After confiding some news to the princess, Zhu Cunming fell into silence.
Obviously, he cannot stay in the capital and wait for death.
Annan is the best place for him.
After feeling furious, Zhu Cunming returned to the palace and summoned his private ministers.
After the marriage, the Prince of Qin's palace was officially in operation, and Zhu Cunmei could recruit his own ministers openly and honestly. This was the emperor's acquiescence.
At first, there was a lot of discussion in the court, but there was no way, no one could go against the emperor's wishes.
According to the emperor's guess, according to the vassal policy that had been made clear in the past, there should have been very few accompanying ministers in the palace, but there were surprisingly many people involved.
Because Chengzu Zhu Di was such a role model.
Even if the chance is small, what if it happens?
If you fight against Spyker, you will die without regrets.
Zhu Cunmai screened them carefully.
He deeply understood that the emperor would not interfere with military generals, so only civil servants, especially counselors, were the most scarce.
For example, during the few years he left the palace and lived in the palace, he finally found an outstanding adviser: Liu Xuanchu.
A counselor from Sichuan.
Zhu Cunming invited this person over and over again, and finally he came to the mansion.
Some farms, shops, etc. are handled in an orderly manner, which is reassuring.
At this time, he was wearing a black robe and looked very solemn. His cheeks were slightly fleshy and his eyes were slightly narrowed. He seemed to be thinking at any time, which was completely in line with the attitude of a counselor.
"Sir -" Zhu Cunming suppressed the excitement in his heart and said in a low voice:
"Come in and talk."
Soon, Liu Xuanchu was startled and walked in quickly.
In the study, Zhu Cunmai sat slumped on a chair. After drinking a cup of tea, he slowly spoke about today's conversation:
"My father made it clear to me that the millions of people in Annan have been the old land of China since ancient times. They were forced to return during the Xuande period. Now that they have been taken back, I need to guard them."
When he said this, his eyes lit up.
Liu Xuanchu pinched his beard, pondered for a while, and asked: "Your Highness, how much power do you have in words, Your Majesty?"
"If it's just a false title, then it's better to stay in the capital."
"Real power." Zhu Cunming raised his head and said solemnly: "I control all military and political affairs, just like North Korea."
"Your Majesty seems to have gone one step further than the Duke of Guizhou."
Liu Xuanchu smiled happily.
If he couldn't restrain himself, he would even want to laugh to the sky, and it would take him several hours to stop laughing.
I originally expected that one in ten thousand to seize the throne, but who would have thought that he would turn out to be the lord of the vassal state.
As the saying goes, ten birds in the forest are worth less than one in the hand. The power of a ruler with millions of people is so great that it is difficult to measure.
Moreover, with the current activeness of the emperor, it is no longer a problem to govern for another twenty years. Seizing the throne is a long period of time.
From this point of view, the road to feudal lordship appears to be particularly good.
"That's right." Zhu Cunming said excitedly: "The only thing I worry about is that the emperor lets me go to Saigon, the territory of the Khmer people, and then I try to go north. Within a few years, there is nothing I can do -"
When Liu Xuanchu heard this, he immediately said: "Your Majesty wants you to personally preside over the conquest and completely stabilize the country!"
"Don't worry, this is under the auspices of the Beijing camp."
In fact, even if the sixteen-year-old King of Qin did not personally lead the troops, he could still boost morale and strengthen his prestige by just sitting in the rear.
The emperor made his idea with reference to history.
For example, at the beginning of the 19th century, Napoleon conquered most of Europe and enfeoffed his relatives as kings, but it was like a castle in the air, all based on the French army.
Once Napoleon was defeated, these thrones were automatically removed.
The same is true for Annan.
If the Ming army directly captured Annan and then sent the King of Qin to take control, this would be a castle built on the sand dunes.
Only if he has personally experienced and governed the country and has been in Annan can he establish rule in accordance with local conditions.
For example, before Zhu Cunzai became the leader of the Annan Kingdom, he must learn the dialect and integrate into the local area, otherwise he would be easily ignored.
Think about it, if the upper echelons speak Chinese, while the middle and lower classes speak Annan dialect, how can such a rule be stable?
"However, Your Highness, you still have to go to Anguo Duke's Mansion."
Liu Xuanchu suddenly turned his head and said softly.
"Huh? What are you going to do there?"
King Qin was puzzled.
"The children of Jingying are very familiar with An Guogong. With his arrangements, things will go smoothly in Annan."
"Also, you don't think that the Anguo Guild doesn't know about the enfeoffment of vassal states, do you?"
"Besides, even if you don't know, you will know in a few days."
Zhu Cunmai nodded.
Immediately, he took steps and went directly to An Guo Gong's Mansion.
