Chapter 656: Intervention in the War of Chenla and Siam
Li Jinglong felt that the eldest prince was too incapable of getting into trouble. How could he help him just by saying something without giving some benefits?
After some inquiring by his subordinates, Li Jinglong probably already knew the current situation in Zhenla, and also understood the situation of the eldest prince of Zhenla.
Li Jinglong would naturally choose to help Prince Zhenla.
Whether it is from the perspective of the Ming Dynasty or from the perspective of the grandson, it is also Li Jinglong's purpose to help Prince Zhenla inherit the throne and thereby stabilize the interests of the Ming Dynasty.
When it comes to Daming's interests, it is of course necessary to talk about the matter first. It is most beneficial to you to talk about the conditions at this time.
After the translator on the other side listened, he really thought that the Duke of Ming Dynasty had not heard clearly, so he immediately translated again.
When the translator next to Li Jinglong heard this, he certainly knew what Mr. Cao Guogong meant. After getting Li Jinglong's nod of agreement, he explained his idea a little more directly.
After hearing what the translator said, Prince Zhenla also realized his abruptness and quickly stood up to apologize to Li Jinglong.
Li Jinglong waved his hand, and then said: "Zhenla has always been a friendly friend of the Ming Dynasty. Now that there are problems in Chenla, we will naturally not stand idly by. Regarding some transactions between our two countries, maybe we can have a brief discussion today.
point."
"After the eldest prince becomes King of Chenla, he can continue to implement the policy between the two countries."
The current eldest prince of Zhenla has no objection at all, saying that as long as he can successfully inherit the throne, he can agree to Ming Dynasty's request.
Naturally, Li Jinglong was not as open-minded as the lion. This business focused on long-term benefits, so he proposed several exchange plans between the two countries.
The first is the issue related to the merchants of the Ming Dynasty.
Determine the interests of Ming merchants after they come to Chenla.
For example, Chenla should negotiate with the Ming Dynasty on tax concessions and tariff issues, and enjoy free trade rights and provide trading ports for the Ming Dynasty.
Provided to the embassy stationed in Ming Dynasty, the relationship between the two countries can be negotiated.
If people with Ming household registration trigger the law in Chenla, Chenla does not have the power to directly seize and deal with it. It must be verified through the Ming embassy, which is implemented by the Ming embassy stationed in the country.
The people of the Ming Dynasty should enjoy the privilege of renting land, houses and permanent residence at the trading ports.
These treaties, which may appear somewhat unequal in the eyes of later generations, really do not seem to have any special direction for the current prince of Chenla.
He thought that Ming Dynasty was going to put forward some unacceptable conditions, but it turned out to be just like this.
Originally, as the most powerful country in the entire Asian region, merchants from the Ming Dynasty would receive noble treatment wherever they went. This was inseparable from the silk, porcelain, and tea brought by the merchants from the Ming Dynasty.
The goods of the Ming Dynasty have always been the best-selling products in the world, and have always been sought after by nobles all over the world.
Prince Zhenla agreed immediately and agreed to all Li Jinglong's requests without any hesitation.
There was nothing surprising about Li Jinglong.
In fact, he did not come up with these requirements, but His Highness Taisun decided to ask him to sign these treaty requirements with the Ming Dynasty with other countries when traveling in the South and West, if possible.
"I heard that Siam has been invading Chenla recently. Such behavior seems very disrespectful to me."
"Chenla is a country with friendly diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty. The eldest prince's sister is the grandson concubine of the Ming Dynasty. At the next stop, our Ming Dynasty ocean fleet is heading to Siam. If the eldest prince has any ideas, I can do it here.
help."
When Li Jinglong saw that Prince Zhenla agreed so readily, he immediately said something.
Siam is now ruled by the Ayutthaya Dynasty, which is the name of the Ming Dynasty. They themselves are called the Ayutthaya Dynasty, which means the invincible dynasty.
Today's Siam is also Thailand in later generations.
Angkor, the royal capital of Chenla, is very close to Siam. Coupled with Siam's strength in recent years and Chenla's defeat on the battlefield, Chenla has already had the idea of moving its capital.
Li Jinglong's words undoubtedly struck a chord in Zhenla's heart. The eldest prince of Zhenla, Shenlie Po Piya, said happily: "Is the Ming Dynasty willing to help Zhenla?"
The Ayutthaya Dynasty was a newly established Siamese dynasty. It was established only eighteen years earlier than the Ming Dynasty.
Unlike Chenla, which was already in decline and had sharp social conflicts, this Siamese dynasty had very strong vitality.
