Ananya's eyes were a little evasive.

Her mood is very complicated now. She wants to embarrass King Champa through Concubine Mingyue, but at the same time, as a Cham person, she does not want the interests of Champa to suffer too much loss.

After all, she is now considered a descendant of the Champa royal family, and has the same origin as the former General Luo Kai.

Luo Kai called herself the queen, and her family's life became better and better.

But remembering what Concubine Yue said to her on the treasure ship, she finally chose to avoid King Zhan's gaze.

"Thank you, Queen Yue Fei. My daughter went missing a few days ago and I sent people to look for her, but it is not easy to find someone in this vast ocean."

"Fortunately, my little girl was not destined to die. She happened to meet a noble person, and that's why she was able to survive."

King Zhan still has a few intelligent ministers around him.

An elderly minister who was sitting next to King Zhan whispered a few words in his ear, and King Zhan then stood up and bowed to Concubine Yue to express his gratitude.

This is the best way to deal with the current situation.

Chen Muyue frowned and looked at the old minister, but had no intention of confronting him.

Instead, he immediately asked, "I heard that King Zhan followed the order of His Royal Highness the Grandson of the Ming Dynasty and ceded the city of Uli to His Royal Highness the Grandson Yunwen as an overseas vassal state."

"I wonder what your King Zhan has done with the preparations for Wuli City. When I return to Annan, I will have to pass by Wuli, and I also want to go and take a look."

At first, Chen Muyue actually wanted to use Ananya's identity to make a fuss.

But after thinking about it, I feel that this is not appropriate.

Ananya will eventually go to Ming Dynasty, and by that time, we will be sisters.

Although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had no intention of doing so, Chen Muyue knew very well that it would be impossible for him to engage in palace infighting with a Crown Prince's Consort like Ye Yueqing.

Although she had been favored by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and the ceremony this time was considered sufficient, she knew the actual situation well.

It would be better to talk about it here in Wuli City.

After these words were spoken, the expressions of the ministers in the palace, including King Zhan, changed drastically.

The thing they were most worried about finally happened.

When it comes to ceding a city, the general rule is of course to transfer the city's population, food, and wealth in advance, and it may even leave some difficult problems behind.

This is also an established practice.

The city of Uli had suffered the baptism of war with Annan before, and was originally planning to build it, but it had not yet started.

It happened that the imperial decree from the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty arrived, and in the end, Wuli was chosen.

And now Concubine Ming Yue proposed to go and take a look, which is obviously going to make Champa bleed heavily.

There is no problem on Concubine Yue's side, but the Ming army that follows is a big problem.

If any conflict arises over this issue, Champa will not be able to withstand it at present.

King Zhan obviously had no experience in dealing with this matter and didn't know how to answer at the moment.

It was still the old minister who was steady and said a few words in King Zhan's ear.

King Zhan suddenly realized.

So he replied, "It's getting late today. Your Highness, Concubine Yue has been tossed on the sea all the way. It would be better for you to rest early."

"You can visit Wuli Kingdom anytime. When Concubine Yue returns to Annan, I will definitely accompany her in person."

Having said that, Chen Muyue naturally didn't say anything more.

What followed was a scene of singing and dancing, with all the guests having a great time.

But the real thing, of course, was accomplished at night.

The rear hall of the palace.

King Zhan paced back and forth anxiously, looking towards the door from time to time.

Finally, I heard footsteps coming from outside.

The door opened and it was the old minister who had been whispering to King Zhan during the day.

"What's the matter?" King Cham asked impatiently in Champa language.

After the old minister saluted, he replied: "The appetite over there is really too big. The Yue Fei wants us to return all the lands that we have occupied in Annan."

"Otherwise she will bring the Ming army to see for herself the current situation of Wuli."

"Concubine Yue also said that these are the personal troops of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and they are the ones who support His Royal Highness the Crown Prince the most. If anything unusual happens, it is not something she can control."

Upon hearing this, King Zhan became extremely angry.

But there was no solution in mind, so I could only ask, "What should we do? Should we agree to him?"

"This was something that my father conquered with great difficulty. He lost so many soldiers. Are we just going to give it away for nothing now?"