Sure enough, when he arrived at Duke Anguo's mansion, Li Jizu didn't take it seriously. He said calmly: "This matter has been decided for a long time."
"Otherwise, how could you win the title of Prince Qin and Prince Fu so easily?"
After saying that, Li Jizu said coldly: "The pressure on the prince is too great. Your arrangements will take a lot of brains."
Zhu Cunming breathed a sigh of relief, but felt quite disappointed.
Good guy, the emperor was not prepared to make him the crown prince from the beginning.
This feeling is really disappointing.
"Actually, Annan is not bad, with millions of people. It can't compare with Jiangnan, but it is almost the same as Guangxi and Yunnan."
Li Jizu looked at his son-in-law and felt quite satisfied.
He is tall, talented and decisive.
Don't mention anything else, just this calmness is worth it. The future is unlimited.
Thinking that he would have a son-in-law for the feudal lord in the future, he felt very excited.
Although not as good as the prince, he should not be underestimated.
"Don't worry, there are many elite soldiers in the Beijing camp. They were defeated in Suiyuan a few years ago. This time when we go to Annan, we will definitely be like a tiger descending from the mountain, with overwhelming momentum."
Soon, the cabinet initiated a motion and decided to send troops to Annan to completely solve the war problem.
As for the excuse, it was naturally upright: "Save the people of Annan from danger."
After all, both the previous Li Dynasty and the later Mo Dynasty have turned into nothingness, beginning with the Bei Zheng and Nan Ruan era.
Then the imperial court did not know where to find a descendant of the Li Dynasty to restore the country.
So, with great righteousness in mind, the capital was in an uproar.
And those who have a profound understanding naturally understand that this is paving the way for King Qin.
This time, only ten thousand troops were dispatched from the Beijing camp, and the rest were recruited from the Guangdong and Guangxi patrol camps to better adapt to the climate.
However, the military's logistical pressure is extremely high.
First of all, cinchona is a must, malaria is not simple, the rest are like mosquito repellent, coir raincoat, water and soil medicine, which can be said to be divided into categories and come from many sources.
At this time, the second child, King Qi Zhu Cunhua, could not sit still.
He is the mother's concubine but the most favored concubine by the emperor - Miao Xian.
The King of Qin is nothing. If he didn't hold the title of eldest son, how could he be like this?
Thinking of this, he tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.
After being unable to bear it any longer, he couldn't wait to go to the palace and ask to see his mother and concubine.
Miao Xian has been studying Taoism for many years. Although he is getting older, he is still fresh and refined, with an unearthly beauty all over his body. His expression has always been indifferent, as if he does not care about all fame and fortune.
Regarding her son's expectations, she just said casually: "If you want to argue, you might as well stay with me in the capital."
"Annan is great. King Qin will stay for two or three years and personally preside over the war."
"Can you bear the pain?"
Hearing this question, King Qi gritted his teeth and said: "In the past few years, either the prince or the King of Qin, no one cares about me as the King of Qi. The child feels aggrieved."
"I also want to become a vassal state, and I want to seal the country."
"Then why are you looking for me?" Miao Xian glanced at me and said, "Go to your father. Only children who can cry will get milk. You don't know, right?"
King Qi couldn't laugh or cry and left helplessly.
His mother-in-law has always had a calm personality, so it was outrageous that he would ask her for mercy.
However, Zhu Cunhua still listened to the advice, bit the bullet, waited for two hours, and finally saw the emperor who had been busy for a long time.
"What?" the emperor asked a little strangely.
"Father, I heard that the army will capture Annan and the eldest brother will become the vassal king?" Zhu Cunhua asked cautiously.
"That's right."
Zhu Yixi had no intention of hiding it and agreed decisively.
The enfeoffment of the King of Qin to Annan was something he took the initiative to promote. Its main purpose was to allow the King of Qin to gather power more quickly and plan for future rule.
"What, do you have an idea?"
"My son, I also want to become a vassal." Qi King Zhu Cunhua gritted his teeth and said sincerely.
He lowered his head in fear, feeling that his heart was beating uncontrollably and his cheeks were red, preparing to withstand the coming scolding.
"Oh?" Zhu Yixi suddenly said in surprise: "What, you want to become a vassal?"
"Yes." King Qi agreed: "I am willing, even if I go through fire and water, I will not be afraid."
"My son is actually no worse than my eldest brother."
Zhu Yixi smiled and actually clapped: "Yes, ambition is the vitality that young people should have."
After saying this, the emperor asked someone to carry out the map again.
The huge map of Asia makes people look at it again, and they still feel their insignificance.
Zhu Cunhua looked expectantly and looked in the direction of the map.
