Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 335: A famous teacher
Lin Weijia put down the brush in his hand, looked up and said.

"Is it Master Pan?"

"Come in and talk!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the door creaked and was pushed open from the outside.

Hening Governor Pan Qingjian walked in from outside and came in front of Lin Weijia.

Lin Weijia raised his hand to signal Pan Qingjian to sit down, and then asked.

"Master Pan came to see me late at night, but what is the matter?"

Upon hearing this, Pan Qingjian took a deep breath and then spoke.

"Reporting to the Governor, this is what happened."

"I was just inspecting the city wall when a soldier came to report that the Tang army outside the city had sent an envoy to the city and wanted to see the governor."

"I have brought the person here!"

When Lin Weijia heard this, the expression on his face changed and he couldn't help but frown.

"Master Pan, what do you mean by this?"

"Don't you know the purpose of the Tang army sending envoys?"

The battle had reached this point, and it was obvious that the Tang army sent envoys to persuade the enemy to surrender.

But even so, Pan Qingjian still brought people to see him, forcing Lin Weijia to consider Pan Qingjian's intentions.

Pan Qingjian had a complicated expression on his face when he heard this, but he still spoke.

"In reply to your Excellency's words, I think it would be okay for you to meet the envoy of the Tang army."

"Now that the war against the Tang has been defeated again and again, Hanoi is in danger and is at risk of falling at any time."

"If we pretend to negotiate with the Tang army, we may be able to delay the Tang army's offensive against Hanoi, and perhaps buy more time for us to hold out until the court sends reinforcements."

Pan Qingjian’s ideas are very clear.

Use peace talks to buy time.

When Lin Weijia heard this, his expression changed for a while, but he finally nodded and said.

"Master Pan is right."

"Please bring the person in, Master Pan."

Pan Qingjian nodded immediately, then turned and walked out.

Not long after, he returned, followed by a Tang army envoy dressed in black.

Tang army envoy Zhang Lin bowed to Lin Weijia and then spoke.

"Zhang Lin, the special envoy of the Tang Dynasty, greets Lord Lin."

Upon hearing this, Lin Weijia snorted coldly and asked.

"I wonder why your Excellency has come here today?"

"Your country invaded Dai Viet without any reason. Could it be that your envoy came here today to discuss the withdrawal of troops with me?"

Lin Weijia took the initiative and wanted to suppress the arrogance of the Tang army envoys on the opposite side.

Zhang Lin was not annoyed when he heard this, he just said with a smile.

"There is no two suns in the sky, no two rulers in a country, and there can only be one emperor in the world, and that is the emperor of our Tang Dynasty."

"Since the ruler of Vietnam dares to commit crimes and proclaim himself emperor, the Tang Dynasty must punish the people and punish the disobedient!"

"This war was not caused by the Tang Dynasty's bellicosity, but was caused by Vietnam itself."

"If the ruler of Vietnam had not been so arrogant as to declare himself emperor and provoke the Celestial Empire, why would the Celestial Empire have launched an expedition?"

The fundamental reason for the Tang Dynasty's expedition to Vietnam was that Vietnam had cut off its grain trade with the Tang Dynasty.

As a result, the food crisis facing the Tang Dynasty is becoming more and more serious.

However, such things are not suitable as reasons for declaring war.

The grain belongs to Vietnam. Whether to sell it or not is Vietnam’s own business.

The Tang Dynasty cannot declare war on Vietnam just because Vietnam does not sell its own grain to the Tang Dynasty.

If this is the case, wouldn’t that be fighting an unjust war?

The Tang Dynasty is different from the Western barbarians who only care about interests. The Tang Dynasty has dignity.

Even if they want to beat you up for profit, they have to have a legitimate reason.

We cannot be like the Western barbarian countries, who put their face in their pockets and just roll up their sleeves to get to work.

And this reason is easy to find.

And it was the Vietnamese themselves who offered this handle to us.

That is, the King of Vietnam proclaimed himself emperor.

If it were an ordinary time, the Vietnamese king would have proclaimed himself emperor. After all, he was just entertaining himself in the country and no one would recognize him outside Vietnam.

Moreover, even if the Vietnamese king secretly proclaimed himself emperor in the country, his succession to the throne would still require China's enthronement and recognition.

However, the time has come for China to find an excuse to interfere with you.

Vietnam's secret attempt to declare itself emperor is a way to its own death.

There can only be one emperor in this world. If you dare to claim the title of emperor, I will kill you!

To comfort the people and punish the criminals, to punish the disobedient, this is the most legitimate reason.

This is a basic principle followed throughout East Asia.

Upon hearing this, Lin Weijia opened his mouth, but was unable to refute.

Because it is true that the King of Vietnam proclaimed himself emperor.

If the Tang Dynasty wanted to make a fuss about this, Vietnam would have no way to refute it.

Seeing this, Zhang Lin continued.

"And the purpose of my coming to Hanoi today is very simple."

"That is to persuade Lord Lin and Lord Pan to surrender. I hope the two lords can come to their senses and lead their people to return to Tang."

"You two are the descendants of the Ming dynasty. You are the descendants of the Han Chinese. Even though you are living overseas, how can you be loyal to the ruler of a barbarian?"

"It is best to surrender to the Tang Dynasty as soon as possible, so as to return to our roots and comfort the spirits of our ancestors in heaven."

After he finished speaking, Lin Weijia and Pan Qingjian on the opposite side fell silent.

