Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Sanye Island, an isolated territory of the Great Chu Dynasty, was one of the territories expanded by Emperor Taizu in the sixteenth year of the dynasty's founding, along with the South Seas.

In the seventh year of Emperor Gaozu's reign, the Great Chu relocated several thousand people to settle here, officially declaring to the countries of Southeast Asia that this place was the territory of the Great Chu.

The countries of Southeast Asia, fearing the power of the Chu Kingdom, therefore recognized the ownership of the Three Pages Island.

To date, 80,000 Chu nationals have settled on Sanye Island.

After hundreds of years of development, the island has perfected its facilities, and the Chu people live a prosperous life, making it a unique place in Southeast Asia.

However, the prosperous economy of Sanye Island also brought risks to the Chu people who settled there.

The people of Southeast Asia were lazy and greedy, and their poverty was truly heartbreaking.

Originally, we were getting along well and agreed to give up and stop competing.

But then suddenly a man driving a Mercedes-Benz or BMW settled in this slum.

Seeing the wealth on the island of Sanye, the natives of various parts of Southeast Asia were extremely envious, but they had not taken any action because of the strength of the Chu Kingdom.

Later, when the Chu Kingdom was in great turmoil and was too far from the Chu mainland to attend to, the various states in the South China Sea, led by the Li Kingdom, began a plan to annex the Chu's territories.

Starting a century ago, the Li Kingdom had gradually annexed almost all of the islands in the South China Sea that the Chu Kingdom owned.

The State of Chu was preoccupied with dealing with several powerful enemies in the north and had no time to attend to matters like yours. Therefore, it could only turn a blind eye to the actions of the State of Li in the South Seas.

This further fueled the ambitions of the Li Kingdom, and after ascertaining the Chu Kingdom's bottom line, they directly began to seize Sanye Island.

Even today, although Sanye Island is nominally still under the jurisdiction of the Chu Kingdom, the actual rulers of the island have long since changed to the people of the Li Kingdom.

After the Li people arrived, they established a series of rules for the Chu people living there, and imposed numerous exorbitant taxes and levies.

For a full century, the people of Chu had no choice but to silently endure these beasts in order to survive.

However, the fact that the overseas Chinese endured the situation and did not resist only emboldened Lebanon.

They began to seize the wealth of the expatriates and forcibly take away the island's resources.

Forty years ago, in an attempt to intimidate the overseas Chinese from the Chu Kingdom in Southeast Asia, the Li Kingdom carried out a brutal massacre on Sanye Island, resulting in the deaths of nearly 10,000 people.

At this moment, on Three Pages Island, a nobleman from the Li Kingdom, wearing a straw headband, a silk robe, and barefoot, is standing in front of a group of Chu Kingdom expatriates, reading aloud the tax decree issued by the Li royal family with a blank expression.

"The great Emperor of Southeast Asia, King Nguyen Ha Lai of Le State, declares that in order to better govern the Three Pages Islands, effective immediately..."

The taxes paid by foreign residents living on the three-page island will increase by 30% annually.

Upon hearing this, the overseas Chinese from Chu who were listening immediately erupted in an uproar.

Their taxes were the heaviest under the rule of Lebanon, more than three times that of the local natives.

Now they're raising taxes again, are they trying to kill us?

Someone couldn't help but say, "Lord Ganan, could you please go back and inform the King that the taxes are simply too heavy, and we really can't afford to bear them?"

His words quickly resonated with the others, who all expressed that the taxes were too heavy and simply unaffordable.

Jia Nan glanced at the middle-aged man who had spoken and couldn't help but laugh, "This is what you should pay. You live on the land of my Li Kingdom."

For hundreds of years, even if the land rent paid should not be this much, right?

Your ancestors were stranded overseas, and it was we, the people of Li, who gave up our land to give you space to live. Don't you know how to be grateful?

Now that you're asked to pay some taxes, you're dragging your feet like this. You're heartless, worse than animals!

After speaking, Jia Nan's smile vanished, and he gave a gloomy look to the angry Chu expatriates.

"Anyone who dares to resist taxes should not blame me for being ruthless!"

After he finished speaking, the Li warriors behind him all drew their slender, curved swords.

Faced with the threat of force, the expatriates had no choice but to suppress their anger.

Lacking any support, they had no other choice but to endure the bullying and exploitation of these thugs and bandits in order to survive.

Meanwhile, the Li natives watching from a distance were gloating.

The harsh treatment of the Chu people by the Li Kingdom did not bring any substantial change to their impoverished lives.

But that's human nature; they just can't stand seeing others living comfortably. Now that they see others suffering, they feel incredibly fortunate.

"My lord~~"

Just as Ganan was about to verbally insult the overseas Chinese, a Lebanese officer stumbled and crawled up to him, shouting in a voice like a crow.

"What's up!"

Jia Nan's interest was interrupted, and her tone was full of displeasure.

"My lord, you must go to the docks! Something terrible has happened..."

"Speak up, what's the matter! Look at you, you can't even speak properly anymore?"

"At sea, two ships from the State of Chu have appeared. They have already rammed and capsized dozens of fishing boats and are now heading towards Sanye Island."

"what!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Nan's eyes widened in disbelief.

"How did the Chu ships get here? Why was there no prior warning?"

The Li Kingdom officer, with a mournful expression, said, "Sir, stop talking, please go and take a look!"

Seeing the fear in his eyes, Ganan didn't delay any longer and immediately turned around and led the samurai to the dock.

Their words were overheard by the overseas Chinese from Chu, and as soon as the Ganan people left, they immediately began to discuss it among themselves.

"Did you hear what that native said? The Chu ships have arrived?"

"It seems so. After so many years of waiting, the State of Chu has finally remembered us."

"Great! Our hard times are finally over!"

Many overseas Chinese wept with joy, their excitement at the arrival of the Chu Kingdom beyond words.

Of course, some older overseas Chinese advised, "Don't be too happy yet. Even if a ship from Chu comes,..."

I don't know if they've come to rescue us. Maybe the Chu Kingdom has come to sign a treaty with the Li Kingdom and abandon us.

"Haven't you heard? It's just two boats."

These words immediately poured cold water on the enthusiasm of the overseas Chinese.

Indeed, there have been too many expectations over the years, year after year hoping for the arrival of the royal army, but the royal army has never come.

Now that two ships from Chu have arrived, what can they do against thousands of warships from Li?

However, one of the young men raised an objection: "Didn't you hear that the ships of the Great Chu rammed and capsized dozens of fishing boats from the Li Kingdom? It doesn't look like they were just putting on a show."

His words rekindled hope among the overseas Chinese who longed for the State of Chu.

Soon, the younger and older factions were arguing fiercely about what the Chu state was really up to.

"Okay, stop arguing!"

Just as the two sides were about to turn on each other and start fighting, another young man shouted to stop the noise.

"What exactly is the purpose of the Chu ships coming to the South Seas? Why don't we go and see for ourselves?"

Everyone then realized what was happening and gave an awkward smile.

What exactly did the Chu Kingdom come to Sanye Island for? Why don't we just go and see for ourselves? Why are we arguing like this among ourselves? We almost came to blows.

boom--

Just as they decided to go to the dock to check the situation, a loud roar rang out from the sea, making everyone dizzy.

"what happened?"

boom--

Another loud bang at sea interrupted their doubts.

The indigenous people thought it was thunder and all took shelter in their straw tents to avoid the rain.

The overseas Chinese residents keenly noticed that the roaring sound came from the sea. They immediately discussed the matter and, led by the mediating youth, took a few people towards the dock.