Why was the ceremony of Champa's submission held on such an important day as the first day of the Lunar New Year when a grand court meeting was held?

It is absolutely impossible for the small country of Champa to confront the Ming Dynasty.

As far as the current situation is concerned, the significance of allegiance is far greater than its actual utility.

In the past, the Ming Dynasty's rule over its vassal states was always nominal, and no vassal state would ever hand over all power to the suzerain state.

But now, in the Ming Dynasty, Champa has set a precedent.

This is a precedent, which means it is definitely not the first time.

At the grand ceremony, the envoy of Champa, under the gaze of thousands of civil and military officials, knelt three times and kowtowed nine times to Zhu Yuanzhang and presented the letter of credence written by the King of Champa.

This national document is written in Chinese and Zhamu, and has the seal of the King of Zhamu.

"Your Majesty has decreed that the Champa Kingdom be renamed the Champa Administration Office, and the hereditary title of the Champa royal family will be retained, with additional titles and rewards."

"Long live His Majesty!!!"

As the first vassal state to surrender, Zhu Yuanzhang still bestowed many rewards on it.

The reward was one million in treasure notes, as well as various luxury goods such as cloth, silk, porcelain, tea, etc.

From then on, there was no local government in Champa, and it was instead managed by a yamen established by the Ming Dynasty.

The news of Champa's submission to the Ming Dynasty soon spread to Champa.

Many nobles didn't even know that their country was suddenly gone.

In their eyes, King Zhan was just a puppet, so what kind of trouble could he cause?

When writing the official letter, the Cham king did not discuss it with the great nobles of Champa, but wrote it secretly in his room.

Then it was brought back to the capital by eunuchs from the Ming Dynasty.

It was not until the Ming navy stationed on the coast received the imperial decree to take over Champa that the nobles of Champa realized that their king had given the entire country to the Ming.

They were so angry that they directly attacked King Cham's palace, wanting to ask King Cham for an explanation.

Then those guarding the palace were no longer the previous Zhan Wang soldiers, but the Ming Dynasty soldiers.

Facing the Ming soldiers, the nobles were much calmer.

After all, when the knife falls, it doesn't matter how much you are worth or where you were in Champa before.

The leader of this team is the navy commander Jin Kaishan.

King Zhan also knew that his surrender of the country would surely bring about revenge from the nobles, so he asked for the protection of the Ming Dynasty.

Of course Zhu Ying agreed to this.

He was also promised that he could come directly to live in the capital of the Ming Dynasty and that he would be given a large mansion there. As a hereditary king, he could also receive a salary that matched his status as long as he was willing to live in the capital.

The Cham king refused. He still wanted to stay in Champa. After all, this was where he had always lived.

I just request that the Ming army be able to guard the palace.

Zhu Ying naturally agreed.

Jin Kaishan looked coldly at the large crowd gathered in front of him.

Among these people were Champa officials, generals, and nobles.

These privileged classes knew very well that once Champa belonged to the Ming Dynasty, all their power would be wiped out.

Because the Ming Dynasty would not recognize their aristocratic status.

This is also true.

Jin Kaishan first read out the Ming Dynasty's edict, and then ordered them to disperse immediately.

"If you do not disperse within one stick of incense, you will be punished according to the Ming Dynasty law for the crime of gathering a crowd to cause trouble."

"Someone, light some incense."

Under Jin Kaishan's order, the patrolling soldier brought an incense burner and lit a short incense stick on it.

It is said to be a stick of incense, but in fact this incense stick is only half the length of a normal one.

"All soldiers, listen up! When the incense is extinguished, if anyone dares to stay and cause trouble, they will be killed without mercy!"

"promise!"

There were about a thousand Ming nobles gathered, and there were only about five hundred people at the gate of the palace, including Jin Kaishan.

The other soldiers were naturally guarding other places.

"I don't believe that the Ming army can still slaughter us all. Today's king is incompetent, foolish and traitorous. How can we stand by and watch our country fall?"

"Everyone rush together, rush into this palace, seize the tea, and re-establish me as the king of Champa."

In the crowd, someone shouted loudly in the Cham language.

Everyone looked and saw that it was the Prime Minister of Champa.

No one expected that even the prime minister was unaware of King Zhan’s treason.

