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

Chapter 1051 Waiting for the Enemy to Attack
A group of ordinary scholars, with sorrowful faces, were about to go to Fan Huai's residence to find out the truth.

However, all he saw was an empty house. The door of the house that Fan Huai rented in Thang Long City was closed, and an old man was locking it.

"Old man, old man...isn't this the residence of Lord Fan Huaifan? Why is it locked?" An ordinary scholar hurried forward and stopped the old man.

The old man looked up and saw a group of scholars in Confucian robes. He did not dare to neglect them and said to them, "Gentlemen, the Fan family has already vacated the house. I am the owner of this house, so I must lock the door."

"Who are you guys?"

"The Fan family has vacated the house?" the scholars asked in surprise. "Then where did Lord Fan Huai go?"

"Master Fan Huai... Alas, he passed away yesterday." The old man seemed to be very sorry when he said this. "Master Fan, he was a good official!"

"It's a pity that God is jealous of talented people... This morning, his family members have already left the city early with his coffin."

"I guess he wants to be buried in his hometown, returning to his roots."

"This... Brother Fan, are you serious..." After confirming the news of Fan Huai's death, everyone finally accepted this reality. Some people remembered the way Fan Huai treated his classmates in the past, and some even became so sad that they shed tears in the street.

The old man was shocked. After several scholars explained the situation to him, the old man suddenly understood and left.

"Hu Cang pushed Brother Fan into the water and killed him. We should seek justice for Brother Fan!" Someone was filled with righteous indignation and instigated everyone.

"Stop! Are you crazy?" Le Loi stopped the man. "Although we call ourselves scholars, we have no official title, we are just commoners."

"Hu Cang is already the heir to the throne of Annan. You, as a commoner, want to harm the heir to the throne. Do you think you are too old to live?"

"Are you just going to sit there and watch Brother Fan die in hatred?" the man said angrily. "Le Loi! I thought you were a great man, but I didn't expect you to be a coward. We are ashamed to be associated with you!"

"I'm not afraid of death, but I'm afraid of death more than a feather!" Li Li shouted at the man. "Brother Fan was an official but still died a violent death. In the eyes of the Hu family, we are nothing but grass. Can I redress Brother Fan's grievances with my anger?"

"A gentleman should not act out of anger. He should hide his abilities and wait for the right time to act... Besides, have you forgotten what Brother Fan told us that day?"

He glanced at the direction of Annan Palace City with hatred and whispered, "Brother Fan has become a thorn in the eyes and flesh of the nobles and the Hu family for speaking up for us."

"I'm afraid that now, there are already people from the noble families or the Hu family, watching us from the dark."

"If we don't leave Shenglong City quickly, I'm afraid that we will lose our lives here!"

"If I die here, how can I avenge Brother Fan?"

Everyone was silent, and had to admit that what Le Loi said made sense. They were just a group of scholars. Thang Long City was dominated by the Hu family and the nobles. Even if they all gave up their lives, how much trouble could they make?
"Then...how should we avenge Brother Fan?" said the classmate who wanted to seek justice for Fan Huai just now dejectedly.

With treacherous villains claiming to be emperors and the aristocracy in power, these children from poor families are like grass. How can they ever stand out?
"Brother Fan... has shown us a clear path." There seemed to be fire in Le Loi's eyes, "Only the Ming Dynasty... only His Majesty the King Zhou of the Ming Dynasty can avenge Brother Fan."

"We should go back immediately, sell our property, and go to Wuqu Port to seek refuge with His Royal Highness Prince Zhou, and persuade the Ming Dynasty to help Annan restore order. Speaking of you, Annan is a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. The Hu family usurped the throne and killed the orphan of the previous emperor, His Royal Highness Chen Tianping. The Ming Dynasty has reprimanded the Hu family several times, and it is obvious that they are extremely dissatisfied with the Hu family."

"Speaking personally, Brother Fan is a disciple of His Royal Highness King Zhou. His Royal Highness King Zhou must be furious that his disciple died at the hands of Hu. If the Ming Dynasty takes action, not only can it kill Hu, but it can also restore peace to Annan." said Le Loi.

The eyes of the crowd gradually brightened up, as if they had finally found a bright way out. They didn't know whether the nobles and the Hu family would hunt them down, and time was running out, so they all left the city and returned to their hometowns. When they returned home, they packed up their belongings, sold their property, and agreed to meet near Wuqu Port, and then go together to seek refuge with His Royal Highness the King of Zhou of the Ming Dynasty.

……

"Master Huang, is this all right?"

In an inconspicuous carriage parked at the door of "Fan Huai's Former Residence", Huang Huai, the old man who locked the door, and the Jinyiwei captain who pretended to be Fan Huai's father were secretly watching the whereabouts of those Annan scholars.

