On the Annan side, Zhu Ying should not use too many tricks.

Soon, Liu Sheng and Li Xiucai were summoned to Kunning Palace.

"Greetings, teacher!"

"Greetings, Boss!"

The two men bowed and said.

In this regard, both of them have their own little thoughts. In fact, in terms of address, in the palace, he should be called His Highness.

It’s just that the titles of boss and teacher are obviously more intimate.

Zhu Ying couldn't hide their little thoughts. He smiled and didn't care about it. He said, "Everyone, get up. How is the situation with the sweet potato recently?"

Liu Sheng bowed and said, "Reporting to the teacher."

"Ahem." Guo Zhong next to him coughed twice to remind him.

Before entering the palace, Guo Zhong taught the two some simple rules.

"Reporting to Your Highness, the sweet potatoes and other crops are growing well in the suburbs. There are no problems at the moment. They should be mature in a month or so."

Liu Sheng replied that there is actually not much to say about sweet potatoes. They are drought-resistant and do not require much care.

Even if the leaves are a little wilted, they will recover on their own at night.

So Liu Sheng and the other man just sat there doing nothing every day.

Zhu Ying nodded when he heard this. Although he cared a lot about high-yield crops like sweet potatoes, this thing did not require fine workmanship. All he had to do was bury the seeds and wait for the harvest.

"I called you here this time because I have something new for you to do. Princess Anxiu of Annan recently arrived in Ming Dynasty and begged me to send troops to help Annan quell the current crisis and support the Annan royal family."

"After discussing with Grandfather, I decided to dispatch 50,000 elite troops to help Annan."

"Of course, the soldiers were there to maintain the stability of Annan. As a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, we have discussed and decided that the Ming Dynasty will provide support not only in terms of stability, but also in all aspects."

"It involves farming techniques, weaving, and construction."

Hearing this, Liu Sheng felt a little excited. He roughly understood Zhu Ying's thoughts.

Li Xiucai was a little worried, as the things his boss was talking about seemed to have little to do with him.

However, the next words cheered him up.

"The situation in Annan is extremely complicated. Not only is there a mixture of native peoples of different ethnicities, but there are also conflicts in language and culture. Therefore, education is imperative."

"Fortunately, in Annan, the mainstream language is also Chinese, so it is relatively easier to educate them. However, although it is easy, education has always been extremely difficult."

"Li Xingyan."

When Li Xiucai heard his boss calling his name, he immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "I am here."

Zhu Ying looked at Li Xiucai and said, "You have many years of teaching experience in Qunying City. This is what I have always known. This time when we go to Annan, you will be the leader and lead many Confucian scholars."

"Tell me what's the problem, sir."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiucai hurriedly said, "I will do my best to spread our Han culture to all parts of Annan, so that the people of Annan can all understand the grace of our dynasty."

There was a slight tremor in Li Xiucai's tone when he spoke.

He originally thought that he would at most be given a small official position, but he never expected that such a heavy responsibility as educating Annan would fall on him.

If this were to get out, many scholars in the world would go crazy with envy.

Anything that has anything to do with education will at least leave a mark in the vast history.

As for more or less, it depends on the situation.

Li Xiucai was also a scholar. In his mind, this supreme pursuit was something he had only dreamed of. Or it could be said that this was something that most scholars could only dream of.

Now, this opportunity is right in front of Li Xiucai, how can he not be excited.

Zhu Ying nodded slightly, expressing his approval of Li Xiucai, and then he seemed to sigh and said: "Looking back, I had a hard time in the Western Regions until everyone came to me and I slowly got back on my feet."

"Now it seems that although the achievements in the Western Regions are not worth mentioning compared to my current status, the brothers of the Heroes Chamber of Commerce have been able to follow me all the time, and their teachings are still very effective."

"You should remember your past in the City of Heroes. I think you have enough experience in education. Annan is a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, and the people there are the people of the Ming Dynasty."

"Remember, after you go there, you must treat everyone equally. You should teach them the same way you taught them in the Western Regions in Annan. You must understand what I mean."

When Li Xiucai heard this, he immediately remembered the teaching methods in Qunying City, and he felt much more relaxed.

This is roughly the same as what he did before.

Of course, Li Xiucai understood the following words immediately.

When teaching in the Western Regions, the teaching plans were mixed with a lot of the private goods of the Heroes Chamber of Commerce, so it was not just about teaching.

The boss has given him this reminder. If he still doesn't listen, then he might as well just find a piece of tofu and hit himself to death.

