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

Chapter 1046: Trap Annan

The court meeting ended smoothly, and it was a foregone conclusion that the Ming Dynasty would send someone to send Chen Tianping back to Annan to succeed the throne. Hu Jibai, who was clearly arranged, was confused and walked out of the Fengtian Hall like a walking corpse. He looked up and saw the sunlight outside, and then he suddenly woke up.

The Ming Dynasty... The Ming Dynasty actually found a descendant of the Chen family to return and take over the throne? This is bad news!

Hu Jibai was sweating profusely, and subconsciously wanted to return to the inn and quickly write a letter to Hu Jili in Annan to discuss countermeasures. Just as he was about to run away, he was suddenly patted on the shoulder. He turned around and saw Zhou Wang Zhu Su looking at him with a smile from behind.

"No, I wonder what advice His Royal Highness King Zhou has for you?" Hu Jibai said, gritting his teeth.

As soon as he arrived in Ming Dynasty, he brought generous gifts to visit King Zhou, but unexpectedly, King Zhou accepted the gifts with a smile and returned such a generous gift to Hu Chen Tianping... Hu Jibai hated King Zhou deeply, but this was Ming Dynasty, so he could only force a smile to respond to Zhu Su.

"Oh, nothing, just say hello to Lord Hu first." Zhu Su said. "Lord Hu and I are old acquaintances. We will be traveling back to Annan, so it's a good opportunity for us to keep each other company."

"Well, Annan is a foreign land to me. When I go back to Annan, I will need Lord Hu to continue to take care of me. Hahahaha."

"Hahahaha, that's right, that's right..." Hu Jibai said to Zhu Su casually. Then he was stunned, feeling that something seemed wrong, and asked, "What do you mean by that, Your Highness?"

"Your humble servant...how come your humble servant doesn't seem to understand?"

"Oh, Lord Hu should eat more walnuts to nourish his brain. What I mean is that on the way to Annan and after arriving in Annan, I hope Lord Hu will take good care of me and my Ming soldiers..."

"What? Your Highness wants to escort Chen Tianping... Your Highness to my Annan?" Hu Jibai's face was as ugly as if he had eaten some kind of filth from a toilet.

"Yes, why, didn't you expect it?" Zhu Su said in a surprised tone. "My father asked me to send people to Annan to help Chen family to support the country. Who in my Ming Dynasty is most familiar with Annan? Only me."

"Besides, I have led troops for a few years, so I have made some achievements. As a prince, I can be said to be on equal footing with the King of Annan... Otherwise, how can the Ming Dynasty send a general to obey the orders of the King of Annan?"

"In any case, it is most appropriate for me to go to Annan. In fact, my father has already informed me of this matter yesterday... Lord Hu, we have a long time to go together, and I hope you will give me more guidance in the future." Zhu Su smiled heartily at Hu Jibai.

"Ha, ha ha, ha ha ha, Your Highness, you are polite, you are polite..." Hu Jibai's smile was uglier than crying, and his heart seemed to have fallen into the abyss... Let the King of Zhou accompany Chen Tianping back to Annan?

Hu Jibai couldn't help but recall what he had heard about Japan several years ago.

A few years ago, the Emperor of the Southern Dynasty of Japan invited the Ming Dynasty to help Japan suppress the rebellion of the shogunate. At that time, the person sent by the Ming Dynasty was King Zhou Zhu Su.

After Zhou Wang Zhu Su came to Japan, the powerful Japanese shogunate rebels were indeed quickly defeated and disintegrated. But... the Japanese emperor also quickly lost power and became dependent on the Ming Dynasty.

Gradually, the Ming Dynasty turned most of the land of Japan into concessions. Later, inexplicably, the Japanese emperor became a descendant of Xu Fu, a Taoist priest during the Qin Dynasty, and took the opportunity to request submission. He received a fief in the Ming Dynasty and lived his own life.

As for Annan... Hu Jibai was sweating coldly. Annan was even closer to the Ming Dynasty than Japan was to the Ming Dynasty. Even if we traced back more than a hundred years ago, Annan was the indisputable ancient land of China... If we invite the great god King Zhou to Annan, I'm afraid that in a few years, Annan people will also be loyal to the Ming Dynasty like Japan, and Chen will also be like the Japanese emperor, giving up his position and requesting to join the Ming Dynasty!

No, before that...the Hu family, the Hu family will definitely be wiped out by this King Zhou!
"It's just...hahaha, Your Highness doesn't know." Hu Jibai's brain was spinning rapidly, thinking about how the Hu family should deal with the Ming Dynasty's "soft invasion". "Your Highness Chen Ping'an is going to return to the country to restore his throne... I, the Hu family, must make good preparations."

