Ughchihashha immediately enthroned Kuntemur as Great Khan, and Ariq Böke's descendant once again seized the throne of Great Khan of the Northern Yuan Mongols.
This period was also the darkest era of the Northern Yuan dynasty. Under the relentless conquests of the Ming army, the Mongol people lived in poverty and misery. The livestock industry suffered severe damage. Furthermore, the power of the Mongol Khan waned, with nobles of different surnames seizing power and manipulating the Khanate, leading to frequent assassinations of the Khan.
The Ming Dynasty naturally doesn't need to pay attention to the Northern Yuan right now, as the Tatars have basically been wiped out. However, it still needs to take this northern neighbor seriously. The Ming Dynasty has been preparing to exert its strength in the northwest to wipe out the Mongol cavalry that once dominated Eurasia and completely eliminate some potential threats.
Looking back now, there's not much to say about the Northern Yuan. Usurpation and regicide were common occurrences after they were driven out of the Central Plains. Especially after the Battle of Buyur Lake, the Northern Yuan's regime was essentially destroyed; whoever had the biggest fist became the Khan.
However, regardless of the circumstances, Goryeo, Annam, and Northern Yuan all experienced instances of regicide and usurpation almost simultaneously, making it the perfect year for rebellion. Fortunately, nothing like this has happened in the Ming Dynasty.
The report in Zhu Yunying's hands was actually about the situation in Annam. Whether there had been regicide was unknown for the time being, but the usurpation was a certainty.
The Trần Dynasty, with its capital at Thăng Long (present-day Hanoi), was a dynasty that had existed for 170 years. Externally, it also referred to itself as Đại Việt or Annam. They held a very high position, on par with the Central Plains dynasties, and were not a vassal state of them.
In fact, fifty years ago, Annam was already in a state of chaos, with powerful figures seizing power, clans dividing the country, and frequent popular uprisings. As a result, the Tran Dynasty declined and eventually perished.
As a relative of the Tran Dynasty, Hu Jili fought in the north and south for the past two or three decades, and made great contributions in the war against Champa. He then began to eliminate his rivals and seize power.
He installed his three-year-old grandson on the throne, becoming the de facto 'regent'. In order to usurp the throne, he sent people everywhere to hunt down supporters of the Chen dynasty royal family, causing widespread panic and arousing public discontent. He called himself Emperor Zhang, wore a yellow dragon robe, lived in Renshou Palace, and used the emperor's carriages when he went out.
This was not enough, because he feared opposition from supporters of the Chen dynasty royal family, Hu Jili referred to himself as "Yu" instead of "Zhen" when issuing the edict.
Sima Zhao's intentions were obvious to everyone. Under Hu Jili's arrangement, the court officials jointly submitted a memorial suggesting that Hu Jili declare himself emperor. Hu Jili initially pretended to decline, but later accepted the officials' advice, deposed Emperor Shao of Chen, and established himself as emperor, changing the era name to Shengyuan and founding the state of Dayu.
Although Hu Jili usurped the throne, he faced unanimous opposition from the remaining officials of the Chen dynasty. As for his grandson, after being deposed, he was demoted to the Prince of Baoning, but no one knew his whereabouts.
Annam has already rebelled, and some usurpations have occurred here. Even though it may seem that this place has little to do with the Ming Dynasty now, Zhu Yunying cannot pretend that nothing has happened.
In fact, there were some conflicts between the Ming Dynasty and Annam, and some disputes over territory, which was naturally something that Zhu Yunying could not tolerate.
“The royal family of Annam is basically extinct. Even if it wasn’t Hu Ji Li who did it, we can’t admit that the Chen family line still exists.” Zhu Yunying muttered to himself, “Now that Hu Ji Li is doing bad things, he has caused a great uproar and resentment. He can’t hold onto the throne.”
This is a very interesting situation, and we naturally need to hold onto this strong hand tightly. Even if we can't immediately mobilize a large army, we'll need to start preparing as soon as we can recover a little.
Annam is a must-conquer country. Leaving aside the potential for the Ming dynasty to bestow titles or privileges upon its members as vassal states, controlling Annam strengthens the Ming's control and influence over the Indochina Peninsula. Going further, we can consider extending our influence to other Southeast Asian countries.
If Heaven had given Zhu Yunying more time, he might have even considered territories like the Indian subcontinent. Of course, Zhu Yunying also knew that he might not have that much time, and the Ming Dynasty didn't have the strength to control all the land.
However, no matter what, as long as he lays a solid foundation, his descendants can also maintain a firm grip on certain matters.
This matter cannot be taken lightly; Zhu Yunying certainly needs to plan carefully. Annam is currently in turmoil, with the usurper Hu Jili incurring the anger of the people and officials, making the political situation extremely unstable.
Even if the Ming Dynasty doesn't have the resources to directly send troops, it could still consider adding fuel to the fire at this time. It absolutely cannot allow Hu Jili the opportunity or time to stabilize the situation. The Ming Dynasty not only wants to further muddy the waters, but also to make the region even more turbulent.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard should contribute. Besides the Embroidered Uniform Guard, military strength is the best proof. We must put continuous pressure on the so-called Great Yu and give hope to the Chen Dynasty loyalists who still cherish their homeland.
Only in this way would it seem somewhat legitimate for the Ming Dynasty to send troops at some point, and Zhu Yunying did indeed need to consider this matter.
In such a favorable year for rebellion, Zhu Yunying actually became the biggest beneficiary, which seems somewhat ridiculous and absurd. He really didn't know what to say.
Instead of taking advantage of the situation and acting innocent, Zhu Yunying should carefully consider how to use it to his advantage. That's what he should be doing.
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