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

Chapter 1055 Encouraging Le Loi
"Your Highness, please speak."

Seeing Zhu Su speaking so seriously, Li Li couldn't help but stand up straight, feeling nervous.

As the conscripted Annan people, their hatred for the Hu family was even more intense than that of the Ming army that was fighting the Hu family head-on. After all, it was the tyranny of the Hu family that forced them to leave their homes and come to Wuqu to seek the protection of the Ming Dynasty.

Even so, Hu still sent out a large army to attack Wuqu aggressively... If it weren't for the amazing combat power of the Ming army, these people would have been killed like lambs by Hu who broke into the city!
"Tonight, I will lead my army to attack the Hu camp and end this battle." Zhu Su said. "But the end of this battle is just the beginning for you." He looked directly into Le Loi's eyes.

"The Ming Dynasty can protect you temporarily, but it cannot protect you forever. As long as the Hu family is alive, you will always be lambs to be slaughtered at will under their rule. If they don't slaughter you today, they will slaughter you tomorrow."

"Whatever the future holds, it still depends on your own efforts."

Before Li Li had time to digest the explosive news that the Ming Dynasty was going to launch a night attack on Hu Cang tonight, he heard the implication of Zhu Su's words and said in a daze: "Your Highness, why don't you send us back to the Ming Dynasty..." Before he finished speaking, his face turned red.

You are quite shameless, you are planning to immigrate illegally, right? Zhu Su thought to himself.

However, this is also the voice of many Annan people who are now in Wuqu City. The reason they came to Wuqu is because Annan can no longer survive.

It was only from the mouths of the Ming soldiers, merchants, and sailors in Wuqu Port that they learned that there actually existed such a beautiful country in this world, where the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, the government was honest and upright, people did not pick up things on the streets, and doors were not locked at night.

Of course, the Ming Dynasty still had a long way to go, and it was not as beautiful as those people said. But the proud Ming people came to a "barbarian and lowly land" like Annan, so how could they say anything wrong about their own country? Naturally, they would say whatever they wanted, and with Zhu Su's slight push in public opinion, the Annan people in Wuqu City were full of longing for the strength and civilization of the Ming Dynasty. They were just short of shouting "the lighthouse of the world".

Many Annanese also joined the ranks of those who praised the Ming Dynasty, especially those who had been educated in the academy, such as Le Loi. They had no chance to advance in Annan, and after the Ming Dynasty gained the upper hand in the war, they directly became public intellectuals and Ming praisers.

They hoped that after this war, King Zhou of Ming would send them to Ming for resettlement, so that they could rise to the top, change their appearance, and become "noble" scholars of Ming Dynasty.

"Haha, you are from Annan. Since the Ming Dynasty is the suzerain of Annan, how can we take advantage of the civil strife in Annan to swallow up the Annan population?" Zhu Su said with a smile. Le Loi's face became redder and redder, and he seemed to think that his extravagant wish was a bit too shameless.

"But, but it was Hu who committed treason first and sent troops to attack Your Highness..." Le Loi tried to find the moral high ground for the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Su smiled and said, "If the name is not right, then the words will not flow. The Hu family is the Hu family, and the Ming Dynasty is the Ming Dynasty."

"As the suzerain of the Ming Dynasty, I have no reason to interfere in Annan's affairs... If the Hu family dares to attack the city where I am stationed, I will naturally attack them."

"But, if the Hu family is destroyed, will the people of Annan be able to live and work in peace?"

Le Loi was silent. He knew that even if the Hu family was destroyed, they, the children of poor families, would have no way out. Annan was the Annan of the nobles. If the Hu family was destroyed, at most another noble would take charge of the Annan court... Most of the nobles were greedy. How many of them would have a kind heart and think about the poor merchants like them?

"The Hu family can be left to the Ming Dynasty to deal with, but in troubled times, there are also hidden opportunities."

"Have you ever thought about using the Hu family rebellion to change the situation in Annan?" Zhu Su asked in a gentle and persuasive manner.

"Your Highness, please tell me clearly!" Li Li pretended to listen attentively.

"You Annan people are just too submissive...Are the nobles really noble? Are the common people destined to be lowly?"

"That's not entirely true. In your early years, you also belonged to China. Do you know the allusion that kings, princes, generals and ministers are all of different races?"

"Why not take advantage of this chaotic time... and rise up to wipe out all those corrupt noble families?"

Zhu Su took a sip of tea and said calmly.

To Li Li, these words were like a thunderclap, shaking his body. "Your Highness, what do you mean?"

"The battle to defend Wu Qu City is about to end, but the war to liberate Annan is not over yet." Zhu Su said. He put down the teacup and looked at Le Loi, with a look of compassion on his face.

"Le Loi, seeing you and other Annan people living in dire straits... I am heartbroken! I am heartbroken that as the suzerain of the Ming Dynasty, I have no sense of justice to intervene and control the Annan nobles."

"I am even more saddened by the suffering you have endured... You, the people of Annan, share the same roots with us Chinese people. Now that China has been liberated from the iron hoofs of the Mongolian invaders, you are still trapped in the exploitation of the nobles!"

“Your Highness…” Le Loi was moved by Zhu Su’s words. He thought about how the Ming Dynasty generously opened the Wu Qu Port and accepted all refugees like them. It also insisted on fighting against the Hu army that was several times larger than its own, just to protect these Annan refugees... What else could be the reason for all this, other than the two countries having the same roots?
“In my opinion, repelling Hu’s army is not a victory. Freeing you from the exploitation of the aristocracy is a great victory! But I, the Ming Dynasty, cannot take part in this victory. Now I want to entrust this most important task to you.” Zhu Su’s face was serious.

"Le Loi... I want you to start an uprising. Take advantage of the internal strife between the Hu and Nguyen families to mobilize the common people of Annan and wipe out the deep-rooted illness of the nobles!"

"Can you do it?"

"What?" Le Loi was shocked. He had never expected that the important task Zhu Su mentioned was to ask him to rebel. "Your Highness, I am just a scholar. How can I..."

The Annan nobles monopolized culture and were very successful in brainwashing the lower classes. When it came to rebellion, Le Loi's first reaction was fear.

"Don't worry." Zhu Su waved his hand. "Annan is in ruins. Whether it is the Hu family or the Ruan family, they are not orthodox and do not have the reputation of being righteous."

"Now that you have started a rebellion, no matter who it is, no one can label you as rebels."

"As for the nobles... the nobles are now divided into the Hu and Nguyen factions, fighting each other endlessly, and they will not be able to take care of your small rebellion for a while. Moreover, you have a lot of slaves in Annan. As long as you rise up in the name of fighting against the nobles, the slaves who have been exploited by the nobles will definitely respond in droves."

"I only have 2,000 troops under my command, and I have to stay in Wuqu. I cannot leave easily... But I can help you. With Wuqu secretly backing you up, you can act with confidence."

Zhu Su further encouraged Li Lidao.

(End of this chapter)