Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

After a while, Han Jing's deputy general, Nie Luqing, dragged the traitorous eunuch Du Yi back: "Your Highness, this eunuch deliberately let his troops block our army's path, and actually let that scoundrel Du Yingwu escape!"

Du Yi panicked and tried to defend himself: "General, I was the one who defected first, how could I let the traitor Du escape?"

Zhao Kang instructed Annamese officials to question the surrendered soldiers. All the captured Annamese central army soldiers confirmed that Du Yi was the first to defect.

"Let him go. He has done nothing wrong," Zhao Kang said.

Nie Luqing said indignantly, "It was because he ordered his troops to block several passages that our army was unable to pursue quickly."

"I did not lie. If Your Highness does not believe me, you can ask the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhao Kang had no choice but to personally inquire with his own soldiers, and they all confirmed that this was indeed the case.

Du Yi continued to argue, "I was also leading troops to pursue and kill the traitor Du, but my soldiers were too disorganized and I simply couldn't control them."

"Forget it, go and gather your soldiers." Zhao Kang was too lazy to pursue the matter further; now was not the time to do so.

Du Yi's thoughts were simple: he had feelings for the deceased king and believed that Du Yingwu would surely be defeated, so he chose to defect in the face of battle.

But he also had feelings for Du Yingwu. If Du Yi hadn't been taken in by Du Yingwu's biological father, he would have starved to death when he was just a few years old.

At the critical moment, he wanted to spare Du Yingwu's life.

Han Jing said, "Your Highness, we should send several hundred elite troops by boat to directly attack Thang Long Prefecture. We must not allow the traitor Du to regroup!"

Zhao Kang said, "You are in charge of making all the arrangements."

Han Jing not only took 500 elite troops with him on a boat, but also took several surrendered generals under Du Yingwu's command.

Chapter 3701 A Ruthless Woman

They carried only one day's worth of provisions and sailed straight to Thang Long Province.

Because Beijiang Road City was attacked by Xie Hong's navy, Du Yingwu dared not go to the dock outside the city to find a boat when he fled.

He led a few guards and ran for several miles before finally finding a fishing boat on the riverbank. By the time he rowed back to Thang Long Palace, it was too late.

Han Jing led 500 elite soldiers to the city walls and ordered the surrendered generals to run outside the city and shout messages.

"I am Long Kan! The traitor Du has been completely annihilated, and 100,000 Ming soldiers will arrive tomorrow. Why don't you open the city gates and surrender immediately?"

"Open the city gates immediately! I am the military supervisor, Du Yi. Du Yingwu has already been defeated."

"Who is guarding the city...?"

Several surrendered Annamese generals took turns shouting, leaving the defending soldiers bewildered and uncertain. Some officers ran to inform Du Yingwu's cousin, Du Siwu.

Upon hearing the news, Du Siwu was terrified and, disregarding everything, grabbed Empress Dowager Li, the young king, and the infant prince and fled.

He no longer cared about much wealth, only taking a box of gold and silver, his own family, several servants, and over a hundred soldiers.

Five hundred Ming soldiers could hardly block all the paths.

By the time Han Jing learned of the news, Du Siwu had already fled.

Empress Dowager Le, only twenty years old, was unwilling to spend the rest of her life in hiding. On her escape, she asked, "Why is the general fleeing?"

Du Siwu said, "My cousin has aroused public anger, especially by killing more than ten ministers."

"How could the families behind those ministers possibly let this go so easily?"

Empress Dowager Li said, "What does Du Yingwu's rebellion have to do with the general?"

“During the coup, I was the one leading the troops to defend the palace,” Du Siwu said.

Empress Dowager Le said, "Both the general and I were coerced by the traitor Du."

"Moreover, the general's sister is Empress Dowager Du, and those Ming soldiers were all invited by Empress Dowager Du."

Du Siwu was taken aback, then suddenly clapped his hands: "That's right. Why would I run away?"

Queen Mother Le then said, "General, you have shared hardships with me. Shouldn't we work together now?"

