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

Chapter 234 The Ministry of Industry's Shady Moves.

"Your Highness, please allow me to finish." Faced with Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji's doubts, Yang Shiqi couldn't help but sigh inwardly and said with a troubled expression.

"Your Majesty, I personally reviewed the late Emperor's edict from that year and found that shortly after the edict was issued, Emperor Taizong went on a campaign to the grasslands. Therefore, the Ministry of Works was busy with its affairs and the shipbuilding project was slowed down." Yang Shiqi's words instantly made Zhu Zhanji realize that the fleet was definitely a reward from his grandfather to Zhu Zhanhe because of the major event of the two rolls of white cloth!
"After the expedition to the grasslands ended, Emperor Taizong passed away. Then came the new emperor's ascension to the throne, the construction of his mausoleum, the rebellion of the Prince of Han, and a series of other matters. The Ministry of Works was too busy to handle them all, so the matter was repeatedly postponed. Even after the Crown Prince of Han arrived in his fiefdom in Yunnan, the matter was still unresolved."

So, after arriving at his fiefdom, the Crown Prince of Han thought the court was going to renege on its promise and refuse to provide the ships, so he wrote a letter to the emperor. At that time, the Crown Prince of Han said that the court would provide the ships within three months, and if it still didn't provide them within three months, he would send troops to attack Guangdong and Guangxi, and then build his own ships.” Yang Shiqi continued with a bitter face, explaining the reason why the Crown Prince of Han was going to send troops to Guangdong and Guangxi: because the Crown Prince of Han wanted to build his own ships.

Zhu Zhanji was stunned by Yang Shiqi's words; he hadn't expected things to turn out so badly. But what he didn't know was that something even worse was yet to come.

"When the Han crown prince sent a letter requesting ships, the court didn't have many ships at all, and they were all small boats, so it simply couldn't provide them."

At that time, I was still being held in custody by the Prince of Han. His Majesty sent a letter to the Prince of Han, asking me to go to Yunnan to meet with the Crown Prince of Han and discuss the matter of postponing the delivery of the ships.

After negotiations, the Crown Prince of Han agreed to grant the court a one-year extension.

But on the condition that he would take the old ships currently owned by the imperial court as compensation, along with a crew.

After I reported back to Your Majesty, Your Majesty agreed to the Crown Prince of Han's conditions and immediately issued an edict to send the entire ocean-going fleet, except for the soldiers, along with the other crew members, to the Crown Prince of Han.

Unexpectedly, something went wrong. Yang Shiqi's face turned ashen with anger, while Zhu Zhanji listened intently.

"Because of the uprisings of the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao, the Ministry of Works is under considerable pressure, and there is a significant shortage of various firearms. In addition, the Emperor has suspended the fleet's ocean voyages. Therefore, the people of the Ministry of Works took it upon themselves to secretly dismantle all the cannons and other offensive weapons on the ocean voyages, and they have now been transported to Jinan to strengthen the fortifications and defenses."

Moreover, because the ocean voyage was suspended, the Ministry of War had transferred all the elite personnel on board to various regions, leaving only the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled to ensure the ships could still operate. Yang Shiqi finally recounted the whole story to Zhu Zhanhe.

"So, the ships that the court sent to Yunnan were empty ships that had been dismantled by the Ministry of Works? And the crew members were also the old, weak, sick, and disabled who had been dismantled?" Zhu Zhanji finally understood the cause and effect of the matter, and couldn't help but be stunned.

Zhu Zhanji knew that if the court said someone was old, weak, sick, or disabled, then that person must really be old, weak, sick, or disabled!
At this moment, Zhu Zhanji finally understood the cause and effect of the incident. The Crown Prince of Han was rewarded by the Yongle Emperor with an entire fleet for his meritorious service. However, after the death of Emperor Taizong and the ascension of the new emperor, the fleet never arrived. The Crown Prince of Han felt deceived by the court and planned to retaliate by conquering Guangdong and Guangxi and building his own ships. The court sent envoys to negotiate a delay, and the Crown Prince of Han kindly agreed, requesting to use the court's existing ships first. The court agreed and even offered to send various crew members as compensation. However, when the fleet actually arrived in the Crown Prince of Han's hands, even the existing ships had been dismantled! The crew members were mostly old, weak, and disabled! Therefore, in a fit of anger, the Crown Prince of Han decided to conquer Guangdong and Guangxi himself and build his own ships!

"Aren't you guys messing with me? No wonder the Crown Prince of Han is angry. If I were him, I would be angry too." Subconsciously, Zhu Zhanji put himself in Zhu Zhanhe's shoes and mentally muttered this to himself.

"The mourning period for the late Emperor is less than seven days away. Is there a solution?" Suddenly, Zhu Zhanji realized his position was opposed to that of the Crown Prince of Han. Reflecting on this, Zhu Zhanji mentally calculated the time of his father's burial and inquired about a solution.

