"Good boy, the old man thought that something unexpected happened to you and you would never come back."
After the brief excitement of the reunion, Hong Zhang regained his composure. A pair of old eyes looked longingly at the approaching Xia Jun, feeling both uneasy and excited.
An Ran returned to his hometown and transformed into a lively lark, chirping and telling him everything he had experienced after leaving.
Only then did the old man realize how much danger they had experienced.
Lin Jiahui introduced Zhang Keda and others to Hong Zhang.
"Village chief, this is the general of the Xia Kingdom. King Shangfeng colluded with the Japanese and betrayed the suzerain country. The death penalty is unforgivable. This time, the kingdom sent the heavenly army to not only punish him, but also to prevent Ryukyu from falling into the hands of barbarians in the future.
The superior country decided to incorporate this place into Chinese territory."
"Really...really?"
When Hong Zhang and the villagers in Liguo Village heard this, they all opened their eyes wide and couldn't believe it at all.
Hong Zhang ignored his fear and walked up to Zhang Keda.
"General of the above country, are we really citizens of the above country from now on?"
Looking at the simple people, Zhang Keda warmly comforted them.
"From now on, you no longer need to be afraid. As Chinese people, the country must protect your safety and will never allow anyone to bully you."
The villagers in Liguo Village got the message, and they all laughed heartily. Many people even burst into tears, and their suppressed emotions were completely released.
"That's great! That's great! From now on, we can finally return to our homeland in China, and we can live our lives with our heads held high."
The vast majority of Ryukyu people actually migrated from the Central Plains, but the time may vary.
People like Hong Zhang lived in mainland China three generations ago, so they have an unparalleled closeness to their hometown.
When it comes to favorable impressions of the Central Plains, Ryukyu people are still ahead of Koreans.
After all, the Koreans themselves are a tribe of their own, and there has always been some distance between them and the Central Plains dynasty. In addition, there is a language barrier and different customs, so integration is still difficult.
Ryukyu people have no such problems at all.
What they speak is Mandarin Chinese, and their daily life is exactly the same as that of the Han people.
In addition, not long ago, they were crawling under the butcher's knife of the Japanese, living a precarious life, and they were even more eager to receive strong protection.
Now the Central Plains Kingdom has finally arrived. Not only has it driven away the Japanese invaders, but it has also completely incorporated this place into the Central Plains map. From now on, everyone is a Chinese citizen and has become the most noble race in the world.
There is no Ryukyu native who is not happy about this.
Before coming to Ryukyu, Zuo Mengeng had said that this operation would be very smooth, but Zhang Keda was still doubtful.
In his view, Ryukyu is a country of its own after all. Xia's behavior is somewhat domineering, and he may encounter fierce resistance.
Only after seeing it on the spot did he understand that if it hadn't been for the rise of the Xia Kingdom, the Central Plains Dynasty would have missed many golden opportunities.
A civil servant stood side by side with Zhang Keda.
"Old man, I am Huang Pei, the mayor of Ryukyu City sent by the central government. If you have any problems in the future, you can come to me and I will solve them for you."
Hong Zhang is still a little unfamiliar with the title of mayor, but he can also tell that this is the future Mr. Qingtian of Ryukyu.
Huang Pei's gentle attitude made him feel different from previous officials.
Hong Zhang plucked up the courage to ask the questions they were most concerned about on behalf of all the villagers.
"Sir, since we are all citizens of the Kingdom from now on, then our household registration..."
"I'll handle it for you right away."
Huang Pei responded decisively and was never sloppy.
Since the people here support the Xia Kingdom so wholeheartedly, their hearts must not be chilled.
He also understands that the people here can only feel completely at ease if they actually obtain their household registration.
He added another sentence.
"As an official here, I am everyone's public servant, not a big boss. It is my responsibility to be able to do things for the folks, do good things, and get things done, so that Ryukyu gets better day by day and everyone's life becomes more prosperous.
From now on, you must not be afraid of the government or officials. If anyone infringes on your interests, just come to me and file a complaint directly, and I will make the decision for you."
These powerful words brought tears to the eyes of all the local people.
When have they ever seen such an official?
Officials who can enforce the law impartially and are honest and diligent are already very remarkable in their eyes.
I have probably never seen an official in my dream who never puts on official airs and can mingle with the people.
But no matter what, to become a citizen of the superior country and to have an official who loves the people is a double blessing for the people of Ryukyu.
This Huang Pei is also from a famous family.
He is the grandson of Huang Jiashan, the former Minister of War of the Ming Dynasty, and was raised by his uncle Huang Zongchang since he was a child.
Both my uncle and nephew are well-known local scholars in Jimo.
After Huang Zongchang offended the eunuchs, he resigned and returned to his hometown. Xia Guoru came over and now he has served as the deputy of the Ministry of Water Resources.
Huang Pei also showed great talents, so he was sent to Ryukyu.
As soon as he set foot here, he won the hearts of the people with his tricks.
Because Rikuni Village is due west of the Ryukyu Islands, it became the place where the Xia army first landed.
Zhang Keda and Chang Ying established an advance base here, and without too much delay, they headed straight for Shuri Castle, the capital of Ryukyu, the next day.
The news of Xia Jun's arrival has spread throughout Ryukyu. King Shangfeng and the Ryukyu nobles completely collapsed and showed all kinds of ugly behavior.
When the Xia army's fleet approached the coast, many Ryukyu nobles who were greedy for life and feared death rushed to board the ships and ran to the Xia army to surrender.
They no longer dare to ask for more.
As long as you can survive, nothing else matters.
Zhang Keda and Chang Ying were not polite to these nobles who had no integrity and helped Japan to harm the tigers, and detained them all.
Of course.
In view of the fact that these people surrendered voluntarily, the two men also gave a guarantee to spare the lives of these people.
As for the property of these nobles, there is nothing polite about it.
The Xia Kingdom had just occupied this place and needed to appease the people. The wealth of these nobles could be put to good use.
When the Xia army landed, there was no resistance in Ryukyu.
Soldiers rushed out of Shuri Castle one after another. When they arrived outside the city, they threw away their weapons, knelt down and raised their hands high.
This shows how unpopular the Shangfeng court was.
"Look, there's a fire over there."
Black smoke rose into the sky from a place in Shuri Castle, with rolling flames wrapped in the middle. It could be seen clearly from dozens of miles away, which shows how powerful the fire was.
Some people who surrendered took the opportunity to flatter themselves.
"That's the direction of the palace."
Zhang Keda and Chang Ying understood.
King Shangfeng must have known that the Xia army had landed and that his death was coming, so he simply burned himself and the palace to the ground.
Regarding his approach, Zhang Keda and Chang Ying were of course happy to see the results.
The Ryukyu king chose to commit suicide, which really saved them a lot of effort. This chapter has been completed!