Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

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Then, officials were replaced, and local scholars were selected to serve as officials in order to appease the believers in the basin.

……

"The war in the northern desert is over,"

Zhao Yuan handed the military intelligence documents to the eunuch.

"The Kereit tribe suffered a few minor defeats, and without any mediation from our Great Ming, they voluntarily compensated the Mongol tribe with some livestock and reached a reconciliation."

Ma Kuo took the document from the eunuch and said, "This is very strange. How can the war be stopped so easily?"

Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "The Merkit tribe is going south to plunder."

"The Kereit and Mongol tribes were busy fighting, leaving their rear pastures extremely empty, and a large number of people and livestock were taken away."

"Now the two tribes are allied and will go together to take revenge on the Merkit tribe."

"The rivalry between the two powers in the northern desert has now turned into a three-way standoff."

Ma Kuo said, "The Merkit has four major tribes that attack and plunder each other. How could they possibly unite to march south?"

“After Yelü Dashi left, the four major Merkit tribes were unified,” Zhao Yuan said. “They suffered from the White Disaster one after another. They attacked each other for several years, and finally simply elected a great chieftain to go and plunder the more prosperous northern tribes.”

Ma Kuo lowered his head and carefully read the document, finally smiling as he said, "With the three powers in a tripartite balance, the northern desert can be fought for decades."

Zhao Yuan still had some impression of the Merkit tribe.

After all, Temujin's wife was captured by the Merkit tribe and given to Wang Khan to give birth to Jochi.

Wang Khan himself was also captured by the Merkit tribe, who forced him to pound rice for them.

This tribe is no pushover; they live south of Lake Baikal and have expanded into the northern steppes of the Gobi Desert.

Chapter 3686 Changes in Western Xia

They were nomadic, fishermen, and hunters, skilled in using longbows and large arrows, and even resorted to cannibalism when food was scarce.

Zhao Yuan said, "You are more familiar with Western Xia, so why don't you go there as an envoy?"

Ma Kuo asked, "Has something happened in Western Xia?"

Zhao Yuan nodded and said, "The spies mixed in with the caravan sent back a message saying that the King of Western Xia is seriously ill and the imperial physicians are unable to cure him. They are searching for renowned doctors among the common people."

“If the ruler of Western Xia dies of illness, Xiao Heda’s rebellion will not be far off,” Ma Kuo said with great certainty.

Xiao Heda almost rebelled last time because of Ma Kuo's open plot.

……

Li Ganshun of Western Xia was still alive, but Li Yanghuan of Annam died first.

His death was very suspicious.

When King Li Yanghuan was critically ill, his brother-in-law Du Yingwu, together with Lady Li (a concubine), launched a coup to isolate the court from both inside and outside the palace.

Immediately afterwards, the queen was deposed and the crown prince was deposed.

Du Yingwu supported the son of his old lover, Lady Li, and installed the two-year-old child as the new emperor.

He not only successfully took control of the government, but also frequently spent the night in the palace.

Queen Mother Le was very young, not even twenty years old!

Some powerful families took the opportunity to rebel, but were suppressed by Du Yingwu.

The remaining followers fled to the Ming Dynasty and went to Luoyang to plead their case, demanding to see Lady Du.

Zhao Yuan was pleased with the outcome and casually tossed it into Wangchuan Valley.

……

"Your Majesty, His Majesty did not die of illness!"

The Annamese nobleman named Chen Kai said, "His Majesty only caught a slight cold, and the imperial physicians all said there was nothing serious, but news has spread from the palace that he is critically ill."

"The emperor's brother-in-law has mobilized the imperial guards to control the palace eunuchs and guards, and forbids any foreign officials from having an audience, saying it is to allow His Majesty to rest and recuperate."

"Just one day later, His Majesty suddenly passed away, and the Queen and the Crown Prince were deposed. The son of Nari was installed as the new king."

Madam Du trembled with rage: "How dare he do this!"

