My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 403: Old Zhu has set his sights on Europe
When Chen Zuyi was imprisoned, he met Songpa and Liang Daoren in prison. The three of them looked at each other for a long time, unable to say a word, until the jailer dragged Chen Zuyi away and put him in prison.

When he saw Songpa and Liang Daoren, the last hope in Chen Zuyi's heart was shattered, and he realized that he was completely finished.

The three of them are in prison, waiting for their final fate.

However, Macaros and Father Antonio were luckier. When Xu Da told Zhu Yuanzhang about their affairs in detail, he did not get angry but burst into laughter.

The most important thing is that the behavior of these two people is simply too funny.

It feels like a group of little kids who haven't even grown all their hair yet, holding wooden swords and claiming to be the king of the mountain.

Moreover, Zhu Yuanzhang also showed great interest in the place where the two men came from. Xu Da and others did not know, but he understood that the place where the two men came from should be Europe, the place where the great voyages of discovery began!
Naturally, he considered much more than Xu Da and others. Xu Da didn't know about the Age of Discovery, but he knew that the Age of Discovery was a major event that could change the world pattern!
Have Europeans already started the great voyages?

I don’t know which country the Kingdom of Castile these two people are talking about is, England or France?
If the Europeans were the first to start the great voyages, it would be absolutely unacceptable to Zhu Yuanzhang. Lao Li once said that the American continent was originally colonized by Europeans, but now he wants to change all that!
To this end, he spared no expense in building shipyards and producing large steam ships, not only for maritime trade, but more importantly, to seize all shipping lanes before the Europeans and to land in America before the Europeans.

The great voyages can only be started by the Ming Dynasty!
As for Father Macaros and Antonio, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to keep them for the time being. They might be of great use when the Ming Dynasty marches into Europe in the future.

As for Chen Zuyi and the two pirates, after three trials, they were dragged directly to Zhuque Street and beheaded in public to serve as a warning to others.

At this point, Chen Zuyi's pirate gang was completely wiped out, and Zhu Yuanzhang finally had some free time to write back to Li Han.

But he didn't expect to meet European visitors so soon. He was really unfamiliar with Europe.

There are so many questions I want to ask Lao Li about which countries there are, which emperors there are, what the national strength is like, what the situation is like, what the customs and people are like, etc.

After court dismissed that day, he returned to his bedroom, spread out his pen and paper, and began to write back to Li Han.

"Lao Li, I haven't replied to your letter for a long time, please don't be offended.

First of all, I have some good news to tell you. Chen Zuyi's pirate gang has been completely wiped out, and Chen Zuyi himself has been captured by Xu Da and brought back to Yingtianfu. He has now been beheaded and displayed to the public. I believe that for a long time, there will be no large-scale pirate gangs in the Strait of Malacca.

However, it was also through the opportunity of destroying Chen Zuyi's pirate gang that the Ming Dynasty and Srivijaya signed an agreement. Srivijaya continued to submit to the Ming Dynasty and at the same time began to use treasure notes to trade with the Ming Dynasty.

But I think the biggest gain this time was not in Srivijaya, but in Temasek.

The King of Srivijaya, Parameswara, promised that the Ming Dynasty could station troops in Temasek at any time, and that Ming ships could dock in Temasek at any time and freely cross the Strait of Malacca.

In this case, Temasek is actually controlled by the Ming Dynasty.

However, at present, the distance between Temasek and Ming Dynasty is still too far. If we want to station troops there, we have to further strengthen the construction of the navy. However, all this is within our plan. I believe that it will not be long before Ming Dynasty will be able to station troops in Temasek.

I have another piece of good news for you. You still remember that old guy Li Min? In the past period of time, this guy has not been doing his job as the Minister of Industry, nor has he gone home. Instead, he stays in the laboratory of the university all day. His wife has come to the Ministry of Industry many times, and even came to us to ask for her husband.

I am a man like Old Zhu, and I don't argue with women. However, Li Min's behavior is indeed against the rules, so I decided to go to the university's laboratory to find him in person.

It would have been fine if I hadn't looked for it, but when I did, I was really shocked. Old Li, guess what Li Min was doing in the laboratory?

I won't keep you in suspense like you do. I'll just tell you straight out that Li Min actually made a steam generator in the laboratory. Can you believe this old Li?

He watched the teaching video you sent him, learned how to make a generator, and then he had a fantastic idea to combine it with a steam engine. He actually made it, which really opened our eyes!
Li Min studied hard for many years, read books of sages, took imperial examinations, and became the Minister of Works. Yet, he actually invented a steam generator. No one knows what's wrong with this guy's brain.

I have a hunch that this steam generator should play an extremely important role in the development of Ming Dynasty's industry. I just don't know what its specific use is and how it should be developed in the future. I'd have to ask Lao Li for some advice!

Moreover, another point is, how should the electricity be used after it is generated?

We thought that with a generator, we wouldn't have to wait for the sun to come out to charge our computer projectors or other devices.

There is one last thing I need to tell you.

After Xu Da and his men captured Chen Zuyi, they encountered a group of strange people in Temasek. After landing in Temasek, the group declared Temasek to be a territory of their kingdom. For such shameless behavior, they were naturally severely punished. Then our fourth brother and Xu Huizu and his men captured the leader of this group.

After some interrogation, it was found out that the leader of this gang was called Don Ferdinando Macaros, what a strange name. He also said that he was a count from the Kingdom of Castile.

We also know what the Kingdom of Castile is, but we speculate that this group of people should be from Europe.

This makes us feel strange. Lao Li, you said that it would take some years for Europe to start the Age of Discovery. But now this group of people have come to Temasek by ship from Europe. Do you think it is possible that this group of guys have already started the Age of Discovery?
If this is the case, then we in the Ming Dynasty cannot fall behind. We must quickly advance into the ocean, seize shipping lanes and colonies, and not let those European guys get ahead of us.

Moreover, we would like to ask you, what is the current situation in Europe, what kind of country is the Kingdom of Castile, and what is its relationship with England and France.

What is the national strength of that country? Is it powerful? What level of industrial development has it reached? Does it pose a threat to the Ming Dynasty? What are the customs and people like?

I, Old Zhu, am also very curious. I think you, Old Li, are the only one who knows these things. I hope you can give me some advice."

After writing the letter, Zhu Yuanzhang quickly put it into an envelope, sealed it, and then went to the Buddhist temple to deliver the letter.

Watching the blue light flash again, he nodded with satisfaction. It seemed that Europa also had to make long-term plans.

(End of this chapter)