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

Chapter 871 Officials of Your Place
"Your Highness is here?" Lan Yu had thought of writing to Zhu Su to ask him about it, but he didn't expect that Zhu Su had already arrived just as he was thinking about it. He asked, "Your Highness is here in Sizhou? Is that the case?"

"Has the matter of Lianzhou been resolved?"

The soldier who came to report was Lan Yu's own scout, so he could not answer these questions. Fortunately, Lan Yu was just talking to himself. When he heard that Zhu Su was ten miles outside the camp, he quickly asked someone to bring the warhorse and led the army to meet him. When they arrived outside the camp, they saw a troop of soldiers coming from the distant mountains. In the afterglow of the setting sun, the big banner with the three characters "Zhou Wang Su" was particularly eye-catching.

"Your Highness actually came here... Is everything okay in Lianzhou?" Lan Yu, who had been stuck in the mountains for several months, was surprised and happy when he received the dusty Zhu Su.

"Yes, the chieftains of Lianzhou Qinshi and others have been wiped out, and the remaining chieftains have all entered the market and are controlled by the tax bureau. As it is profitable, they are all at ease... Today I hope the court will send a tax bureau, tomorrow a temporary official, and the day after tomorrow to the government office. I think it won't be long before it happens."

"Also, the prestige of the Lianzhou government has been established. Many local people no longer seek mediation from the chieftains when they have problems, but are willing to seek redress for their grievances from the government... The next step is to popularize education in Lianzhou so that the local people can learn the laws and regulations of the Ming Dynasty, as well as the classics and histories."

"After several generations, even if there are still local officials, they should be no different from ordinary village elders in the clan."

Lan Yu was also happy to hear about the situation in Lianzhou. The court wanted to better conquer Lianzhou so that they would have fewer worries when they went to conquer Annan in the future. This was also for his future military achievements, so he was sincerely happy. "In this way, the matter of Lianzhou is over."

"Even if there are still remnants, I think it's not a big deal." Zhu Su said. Then, he told Lan Yu again in detail about the events in Lianzhou. Lan Yu had been bored in the mountains for a long time, and it was rare to hear something new, so he listened to the story carefully as if he was listening to a book. The two of them rode freely on the way, talking about the events in Lianzhou as they walked.

Seeing that Lan Yu listened carefully, Zhu Su nodded secretly. The reason why he told Lan Yu about the affairs of Lianzhou in such detail was actually intentional.

Lan Yu and Li Wenzhong will be the candidates arranged by Zhu Yuanzhang to govern Annan in the future. The political situation in Annan is a hundred times more complicated than that of the chieftains in the southwest. If you want to really annex Annan, you can't just rely on military knowledge.

How was Zhang Fu during the Yongle Dynasty? In terms of military knowledge, Zhang Fu was invincible when he invaded Annan. However, even so, the Ming army still failed to gain a foothold in Annan. If you want to annex Annan, the generals who lead the army must not only know military knowledge, but also know how to manage the political situation and know how to take advantage of the situation... The Lianzhou incident is a good example, which may help Lan Yu and Li Wenzhong in their future strategy for Annan.

"If the Lianzhou matter is settled, then we are still here... can we also withdraw our troops?" Lan Yu asked.

Lan Yu was very annoyed by the troops stationed here these days. If there were any rivals, it would be fine, but those barbarians were ignorant of the heaven and earth, and they raised their flags brazenly but were vulnerable to attack. They could not be considered rivals at all... But Lan Yu was so idle that he almost tore through the book of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

"Not yet." Zhu Su said. Seeing Lan Yu's face stiffen, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "Guizhou, Sizhou, Yunnan and other places have bigger problems than Lianzhou. If you want to manage Annan, how can you not stabilize Yunnan and Guizhou first?"

"The power of the chieftains in Lianzhou is scattered, and this is just a small test. The main force is in Yunnan and Guizhou. I came here under the pretext of exterminating the barbarians. If I lose this pretext and stay in Yunnan and Guizhou, it will definitely make the chieftains of Yunnan and Guizhou wary."

"But the soldiers are bored here, and I understand that... I guess there aren't many of those barbarians left, right? The Duke doesn't have to play tricks on them every day. Just capture them. I've brought you some new opponents..."

"Oh?" Lan Yu originally had some resentment, but at this moment, his curiosity was aroused.

"These are hundreds of elite new troops trained by Brother Baoer. When we were suppressing the Qin Clan a few days ago, we sent a hundred warriors to sneak through the Qin Clan's native soldiers' defense line and kill the Qin Clan leader Qin Meng and his two hundred guards... The brothers returned to Lianzhou to train soldiers, so we might as well continue to pretend to be bandits in this mountain and learn from this new army."

"Playing tricks in the army helps the soldiers improve each other. This new army is very powerful. Maybe it can help the soldiers under your command, Duke Liang, to reach a higher level as well."

"Your Highness, are you saying that my brothers are not as good as Duke Cao's new army?" Lan Yu raised his eyebrows, and his momentum suddenly surged. As the saying goes, there is no first in literature and no second in martial arts. Zhu Su's words clearly meant that his entire army would not be a match for this new army... How could Lan Yu be convinced?
Zhu Su blinked and said nothing. Lan Yu blushed immediately. He quickly settled Zhu Su and dispatched soldiers to capture the barbarians on the mountain overnight. He couldn't wait to compete with this so-called new army. If he could kill the barbarians on the mountain as soon as possible, he could free up the battlefield to fight against these so-called new troops tomorrow.

Zhu Su was relieved after using provocation to appease Lan Yu. Although Lan Yu was brave and resourceful, and could control his temper, he was actually very arrogant in his heart. It was impossible for him not to feel resentful when he was left alone here.

While bringing in the new troops under Li Wenzhong to help him vent his energy, he could also train the soldiers under Lan Yu and make them more adaptable to fighting in the mountains... After all, these elite soldiers that he and Li Wenzhong had trained with all their heart and soul would not be so easily defeated by the traditional soldiers under Lan Yu.

While Lan Yu was mobilizing his troops and training the elite new troops in the mountains in full swing, at the Zhou Wang headquarters outside the camp, Zhu Su summoned the chieftains of Sizhou, Guizhou, Sinan and other places to meet the king in the headquarters.

"Your Highness, Tian Renzhi, the envoy of Sizhou, pays homage to His Majesty the King of Zhou."

"Your Highness, Tian Maoan, the envoy of Sinan, pays homage to His Majesty the King of Zhou."

"Your Highness, I, Ai Cui, the envoy of Guizhou, pay my respects to His Majesty the King of Zhou."

"Your Highness Song Qin, the co-governor of Guizhou, pays homage to His Majesty the King of Zhou."...

There are many Tusi in Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan. Most of the Tusi here are descendants of the Yuan Dynasty. The Yuan Dynasty's rule over the southwest was extremely rough, so there are many powerful Tusi among them. Most of them did not experience the war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, and when they saw that the situation was not good, they immediately surrendered to the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, their strength was not damaged, and they were by no means comparable to the small Tusi in Lianzhou who only had a few thousand soldiers at most. Even to the Ming Dynasty court, most of them were superficially united.

Although they kowtowed to Zhu Su, Zhu Su could see that they were much more confident than the chieftains of Lianzhou. Many of them even just bowed for show and then stood up immediately. They thought that the court could not move them, so they were somewhat fearless.

(End of this chapter)