The biggest failure of Zhu Di's campaign against Annan was that he could not clearly see the class nature and relied too much on the local nobles in Annan.
Officials of the Ming Dynasty always believed that the scholars of Annan were scholars like them, so they had a common language and could help the court maintain long-term stability.
Little did they know that they would rather be chicken heads than phoenix tails. These Annan nobles were like local emperors and lived a carefree life. How could he be willing to succumb to the aristocrats of the Central Plains, obey them, and have no control over his fate?
In fact, these seemingly gentle and thrifty Annan scholars were the masterminds behind the rebellion.
As for what do ordinary Annan people know?
They were also the targets of oppression by the Annan royal family, gentry, and landlords, and their lives were extremely miserable.
Zuo Mengeng clearly understood the problem. The empire was an emerging country that was far different from the Ming Dynasty. Naturally, it could use the strategy of removing fuel from the bottom of the cauldron.
Now this policy has been successfully used by the empire.
The results in North Korea and Luzon are seen by everyone, and even other newly occupied places in the Central Plains are doing the same.
After the benefits were distributed to the lowest level of the people, the empire immediately gained the greatest support and its rule became extremely stable.
The landowning class of the old era could only be swept away in such a tide.
Zuo Menggeng decided to come to Annan and completely take back this Han family's homeland.
Annan has pleasant climate conditions and a large number of rivers impacting the plains. It is an extremely important food production area and can greatly make up for the lack of domestic arable land.
In addition, Annan is also an important supplementary part of the first island chain.
With Annan in hand, the South China Sea is worry-free.
However, the first direction of action of the Southern Strategic Cluster is in Huguang and eastern Sichuan.
"General Yuan, I leave it to you. No matter whether it succeeds or not, the empire will support you."
"I dare not ask His Highness King Wu to say thank you. I only hope that the old brothers in the past can understand the general trend."
Facing Zuo Rong's request, Yuan Zongdi was respectful.
That day on the bank of the Yangtze River, he and his men were tightly surrounded by the Qing army and saw their imminent destruction. As a result, Zuo Hua suddenly took action, drove away the Qing army and saved his life.
Yuan Zongdi had no choice but to board Zuo Hua's ship, and his men were naturally disarmed.
However, the National Defense Forces were very polite to him during this period, providing him with good food and drink, and did not restrict the freedom of him and his subordinates.
Yuan Zongdi was also a smart man, especially when he saw the National Defense Forces rushing forward and conquering the city as easily as eating and drinking, he stayed with peace of mind.
The world is the largest, but under the offensive of the National Defense Forces, where can it go?
Moreover, the situation of the National Defense Force also made him very curious and wanted to see what happened.
The more he learned about the National Defense Forces, the more shocked Yuan Zongdi was. His past ambitions had indeed dissipated a lot.
After the National Defense Forces invaded Hunan, it started very smoothly.
Changsha, Yueyang, Hengzhou, Chenzhou, Yongzhou, Baoqing and other places all fell overnight.
However, when they came to the mountains in western Huguang, they finally encountered resistance.
In particular, the Tujia people in Shizhouwei were very wary of the arrival of the National Defense Forces.
They also joined forces with the former Shun Army generals Hao Yaoqi, Li Laiheng, Li Guo, Liu Tichun and others who had retreated here. They had a lot of soldiers and horses and guarded all the dangerous passes.
The famous Kuidong Thirteen Family still appeared.
It's just that this time they are no longer dealing with the Qing army, but the National Defense Forces.
Among them, Yuan Zongdi was also replaced by Li Guo.
There was a debate among the National Defense Forces about how to deal with the Kuidong Thirteen Family.
Some advocate military attack.
Although the Kuidong Thirteen Family claimed to have 200,000 troops, most of them were a ragtag group. Many generals did not believe that the National Defense Forces could not defeat them.
However, after careful thinking, Zuo Rong decided to try to solve the problem peacefully.
The western part of Huguang, including the entire southwestern region, has many ethnic minorities and many chieftains, forming de facto separatist regimes.
There are actually many toasts watching the situation in front of them.
In other words, how to deal with the Kuidong Thirteen Family will set a model for the future.
Zuo Rong also knew that combat would be indispensable in the subsequent march into the southwest.
After all, some stubborn chieftains did not welcome the arrival of the Han people, and the empire placed great emphasis on territorial control.
Such conflicts must be resolved through military means.
However, the southwest has mountains, difficult terrain, and poverty. It is always good to minimize the use of force.
Zuo Rong thought of Yuan Zongdi, who had friendships with Hao Yaoqi, Liu Tichun and others.
He hoped that Yuan Zongdi could make a trip and convey his intentions.
Only by being able to communicate can both parties eliminate misunderstandings.
Yuan Zongdi also felt very good about Zuo Rong's request.
He has seen the power of the National Defense Force, and naturally he does not want his old brothers to be stubborn and eventually disappear.
"Let me go with General Yuan."
Wei Luan, deputy commander-in-chief of the Sixth Front Army, stood up and volunteered.
Although Yuan Zongdi can gain the trust of Hao Yaoqi, Liu Tichun and others, if negotiations are to take place, representatives of the National Defense Force must be present.
The Sixth Front Army currently has only one Tenth Division under its command, and the Fourteenth Division is still being reorganized in Shanxi and has not returned south for the time being.
Facing the endless mountains of Badong, the Sixth Front Army also felt a little scratched.
It is worth a try to open the door to Sichuan and Shu without using force.
Zuo Rong approved this approach and told Wei Luan: "After you go over, you must make it clear to generals such as Hao Yaoqi and Liu Tichun that the empire fully agrees with their resistance to the Ming Dynasty and does not consider them to be traitors. In addition, they are fighting For many years, he has always been able to take care not to disturb or harm the people, and he can be called a hero. As long as they can surrender, the empire will treat them well."
In addition to these peasant armies, there were also local chieftains from Shizhouwei.
Mainly the three brothers Tan Wen, Tan Yi and Tan Hong.
The Tan family is a local snake and has been entrenched in the area for hundreds of years. It would be of great significance if they could be surrendered.
Ji Conghua, Chief of General Staff of the Southern Strategic Cluster, provided important intelligence to Wei Luan.
"Among the three Tan brothers, Tan Yi and Tan Hong are quite rebellious and can be exploited. Only Tan Wen has a big picture view, a rare talent, and can be honest and honest."
When the three Tan brothers rose to prominence, Tan Yi and Tan Hong plotted against Shizhu.
At that time, Qin Bangping and Qin Minping had just led the white pole soldiers to die on the bank of the Hun River. Qin Liangyu led his army out of Shanhaiguan, and the stone pillars were empty.
Tan Wen reprimanded his two younger brothers with righteousness and stopped their evil deeds.
The relevant information has been mastered by the empire. This information is used to attack the Thirteen Kuidong families. As long as it is used properly, it will definitely be effective.
After reading the relevant information, Wei Luan and Yuan Zongdi finally became more confident and embarked on the journey to Shizhou Guard.