"This matter is complicated, and I think it cannot be explained in a letter. I want to return to Shenglong Mansion first and inform the head of the Hu family about this matter."

"It is rare for the Chen family to have an heir who can succeed to the throne. This is a matter of great joy to all of us in Annan. We must welcome him well and live up to the trust of our ancestors... Besides, His Royal Highness Prince Zhou will also come with us. We in Annan will definitely not neglect His Royal Highness Prince Zhou," Hu Jibai said sincerely.

"That makes sense, that makes sense." Zhu Su nodded repeatedly, patted Hu Jibai on the shoulder and said, "You, Hu, are indeed a loyal minister of Annan!"

"You are so thoughtful. Well, since you are going back to Annan first, it seems that you and I can no longer travel together."

"The mountains are high and the rivers are long. When I bring His Royal Highness Chen Tianping to your Thang Long Prefecture in Annan, will you, the landlord, invite me to get drunk with you?"

"Of course, of course..." Hu Jibai nodded repeatedly and wiped the sweat from his forehead calmly.

After bidding farewell to Zhu Su who bid him a warm farewell, he immediately returned to the Honglu Temple Inn to pack his luggage.

"Your Highness, Hu Jibai has left." In Prince Zhou's palace, Sanbao reported to Zhu Su.

Zhu Su snorted and laughed, but could not deny it. Sanbao saw that Zhu Su seemed to be in a good mood, so he plucked up the courage to ask: "Your Highness, I have something I don't understand."

"Your Highness, why did you tell Hu Jibai that you were the leader of the team and sent Chen Tianping back? You even threatened him, suggesting that he should go back first and report to Hu Jili?"

"We detained him, and then we sent our divine soldiers down from the sky to Shenglong City and captured Hu. Isn't that good? If we do that, wouldn't that be alerting the enemy?"

"Hmm?" Zhu Su put down the script in his hand and said, "Then what? Kill Hu, then we support Chen Tianping to ascend the throne, and then return to Ming Dynasty. Will everyone be happy?"

"This..." Sanbao was speechless for a moment. After thinking for a while, he bowed and said, "Your Highness, please teach me."

Zhu Su had always been willing to train this eunuch who was suspected to be Zheng He. He smiled and said, "Hu is still useful, so we can't let him step down."

"But Chen Tianping cannot stay either. We need to prepare the Hu family. This will bring the greatest benefit to the Ming Dynasty."

"Chen Tianping can't stay?" Sanbao was puzzled and asked Zhu Su sincerely, "If that's the case, why did Your Highness hint to Ruan Duofang to rescue him and bring him back to Ming? Wouldn't it be better to just sit back and watch Hu kill him?"

"Besides, Chen Tianping is a bargaining chip for the Ming Dynasty. When Your Highness conquered Japan before, didn't you control the Southern Dynasty Emperor of Japan, use the Emperor to control the princes, and slowly nibble away at Japan... Isn't Annan different?"

"Annan is different," Zhu Su said with a smile. "Wakoku has no connection with China, and the Emperor's lineage is very prestigious in the country. However, the Ming Dynasty does not have much foundation in Japan, so the Ming Dynasty controls the Emperor and links Japan and the Ming Dynasty together in the name of 'the alchemist Xu Fu is the ancestor of the Emperor', so that the Japanese nobles and daimyo regard the Ming Dynasty as their homeland."

"After all, their emperor is a descendant of the Chinese people. Their noble families have always had close ties with the emperor, so they naturally want to cling to the identity of the Ming people. In addition, with the pressure of force and various public opinion bombardment, the Japanese people naturally have no resistance to joining the Ming Dynasty."

"But Annan is different. A hundred years ago, Annan was still part of China. It's only been a hundred years, just a few generations, and a large part of their people know that their ancestors were from the Chinese dynasty, not to mention the educated gentry and aristocrats. With such a foundation, if the Ming Dynasty wants to establish a county in Annan, it doesn't need to start with the upper aristocrats and change their concepts and ideas like Japan did."

"The difficulty of Annan as a prefecture lies in the ubiquitous noble families in Annan... They are rooted in Annan, just like the aristocratic families in the pre-Tang Dynasty. They are extremely powerful in Annan, and can act recklessly and abuse their power. Their descendants can also be rich and prosperous from generation to generation. How happy they are? Why would they want Annan to be recovered by the Ming Dynasty? If it is recovered by the Ming Dynasty, their prime minister will become a prefecture governor, and the prefect will become a county magistrate. Even if their descendants want to be an official, they will have to compete with the thousands of students in the Ming Dynasty for the single-plank bridge of the imperial examination."

"Therefore, if we want to rule Annan, we must first crush all the noble families in Annan... Then our Ming Dynasty can uphold justice and follow the will of heaven, and only in this way can we truly conquer Annan. Chen Tianping and Hu Shi, one is the ruler of Annan, and the other wants to be the ruler of Annan, and neither of them is willing to submit to our Ming Dynasty."

