The news of sending troops to Annan soon reached Chen Muyue.

In fact, according to the normal process, the court clerk should first go to the Dali Temple to communicate with the envoys from Annan, and even Zhu Yuanzhang would summon them.

However, these steps are basically omitted.

The reason is very simple, because the legitimate Annan envoy has been completely ruined.

But it doesn't matter.

With the documents from the Annan royal family, you can just go back directly.

In the courtyard beside the Qinhuai River.

"Princess Anxiu, His Highness has promised to send 50,000 troops directly to help Annan in three days, and also brought a lot of craftsmen and farmers to help the people of Annan improve their farming."

"There are also many scholars who are willing to follow the army to Annan to educate the people."

"Nowadays, due to certain reasons, the envoys who came with the princess may not be able to return together. The court has specifically asked you about this, and they prefer to live in the capital of the Ming Dynasty."

"We need the princess to write a handwritten letter to the King of Annan to avoid any misunderstandings."

Guo Zhong said softly.

Faced with this news, Chen Muyue seemed a little excited.

The Ming Dynasty sent troops!

With the help of the Ming Dynasty, the Annan royal family will have 50,000 elite troops to suppress lawlessness, and all crises will be over.

Xiaoqing, who was standing by, cried with joy.

No matter what, for Chen Muyue and Xiaoqing, Annan is their hometown.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will write it right away." Chen Muyue said quickly after a brief moment of absent-mindedness.

Guo Zhong smiled and replied, "The princess should be more grateful to His Royal Highness Changsun for sending troops to Annan. The rules before and after the dispatch were all decided by His Royal Highness Changsun. Even the number of troops was decided by His Royal Highness Changsun."

"The princess is so lucky to be favored by His Highness. I have a few more words to say here. After entering the palace, the princess must serve His Highness well."

"These are 50,000 elite soldiers, all selected from the guards in the capital. It shows how much effort His Royal Highness Changsun has put in for the princess."

Hearing Guo Zhong say this, Chen Muyue's face turned red with shame. After bowing, she said, "After I enter the palace, I will serve Your Highness with all my heart and soul."

After hearing this, Guo Zhong nodded in satisfaction.

Chen Muyue came into the room and started writing.

The general meaning is that he came to the capital of the Ming Dynasty and was accidentally noticed by His Royal Highness Chang Sun, who then persuaded the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty to send 50,000 elite Ming troops to help the royal family of Annan.

Naturally, no word was mentioned about the envoys; those were just minor details and not important.

Finally, I briefly introduced my situation.

After watching Guo Zhong take the letter and leave, Xiao Qing said in surprise: "Princess, I was right this time, wasn't I? His Highness must think highly of you. Even Eunuch Guo said so."

"It seems that it must be because of the sachet that His Highness remembered the princess again."

Chen Muyue nodded slightly and said with some melancholy: "I just don't know whether Your Highness likes that sachet."

Xiao Qing pursed her lips and said, "My princess, you can't even see this. You are completely immersed in it."

"If His Highness didn't like it, how could he send troops immediately? He must like it very much to do so. Who knows, His Highness might even be carrying it with him every day."

After hearing what Xiaoqing said, Chen Muyue nodded slightly in agreement.

Thinking of the sachet that she made by herself and that His Highness always carries with him, she couldn't help feeling shy.

At this moment, in an inconspicuous corner of Kunning Palace.

The sachet was lying there quietly.

…

Three days later, at the Xuanjiawei camp.

Three thousand soldiers stood on the playground with their heads held high and their chests puffed out.

On the high platform, Zhu Ying stood in a military uniform.

"This time, I came here to cheer you three thousand soldiers on your journey."

"I think everyone knows that once you go to Annan, you will never return. After many years, you will be buried in a foreign land."

"If anyone withdraws now, I will not punish them. It is all voluntary."

"Now, those who want to quit, take a step forward!"

Zhu Ying said loudly, his voice lingering in the drill.

