Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 633 Old Zhu's inner conflict: Are we falling behind again?
As the Ming Dynasty's national strength was flourishing, Zhu Di and his son Zhu Gaochi, far away in Europe, also ushered in a glorious peak in their lives.

As Europe's undisputed leading business tycoon, their accumulated wealth is comparable to that of a nation.

The mountains and seas of gold and silver were enough to make even the monarch of the most powerful West Frankish kingdom in Europe drool.

But this immense wealth also pushed the Zhu family to the brink of crisis.

The crux of the problem is that the strength they have demonstrated is not yet commensurate with the vast wealth they possess.

Even his massive mercenary legion appeared weak and powerless under this systemic gaze of greed.

As the saying goes, "a child carrying gold through a bustling market"—this is no longer the work of ordinary villains, but rather attracts the attention of a pack of wolves.

Fortunately, at this critical juncture when a storm was brewing and undercurrents were surging, a second ocean-going fleet from the Ming Dynasty sailed through the waves and arrived in Europe.

This is an exploration and trading fleet privately funded by the newly emerging wealthy merchant class of the Ming Dynasty.

When the fleet leader heard that Zhu Di, the former Prince of Yan, was now the richest man in Europe, he suddenly remembered the imperial edict that had "bestowed" Europe upon the Prince of Yan. He immediately dared not delay, prepared generous gifts, and went to pay his respects.

Under Zhu Di's subtle and skillful arrangement, this newly arrived fleet delivered a perfectly timed "show of strength" to various powers in Europe.

The sheer power of the steel warships and cannons, far exceeding anything Europe could comprehend, was like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing all the stirring desires that had been brewing within them.

Those kingdoms that had been secretly gathering and preparing to attack the Zhu family all fell silent.

The fact that the Ming Dynasty could send several fleets in succession meant that it was very likely that they would actually send troops.

It would be extremely unwise to provoke a prince of the Ming Dynasty at this time.

After this incident, the Zhu family's prestige and power expanded once again, reaching a new level.

At this point, the courts of various European countries were alarmed to realize that the economic lifeline of their respective kingdoms seemed to have been firmly grasped by the Zhu family without their knowledge.

In terms of public opinion, the Zhu family controls the largest newspaper group in Europe, and the voices of dozens of newspapers under its umbrella cover every corner from the royal palace to the streets.

It can be said that what Europeans read every day is almost entirely the news that the Zhu family wants them to see.

In the financial sphere, its control is virtually absolute.

To this day, whether they are ordinary people or nobles, they all regard depositing their wealth in the bank run by the Zhu family as the safest option.

The Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes, with their unparalleled credibility, swept across the entire continent and became the most mainstream hard currency.

By the time the monarchs of various countries belatedly realized that the savings in the Zhu family's bank treasury were already ten or even a hundred times that of their own national treasuries, it was already too late.

The reputation of Zhu Family Bank is deeply ingrained in people's hearts, and even if countries were to devote all their resources to establishing their own banks, they would still be unable to shake its reputation in the slightest.

Banks are the cornerstone of commerce.

Controlling the financial sector is tantamount to controlling all commercial activities.

Countless chambers of commerce and workshops in Europe now have to rely on the Zhu family and follow their lead.

In addition, the Zhu family owns numerous factories, a vast fleet of caravans and armed guards that traverse every trade route on the continent, and even the total area of ​​the land and estates they have acquired is staggering.

In short, by this time, the Zhu family had become a deeply rooted and sprawling behemoth, a true "shadow empire."

Its influence has long surpassed that of any ancient royal family in Europe.

At the same time, a shocking piece of news also reached the continent of Europe.

The army of the Ming Empire is marching westward along the land route, its advance already pointing towards the eastern gateway of Europe.

Once, the iron hooves of the steppe armies struck fear into the hearts of all of Europe.

Even today, that deep-seated fear still lingers in the memories of many nobles.

However, it is rumored that this western expedition of the Ming Dynasty is quite different from the "barbaric" conquests of the past.

Their military discipline was strict, they never harmed the people in the slightest, and there was never any record of them burning, killing, or looting.

On the contrary, their style of doing things can be described as very "friendly".

As long as the states along the route are willing to allow the Ming army to pass through peacefully and accept a series of treaties proposed by them, they will not only not suffer any attacks, but will also receive military protection from the Ming Empire.

Even more incredibly, they were even willing to provide the key capital needed to drive economic development, namely the Ming Dynasty's official banknotes.

This news immediately caused a huge uproar in the courts of various European countries.

