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

Chapter 874 Ai Cui Offers Soil
"Because of the power of the Ming Dynasty?" Ai Cui's face looked a little ugly, and there was an indelible gloom and resentment in her eyes. "This is the land where our ancestors have lived for generations, and we have already expressed our loyalty to the Ming Dynasty and are willing to serve them as our master."

"Over the years, we have been extremely respectful to the Great Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. We have obeyed his orders without exception. We have voluntarily bowed down to the Han officials. Every year, we send people to Yingtian to meet the emperor and present generous tributes..."

"We have demonstrated our loyalty. But now, the Ming Dynasty wants to build cities to monitor us like the Yuan Dynasty did. Do we still have to hand over our land so that the Ming Dynasty can continue to enslave us like the Yuan Dynasty did?"

He thought of the Yuan Dynasty, and the persecution of the Yi, Miao and other ethnic groups under the rule of the Yuan Dynasty. After conquering this place, the Yuan Dynasty sent kings and marshals to rule Yunnan and Guizhou. They robbed people as slaves, forcibly registered people and their land, and levied high taxes. The defenders only knew how to plunder. Since Wulianghetai settled in Yunnan, he had registered the people eight times in more than 20 years, and brutally suppressed countless chieftains who resisted. If they give in at this step, who knows if the next step will be that the Ming Dynasty will go further like the Yuan Dynasty and start to further exploit the Yi and Miao people?
"My husband... I don't think the Ming Dynasty is as short-sighted as the Yuan Dynasty," said Mrs. Shetz. "The Ming Dynasty is a Han dynasty. Unlike the cruel Yuan Dynasty, the Han people value righteousness and ethics. They value long-term stability and sneer at bloody and cruel rule."

"And the land owned by the Ming Dynasty is very vast. I heard that the Ming Dynasty has conquered Japan and Goryeo. They defeated the descendants of Genghis Khan, ruled the grasslands, crossed the vast Western Regions, and defeated an ambitious and powerful empire in the west."

"Their fleet sailed far away and discovered a place that is more vast than this land. Their fleet is busy building a new civilization there, so that the blood of the Han people can also reproduce in that distant continent."

"This world is too vast, so vast that the imperial court will no longer be obsessed with plundering the poor people like us who live in the mountains. The emperor of the Ming Dynasty has decided to recuperate and accumulate strength. The emperor's words are binding. Even if they station troops, they will not use force against us."

"Moreover, we Yi people have had interactions with the Han people for thousands of years. Even if the Ming court is eager to annex territory, they will not choose us, their old friends who have had a thousand-year friendship with them... but those ethnic groups that are hostile to them and may become a threat and obstacle to them."

"We have no fundamental conflicts with the Ming Dynasty. As long as we remain loyal, the Ming Dynasty will not become a threat to us. And the most important thing is... do you want to rebel against the Ming Dynasty?"

Ai Cui's expression was slightly moved. Rebellion against the Ming Dynasty? If he had thought so, he would not have been the first to surrender after the Ming Dynasty conquered Yunnan. He stood up a little irritably and paced around in the tent. Mrs. Shetz stopped talking and just looked at her husband tenderly.

"But, asking me to give up the land passed down from generation to generation... I really can't do it." Ai Cui said.

"You don't need to give up your ancestral land." Mrs. Shetz smiled gently. "We will hand over the land of Shunyuan City to the Ming Dynasty."

"This place is well connected. In the words of the Han people, it is a strategic location that must be fought over by military strategists. If such a place is in our hands, the imperial court will not feel at ease."

"Why not just go with the flow and hand this place over to His Royal Highness Prince Zhou. This way, we can show our loyalty to the Ming Dynasty and also make His Royal Highness Prince Zhou look at us differently."

"Shunyuan City? This..." Ai Cui hesitated.

The old site of Shunyuan City was at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. Ai Cui saw that the Yuan Dynasty was on its last legs and all the defenders in the city had left, so she took the opportunity to seize the city. It was like a windfall, and she did not feel bad about giving it away.

However, he only owned half of the land, and the other half belonged to the Song family in Shuidong. The two families in Shuixi and Shuidong shared the land equally. If he gave it to Daming on his own initiative without informing the Song family in Shuidong, it would be considered as overstepping authority.

Mrs. Shetz also felt that this matter was difficult to handle. She thought for a moment and said, "There has always been some grudge between us Shuixi and them Shuidong. If we go forward to discuss with the Song family of Shuidong, they will definitely think that we are trying to show our courtesy to the Ming Dynasty but are harming their interests."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Ai Cui also nodded. "Then, just mention it. We want to offer our half, and the Song family can't say anything."

But in fact, he also understood that the land was connected. If the Ming Dynasty wanted to build a city, it would be impossible to build only half of it... As long as they handed over that piece of land, it would be almost inevitable that Shuixi and Shuidong would become enemies.

Mrs. Shetz also sighed. There was nothing she could do about it. After all, nothing in the world is perfect.

……

The next day, Zhu Su once again entertained the chieftains at the prince's residence. "We talked about some boring things yesterday. I think you all must have felt uneasy last night."

"You all came here at my invitation, but I made you sleepless. This is my fault." Zhu Su raised his glass. "Tonight, you all just drink happily. I'll drink first."

Although Zhu Su wanted to strengthen the court's rule in the southwest, he did not have the idea of ​​forcing these chieftains to rebel. Nothing can be achieved overnight, and the same is true for the Ming Dynasty's rule in the southwest. If you want long-term peace and stability in the southwest, you still have to rely on these local chieftains.

Asking them to donate land to build a city might have caused some chieftains to overreact... That's why Zhu Su continued to hold banquets, firstly to express that the court had no ill will towards them, secondly to win over some chieftains as a starting point to better control the land. Thirdly, it was also to continue to show his presence as the "King of Zhou of the Ming Dynasty". As long as they were aware of the existence of the court, it would be a kind of urging for them, and sooner or later they would make a decision.

Zhu Su did not hold out hope that these chieftains would realize their mistake in just one day.

But today, it was destined to be beyond Zhu Su's expectations. Shuixi Tusi Ai Cui actually stood up and said, "Your Highness, we are so kind, how could we not know?"

"But the affairs of the court should be the priority. We are also officials of the court, and it is our duty to share the worries of the court. It is better to deal with the official business first, and then talk about personal friendship."

"Since the court is in need, I, Ai Cui, am willing to offer a piece of land to relieve the court and Your Highness's worries..."

(End of this chapter)