For a long time, none of the three thousand soldiers made any move.

It would be more accurate to say that these three thousand soldiers were voluntarily signed up by the Xuanjia Guard rather than being selected from them.

Before the selection, Zhu Ying had already passed down the message that the soldiers going to Annan this time would remain in Annan and would never return to Ming Dynasty.

Of course, under such conditions, the treatment in Annan is also very high.

The first thing is land allocation. Depending on the level, the lowest level will be 80 acres of good land.

Then it was promised that the single problems of all soldiers would be solved by the government.

There are other benefits, such as retirement benefits for veterans, which can be enjoyed directly in Annan.

Including the current monthly military pay, which will also be increased.

Zhu Ying knew very well that there was only one way to truly control Annan.

Just like the Mu family in Yunnan, only through long-term and continuous garrisoning and education can the chieftain problem be completely solved.

This lesson became very obvious in later generations.

As of now, Annan has been influenced by Han culture to a far greater extent than Yunnan.

From the time when Qin Shihuang pacified Lingnan to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Annan had always been a direct territory of the Central Plains dynasty.

It was not until the Song Dynasty that Annan became independent.

Annan was far away from the political and cultural center of the Central Plains dynasty. Except for demoted officials and exiled prisoners, no one was willing to move their families to Annan in southern Xinjiang.

It is also for this reason that Annan has a strong local cultural characteristic. Although Chinese is the official language, the chieftain's language occupies the mainstream melody.

Compared with Yunnan, Annan has great advantages, not only in culture but also in land.

The Red River Delta, where the core area of ​​Annan is located, has a very low altitude, fertile land, and numerous rice fields. It is a typical farming area and the most favorite land type of the Central Plains dynasties.

The Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in the core area of ​​Yunnan has an altitude of nearly two thousand meters. Its land resources are more suitable for a combination of farming and animal husbandry, and are more suitable for nomadic peoples.

In other words, the Central Plains dynasty was more interested in the land of Annan than in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.

Secondly, in terms of transportation, the two regions are almost equally close to the political center of the Central Plains dynasty. Yunnan is actually more difficult to travel to because it needs to cross the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.

But in later generations, Yunnan, guarded by Mu Ying's family, eventually became an inseparable part, while Annan, although briefly restored as a province under Zhu Di, was still completely separated.

Therefore, Zhu Ying was very clear that if he wanted to truly recover Annan and use it as a grain base for the Ming Dynasty's back garden, he had to keep sending people there.

Therefore, the soldiers selected were not just the 3,000 men in front of him, but also the other 47,000 men, all of whom were mainly bachelors.

Divide the land of Annan among 50,000 soldiers. Only in this way can these soldiers truly guard Annan for generations.

Together with the educational team headed by Liu Sheng and Li Xiucai, the cultivation of the Annan chieftains with Han culture made it possible to achieve large-scale sinicization.

By that time, Annan will be a truly indispensable province of the Central Plains dynasty.

Looking at the three thousand soldiers standing still in front of him.

Zhu Ying said loudly again:

"You go there to represent the Ming Dynasty. I have increased your military pay, promised you land, and also promised to arrange for you to start a family."

"As my personal guards, the worst of you in this army of 50,000 is a small flag officer."

"Here, I'm going to set new rules for you."

"Whether you are in the territory of Ming or Annan, you must control your soldiers and not harm the people. Especially in Annan, you must not accept money or goods from anyone."

"Although you are in a foreign land, you must remember clearly in your heart that you are my personal guards, you are soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, and your loyalty will be forever dedicated to the Ming Dynasty."

"Perhaps Annan is unfamiliar to you. Even most people have never heard of this name. They only know that it is a very far place."

"But you must also remember that no matter where you are, Ming will always be your strongest backer."

"If there are those who disobey the rule of the Ming Dynasty, use the swords in your hands to show them what the mighty power of heaven means!"