The phrase "fallen leaves return to their roots" to comfort the spirits of their ancestors in heaven really touched them.

Since the end of the Ming Dynasty, I and others have been wandering overseas for more than three decades to avoid war and change clothes. How is the ancestral grave in my family now?
Does the ancestral temple still exist?

Are your names and others’ names still on the family tree?
Although I and others have done well overseas and now hold high positions, how can a wandering man not miss the embrace of his mother?
However, after taking a deep breath, Lin Weijia still spoke.

"Your Excellency, please do not mention the matter of persuading us to surrender."

"We Mingxiang people have been wandering overseas for many years, and have long forgotten where our home is."

"Besides, the King of Vietnam has always valued us Ming people and promoted us to high positions. Since we eat the grain of Vietnam, we should be loyal to the King of Vietnam. How can we do such a rebellious act?"

"Lin is definitely not that kind of person."

Lin Weijia was actually moved by Zhang Lin's words about fallen leaves returning to their roots.

However, although he was willing to do so, it was not enough to make him surrender to the Tang Dynasty immediately.

The reason is simple: to save face.

The Emperor of Vietnam was quite nice to Lin Weijia.

Lin Weijia was not only the regent of the late Vietnamese emperor, but also trusted by the current Emperor Tu Duc. He was appointed Governor-General of Ha Ninh, in charge of the military and political affairs of the Red River Delta.

Where is the Red River Delta?
This is the most important grain producing area in Vietnam. In China, it would be the Central Plains, or Jiangnan, Huguang and other places. Its importance is self-evident.

The trust and respect of two generations of emperors helped Lin Weijia gain a foothold.

Unless he really has no shame at all, he would never surrender to the Tang Dynasty just because the Tang army came to persuade him to surrender.

If Lin Weijia really did this, he would not only be cursed in Vietnam.

Even the Tang Dynasty would find it difficult to trust such a traitor.

Pan Qingjian on the side also said this.

"Master Lin is right."

"How could we be such ruthless people?"

"If the Tang Dynasty wants to fight, then fight. There is no need to talk about persuading surrender."

"Our Henei City is strong and deep, as solid as a rock. Moreover, the army is united and its morale is high. If the Tang army wants to attack the city, just let them do it."

Zhang Lin heard this, with a smile on his face, and just bowed and said.

"Hanoi's defenses are strong, but my soldiers have conquered many strong cities and fortresses. Hanoi cannot be ranked high."

"As long as the Tang Dynasty is determined, conquering Hanoi will be just a matter of a wave of the hand."

"I hope the two adults can seriously consider this matter and make the most correct decision."

"Don't bring shame to our ancestors!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Weijia became angry and waved his hands.

"see a visitor out!"

"see a visitor out!"

Zhang Lin sneered at this, then clasped his fists and left.

Just before leaving, he turned around and said.

"I will come again."

"I hope that the next time I come, you two adults will be able to make the most correct choice."

……

Outside Hanoi!

Tang army camp.

The central army tent was filled with smoke.

A general of the Tang army had a cigarette in his mouth, tea was placed on the table, and they discussed military affairs while smoking.

Although the Tang army currently has the upper hand in the battle, the pressure on the battlefield is still very high. In order to relieve the pressure, there are many heavy smokers in the Tang army.

In the center of the military tent, there is a huge sand table.

The sand table detailed the deployment of the Tang and Vietnamese troops inside and outside Hanoi City.

Chen Yucheng and others gathered in front of the sand table, constantly discussing the upcoming battle situation.

Zhang Guoliang spoke.

"The main force of the Vietnamese army in Hanoi is mainly concentrated in the east of the city, and the troops in the other directions are relatively empty."

"I think when the Tang Dynasty captures Hanoi, we can send troops to the east of the city to feint and attack Hanoi, attracting Vietnamese troops, and then send a fleet to the north of the city to attack Hanoi by water."

Hanoi is north of the Red River. If the Tang army wants to attack the city by water, the north of the city is naturally the best choice.

The reason why Zhang Guoliang was so familiar with the Vietnamese army's deployment in Hanoi was not because the Tang army's scouts were so powerful and had already sneaked into Hanoi.

It was because the Tang army released hot air balloons at the beginning of the war.

Several hot air balloons floated in the sky, observing the battlefield situation at all times. The Tang Dynasty had already figured out the Vietnamese army's troop deployment.

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

Just at this moment, footsteps were heard outside the tent.

Immediately it was reported.

Chen Yucheng raised his hand and signaled to let the person in.

A Tang army scout lifted the tent curtain and walked into the smoke-filled tent. He saluted and began to report.

"Report, Commander."

"Our scouts discovered unusual movements of Vietnamese troops in the Taiyuan direction."

"Judging from their movements, they may be preparing to head south to help Hanoi."

As soon as the scout finished speaking, the eyes of the Tang army generals lit up.

All eyes were focused on Chen Yucheng, as if waiting for him to make a decision.

Chen Yucheng took a deep breath, and the cigarette butt in his mouth began to flicker.

After a moment, he slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, stood up, put out the cigarette in his hand into the ashtray, and then spoke.

"Pass on this general's order, ordering all units of our army to prepare for battle and prepare to fight the Vietnamese troops rushing to Hanoi to support them."

Upon hearing this, all the generals stood up and clasped their fists in response.

"Well, I will obey your orders!"

(End of this chapter)