacification Commissioner of Annam Road.

When the army set off, the sky over Jinling was clear and windy. Even though they were in the city, they could almost hear the roaring river crashing against the shore.

Chen Shao led his troops to see Wu Lin and his generals off as they headed south. He offered them wine in farewell and repeatedly urged them to consider the greater good, pay attention to public opinion, and refrain from killing indiscriminately.

Wu Lin nodded in agreement.

There was one thing Chen Shao didn't tell him explicitly: the matter of killing should be left to the young officers of Annam to handle themselves.

Wu Lin's troops were still his Lingwu army, but they were now very different. As they marched out of the passageway, Chen Shao suddenly felt a sense of disorientation, as if he didn't know which era he was in.

They carried some simple muskets, which, although not yet capable of firing in rapid succession, had already begun to be used by the Imperial Guard.

Its lethality might not have been enough in the northern wars, but it was more than sufficient in the south.

Because of the fighting in the north, the armor was too thick for muskets to penetrate. Meanwhile, the enemies in the south mostly wore no armor, so a single shot would tear a large chunk of flesh from their flesh.

Horse-drawn carriages carried cannons, and there was also a dedicated artillery battalion.

The military uniforms are also new, but the military uniforms worn in battle mainly take into account armor and practicality; this time, when heading south, we don't need very thick armor, and we also need to take the climate into account.

The soldiers carried various combat tools, with a large banner of the Lingwu Army in the middle. They wore wide-brimmed cloth hats, brand-new reddish-brown clothes, carried light guns, and had ammunition at their waists, looking very disciplined.

Regardless of the power of the matchlock musket, the slender, newly forged barrel was very smooth and gleamed in the sunlight, which pleased Chen Shao greatly.

Once it's put into use, technological advancements are only a matter of time.

This scene drew the attention of onlookers in the distance, who were completely captivated by this unusual procession.

Wu Jie also arrived, standing behind Chen Shao. He watched as His Majesty whispered something to his brothers, and his second brother, Wu Lin, laughed heartily. He became somewhat curious.

There was also some relief.

Although he had made great contributions and held a high title, his second brother earned his status through his own efforts.

Moreover, his relationship with His Majesty seems to be even closer, after all, he is the commander of the personal guards who has always been by His Majesty's side.

After His Majesty finished speaking, Wu Jie stepped forward and said, "Do your job well and make contributions for His Majesty."

Wu Lin smiled and nodded, then mounted his horse and headed for the port.

To the steady beat of drums behind them, everyone mounted their horses, forming a perfectly orderly line.

These Lingwu guards saluted the emperor from horseback, and Chen Shao waved back in return.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed from near and far, as cavalrymen in formation continued to pass through the passageway, each unit consisting of thirteen men, a tradition of the Dingnan Army, with appropriate intervals between them.

Although there were many people and horses on this main road, it was not congested at all. There were gaps on one side of the road to allow messengers on horseback to pass through, which showed that the Lingwu personal guards had good military discipline and order.

Not far away, Zhang Boyu was also saying goodbye to his brother. He lowered his voice and his fierce expression was somewhat ferocious. It was unclear what he was saying to his brother.

His men lacked the proper marching formation and order; they moved loosely and disorganized towards the port.

Traveling by sea to Qinzhou, it would take at least ten days to reach Annam. (End of Chapter)