Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 342: Vietnam's Request for Peace and the Yellow River's Second Burst
Soon, the Nguyen Dynasty's Minister of War Zhang Denggui, Grand Secretary Nguyen Tri Phang and others arrived at the Vietnamese Royal Palace one after another.

They met Emperor Tu Duc Nguyen Phuc Si in the imperial study of the royal palace.

As several people bowed and saluted, Nguyen Phuc Thi began to speak.

"The latest news from Hanoi."

"Huang Weiqi, Wan Yuanzhi and others led troops to reinforce Hanoi, but were badly defeated by the northern troops. The main force of our army in northern Vietnam was almost dispersed."

"Immediately afterwards, Lin Weijia, Pan Qingjian and others surrendered the city. Now, Hanoi has fallen into the hands of the northern troops."

"Tell me, my lords, what should we do next?"

When asking this question, there was an obvious tremor in Nguyen Phuc Thi's voice.

It can be seen how uneasy his emotions were at this moment!
Ruan Zhifang was flipping through the military newspaper, muttering with a gloomy expression.

"These Mingxiang people are really unreliable. They surrendered to the Northern Dynasty so easily. They are really ashamed of the cultivation of them by our Great Yue..."

The surrender of Lin Weijia, Pan Qingjian and others made Ruan Zhifang feel quite uneasy.

I feel like my sincerity has been wasted!
Upon seeing this, Zhang Denggui spoke up and expressed his opinion.

"Sir Ruan, it is no longer important whether those Mingxiang people are unworthy of Dai Viet's cultivation."

“The important thing is what to do in Hanoi?”

"What should I do next?"

Zhang Denggui was also unhappy about the surrender of Lin Weijia, Pan Qingjian and others, but he was not angry.

Because Lin Weijia and Pan Qingjian did not surrender the city immediately when the Tang army arrived.

It was not until the reinforcements from the north of Vietnam were defeated and Hanoi was in a desperate situation that it surrendered.

It took more than a month from the time the Tang army arrived in Hanoi to the time Lin Weijia and others surrendered the city.

The isolated city was besieged for more than a month and only chose to surrender after the reinforcements were defeated. Lin Weijia and others did a good job.

If the situation were reversed, even if a Yue person were in Lin Weijia's position, he might not be able to hold out for more than a month under the attack of the Tang army.

Maybe someone will surrender earlier than Lin Weijia.

Well, when Lin Weijia ordered the surrender, none of the Vietnamese officials in Hanoi raised any objections, which is the best evidence.

More importantly, Dai Viet is now facing extremely serious external threats. Under no circumstances can internal conflicts be ignited at this time.

If Nguyen Phuc Thi impulsively ordered a purge of the Minh people in the Dai Viet court because of the betrayal of Lin Duy Gia and others, the consequences would be disastrous.

The Minh people of Vietnam are not lambs to be slaughtered. Not only do they hold high positions in the Dai Viet Dynasty, they also have a complex network of relationships and a strong foundation in the local area. They are also extremely united and hold extremely powerful energy in their hands.

If the Ming people were forced to rebel and surrender to the Northern Dynasty, Dai Viet would be in real danger due to internal and external troubles.

Nguyen Phuc Thi understood Zhang Denggui's hint and spoke directly.

"We'll discuss accountability later."

"For us, Da Yue, the most important thing right now is to come up with a solution."

"We have to make a decision on whether to fight or make peace with the Northern Dynasty!"

Ruan Zhifang heard this and said with a firm attitude.

"I also ask the emperor to order all provinces to raise food and grass, prepare weapons, and gather troops to prepare to fight the enemy and protect the country."

"I am willing to personally lead the army north to repel the invading northern bandits and recapture Hanoi!"

"Please grant me your permission, Your Majesty!"

Nguyen Tri Phuong was a pro-war faction in the Vietnamese government.

Although the Tang army has now captured Hanoi and gained absolute initiative in the war in the entire northern Vietnam.

But he was not willing to give up.

He had an illusion that Dayue might still be able to give it another try!
Well, one of the three biggest illusions in life is that I can fight back!

When Nguyen Phuc Thi heard this, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

Obviously some intention.

But at this moment, Zhang Denggui on the side hurriedly spoke.

"Your Majesty, I think the best option for Dai Viet right now is to seek peace with the Northern Dynasty and ask for a ceasefire."

Unlike the impulsive Ruan Zhifang who advocated war, the old fox Zhang Denggui strongly advocated peace.

Hanoi had been lost, and in the battle of Hanoi, the combat effectiveness of the Tang army was fully demonstrated.

It is obvious that with Vietnam's current national strength and military power, it is absolutely difficult to resist the Tang army.

In this case, seeking peace to save the country may be the only way out for the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam at present.

As soon as Zhang Denggui said this, before Nguyen Phuc Thi had time to speak, Nguyen Zhifang on the side started to shout in retort.