The prime minister is the head of all officials, and the prime minister of Champa is the actual person in power, similar to the situation of Hu Jima of Annan. Both court power and military power are in the hands of the prime minister.

In fact, the prime minister is related to King Cham, and the prime minister himself is King Cham Chaye's grandfather.

The fact that Cha was able to suppress his brother and become the King of Zhan was of course the work of this good grandfather.

Although the two are brothers, they have the same father but different mothers. Of course, the prime minister will support his own grandson.

However, during the period when Chaya was the King of Zhan, his grandfather, the Prime Minister, firmly controlled the power and treated Chaya as a complete puppet.

Chaye's mother wanted to take power back from her father and give it to her son.

Unfortunately, he was poisoned to death by his own father two years ago.

Cha also had no evidence, but he was very clear that the mastermind behind the murder of his mother was his grandfather.

Perhaps this was also one of the reasons why the Cham king offered up Champa.

"You still dare to attack the palace. It seems that we don't need to give you time. Soldiers, listen to my order, kill!!!"

Jin Kaishan doesn't care about your nobility. After receiving the order from the imperial court, in Jin Kaishan's heart, Champa already belonged to the Ming Dynasty.

In the territory of my Ming Dynasty, you dare to disrespect my orders like this. You are playing with your own lives.

As soon as the order was given, the soldiers immediately lit their muskets and fired at the crowd without hesitation.

The sound of gunfire continued, and as the smoke filled the air, there was a burst of wailing.

The matchlock gun could not kill a person with just one shot. Those who were shot fell to the ground and screamed, and the silk and satin on their bodies did not provide any protection.

These nobles never thought that the Ming Dynasty would actually dare to open fire.

Jin Kaishan had a sneer on his face.

Why shouldn't I shoot?

The nobles dared not stay at this time. Those who were lucky enough to hide behind and were not hit, or those who were hit but could still move, hurriedly ran out.

Even those lying on the ground endured the pain and fled.

The riot was easily suppressed by Jin Kaishan.

These nobles were either dead or injured, so naturally they were unwilling to accept this.

So I thought about contacting the gang.

When the gangs heard this, they were speechless.

What a joke! You must be crazy to let us gang members go against the government.

At this time, Long Dongqiang had already arrived at the gate of a large mansion.

Behind him were a number of carriages, obviously loaded with a lot of cargo.

After a long while, the door opened slightly. A young eunuch glanced at the carriages outside, and a hint of greed flashed in his eyes. This greed was well captured by Long Dongqiang.

"Boss Long, come in. Grandpa is waiting for you in the backyard. But don't bring these things in."

Hearing the young eunuch say this, Long Dongqiang's heart skipped a beat.

Still smiling, he said, "It's just some ordinary things. I think my godfather will like them."

The young eunuch shook his head and said, "Boss Long, please don't make things difficult for me."

Hearing that he was rejected again, Long Dongqiang had to wave his hands, and the servants behind him immediately pulled away several carriages.

After entering the gate and passing by the young eunuch, Long Dongqiang skillfully stuffed a few banknotes into the gate.

The young eunuch also skillfully put it into his sleeve. Apparently, this happened often.

"Father, are you in a good mood today?"

"Grandpa is in a pretty good mood."

After just two sentences, Long Dongqiang understood.

Walking through the lobby to the backyard, I saw Li Youwei leisurely feeding the fish on the small stone bridge.

Long Dongqiang kowtowed immediately: "Greetings, foster father."

Li Youwei turned around and saw Long Dongqiang, and nodded with a smile: "Get up, there is no need for us father and son to be so polite."

After saying that, he scattered the fish food in his hand, attracting a group of fish to fight for it.

They walked to the pavilion and sat down. Long Dongqiang was still standing, and only sat down halfway at Li Youwei's invitation.

Li Youwei was obviously very satisfied with Long Dongqiang's respect.

"Father likes corals, so I specially..."

Long Dongqiang was interrupted by Li Youwei as soon as he opened his mouth.

"You have acknowledged me as your foster father, and I appreciate your filial piety over the years. However, I cannot do what you are asking for this time."

"This is not the will of the court, but the will of the Crown Prince. No matter our family or the commander of the navy, we can't go against the will of the Crown Prince. Do you understand?"