Seeing that they discussed for a long time in front of the door and finally hurried to the city gate, the old man asked Huang Huai.

"Well, the seeds that His Highness requested have been planted, and my mission has been completed." Huang Huai said, lowered the curtain, and then let out a long sigh of relief.

He had studied for several years, hoping to realize his ambitions in the court of his home country. However, before he could even step into the Ming court in Yingtian Prefecture, he had to work as a mediocre official in the small country of Annan for several years.

Fortunately, now that the mission is completed, I can retire today without hindering His Royal Highness King Zhou's plan.

"Sir Huang, are you going to see His Royal Highness the King of Zhou, or are you going to return to the capital with us Jinyiwei?" asked the Jinyiwei surnamed Fan. His identity as a lurker in Annan has been scrapped, and he can no longer hide in Thang Long City. He must go back to Yingtian Prefecture Jinyiwei Yamen to report to his superiors. But this Sir Huang Huai is highly valued by His Royal Highness the King of Zhou, and he may be of great use to the next Annan attack. Before returning to Yingtian, he can send him to His Royal Highness the King of Zhou.

"...I will go back to Yingtian with you." Huang Huai said. "Those scholars will also go to Wuqu next. If they see me, there might be trouble."

"But..." the old man asked doubtfully. "When the Ming Dynasty recaptures Annan, I'm afraid they will appoint these Annan people as officials. If they find out that you are still alive, wouldn't they suspect that the Ming Dynasty deliberately deceived them?"

He was also an old soldier of the Jinyiwei, and he was puzzled by this. With Lord Huang Huai's achievements, he would definitely be given an official position and rewarded by the Queen Mother. But those Annan people would also be promoted in the future. What if the two sides met and were exposed?

"It doesn't matter. His Royal Highness Prince Zhou has already made plans. In fact, when the time really comes, the dust will have been settled." Huang Huai said with a smile.

"Moreover, His Royal Highness the King of Zhou has already promised me that he will recruit me as an official in the King's Palace. One day, I will follow His Royal Highness to Fengmingzhou and do my part to open up Fengmingzhou for the Chinese people." Huang Huai's heart was burning with excitement when he thought about the great event he was about to undertake to open up new territories for future generations.

"As an official in Fengmingzhou, I will naturally not have any disputes with them."

"Well, I heard that Fengmingzhou has fertile land and many rare treasures. It is also vast and sparsely populated, so we can do whatever we want... I can't wait to go there and follow Your Highness to build a new home for my Chinese people."

Huang Huai showed a longing look on his face. The two Jinyiwei nodded as if they understood, but they could both feel the longing and ambition in Huang Huai's words.

Then, the driver received a signal from inside the carriage and whipped his whip. The wheels rolled, and the carriage left Thang Long City and drove towards Daming, north of Annam.

……

Half a month later, Wu Qu Port.

"Your Highness, every day, there are refugees from Annan outside the port city asking to enter the port for temporary shelter. We accept everyone who comes, and the population in the city is increasing." A civil servant said to Zhu Su on the city wall. "Although we have aid from our homeland and there is no shortage of food and fodder in the city, the houses in the city are already full. Many refugees who came later have already lived on the streets."

"There were even cases of refugees fighting each other for a place to stay, and the city's law and order quickly collapsed."

"Your Highness, these Annan people are not from our Ming Dynasty after all, so why bother with them... We can't take in any more refugees. If we do, it will only become a hidden danger!"

The civil servant spoke very sincerely.

Zhu Su stood on the top of the city wall, watching the Annan refugees who were still entering the city in an orderly manner under the protection of the Ming army. Most of these people were just poor people, but among them, there were also many Annan people who were carrying packages and looked quite wealthy. They were all Annan people, poor families, merchants, etc. who were exploited by the Hu family and the Annan nobles in the name of taxation and conscription and could not survive.

Zhu Su's expression remained unchanged, not even showing a solemn look. He just said to the civil servant: "If someone is causing trouble, arrest him, announce his crime in public, and then make him confess according to the laws of our Ming Dynasty."

"If there are not enough houses, then build sheds and squeeze in more houses in the city. If there is one person sleeping in a room, squeeze in two people."

"No matter what, we must not stop the refugees from entering the city... What the Ming Dynasty wants is the support of the Annan people. These Annan people have nowhere else to go. If we refuse, won't we push the people's support back to Hu Jinyi's side?"

“But, but…” The civil servant was embarrassed and stamped his feet, saying, “Your Highness, even if you want to win the hearts of the people, you should do it within your ability…”

"Go ahead and do it." Zhu Su was tired of listening to him and waved his hand. He seemed to think he should comfort him and added, "Don't worry, it will be done soon."