"Minister Zhang, you are the Minister of War, in charge of the military and political affairs of our Great Viet. The northern bandits are invading, but you want to surrender without a fight. Can you be worthy of the emperor and the great kindness that our Great Viet has shown you?!"

Ruan Zhifang was extremely angry. He could not accept Zhang Denggui's weakness.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Denggui just looked at Ruan Zhifang coldly, and then spoke.

"It is precisely because I have been deeply blessed by the country and am in charge of Dai Viet's military affairs that I know that seeking peace is the best option for Dai Viet at the moment."

"Grand Secretary Nguyen, you are a civil official who is not familiar with military affairs, and you don't even know the current military preparations of the various armies of Dai Viet. How dare you make a rash conclusion and expand the war with the Northern Dynasty?"

"If you lose the battle, can you afford the consequences?!"

It’s not that Zhang Denggui doesn’t want to fight, but he knows very well that he cannot fight.

Given the current state of the Vietnamese army's poor equipment, if they were to fight the Tang army, they would probably lose even more miserably.

If Hanoi’s defeat were to happen again in Hue, who would be able to bear the consequences?
After being scolded, Ruan Zhifang quickly calmed down.

He just asked with a frown still on his face.

"Minister Zhang, is it true that our Great Yue cannot fight now?"

Seeing this, Zhang Denggui exhaled deeply and then said.

"Since the news of the Tang army's invasion of Hanoi came, the emperor ordered all our troops to gather their forces and prepare to reinforce Hanoi. I have begun to count the military equipment of each unit."

"According to what I know, all units of our army are currently experiencing varying degrees of empty payroll and reselling weapons."

"On average, the actual number of soldiers in each unit is only 30% to 50% of the number on the roster."

"Less than half of the muskets and cannons in the arsenals are left, and most of the remaining guns and cannons have been severely corroded, with less than 10% or 20% being usable."

"Also, almost all the gunpowder was seriously damp."

"The artillery batteries in various places have not been repaired for a long time and have been damaged. The city defenses in various places are also eroded."

"The Dai Viet Army is now at its weakest."

"We must not rashly expand the war with the North at this time."

"Seeking peace in exchange for the northern troops to stop fighting and cease fire is the best option for Dai Viet at the moment."

Zhang Denggui reiterated his attitude of advocating peace.

Of course, not all Vietnamese troops are so bad.

The only troops in the Vietnamese army that have been at peace for a long time are in such a state of rot.

Apart from these rubbish, there is also a number of so-called "elites" in the Vietnamese army who possess certain combat capabilities.

Well, there are still three thousand nails in the broken ship!

It is a pity that these so-called elite Vietnamese troops were sent to northern Vietnam in advance by Nguyen Phuc To to build the northern Vietnam defense line to guard against the invasion of the Tang army.

Then, they were surrounded and attacked by the Tang army, and were defeated at the gates of Hanoi.

As a result, even if the Vietnamese army wanted to send troops to reinforce Hanoi, it could not mobilize elite troops who could withstand the attack and fight.

However, Zhang Denggui’s words were too straightforward, and Nguyen Phuc Thi’s face looked unhappy.

Seeing that Nguyen Phuc Thi looked unhappy, Zhang Denggui hurriedly spoke to make amends.

"Of course, we, Great Yue, are not afraid of the Northern Dynasty."

"It just takes some time to rectify the military equipment and restore the combat effectiveness of the army."

"As long as our Dai Viet army can restore its combat effectiveness, we will certainly be able to drive out the northern invaders and recover our homeland." Zhang Denggui's meaning was very simple, to seek peace first and buy some time to prepare for war.

After Dai Viet has cleaned up its military and completed its preparations for war, it will not be too late to march north to recover the territory occupied by the Tang Dynasty.

Although this is just empty talk, it is not certain whether Vietnam will march north to recover lost territory in the future.

But it is not important.

Because the so-called Northern Expedition was just a way for Zhang Denggui to give the Vietnamese people a way out.

That's it!

When Ruan Zhifang heard this, his face became uncertain.

But in the end, he stood up and spoke.

"Your Majesty, I second the proposal."

Nguyen Phuc Thi had originally supported seeking peace, and when he saw that Truong Dang Gui and Nguyen Tri Fang had reached a consensus, he decided to back down.

"Well, that's fine!"

"For the sake of the people of Dai Viet and the ancestors of the Nguyen family, what does it matter if I endure this humiliation today?"

Seeing that Nguyen Phuc Thi had also relaxed, Zhang Denggui hurriedly spoke.

"Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Nguyen Phuc Thi just smiled bitterly.

"If I were truly wise, how could Dai Viet be in such trouble today?"

"How could Hanoi be taken by the northern invaders?"

“I hope everything can be made up!”

Nguyen Phuc Thi is really depressed now.

The reason is simple. The reason why the Tang Dynasty wants to invade Vietnam this time is because Vietnam is asking for trouble.

