If the Ming Dynasty wants to develop, then Nanyang is the first choice.

For Zhu Ying, the entire Nanyang would inevitably come under the direct rule of the Ming Dynasty during his lifetime.

There is no doubt about this.

Because only Nanyang can prolong the life of the Ming Dynasty.

The weather has been getting colder recently. Although it has not yet reached the point where it has seriously affected people's livelihood, Zhu Ying understands that the Little Ice Age has already begun.

China has experienced four Little Ice Ages in history, and each was accompanied by the fall of four dynasties.

The first time was from the end of the Shang Dynasty to the beginning of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the second time was from the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the beginning of the Western Jin Dynasty, the third time was from the end of the Tang Dynasty to the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty, and the fourth time is now.

Of course, the worst of the situation is still a hundred years away.

It lasted from the middle of the Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty.

Zhu Ying could not change such a natural disaster, he could only find a way to get through it.

Even high-yield crops would have no chance of surviving in such extreme weather.

Such extreme cold is completely unsuitable for survival. People and animals will be frozen to death directly, which is far beyond imagination.

Historically, Taihu Lake, Panyang Lake, Dongting Lake and Huaihe River have all frozen over.

Summer cold, summer frost and snow are common and frequent in such extreme weather conditions.

Even places like Hainan, which has never seen snow, will have heavy snowfall.

From the north to the south of the Yangtze River, everything is frozen.

Under such circumstances, no matter which dynasty it was, it would be greatly shaken and there would be almost no possibility of avoiding destruction.

And by that time, Zhu Ying had already been buried, and there was no way to control him.

Stockpiling food and such is nonsense.

The first hundred years were a serious disaster, and the next few hundred years were also affected.

Even the black soil of Liaodong could not save the Ming Dynasty as it was all frozen.

Even if Zhu Ying was still alive, he wouldn't be able to create food.

Now that the population of the Ming Dynasty is growing rapidly, the demand will only be greater. For the sake of future generations, we must take over Southeast Asia.

In such an environment, only tropical regions like the South Pacific would not be greatly affected. After all, it was a small glacier and the entire world would not be frozen.

Developing the grain industry in the entire Nanyang region is the guarantee of survival for the Ming Dynasty in the future.

…

"His Royal Highness really said that we should go to Zhenla."

Cao Zhen confirmed it again and again excitedly.

I didn’t expect that I could go to Southeast Asia just after returning from the grassland. This is such a great thing.

For military generals, staying idle at home is the greatest insult, as their fame and fortune are achieved through horse riding.

Moreover, the power of military generals lies in the army. When they return to the capital, although they enjoy wealth and luxury, they always feel that something is missing.

"This time, the Crown Prince asked me to lead 30,000 soldiers. It may not seem like a lot, but there is still the navy of the Ming Dynasty in Nanyang. Now Annan is under the control of the Ming Dynasty. Obviously, the trip to Zhenla is not that simple."

"Your Highness wants me to act as a vanguard and test the situation in Zhenla first, or even to stay in Zhenla and wait and see what happens."

Lan Yu analyzed and said.

Cao Zhen didn't care: "It's fine as long as I can lead the troops out. Although I'm happy for a few days, it's not a good idea to stay here all the time."

"Anyway, we'll just listen to the Duke when we go out."

Lan Yu shook his head helplessly.

Situations like Cao Zhen's are currently reflected among military generals, who are all afraid that the Crown Prince will not take them with him.

What I am most worried about is that the bows and arrows are stored in the warehouse and the horses are released into the mountains.

It’s not that the capital is a bad place now, it’s just that it’s too lively and prosperous, which makes it difficult for many military officers to adapt.

After two years, when these nobles who were away from home returned to the capital of the Ming Dynasty, they felt like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden.

The rapid changes make people uneasy. This place doesn’t seem as familiar as it once was, but instead feels strange.

That is why they worry about the change of power and hope to play their own role.

…

Zhu Ying is playing a big game of chess.

He wanted to migrate the Han population to the Nanyang region on a large scale.

Only in this way can you reclaim farmland on a larger scale and increase production.

As for the black soil, it may only be developed for a few decades.

When the Little Ice Age came, it was no longer usable, and people had to find ways to migrate to Southeast Asia.

The weather in the Ming Dynasty is getting colder every year.

In the imperial gazette of the capital, a lot of space was devoted to describing things about Southeast Asia.

For example, warm weather, the ability to grow four seasons of food in a year, and all kinds of beautiful descriptions.

