In Zhu Ying's plan, Annan was in a very stable situation.

This is indeed the case.

In terms of military, the 50,000 elite troops of the Ming Dynasty are definitely a very powerful presence in Annan.

Although people like Wei Xing are not ranked in the Ming Dynasty, that is because there are too many outstanding generals in the Ming Dynasty. But if he is placed in a place like Annan, he will definitely be a first-class general.

After all, he had followed Zhu Yuanzhang in his battles and had extremely rich experience in warfare. He had also made many contributions in pacifying Yunnan.

Politically, Liu Sheng once made alliances in the Western Regions and performed excellently, and the small Qunying City has always been impregnable.

Although he is a little older, his thoughts are extremely clear. And because he has spent a long time with Zhu Ying, he has his own unique insights into many aspects.

In terms of intelligence, Zhao Yuanhong had been rooted in Annan for several years, and controlled many Annan court officials by secretly developing subordinates and using money and sex to lure them.

With these three approaches, Annan theoretically has no chance of making a comeback.

Plans are no match for people’s hearts.

The appearance of a traitor was something that neither Liu Sheng nor Zhao Yuanhong had expected.

Because in terms of treatment in all aspects, the treatment here is already good enough.

"Is it him, Li Laosi?"

After a brief silence, Liu Sheng asked.

Zhao Yuanhong did not answer immediately, and his expression could not be seen in the dark corner.

After the air froze slightly, he replied: "It should be him."

Li Laosi was one of the first people to follow Zhao Yuanhong to Annan.

He was a guard in the Guild of Heroes and was a close confidant of Annan when he led the troops.

Originally, Zhao Fei also came to Annan, after all, he was familiar with the situation here. However, because the Xuanjiawei lacked a commander, Zhao Fei did not come in the end, and Wei Xing was appointed as the commander instead.

"Why is it him? He is the deputy commander." Li Xiucai asked, somewhat confused.

Ordinary betrayal cannot achieve this effect. Only betrayal from high-level officials can have such a great impact.

As the current deputy commander, Li Laosi's status and position are already high enough, and it is difficult for Li Xiucai to understand why he would betray the Ming Dynasty.

"Everyone has weaknesses, and Li Laosi's weakness is particularly obvious, that is lust."

"Since he became the commander, he has taken five concubines in a row and indulged himself in wine and women all day long."

"Because of these things, Li Laosi's prestige in the army declined, and his deputy commander became a figurehead without substance. Women also cost him a lot of money. At the end of last year, he was reprimanded by Commander Wei for privately participating in a business transaction."

"At that time, I was able to get away with him because I thought of our old friendship and said a few good words for him."

"It's a pity that I didn't even notice him."

There was a hint of self-blame in Zhao Yuanhong's tone.

From the analysis here, we can infer that at present Li Laosi is probably the traitor.

Although there is no evidence, it is very likely.

Only Li Laosi meets all these characteristics and has access to some extremely confidential and core matters.

It was impossible for ordinary people to implicate Zhao Yuanhong without any rumors.

Hu Jima's attack was so accurate that Zhao Yuanhong was the first to be caught during the operation.

Suddenly, hundreds of elite soldiers surrounded the small courtyard.

Zhao Yuanhong was brought to this dungeon without even having a chance to resist.

When Zhao Yuanhong first came to this dungeon, the environment was not as good as it is now.

Perhaps Hu Jima had some other ideas, so the dungeon, which was only cleaned once every century, was also cleaned out by the people who came.

Zhao Yuanhong's words made Liu Sheng and Li Xiucai's hearts sink to the bottom of the sea.

Liu Sheng, in particular, had a dark face and looked extremely ugly.

He just turned his head slightly to look in Zhao Yuanhong's direction, opened his mouth slightly, and wanted to say something, but the words were stuck in his throat and didn't come out.

Because he knew very well that it would be futile to say anything at this time.

Hu Jima would not give them any possibility to pass on information.

I have been locked up for more than half a month, and no one has come to question or visit me.

This clearly means that he will be imprisoned forever.

However, Li Laosi is currently the deputy commander of the Ming Dynasty garrison and has great power over the 50,000 elite troops.

