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

Chapter 1072 Awakening of Hu Jin
At this time, Lan Yu was on his way to Thanh Hoa Prefecture.

After splitting up with Li Wenzhong, Lan Yu led two thousand elite troops to pretend to be defeated, but in fact he marched southward, preparing to launch a surprise attack to turn Hu Jin's rear upside down. Another reason for this plan was that Lan Yu did not trust Le Loi.

As a Duke of the Ming Dynasty and one of the main generals who was sent to Lianzhou to prepare for war very early on, Lan Yu knew all the plans of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Su against Annan, which were: to support the poor families of Annan, take advantage of the uprising of the poor families of Annan, swallow up the Annan gentry and the Hu family, and then push the poor families of Annan who revolted to "return power" to the Ming Dynasty, thus achieving the goal of regaining Annan legitimately, openly, and without any resistance.

The benefits of this plan are obvious. The Ming Dynasty does not need to appear on the front battlefield. It only needs to maintain deterrence against Annan and act as a "stabilizer" at critical moments. At the same time, it can completely eradicate the entrenched aristocratic forces in Annan, so that these local snakes will not become obstacles to the Ming Dynasty in the future. At the same time, it supports the weak and poor forces that must rely on the support of the Ming Dynasty to take over Annan, reduce the resistance of Annan to submit to the Ming Dynasty, and completely recover Annan from the bottom up. It can be said that three birds with one stone.

This is the truth, but Lan Yu was still worried.

"Hurry up, faster." Standing at the bow, Lan Yu's cold face showed a hint of impatience. "How many days will it take to reach Thanh Hua?"

"Lord Liang, the ship is already fully sailed." Beside him, the navy soldier manning the ship had a bitter look on his face. "We should reach Qinghua City by noon tomorrow. If we go any faster, we will be in danger."

"Don't worry. His Royal Highness King Zhou has already made arrangements for Thanh Hoa. With General Cao by Le Loi's side, Le Loi can't cause any trouble."

"Humph, Cao Yuan only has a few men under his command, how can he control Le Loi? I see that Le Loi has evil intentions, and Cao Yuan might have met with an accident." Lan Yu said.

What he was worried about was Le Loi, who was strongly supported by Zhu Su. In his opinion, Le Loi was not from the Ming Dynasty and was not trustworthy. However, His Royal Highness King Zhou invested too many resources in this person. Now Le Loi was indeed rising, but the more this was the case, the more dangerous it was.

As the saying goes, raising a tiger brings disaster. His Royal Highness King Zhou has been raising Le Loi, hoping that Le Loi will "return power to the Ming Dynasty" after he becomes stronger. But Lan Yu thinks this is naive. Who in the world would give up the power they have already obtained?

After learning that Le Loi intended to attack Thang Long Prefecture, Lan Ngoc became even more anxious, believing that this was a sign that Le Loi was about to rebel.

His Royal Highness Prince Zhou has almost placed all his chips for the recovery of Annan on Le Loi. If Le Loi rebels, the Ming plan will fail, and Lan Yu's military achievements will probably be lost. His Liangguo Mansion is still counting on the military achievements of conquering Annan to gain overseas territory, so how could he be willing to be ruined by Le Loi like this?

Therefore, he urged them to hurry up and head south, thinking that he had to help His Royal Highness King Zhou "clean up his mess".

As for how to wipe it off? Of course, he would use a knife to push Le Loi away. When the goal is achieved, he would kill him with a single knife.

He, Lan Yu, is not a kind-hearted person.

The naval ship carrying Lan Yu headed south, and Lan Yu was also sharpening his sword. He had even prepared for the possibility that Cao Yuan, who was going to pick him up, would be dead and he would be ambushed by Le Loi's troops, and he had prepared many plans for this.

As long as he didn't see Cao Yuan when he got off the boat, he would rush into Thanh Hoa City without saying a word and put a knife to Le Loi's neck.

After a night of planning with the map, the ship finally arrived in Thanh Hoa the next day. Lan Yu was ready to fight, even preparing for the possibility that the ship would not be able to enter the city and be blocked outside the city, but he saw that Thanh Hoa City opened the water gate smoothly and welcomed the ship into the city.

"Perhaps, he wants to lure us into the city and kill us?" Lan Yu thought.

When the ship docked, Lan Yu put on his helmet and armor, and went to the deck with his sword in his hand. The scene in front of him surprised him. The dock was crowded with people welcoming him. Everyone had a smile on their face, and they looked sincerely welcoming.

"Duke of Liang, I'm Cao Yuan, paying my respects to His Majesty the Duke." Seeing Lan Yu getting off the boat, Cao Yuan stepped forward with a few personal guards from Prince Zhou's mansion and saluted Lan Yu in accordance with Ming Dynasty military regulations.

