novelhk Page 2647
Page 2647
"The envoys from Champa, Zhenla, and Annam are hereby summoned for an audience!"
"Champa, Zhenla..."
As the calls rang out, the envoys from the three kingdoms stood up one after another and followed a eunuch toward the Chui Gong Hall.
Then, they all knelt and bowed to the Ming Emperor.
Chapter 3620 A Nation Repeatedly Defeated
After rising, the Champa envoy was the first to complain: "Your Majesty, last year our country was ordered to send troops to join forces with Zhenla to attack Annam."
"During the decisive battle, the Zhenla army stood idly by and even deserted in the face of the enemy."
"While still on their way to withdraw, they looted our Wuzhou!"
The Zhenla envoy explained, "The allied forces of the two countries captured the city of Ma Ling, and the Champa soldiers went in on their own, but they wouldn't let us in."
“Even when we attacked the enemy outside the city, the Champa general came to stop us.”
"Are you attacking the enemy outside the city? You're looting the villages on the outskirts!"
"Even if it's looting a village, it's still looting an Annamese village. What else could it be but an enemy?"
"Maling has always been part of our Champa territory, and the people there are also Champa people."
"You say that Ma Ling Province is Champa territory, so how come it was in Annam ten years ago and is still in Annam now?"
"But when you were looting the villages, Maling Prefecture was in the hands of my Champa!"
"..."
The envoys from both countries argued incessantly, while Du Yingwu stood by, thoroughly amused.
The Champa envoy suddenly knelt down: "Your Majesty the Supreme Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty, when you conferred the title of King of Champa, you also granted our country the titles of Military Governor of Ma, Li, and Zheng Prefectures."
"I have heard that Annam is now also going to become a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. Please order Annam to return these three prefectures to our country."
Du Yingwu angrily retorted, "Why should we return it? It was the late King of Champa who promised to cede it to our country!"
The Champa envoy said, "But His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty has granted our country's ruler the position of Military Governor of Three Prefectures."
"These three prefectures have been occupied by Annam. If Annam does not return the territory, what face will His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty have?"
Du Yingwu didn't speak again, but looked at Zhao Yuan.
Zhao Yuan thought about it carefully: "Let's return Wuzhou to Champa."
Du Yingwu quickly stated, "We will leave it entirely to the Holy Emperor. Our country is willing to return Wuzhou to Champa."
Annam and Champa are of different ethnicities, religions, and customs.
The three provinces of Ma, Li, and Zheng have been occupied by Annam for thirty years and have not yet been fully integrated.
Although Uzhou was captured last year, it is difficult to digest and assimilate it. Moreover, it was plundered by Zhenla. Annam did not actually intend to occupy it for a long time.
Since the Ming emperor ordered the return of Wuzhou, Annam could conveniently accept the situation.
Of course, returning territory comes at a price!
Du Yingwu said, "Returning Wuzhou is acceptable, but Champa must be redeemed with 100,000 shi of grain."
The Champa envoy sneered: "If you need 100,000 shi of grain, then what's the point of ransom?"
"Use those as military rations. We can fight another battle next year and take back Wuzhou ourselves!"
"A nation that has suffered repeated defeats dares to say such things? If we fight again next year, I will personally capture the King of Champa and bring him to Luoyang to be dealt with by His Majesty the Emperor!" Du Yingwu mocked.
The Champa envoy said, "Who doesn't know that the population of Thang Long province is almost nonexistent?"
"Who doesn't know that Annam is going to have a famine this year?"
“If Wuzhou is not returned, we will send troops this winter, not even next year.”
Du Yingwu really didn't dare to continue fighting this year, but he still stubbornly said, "Go ahead and bring your troops to kill us, and let's see who loses their city and territory."
The two continued their verbal sparring for more than ten minutes before Zhao Yuan finally spoke up: "How about this, Wuzhou will be returned to Champa without paying any money or grain to redeem it."
"The position of the governor of the three prefectures of Champa is hereby abolished. From now on, both the Ming Dynasty and Champa will recognize that the three prefectures belong to Annam."
