Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 1001: Tang Dynasty
"This Li Jilin does have some tricks up his sleeve." Zhu Su thought to himself as he flipped through the information in his hand.

Zhu Su also saw in the intelligence that Li Jilei had even successfully defeated the previous king of Annan, Chen Riwei, and completed the feat of "deposing and enthroning the monarch."

In Zhu Su's view, the political situation in Annan was a mess. Generally speaking, the previous ruler of Annan, Chen Riwei, was not the son of Annan's "emperor" Yizong, but his nephew.

Although this nephew was just a puppet of the "emperor emeritus", he was also a far-sighted monarch. He saw Li Jilin's evil ambitions, so he wanted to kill Li Jilin, but the plan was not kept secret and was known by Li Jilin.

Although Le Qui Ly was powerful, in the eyes of the "retired emperor" Chen Yizong, he was always a good and loyal minister. Moreover, the king Chen Riwei was not the son of the "retired emperor", but his nephew, so Le Qui Ly slandered Chen Riwei to the "retired emperor" and forced Chen Riwei to abdicate.

Afterwards, he even ordered someone to kill Chen Riwei, but the "emperor emeritus" Chen Yizong still believed in Li Jilin and gave him the utmost respect.

It can be said that Li Jizhen’s greatest reliance in the court was Chen Yizong.

The reason why he was anxious was probably because Chen Yizong was old and he was afraid something might happen to him. As long as Chen Yizong was alive, he could eliminate dissidents as he pleased under the protection of this "emperor" without worrying about the backlash from the noble families. If he could not seize enough power before Chen Yizong's death, he would certainly be liquidated by many noble families in Annan, or even the Chen family, after Chen Yizong's death.

If he could seize enough power, then the death of Chen Yizong would be a good thing for him: he could use his power to hold the emperor hostage to control Annan, or even directly change the dynasty and replace the Chen family.

"Chen Yizon, Chen Riwei, aristocratic family, Ming Dynasty..." Zhu Su tapped the table lightly, wondering if there was any opportunity for Ming Dynasty to manipulate things behind the scenes.

"Your Highness." Di Meng's slightly worried voice came from outside the house. "It's already four o'clock in the morning. Tomorrow morning, Your Highness needs to go to Annan Palace to say goodbye..."

"Oh. It's already four o'clock in the morning." Zhu Su said. He himself didn't expect that he had been analyzing the intelligence for so long.

"It's time to rest." Zhu Su pushed open the door and told Di Meng, "Put away all the documents in the room. Don't leave any behind."

He had no idea where to start yet. He still needed to study the information about Annan carefully.

On the second day, Zhu Su went to the palace to bid farewell to Chen Yizong and Chen Shunzong. The two Annan rulers tried to keep him, but Zhu Su declined because he had some unresolved business in the concession. Chen Yizong asked Li Jiyi to escort Zhu Su back to the concession. Li Jiyi bowed and said yes. His attitude was impeccable, respectful, earnest and humble as before, and he led Zhu Su out of the palace.

"I wonder when you will start teaching, Your Highness? My cousin Ji Bai highly respects you, and I have many unfilial children in my family who want to listen to your imperial edict." Li Jiyi chatted with Zhu Su. "Many officials in the Annan court also want to receive the teachings of the Celestial Empire. Even I, a humble servant, have longed for the new learning of the Celestial Empire, but I regret that I have not been able to receive teachings in person."

"Give a lecture?" Zhu Su thought to himself, how to subtly instill ideas that are beneficial to the Ming Dynasty in Annan, he has not yet figured out how to do it. So he found an excuse to refuse and said: "The concession is still under construction. If I want to give a lecture and accept a disciple, I should at least wait until the concession is slightly completed."

"Oh." Li Jizhen seemed a little disappointed. For him, he couldn't wait for Zhu Su to set off a wave of enthusiasm for new learning in Annan, so that he could use the new learning of the Ming Dynasty as a weapon to eliminate dissidents in the Annan court.

The faster the better. After all, Chen Yizong, the former emperor, is already old, and it is unknown how long I can deceive him.

After deposing and enthroning the monarch, he could not wait to let the Li family sit on the throne of the King of Annan.

"In that case, can I allow the children of the Li family to accompany you to the concession?" Li Ji'e asked tentatively. "They have admired you for a long time. You don't have to go to great lengths. I think just teaching by example, or seeing your face occasionally, will benefit them a lot."

It seemed that Li Jiyi was eager to establish a deep bond with him and the new school. Zhu Su did not object to this. After all, this was the basis for his actions in Annan, so he agreed: "How can I refuse when the children of Lord Li's family praise me so much?"