"General Cao... you are recognized by our country." Seeing Cao Yuan coming to greet him in good condition, Lan Yu breathed a sigh of relief, then looked behind Cao Yuan and said, "This..."

He lowered his voice and said, "The intelligence that this duke has received claims that Le Loi has become arrogant and intends to attack Thang Long Prefecture..."

"Since you have turned your back on the Ming Dynasty, why did you create such a big scene? Are you really welcoming us?"

"Your Excellency, you don't know." Cao Yuan also whispered. "Le Loi has been executed, and the ones who remain are indeed here to welcome our Ming soldiers with all their hearts."

"What?" Lan Yu was stunned. Li Li was dead? Then he immediately remembered something: "If so, doesn't it mean that His Royal Highness King Zhou's plan has failed?"

"That's not the case." Cao Yuan smiled and shook his head, and then he told Lan Yu in detail how Zhu Su had told him to kill Le Loi and how to use the "deliberative system" to stabilize Le Loi's team. Then he said, "These people have taken advantage of Le Loi's power and have no ambition to make progress."

"Now, what they are thinking about is how to keep the wealth they have already obtained and how to prevent Hu Jin's counterattack."

"They are naturally happy that the Duke has come. Because, with your help, the wealth in their hands can be said to be more secure."

Lan Yu suddenly realized that Le Loi was just a pawn used to open up the situation. His Royal Highness King Zhou's real intention was to let these rising Annan poor families restrain each other after Le Loi opened up the situation, manipulate them, and continue to purge the Annan nobles in their names.

As for his "lone army", it would be responsible for "causing chaos" everywhere and attacking the cities of the aristocratic families. The so-called Council of Poor People would only need to provide supplies and baggage in secret, and at the same time "pick up leaks" from behind and capture the cities of the aristocratic families that he had attacked!
For the Annan people, this Ming army was sent to the south by Hu and had no choice but to wander around. It had nothing to do with the rebel forces left behind by Le Loi. They would not have any psychological barriers to joining the rebel forces.

Le Loi's power had actually already fallen apart, making it easier for the Ming Dynasty to control it, and there would be no more troubles!

Lan Yu's worries were gone, and he learned of Zhu Su's entire deployment. After replenishing supplies in the city, he took his men out of the city and began to stir up trouble in the south of Annan.

On the other side, the injured Hu Jizhen had also retreated to Thang Long Prefecture. In the previous battle, he lost his beloved son. But now, he had no time to mourn.

"Your Majesty." In the palace, an official was kneeling on the ground to report the battle situation to Hu Jinyi. "Le Loi's forces have almost completely occupied the southern part of our Dayu. From Thanh Hoa Prefecture to the south, all of it is no longer our Dayu territory."

"Le Loi slaughtered the nobles, which was inhumane and infuriating to both humans and gods... He is the biggest threat to our Dayu! I believe that we must first stabilize the country before we can resist foreign aggression. We should first destroy Le Loi, then swallow up the Nguyen family and resist the Ming Dynasty."

"In this way, our Great Yu will have a chance to revive."

"..." Hu Jilin rubbed his forehead with a headache. Now, he finally understood the whole situation. The one who was manipulating the situation in the end was the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty had long coveted Annan. Otherwise, why could the Ming Dynasty immediately send troops from Lianzhou into Annan and capture dozens of cities in Annan after the Nguyen Dynasty was defeated?
If Hu Jinyi was told that the Ming Dynasty had not already been preparing its army for battle, he would never believe it.

Thinking about it now, every action of the Ming Dynasty had its deep meaning: supporting Nguyen Duo Fang was to contain Hu Jinyao; letting go of the defeated Hu Cang was to let Nguyen Duo Fang and Hu Jinyao fight each other to a bloody end; the Ming army went south to weaken his strength, so that he and Nguyen Duo Fang could reach a balance again and continue to fight each other to a bloody end; and the final killer move of the Ming Dynasty was actually Le Loi, the man whom he had always ignored.

The reason why the Ming Dynasty wanted to restrain Hu Jinyao was that it hoped that he would have no time to deal with Le Loi, so that Le Loi could quickly become more powerful in the south.

But why didn't the Ming Dynasty pick the fruit itself, but instead took off its pants and farted, and supported Le Loi?

Hu Jinli frowned deeply.

"Your Majesty?" The noble official looked at Hu Ji's appearance and refused to give in. Now that the Great Yu Kingdom was in decline, Hu Ji's prestige had already plummeted. In Thang Long City, many nobles were ready to flee to Nguyen Da Fang or even surrender to the Ming Dynasty.

After all, even if Dayu was replaced by Ming Dynasty, they would still be a noble family. Having taken root in Annan for a hundred years, each of their families would be a deeply rooted local tyrant.

Even if the Ming Dynasty came, it would still have to rely on them to gain a foothold and govern Annan.

A dynasty of a hundred years, a family of a thousand years. They have nothing to fear.

