Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 230 Zhu Zhanhe: I'm going to take over Guangdong and Guangxi!

"Big brother?" Zhu Zhanyan didn't understand the meaning behind his brother's words for a moment. He looked up at his tall and imposing brother with a questioning expression.

"Third brother, besides the territory of the Ming Dynasty, how many places of Yunnan's size are there on this map?" Zhu Zhanhe looked at the map on the wall and continued to guide his third brother's thinking.

"How many places the size of Yunnan are there on the map?" Zhu Zhanyi subconsciously raised his hand, looked at his fingers, and then at the map that almost took up the entire wall.

"Probably no less than a hundred?" In a daze, Zhu Zhanyan seemed to grasp a glimmer of inspiration, as if he had thought of what his elder brother was about to say, but he was not quite sure, and just subconsciously murmured his reply.

"Third brother, there are ten brothers in our Prince's Mansion. I promised my third uncle that in the future, everything we brothers own will be shared with the Prince's Mansion, which means eleven shares."

The world is so vast, and the land we brothers occupy is but a drop in the ocean.

Even in a land as vast as the Ming Dynasty, there are quite a few such places in this world!

Even if each of us brothers occupied a piece of land as vast as the Ming Dynasty, it would be more than enough.” Zhu Zhanhe gently placed his hand on his third brother’s shoulder, pointed to the Qin Kun geomantic map with his other hand, and said to his brother with great excitement.

Suddenly, Zhu Zhanhe felt his third brother's body trembling violently with excitement.

"Third brother, although I cannot guarantee that I will give each of you brothers a land as vast as the Ming Dynasty."

However, with the joint efforts of us brothers, in the future, each of us, whether overseas, on the grasslands, or anywhere else, will have no problem occupying a piece of land the size of Yunnan.

At that time, we brothers will help each other and slowly expand outwards. One day, our descendants will, like the King of Qin who unified the six kingdoms, once again open up a vast territory.

At that time, you and I, brothers of the Han Prince's lineage, will all be the founders of a new ancestral temple!
"And our father will no longer be a rebel recorded in future history books!" Zhu Zhanhe said in a deep voice to his third brother, Zhu Zhanyi.

"Brother, I, Zhan'an, am willing to give my life for you!" Zhu Zhan'an was incredibly excited upon hearing his elder brother's words. Owning a vast territory like that of the Ming Dynasty was something he wouldn't even dare to dream of. However, if he had a piece of land the size of Yunnan, where he could make his own decisions and leave it to his descendants, he would be willing to risk his life for it!

Without any hesitation, Zhu Zhan'an knelt before his elder brother, swearing his loyalty. He knew perfectly well that only his elder brother, who possessed the true dragon, could lead him and the other brothers of the Han Prince's Mansion to achieve their expansionist goals. Therefore, Zhu Zhan'an's kneeling was remarkably smooth.

"Third brother, get up. Let your elder brother have something to say to you." Zhu Zhanhe helped his excited third brother up and said to him with a gentle expression.

"Please speak, elder brother." Zhu Zhanyan forced down his excitement and looked at his elder brother with a serious expression, waiting for his instructions.

"You heard what Lord Xia said just now."

"In the future, the navy will be just as important as the army. In fact, if we want to expand overseas or even occupy various places, we will need a lot of naval talent," Zhu Zhanhe said to his younger brother with a serious expression.

"Hmm." Zhu Zhanyi agreed with his elder brother's words, after all, the naval power of the Ming Dynasty was undeniable.

"You'll be leaving the government in a year. You can choose for yourself whether you want to develop your career in the army or the navy."

"Your elder brother won't force you to choose, but you must make the decision yourself." Zhu Zhanhe didn't directly send his younger brother to the navy or the army, but left the choice to his brother.

"Big brother...?" For a moment, Zhu Zhanyan didn't know what to do and could only stare blankly at his older brother.

"Come here," Zhu Zhanhe said, seeing his younger brother's expectant eyes. He pulled him to the map again, ready to explain. "This is the Ming Dynasty, and this is Yunnan," Zhu Zhanhe pointed to the Ming and Yunnan regions, telling his brother their current location. Then, Zhu Zhanhe continued his explanation.

"Our expansion direction is to move away from the territory of the Ming Dynasty and develop in this direction!" Zhu Zhanhe pointed to Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Russia on the map, covering all the land in Eurasia, as well as Australia and Africa.