But it is undeniable that even Siam still needs to act based on Ming's face.
Li Jinglong is fully capable of intervening.
Siam had very close tributary exchanges with the Ming Dynasty, and the relationship was generally pretty good.
This is good, it is Siam's relationship with the Ming Dynasty, mainly because Siam can purchase a large amount of silk and porcelain from the Ming Dynasty every year through tribute trade.
Siam's location is very advantageous. They can purchase silk and porcelain from the Ming Dynasty, and then sell these to Central Asia and even further India through Momata Bay and the Amanda Sea, making huge profits in the world.
Products of.
It was precisely by relying on the Ming Dynasty's products that Siam, as a middleman, could make a huge profit from the price difference.
Siam’s envoys would request the Ming Dynasty every year to give them more opportunities to pay tribute.
There are strict restrictions on the tribute of the Ming Dynasty. It does not mean that any country can come if it wants to. Even if it comes, it will not give the opportunity for tribute trade.
The largest number of Siamese trades was six tribute trades in the 17th year of Hongwu. The rest depended on the wishes of the Ming Dynasty.
Now the Ayutthaya Dynasty's huge revenue comes entirely from the tribute trade of the Ming Dynasty.
Often a shipload of Ming porcelain and silk could almost cover the tax revenue of Siam's own territory for an entire year.
This is why Li Jinglong dared to speak like this.
As the Duke of the Ming Dynasty, he only needed one word to have Siam's tribute reduced to once every few years.
As long as it is not a border country of the Ming Dynasty, it actually does not mean much to the Ming Dynasty.
The main reason is that supply and demand are different.
Although the agarwood, ivory, and rhino horns from the Nanyang region are good, they are not the necessities of the Ming Dynasty.
And there were too many countries that provided these things to the Ming Dynasty, far more than just Siam.
In the past, the navy of the Ming Dynasty did not come to Nanyang Lida very often, but his power was also well known in the Nanyang region. No country in Nanyang dared to offend the majesty of the Ming Dynasty.
For the eldest prince of Chenla, Shenle Papiya, if the Duke in front of him from the Ming Dynasty is willing to mediate the war between Siam and Chenla, then his throne will be greatly stabilized.
Those noble ministers who are usually arrogant and don't pay much attention to him will also be truly loyal to him.
Li Jinglong did not directly answer the question of the eldest prince Zhenla, but instead said: "The eldest prince's sister, Princess Sultana, is one of the most beloved concubines of my grandson of the Ming Dynasty."
"Back then, the princess of Annan was also the concubine of my grandson of the Ming Dynasty. Just because she missed her hometown, my grandson of the Ming Dynasty was willing to send tens of thousands of troops to escort her home to visit her relatives."
"As for the issue between Chenla and Siam, in fact, as the Duke of the Ming Dynasty, I am not qualified to participate in it without authorization. If I interfere in the war between the two countries at will without the permission of the Ming Dynasty court, I will be held accountable.
.”
"But if the eldest prince can get in touch with his sister and tell the grandson of Zhenla's current difficulties, then I think His Highness the grandson will definitely help Zhenla and put pressure on Siam."
"As long as I, the great grandson of the Ming Dynasty, speak, Siam will not dare to obey. Even if their king disagrees, the nobles of Siam will support it."
It took nearly three-quarters of an hour to translate such a long paragraph, and it was finally translated.
In fact, it’s not the translation’s fault.
Following Li Jinglong were naturally Nanyang translation talents from the special department of Jinyiwei of the Ming Dynasty.
But these days, I don’t say that I have learned very profound things. I mainly focus on daily oral communication.
This end is fine, but the key is the Zhenla end.
The translator of Zhenla often went to the Ming Dynasty to study.
There is no phonetic notation for Chinese characters in today's world, so it is extremely difficult to learn them, and you will only be half-familiar with them.
Forget about Chinese characters, they are ideographic characters after all, and Chinese is really difficult.
Today's Ming Dynasty does not have the concept of Mandarin. Nanjing dialect is considered a semi-mandarin, but the ministers in the court come from all over the country.
On weekdays, when Daming communicates by himself, there are still people who don’t understand.
What's more, it's an outsider.
There is no way, the territory of the Ming Dynasty is too large, and the pronunciation is different, which is a huge torture for foreigners who want to learn Chinese.
Chenla's translator, sweating profusely, finally finished telling the story.
After Prince Chenla understood the meaning, he solemnly thanked him again.
Then he expressed: "My father is now suffering from a very serious disease and cannot get off the ground in bed, so I hope that while the distinguished Duke is in Chenla, he can participate in my succession ceremony."
