"Everyone, let's talk about it, what should we do now?"
Li Hui had a headache, and when he thought about the Ming Dynasty's 100,000-strong army pressing down on the territory, he felt terrified all day long.
He knew very well that the establishment of the Houli Dynasty was not because of how powerful the Annan people were, but because the Ming Dynasty felt that Annan was a useless place.
Acquisition of the land is not enough to provide supplies, and acquisition of the people is not enough to command.
This sentence is enough to explain Annan's situation and Ming Dynasty's attitude towards Annan.
When Emperor Yongle sent troops to attack Annan, it was not entirely because the Hu Dynasty in Annan repeatedly provoked the Ming Dynasty. A very important reason was to lay the foundation for Zheng He's voyages to the West.
Because the Ming Dynasty captured Annan, it could intimidate the Southeast Peninsula and the Southeast Asian island countries. This was very helpful for Zheng He's voyages to the West.
Otherwise, it would be impossible to say that people would treat them respectfully and kindly wherever they went. It was more because of the military deterrence of the Ming Dynasty on the Southeast Peninsula that these countries in the Southeast Asian region did not dare to be disrespectful to the Ming Dynasty.
But as soon as Zheng He's voyages to the West were over, Annan lost its value, which is why the Ming Dynasty later abandoned Annan.
The later Li Dynasty was able to obtain Annan, not because they were powerful and truly defeated the Ming Dynasty, but because the Ming Dynasty strategically retreated and abandoned Jiaozhi.
Now that it's better, Ming Dynasty sent his army again, and he was like an ant on a hot pot, anxious and uneasy.
After all, the purpose of Ming Dynasty's new attack on Annan is similar to that of Emperor Yongle's attack on Annam. They are all to demonstrate Ming's military power and deterrence in the southeastern peninsula, mainly to frighten these Southeast Asian countries.
War has never been an end, it is just a means to achieve an end.
"Your Majesty, I have long said that we cannot anger the Ming people. The Ming Dynasty has taken Luzon and re-entered Nanyang on a large scale. They are eager for us to give them an excuse so that they can attack us again and re-enter the Southeast Peninsula to threaten us.
Shocking the countries in Southeast Asia."
Wu Shilian stood up and said that he was one of the important ministers left by Li Sicheng to Li Hui, and he was an official in Zuo Xiangguo.
He had always been opposed to provoking the Ming Dynasty. He believed that the Ming Dynasty was powerful and Annan was small and weak. Therefore, when being with a powerful neighbor like the Ming Dynasty, one should be careful to avoid offending the Ming Dynasty.
The reason why I ignored you before was because Daming felt it was necessary to ignore you. If Daming became serious, it would only take a matter of minutes to deal with you Annan.
"What's the use of talking about this now? The Ming Dynasty has already pressed forward with its army. One hundred thousand troops are said to be the most powerful new army in the Ming Dynasty."
Li Hui replied impatiently.
Regarding the Ming Dynasty, he already knew a lot of information. He knew that in the past few years, Emperor Hongzhi of the Ming Dynasty worked hard to govern and carried out a series of reforms. Not only was the country peaceful and the people were safe, but the national power was rapidly becoming stronger, and he also won successive military victories.
First, they defeated the grassland people in the far north, then moved eastward to conquer the Japanese country, and then went southward and almost destroyed Luzon. This shows how powerful the Ming Dynasty's military power was.
The Ming Dynasty's 100,000 troops pressed into the territory, and the total strength of the entire Annan was less than 50,000. Even if they were temporarily organized, they would probably be able to barely gather 100,000 troops.
But can this one hundred thousand be compared with the one hundred thousand horses of the Ming Dynasty?
"Your Majesty, I think we should immediately send a mission to the Ming Dynasty to sue for peace, plead guilty to the Ming Dynasty, and sign the Ming Dynasty vassal state agreement. In this way, the Ming Dynasty will naturally not conquer Annan."
Wu Shilian thought for a while and said.
"Is it too late now?"
At this time, the Right Prime Minister Guo Wuqiong stood up and objected.
Wu Qiong is the opposite of Wu Shilian. He thinks that the Ming Dynasty is not terrible.
The Ming Dynasty seems to be powerful, but in fact it is just a powerful force on the outside. Annan is far away from the central area ruled by the Ming Dynasty, so there is no need to fear the Ming Dynasty at all.
What's more, there are 100,000 mountains guarding the north of Annan. As long as they rely on the favorable terrain of 100,000 mountains, even the Ming Dynasty's millions of troops will never even think of setting foot in Annan.
"Then what good strategy does the Right Prime Minister have?"
Wu Shilian looked at Wu Qiong and asked coldly.
If it weren't for Wu Qiong's instigation, Li Hui might not have dared to send troops to massacre the Ming Dynasty in Longzhou, Guangxi Province. He would have gone to Guangxi to harass the Ming Dynasty, so as not to anger the Ming Dynasty.
"The Ming Dynasty was strong on the outside but powerful on the inside. It looked huge, but in fact there was nothing to fear."
"They are sending 100,000 troops this time, but we all know that these troops are always bluffing. This so-called 100,000-strong army is probably only 30,000 to 40,000 at most."