"So, shouldn't Your Highness support the Chen family and fight against the Hu family?" Sanbao was even more confused. "Why do you say that Chen Tianping can't stay?"

"Supporting the Chen family against the Hu family is true, but also not true." Zhu Su shook his head and continued to analyze to Sanbao.

"Although Hu Jinyi usurped the throne, he dared to take the risk of disapproval from the people of Annan, which shows that he has at least appeased most of the Annan nobles. Even if these Annan nobles are dissatisfied with the Hu family, they must have been intimidated by the Hu family's power or because they have no legitimate reason to do so, so they can only lie dormant for the time being."

"Supporting Chen Tianping's banner can indeed make Hu Jinyi compete with the Chen family. But if Hu Jinyi retreats to advance and simply gives up the position of the king to Chen Tianping, then everything will just return to the original state. He, Hu Jinyi, will still be the prime minister who holds great power in Annan, and those noble families who are ready to make a move against him will also restrain themselves because of his understanding. Hu Jinyi will even gain a greater reputation, and he can still wait for the right time to act and seize the position of the king of Annan again in the future."

"Then what can our Ming Dynasty gain? Nothing. In fact, Hu Jinyi has gained experience, and he will not be so hasty the next time he usurps the throne... Our Ming Dynasty will be even more helpless."

"Oh!" Sanbao suddenly realized, but he didn't expect this. "So, Your Highness, what are your plans?"

"My plan is to let Hu Jibai go back and scare Hu Jilin. Hu Jilin is worried that I will use the same method I used against Japan, so he will definitely send someone to kill Chen Tianping..."

"Hehe, as long as Chen Tianping is killed by him, he will lose his reputation as a righteous man, and the fig leaf of the so-called 'abdication' will no longer exist. The nobles in Annan will also be greatly shocked and even more dissatisfied with Hu Jinyi."

"After that, as long as someone raises a call, some of the nobles in Annan will definitely break away from Hu Jinyi."

"And then... didn't the nobles of Annan start to bite each other?" Zhu Su said with a malicious smile.

"Eh!" Sanbao finally understood what was going on. He praised sincerely, "Your Highness's plan is ingenious and unpredictable! Sanbao admires you very much!"

"Hahahaha, this plan was discussed by me, my father, and my elder brother. It is not the work of me alone." Zhu Su said humbly.

Sanbao thought for a while and asked again: "But... Your Highness, killing the king is such a serious sin. What if Hu Jinyi doesn't dare to do it?"

"Then wouldn't all my plans for the Ming Dynasty be in vain?"

"He will kill him," Zhu Su said. He couldn't tell Sanbao that he was so sure because Hu Jinyi did the same thing in history.

Historically, when Emperor Yongle Zhu Di sent soldiers to escort Chen Tianping back to Annan, Hu Jinyi sent people to intercept and kill Chen Tianping, and even killed all the Ming Dynasty soldiers escorting Chen Tianping. Zhu Di was furious, which led to the subsequent Ming Dynasty's expedition to Annan.

"However, whether he kills or not is not really that important. Because,"

"If Hu Jinyi doesn't kill him, we will help him kill him." Zhu Su said with a sinister smile.

A few days later, the Ming army set off. Led by Zhou Wang Zhu Su, the army set off to Annan by sea with great fanfare.

The purpose was to escort Tran Thien Binh, an orphan of the Annan Chen family, to Thang Long Province, Annan, to inherit the throne of the King of Annan.

The Ming fleet sailed downwind and arrived at Wuqu Port in Annan two months later. In Wuqu Port, officials from Ming and Annan lined the streets to welcome Zhu Su, the Prince of Zhou, and the orphan of the Annan Chen family.

"How is the arrangement going?" On the shore, among the countless people welcoming and waiting, Hu Jimi, Hu Jimi's right-hand confidant and brother, asked in a low voice an inconspicuous Annan official beside him.

"Don't worry, Pingzhang. Everything has been arranged. As long as we take Chen Tianping out of the city, our people will be able to..." As he said this, he made a gesture of wiping his neck in the dark.

Since Hu Jinyao ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, he, Hu Jinyao's younger brother, has taken over Hu Jinyao's former position and became the "Pingzhang" of the Hu Dynasty. Now he can be said to be in high spirits, and naturally he dislikes the so-called "orphan" of the Chen Dynasty more and more.

"Very good." Hu Jimi sneered and looked at the Ming ship that was approaching in front of him.

"Now the world belongs to Dayu. How can I tolerate these useless remnants of the Chen family to compete with my Hu family?" Hu Jimi said viciously.

(End of this chapter)