Li Jinglong naturally agreed to the invitation.
After all, Zhenla agreed to Daming's request.
The news that the Duke of Ming Dynasty promised to support the eldest prince of Chenla to inherit the throne legitimately spread quickly throughout the ports of Chenla.
Samit regretted very much at this moment, why he didn't wait for a day and wrote to the king so eagerly.
It's definitely too late now.
After getting the news, the king will inevitably choose to end his life.
At the same time, the nobles who wanted to compete with Prince Chenla for the throne panicked.
With the support of the Ming Dynasty, the originally weak prince Zhenla now has a strong backer.
On the third day.
The royal capital of Chenla, the palace of Angkor.
King Chenla, who was lying dying in bed, received a letter from Samit.
The content of the letter was very normal, and naturally there was no intention of asking His Majesty the King to commit suicide in order for the Eldest Prince to ascend the throne.
Of course, Samit wouldn't let anyone catch this as a clue. It was just like passing a message normally.
Just seeing this, the king suddenly understood.
"I want to go to court, prepare clothes for me immediately."
"Call all the five ministers here. I have something important to announce."
King Zhenla suddenly seemed to have a little more energy at that moment and gave instructions to his attendants.
Listening to this slightly angry voice, the attendant thought that His Majesty the King's health had improved, and hurriedly went to convey His Majesty the King's order.
The main hall in Angkor Thom is where the king listens to government affairs.
Normally, the king will go to court every three days to handle government affairs.
It's just that because Hu'er Na was seriously ill, he only went to court a handful of times in the past year or two, and each time it was only for a short period of time.
now.
Suddenly Erna sat on the five-scented seven-treasure bed in the main hall again, with a treasure curtain hanging on the bed, slightly covering it.
The treasure tent was made of colored wood for poles and walls of ivory and gold. It was shaped like a hut, and when it swung it shone with golden light, like ruby.
There was a golden incense burner in front of him, and two guards stood on both sides.
King Khulna of Chenla wore an ancient shell morning glow dress, with colorful clothes around his waist and hanging down to his calves. He wore a golden treasure flower hat, his body covered with pearl necklaces, leather boots, and gold king dang hanging on his ears.
The five ministers of the Zhenla Kingdom, Guluozhi, Gao Xiangping, Poheduoling, Shemoling, Dibeardolou, and many other minor ministers came to see him one after another according to the king's instructions.
There are more than a thousand guards in the steps gate pavilion, all wearing armor and holding weapons.
The solemn guards brought a solemn atmosphere to this palace gathering.
The five ministers looked at each other. Although the news from the port had not yet arrived, they roughly guessed the key to it.
Among the five ministers, Guluozhi and Gao Xiangping supported the third prince's succession.
Po He Duoling supports the Twelve Princes, but the Twelve Princes are young and not very competitive.
As for the Shema Mausoleum, Dibeardo Lou was neutral and no one was helping.
The so-called five ministers are actually similar to the six ministries of the Ming Dynasty, responsible for land, money, military power, construction, punishment, etc.
The king called to enter the palace, and the ministers went up the steps. After entering the palace, the ministers knelt down, folded their arms with both hands, and sat around the king.
When you go to see the king, you kowtow three times at the foot of the steps.
"I called the ministers this time because I feel the call of Sakyamuni and am about to go to the Pure Land of Western Heaven."
"So today is mainly about announcing the heir to the throne."
"After my Buddha's instructions, after I go to the Pure Land of Western Paradise, the great prince Shenlepa Piya will become my new king of Chenla. All ministers facing the great prince should respect him as much as they respect me.
"
"Now the eldest prince is at a coastal port to receive the distinguished duke from the Ming Dynasty. I have sent someone to convey my order."
"In the inheritance ceremony, the distinguished Duke of the Ming Dynasty will also participate. I hope you will not lose my face, Zhenla."
Before Hu Er Na finished speaking, Gao Xiang Ping had already kowtowed at the foot of the steps, indicating that he had something to say.
Gao Xiangping was mainly in charge of Zhenla's military power, and his status was similar to that of the Minister of War in the Ming Dynasty.
He is the uncle of the third prince. If he wants to speak at this time, he naturally wants to give the third prince a chance.
Previously, King Huerna of Chenla had also raised the issue of determining the identity of the heir to the eldest prince of Chenla, but was forcibly rejected by Prime Minister Gao Ping for various reasons.
But today, when Huerna saw this scene, she chose to ignore Gao Xiangping's actions, pretending that she didn't see it and not giving him a chance to speak.