Should we ally with the Ming Dynasty, or resist its invasion?
For a time, voices of support and opposition rose and fell, and the debate raged on.

As the richest man in Europe, Zhu Di naturally had extremely well-connected information channels.

He was also extremely shocked upon learning of this.

But he quickly realized what was happening and immediately mobilized his massive newspaper group to launch a large-scale public opinion campaign.

Overnight, all the newspapers in the European mountains spared no effort in touting the benefits of an alliance with the Ming Dynasty, skillfully guiding public opinion in Europe.

Zhu Di also used his vast power to do his best to find out the strength and weaknesses of the Ming Dynasty's western expeditionary force.

When news came that Zhu Di had personally led a small vanguard to the border of Europe, Zhu Di received the intelligence almost immediately.

He immediately dropped everything and rushed to the border under the cover of night.

Afterwards, he changed into civilian clothes, traveled incognito, and went straight to Old Zhu's lodging.

"This is the residence of the Supreme Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty. All unauthorized persons, please make way immediately!"

The guards surrounding the camp were sternly driving away the curious crowds who were trying to peek inside.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang did not bring a large army with him on this trip, he still had eight hundred personal guards to protect the camp.

Not to mention, the countries along the way that were eager to curry favor sent several times more troops to "protect" them, making a tremendous show of force.

As soon as Zhu Di approached, he was stopped by his personal guards.

"What, you don't even recognize me?" Zhu Di recognized one of the guards on duty at a glance.

He had only been away from the Ming Dynasty for a few years. Although the Ming Empire had undergone tremendous changes in those years, many of the guards serving Emperor Zhu were still the same familiar faces.

The emperor's personal guards are not easily replaced.

"You..." The guard was taken aback at first, then his eyes widened suddenly, and his voice became distorted with shock: "You are... His Highness Prince Yan?!"

He snapped out of his daze and hurriedly knelt on one knee: "This humble servant greets Your Highness, the Prince of Yan!"

Immediately, he disregarded the rules, turned abruptly, and rushed towards the inner courtyard, shouting with all his might as he ran, "Supreme Emperor! Supreme Emperor! Prince Yan has arrived! Prince Yan has arrived!"

Upon hearing the news, Old Zhu rushed out from inside. As soon as he came out, he saw a tall figure he had been longing for striding in from outside the courtyard.

Their eyes met, and time seemed to stand still for a moment.

"Your subject Zhu Di pays his respects to Your Majesty!" Zhu Di could no longer contain himself, and rushed forward, kneeling heavily on both knees.

Old Zhu strode forward and pulled Zhu Di up from the ground.

With his aged yet still strong hand, he tightly gripped Zhu Di's arm, his cloudy old eyes staring at him, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

"Di'er...is that you?" Old Zhu's voice trembled slightly. "It really is our Di'er! Haha...hahahaha!"

After a moment of stunned silence, he threw his head back and laughed, filled with barely suppressed ecstasy and excitement.

Father and son, separated for several years, were reunited in this foreign land. Naturally, they were filled with mixed emotions, with endless feelings of separation and emotion.

After reminiscing about their separation, Zhu Di also sighed as he talked about his experiences over the past few years: "Your subject dares not say that he is the leader here, but he is fortunate enough to be called the 'richest man' by the European countries."

"If all the properties under his name were converted into cash, their value in silver would be several billion taels."

In fact, he himself was not quite sure how much wealth he had.

Firstly, because there is simply too much wealth, and the value of many things is not easy to estimate.

Secondly, Zhu Gaochi was basically in charge of the specific business operations.

"Bang!"

With a sharp crack, the rough porcelain wine cup in Old Zhu's hand slipped from his grasp, smashed against the hard stone brick, and shattered into pieces.

He couldn't believe his ears: "What did you say? Tens of billions of taels of silver? Really?"

“Absolutely true.” Zhu Di nodded steadily and said, “In the end, I am merely copying Your Majesty’s ideas and applying the strategies Your Majesty has implemented in the Ming Dynasty to Europe.”

He then explained, “Your Majesty, I have followed your example and established a bank here to attract savings. Using these savings as capital, I have started a newspaper business to control the voice of the people and built factories to expand industry. Only in this way have I woven this great net of wealth.”

"It is no exaggeration to say that the commercial network of the entire European continent is now largely under my control."

Following that, Zhu Di went on to explain in detail how he used the credit of the Ming Dynasty's paper money to leverage the local financial system and then extend that influence to all industries.