When the old minister heard this, he didn't say much.

What your father?

He was just a general who was plotting to usurp the throne.

But what he said was true, it was indeed taken down by Champa soldiers.

The old minister was very clear in his mind at this moment that King Zhan was not disagreeing, but he just had no way out.

He then persuaded them, “Though those places currently belong to our Champa, the people living there are mostly Annanese. There are frequent disturbances, and there is no tax revenue.”

"Even if it is returned, it will be a relief for us in Champa. That place is not a fertile land."

"I have a lot of people going to sea, and most of the profits come from maritime trade."

"Now that the Ming Emperor's grandson has gone to Uli, it is like a natural barrier between Champa and Annan."

"From now on, maritime trade will flourish and the country will be stable. This is a great opportunity for the development of Champa."

After hearing these words, King Zhan's expression finally calmed down.

However, he did not express his opinion immediately, but instead showed a thoughtful look.

There is a saying that a son does not feel sorry for selling his father's land. In fact, for Zhan Wang, he doesn't care about those places at all.

He cares more about his own face.

"Princess Yue, can you tell me what good she can do to me if I return those places to you?"

Zhan Wangchaduo asked.

A sigh flashed across the old minister's eyes.

Coming from the mouth of King Zhan, these words seemed extremely simple and innocent.

Thinking of Chaye back then, if he had been the king of Champa, perhaps things would have been completely different from now.

"What Concubine Yue meant is that she could propose to the King of Annan that Champa and Annan sign a ten-year peace agreement under the witness of the Ming army."

"For ten years, there will be no war, and border affairs will be handled through consultation. Anyone who violates this will be reported to the Ming Dynasty for justice."

The old minister spoke.

Prince Zhan finally heard the result he wanted most, and he said with a look of joy in his eyes, "Okay, then I will reply to Princess Yue, I agree to all of this."

…

Chen Muyue had already grasped King Zhan's response.

After all, as the eldest princess of Annan, she is very familiar with some political compromises.

Although I have never participated in it due to my status as a woman, there are some things that I cannot completely avoid once I am in the middle of them.

"Xiaoqing, General Jin, is everything ready?"

Chen Muyue asked.

Xiaoqing replied, "Don't worry, Madam. General Jin has come to report and everything is ready."

Chen Muyue nodded and said, "Then let's inform Captain Cao that we will set off back to Annan tomorrow."

Xiaoqing bowed and said, "Yes, Madam."

The Captain Cao that Chen Muyue mentioned is Cao Bing, the eldest son of Jingchuan Marquis Cao Zhen.

He was one of the original five thousand households of the Xuanjia Guard.

Now he is the one who leads the Xuanjia Guard and comes to protect Chen Muyue.

The navy on Jin Kaishan's side naturally would not follow Chen Muyue to Annan. Instead, after Chen Muyue arrived and set off, they turned and headed to Annan Wharf.

The next day, I watched Yue Fei's carriage leave.

King Zhan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After the Ming army left, the palace returned to its previous appearance.

This meeting was extremely shocking to the King of Cham, and even to the ministers, nobles, and common people of Champa.

Although it was only a short two days, the mighty posture of the Ming army will inevitably affect this generation.

However.

It's not that simple.

The third day was supposed to be the day when the Ming navy set sail.

A message arrived at the Champa palace.

Upon hearing the news, Prince Zhan didn't even bother to behave properly and asked directly, "What did you say? Three soldiers from the Ming Navy are missing?"

This time, there was really a big problem.

In this day and age, three soldiers don’t mean anything, but these are the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, which is completely different.

If these three soldiers could not be found, the Ming navy would not give up easily.

The consequence will inevitably be heavy bleeding in Champa.

After being shocked for only a moment, the King of Champa reacted and realized that the Ming navy must be taking advantage of this opportunity to make another fortune from Champa.

I agreed to Yue Fei's request too readily.

Just when we drove away the tiger, the wolf came again.

However, without the Ming navy under the control of Concubine Yue, King Zhan felt even more frightened.

For Champa, the huge annual volume of maritime trade is the most important tax in the country. If the Ming navy interferes with the shipping routes, Champa will inevitably suffer huge losses.

