Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Zhang Fu accepted the order, spurred his horse forward, and led a group of personal guards to the city gate.

Upon seeing the Ming general arrive, Nguyen Thong quickly crawled a few steps on his knees, raised the surrender document high with both hands, and loudly proclaimed in heavily accented Annamese Chinese:

"Your Majesty, Ruan Tong, bows and scrapes! The garrison of Xinfu County, numbering over three thousand, knows they are no match for the Heavenly Army and are willing to surrender the entire city! The mighty Heavenly Army shines brightly wherever it goes; we have long awaited its arrival! Jian Ding has usurped the throne and has cruelly harmed the people. We cannot bear the suffering any longer. Today, we have captured several of the rebel leaders in the city and offer them to the Heavenly Army. We beg the General to show mercy and spare the lives of all the people in the city!"

His words were spoken with such sincerity and earnestness that he must have practiced them countless times.

Long live the Celestial Empire!

"The royal army has arrived, we are saved!"

"The Ming Dynasty army has arrived, and the sun has risen again."

"Long live the Ming Dynasty! The debt of gratitude owed to the Ming Dynasty can never be repaid!"

The gentry behind them also kowtowed, chattering and saying things like that, even more excited than the Ming soldiers themselves.

Voiceover: You came from Dandong, and in return, I hear your voice, "I want to eat Cantonese food..."

Zhang Fu had the interpreter come forward to receive the surrender document, and then quickly looked through the household registers and grain ledgers. Seeing that there were no problems, he ordered the bound rebel leaders to be brought over, and then returned to report to Zhu Di.

"Your Majesty, all 3,200 soldiers of the garrison in Xinfu County have surrendered. The city's defense maps, household registers, grain rations, official seals, and weapons have all been handed over. The people in the city, upon hearing of the arrival of the royal army, are spontaneously waiting in the streets, and some have even set up incense altars," Zhang Fu reported, his tone tinged with emotion.

Having fought so many battles, he had seen scenes of surrendering before even reaching the city walls, but he rarely saw surrenders so swiftly and "enthusiastically."

Zhu Di nodded, then looked at Zhu Gaoxi: "Fourth Prince, what do you think about this surrender? Should we accept it or not? What's your opinion?"

"I will accept it." Zhu Gaoxi replied without hesitation.

"Along the way, the people of Annam have not been hostile to us; on the contrary, they have been very supportive. Jian Ding usurped the throne and lost the hearts of the people. Once the imperial army arrived, they were naturally willing to submit. Most of these surrendered soldiers were local young men who had been forcibly conscripted. We will spare their lives if possible. Once our army sweeps through Annam, they can return to their hometowns to farm."

"Yes, what the fourth prince said makes sense." Zhu Di nodded. He had always advocated that "a king's army should not kill surrendered soldiers." As long as these Annamese people obediently submitted, he did not want to commit any more killings.

Moreover, the fourth prince's plan to establish gods requires a large population to stabilize the newly conquered territories, so keeping these people alive is more useful than killing them.

Upon hearing that the surrender had been accepted, Zhu Gaoxu deflated like a punctured balloon, muttering, "How can these Annamese be so spineless? They surrendered as soon as I arrived. What a waste of my trip!"

"Second Brother, to subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest form of skill," Zhu Gaoxi said with a smile.

"Besides, if we fight every city, how long will it take? If we pacify Annam sooner, we can go to other dynasties. Don't you want to go?" Zhu Gaoxi said with a strange smile.

"Alright, Fourth Brother is right!" Zhu Gaoxu said hastily upon hearing that they were going to other dynasties.

Pigsy, carrying his rake, watched the scene of surrender with a relaxed expression: "This is better. Fighting and killing are too tiring. I, Old Pig, love this kind of good thing—opening the city without fighting—so as not to get my rake dirty."

Upon hearing Zhu Gaoxu's words, Zhang Fu smiled and shook his head. He then asked Zhu Di for instructions: "Your Majesty, since the garrison has surrendered, please allow me to lead men into the city to take over the city's defenses, inventory the treasury, and post notices to reassure the people."