"Your Highness, even if we load the goods onto the carts and send them over now, it won't be enough time," Yang Pu said to Zhu Zhanji with a sigh.

"Your Highness, we have just checked the Ministry of Works' warehouses, and there are very few cannons and weapons left. There are not enough to equip the ocean-going fleet. There are only enough to equip two ships." Yang Rong also told Zhu Zhanji that there was nothing left in the family warehouses, and even if they wanted to send something now, there was nothing they could do.

"The troops stationed in Guangdong and Guangxi to defend against the Japanese pirates have already been transferred to the Jinan battlefield, and elite troops from various regions are also in Jinan. However, the defenses in Jinan cannot be moved!" Yang Shiqi was telling Zhu Zhanji that there were quite a few soldiers in Jinan who could be transferred to Guangdong and Guangxi, but don't forget that the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao have clearly rebelled. If the troops were transferred out of Jinan now, the consequences would be unimaginable! "Do the troops in Guangdong and Guangxi have the strength to fight?" Seeing the numerous difficulties, Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but rub his temples and asked whether the current troops in Guangdong and Guangxi had the strength to fight.
"Your Highness, the Prince of Han has given the Crown Prince 110,000 troops! Apart from 30,000 auxiliary troops, the rest of the troops have been strictly selected according to the configuration of the three major camps."

With such pitiful military strength in Guangdong and Guangxi, it wouldn't even be enough to defend the city! Yang Shiqi poured cold water on Zhu Zhanji's enthusiasm once again, leaving him feeling utterly disheartened.

"Send someone to negotiate peace?" Zhu Zhanji naturally knew the fighting strength of the three major battalions, so after hearing Yang Shiqi's words, Zhu Zhanji immediately abandoned the idea of ​​fighting and inquired about the chances of peace talks.

"Your Highness, even if we set off today, it will take more than ten days for the 800-li express courier service from Beijing to Yunnan!" Yang Pu stamped his foot angrily and said.

"It's too late!" Upon hearing Yangpu's words, Zhu Zhanji stood there stunned, lost in confusion. He knew that even if peace talks were to be held, there simply wasn't enough time.

"Your Highness, although the Crown Prince of Han is preparing to occupy Guangdong and Guangxi, things may not be as bad as they seem." Looking at the stunned Zhu Zhanji, Yang Shiqi didn't know how to comfort him for a moment. But after a while, Yang Shiqi suddenly remembered a sentence from the letter, and he subconsciously said it to Zhu Zhanji.

"What? There's still a chance?" Not only Zhu Zhanji, but also Yang Rong and Yang Pu looked at Yang Shiqi with surprise and delight.

"What? Speak quickly!" Zhu Zhanji asked Yang Shiqi with an anxious expression.

"Your Highness, there is a sentence in the letter of appeal from the Guangdong and Guangxi Provincial Administration Commission. The Crown Prince of Han once said that he would return the land of Guangdong and Guangxi whenever the court gave him a new ship."

"From this, it seems that what the Crown Prince of Han wants is the ships, not the lands of Guangdong and Guangxi." Yang Shiqi said to Zhu Zhanji with a strange look on his face.

"You mean, we need to hand over the new ship to him quickly?" Yang Pu asked, looking equally astonished.

"The imperial court cannot renege on its promise to provide the ships."

The imperial court is in the wrong now, so the Crown Prince of Han wants to occupy Guangdong and Guangxi to build his own ships.

"If we give the ships to the Crown Prince of Han, and he doesn't hand over Guangdong and Guangxi, then he'll be in the wrong." Yang Shiqi never intended to renege on those ships, and even Zhu Zhanji wouldn't dare to.

"Deliver as soon as possible?"
That's right, we must deliver the ships as soon as possible, before the Crown Prince of Han has designs on the lands of Guangdong and Guangxi!
Not only that, the court must also quickly replenish the missing items on the old ships! Suddenly, Yang Rong's eyes lit up, and he said with a serious expression. Yang Rong had no intention of renege on those ships, and he also wanted the court to stand on the basis of legal legitimacy in order to force the future Han heir to hand over the lands of Guangdong and Guangxi.

Zhu Zhanhe finally understood that the Ministry of Works' questionable actions had led to this situation, which was beyond repair. The cabinet's current focus was on how to reasonably reclaim the Guangdong and Guangxi territories later, rather than trying to resolve the issue now. In other words, the cabinet had tacitly decided to temporarily abandon the Guangdong and Guangxi territories.

"I'll go again." At this moment, Yang Shiqi spoke up again. He knew it was too late for anything, but he still wanted to go to Yunnan in person to see the Crown Prince of Han.

(End of this chapter)