Chapter 96: Powerful Countries

When American scholar Paul Kennedy talked about China's relations with neighboring countries in his popular classic "The Rise and Fall of Great Powers", he believed that China's neighboring countries were China's satellite countries. Although the term "satellite country" is a bit unpleasant, the real situation is similar.

Former South Korean President Rou Tae-woo has a very interesting saying: "The road to Pyongyang must pass through Beijing."

There was once a rumor that the United States wanted to rent a port in Vietnam as a military base. At that time, the Vietnamese Defense Minister said something similar to that of Rou Tae-yu: "The road to Hanoi to Washington must pass through Beijing."

The reason they say such similar words is because both in history and now, China's influence in Asia is very huge. We have repeatedly claimed that China has declined in modern times and was invaded by the great powers. Some people may think that China's influence no longer exists, but in fact it is a misunderstanding. Whether in history or now, China's influence in this region is huge, and no country can match it. It is just that the United States wants to put China aside and deal with Asian affairs is a dream, and it is impossible to do it. In an exaggerated sentence, if China sneers, they will catch a cold.

It is precisely based on China's important influence in this region that neighboring countries will seek help from China when they encounter danger. It was in the late Qing Dynasty that the Qing Dynasty was already corrupt. When the Japanese attacked Korea, the late Qing Dynasty still sent troops to the Korean Peninsula to help North Korea fight against Japan. It was precisely in this battle that Zhang Zuolin, the "King of Northeast China" who made his mark.

Vietnam was called Annan and Jiaozhi in ancient China. After defeating the Huns, Emperor Wu of Han began to use large-scale troops to repel the land of Lingnan and recover the land of Baiyue. Vietnam became a county in China, which is Jiaozhi. During the period of Wang Mang's "new" political affairs, the world was in chaos and China fell into a serious civil war. The famous Vietnamese woman took the opportunity to rebel, and in today's terms, she demanded independence.

After Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, became emperor, General Fubo, Ma Yuan, volunteered to pacify Vietnam. Liu Xiuxue. Although this woman in the Conquest side was a fierce fight, her military and political talents were really not very good. She was simply the opponent of General Fubo, Ma Yuan, who was easily defeated by Ma Yuan, grabbed her and cut her head.

It was not until the Tang Dynasty that defeated the Tang army that Vietnam achieved true independence. However, Vietnam has long been affiliated with China and is a vassal state of China, and cannot be separated from China's influence. The reason is very simple. Vietnam is fundamentally established by Han immigrants, so how can it be separated from China's influence?

Mengge implemented a great detour strategy, captured Vietnam, and attacked the Southern Song Dynasty from the south. In order to achieve his goal, the Yuan army launched a battle to attack Vietnam, but failed.

The Mongols took a fancy to Vietnam, this Feng Shui treasure land, and Li Jun also took a fancy to this place, posed a problem for Chen Renzong of Vietnam. It was said to be a difficult problem, but it was not difficult at all. It was just reading a letter written by Li Jun. The difficulty lies in the threat in the letter, not just a talk. Huang Han’s 150,000 troops have gathered on the Vietnamese border and can enter Vietnam at any time.

"Brother King Annan: I worship you! If Mongolia wants to slaughter my brother's country, the Song Dynasty was defeated by war, and it is a pity that I have no time to help. I was lucky to protect it. Mongolia was tyrannical and unjust country and repeatedly violated my brother's country. I often couldn't bear it. Now I have launched a heavenly army to help my brother eliminate violence. General Huang Han's army is already on the border. Please accept it. If it is the same as the heaven, it is the same as the heaven, it is the same as the heaven. If it is the same as the heaven, it is the same as the heaven. If it is the same as the heaven, it is the same as the heaven. If it is the same as the heaven, it is the same as the heaven. If it is the same as the heaven, it is the same as the trend of the heaven. If it is the same as the heaven, it is the same as the heaven. If it is the same as the heaven, it is the same as the trend of the opposite. If it is a thought, it is not as good as the regret. Brother thought twice!" Chen Renzong read the letter in his hand over and over again, frowned tightly, and did not know how to deal with it.