"Our Annan has a hundred thousand mountains to rely on in the north. We only need to strengthen the defense in the north. With only tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, there is no way we can even take a step into our Annan."
"We just need to delay it for a year and a half. By then they will not be able to keep up with the food and grass, and they are not adapted to the climate in this area, so they will naturally retreat."
"Isn't this always the case in history?"
Wu Qiong said very relaxedly.
Hearing Wu Qiong's words, all the ministers also nodded. This Ming Dynasty has always been like this. When sending out troops, the army of one hundred thousand can be said to be one million.
The so-called 100,000 people may actually be just 30,000 to 40,000 people as Wu Qiong said.
They were deeply influenced by the Ming Dynasty, and their marches and battles were similar. If there were 10,000 or 20,000 people, they would be called an army of 100,000 people. If there were 70,000 or 80,000 people, they would be called an army of 4 to 50,000 people.
It's nothing more than a bluff, and it's also a way to embolden yourself and scare your opponents.
When Li Hui heard this, he immediately laughed and felt much more relaxed. When he thought about it carefully, he realized that this was really the case.
The so-called 100,000-strong army is probably only about 30,000 to 40,000 people. With this small number of troops, relying on the favorable terrain of the 100,000-strong mountain, they can definitely block it.
"What the Prime Minister said is true~"
Li Hui nodded with satisfaction.
Even Wu Shilian could not find any excuse to object at this time, because it seemed that this was really the case.
When Emperor Yongle conquered Annan, he claimed to have an army of 800,000, but was there really an army of 800,000?
In fact, it is only about 100,000 troops, but it is under the banner of 800,000 troops.
"Going up, I think we should strengthen the defense of the northern pass, and slowly drag it down with the Ming Dynasty until they retreat on their own."
"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry about this matter."
Wu Qiong said very confidently.
"Hmm~"
Li Hui nodded with satisfaction, a smile appeared on his face, and after thinking for a while he said to Wu Shilian: "Write a letter of apology immediately."
"It is disrespectful to come and go without reciprocation. Our court has always been very respectful to the Ming Dynasty, and has repeatedly paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty. However, the Ming Dynasty has repeatedly humiliated me. This is intolerable."
"Yes~"
Although Wu Shilian felt that it was inappropriate, after thinking about it, it seemed that there was really nothing to fear.
The Ming Dynasty only had tens of thousands of troops. It was impossible to break through the defense of hundreds of thousands of mountains in the north. It was still too far away from the center of Ming Dynasty's rule.
The sky is high and the emperor is far away. No matter how powerful the Ming Dynasty is, it will not waste its national power on Annan.
"Wu Qiong, you go north immediately and strengthen the defense in the north. If anything is lost, I will ask for your help~"
Then Li Hui ordered Wu Qiong to be responsible for the defense of the north, and mobilized most of the Annan Kingdom's troops to the north to deploy heavy troops on Shiwanda Mountain.
"I obey the decree~"
Wu Qiong immediately replied respectfully.
The court meeting soon dispersed, and the ministers below began to get busy.
Li Hui looked at a map and fell into a daze.
This map was seen last winter at the Ming Dynasty Station when Ambassador Annanguo was on a mission to the Ming Dynasty. He then copied it and brought it back to the world map.
"The Ming Dynasty is really big. Guangxi alone is bigger than our Annan (at this time, Annan is only half of the north). The whole world is also very big."
"It is said that gold is everywhere in the Golden Continent. A fleet of ten ships from the Ming Dynasty went to the Golden Continent and brought back gold and silver worth 30 million silver."
"Thirty million dollars in silver~"
Li Hui let out a long sigh. Annan is actually very poor. Unlike Luzon, which is rich in gold and silver, Annan has no resources at all. There are only a small amount of copper and iron ores. This is why Annan has always used troops.
.
We want to occupy places like Champa, Cambodia, and Ailao, because these places have more mineral resources, and Annan needs these things. There is nothing else in Annan except the fertile fields of the Red River Delta.
"I didn't expect that there would be such a large landmass in Java and Sumatra. Australia is said to produce gold and is vast and sparsely populated. It would be great if we Annan could occupy this place."
"It's a pity that we in Annan can't build big ships like the Ming Dynasty, otherwise we could sweep through the Southeast Asian countries, occupy Australia, and become a great empire as powerful and vast as the Ming Dynasty."
Li Hui couldn't help but look at Nanyang and Australia in a daze when he thought of this. He was also a accomplished and ambitious monarch. His father left him a good foundation and business, and he also wanted to make a difference.
.
"Big ship~"
Thinking of the ship, Li Hui couldn't help but look to the east of Beibu Gulf and the vast South China Sea.
Then a thought suddenly flashed in his mind.
"What if the Ming Dynasty did not attack us from the Shiwanda Mountain in the north, but instead attacked us from the sea?"
Thinking of this, Li Hui suddenly widened his eyes, and then he began to stare at Beibu Gulf, and then said loudly: "Summon the left and right prime ministers and all the ministers back immediately."
"It's over. If the Ming Dynasty attacks our Annan from the sea, they can directly bypass the Shiwan Mountains in the north and penetrate into the heart of our Annan. By then, they can follow the Red River and even reach our Tokyo directly."
When he thought of this, Li Hui completely panicked.