“This is the direction we need to explore, so you need to think carefully about where you want to develop in the future.” Zhu Zhanhe gestured with his hands to indicate the future development direction. He believed that with his third brother’s calm and steady personality, he would make the right choice for himself.

"Thank you, elder brother. I understand." Seeing that there was a direction for development, Zhu Zhanhe understood his elder brother's good intentions and bowed to Zhu Zhanhe with great gratitude.

"Don't be too happy yet. No matter what you choose in the future, you haven't left the manor yet, so you still need to help manage your younger brothers." Looking at his composed third brother, Zhu Zhanhe smiled and reminded him to use this year to study hard and help manage his younger brothers. After all, Zhu Zhanhe planned to take over a territory after the mourning period to consolidate morale.

"Zhan'an will do his utmost!" Zhu Zhan'an was in a state of excitement, so he had no resistance to his elder brother's words and agreed with great enthusiasm.

Little did Zhu Zhanxi know that this marked the beginning of a year-long rigorous career as a tutor in the Prince of Han's residence.

Originally, Zhu Zhanhe planned to lead his men to attack Annam after the mourning period ended, when the navy had made its selections, so as to give everyone a taste of victory.

However, things didn't go as planned, and before the one-month mourning period was over, some unexpected problems arose.

On this day, Zhu Zhanhe, who rarely accompanies the Crown Princess Xia to dinner, was taking a walk in the garden of the Prince's mansion when suddenly, Xiao Xizi rushed in, her face full of anger, which Zhu Zhanhe could see from a distance.

But when she got close to Zhu Zhanhe and Princess Xia, Xiao Xizi tried her best to be gentle, but her exaggerated expression still couldn't hide her anger. This scene made Zhu Zhanhe want to laugh.

"Little Xizi, come here. What's bothering you over there?" Princess Xia noticed Little Xizi struggling to compose herself in the corner. With her intelligence, she knew something important must have happened; otherwise, Little Xizi wouldn't have come while she and the Crown Prince were out for a walk. Therefore, the wise Princess Xia gently invited Little Xizi closer to speak.

"Greetings, Your Highness, and Your Highness's Consort Jin'an!" Xiao Xizi carefully approached Zhu Zhanhe and his companion, and respectfully knelt down to greet them.

"Xiao Xizi, tell me, what happened? Didn't you go to take over the fleet? Did it not go smoothly?" Zhu Zhanhe was also very curious. Xiao Xizi went to take over the fleet happily, preparing to become the Grand Admiral of the Navy. Why did he come back with a bitter face?
"Young Master?" Zhu Zhanhe's question only deepened Xiao Xizi's bitterness. He looked at Zhu Zhanhe with a wronged expression, then at the Crown Prince's wife, Xia Shi, and was on the verge of tears.

"Speak up, look at how wronged you look. You're my Grand Admiral!" Seeing Xiao Xizi's sad expression, Zhu Zhanhe knew that Xiao Xizi had been wronged. There were some things that Zhu Zhanhe wasn't afraid of his wife knowing, so he asked directly.

"Your Highness, the fleet sent by the court consists of shipwrights, crew members, navigators, and even the ship's doctor, all of whom are old, weak, sick, or disabled," Xiao Xizi said, sounding utterly aggrieved.

"What's even worse is that they dismantled all the cannons from the treasure ships, so now the fleet we have has no long-range attack capabilities!" Then, Xiao Xizi revealed an even more bombshell.

In an instant, Zhu Zhanhe felt his anger surge up. In just a moment, the air in the garden began to freeze, and immense pressure swept through the entire garden.

"Your Highness~" Just as Zhu Zhanhe was angry, suddenly, the Crown Princess Xia's call brought Zhu Zhanhe back to reality.

"Guan'er!" Only then did Zhu Zhanhe realize that he had been so focused on being angry that he hadn't noticed his wife was beside him. Immediately, Zhu Zhanhe took his wife's hand to comfort her.

"Xiao Xizi, convey my imperial decree: General Hu Tian is to immediately send troops to conquer the Guangdong and Guangxi regions after the mourning period ends!" Zhu Zhanhe looked at his wife with a pained expression, then turned to Xiao Xizi with a sharp look in his eyes.

"Yes, sir!" Xiao Xizi replied without hesitation and turned to leave.

(End of this chapter)