This method has become commonplace in later generations, using soft articles to slowly influence most of the people.

In the current Ming Dynasty, Zhu Ying, who controls the official newspaper, a kind of propaganda tool, would certainly not miss such an opportunity.

The Ministry of War also felt a headache after receiving the signal from the Crown Prince.

"In three years, we have stationed 300,000 troops and relocated 3 million people. The Crown Prince is really going to take action this time."

The Minister of War Ru Heng felt a bit of a headache. Neither the left nor the right assistant ministers of the Ministry of War, nor other officials in charge, had expected that the Crown Prince would have such an idea.

"Your Majesty, do you know this? Can you agree to such a thing?" Ni Qi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, asked.

Ni Qi was not a Han Chinese, but a Mongolian.

It's just blood. After all, I'm already forty years old and have never been to the grassland. I grew up in the Central Plains.

It is a relic from the Mongol Yuan Dynasty.

"Your Majesty must have agreed to such an important matter. Just yesterday, an imperial decree came in order for the Duke of Liang to lead 30,000 troops to Zhenla. It seems that our future direction will mainly focus on the Nanyang region."

"The Crown Prince probably wants to take over Annan completely. There are many indigenous people there. Only by migrating our Ming people there can we better control it."

Ru Huang analyzed and said.

For the Ministry of War, it is very important to have a deep understanding of the orders of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

There are many mysteries and taboos hidden here.

Although the power of the Five Military Governors' Office has declined due to factors such as the Ming Military Academy and the separation of military and politics, the power of the Ministry of War is increasing.

In any dynasty, this would be a good thing for the Ministry of War.

But now, it’s hard to say.

His Majesty is still here, and he is particularly concerned about military power. Once anything involving military power is done, you might lose your head.

So many founding heroes are the best examples. Few of those who are involved in military power have an easy life.

What the Ministry of War can do is to try to figure out the intentions of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, so that they can satisfy him when it comes to mobilizing troops.

Whether to give it to a strong general or a weak soldier, or to transfer to which garrison, all of these are carefully considered.

If the Crown Prince wants to attack the Duke of Liang, then he cannot allow his previous subordinates to follow him.

If the Crown Prince really wants to let the Duke of Liang do the job, then he would naturally need to send elite soldiers and generals.

The Ministry of War has the responsibility to select the list of commanders.

After some discussion and analysis, Ru Hong decided to listen to the Duke of Liang's own opinion and choose the generals to follow him.

…

The eastern capital of Annan, Thang Long City.

This is where the Annan royal family resides and it is also the most prosperous city in Annan.

With Hu Jima being taken away from the capital, the entire rebellion in Annan came to an end.

However, the Ming army did not withdraw, but instead deployed defenses in major cities.

It is obvious that Annan will basically live under the control of the Ming Dynasty from now on.

The Annan royal family currently only retains a title and has no real power.

Naturally, all those local separatist forces surrendered to the Ming Dynasty. Of course, such surrender was only in name. Once the Ming army left, it would be hard to say what would happen.

"Tell them that I won't see anyone, and I won't see anyone. Let them live their lives well and stop having these little thoughts."

Chen Yong, the King of Annan, was once the emperor emeritus, but now he can only be called king.

Hearing the guards say that several old ministers outside had jointly requested a meeting, Chen Yong refused without even thinking.

How could Chen Yong not understand what they were thinking? They just wanted to pull him out and gain more power for themselves.

Don't think about it. Annan has changed. The general trend is like this. What can be changed?

Just this year, there are thousands of officials coming from the Ming Dynasty, and almost all the important positions in Annan have been replaced by officials from the Ming Dynasty.

The local army is fine, but the palace guards are in name only.

The Ming Dynasty established the Annan Military School. Only those who passed the training and assessment of the Ming army could continue to serve as soldiers. Otherwise, they would be disbanded and used as laborers to do construction and farming.

The most important thing was that a large number of Han people migrated to Annan to consolidate the rule of the Ming Dynasty.

Both Chen Yong and these old ministers are very clear about what Daming is thinking now, but who can do anything about it?

Are we going to go against the Ming Dynasty?

Chen Yong is not that stupid.

If Hu Jima had succeeded at the beginning, it would not have mattered to him. At least now he has wealth and glory, and has the most basic dignity, which is enough.

Although the royal palace was preserved, most of the area had been occupied by the Ming Dynasty for meetings.

Chen Yong was only in the bedroom.

In the entire Annan, apart from Liu Sheng, there is only Zhu Gaochi.