"Your Highness's instructions are clear to me. When I arrive in Annan, I will treat the people of Annan as my own people. Please rest assured, Your Highness."

When Zhu Ying heard this, he knew that Li Xiucai understood.

So he smiled and said, "Don't be so humble. I will notify the Ministry of Rites and arrange a suitable official position for you. Don't worry, it won't be a small one. It will at least give you face when you arrive in Annan."

Li Xiucai knelt down and kowtowed, thanking him: "Your Highness, I, Li Xingyan, thank you for your grace."

"Okay, get up. I just hope you don't let me down." Zhu Ying said with a smile.

"I will never let Your Highness down. If I do, I will never return to the Ming Dynasty or my hometown." Liu Xiucai swore.

For the Ming Dynasty, which values ​​returning to one's roots, this was a solemn oath.

Zhu Ying nodded, then asked Li Xiucai to step back and wait, and even asked the surrounding guards, palace maids, and eunuchs to all step back.

There were only him, Ye Yueqing, and Liu Sheng in the room.

"Teacher." Liu Sheng bowed.

Zhu Ying nodded and said, "I left you here alone because I have something important to discuss. Regarding Annan's action this time, are you still able to walk in this state?"

"If you don't want to travel a long distance, I will arrange a job for you in the Ming Dynasty, and ensure that you will be rich and worry-free in the future."

Hearing this, Liu Sheng was deeply moved and replied with a disciple's courtesy: "Teacher, you know my situation well. I may seem to be fine, but what is the difference between me and the eunuchs in the palace now?"

"Glorious wealth and splendor are meaningless to me. Compared with the capital of the Ming Dynasty, the prosperity of Qunying City is like a firefly compared to the bright moon."

"But it was built by the teacher himself, so there is never a shortage of anything, and there is no worry about food."

"What I want to do now is to make the rest of my life meaningful. At least I can devote more of myself to my teacher. This is my last wish in this life."

When Zhu Ying heard this, she felt a little touched.

Liu Sheng is already over sixty years old and is still in good health, but his hair has already turned gray due to his age.

There is no doubt that having been in charge of Qunying City for so many years, Liu Sheng is undoubtedly the most suitable person to go to Annan.

In terms of political means, it can be said that Liu Sheng already had very rich experience. It is no exaggeration to say that he was the first minister under Zhu Ying.

"As for Annan, if it works out, I will make you the first King of Annan."

After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Ying made the promise directly.

With these words, Zhu Ying's intention towards An Nan became very clear.

When Liu Sheng heard this, he shuddered all over, and the next moment he paid homage to him.

This is the highest honor.

It is conceivable that Liu Sheng will definitely have a significant presence in future history books.

When history books mention Liu Sheng, he is referred to as the first King of Annan. What a great honor this is.

Although he can't enjoy too much now.

It would take five years at the fastest and ten years at the slowest to recover Annan. By that time, he would be already in his seventies.

Liu Sheng, who had suffered a hidden injury when he was young, was unable to have children. By the time he was in his seventies, he would not be able to be the King of Annan for many more years.

But just a title was already a huge surprise for Liu Sheng.

"Let's talk about Annan next. I will let Zhao Fei lead the 50,000 elite troops. You are familiar with Zhao Fei, so I won't say much about this."

"The situation in Annan will become clear when you go there. My side is also a bit vague. You are familiar with the general direction. Commanding the troops of Annan with 50,000 soldiers is the key point."

"Don't get involved in their complicated struggle. Build high walls, store up food, and slowly become king. These are your main goals. I believe you have no problem in this regard."

Zhu Ying said.

The 50,000 soldiers he sent were not simple soldiers, but mostly officers.

The population of Annan is close to four million, and the country's total military strength currently numbers over half a million.

The more developed a country is, the smaller the ratio is between population and military strength.

Considering the current chaotic situation in Annan, the lowest proportion is over 10%.

It seems a bit strange that when the Ming Dynasty had 1.2 million soldiers, Annan had 500,000.

But in fact, there are so many chieftains in Annan, and many of the chieftains and their subordinates are almost all soldiers. The concept is completely different.

Boys of twelve years old and women who have given birth to children all have to charge into battle.

These soldiers nominally belonged to the Annan royal family, but in reality they were secretly controlled by local tyrants and warlords.

Even the officers and soldiers on the Annan side were controlled by many generals and only obeyed orders and not decrees.

