Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 598: Annan’s Disposal (End)

Just as Han Xiong stationed his troops at the foot of Thang Long City, the information that Qingluan Guards had gathered from their investigation in southern Annan was gradually returning to Han Xiong.

Han Xiong gathered information and learned that the southern part of Annan was very different from the northern part. In the north, due to Li Chengdong's looting, most of the gentry families had their foundations destroyed, and the once wealthy families no longer existed, leaving only a scene of decline and decay. In the south, although the country also suffered from the war and Li Chengdong's looting and suffered heavy damage, the local forces had not been uprooted.

Qingluanwei reported that in the south, there are still some prestigious families in many towns and villages. These families still have a certain influence in the local area and control some land and shops. Some families even retain some private armed forces.

However, all the news proved that Annan's original ruling foundation had suffered great damage. Han Xiong believed that the time had come for the court to directly govern Annan.

In Thang Long City, after much deliberation and weighing of the pros and cons, Yang Dafu finally made up his mind to surrender to the Qian Dynasty. If he surrendered, his wealth and honor would be guaranteed. If he didn't, his chance of winning would be only 30% at most, and it was uncertain whether his wealth and honor could continue for three generations.

Yang Dafu then called together his trusted generals and announced his decision: "Everyone, Annan has experienced war and hundreds of thousands of people have left their homes with us. If we continue to fight, I am afraid that the end result will be a disaster for all."

After Yang Dafu said a few polite words, he turned to the matters that everyone was concerned about. Yang Dafu said that now the Qian Dynasty was prosperous and powerful, and surrendering to the court could, on the one hand, protect the lives of our soldiers, and on the other hand, everyone had fought for so many years, and it was time to enjoy a peaceful life. It would be wonderful for everyone to return home rich and powerful, build a mansion, and take beautiful concubines.

When the generals heard this, although some of them looked hesitant, they saw that the commander had made up his mind and everyone knew the current situation, so they all nodded in agreement.

Afterwards, Yang Dafu wrote a letter and sent his confidant to the camp outside the city to express his sincerity and determination to surrender.

When Han Xiong saw the letter, his joy was beyond words. Annan was so big that the most powerful military leader was Yang Dafu. If he surrendered, the two smaller military leaders, Zhang Daoying and Luo Chengyao, would not have the courage to resist. The situation in Annan would be settled!

Han Xiong then sent a messenger to deliver the news of Yang Dafu's surrender to the capital, saying: "Now that Annan has surrendered, it can be directly governed by the court and included in the territory. This is a great event for the country. However, in a newly conquered area, people's hearts are just beginning to settle, and there are many things going on. The way to govern should be slow rather than hasty.

The sudden implementation of harsh laws and hasty implementation of new policies may cause unexpected events and disturb the people's hearts. Therefore, I believe that the court should base its policies on leniency and benevolence, give priority to appeasement, and proceed step by step.

Moreover, the administration of officials is particularly critical. We need to select honest and upright officials to take up their posts and supervise them more. In this way, after two generations, the people of Annan will be blessed by your grace and gradually learn the ways of the king. They will surely be loyal to the court forever. From then on, the border will be secure and the country will prosper. I hope Your Majesty will see clearly. "

Meng Jun was very happy after receiving Yang Dafu's letter of surrender and Han Xiong's urgent report. Any emperor would be happy to expand the territory.

In the court, Meng Jun looked around at the ministers and said happily: "Yang Dafu understood the current situation and surrendered, saving the soldiers from the suffering of the battlefield. This is a blessing for our dynasty and the people of Annan. I have made up my mind to establish Guangnan Province in Annan and implement our dynasty's system, both inside and outside!"

The ministers congratulated him one after another: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Civil officials did not like to fight, but they were all happy that they could recover the old territory without fighting. Therefore, the Ministry of Personnel hurriedly selected officials who had performed well in the past two years and transferred them to Annan.

Meng Jun was worried that the transferred officials would think that Annan was a wild and desolate place and become dissatisfied, so he ordered the Ministry of Personnel to make it clear that the officials who governed Annan and performed best in the assessment would be promoted and employed first.

Soon after, the imperial court officially issued an edict to Annan, changing the old name of Annan, establishing Guangnan Province, changing Thang Long Prefecture to Zhennan Prefecture, promoting Yang Dafu to marquis, Wu Wenxian to earl, and Yan Keyi was transferred to Guanzhong to serve under Lin Shiqi.

After Yang Dafu surrendered, only Luo Chengyao and Zhang Daoying were left in the former territory of Annan. However, these two people were isolated and weak, let alone resisting the Qian army. After they lost the food and grass supply from Thang Long Prefecture, they even had difficulty maintaining their food and wages.

Therefore, with the arrival of Han Xiong's envoys, the two men surrendered one after another. Han Xiong ordered them to rush to Zhennan Prefecture and obey the court's orders, and at the same time, he sent troops to control their subordinates.

After receiving Han Xiong's order, Luo Chengyao and Zhang Daoying did not dare to neglect it and immediately rushed to Zhennan Prefecture with their guards. Although there was no main general in charge, neither the Ruan family in the south nor the Gaoping Mo family in the west dared to make any small moves, for fear of attracting Han Xiong's attention.

At this point, the situation in Annan had stabilized, but Luo Chengyao was still brooding over the failure of his expedition against the Mo family of Gaoping. As soon as he saw Han Xiong, he boasted about the Mo family's disloyalty, saying that the Mo family of Gaoping had wicked ambitions and that they appeared to be submissive, but in fact, their rebellious hearts were known to everyone.

Han Xiong was stunned when he heard this. Han Xiong actually didn't know much about the Mo family. He only knew that the Mo family seemed to be the descendants of the king of the previous dynasty of Annan, and had not been destroyed since the Wanli period.

However, Han Xiong only wanted to stabilize the situation at this time and was not in the mood to care about the Gaoping Mo family for the time being. However, seeing that Han Xiong was not interested, Luo Chengyao increased his slander, saying that the Mo family was wantonly usurping their rights and the etiquette and regulations they used were almost catching up with those of the emperor.

Luo Chengyao then said to Han Xiong, "Ever since Li Chengdong's defeat in the campaign against the Mo family, I have been deeply distressed. Now that the royal army has arrived, why not send an envoy to order them to surrender? Otherwise, I will raise another righteous army to eliminate this great threat!"

Luo Chengyao kept saying that the imperial court's military power was strong and as long as they sent envoys, the Mo family would not dare to resist. Hearing this, Han Xiong was somewhat tempted. Now that Annan was pacified, the Mo family was surrounded by the Qian Dynasty on all sides. If the Mo family was rebellious, the imperial court would have to deploy defenses on all sides, which would also increase military expenditures. It would be better to pacify them in one fell swoop.

So, Han Xiong believed Luo Chengyao's words and sent a team of envoys to Gaoping to persuade the leader of the Mo family, Mo Jingyu, to submit to the court.

One of the most important reasons why the Mo family could exist for so many years was the support of the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty was willing to support the Mo family in order to implement the strategy of using the Mo family to suppress the Li family. As the saying goes, the emperor governs the barbarians by not governing them. When the barbarians attack each other, it is beneficial to China.

But now that Annan has become Guangnan Province, the Mo family has lost its value of existence. Without the protection of the great country in the Central Plains, the demise of the Mo family is imminent.