Du Siwu said, "What the Empress Dowager says is absolutely right."

"Kill that little brat!" Empress Dowager Li said casually.

Du Siwu stared in disbelief: "The Empress Dowager is referring to that infant?"

Empress Dowager Li said, "The late king only had three sons. One has already died. If another one dies, my son will be the late king's only son."

"Saving my child and me is saving the general himself."

Du Siwu's mind was a bit confused, but it seemed to make a lot of sense.

So he actually did it!

He forced the wet nurse to throw the baby into the river (which the baby accidentally fell into), and while urgently ordering soldiers to rescue the baby, he angrily killed the wet nurse.

Then, holding the baby's corpse, he wailed and cried, beating his chest and stamping his feet, saying that he had let down the late king.

Empress Dowager Le was young and beautiful, but her heart was as venomous as a snake.

But she didn't have much ambition, nor did she possess much wisdom.

Historically, civil officials had already united to dismiss Du Yingwu from his post, effectively eliminating a powerful minister.

Empress Dowager Li, however, was infatuated with illicit affairs and summoned Du Yingwu back to serve as an official, completely disregarding her own son, which led to Du Yingwu's bloody purge of the court.

Several days later, these men returned to Thang Long Province and were immediately arrested and placed under strict guard.

Zhao Kang looked at the baby's corpse: "Those two were ruthless. How was the interrogation?"

Xie Hong said, "The eunuchs and soldiers all said that the wet nurse accidentally let the baby fall into the water."

Chapter 3702 Strategies for Stabilizing the Nation

"It must be a staged performance. Even if others could see through it, they would never dare to admit it, otherwise they would be suspected of being accomplices."

"Of course, if you really beat someone to death, someone will definitely confess."

“But that would be torture to extract a confession, and Annan officials would then become suspicious of us.”

"That's for the best, to make the Annamese officials suspicious of that Le family."

Zhao Kang hesitated and said, "Your Majesty's intention is to establish a new king."

"Now that the baby has been killed, leaving only one heir, how should we cope?"

Xie Hong said, "We can petition the court to allow His Highness to marry Lady Le, thus making him the legitimate regent of Annam."

Zhao Kang shook his head repeatedly: "I will not marry that venomous woman!"

Xie Hong said, "It's just marriage, it doesn't necessarily mean we have to share a bed. It's just a formality."

"The most urgent task is to stabilize the situation in Annam as soon as possible."

Zhao Kang cupped his hands and said, "Please enlighten me, sir."

Xie Hong said, "We should appease the civil and military officials, reward those who have made meritorious contributions on the battlefield, and posthumously honor those who have been killed by Du Yingwu."

"In the northwest, there is a rebel named Shen Li who has already captured Taiyuan Prefecture and claims to be a member of the imperial clan, wanting to seize power."

"Your Highness should, in the name of the King of Annam, issue an order to all officials and gentry in the country not to collude with the rebels to cause trouble."

"As for the traitor Shen Li, do not send troops to suppress him for the time being."

“Let him continue to capture the state capital, making the Annamese officials anxious, and then send troops to wipe him out.”

"Du Yingwu and his accomplices were all exterminated and their homes were confiscated."

"Distribute their property to the officials and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, especially their land. Only then can the people Your Highness has brought be truly at ease."

“Any Annam officials who do not accept Your Highness’s appointment as regent may all be labeled as remnants of the Du traitor, and their homes and families shall be confiscated and their property distributed.”

"In the city of Thang Long, too many people were kidnapped by General Yang last time."

"The king of Annam relocated the local people, but only allowed half of the population in the city to be restored."

“We can send people to Guangzhou to recruit merchants and artisans, and once they arrive, we can provide them with shops and residences.”

"Firstly, it will allow Thang Long Prefecture to recover quickly, and secondly, it will increase the Han population."

"Furthermore, reorganize the remnants of the Annamite army. Order the Annamite military commanders who hold military power to send their young daughters to His Highness as concubines."

