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

Zhao Kang ignored him and left the palace directly.

As she watched his retreating figure, Madam Li murmured to herself, "What a majestic man! No wonder he's a nobleman of the Ming Dynasty. Remarrying him is definitely a step up for me."

Chapter 3710 The Scorpion Woman

This woman is infatuated, brainless, and selfish. As long as she's provided with a life of luxury, she'll get what she wants.

They coaxed her into submission, and she completely disregarded the country and her son.

If the Ming Dynasty were to annex Annam one day, and if a path to wealth and security were properly arranged for her, Lady Le would probably be more than willing to support it.

The transition from winter to spring is the time for rice planting in Annam.

Da Luo Prefecture, which had just been renamed from Sheng Long Prefecture, and Tian De Prefecture, which was ravaged by Shen Li's rebel army.

A large amount of fertile land was bestowed upon the officials, artisans, doctors, and soldiers brought by Zhao Kang.

The original owners of these properties were either exterminated by Zhao Kang or slaughtered and robbed by the rebel army.

The original tenants on the land, as well as those displaced by war,

They were also assigned to Zhao Kang's men, who were made to cultivate the land that had just been granted as a reward.

The five hundred soldiers that Yang Zaixing assigned to Zhao Kang were all men who were not yet married.

These people were all betrothed by Zhao Kang, and the women they married were mainly the female relatives of convicted officials.

For example, several of Du Yingwu's and Du Siwu's cousins, as well as the daughter of the traitor Shen Li, were betrothed to several Ming Dynasty military officers.

Even those soldiers who already had wives in the Ming Dynasty were encouraged by Zhao Kang to take concubines in Annam.

Many Annamite people were displaced by the war, including many women who lost their families.

The soldiers could also freely choose from the maids and servants in the homes of convicted officials.

In early spring, two fleets landed at the mouth of the Taiping River.

One fleet came from Guangzhou, and another fleet came from Qinzhou.

Some of them were family members of Zhao Kang's subordinates, some were scholars sent by the imperial court, and some were merchants from Guangdong and Guangxi recruited by Zhao Kang.

Those scholars were mostly those who had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, and were over thirty years old.

The status of a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination) can only be maintained for three sessions. If one fails to pass the provincial-level imperial examination three times in a row, the Xiucai status will be automatically cancelled and one can retake the exam.

Many scholars from Guangdong and Guangxi who failed the imperial examinations three times were already disheartened.

Hearing that they could become professors and instructors in Annam and be allocated fertile land, they signed up to join Zhao Kang.

There were also some merchants from Guangdong and Guangxi who had traded with Annam before.

Upon learning that His Highness Prince Yu was acting as regent in Annam and could even acquire shops for free in Da Luo Prefecture (Thang Long Prefecture), he sent his illegitimate son and his assistants to settle down there.

With the arrival of these families, scholars, and merchants, Zhao Kang felt more confident.

But this greatly displeased the local nobles and officials!

“Your Highness, there were many disputes when land was granted, so we had to resolve them quickly,” Xie Hong said.

Zhao Kang asked, "What kinds of disputes are they?"

Xie Hong said, "Since we don't speak the same language and are not familiar with the local situation, the land grants were carried out by local officials."

“Some local officials took the opportunity to seize land, and others arbitrarily allocated land, infringing upon the interests of Ming soldiers and Annamite landlords.”

"Although I have sent people to keep an eye on things, it is difficult to find out the whole truth. I can only make an example of them and execute a group of people."

“Those Annamite landlords whose land was illegally seized, those who had officials in the government naturally had to return it, while those who didn’t had to accept their misfortune.”

"It's unavoidable when you first arrive here. Everyone needs to familiarize themselves with local affairs as soon as possible."

Zhao Kang understands the difficulty of implementation, and he also feels frustrated when communicating with the locals due to the language barrier.

Annam gained independence during the Five Dynasties period. Although scholars could write Chinese characters,

However, fewer and fewer people can speak Mandarin, and a sense of national autonomy is gradually emerging.