"If you don't mind, then let them go with me." Zhu Su said with a smile. "Since Lord Li has entrusted us with this, I will not let them down."

Li Jili was overjoyed when he heard this, and bowed to Zhu Suzhen again, and then quickly ordered his attendants to bring the Li family members. Soon, several carriages carrying several Li family members joined Zhu Su and others. After several people greeted Zhu Su one by one with a teacher's respect, they joined Zhu Su's motorcade.

Le Ji Li walked ten miles out of the city to see Zhu Su off. Along the way, he chatted and laughed with Zhu Su, intentionally letting passers-by see him. It seemed that it would not be long before the rumor that Le Ji Li had a good chat with the King of Ming, and that the children of the Le family followed the King of Ming's motorcade to the Ming concession would spread throughout the government and the public in Annan.

Zhu Su knew very well about Li Ji's little thoughts, but he seemed unaware of it.

Back in the concession, with the dedication of Li Jinglong and the officers and soldiers of the Nanyang Fleet, the concession port is visibly closer to completion. Although the city wall has not yet been closed, some streets and houses are already usable. Even at the temporary pier, passenger ships have begun to travel back and forth, giving the impression of a constant flow of people.

Li Jinglong welcomed Zhu Su again and was responsible for sending the Li family members to live in the houses that had been built. Then he said to Zhu Su with a bit of mystery: "Fifth uncle, during the days when you were away, an old friend came. Do you know who it is?"

"Old friend, who is it?" Zhu Su asked curiously.

"Huang Guan, Huang Shangbin." Li Jinglong said.

"Shangbin? He actually came here?" Zhu Su was surprised and happy.

Huang Guan is Huang Shangbin, the Ming Dynasty's God of Examination, the only genius in history to have won six consecutive first prizes, and a reader of the Devil Fruit ability. In terms of academic ability, even Xie Jin, who compiled the Yongle Encyclopedia, might be three blocks behind him. Huang Guan of this era followed Zhu Su on an expedition to Sindhu and Central Asia a few years ago, and was left in Sindhu by Zhu Su.

With its fertile land and abundant products, Shentu was a treasure land that was very suitable for supplying labor and raw materials to the Ming Dynasty. However, the situation there was like a pool of mud, with various religious sects plundering the area wantonly and paralyzing the people, while the people were numb and submissive to the abuse of religion and warlords.

The folk customs in this place are extremely strange, and there are many cults in the sects. If they are allowed to interact with the Ming Dynasty, it is possible that the Ming Dynasty will be contaminated with some unclean things. Therefore, when Zhu Su was in Sindhu, he forced several religions to establish a new caste "Xumeri" for the Chinese people, which was superior to other castes and was used to control and suppress many Sindhu warlords and sect leaders.

After defeating Timur the Great, Zhu Su and Zhu Di kept Huang Guan and Mahamu in Sindhu. Huang Guan was responsible for supervising the various sects to promote the "Sumeru" caste. With his knowledge, he deleted and modified the doctrines of various sects into versions that were beneficial to the Ming Dynasty and the Chinese ethnic groups. He also used his knowledge to spread new religious doctrines in Sindhu.

Mahamu led the Mongolian and Xianbei cavalry, managed the city of Delhi left by Zhu Su as the backing of Huang Guan, and attacked the rebellious states of Sindhu. Anyone who did not recognize the "Sumeru" caste and dared to be disloyal to the Ming Dynasty was within the range of his attack. With the two men's two-pronged approach, dozens of small countries in Sindhu became tributary states of the Ming Dynasty.

The Chinese in Sindhu also became a being superior to the Brahmins.

When Zhu Su took Huang Guan to Sindhu, he was still a somewhat immature student of the Imperial Academy. But now seeing Huang Guan here, Huang Guan has become a capable official with a capable face and firm eyes.

"Student Huang Guan pays respects to the Lord Jijiu!" Huang Guan was a little excited after not seeing Zhu Su for a long time, and he had been in a foreign country for a long time. He straightened his clothes and bowed. Zhu Su hurriedly helped him up and said with a smile: "Now that you have become an official, why do you still consider yourself a student?"

"Why is Shangbin here? I am so happy to meet an old friend in a foreign land!"

"Your Highness, I am here with several envoys from the Sindhu countries to pay tribute," Huang Guan said. "Most of the Sindhu envoys are not fluent in Chinese, and there are few people in the court who understand the Sindhu language."

"I have not been home for several years. Now that everything in Sindhu is stable, I have asked someone to ask for leave from Your Majesty and will go home to take a look and serve as an interpreter for the time being."