"Only by marrying into the families of those military generals can Your Highness gain control of the army."

"After marrying a military general, we must also vigorously promote the imperial examination system."

"His Majesty has allowed Annamite scholars to go to the Ming Dynasty for the imperial examinations. After Your Highness announces this, we should request many Confucian classics from the Ming Dynasty, and it would be best if we could invite a great Confucian scholar."

"In this way, the civil officials and scholars of Annam were also won over."

"I've heard that the temples in Annam own countless temple fields."

"If the rewards are insufficient, accuse certain temples of being remnants of the Du bandits, confiscate their lands, and distribute them to the Ming soldiers!"

"Once Your Highness has taken control of the situation in Annam, the system can be reformed next year."

"Imitating the Ming Dynasty, the government offices were reorganized into the Grand Secretariat, the Six Ministries, and the provincial system."

"The army was reorganized into a system of regional commanders, generals, and inner and outer garrisons."

"These reforms will make it easier for the Ming Dynasty to annex Annam in the future."

"The land system will remain unchanged for the time being. Especially the land tax; much of it will be reclaimed by the central government and used for military expenses."

Chapter 3703 Who's in favor, who's opposed?

"Now that the Annamite army has been drastically reduced, the original troop numbers should not be restored during the reorganization, which is tantamount to a disguised demobilization."

"Firstly, it can guard against a rebellion by the Annamite army, and secondly, it can collect more land taxes to prepare for unforeseen needs."

"If Your Highness were to reduce the land tax at that time, you would actually gain a reputation for benevolence and win the love and respect of the officials and people of Annam."

"Commercial taxes must be changed..."

Xie Hong spoke for more than ten minutes, but only managed to give a general outline.

Zhao Kang was filled with admiration and bowed, saying, "Sir, you are truly a man of great talent!"

Xie Hong humbly replied, "I have served as the Right Provincial Governor of the Ming Dynasty. Any provincial governor would be able to come to Annam with ease."

Two-year-old Li Tianzuo lay on the king's throne, watching the ministers argue with curiosity.

A chair was placed next to him; it was the seat of Regent Zhao Kang.

Annam Grand Tutor Su Xiancheng has been reinstated and is currently opposing Zhao Kang's rule.

"His Highness Prince Yu is a prince of the Ming Dynasty, and Annam is a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty."

"According to the Ming Dynasty's nobility system, the King of Annam was ranked lower than a Ming Dynasty prince, but in reality, his title was equivalent to a Ming Dynasty duke..."

"His Highness Prince Yu, as a prince of the Ming Dynasty, staying in Annam as regent is tantamount to lowering himself by two ranks."

"If they do not surrender and instead hold the thrones of two kingdoms, how can the civil and military officials of Annam accept this arrangement?"

"Should the officials greet His Highness Prince Yu with the respect due to a prince of the Ming Dynasty or the respect due to a regent of Annam?"

"During the reign of Prince Yu, was his rank higher or lower than that of the King of Annam?"

"If it is too high, how can the King of Annam present himself? If it is too low, wouldn't that lower the status of the Great Ming Dynasty?"

“This matter is against propriety. I believe that His Highness Prince Yu should not remain in Annam as regent!”

After the speech, Chen Kai translated it into Chinese.

Annamite officials, both civil and military, thought it made sense, but dared not openly agree with it.

King Li Yangzhen of Annam stepped forward: "I also believe that His Highness Prince Yu should not remain in Annam."

"How can a prince of the Ming Dynasty be made a regent of a vassal state? His title has been demoted two ranks out of nowhere."

When Li Yangzhen expressed his opinion, civil officials immediately followed suit.

An imperial censor named Guo Ying stepped forward and said, "I believe that what King Zhiming and Grand Tutor Su said is absolutely correct."

After listening to the translation, Zhao Kang scanned the assembled officials and asked, "Is there anyone else who objects?"

No one spoke.

More than a dozen truly upright ministers have already been killed by Du Yingwu.