The emperor said: "If you get closer, you can't see clearly when you are kneeling on the ground."
Zhu Cunhua nodded and came quickly.
The emperor pointed his finger directly at Annan in the south:
"This land, called Saigon, now belongs to Khmer and is located south of Annan. Its location is extremely important."
"I'm going to let your eldest brother run this place, and then we will attack the Ruan clan in the north, and then join forces with the army to attack Beizheng, and completely capture Annan."
"And you currently have two choices."
"One is to go to Saigon and run a good business with your eldest brother. He will go north to Annan, while you will go west to the Khmer Kingdom."
"This place is fertile and is as good as Annan."
The emperor chuckled lightly, stroked his beard and said, "You two brothers live next to each other and help each other, which makes for a good conversation."
King Qi raised his head, his face solemn.
Sensing his son's reluctance, the emperor once again pointed his finger at Central Asia:
"Nowadays, Anxi Province is newly established, but there are still tens of thousands of troops stationed there. Therefore, it is also a good place to send troops to the Kazakh Khanate."
"This place is huge and has a large population, but the disadvantage is that there are many Tatars and very little rice. I'm afraid you won't be used to it."
"My son is willing to go to the northwest." King Qi gritted his teeth and said bluntly: "There is no peace in the west, and my son is willing to fill the frontier so that there will be no war in Anxi."
"good--"
Zhu Yixi smiled: "If you are ambitious, the development in the northwest will be great, at least not worse than the hot and humid Annan."
The Kazakh Khanate has great power, but there are many nobles. The big Yuzi, the middle Yuzi, and the small Yuzi are separated. This is a good opportunity.
However, what Zhu Yixi is most optimistic about is Li Dingguo. With him in charge, Central Asia has nothing to fear.
After the audience with King Qi, the emperor received the Russian envoy.
That's right, it's still Russia.
After the Battle of Mobei, the Manchu Qing Dynasty took advantage of Mobei and continued to expand westward, posing a huge threat to Russia.
At this moment, the alliance between Tsarist Russia and the Manchu Qing gradually faded.
At this time, alliance with the Ming Dynasty, conspiring to kill the Manchus and carve up their territory became the mainstream trend in Tsarist Russia.
Unfortunately, the emperor was not happy: "The Manchu Qing Dynasty is just a thing of the past. It will naturally disband in a few years without your help."
Tsarist Russia naturally had evil intentions.
Although the Manchus were disgusting, they had to admit that because they occupied thousands of miles centered on Lake Baikal, they completely blocked Tsarist Russia's eastward expansion and put pressure on Central Asia.
In this situation, Mobei became a tug of war.
At this time, Zhu Yixi planned to treat the Manchu Qing Dynasty as a checkpoint, that is, to make it a tool for the prince to increase his prestige.
Obviously, once he achieves this feat, the prince's prestige will reach its peak. As long as he is not too early, the succession of the second generation will be as stable as Mount Tai.
And the turmoil about King Qin spread in the capital.
Jia Daihua made an appointment with his brothers from the Shi family and had a great time drinking.
Shi Nai said angrily: "I went to Suiyuan before, thinking I would make some meritorious deeds, but I didn't know it was just a run. I came in vain."
"Our brothers are only a baron now, and there is no hope for a viscount."
Jia Daihua explained: "There are many unrest countries in the world, and there will always be meritorious deeds."
His younger brother Shi Ding shook his head: "In the army, there are queues for qualifications. It seems that we two brothers have no chance."
"So?" Jia Daihua asked doubtfully.
"So, we decided to go to Annan."
Jia Nai said in a deep voice: "When the war continues and there are many meritorious deeds, it will be a good thing for the two of us."
"Besides, when the King of Qin takes his seat in Annan, he might even be granted a high title, and it will be hereditary and replaceable. This will be even better than in the Central Plains!"
Jia Daihua was speechless. He stroked his forehead and said, "But it will take several years."
"You are a well-fed man and don't know how hungry a man is." Shi Nai shook his head: "We brothers have been looking for opportunities for many years, how could we give up so easily?"
Hearing this, Jia Daihua was quite moved.
Returned with heavy worries.
When he returned home, Jia Shi saw his worry and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
"Today my eldest brother and my second brother told me that they want to go to Annan."
"Annan?" Jia Shi was shocked and her voice raised.
"Don't tell me, you want to go too?"
Jia Daihua fell silent.
After hesitating for a long time, he said: "The Manchu and Qing Dynasties in the north are very difficult to fight. They are too far away. Only Annan will have a chance."
"Recover the homeland, and the King of Qin will become a vassal. The chance is not small!"
Jia Shi was silent.
I don't know how long it took before she whispered softly: "Go and ask your parents what they mean!"