"I see." Zhu Su nodded. The imperial court strongly supported these officials serving in foreign countries to return to Ming Dynasty to visit their relatives frequently.

"Why is Your Highness here? I heard that a new concession was established in Annan, so I came here for transit... Unexpectedly, I saw Your Highness here." Huang Guan asked.

Zhu Su did not think there was anything to hide from this student, so he told Huang Guan that Annan wanted to invite Song Lian, that the court believed Annan had some intentions, that he came on behalf of Song Lian, and that he was trying to establish a concession in Annan. Huang Guan listened carefully, and then said, "So, Your Highness is planning to give lectures here to win Annan's heart?"

"Yes. But there are many problems, and I still don't have a clue." Zhu Su said. "Shangbin, you have been working in Sindhu for a long time, and you should know that only interests can move people's hearts. Just by lecturing, those Annan clans will not be sincere to our Ming Dynasty."

"The bond of interests is definitely higher than the bond of academics. What we need is a bond with the Ming Dynasty that is deeper than the power of Li Jizhen."

"Otherwise, it would only be a waste of time for the Li family."

Huang Guan frowned and pondered across from Zhu Su. After thinking for a while, he raised his head and said, "Your Highness, instead of trying to win over the Annan nobles, why not build up a force yourself? How about using this force as a medium to stir up trouble in Annan?"

"I have thought about this." Zhu Su shook his head. "A newly cultivated power must have a weak foundation and cannot be compared with the old power. Moreover, there are many treacherous people in the world. Our Ming Dynasty is not as powerful as Li Ji's here. If he still surrenders to Li Ji's after he becomes successful, what can we do?"

"Your Highness is worried that if we cultivate the Annan people, they will not be loyal to the Ming Dynasty?" Huang Guan thought. "In that case, why not cultivate people who are loyal to the Ming Dynasty?"

"Annan has been away from China for a long time. Where can we find people who are loyal to our Ming Dynasty?"

"It is unlikely that the Annamites are loyal to the Ming Dynasty." Huang Guan said. "But what if they are Annamites in name only, but in reality they are from the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Su was startled, a flash of light flashed through his mind, and he leaned forward a little, and said solemnly: "Are you actually from the Ming Dynasty? Tell me in detail."

"Yes." Huang Guan nodded and continued, "If my guess is correct, since Your Highness has come to Annan, there must be countless secret spies lurking in Annan to gather information for Your Highness, right?"

Huang Guan had followed Zhu Su on expeditions in his early years and knew that Zhu Su liked to engage in intelligence warfare, and liked to know himself and the enemy first, and then anticipate the enemy's moves. Even without the Jinyiwei, merchants were often used to collect intelligence, so he asked this question.

Zhu Su already knew what he wanted to say, so he said, "Shang Bin wants me to choose a Ming person who has infiltrated Annan and support him, so that I can rise in the Annan court as an Annanite?"

"Yes." Huang Guan said. "If so, we can arrange for this person to serve Li Ji'e and wait for an opportunity to control power around Li Ji'e. Even if his position is unstable, he can use the support of the Li family to gain a firm foothold first."

"As the power of the Li family grows, the power of the people we support will naturally grow along with it. At the critical moment, we can even make them turn against us and severely damage the Li family..."

Zhu Su looked at Huang Guan with strange eyes. What on earth did Huang Guan experience in Sindhu? In his early years, he was just a scholar who only knew the words of saints.

After a few years, he has become so... sinister.

In terms of evil hearts, you scholars are the ones. What do you mean by defecting? Isn't it just stabbing the Li family in the back...

"Your Highness?"

"Hmm? Ahem." Zhu Su came back to his senses and coughed a few times. He immediately calmed down and said, "It's a good plan."

"However, Li Ji'er is not an easy person to get along with. If you want to get close to Li Ji'er, you must also gain his trust and support. I'm afraid it's not easy."

"This candidate must be loyal to our Ming Dynasty, and at the same time, be familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics, understand the ways of the world, and have the ability to adapt. At the same time, he must also have the ability to govern the world, so that a prime minister like Li Jizhen can trust and use him."

"Ordinary people, whether they are Jinyi officers or merchants, I'm afraid it will be difficult for them to meet all the conditions."

"How can it be that easy to find such a talent?"

Huang Guan smiled and said, "Your Highness, since I have said this, I must have already chosen someone."

"I recommend a person to Your Highness. With this person's talent, he will surely be able to help Your Highness achieve great things in Annan."

(End of this chapter)