Vietnam is under the rule of the Chen Dynasty. The dynasty before the Chen Dynasty was called Li Chao. Li Yingzong of the Li Dynasty was named King of Annan by Song Xiaozong. The establishment of the Chen Dynasty was because Chen Taizong married the princess of the Chen Dynasty and the emperor at that time abdicated and ascended the throne. There was a political conspiracy among them. After all, it was abdicated in terms of reputation. Besides, Li Jun did not have to criticize the Li Dynasty, so he followed the title of Li Yingzong to Li Yingzong, calling Chen Renzong the King of Annan.

In this letter, Li Jun used polite words, and even called himself a younger brother, calling Chen Renzong a brother, which was very rare. Chen Renzong was also a wise man. He understood the truth that "the politeness must be something for others." Li Jun was polite to him, not begging him, but forcing him. In the most straightforward words, it was: either you agree or force you to agree. The way of forced force is very clear, which is Huang Han's 150,000 army.

When the Huang Han army is fighting, there is no need to think about the consequences. What you want is not only your country, but also your life. You should think about it yourself.

Vietnam is located in the southwestern border of China and has very important strategic significance. If it is supported by Vietnam, it will be of great benefit to Li Jun. It has one more ally and one more ally in terms of politics and one more ally in terms of military. Although this power is not very large, it is better than one more enemy.

Li Jun's most important consideration was to provide food for the Huang Han army in Vietnam. Because the Southern Song Dynasty was now in short supply, if the military ration was transported from Jiangnan or Guangxi to the southwest, not to mention whether it could be taken out. Even if it could be taken out, transportation problems would be enough to give Li Jun a headache for a long time.

After thinking, Li Jun decided to transfer the pressure of the food crisis to other countries. These countries include Vietnam, Thailand, and Myanmar, which have always relied on China. Of course, Li Jun also understood a fact that it was not easy to ask them to take out food, but this was not difficult for Li Jun. He knew one thing, that is, these countries were inseparable from the Southern Song Dynasty. As long as the Southern Song Dynasty was posing as a battle, they knew it was powerful and had to fall into Li Jun's calculations.

"Hey, what should I do?" Chen Renzong sighed slightly, patted his forehead, and said, "General Xuan Chen Xingdao."

Chen Xingdao was a famous Vietnamese general. The Mongols defeated him when attacking Vietnam. It was Chen Renzong's Gancheng. If there were any difficulties, they naturally wanted to find him. Chen Xingdao rushed immediately and asked, "What's wrong with Emperor Xuanchen? If there is an enemy country invasion, please give an order to the emperor and I will go to the battlefield immediately."

"Look at it." Chen Renzong handed Li Jun's handbook and said, "Whether the enemy country is our decision. The fifteenth army of the country has reached the border and the soldiers are approaching. He agreed. Once they enter the territory, who knows whether they will leave or not? If the old incident of fake Yu attacking Guo is staged, wouldn't we become Guo State? If we don't agree, will we win the 150,000 army?"

Li Jun’s question is really difficult. As Chen Renzong said, it is difficult to agree or disagree. Since ancient times, it has been a taboo for the entry of other countries’ troops. There is no other reason. It is precisely because once the soldiers of other countries have arrived in the territory, there are too many things that they will not leave, and they are more likely to destroy the country. If they do not agree, whether they can win will become a problem.

Chen Xingdao was very big, with thick eyebrows, and thick eyebrows. He said, "I have a few questions to ask the emperor for advice, and I would like to forgive me for being rude."

Chen Renzong understood that he wanted to express his opinion. He was worried that he could not get the plan of this general Gancheng. It was a huge joy. He was overjoyed and said, "General, you say, say quickly, please say quickly." Three different words expressed his mood at this moment.

"Abide by the order." Chen Xingdao led the order and asked, "Master, how does the Song Dynasty treat our dynasty?"

Chen Renzong nodded without thinking and said, "The Song Dynasty treated our dynasty very politely. During the Han and Tang Dynasties, the Supreme People's Republic of China had a great deal of war against our country. Only the Song Dynasty treated each other with courtesy was a country of benevolence and righteousness."

His words were from his perspective. From the perspective of the Chinese, it was because the Song Dynasty was incompetent and could not bring back the territory that originally belonged to China. The territory lost by the Song Dynasty was not only Vietnam, Northeast China, Northwest China, Tibet, and Western Regions, and it has not been incorporated into the territory for more than two hundred years.