Not only must we not offend the Ming navy, but we must try even harder to please them.

When he saw the Ming treasure ship, King Zhan knew very clearly in his mind that the Ming navy would have the final say on the sea from now on.

In recent times, King Zhan can clearly feel that there are more and more businessmen in the Ming Dynasty.

The lifting of the maritime ban, coupled with the support of the Ming Crown Prince for maritime trade, indicates that maritime trade will be more prosperous in the future, and it also means that Champa's taxes will become more and more abundant.

After figuring this out, King Zhan gritted his teeth and said, "Go talk to the commander of the Ming navy and see what conditions they want to propose."

"If it's not too much, then agree to all of it."

After speaking to his trusted old minister, King Zhan paused and continued, "Prepare some generous gifts and give them to the commander of the navy who is coming over now, including the deputy commander and others. Take care of them."

"We should prepare more of our country's special products, such as ebony, galangal incense, Guanyin bamboo, and agarwood, and send them over."

Under King Zhan's instructions, these gifts were naturally prepared quickly.

From the side of the Royal Palace Avenue, several carriages were seen slowly heading towards the dock, carrying the sincerity of the King.

Ever since the Ming navy arrived, the entire dock has been forcibly closed, and even the most anxious merchants have not received any permission to leave.

At the same time, the ships coming to Champa were also detained and were not allowed to leave, and the cargo could not be unloaded.

This was a huge loss for Champa's maritime trade.

However, this was the Ming navy, and no matter how much the merchants from various countries complained in their hearts, they dared not say it out loud.

The towering treasure ship alone was enough to terrify anyone who was interested.

Our own ship is like a child's toy next to the Ming Dynasty treasure ship.

If you encounter them at sea, you don't even need to use artillery. You can just rush over and easily destroy all enemies.

"Commander Jin was right. This King Zhan really was eager to send gifts to me."

"But speaking of it, even though we are not very powerful in the Ming Dynasty, and our grandma and uncle don't love us, but on this sea, there is no fleet that dares to compete with our Ming Dynasty navy."

"Is this King Zhan still obedient? Four carriages, it looks like there must be a lot of good stuff."

A captain in charge of alert said with a smile to the captain next to him.

The other centurion heard this and said, "No matter how much money there is, it has nothing to do with you and me. You think it is still the same as before. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has issued a strict order that any money collected by the army must be confiscated first, and rewards will be discussed after everything is completed."

"Commander Jin has been given this lucrative position, how dare he make any trouble? There are many talented people from the military academy in our navy, and any disturbance will not be hidden from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"If there is any news of impeachment, it will be the end of Commander Jin."

The former captain sighed and said, "It's different now. In the past, we had to take it from our own hands, but now there are so many rules that no one dares to act casually."

The navy.

Zhu Ying is still relatively convenient for reform.

After all, although the Ming Navy has always had a great record in battle, its status in the Ming army is not high, and it is even known as the "Qingshui Yamen".

The Ming Dynasty had almost no foreign naval wars, and with the maritime ban, there was really no time to fight, and no profit to be made.

It was only since the conquest of Japan that China began to show real toughness.

It was not until the maritime ban was lifted that Zhu Ying encouraged shipbuilding and maritime trade, and there was hope.

Before this, Zhu Ying's reform of the entire navy was more direct and straightforward.

Of course, this is also closely related to the current improvement in the navy’s military pay and benefits. On this basis, the reform has been carried out very smoothly.

The atmosphere in the navy is relatively simple, not as exaggerated as that in the army, and many soldiers are very accepting of it.

Four carriages filled with gifts were sent to the main ship after a brief inquiry.

Jin Kaishan ordered the soldiers to open it, and they saw a wide range of rare goods.

It is no exaggeration to say that these goods transported to the capital of the Ming Dynasty were worth at least 100,000 treasure notes.

"With just these few things, he wants to send us away. It seems that this King Zhan still doesn't understand the situation clearly."

"Every soldier of our Ming Dynasty is extremely valuable. How can we measure their worth with money?"

"Send a message to King Zhan. I will accept the money as the military pay for our army's stay. However, the three missing soldiers must be found."

"If he's alive, I want to see him. If he's dead, I want to see his body."