The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 689

When Mang Rui Ti was brought bound before the Toungoo Dynasty army, the Toungoo soldiers were thrown into chaos. Hu Zongxian and his men, along with the Champa army, attacked from both sides, routing the demoralized Toungoo army. In pursuit by Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji's cavalry, most of them were killed, and the Toungoo commander was killed by Hu Zongxian and his men.

Witnessing all this calamity from the city wall, he was still shaken and secretly glad that he hadn't lost his mind and refused to lend troops to the Ming Dynasty. It was just two unremarkable young men in the Ming delegation who were so fierce and took only a little over a day to capture Mang Rui Ti alive and completely defeat the army of the Toungoo Dynasty.

As expected of a general from the Ming Dynasty, Bo Jie knew about the events that had occurred in the Ming Dynasty in the past two years. The Ming Dynasty had completely recovered Tibet, pacified the grasslands, and even the Yarkand Khanate, which was extremely far away from the Ming Dynasty, was wiped out by the Ming Dynasty without breaking a sweat.

Champa, a tiny city, was utterly insignificant in the face of the behemoth that was the Ming Dynasty. The Toungoo Dynasty was on the verge of collapse, and the Le Dynasty to the north of Champa had already been recovered by the Ming Dynasty. The area surrounding Champa was now entirely Ming territory.

Bo Jie knew very well that if he didn't know when to back down, then an envoy from the Ming Dynasty would probably come to him next.

The thought sent chills down Bo Jie's spine.

“The two generals are truly brilliant in their military strategy. Your Majesty, I am willing to bring Champa back to the Ming Dynasty completely. In the past, the Le Dynasty stood between Champa and the Ming Dynasty. Even if I had the will, the Le Dynasty would not have agreed. Now that the Le Dynasty and the Toungoo Dynasty have been recovered by the Ming Dynasty, I should naturally return to them as soon as possible.”

Bo Jie first flattered Hu Zongxian and his companion, then looked at Wen Zhengming with a respectful expression.

Wen Zhengming nodded upon hearing this.

"Before Your Majesty returns to the Ming Dynasty, you can do one thing for the Ming Dynasty first. After all, the territory of Champa is too small, and it is a bit of a stretch for Your Majesty to be granted the title of Duke. If Champa continues to expand and then returns to the Ming Dynasty, the title of Duke will be a foregone conclusion."

Wen Zhengming smiled.

Although Wen Zhengming was not good at fighting, he knew how to plan and how to ensure that the Ming Dynasty could completely recover the entire Southeast Asia without bearing the infamy of raising an army without a cause.

Bo Jie was a shrewd man, and upon hearing this, he instantly understood Wen Zhengming's meaning.

“My soldiers in Champa are at the command of the two generals. The young king will lead the army in person to conquer the surrounding small countries. Then the Ming Dynasty can use this as a reason to punish the young king.”

Bo Jie's mind worked very quickly, and in an instant, he came up with a perfect picture of the whole thing, even more so than Wen Zhengming had imagined.

Originally, Wen Zhengming only wanted to conquer all the surrounding small countries in the name of Bo Jie and Champa, and then have Bo Jie lead them to return to the Ming Dynasty.

However, Bo Jie's idea was obviously more perfect for the Ming Dynasty and easier for people in other countries to accept, and even identify with the Ming Dynasty from the bottom of their hearts.

"Isn't this too unfair to Your Majesty?"

Wen Zhengming asked.

"What is this little grievance compared to the Ming Dynasty? I have always been loyal to the Ming Dynasty."

Bo Jie hurriedly expressed his loyalty.

With Bo Jie's statement, Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji no longer had any concerns. They had all the troops previously transferred from Annam put on the armor of the Champa army and then gave these thousands of soldiers a special training course that lasted about ten days.

The main training focused on military discipline, obedience to orders, and the basic application of military formations.

With these capabilities, this army's combat effectiveness would be overwhelming compared to the armies of other Southeast Asian countries.

Southeast Asian countries were mostly no match for the Ming Dynasty, even though the Ming army was often quite incompetent.