Chapter 3711 The Origin of Jiaozhi

Zhao Kang took out a book: "This was compiled by the Hanlin Academy of History. It was just delivered along with the families of the soldiers. The imperial court printed a total of five thousand copies."

Xie Hong accepted the book with both hands, and was overjoyed upon seeing the title: "With this book, Annam will be pacified in ten years!"

The book is called "A Brief Account of Jiaozhi".

The opening chapter recounts the origins of the Chinese civilization, also considering the Baiyue people as a branch of the Chinese civilization.

The ancestors of the Jiaozhi people belonged to the Luoyue, one of the Baiyue peoples.

Therefore, the people of Jiaozhi also belonged to the Han Chinese ethnic group.

The first state in the Jiaozhi region was established by Prince Pan of Shu after the ancient Shu Kingdom was destroyed by Qin.

The capital was Guluo City (near Thang Long City), called Ou Luo Kingdom, also known as An Yang Kingdom.

Then came Qin's southern expedition, Zhao Tuo's self-proclaimed independence, the establishment of the three commanderies by the Han Dynasty, the rule of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and the fragmentation of the Five Dynasties...

In other words, the book "Jiaozhi Zhilue" regards Annam in ancient times as part of China.

It has belonged to China ever since, and it has been separated from China for less than two hundred years!

Zhao Kang asked, "How should we promote this book?"

Xie Hong said, “Gather all the scholars who can speak Chinese and study them every day. If they pass the exam, they will be given official positions or promoted. Then they will be sent to spread the ‘Jiaozhi Zhilue’ (A Brief Account of Jiaozhi).

"They also ordered all civil and military officials in the court to send their family members to study at the Imperial Academy."

“These sons of officials were taught to speak Chinese, and each of them had to memorize the ‘Chronicles of Jiaozhi’.”

"This is still a bit slow," Zhao Kang said, somewhat dissatisfied.

Xie Hong laughed and said, "Then let's sell this book to the public. In the future, all newly appointed officials in Annam, as well as those who are assessed before being promoted, will have to take the 'Jiaozhi Zhilue' exam."

"If a candidate fails the examination on the 'Brief Account of Jiaozhi,' the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) will not be granted an official position, and those already in office will not be allowed to be promoted!"

Zhao Kang nodded: "Excellent!"

This approach could be effective in present-day Annam, because they consider themselves "Little China of the South" and regard all surrounding ethnic groups as barbarians.

Moreover, Annam does not have any official history book.

Only after the Five Dynasties period became independent did some uncompiled historical materials gradually emerge and accumulate.

Vietnam’s first official history book, called Dai Viet Su Ky, will not be published for another hundred years!

Even the "History of Đại Việt" cannot avoid mentioning China.

The Annals of Đại Việt record the following:

Emperor Ming, the third-generation descendant of Shennong, had a son who ruled the north.

During his tour of Lingnan, he had a son who ruled the south and was named the Prince of Jingyang.

The King of Jingyang married the daughter of the Lord of Dongting, and they had a son named Luolongjun, who had the bloodline of the Dragon King of Dongting.

Luo Longjun then married the fairy Yu Ji, and they had a hundred sons, thus forming the Baiyue people.

Therefore, Luo Longjun is the ancestor of the Baiyue people. Moreover, the ancestors of the Baiyue people possessed both dragon and immortal bloodlines.

Among those hundred sons, one was named Hung Vuong, who was the true progenitor of Vietnam.

The kingdom established by the Hung King was called Van Lang, which stretched east to the South China Sea, west to Bashu, north to Dongting Lake, and south to the Husun ​​(Champa).

Jiaozhi was merely one of the fifteen tribes of the Wenlang Kingdom.

The above myths are already ridiculous enough, but what follows is even more laughable.

Prince Pan of the ancient Shu Kingdom actually annexed the Wenlang Kingdom.

Although the Hung King possessed divine strength, he neglected military preparedness and spent his days drinking and indulging in pleasure.

The Shu army arrived while the soldiers were still drunk, and one of them vomited blood, fell into a well, and drowned—how could a descendant of the Dragon King of Dongting Lake drown?