Chen Kai said, "He probably had this idea for a long time, but he didn't dare to make a move when the Grand Tutor was still alive."

"The Grand Tutor had only been dead for two months, and he was already eager to stage a coup. What a coincidence!"

"Furthermore, after Lady Li became the Queen Mother, he often stayed overnight in her palace."

"Some even suspect... suspect that the new emperor is his son."

Mr. Du sat silently, unsure how to react.

Her son was the one who was murdered, but it was her brother who did it.

Wen Huanzhang asked, "Is the deposed Crown Prince of Annam still safe?"

Chen Kai said, "Being placed under house arrest in the palace, I'm afraid the odds are against him."

"Even if they are still alive now, they will get sick and die in a few years."

Wen Huanzhang said to Du Shi, "Don't worry too much. I will have Du Yingwu send the deposed crown prince of Annam here."

Lady Du held Wen Huanzhang's hand and wept, "Prime Minister, you must do justice for me!"

Wen Huanzhang took his wife and children back to Luoyang for a visit and personally went to discuss the matter with Zhao Yuan.

"What does Your Majesty intend to do?" Wen Huanzhang asked.

Zhao Yuan said, "The Annamite envoy is in Luoyang, requesting the investiture of the new Annamite ruler."

“I have already denounced Du Yingwu’s coup attempt, but the envoy has of course denied it outright and is now being left out in the Sifang Pavilion.”

Wen Huanzhang said, "Have them send the deposed crown prince here."

Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "That's a good idea. Du Yingwu will definitely not want to hand over the deposed crown prince, and even if he does, he will poison him on the way, thus confirming the rumors that he plotted to murder the king."

"It is possible to annex Annam without resorting to military invasion. We can simply send Kang'er to act as regent with officials and troops. When the time is right, we can then incorporate it into the Ming Dynasty."

"And they can come in?" Wen Huanzhang expressed his doubt.

Zhao Yuan said, "First, let Kang'er marry several women from prominent Annamite families; second, allow Annamite scholars to take the imperial examinations and become officials in the Ming Dynasty; third, bloodily suppress the rebels."

"After the merger, the system must be reformed. We cannot allow the powerful Annamite clans to continue with the lord-manor system."

"At that time, the suppression of the rebellion will involve mass killings, and the land freed up will be used to relocate Han Chinese."

Wen Huanzhang was even thinking about his adopted grandson: "What about the deposed crown prince of Annam?"

Zhao Yuan said, "If Du Yingwu kills me, there's nothing I can do to help."

"If he is lucky enough to survive, take him to Wangchuan Valley and raise him as your own grandson."

In the end, they didn't take in this adopted grandson.

How could Du Yingwu, a powerful minister who staged a coup, possibly hand over the eldest son of the deceased king to the Ming Dynasty?

He outwardly agreed to release the prince, but after sending the deposed prince to the border of the Ming Dynasty, he suddenly fell seriously ill and died.

When news of the deposed crown prince's death spread, some of the nobles who had been ostracized by Du Yingwu returned to their hometowns and raised troops, resulting in three rebel armies emerging in quick succession.

They were all suppressed by Du Yingwu!

……

Zhao Kang is currently acclimatizing to the climate in Hunan, and he has been having a great time playing with his uncle, Bai Qi.

Bai Qi was so bored he was practically dying of boredom.

After Zhong Xiang was killed, Bai Qi was responsible for guarding Hunan.

Over the years, Manichaeans have long since converted to Christianity. With enough to eat, who would rebel?

During this period, Bai Qi suppressed a rebellion by the Wuxi barbarians, and then led his troops to Guizhou to attack the Ziqi Kingdom.

Chapter 3687 An Excuse for Attacking

They practice military drills, read books, travel, and hold literary gatherings in their spare time.

It was very leisurely and pleasant.

The female chieftain of southern Sichuan, Cun Aguo, has personally gone to the capital to pay tribute three times.

Every time she passed by Dongting Lake, she would run over to catch up with Bai Qi, and subsequently gave birth to two sons and a daughter.