Old Zhu was speechless with astonishment and utterly shocked.

Billions of taels of silver!

This number exceeded even the limits of his previous understanding, even for him, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

After Zhu Yunwen's reforms, the Ming Dynasty's treasury was already far fuller than before.

But back when he worked tirelessly day and night to govern the country, the total annual tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty was only a mere 20 million taels.

The billions of taels of silver were equivalent to the total tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty over one or two hundred years!

It is truly unbelievable that Zhu Di amassed such astonishing wealth in this desolate land in just a few short years!
However, when he thought of Yuntong's various miraculous methods of opening a bank and implementing new policies in the capital, Zhu Yuanzhang gradually felt relieved.

These new methods truly possess the magical power to turn lead into gold.

"However, I also have a great difficulty at the moment." Zhu Di changed the subject, put down his wine cup, and his expression became solemn. "Wealth has been accumulating too quickly, but the hilt of my sword has not kept up."

“A tall tree catches the wind. Your Majesty, I am no longer just richer than a country, but my treasury far surpasses that of any country in Europe.”

"It has long attracted a pack of wolves to surround it, their covetousness is obvious."

"Hahaha!" Upon hearing this, Old Zhu not only showed no sign of worry, but instead burst into laughter, slamming his hand on the table:

"What are you afraid of! You are the Prince of Europe, bestowed by the Ming Dynasty, and the son of Zhu Chongba! Even if they had a hundred lives, who would dare to lay a finger on you!"

He quickly asked, "Can you, the 'richest man,' afford to support the tens of thousands of fierce soldiers we brought with us on this trip?"

Upon hearing that there were "tens of thousands of troops," Zhu Di's worries vanished instantly, and his eyes suddenly gleamed!
He stood up abruptly and said, "It's more than just that I can afford to support them! Father, as long as you bring your troops, I will take care of all the provisions, pay, and expenses! The more troops the better!"

"However, I cannot manufacture the military ammunition, firearms, and cannons of the Ming Dynasty."

Just kidding, what Zhu Di lacks most right now is manpower.

The loyalty of those European mercenaries hired at great expense is questionable.

They may be able to fight when things are going well, but once they encounter setbacks, they will immediately scatter like birds and beasts.

As for the nobles and army here, they are nothing but wolves and jackals, not to be relied upon.

Non-my family, its heart must be different.

This is a profound truth.

The only people Zhu Di could truly consider as his confidants were the few hundred old subordinates he had brought from the Ming Dynasty.

But these few hundred people, scattered across the vast expanse of Europe, are but a drop in the ocean.

They were excellent soldiers, but lacked business acumen.

They wanted to train them into an army, but they were short of manpower and had nowhere to replenish their weapons and ammunition.

If my father's tens of thousands of heavenly soldiers were to descend, all the constraints would be easily broken!

"With tens of thousands of elite troops of my Great Ming stationed here, I want to see which of the European countries would dare to covet my wealth even slightly!" Zhu Di's eyes shone with an unprecedented brilliance.

"At that time, they will not only not dare to act recklessly, but will also have to line up and obediently come to make a treaty with the Ming Dynasty."

"In this way, our Great Ming can subdue all of Europe and take control of this place without losing a single soldier!"

"Good!" Old Zhu was overjoyed upon hearing this, grabbed his wine glass, drank it all in one gulp, and slammed it heavily on the table.

He immediately ordered his men to carry his token and send a message to the main force at the rear, instructing them to stop their cautious advance and travel at full speed to arrive there immediately.

Old Zhu originally thought that this western expedition would inevitably end in a bloody battle, so he proceeded cautiously and dared not be reckless.

Now that Zhu Di is here to provide full support, all worries about the rear are gone, and money, food and military supplies can be replenished on the spot. What else is there to worry about?
So, does this mean that Europe can truly be settled with a simple proclamation?
My western expedition... has it ended just like that?
Thinking of this, Old Zhu felt little joy, but instead a strange sense of melancholy welled up inside him.

Isn't this going a little too smoothly?

We led our troops on a journey of tens of thousands of miles, crossing two continents, yet we haven't even fought a single hard-fought battle.
Furthermore, Europe's current favorable situation of "subduing the enemy without fighting" is entirely due to the management and efforts of Zhu Di and his son.

But they were all enfeoffed by our good grandson Zhu Yunwen.

Doesn't this mean that in the end, Zhu Yunwen was still one step ahead of us, "pacifying" Europe without bloodshed?
……

(End of this chapter)