Now outside, it is very likely that Li Laosi has not been exposed yet and is lurking in the Ming army as an undercover agent of Hu Jima.

Wei Xing probably didn't realize it, and this was the worst thing.

With the methods of the old fox Hu Jima and the cooperation with Li Laosi, Wei Xing's 50,000 elite troops would certainly be difficult to resist.

"This...if this is him, we must think of a way."

"Otherwise, how will we explain this to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

At this time, Li Xiucai was so anxious that tears were about to come out.

If Annan is lost, all of them will be sinners.

The good days of the past are gone forever.

As he was thinking about it, Li Xiucai actually started to cry.

"Why are you crying? What's the point of crying?"

"Do you think Hu Jima will let you go if you cry to him?"

"Don't bother me."

Liu Shengbie was so upset by the crying that he couldn't help but start cursing.

Although they were separated by a prison cell, Li Xiucai was still very afraid of Liu Sheng. He suppressed himself and only sobbed slightly.

Liu Sheng turned to look at Zhao Yuanhong and asked, "Sir, do you have any other ideas?"

Zhao Yuanhong heard this and looked bitter: "It happened suddenly, and we are not prepared at all."

"If this person is Li Laosi, then he must have revealed all my secrets long ago."

“Even if there are some remnants, there is no way to organize them.”

"There is nothing we can do about the current situation. We can only leave it to fate."

After saying this, Liu Sheng sighed heavily and walked into the cell. It was obvious that he no longer wanted to chat.

Li Xiucai also stopped sobbing and squatted in front of the prison door in a daze.

…

Liu Sheng and others were in the dungeon, while members of the Annan royal family were under house arrest in a separate courtyard.

Although Hu Jima is now ambitious, he still has some feelings and will not torture the King of Annan and others to whom he once served.

Apart from being under house arrest, all other palace maids and servants were not reduced, and the standard of food was not lowered in the slightest.

"Your Majesty, why do you have to do this? Why don't you issue an edict yourself and let me rebuild this broken country?"

"If I fail, Your Majesty will not be implicated. When the Ming army arrives, Your Majesty will still be the former emperor."

"But if I win, Annan will no longer be a vassal of the Ming Dynasty and will become an independent country."

Hu Jima stood in front of Chen Yong, the retired emperor of Annan, and tried to persuade him earnestly.

What he is doing now is undoubtedly to use the emperor's power to control the princes.

Of course, as far as the separatist forces in Annan are concerned, they are far inferior to the standards of the Central Plains, and the Emperor of Annan is not an emperor either.

It is just that influenced by the culture of the Central Plains dynasty, and we have to pay some attention to the name here.

If Hu Jima could obtain the sincere cooperation of Chen Yong, the retired emperor of Annan, things would naturally go much more smoothly.

Annan Emperor Chen Yong snorted coldly and said, "I still don't know what you are thinking, Hu Jima, Hu Jima, I really misjudged you."

"Back then, my father let you take charge of government affairs and trusted you so much. Even after I took the throne, I still trusted you even more. I didn't expect you to be so ruthless and harbor evil intentions, and to cause chaos in Annan."

"You are still wishful thinking that I should cooperate with you. Humph, stop wishful thinking."

At this point, Chen Yong coldly examined Hu Jima and continued, "I don't know what you are thinking, or whether someone has given you some kind of drug that has blinded you to such an extent."

"You can come up with a plan to rebel against the Ming Dynasty? You are trying to drag Annan into the quagmire of war."

"The Ming Dynasty is now at its peak. Being obedient is the best choice for us. You saw my Yue'er come back to visit her parents."

"Can Annan resist such elite soldiers and generals?"

"I'm afraid that if the news reaches the capital of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor will be furious. The army that will attack Annan may already be on the way."

"I advise you not to be stubborn. If you are willing to turn back, I will do everything I can to save your life."

When Hu Jima heard this, his eyes became firm without any sign of wavering.

It has come to this point today, what else is there to say? Even if we lose, we lose.

"Your Majesty, I, Hu Jima, have devoted my entire life to Annan."

"But this is our Annan, not the Annan of the Ming Dynasty."