"Your Majesty?" The official asked Hu Jinyi in a voice that was already filled with dissatisfaction. "Le Loi is a thief with eagle eyes and wolfish looks. He is a real threat to our Great Yu."

"If Dayu cannot wipe out this thief, the country will surely be destroyed!"

The official spoke alarmistly.

When Hu Jinli heard him say this, he became furious and was about to scold him loudly, but suddenly he had an idea and felt that he had figured out a lot of things.

"I know, I finally know!"

Below, the Annan court officials looked at each other, wondering what had suddenly happened to this "emperor". Hu Jinyi looked at these noble officials and suddenly laughed, saying: "You, you are dying and still don't know it, and you still want to use me to get the last benefit for your family."

"Is it that as soon as I give the order to suppress the bandits, you will use the excuse that the national treasury is insufficient and you need to raise military funds to accumulate some wealth for your family, and then surrender to the Ming Dynasty?"

"But you don't know that Daming... never thought of saving your lives."

"That Li Li is clearly a sharp knife sharpened by the Ming Dynasty to kill you!"

All the ministers heard this and looked at each other, not knowing what Hu Jinyi was talking about.

However, no one was clamoring for Hu Jinyao, who was at the end of his rope, to send troops to suppress the bandits again.

"Why do you think the Ming Dynasty supported Ruan Duofang to contain Dayu, and even risked its own life in the end?"

"Why did Le Loi purge the nobility wherever he went?"

"Because Le Loi is the real killer weapon cultivated by the Ming Dynasty! He wants Le Loi to occupy Annan and wipe out all of you nobles."

"Then, the Ming Dynasty will take over Le Loi and take over the Annan Empire where there are no nobles like you."

"What the Ming Dynasty wants is an Annan without the nobles. You have become a bunch of bugs!"

"Hahahaha, even if you want to surrender to the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty doesn't want you to surrender! How ridiculous, how ridiculous!"

He laughed wantonly, wantonly relieving the depression caused by the worsening situation. Then he got off the "throne" and left the hall, leaving behind the Annan ministers who looked at each other in bewilderment.

A sense of uneasiness finally began to spread among the nobles.

Afterwards, Duke Liang of the Ming Dynasty, who had fled to the south, won victory after victory and captured thirteen cities in the south. These thirteen cities were later occupied by Le Loi's forces, and all the nobles in the cities were killed. The great nobles in Thang Long City finally began to panic.

They finally began to be willing to bleed and provide supplies to support Hu Jintao's massive conscription and reorganization of the army.

On the other hand, under the leadership of the gentry, Nguyen Duofang's forces, which were already on the verge of death, fell into civil strife. Nguyen Duofang wanted to gather troops again to compete with Hu Jinyi, but the gentry under Nguyen Duofang were unwilling to continue to bleed to help this hopeless person.

So Nguyen Duo Fang shamelessly asked the Ming Dynasty for help, but the Ming Dynasty ignored him and Nguyen Duo Fang died in internal strife.

The remnant forces left by Le Loi were unstoppable. After wiping out the southern gentry with the help of Lan Yu, they began to turn their attention to the north.

Hu Ji Ly, who absorbed part of the Nguyen Da party's gentry power, began to gather troops in Thang Long City, fortify the city and clear the fields, intending to rely on the forces of Thang Long City and Le Loi to decide the winner, with the intention of making the first battle a decisive battle and deciding the outcome.

The battle report reached Wuqu Port.

"It seems that Hu Jinlei has realized it." Looking at the information sent by the Jinyiwei, Zhu Su tapped the table with his fingers.

"I'm not stupid. I haven't been kept in the dark."

The biggest advantage of the Ming Dynasty over Hu Jinli was that it did not show hostility to annex Annan from the beginning. Because the Ming Dynasty had publicly adopted a policy of recuperation in recent years, and Annan was a "country not conquered" by the Ming Dynasty, Hu Jinli mistakenly believed that the Ming Dynasty would not interfere too much in Annan's political affairs. As long as his Hu family's occupation of Annan became a fait accompli, the Ming Dynasty would be too lazy to spend the effort to intervene.

The Ming Dynasty was indeed unwilling to annex Annan in a high-profile manner, but the plan to recover Annan had been on Zhu Yuanzhang's desk more than ten years ago.

Now he realized that the Ming Dynasty was targeting Annan, but it was too late.

"Uncle Wu, what should we do next?" Li Jinglong asked. "Let the forces left by Le Loi attack Thang Long City and take over the entire Annan?"

"Once the Hu family and those nobles have come to their senses, the resistance will be extremely fierce. We cannot take Thang Long City with only the troops left by Le Loi and the Duke of Liang." Zhu Su shook his head and said.

"It seems that in order to recapture Annan, we, the Ming Dynasty, have to step forward and fight a tough battle ourselves." Zhu Su said lightly.

(End of this chapter)