Zhu Di nodded: "Go. Also, have Yang Rong draft a proclamation stating that our Great Ming Dynasty has raised an army solely to punish the Hu clan, pacify the common people, and will not harm the people in the slightest. Anyone willing to be a guide will be rewarded with five taels of silver; anyone who captures the rebel leader will be rewarded with ten taels of silver."

"Your humble servant obeys the order!" Zhang Fu accepted the command and led a group of personal guards and several civil officials into the city on horseback.

On the open ground outside the city gate, the Annamese kneeling to accept their surrender breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the Ming army did not make things difficult for them, but instead treated them gently.

"The Heavenly Dynasty's army is benevolent and righteous; the people of Xinfu are saved."

"The Ming Dynasty's Heavenly Army is unparalleled in benevolence and righteousness! We humbly thank the Emperor for his grace."

Several elderly gentry members were moved to tears and kowtowed repeatedly in gratitude.

Some of the bolder young men secretly looked up and glanced at the Ming army's formation. They saw Zhu Di riding the Fierce Tiger King standing under the clouds, Zhu Gaoxi reclining on a cloud chair, and a golden-armored general carrying a rake beside him.

Pigsy sensed someone watching him and reacted immediately with his pig-like instincts, instantly meeting the gaze of the Annamese man kneeling on the ground.

The young man kneeling on the ground shrank back in fright, no longer daring to look any longer, but he couldn't help thinking: This army of the Ming Dynasty must be heavenly soldiers descended to earth.

Zhu Gaoxi had anticipated the enemy's surrender, but he hadn't expected them to surrender so enthusiastically.

Although Pigsy cleared the way with great efficiency, none of the spies on either side, led by Zhu Gaoxi, stopped him.

His divine sense had already detected those people hiding in the dense forest, peering out. Some were scrambling back, while others were riding horses along side paths to deliver the message.

He let them all pass. The reason was simple: he had already demonstrated his abilities and established his authority at the previous passes of Ailu Pass and Jiling Pass.

The Annamese rebels who were taken into the gourd numbered at least ten or twenty thousand; there was no need to kill the rest one by one.

We still need to fight other countries, and we can't develop the habit of "massacring every city we encounter".

Unless we encounter beasts like Japan who don't even deserve to be called human, we should surrender if possible. This would save us weapons and bloodshed, and it would also maintain the dignity of the Celestial Empire having a "just cause" for our cause.

More importantly, he clearly saw along the way that the people of Annam were not hostile to the Ming army.

After Jian Ding's rebellion, he levied exorbitant taxes and levies on his people, conscripting men, building palaces, and preparing for war incessantly. Farmland was left uncultivated, and the people had long been filled with resentment.

The Ming Dynasty marched south under the banner of "mourning the people, punishing the guilty, and restoring the Chen family." Along the way, many people in the villages offered directions to the Ming army and even provided them with provisions.

Zhu Gaochi preferred to spare the lives of these people. So when the scouts returned to report, he didn't stop them; he wanted to see if these people knew what was good for them. If the garrison of Xinfu County knew what was good for them, they would surrender…

The garrison commander of Xinfu County: Wow, you have a really good eye for people!

The surrender ceremony ended quickly.

Zhang Fu inventoried the city's treasury and weapons, temporarily organized the three thousand surrendered soldiers into the "Return to Righteousness Camp," assigned Ming army officers to supervise them, and posted notices to reassure the people.

When the people in the city heard that the Ming army had not committed any offenses, they set off firecrackers in the street, and some wealthy families even brought out rice and grain to reward the troops.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu muttered, "Those Annamese barbarians are quite sensible."

He rode the Fierce Tiger King in the procession entering the city, with Zhu Di beside him, and Zhu Gaoxi and Zhu Bajie next to him. The group rode side by side, with generals such as Zhang Fu on the ground behind them.