This is also why the Annan royal family asked the Ming Dynasty for help.

Zhu Ying wanted to use these 50,000 soldiers to directly absorb troops from Annan, and then continue to grow until he completely controlled Annan.

After listening to this, Liu Sheng nodded seriously.

These strategies were frequently used as early as the initial development of the Western Regions.

The Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce at that time was just a small chamber of commerce. It was through continuous annexation of other forces that it gradually grew stronger and reached its current scale.

Liu Sheng knew very well that this trip to Annan was to retrace the path that the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce had taken.

"Teacher, please rest assured. I am quite familiar with these methods. Besides, I have so many fellow disciples to assist me this time. I will definitely not let you down."

Liu Sheng replied.

Zhu Ying summoned his disciples to prepare for the Annan incident. The arrangements were made a month ago. Now these disciples are waiting for Zhu Ying's instructions.

Zhu Ying said: "I saw the situation in Annan. Many chieftains are still living a life of bartering. The currency is also very chaotic. There are more than ten kinds of large and small ones. It is very troublesome for the people to use it."

"So this time, I will grant you the authority over currency and provide you with enough Ming treasure notes."

"This is the key point. You have to find a way to make the Ming Treasure Note replace all the coins in Annan and become the only coin. To do this, you don't hesitate to use any means."

Zhu Ying's voice was a little low.

The Ming Baochao is the only paper currency in the world today, but its purchasing power has been declining, and no one outside the Ming Dynasty recognizes it.

Annan is a very good place. What Zhu Ying wants to do is to export to Annan in terms of military, economy and culture.

This is the first time that Zhu Ying has formally carried out such a plan for Annan.

"Disciple understands." Liu Sheng said in a deep voice.

As for the means, the Western Region Heroes Chamber of Commerce should not use too many of them.

In fact, when it comes down to it, what Zhu Ying did was nothing more than the methods of later capitalism.

Now, when dealing with Annan, we should simply ignore the current complicated situation and start from the most fundamental military, culture and economy.

It is not easy to pacify Annan with this combination of punches. The most important thing is not to harm the people of Annan.

On the contrary, it can improve the living standards of local people to a great extent.

Let it transition from barbarism to civilization and win the hearts of the people.

If we directly use strong troops to attack, the gains will outweigh the losses. Instead, the overly powerful external force will force all the Annan warlords to unite and resist.

The same thing happened when Zhu Di later attacked Annan. He spent too many troops but gained nothing in the end.

It doesn't mean that it is a good thing to incorporate Annan into the Ming Dynasty. On the contrary, it will increase the burden on the Ming Dynasty.

This is also the reason why the Central Plains culture rarely invaded other countries.

Including the tributary states of the Ming Dynasty today, they are really too poor.

"Once the supplies are dispatched, we will set off. Take care of yourself. I hope that one day, I can personally enthrone you as king in the Fengtian Hall of this imperial palace."

Zhu Ying looked at Liu Sheng deeply, and then said.

In fact, there are many younger disciples under Zhu Ying, and they are also capable.

As for this senior disciple who has always been with him, Zhu Ying knows exactly what he wants.

Even if Liu Sheng did not come when transporting crops such as sweet potatoes, Zhu Ying would summon him.

Perhaps for Liu Sheng now, leaving a name in history is his greatest pursuit.

Upon hearing this, Liu Sheng looked up at Zhu Ying, then lowered his head slightly to hide the tears in his eyes, then slowly knelt down, bowed respectfully, and said:

"I spent the first half of my life wandering around with nothing to gain. It wasn't until I met the teacher that my life became completely different."

"Teacher, I am not the smartest, nor the youngest and strongest. Thank you for not abandoning me and letting me become your eldest disciple."

"I have no way to repay the teacher's appreciation and kindness, so I can only work diligently to protect the teacher's family business."

"Even now, the teacher still considers me, who is half buried in the ground. This is a great kindness, and I can only repay it in the next life."

After Liu Sheng finished speaking, he kowtowed three times.

Zhu Ying looked at him with complicated eyes but did not stop him.

Because he and Liu Sheng both knew that this meeting might be the last time they would meet.

From the beginning to now, the relationship between the two is more often than just a teacher and student.

In Liu Sheng's eyes, he treated Zhu Ying as his own grandson and son.

The reason why Zhu Ying was able to leave the Western Regions, walk through the desert and reach the grassland.

This is all because of Liu Sheng, who is helping him guard the foundation of the Western Regions.