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

Chapter 327 Zhu Zhanhe's New Ideas

"He'er, from now on you are the Prince of Han, and everything will naturally be at your disposal." Since Zhu Gaoxu had decided to delegate power to his son, he was relinquishing all authority. Just like now, he was entrusting the entire Prince of Han's residence to his most trusted and capable son! He himself only needed to be a vanguard general! Furthermore, Zhu Gaoxu discovered that his son was managing the Prince of Han's residence very well, achieving success in external expansion and managing the household effectively, which greatly pleased Zhu Gaoxu.

"Once the imperial funeral procession arrives, everything should be done exactly as required, and no procedure should be omitted."

"As for the news of my feigned death, only the five people in this house, including my grandson, should be informed. Don't tell anyone else." The Prince of Han gently poked his grandson's cheek and told everyone earnestly that Prince Zhu Gaoxu of Han was completely dead! No one except the people in the house should be told that he had faked his death.

"Father, rest assured, I will arrange all of this." Zhu Zhanhe naturally had no intention of refusing his father's request, after all, this was also his idea! Now that his father had personally said that the Prince of Han was dead, then the dead Prince of Han should be used to the fullest extent!

"You may all leave now. He'er and I need to discuss some other matters." Seeing that quite some time had passed since their conversation, Zhu Gaoxu urged them to leave. He needed to obtain all the useful information about the Prince's residence as soon as possible to better assist his son in his work.

"This concubine takes her leave."

"Daughter-in-law, take your leave." Princess Wei reached into her husband's arms to take her grandson, and then, under her husband's reluctant gaze, she took the grandson and left the study with her daughter-in-law.

"Now that Father is back, things will be much easier for me." Zhu Zhanhe was thrilled to hear his father say he wanted to talk to him about something else. After all, Zhu Zhanhe wouldn't let such a capable and top-notch general like his father go to waste. He immediately thought of many matters that needed his father's personal attention! After his mother and wife left the room, Zhu Zhanhe became happy.

"What is it?" Seeing his son's eyes suddenly brighten, Zhu Gaoxu had a bad feeling.

"Father, the Annam region has been fully developed, and the land has been almost completely surveyed. Land is being allocated to the soldiers. Annam's civil officials and the Imperial Guards are also in place and can be operating normally. Two naval units have also been established. New areas for future development have also been selected."

However, Annam is currently under construction and the costs are too high. It is thanks to the gold, silver and supplies that you sent back some time ago, Father, that I would not have been able to hold on.

So my son decided to expand overseas. For example, the gold and silver mountains on those islands would be quite good, and there are quite a few islands there, making them a promising target. I reckon a single ocean-going fleet could handle their entire territory! After completing his expansion in Annam, Zhu Zhanhe decided to send a naval force to expand into Japan. After all, the navy's power is indeed considerable now! It's better to disperse them beforehand.

Moreover, before his father returned, Zhu Zhanhe didn't have a suitable candidate to develop the gold and silver mines in Japan. His younger brothers were too young, and he was worried about others embezzling. Now that his father had returned, it was the perfect time. He could lead an army, alleviate the navy's dominance, and also expand into new territories. Why not?
"Annam has already been conquered? So quickly?" Zhu Gaoxu was very surprised to hear from his son that Annam had been conquered and was being governed.

"He'er, why do you keep thinking about those small islands overseas? Let alone the Central Plains, the Indochina Peninsula is already quite large. Besides, there are small countries like Bengal on the side, and if all else fails, there are the Tibetan tribes and the Mughal Han Kingdom."