Compared to his days in Japan, Zhu Gaochi felt much more comfortable in Annan. At least there was nothing he needed to be too wary of.

Liu Sheng is now in his eighties. Although he is still in good health, his energy is definitely not as good as it used to be.

Except for some major issues, all basic affairs were left to Zhu Gaochi to handle.

Zhu Gaochi was a descendant of the royal family and, in terms of status, was the most noble in all of Annan.

Whether it is Ye Sheng, Marquis of Jingning, or Chen Huan, Marquis of Puding, the two generals now stationed in Annan, they have to give Zhu Gaochi some face.

However, Zhu Gaochi has changed a lot now. He is much thinner than when he was in Japan, and he has turned from a fat and white man to a dark and fat man.

After all, it's a tropical place, and if you stay there a little longer you'll get tanned.

In today's world without sunscreen, no one can avoid this.

"Sir, the natives of Annan are the laziest I have ever seen. Compared with the Japanese, the difference is huge."

On the official road of Annan, a carriage was moving slowly surrounded by thousands of elite soldiers.

In this carriage were Zhu Gaochi and Xia Yuanji.

Zhu Gaochi had been in Annan for more than half a year. During this period, he did not choose to stay in the wealthy eastern capital Thang Long or the western capital Thanh Hoa.

Instead, he followed Xia Yuanji's advice and personally inspected most of the Annan area.

What you learn from books is always superficial. One must practice it oneself to truly understand it.

Zhu Gaochi himself was very lazy, after all, he was so fat, but he still persisted.

If you want to manage a place, you cannot just listen to the advice of others. Doing so will prevent you from understanding the real situation and make you easily make wrong decisions.

"Here we have abundant resources, rice can be harvested three or four times a year, and there is plenty of rain, so there is no need for large amounts of irrigation. So the people of Annan are naturally not as hardworking as the people of Ming."

Xia Yuanji was sitting in the carriage, using one hand to count on an abacus and the other to make notes on paper.

Listening to the words of His Royal Highness, he spoke casually without even raising his head.

Zhu Gaochi obviously didn't care about these somewhat disrespectful behaviors at all.

These days, Xia Yuanji is much busier than Zhu Gaochi.

As the crown prince, he mainly watched and understood.

But Xia Yuanji is different.

He would keep detailed records of the food reserves in each place, the personnel situation of the indigenous tribes, and the grain planting in each place.

The more he understood Annan, the more shocked Xia Yuanji was.

In this barren land that he stereotyped, the grain production was actually unmatched by the Ming Dynasty.

This point was beyond Xia Yuanji's understanding.

If the monarchs of the Central Plains dynasties knew that these grain products were so abundant, they would have been unable to hold back and led their troops to attack long ago.

In fact, whether it is Annan or other countries in Southeast Asia, they are not really weak. After all, they are not short of food, so they can support enough soldiers.

The reason why the Ming Dynasty was able to take over Annan so easily was mainly due to Annan’s previous separatist rule.

Historically, when Zhu Di attacked Annan, he was not forcibly conquering Annan. Instead, he was helping the Chen Dynasty fight against the Ho Dynasty. In the eyes of most Annan nobles, he was a righteous army that restored order.

Even when he ruled Annan in the end, it was because the Chen Dynasty had no successor and the old ministers, officials and elders of the Chen Dynasty in Annan requested to "restore the ancient counties and prefectures", so Annan was changed to Jiaozhi.

Zhu Ying's actions were similar in nature.

It was because Princess Anxiu of Annan, Chen Muyue, was a concubine. In response to the request of the Annan royal family, she sent troops to help the Annan royal family consolidate its rule.

Later, because of Hu Jima's rebellion, his treasonous imprisonment of the Annan royal family, and his plot to murder the Ming army, a large army was sent to eliminate Annan.

This is an army of justice and will be able to gain the support of most of the people and nobles in Annan.

Otherwise, if the people of Annan were united, even if they could attack it by force, it would be very time-consuming.

Even now, it is still nominally ruled by the Annan royal family, and a large number of Ming Dynasty officials come here just to help Annan better restore people's livelihood.

The struggle for power mostly took place in the two capitals of Annan, east and west. In most other areas, there were basically no large-scale uprisings or rebellions.

Of course, there were still sporadic resistances, but they were not for Hu Jima or the like, but mainly for the struggle for interests.

After all, local officials were being constantly infiltrated, especially when Zhu Gaochi was on local inspections. If he didn't bring a thousand or two thousand elite soldiers, problems would easily arise.