Chapter 3712 Study Hard, Remember Well

Next, it describes the Seven Warring States, then Qin Shi Huang sending troops south, Zhao Tuo, the Western Han Dynasty, the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Southern Dynasties...

To be honest, apart from the mythological parts, the Dai Viet History is fairly normal, at least more normal than the Korean history book.

Even the mythological content is based on the Book of Documents and Chinese mythology.

The author of the Dai Viet Su Ky acknowledged that the Vietnamese people are descendants of Shennong and that their origins are from China (mainly from Sichuan, Dongting and Lingnan).

However, their narrative perspectives differ, with each side viewing itself as the invaded party—from the Qin and Han dynasties to the Sui and Tang dynasties, China consistently invaded Jiaozhi (Vietnam).

There's not even a trace of this book yet. The Ming Dynasty only needed to change the narrative perspective to compile the "Jiaozhi Zhilue".

……

All the scholars in Daluo Prefecture and the surrounding prefectures and counties who could speak Chinese were summoned to attend the lectures, numbering more than fifty.

Xie Hong personally gave the lectures.

A large map sent from Luoyang was hung up, and Xie Hong pointed to it and said, "Does anyone know what this map is?"

No one answered.

Xie Hong smiled and said, "You can all come over and take a closer look."

More than fifty scholars gathered around and saw that Chang'an and Luoyang were marked.

"The Protectorate General of Jiaozhi, and Songping County!"

One of them suddenly shouted and pressed his finger on the place called Da Luo Fu (Thang Long Fu).

After carefully observing the Protectorate General of Jiaozhi and comparing it with the entire map of the Tang Dynasty, everyone suddenly felt that Annam was very small.

Xie Hong asked everyone to return to their seats and distributed copies of "A Brief Account of Jiaozhi".

He began by recounting the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, and then elaborated on Zhao Yuan's definition of Huaxia, which also included Bashu and Baiyue.

Xie Hong said, "There is a history book in China called 'Huayang Guozhi', which clearly records that Pan, the prince of the ancient Shu Kingdom, went south and established the Ouluo Kingdom."

"That was the first kingdom of Annam with historical records. At its peak, its territory included Guangxi Province of the Ming Dynasty and even the Dali Kingdom."

"Their capital was in Daluo Prefecture, which was formerly known as Shenglong Prefecture."

"If you do not believe me, you can go to the Ming Dynasty to purchase the 'Chronicles of Huayang'. This book is widely circulated and not rare."

Since it is recorded in ancient historical books, it is not something that the Ming Dynasty made up.

The fifty-odd Annamese scholars present did not feel discouraged after hearing this; on the contrary, they felt a sense of pride.

Wow, our ancestors were amazing!

Annam's first king was actually a prince of the ancient Shu Kingdom, which can be considered a legitimate nobleman of China.

Moreover, its territory was so vast that it encompassed the entire Dali Kingdom and even Guangxi Province of the Ming Dynasty.

“The Ouluo Kingdom was destroyed by the Qin state,” Xie Hong continued. “At that time, hundreds of thousands of Qin soldiers marched south and married local women and had children.”

"Among those of you here, some of you are probably descendants of the Qin army. At the end of the Qin Dynasty, Zhao Tuo established his own state..."

I'll only give a general overview today, and I'll finish in less than two hours.

Xie Hong concluded by saying, "All of the above are from Chinese historical records, and anyone can verify them."

"Both the people of the Ming Dynasty and Annam are of Chinese descent."

"Although you live in a remote corner, you belong to the true lineage of the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor. You must not underestimate yourselves."

"Unfortunately, since the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, China has been separated from it for two hundred years, and even among scholars, few can speak Chinese anymore."

Chapter 3713 Cultural Brainwashing

"The saying goes, 'To get to the root of the matter,' how can scholars forget their ancestors?"

“From now on, the civil service examinations in Annam must include this book, ‘A Brief Account of Jiaozhi’.”

“Those who have already become officials must also take the ‘Jiaozhi Zhilue’ exam before being promoted.”