"What the emperor said is very true." Chen Xingdao finished his polite words, and then said, "The Song Dynasty is polite to our country, and our dynasty should know the meaning of repaying others..." His words were interrupted by Chen Renzong, and Chen Renzong asked anxiously: "What do you mean is that you agree to their entry?"

Chen Xingdao nodded and said, "That's right. I think the reason why they acted like a fight was actually a bluff, and it was intended to intimidate our country. If our country insisted on not accepting it, it would not be intimidation, and it would become a fact.

"According to my imagination, the Song Dynasty used our country to make several reasons: one was to demonstrate to all countries, indicating that the Song Dynasty was going to war with the Mongols now and we wanted to make a choice, either fight against the Mongols with the Song Dynasty, or be enemies with the Song Dynasty."

Chen Renzong praised: "It's reasonable. However, the Mongols are fierce and good at fighting and have never lost their mark. Can the Song Dynasty win? You know, the Song Dynasty cannot even take down a small Xixia, so how can they fight against the Mongols?"

Vietnam is a country established by the descendants of the Han people. He is very concerned about Han culture and Chinese affairs. Chen Renzong was very familiar with the national conditions of the Song Dynasty. No wonder he said this. The Song Dynasty did nothing in history, which made people angry.

Chen Xingdao's words gave Chen Renzong a reassurance, and Chen Xingdao analyzed: "Your Majesty, I think that the battle against the Song Dynasty will win, and the Mongols will be defeated."

"Oh, is there such a thing? Tell me what you think." Chen Renzong's interest suddenly increased many times, and he said strangely: "Where did this ability come from the Song Dynasty?"

Chen Xingdao continued: "According to my opinion, the current Emperor of the Song Dynasty is a heroic and wise king. He is determined by killing and decisive, wise and wise. Before that, the Song Dynasty had annihilated millions of Mongolian troops in Jiangnan. He is now planning to actively regain some lost territory and achieve the goal of strengthening his strength. The reason why he wanted to use our country was to build an encirclement of the Mongolian army entrenched in Sichuan and Dali areas was a prelude to the coming major action. Once his plan was realized, the Mongolian army in Sichuan and Dali areas would inevitably fall into the desperate situation of fighting alone, and it was only a matter of time before the Song army surrounded and annihilated."

Chen Xingdao is worthy of being a famous general, and he actually saw through Li Jun's intention. One of the extremely important purposes of Li Jun's son was to build a strategic encirclement of the Mongolian army in the southwest. Friends can look at the map and find that if Vietnam, Thailand, and Myanmar all stood on the side of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Mongolian army in the southwest would fall into a large encirclement. Then, if the geographical focus of Jiange and Songfan were taken down, cut off the connection between the Mongolian army in the southwest and Hanzhong and Guanzhong, the Mongolian army would be really isolated and helpless, and it would be a matter of time to be annihilated.

For Chen Renzong, who had been influenced by Han culture for a long time, he was naturally familiar with the geography of the southwest. As soon as Chen Xingdao finished speaking, he slapped and said, "It makes sense. What else?"

Chen Xingdao smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty, I think that our country now has a sum of silver to be put into the warehouse."

Chen Renzong was a little anxious and asked anxiously: "What's the good thing?"

"Your Majesty, I speculate that the Song Dynasty has been warring for years and the farmland is deserted, so the food must be tight. Not to mention whether it can be used for the grain for the army, even if it is taken out, it will be a time-consuming and laborious thing to transport it to the Dali area. It is better to raise it on the spot. The emperor of the Song Dynasty wanted to buy food from our country to serve the military." Chen Xingdao was a little excited and said, "Your Majesty, our country's grain is ripe this year, and the grain prices are on the decline. If it is sold to the Song army, it can stabilize the price of grain. This is a great thing that comes to your door."

Li Jun had known about Vietnam's bumper harvest this year, so he put forward such a trend. For Li Jun, he now lacks everything, let alone food, and is even more nervous. If he can buy food with silver, it would be better. What he is afraid of is that even if he has silver, he will not be able to buy food, which will be more serious. From the current economic perspective, demand is greater than supply, which will cause higher grain prices and more likely to cause inflation. For the economic system of the Southern Song Dynasty, it is like adding insult to injury.