With the last sentence, Zhu Ying let out a terrifying roar, and the three thousand soldiers under him became even more excited.

They shouted in unison: "Long live the Ming Dynasty! Long live the Ming Dynasty! Long live the Ming Dynasty!"

Amidst the overwhelming calls, Zhu Ying said softly: "Annan is the Ming Dynasty!"

…

Fifty thousand soldiers, accompanied by scholars, farmers, craftsmen, and more than three hundred former members of the Heroes Chamber of Commerce headed by Liu Sheng, set out for Annan.

Among them, there were five large wooden boxes next to Liu Sheng's carriage.

These five large boxes contain the latest banknotes printed by the Ming Dynasty.

No one knows how many banknotes are in it, and these are the ones that Zhu Ying gave to Liu Sheng to open a bank.

These banknotes have special printings and are different from the banknotes currently in circulation in the Ming Dynasty. They can be said to be specially printed for Annan.

It is also to prevent accidents that may damage the Ming Dynasty's economy. After all, there are really a lot of banknotes here.

Only when Annan becomes the capital of the Ming Dynasty and Liu Sheng is named King of Annan, will these treasure notes be recognized by the Ming Dynasty court.

A few days later,

In the courtyard by the Qinhuai River,

"Xiaoqing, you said that the army has been on the march for five days, why does His Highness seem to have forgotten me?" Chen Muyue looked at the pond in the yard and asked Xiaoqing beside him.

"Princess, we can't rush this. Xiaoqing heard someone say when she went out to buy groceries the day before yesterday that the emperor and officials of our Ming Dynasty are very, very busy every day."

"It's not like Annan, where there are endless things to do every day. Think about it, the Ming Dynasty is probably dozens of times larger than Annan, and there is also one emperor, so it must be very different."

"Besides, Your Highness helped the princess with 50,000 troops, and he might still be being reprimanded by the Emperor now."

Xiaoqing helped to explain.

Upon hearing this, Chen Muyue hurriedly asked, "Is Your Highness okay? If Your Highness is reprimanded by His Majesty because of the dispatch of troops, it will be my fault."

Xiao Qing pondered and explained, "It shouldn't be the case. Eunuch Guo once said that the emperor loves His Highness the most."

Chen Muyue then breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good. I just hope Your Highness can think of me when you are busy."

"Don't worry, Princess. Fifty thousand soldiers have volunteered for you. How could they forget?" Xiaoqing said with a smile.

Chen Muyue also became happy after hearing this.

Apart from His Highness, who else in this world could be willing to send 50,000 troops for himself?

However, Chen Muyue also warned herself in her heart that after entering the palace, she would be His Highness's person, and at that time, everything should be considered for His Highness.

…

At this time, in Kunning Palace, Zhu Ying was looking at Qi Tai in front of him, or should he be called Qi De.

"Grandpa asked you to come to me. What is your responsibility?" Zhu Ying asked.

Qi Tai bowed and said, "Your Majesty asked me to come here, but he didn't tell me what the matter was. He just asked me to follow your instructions."

Zhu Ying nodded and said, "I know you, a Jinshi in the eighteenth year of Hongwu. I heard that since you entered the court as an official, you have never made any mistakes in handling affairs."

Qi Tai replied: "This is my duty."

Zhu Ying said: "What a duty, well said!"

"Right now, I have a matter that I need to deal with. I need Qi Zhushi to be the imperial envoy and help me go to Henan to investigate."

Upon hearing this, Qi Tai immediately said, "I obey your order, but I don't know what matter Your Highness needs to investigate."

Zhu Ying half-closed his eyes and said, "Henan has suffered from famine and plague this year, but fortunately, these are all in the past. However, if my guess is correct, the land in the hands of the people may no longer exist."

"Henan cannot become the next Jiangnan, so I need you to carefully check the current situation, compile it into a book, and report it to me. Is it possible?"

Qi Tai bowed and said, "I will definitely live up to your expectations!"