Bai Qi is not a scumbag, nor does he need to be one. He is willing to give Cun Aguo a proper status.

But Cun Aguo was unwilling to get married.

She wants to stay in her tribe and make it stronger.

She is currently one of the five major ghost masters in Henan (south of the Dadu River), and there are plans to have her and Bai Qi's son succeed her as ghost master.

Bai Qi could only do his best to help, asking the imperial court to send some exiled criminals over to teach knowledge and skills in the tribes.

"This year's harvest is good, and there have been no floods or droughts." Bai Qi lay on Junshan Mountain looking at the stars.

Beside him were not only his wife and children, but also Zhao Kang's principal wife and concubines.

Zhao Kang gazed at the starry sky reflected in the lake: "I'm reminded of my father's poem, 'Drunk, I know not if the sky is reflected in the water, a boat full of sweet dreams presses down on the Milky Way.' That must be describing Dongting Lake, right?"

Bai Qi laughed heartily: "This poem is very famous in Hunan. Many literati and scholars go boating on Dongting Lake just to experience the feeling of a boat full of dreams under the starry sky."

“I’ve heard that Dali is like spring all year round, which is a good place for you, Uncle,” Zhao Kang said with a sigh. “Champa is not so good. It’s very hot in the summer, even hotter than Hunan.”

Bai Qi shouted, "There are mosquitoes! Where did the smoke go? Quickly, start the smoke again!"

He ordered his attendants to fumigate the mosquitoes, and said helplessly, "Who knows when we'll be able to conquer Dali?"

Zhao Yuan had already told Bai Qi that after the Dali Kingdom was destroyed, it would be renamed Yunnan Province.

Bai Qi and his descendants guarded Yunnan for generations, inheriting the titles of prince and the position of Yunnan General.

It wasn't just about guarding Yunnan; he was also responsible for suppressing rebellions by the surrounding barbarian tribes.

This includes Laos and Myanmar in later generations, as well as the barbarian tribes of southern and western Guizhou.

None of them were easy to deal with; there had to be a prince stationed in Yunnan, and this prince had to be both a member of the imperial clan and not a member of the imperial clan!

Only members of the imperial clan could mobilize civil and military officials in Yunnan.

Not being a member of the imperial family means we're not afraid of the Yunnan princes plotting a rebellion!

Bai Qi was a perfect fit. He was Wen Huanzhang's stepson, and the throne was definitely not going to him, but he also had the status of a member of the imperial clan.

Zhao Kang spoke of his ambition: "I will go to Champa to become king, and first educate the people and develop domestic affairs."

"When I'm in my thirties or forties, I'll lead troops to expand our territory."

"My father said that as long as we don't attack Jiaozhi in the north, any other territory we conquer will be mine."

"You are so young, yet you have such lofty ambitions," Bai Qi praised.

Zhao Kang said, "I have already come up with a strategy for governing the country. Champa has fertile land and is a necessary stop for maritime merchants."

"I want to develop agriculture and commerce there. With enough food and money, we can raise more elite soldiers."

Bai Qi smiled gently.

In the darkness, a fast boat sailed across the lake: "His Majesty has decreed that Prince Yu must proceed to Guangxi..."

...

When Prince Zhao Kang of Yu went to Annam to serve as regent, he naturally brought a team of civil and military officials with him.

The head of the civil officials was Xie Hong, who was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the same year as Zhao Yuan.

His younger brother, Xie Ze, had served as Emperor Huizong's superior at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.

The Xie brothers' teacher was Zhang Tingjian, who once served as an advisor to Cai Jing.

Later, because he refused to follow Cai Jing's reckless actions, he was labeled a member of the Yuanyou Party and exiled to Guangxi, where he took the Xie brothers as his students.

The head of the military officers was Han Jing, who was also a famous general of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Historically, he recruited soldiers to defend the emperor and repeatedly defeated the Jin army that came to plunder the countryside when they searched the mountains and seas.