"Soon, Hu Jilin will be unable to bear it anymore... When he can no longer bear it, no more refugees will crowd into Wuqu."

"This... Alas, Your Highness, I will take my leave." The civil servant looked helpless as he looked at the refugees still pouring into the city gate. He gritted his teeth and went downstairs to resettle the refugees.

After he left, Sanbao, who was standing behind Zhu Su, asked Zhu Su, "Your Highness, you said that Hu Jinyi, this villain, can't bear it anymore... May I ask what can't bear it?"

"You are taking in refugees. Are you waiting for something?"

Zhu Su glanced at him, not stingy in teaching this curious and talented eunuch. He pointed to the crowd under the city wall and said, "Look, these people sold their property and brought their families to Wuqu Port because they were forced to live by the Hu family and the gentry, so they could only come to this concession under our great Ming Dynasty to find a way to survive."

"Among them, there are many wealthy merchants..." Zhu Su pointed to the crowds of people with their families and even carriages under the city. Those who were able to leave their homes and travel thousands of miles to Wuqu to seek refuge could not all be from poor families. "Most of the wealth in Annan is concentrated in the homes of the nobles. How many merchants and wealthy families are there like this?"

"This time, Hu Jin's tyrannical taxation mainly fell on these wealthy but powerless families. But how many families like this can there be in such a small country like Annan? So we had no choice but to collect taxes and grain from them at the cost of ruining their families."

"Your Highness means..." Sanbao seemed to understand. "Most of the wealthy merchants and nobles in Annan will come to our Wuqu for refuge?"

"If only 30% or 40% can come, that would be what I want." Zhu Su said. "Hu Ji's tax collection, the nobles below want to make a profit, they are asking for too much, this amount of tax is definitely not enough."

"By then, under pressure from many people, Hu Jinyi will definitely try to collect the money and food."

"How can he do that? He doesn't dare to spoil the goodwill of the nobles. Those greedy Annan nobles will never spit out the meat they have eaten."

"so……"

"So?" Sanbao became more curious.

"So, Hu Jinyi chose to attack our Wuqu City, which has received many wealthy Annan merchants..."

"How dare the Hu family thieves attack the city?" Sanbao said in disbelief. Behind Zhu Su, Gou'er, Di Meng, Cao Yuan and others who had been listening to the conversation between Zhu Su and Sanbao were also full of disbelief.

Are they here to challenge the might of Ming Dynasty? Are they crazy? Ming Dynasty hasn't made a move yet, so how dare Annan make the first move?

"Oh, it's nothing strange. Small countries like this always have some arrogance and like to jump around before they are beaten." Zhu Su said. He thought of Annan in the future, who was inexplicably confident after the founding of New China and thought he could beat China and wanted to come to China to share a piece of the pie.

"Besides, Hu Ji's mortal enemy is now Ruan Duofang... Ruan Duofang is aiming at Thang Long Prefecture, which is like a thorn in Hu Ji's back."

"And our Wuqu Port is far away from the mainland of the Ming Dynasty. In Hu Jin's eyes, we are just a soft persimmon, an enclave of the Ming Dynasty. He may not dare to attack our Wuqu."

"After all, if Nguyen Duofang breaks into Thang Long Prefecture, he, the Emperor of Dayu, will probably have no choice but to burn himself... In this case, why not try to open a gap with our Ming Dynasty? As for what to do after angering the Ming Dynasty... they may not have the luxury to think that far ahead."

Sanbao suddenly understood. Di Meng snorted coldly and said, "Even if you come to my Ming Dynasty, you are unwilling to collect supplies from the nobles? Those nobles are obviously the disadvantages of Annan. To resist foreign aggression, we must first stabilize the internal affairs. If the Hu family is smart, they should spend a lot of effort to discipline these nobles first."

"How can it be that easy?" Zhu Su laughed. "Hu Jilin chose the wrong path. He first fought for power in the court, and after gaining power in the court, he usurped the throne and proclaimed himself emperor."

"His foundation lies in the support of the nobles. If he dares to affect the interests of the nobles, the nobles will tie him up and hand him over to Ruan Duofang before Ruan Duofang attacks."

Zhu Su looked at the refugees entering the city one after another and murmured to himself, "Hu Jilin, Hu Jilin, I don't think you understand the principle of breaking down before building up. Usurping the Chen regime means that you have to accept all the ills of the Chen regime."

"But it's just right. My Ming Dynasty can use your usurpation of the throne to legitimately eliminate Annan's chronic illness."

(End of this chapter)