"Why are you always staring at those tiny islands? Do they really have gold and silver mines?" To be honest, Zhu Gaochi looked down on those isolated islands. His simple words revealed his ambition to be anything but ordinary. Since he couldn't be the emperor of the Central Plains, he and his son would expand their own empire! First, they would annex the entire Indochina Peninsula, then connect with the Mughal Han Kingdom, annex the various tribes of Tibet, and even, as his son had mentioned, India! He, Zhu Gaochi, wanted to expand his territory to a vaster extent than his father's and leave a lasting legacy for posterity!
"Father, it's not that I'm eyeing the islands overseas, but rather that I intend to make those islands my Han King lineage's expansion target. Of course, they will also be the main expansion targets for the navy." Zhu Zhanhe knew from his father's words that his father was about to make a big move, and seeing his father's ambition, Zhu Zhanhe decided to give his father a further shock.

"Father, the Han Dynasty was able to revive for the second time entirely because of the large number of its descendants. Emperor Guangwu was a beneficiary of the Han Dynasty's edict of grace."

"My Han Prince's Mansion also has many brothers. Since I am to lay the foundation for the Prince's Mansion, I cannot fail to consider my brothers." Zhu Zhanhe began his narration by taking Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu, as the second emperor to revive the Han Dynasty. As he spoke, he observed his father's surprised gaze. Clearly, Zhu Gaoxu had never expected that his son would consider the future arrangements for his younger brothers while expanding the territory.

"The overseas islands may seem small, but some of them are actually much larger than Yunnan, especially some of the larger islands which are vast in area."

Many of my brothers in the Prince's Palace serve me, but when my palace expands to a certain extent, they will inevitably become too far away to manage. Wouldn't it be better to enfeoff them on the outskirts of the territory or on various islands then?" Zhu Zhanhe told his father, adding that some islands are quite large and still have development potential. Furthermore, Zhu Zhanhe told his father that since his brothers in the Prince's Palace work for him, he, as their elder brother, cannot mistreat them and must find a way out for them. And that way out is to enfeoff them with vast lands!
“Father, not only my brothers in the palace, but also my sons in the future, I will continue to grant fiefdoms to them.”

"At that time, the existing land will definitely not be enough. Wouldn't these islands be the best place then? Even some incompetent and foolish sons can be enfeoffed on the islands, which would be a good thing!" Zhu Zhanhe continued to explain the uses of the islands to his father. They could not only be used for enfeoffment, but also for the fixed confinement of some disobedient ones!

Upon hearing his son's words, Zhu Gaoxu nodded. It was not appropriate to kill his incompetent and disobedient sons directly, so he decided to enfeoff them to remote islands and let them fend for themselves.
"But, Father, our Han Prince's Mansion has many descendants, and after several generations of enfeoffment, we are afraid that it will pale in comparison. If we calculate it this way, the land we have developed will still not be enough."

So, I've come up with another idea." Zhu Zhanhe got up, went to the geomantic map in the study, pointed at the map, and gestured for his father to look at it.

Immediately, the Prince of Han turned his attention to his son's geomantic map.

"Father, it's the rule that the eldest son inherits the family business. But what if other sons also want to make a name for themselves?" Zhu Zhanhe posed a weighty question to his father. What if future generations wanted to be emperor like their father? This question caught Zhu Gaoxu off guard. He knew he was setting a bad example for posterity!

"Father, my idea is to let the eldest son inherit the family business, and let those princes and nobles who are willing to venture out on their own!"

I will grant them territories on the outskirts of our borders, provide them with provisions and supplies, and let them venture out on their own to build their own empires. As long as our homeland is strong enough, we need not fear their backlash. If they win, they will become rulers of their own territories; if they lose, it will simply be bad luck, and perhaps it will even give our homeland a chance to send troops to avenge them.

And I will also ask the kings to do so.

Thus, generation after generation of descendants expanded outwards, little by little. After many years, through the efforts of ten or twenty generations, the descendants of my Han Prince's lineage finally occupied a vast and boundless territory. Zhu Zhanhe pointed to the geomantic map, extending it bit by bit towards the Indochina Peninsula and outwards. Finally, Zhu Zhanhe waved his hand, his arm covering the entire geomantic map!
(End of this chapter)