Listening to Li Youwei's words, Long Dongqiang felt bitter in his heart.

Looking back to the past, he came to Champa alone, and then found an opportunity to rebuild the Cao Gang. After recognizing Li Youwei as his adoptive father, the Cao Gang also ushered in its peak development.

I originally thought that I would settle down in Champa for the rest of my life, but I didn't expect that the imperial court would issue an edict to change Champa into a province, and from then on Champa came under the rule of the Ming Dynasty.

When he heard the news, Long Dongqiang felt like the sky was falling.

He knew very well what it meant for Champa to be directly ruled by the Ming Dynasty.

This means that the Cao Gang, which he has worked hard to develop for many years, will vanish into thin air just like it did in the Ming Dynasty.

How could he possibly accept this?

Therefore, he wanted to see if he could get a chance to breathe through his adoptive father Li Youwei, and for this purpose he prepared a gift worth millions of treasures.

But Li Youwei directly rejected it.

Long Dongqiang stood up and kowtowed, begging in a pleading voice: "Foster father, is there no hope at all?"

Looking at Long Dongqiang like this, Li Youwei felt a little pity in his heart.

Over the past few years, Long Dongqiang has truly fulfilled his responsibilities as a son to him. Not only does he come to pay his respects every two or three days, he also arranges all his food, clothing, housing and transportation. The gifts he receives during the holidays are also quite a lot.

Once when he was sick, he served him by his bedside, taking care of his excrement and urine, and was extremely kind.

This is how a heart made of iron would melt.

"Get up."

Li Youwei helped Long Dongqiang up and sighed, "My dear son, it's not that we don't want to help you, but we are really powerless in this matter. The only thing we can do for you is to keep you safe."

"If you are willing to disband the Cao Gang and do legitimate business, we can still help you in this Champa territory."

Long Dongqiang had no intention of disbanding the Cao Gang.

You have to know that there are tens of thousands of people in the Cao Gang who depend on them for food, and the main income of the Cao Gang comes from within the gang.

In fact, if it was just money, Long Dongqiang would have enough for his whole life. But how could someone who has enjoyed power be willing to give up the pleasure that power brings him?

Moreover, the Cao Gang was powerful and had many secret enemies in Champa. Once he disbanded the Cao Gang, he might suffer retaliation from his enemies.

His adoptive father can indeed protect him, but now that Champa has been pacified, can his adoptive father still stay here?

Once his adoptive father left, how would he cope with the cold winter?

Without the protection of power, money is nothing more than fat cattle and sheep in the eyes of others.

At this time, Long Dongqiang burst into tears: "Foster father, it's not that I am greedy for power and refuse to disband the Cao Gang. It's just that over the years, as the Cao Gang has expanded, it has become a mixed bag of good and bad people. Even I don't know how many people I have offended."

"If the Cao Gang disperses, these hungry wolves in the dark will definitely not let the child go."

"The child is dead, but without him, who can take care of his adoptive father until his death?"

"In the days ahead, please take good care of yourself, godfather."

Hearing these words, Li Youwei couldn't help but feel a little blocked in his heart.

He knew that what Long Dongqiang said was the truth and not fabricated.

After a few thoughts, he finally sighed and said, "I definitely can't stay in Champa any longer. According to the Crown Prince, no gangs are allowed to exist. This is the general trend, and it is unstoppable."

"But there is another way. If you are willing, you can take your people to the Zhenla Port and build a Cao Gang."

"But this time when you go to the Zhenla port, the situation is completely different. You have to use your own methods to gain a foothold there."

"If you can completely control the port of Zhenla and avoid a major conflict with Zhenla, so that Zhenla does not appeal to the Ming Dynasty, then we can give you a great opportunity here."

Long Dongqiang's eyes lit up, and he bowed quickly and said, "Please teach me, foster father."

Li Youwei nodded: "My family came from Kunning Palace, and I often hear some words from the Crown Prince. Regarding the Nanyang area, not only Champa, but also other places, they are all interested in incorporating them into the Ming Dynasty."

"However, as the Celestial Empire, we cannot send out troops at will, so we need some opportunities, just like what happened to Champa now."

"The situation in Zhenla is different from that in Champa. Its king is the elder brother of the crown prince's wife. He is not a puppet like the Cham king, but a king who actually controls the military and political power. Therefore, the Champa gang's tactics will definitely not work."