"You have seen the Chinese schools that have been opened in various cities. Your Majesty has read the books they teach the people of Annan."

"I am already old, and half of my body is buried in the soil. Even if I usurp Annan, how long can I enjoy it?"

"As for Annan, I am really unwilling to hand it over to the Ming Dynasty."

"Originally, I still had some hesitation in my heart. I felt that I could fight against Liu Sheng and his men."

"But when Princess Anxiu came back to visit her parents, the morale of the elite soldiers of the Ming Dynasty stationed in Annan was even higher."

"If I continue to endure this, Annan will no longer belong to us."

"I am unwilling to accept this."

"Why should we give up our Annan to others like this?"

"So after Princess Anxiu left, I couldn't sleep day and night, and finally made this decision."

"Even if I die, it doesn't matter. As long as Annan can be saved, I will not hesitate to die!"

Hu Jima's words were expressive and very contagious.

This was also the key to his ability to occupy the position of prime minister in two generations of the Annan court.

Even Chen Yong now, who was originally extremely repulsive, has a more complicated expression.

In fact, Chen Yong knows the current situation of Annan best.

In name, they are elite soldiers of the Ming Dynasty who are protecting the royal family, but in reality they are equivalent to another new force. Chen Yong has absolutely no power over them.

"Are you sure you can win?"

"I don't know, there are only one or two tenths."

"With just this little confidence, why are you rebelling?"

"I am old. If I don't rebel now, I will never have another chance."

After a conversation between the king and his ministers, they fell silent again.

A trace of struggle appeared on Chen Yong's face.

Who doesn't want more power?

Especially now that the Ming Dynasty is severely encroaching on Annan, Chen Yong doesn’t know what role he, the so-called Emperor Emeritus of Annan, will play in the future.

Hu Jima didn't say anything.

But he was already relaxed in his heart.

After all, having worked with him for so many years, Hu Jima was an expert at reading people's expressions and words, so of course he knew about this matter, and it was basically almost certain.

Sure enough, after half an incense stick of time had passed, Chen Yong shook his head slightly, walked to the bookshelf, and took out his seal.

"I can help you, but if these things fail in the end, you will have to take on all of them."

"Don't involve me."

After much deliberation, Chen Yong finally decided to let Hu Jima take the lead.

In fact, Chen Yong knew very well in his mind that it would be difficult for Hu Jima to fight against the Ming army.

There are still 50,000 elite soldiers of the Ming Dynasty in Annan, plus countless expeditionary forces coming over. Chen Yong does not see any possibility of Hu Jima winning.

After Hu Jima received the promise, he knelt down and kowtowed to Chen Yong, then turned and left.

When the seal is needed, he will come again.

Many civil and military officials of Annan gathered outside the gate.

Those who can be here at this time are naturally on Hu Jima's side.

After Hu Jima came out, he nodded slightly to the people who had been waiting for a long time.

There was an immediate cheer from below.

Although Hu Jima was also smiling, his smile did not look very happy.

He currently has one more thing to do, which is to get rid of the 50,000 elite troops of the Ming Dynasty stationed here as soon as possible.

The night was dark and windy.

Somewhere in the wilderness, Hu Jima and two followers were waiting beside the carriage.

Not long after, the sound of horse hooves was heard.

When he got closer, he could see clearly that the person coming was Li Laosi, the deputy commander of the Ming army stationed in Annan.

When Hu Jima saw the visitor, he bowed and saluted: "Commander Li, sir."

Li Laosi originally had a bit of displeasure on his face.

This was the time when he was being intimate with the young ladies, and when he was called over, they hadn't finished yet.

I was feeling very angry.

But you shouldn't hit someone who smiles at you. I was just about to teach Hu Jima a lesson, but now I don't know how to say it.

There is no doubt that Li Laosi likes the title of commander very much.

"What do you want? I was having fun and you pulled me here. It really ruined my fun."

After getting off the horse, Li Laosi muttered some complaints, but he did not intend to fight back.

When Hu Jima heard this, he didn't care, but said in a low voice: "General Li, please forgive me, I was presumptuous, but the matter was urgent and I had no choice."

"Now time is short and urgent. I have prepared everything here. It depends on how General Li arranges it."