If Vietnam had not committed suicide by cutting off its grain trade with the Tang Dynasty at the instigation of the Western Barbarians, why would the Tang Dynasty send troops to Vietnam at this time?
Although theoretically speaking, Vietnam did nothing wrong.

The food belongs to them, and it is Vietnam’s freedom to sell it or not.

However, the weak cannot reason with the strong.

The Tang Dynasty needed food, but Vietnam had it but was unwilling to give it. This was Vietnam's way of bringing disaster upon itself.

Nguyen Phuc Thi took a deep breath and asked.

"Since the peace proposal has been made, who in the court can represent Great Yue to go to Tang and ask for peace?"

Upon hearing this, Ruan Zhifang made a suggestion.

"Your Majesty, I think we might be able to ask Hu Longshan to go there."

"Hu Longshan was once an envoy of Dai Viet stationed in Tang. He stayed in Guangzhou for a period of time and had a good understanding of various aspects of the internal situation of Tang."

"It would be most appropriate to let him go!"

Upon hearing this, Nguyen Phuc Thi nodded slightly and agreed.

Ruan Zhifang continued.

"In addition, I think Dai Viet can also ask the Western Yi countries to come forward and promote peace between Dai Viet and Tang."

"The reason why Dai Viet went to war with the Tang Kingdom this time was because of the instigation of the Western Barbarians."

"Now that Great Viet wants to negotiate peace with the Tang Kingdom, they will naturally have to contribute."

"Otherwise, we will make public the fact that they instigated us to be enemies with the Tang Dynasty. Let's see how they will explain it to the Tang Dynasty then?!"

Upon hearing this, Nguyen Phuc Thi thought for a while, then nodded in agreement.

Although it is no secret that the Western Yi people instigated Vietnam and the Tang Dynasty to become enemies.

The Tang Dynasty must know about this.

However, knowing is knowing, and making it public is making it public. These are two different things.

Once this matter is made public by Vietnam, the Tang Dynasty will definitely negotiate with the Western Barbarians and demand compensation from them even if it has known about it for a long time, even for the sake of its own reputation.

……

Jining, headquarters!
The sky and the earth were covered with rain, and the sound of raindrops was heard.

The rain gathered along the tiles, then dripped along the eaves, hitting the ground with a patter.

After the water droplets hit the ground, they splashed under the eaves, wetting all the walls, doors and windows.

Li Yi looked anxious and paced in the hall.

Unconsciously, the hem of his robe had been wet by the rain, but Li Yi was completely unaware of it.

Because, just now, he received an urgent report from Jinan Prefecture.

With the arrival of the spring flood, precipitation in the upper and lower reaches of the Yellow River increased significantly, the river water overflowed the river channel, and a breach occurred on the Yellow River embankment under construction in Jinan Prefecture.

Today, the burst Yellow River has flooded Qihe, Yucheng and several other counties.

The winter wheat that the people had worked so hard to replant last fall was once again swallowed up by floods.

Thousands of laborers who were working on the Yellow River embankment were swept away by the river, and their lives or deaths are unknown.

What Li Yi is waiting for now is the follow-up report.

Boom!

A flash of spring thunder flashed in the sky.

The rain was getting heavier, and Li Yi was becoming more and more anxious.

At this moment, Li Yi really felt a sense of powerlessness.

He had clearly done his best to rescue the people and repair the Yellow River embankment, but how come the Yellow River burst again after just one spring rain? !

In the face of the power of heaven and earth, is human power really so insignificant?

Standing under the eaves, Li Yi looked up at the sky, his eyes a little confused.

But soon, Li Yi's eyes became firm.

The power of heaven and earth is truly beyond human power to resist.

However, he would never accept his fate!

Isn’t it just the Yellow River?

Damn, after conquering the world, he ordered the planting of trees on both sides of the Yellow River.

Li Yi just didn't believe that he couldn't tame him!

Just when Li Yi was becoming more and more anxious, Li Liang ran in in the rain with a report in his hand.

"Report!"

"Your Majesty, a report has arrived from Jinan Prefecture."

"The Yellow River burst its banks northward near Qihe, turning several counties into swamps, and the number of people affected is estimated to be hundreds of thousands."

Hearing this, Li Yi took a deep breath and then said.

"Pass on my orders."

"Tell Jinan prefect Lu Zhao to immediately evacuate the people, minimize casualties, and gather manpower to prepare for disaster relief. We must stop the Yellow River from bursting at all costs."

"In addition, send a military order to the 34th Brigade stationed in Jinan, the 423rd Regiment stationed in Tai'an, the 735th Regiment stationed in Dongchang, and the 322nd Regiment stationed in Qingzhou to immediately move into the disaster area, maintain order in the disaster area, and dispatch personnel to repair the Yellow River embankment."

"Tell the soldiers that the disaster is a military order, and the bursting Yellow River is the enemy. Defeat him and destroy him at all costs!"

"No mistakes!"

Upon hearing this, Li Liang immediately clasped his fists and responded loudly.

"Here!"

"I will finally understand!"

(End of this chapter)