Although it costs a lot of money to buy food from Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar, it has caused much harm to the economic system of the Southern Song Dynasty by comparison.

Chen Renzong was overjoyed and said, "This is a great thing of mutual benefit. How can our country refuse such good things? The price of grain cannot be too much for the Song Dynasty, nor can we lose us. Just follow the current price. Pay the grain with one hand and the bank with the other. However, the entry matter..." Chen Xingdao interrupted him with a smile and said, "Prince, please rest assured. The emperor of the Song Dynasty just said he wanted to enter the country, but did not say how far he entered the country."

Chen Renzong was also a wise man. He could see through the corner of the moment, and his frown suddenly let go, and he smiled and said, "Yes, yes, then let them enter the country for fifty miles."

Li Jun's request for the Song army to enter was just a symbolic step. As long as Vietnam agreed to enter, it means that they had joined the Southern Song camp with their actions. As for how far or deep the entry, there is no need to pursue it.

Chen Xingdao pondered for a moment, his tiger's eyes turned, and a glimmer of light flashed, saying, "Your Majesty, I think good things will be done to the end. Once our country allows the Song army to enter, we have already stood on the side of the Song Dynasty and we have no choice. The Mongols are insatiable and violent invasions are always a threat to our country. This battle will be fought sooner or later. Why not take this opportunity to send troops to fight the Mongolians with the Song Dynasty."

"The dangerous situation of war is very dangerous, so you must be careful." Chen Renzong hesitated.

Chen Xingdao was confident and said, "Prince, please rest assured. We don't need to send too many soldiers, we only need a thousand."

A thousand soldiers are just a symbol and have no practical effect. Once you lose, the Mongols can make excuses when they ask for punishment. If you win, you can definitely share some benefits as participants. This is why there are always reasons why countries like to send soldiers symbolically, and both sides benefit.

Chen Renzong naturally understood the benefits and said happily: "It's decided."

Chen Xingdao asked for an order: "Your Majesty, I am willing to contribute to the country and lead troops to the expedition."

Chen Renzong didn't think about anything else, and said without thinking, "Okay, General Chen takes action, what are my worries?"

In Vietnam, Huang Han was wearing a tough military uniform, energetic and majestic, standing side by side with Chen Xingdao, who was wearing military uniform, and inspecting the moving Song army.

The Song army lined up in an orderly line, majestic and proud, with people like dragons, horses like tigers, and a rainbow of momentum, as if they were not mortals, but divine weapons and generals, and had a powerful force that was intimidating.

Huang Han's fighting style is fierce, giving people the feeling that he can withstand even if he is pressed down by Mount Tai. He instilled this temperament in his body into the army he commanded. Naturally, everyone in the Song army was fierce, like a wolf or a tiger.

Chen Xingdao was also a famous general, proficient in military tactics and once defeated the arrogant Mongolian army, he felt a little proud. He thought that although the Southern Song Dynasty was vast, the army was not very good. What he could not imagine was that the Song army was so powerful. He had only one idea at this time, that is, with the strength of the Song army, the Mongolian army was no longer an opponent.

Under the command of Li Jun, the Song army has been fighting continuously for more than a year, fighting many big battles and fighting hard, and has long been an elite army. In addition, the equipment has been replaced, a large number of nimble, decisive command, and dared to fight and fight have been promoted. A large number of outstanding officers have been enriched into the army. The status and treatment of soldiers have been greatly improved, and their combat effectiveness has been greatly improved.

The emergence of new equipment has promoted the update of new technical and tactical theories. The Song army is no longer inferior to the Mongolian army and has become one of the best armies in the world at that time.

Chen Xingdao was very glad that he convinced Chen Renzong and did not become an enemy of the Southern Song Dynasty. At the same time, he was even more glad that he made a wise decision and a correct choice, which made him famous in history and became a famous general with outstanding military achievements.

In the Vietnam Palace, Chen Renzong held the ten diamonds given to him by Li Jun, and couldn't put it down and praised: "What a good thing, shiny and shining. I've never seen such a good thing before. What a good baby, it's just too few, it would be great if there were dozens of more."
Chapter completed!