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

Chapter 317 The Mad Prince of Han
When the interpreter told me this, I was completely dumbfounded. After the interpreter finished speaking, the villagers looked at me with obvious fear, but some people's eyes became even brighter. Looking at their burning eyes, I was so frightened that I almost took out the weapons I brought back from the army camp for self-defense!

Before the interpreter in the yamen left, he specifically warned me that what he said next was only for the villagers to hear, because each county had the Imperial Guards of the Prince's Palace. If I really bullied the common people, I was afraid that His Highness the Crown Prince would come and punish me!

Although I disregarded the interpreter's words, I still respectfully escorted him and his entourage to the village entrance. After all, I am His Highness the Crown Prince's most loyal supporter! I would never tarnish His Highness's reputation!
Standing at the village entrance, looking at the dense crowd of villagers, the flat fields, and the flowing river, I knew that I now had a home, and I was no longer alone!

The following days were simple. With the military pay I received from the barracks, I bought a cow in the county, some furniture, and hired someone to build a large courtyard. From then on, I became the village head of this village.

In the following three short months, I married three young women from the village! The youngest was only sixteen, and the oldest was eighteen! Although I couldn't speak the local language and I was missing an arm, I wasn't missing any other parts, and I still managed to get married. I also had money and land; I was the most popular person in the village!

In my spare time, I even went to the next village for a stroll and found that there was another disabled soldier there, just like me, except he was missing an eye. He told me that he was a veteran of the artillery battalion, and that he used to be a beggar who joined the army because he couldn't survive. He now owns ninety acres of land and has two wives.

We remarked to each other that we never imagined we would live the life of a landlord in a foreign land.

I even discovered that he had secretly set up incense offerings for the Crown Prince. My eyes widened in disbelief, and I immediately arranged for him to do the same, making sure my three wives kowtowed to him every day!

As we chatted more, I learned that it wasn't just us; other wounded soldiers received the same treatment and were all assigned to be village chiefs. I even heard that one brother who had injured his genitals was specially arranged to marry several widows with sons, supposedly to take care of him in his old age and see him off in his final days.

He even secretly told me something important: the Crown Prince's eldest son had been born, and he was currently working hard on his wife to get her pregnant and have more sons, saying that it was so that his son could also follow in the footsteps of the Crown Prince's son and enjoy wealth and honor in the future!

Upon hearing this, I immediately slammed my fist on the table and declared that I also wanted to have more sons to serve His Highness's son!

Upon returning home, I immediately fought for several days straight. Besides, I am, after all, a noble cavalry corporal, and my son must speak Chinese! Otherwise, should my son also be treated like those lowly foreign soldiers, only receiving the same treatment as Han soldiers after surviving several battles?! This is something I absolutely cannot tolerate!
Another month later, when my youngest daughter-in-law spoke Mandarin and called me "husband," I immediately decided that if her first child was a son, then that son would be my heir, Wang Tiezhu's heir!
Later, I told the news to the brother in the next village. To thank me, he offered to marry one of his daughters to my son without asking for a bride price.

Furthermore, once when he was drunk, he directly reminded me that even if I was physically disabled, I should not give up practicing martial arts. He said that as long as I could still fight, I would be a disabled soldier, and the Prince's Palace had even more favorable measures for disabled soldiers waiting for me!
When I asked for more details, he gave me a vague and evasive answer. But even so, I remembered it all.

In the days that followed, I practiced martial arts while awaiting the birth of my child, and hired villagers to cultivate the land. Looking at this wonderful life, I couldn't help but exclaim: His Highness must be a reincarnation of a dragon from heaven, sent to save us! Although I can no longer fight to earn land, I, Wang Tiezhu, am very content.

And on this land of Annam, where everything is in ruins and waiting to be rebuilt, countless Wang Tiezhus are changing everything here!
While a sweeping transformation was taking place in Annam, in Beijing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, following Emperor Xuande's victory over the Oirat Mongols, an event was unfolding that shocked the court and the public, and even influenced the fate of the Ming Dynasty.

"Third brother, we've lost our chance!"
That little brat, no wonder he was raised by our father and trained by our eldest brother.

"He's incredibly meticulous in his work! He's blocked all our paths!" That night, Prince Han secretly summoned Prince Zhao to the Han Palace again. In a secluded room, he spoke bitterly to his third son, Prince Zhao. "Second brother! Second brother!" Prince Zhao also called out to Prince Han with a distressed expression, trying to awaken Prince Han's illusory heart.

"Second brother, we...we've lost, we've lost completely, there's no way we can turn things around!"

This time, he personally led the army to defeat the Oirat, which has won over the hearts of the troops. Our trusted confidants also need to consider their own families!
"We've completely lost!" Prince Zhao, holding his wine cup, downed it in one gulp with a bitter expression, telling Prince Zhao the most realistic situation. After this war against the Oirat invasion, his nephew Zhu Zhanji had consolidated a large amount of military power; they truly had no chance left!
"Third brother! Third brother! Listen to me." Prince Han came to Prince Zhao with a look of urgency, like a crazy gambler, tightly gripping Prince Zhao's arm, his eyes frantically trying to focus Prince Zhao's gaze on him.

"Third brother, listen to me, I have one last way to beat him!"

"This is the last time I'll beat him! You trust your second brother one last time!" The Prince of Han, like a crazed gambler, gripped the Prince of Zhao's arm tightly, his eyes bloodshot as he spoke.

Seeing the crazed look in Prince Han's eyes, Prince Zhao also gripped Prince Han's arm with a serious expression, his eyes filled with disappointment.

"Second brother, we can't afford to gamble! We can't afford to lose! If something happens to us in our own palace, he will remove us from the family genealogy!" Prince Zhao looked at his second brother, who was almost insane, and helplessly shook off Prince Han's arm, saying with a helpless expression.

"What nonsense is he spouting? We've been surnamed Zhu for most of our lives! Who does he think he is!" After hearing what Prince Zhao said, Prince Han frantically grabbed Prince Zhao's arm again, shouting with a face full of resentment.

"Second brother, he's the emperor now, what he says goes!" Looking at his second brother, who was clinging to his arm almost frantically, Prince Zhao suddenly softened. After all, the person in front of him was his support since he went to the battlefield, and his closest relative at present! So, Prince Zhao shook Prince Han's arm, trying to make his second brother come to his senses and see reality.

"Third brother, I've been surnamed Zhu for half my life! He's just a little brat, what does he amount to!" The Prince of Han continued to stubbornly insist, seemingly unwilling to give up.

"Second Brother. He's the emperor now! He's the emperor now! He really is in charge now." Prince Zhao continued to persuade Prince Zhao.

"I've been surnamed Zhu for most of my life, how can he just take my name like that!" After hearing what Prince Zhao said, Prince Han was startled and his confidence waned, but he still stubbornly insisted.

"Second brother, stop with the nonsense."

"As you know, after this expedition, that brat has basically seized military power. Most of our trusted confidants have already defected to him." Prince Zhao continued to describe the current situation, trying to persuade his second brother, Prince Han.

(End of this chapter)