"How you proceed depends on your own ability."

"The court has issued an order to build a sea station at the port of Zhenla and to send a navy to station there."

"After all, my family is from Kunning Palace, so others will give me some face. If you are willing to take this path, I will write a letter to you, which will show some consideration."

Long Dongqiang only had to think about it for a moment and knew that this was definitely a way out for the Cao Gang.

With the help of his adoptive father, he will definitely be able to take root in the port of Zhenla.

Even if it is not as glorious as it is today, at least it has retained power.

"I am willing to lead my gang to Zhenla. However, once we get to Zhenla, I will no longer be able to serve my adoptive father, and I will feel extremely sad." Long Dongqiang said.

Li Youwei smiled and said, "I am satisfied that you have such filial piety. Now that Champa has surrendered, the court has not yet made any arrangements for us. However, I have asked someone and found out that the court is quite satisfied with our time in Champa."

"I won't hide it from you. The palace is very likely to let me stay in Nanyang to continue working. If you can gain a foothold in Zhenla Port, I may be able to get a job there with my connections in the palace, and I will be able to take better care of you then."

"Of course, it all depends on how you develop."

"Whether it's Champa or Chenla, it doesn't matter where our family lives in retirement. If I can help you a little, it will be considered as fulfilling the relationship between us father and son."

Li Youwei is old and doesn't really want to return to the capital.

He was quite satisfied with his adopted son Long Dongqiang. Whether it was Champa or Zhenla, it didn't matter much to him.

Long Dongqiang hesitated for a moment, then said firmly: "The kindness of my foster father is heavier than Mount Tai, and I have no way to repay him."

"The child has been wandering around for these years and has not yet started a family. Last year, under the auspices of his adoptive father, he finally got married."

"My wife is pregnant now. If you, my foster father, don't abandon me, I am willing to be adopted by you as your grandson."

When these words were spoken, not only Li Youwei was shocked, but even the young eunuch serving beside him was stunned.

The young eunuch couldn't help but think, this guy is so cruel.

You should know that Long Dongqiang has never married. This is his eldest son, but he is willing to adopt him directly to Li Youwei.

Adoption is not a relationship like adoptive father and adoptive son, but a real change of surname.

In other words, his son's surname was no longer Long, but Li.

"Are...are you serious?" Li Youwei's lips trembled.

Long Dongqiang said: "How dare I lie to my foster father? It must be true."

As the saying goes, you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing your own child. In order to allow his adoptive father Li Youwei to go to Zhenla to take care of him, Long Dongqiang was willing to send his own son.

Of course, the baby hasn’t been born yet, so we don’t know whether it’s a boy or a girl.

If the baby is a daughter, Long Dongqiang will naturally have to give birth to a son to complete the adoption.

As long as he can trap his adoptive father Li Youwei, his powerful Cao Gang will not be able to disband.

In fact, Long Dongqiang had already thought about this move on the way here.

It has to be said that this hit Li Youwei's vital point.

Although he had a clan, he had no offspring. When he was a junior eunuch, Li Youwei also wanted to adopt a son within the clan, but apparently no one in the clan was willing.

Now Long Dongqiang took the initiative to ask how to prevent Li Youwei from being happy.

"Okay, okay, okay. We never thought that at this age, we would have a grandson. Dongqiang, you are really our good son."

Li Youwei's smiling face made Long Dongqiang know that he was safe.

With the full help of his adoptive father, he believed that it would not be difficult for him to gain a foothold in Zhenla.

My adoptive father had served the Crown Prince before, so all the generals who came and went had to show him some courtesy. Moreover, since my adoptive father could come to Champa, it was obvious that he had connections in the palace. Long Dongqiang had been coveting this huge political network for a long time.

As a person who came from the side of the Crown Prince, Li Youwei was able to have his reports heard by the emperor. This ability was unmatched by anyone.

After leaving, Long Dongqiang did not rush back, but went to other gangs.

Most of the ordinary gang members of the Cao Gang are porters at the docks, and not many of them are willing to follow him, and he will not take them to Zhenla anyway.

What he needs is the elite.

Now he has a way out, but the other gangs don't.

This is a godsend.