Chapter 1029: Moral Righteousness

"Tributary System?" Qin Shan pondered for a moment and nodded slowly.

When he took the Capital City of Jiaozhi, he had also contemplated this issue.

Unlike within Da Song, both Jiaozhi and Piaoman, like the Northern Di, harbored hostile sentiments toward Da Song from top to bottom.

If they occupied them by force, many forces resisting their rule would inevitably emerge, which would be equivalent to drawing hatred onto themselves.

Rather than that, it would be better to support a puppet, like in Luzon, and let them govern themselves.

Let them resolve it through internal strife.

They would then apply subtle methods to transform the Southeast Five Nations, allowing them to integrate into the Da Song system—which is to say, establishing the Tributary System that Yan Wang spoke of.

In his view, this Tributary System was not much different from incorporating these nations into the territory of Da Song.

From now on, the nations of the Southern Region would collectively honor Da Song as the suzerain state, and the Emperor of Great Song as the common sovereign.

Where the Imperial decree reaches, ten thousand nations shall submit.

"Since that is the case, we must now select some obedient people." Qin Shan thought for a moment and said to Zhao Xu, "After this subordinate occupied Jiaozhi, a group of Jiaozhi ministers raised the Prince's royal banner to pledge allegiance; these people might be useful, and through them, this subordinate has also grasped a candidate to replace the Jiaozhi Emperor, Ruan Chushan."

"Oh? Tell me about it." Zhao Xu showed an interested expression.

Qin Shan said: "There are contradictions within any dynasty, and Jiaozhi is naturally no exception. This Ruan Chushan has six sons who fight for power and profit among themselves, but Ruan Chushan favors his third son, disregarding the opposition of his ministers to depose the eldest and establish the youngest, naming him Crown Prince, which incurred the dissatisfaction of the First Prince's faction."

"That Third Prince is no pushover either; after seizing the position of Crown Prince, he wanted to completely eradicate the threat of the First Prince, fabricating a false case that led to the First Prince and many ministers close to him being imprisoned. This time, when Ruan Chushan was captured, these people were the happiest and the first to surrender."

After a pause, Qin Shan continued, "After this subordinate released this First Prince, he swore to this subordinate that as long as we support him, he is willing to submit to Da Song from now on."

Zhao Xu nodded slightly, "Go and bring this First Prince here; this Prince wants to see him."

Qin Shan replied in the affirmative and ordered soldiers to fetch the man.

Before long, a thin man in his thirties arrived at the main hall.

While on the way, he had learned that it was the Dayan Wang of Da Song who was summoning him.

Therefore, as soon as he saw Zhao Xu, he knelt down.

"Rise, you are Ruan Xiong?" Zhao Xu asked.

During the time he was waiting, he had asked for more information about this Jiaozhi Imperial Prince.

"Replying to Your Highness Yan Wang, that is correct." Ruan Xiong prostrated himself on the ground, not daring to lift his head.

It was only when his former ministers led Da Song soldiers to pull him out of the prison that he learned the entire sky of Jiaozhi had changed.

The Da Song army had wiped out the Jiaozhi army like a hot knife through butter and currently controlled all of Jiaozhi.

And after seeing the military bearing of the Da Song soldiers, he was even more awestruck, not daring to harbor a shred of rebellious intent.

Moreover, he had originally been scheduled to be executed in a month; having escaped death, he felt only gratitude for the arrival of the Da Song army.

Zhao Xu nodded and said slowly, "Do you know why my Da Song army marched south and leveled your country of Jiaozhi?"

"This..." Ruan Xiong's mind did not turn fast enough to answer; thinking of how the Jiaozhi ministers had told him that the Da Song army marching south would eventually fight a decisive battle against the Westerners and drive the Westerners out of Dongtu, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck his mind.

Righteously and loudly, he said: "The Westerners are nothing but robbers! Since arriving in Dongtu, they have burned, looted, and committed every evil. The people of the Southern Region have suffered greatly, yet the various nations, cowed by their strong ships and powerful cannons, have acted with servility, recognizing thieves as their fathers. Such ministers and monarchs are as base as mud! Now, the Great Nation could not bear to watch any longer, so it dispatched the Heavenly Army south to expel the Western bandits, clear away the shameless monarchs and ministers of the various nations, and return a bright and clear world to the people of the Southern Region!"

After Ruan Xiong finished speaking, Zhao Xu and Qin Shan exchanged a glance, both showing expressions of "he is a teachable child."

Zhao Xu said: "Stand up. What you said is correct. This time, my Da Song army marched south not to invade other nations, but precisely to level the Western bandits, purge the sycophantic ministers of the various nations, and restore peace and tranquility to the Southern Region."

Waging war requires a just cause,

only then can it conform to the hearts of the people—whether it be the hearts of the people of Da Song or the hearts of the people of the nations of the Southern Region.

Therefore, on the way to Jiaozhi, he had been pondering how to raise a banner of moral righteousness so that the Da Song army would be seen as a righteous force in the eyes of the people of the various nations.

Now, these words of Ruan Xiong coincided with his latent thoughts, making his ideas even clearer.

Whether now or in the future, in the confrontation between Da Song and the Western Lands, he must hold high a banner.

This banner is that the wars waged by Da Song are to liberate the various nations from the enslavement of the Westerners.

He believed that the current Western Lands were already desperately using Newspapers to humiliate him and insult the people of Da Song.

Their purpose was naturally to whitewash their own colonial rule in the world, molding themselves into a great, glorious, and righteous image, while he and Da Song were the evil ones.

Thus, no matter what cruel methods they used against Da Song, even genocide, the Westerners would feel it was justified.

However, the Westerners were purely turning black into white, while the banner he raised, although containing some personal self-interest, was truly the moral righteousness of the world.

Otherwise, for the next hundred years, Dongtu would continue to be poisoned by the Westerners.

After all, their colonialism and his tributary system were not the same thing.

His tributary system was to integrate Dongtu, allowing Dongtu to prosper together with Da Song as the center; this is the King's Way Under Heaven.

The Westerners, on the other hand, treated people in other places with the arrogance of God's chosen people, never regarding the natives as equals to themselves.

Thinking of this, he continued to say to Ruan Xiong, "This Prince can support you in ruling Jiaozhi, but after becoming the King of Jiaozhi, you must tell your people what you just said to this Prince."

Hearing that Yan Wang wanted to support him, Ruan Xiong trembled with excitement.

Just a short while ago, he was a man destined to die.

But then he realized something and muttered, "King of Jiaozhi?"

"You heard correctly, it is King of Jiaozhi. From now on, there will be no more Emperors in the nations of the Southern Region, only Kings. My Emperor of Great Song is the sovereign you all collectively honor. However, do not worry, Jiaozhi will still be under your jurisdiction. Are you willing?" Zhao Xu looked at Ruan Xiong, observing his gaze.

"So that is how it is." Ruan Xiong said. Hearing that Jiaozhi would still be under his own rule, what else could he be unhappy about? It was merely a change of title.

As for honoring the Emperor of Great Song, given the current strength of Da Song, even if Yan Wang did not say it, he would not dare to say a word of dissent.

Thus, he kowtowed to Zhao Xu again and said loudly, "I am willing, one hundred times willing, one thousand times willing."

"Since that is the case, go back, gather your ministers, and prepare to take office as the King of Jiaozhi." Zhao Xu said loudly, "As for your father and brothers, this Prince will hand them over to you to deal with."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Xiong was even more excited, a trace of resentment flashing in his eyes. He said, "Thank you for your great grace, Your Highness. I will treat them well."

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