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
The envoys from both countries stopped causing trouble, which meant that both sides got what they wanted.
One is to reclaim the lost territory of Wuzhou.
One will gain final ownership of the three states of Ma, Li, and Zheng.
Zhao Yuan then looked at the Zhenla envoy: "Zhenla stood by and watched their allies be defeated, even deserting in the face of battle, and plundering their allies on the way back."
"Order Zhenla to compensate Champa with 30,000 shi of grain, or else strip their king of his title!"
The Zhenla envoy was very displeased and said, "It was Champa that prevented our army from entering the city first!"
"And why punish only our country, but not that Golden Tooth Country?"
"The Golden Teeth Kingdom withdrew its troops without authorization and even seized my Zhenla territory from Annam."
That territory was located in what is now northern Laos, and the situation was very complicated: nominally it belonged to the territory of Zhenla, but in reality, the various tribes were subordinate to Annam, and those tribes shared the same origin as the Golden Tooth Kingdom.
Annam ceded that territory to the Golden Tooth Kingdom in exchange for the Golden Tooth Kingdom withdrawing its troops last year, leaving the true master, Zhenla, out in the cold.
Zhao Yuan said, "The Golden Teeth Kingdom disregarded the orders of its overlord, withdrew its troops without authorization, and arbitrarily occupied the territory of a friendly nation."
"In the name of the Emperor of the Great Ming, I hereby strip him of all his titles and official positions, and order all vassal states of the Great Ming to join forces against him!"
"Including Dali, Annam, Champa, and Zhenla, all of them must be attacked and defeated by Jinchi."
"Even if we don't share a border and can't send troops, we should still declare war and launch an attack!"
The Zhenla envoy said, "Your Majesty, if our country sends troops to attack the Golden Tooth Kingdom, I'm afraid Annam and Champa will take advantage of the situation and invade."
Zhao Yuan said, "When Zhenla attacks Jinchi, no country should take the opportunity to attack Zhenla."
"Anyone who dares to wage war against Zhenla is tantamount to declaring war on the Ming Dynasty!"
Chapter 3621 Envoys from Various Countries
"Your Majesty is holy."
The Zhenla envoys were overjoyed; they could finally deal with the Golden Tooth Kingdom with peace of mind.
The matter of the three kingdoms was considered settled, and everyone agreed that Zhao Yuan had handled it fairly.
After they withdrew, the envoy from Dali Kingdom returned to the palace.
After bowing, the Dali envoy quickly got to the point: "Your Majesty, our country has a prince who has come of age but is still unmarried. We request that the Ming Dynasty bestow upon him a noblewoman from a superior country as his princess consort."
“Okay.” Zhao Yuan actually agreed immediately.
There are many noble ladies from the Jin Kingdom washing clothes in the Luoyang Imperial Palace. Choose one of them of suitable age, bestow upon her the title of princess, and marry her to Duan Yu's son.
If the Seljuk Sultan were to propose marriage again, he could choose a noblewoman from the Jin Dynasty, bestow upon her the title of princess, and marry her to the Jin.
The daughters of Wanyan Zongwang, Wanyan Zonghan, and Wanyan Zonggan are all virgins and are currently washing clothes in the laundry department!
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for bestowing this marriage upon me!"
The Dali envoys were very pleased. They didn't care who the noblewoman was, as long as she had a formal title from the Ming Dynasty.
The internal strife in the Dali Kingdom is becoming increasingly severe.
Prime Minister Gao Liangcheng could no longer suppress it, because it was purely an internal struggle within the Gao family.
Gao Liangcheng's ability to serve as the prime minister of Dali had nothing to do with his personal abilities.
Because he was too young at the time, he had not yet had the opportunity to demonstrate his talent.
On the contrary, it was because he lacked a solid foundation and had not achieved any merit that he was chosen by the various factions of the Gao clan to serve as their representative.
He was just a prime minister who compromised.
Gao Liangcheng could suppress the king, but he could not suppress the Gao clan.
This guy has already voluntarily announced his semi-retirement, letting the Gao family's various factions fight it out themselves.
Duan Yu had eight sons, and various factions within the Gao family placed their bets, each choosing one to support.
Thus, the internal affairs of the Dali Kingdom became interesting; the king was powerless to control them, and the prime minister was too lazy to do so.
A group of people from the Gao clan colluded with prominent families in the country and supported eight princes in their struggle for power and profit.
Eight powerful figures vie for the throne!
The historical victor was Master Yideng's father.
The Dali envoy then said, "Our country has a Princess Zhaoqing, who is only fourteen years old. We request Your Majesty to accept her as a concubine."
"Sure." Zhao Yuan was too lazy to refuse; having one more concubine didn't matter.
However, the fact that Dali took the initiative to request a marriage alliance sends a political signal that is worth studying.
It's estimated that Duan Yu felt the struggle for the throne among the eight insects was too chaotic and could very likely affect him.
Therefore, they selected one of their sons and asked him to marry a noblewoman from the Ming Dynasty, thus securing the position of crown prince and suppressing the succession struggles among various factions within the country.
Duan Yu then married his daughter to Zhao Yuan to further gain the support of the Ming Dynasty and consolidate his power.
This puppet ruler is now an ally of the powerful prime minister.
With the king and prime minister joining forces, and with the support of the Ming Dynasty, they were able to quickly quell the chaos.
Zhao Yuan did not want to marry Duan Yu's daughter, but he wanted to marry Duan Yu's sister.
The best name for this younger sister is Wang Yuyan, but if that's not possible, Mu Wanqing is also acceptable.
Regardless of who she marries, Zhao Yuan's seniority will not be lower than Duan Yu's, because the "promotion" system of the Song Dynasty can be adopted.
For example, if a prince consort marries a princess, the prince consort is promoted a generation and becomes a peer of his parents.
In this way, the princess would not need to perform the junior etiquette towards her parents-in-law after marriage.
Now that Duan Yu's daughter has married into the family, she will definitely be "promoted" to a higher generation, and by two generations, according to the father-son relationship.
After Princess Dali ascends to heaven, Zhao Yuan becomes both Duan Yu's son-in-law and Duan Yu's father!
Zhao Yuan said, "After you return to your country, tell the King of Dali."
"It is said that the Jinchi barbarians have betrayed the Ming Dynasty, and all the vassal states of the Ming Dynasty should unite to attack them."
“I have already ordered Zhenla, Annam and other countries to send troops, and Dali should also send troops to attack Jinchi.”
"The Holy Emperor has given the order, and Dali will certainly obey."
The Dali envoy was very pleased, because the Golden Teeth Kingdom had always been their enemy, constantly encroaching on and eroding Dali's territory over the years.
The next one is Cao Tuan, the envoy of Western Xia.
The main focus of the negotiations was on the border disputes between the two countries. Cao Tuan reiterated that the Western Xia border residents would not cross the border again and that the relevant tribes had already been punished.
Zhao Yuan expressed his approval and praised Li Qianshun's respect.
Finally, the Japanese envoy entered the palace.
After a polite exchange, Hanoi Gyeong Quoc said, "Your Majesty the Holy Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty, our country requests the hiring of several prospecting craftsmen to search for gold, silver, and copper mines in various prefectures and kingdoms."
"Oh?
Zhao Yuan was overjoyed: "Granted."
After Japan was forced to open its doors to the world, a large influx of Chinese goods entered the country, many of which were luxury items.
Japan initially used a barter system, but gradually adopted Ming Dynasty coins, and now it runs a deficit every year and doesn't have enough money.
They couldn't find any gold or silver mines, or even copper mines.
Japan's super-large copper mines were not discovered until the late Ming Dynasty, and their locations were not particularly remote.
This is purely a problem with mineral exploration techniques!
Zhao Yuan was very willing to help Japan explore for minerals and would not send troops to seize them again.
The more gold, silver, and copper Japan mines, the more financial resources it has to purchase Chinese goods, which can stimulate the development of Chinese industry, commerce, and maritime trade.
When the envoys from various countries came to pay their respects, Queen Dowager Du of Annam had already been sent to the palace.