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

Chapter 398 The Meeting of True Dragons (4)
In the eyes of Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, his cousin's sudden proposal to return three prefectures, including Yunnan, to the court was a pretext to establish a kingdom in foreign lands!
After all, Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, was very clear that the Prince of Han's Mansion, located far on the border of the Ming Dynasty, had conquered a territory far exceeding that of the Ming Dynasty through its campaigns in the south and north over the years! Even if the Prince of Han's Mansion had now returned three prefectures to the court, the remaining territory of the Prince of Han's Mansion was still much larger than the territory of the Ming Dynasty! What's more, the Prince of Han's Mansion also had countless coastal territories!

What surprised Emperor Xuande even more was that the Prince of Han in front of him had actually found grain seeds!
Doesn't that mean that his cousin has been working hard all these years for that Twelve Treatises?! This is something that Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, cannot accept! In an instant, Emperor Xuande's face darkened.

"Cousin, shouldn't you and Yu Qian be focusing on the gift I'm about to present to the court?"

"What? You're not concerned about the gifts I gave you, but instead you're concerned about whether I'll establish a kingdom?!" Faced with the surprised expressions of Emperor Xuande and Yu Qian, Zhu Zhanhe seemed completely unsurprised. He simply raised his hand casually with a smile and calmly asked the two of them.

"Your Highness, please be extremely careful!" Hearing Zhu Zhanhe's words, Yu Qian didn't relax; instead, he anxiously urged Zhu Zhanhe on. Because Yu Qian truly didn't want Zhu Zhanhe to leave!

After all, in Yu Qian's view, Prince Zhu Zhanhe of Han was the last guarantee of the Ming Dynasty!

Moreover, the Prince of Han will not rebel against the court! He has even granted fiefdoms beyond his own borders to his brothers! His sisters in the Prince of Han's household were also given small islands. All of this demonstrates that the Prince of Han is a man of great compassion and loyalty!
Therefore, in Yu Qian's view, as long as the imperial court bestows favors and does its utmost to win over the Prince of Han's mansion, Zhu Zhanhe will not rebel! On the contrary, he will become the most solid guarantee for the future of the Ming Dynasty and the greatest help for the Ming Dynasty's external expansion!

Especially now, with the Xuande Emperor about to pass away! As long as the Prince of Han is won over, and with the Prince of Han overseeing the country, the court will absolutely not be in chaos! In fact, the court can even lay a more solid foundation!

"Zhanhe, where do you plan to establish your country?!" Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, seemed not to hear Yu Qian's urgent words. He stared at Zhu Zhanhe for a long time before asking the question with a serious expression.

"Your Majesty, Prince Han really can't leave!" Upon hearing Emperor Xuande's words, Yu Qian knew that Emperor Xuande had already agreed in his heart to Zhu Zhanhe's idea of ​​leaving the Central Plains to establish a country in a foreign land! Immediately, Yu Qian shouted to Emperor Xuande with an anxious expression, trying to calm him down.

But deep down, Yu Qian knew why the Xuande Emperor would agree to the Prince of Han's plan to establish a kingdom overseas. After all, the Prince of Han was incredibly powerful! From Japan to Korea to distant maritime nations, all had sought help from the Ming Dynasty!

Faced with Yu Qian's urgent voice, Emperor Xuande merely glanced at him indifferently and remained silent. Contrary to Yu Qian's thoughts, Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, only wanted the Prince of Han to leave immediately! Because, in Emperor Xuande's view, the stronger the Prince of Han, the greater the threat he posed to the court and to his son's throne!
However, Yu Qian knew that the more powerful the Prince of Han was, the less he could leave!
Zhu Zhanhe also only glanced briefly behind Yu Qian before turning his gaze back to Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji.

“Cousin, before I came to keep this appointment, the entire Indochina Peninsula, including all the islands between it and Rossos, was already under the control of the Han Prince’s Mansion.

At the same time, all territories extending to the southwest towards Persia were also under their control;
Meanwhile, the Mughal Khanate also couldn't hold out for much longer;

I had already given the Japanese kingdom to my second brother, and I heard he's currently campaigning against Korea! But don't worry, cousin, none of the people from my Han Prince's Mansion will wage war against the imperial court's territory!
Therefore, cousin, after returning the three prefectures to the imperial court this time, I plan to travel to distant lands and establish a new kingdom for the descendants of my Han royal family!
The specific location of the founding of the nation was probably in the Indochina Peninsula or further southwest.

"However, cousin, rest assured, our Han Prince's navy is now strong. When the country is isolated, I will send a letter to the court!" After hearing the Xuande Emperor's question, Zhu Zhanhe told the Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji without hesitation about his current progress in expansion and the approximate location of the capital.

Upon hearing Zhu Zhanhe's words, Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, seemed to have been struck by lightning, his expression becoming dazed. The Emperor simply stared blankly at Zhu Zhanhe before him, his face filled with disbelief. His gaze was as if he were looking at a monster, a madman, or an inhuman being.

Zhu Zhanhe did not disturb the Xuande Emperor, who was deep in thought. Instead, he took the opportunity to pick up a teacup from the small table and sip it gently, waiting for the emperor to come back to his senses.

After hearing what Prince Zhu Zhanhe said, Yu Qian knew that the Han Prince's lineage's establishment of a kingdom in a foreign land was basically a done deal and beyond saving! Now, what Yu Qian wanted was to quickly find a way to ensure that the current Prince of Han would fulfill his promise to rescue the court in the future!

After a long while, Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, finally spoke with difficulty, his voice filled with grief, and even his raised hand trembled.

"Therefore, Zhanhe~"
Over the years, you have continuously expanded your territory and land to other regions;
They searched far and wide and cultivated excellent high-yield grain varieties;

They sent troops to occupy the country and dispatched a envoy to Zhanqi, Japan.

He also enfeoffed all the princes and even princesses of the Han Prince's Mansion;

He founded the Military Academy;

Promote the construction of the Hanwangfu ocean-going merchant fleet;
The policy of requiring officials and gentry to pay grain taxes together was implemented.
The Grand Council was established on the basis of the Cabinet.
So everything you did was for that promise you made to your grandfather.

"Right~? ? ! !" Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, asked Zhu Zhanhe with a sorrowful voice and pleading eyes. Even Yu Qian could see from Emperor Xuande's expression that the emperor was deeply saddened and shocked.

From Emperor Xuande's words, Zhu Zhanhe knew that the court was also very familiar with the basic situation of his Han Prince's Mansion.

"Your Majesty." Looking at the Xuande Emperor, who had suddenly fallen into deep sorrow, Yu Qian was completely bewildered. What was going on? Why had the Emperor suddenly become so sad? Weren't we just having a pleasant conversation? Had something suddenly happened?
A bewildered Yu Qian struggled to recall everything that had just happened. It seemed the Emperor had fallen into this sorrowful mood only after recounting the series of reforms implemented by the Prince of Han's residence! Could it be that these reforms held some unsolved mystery? Or were they simply too shocking to ignore?!
However, to be fair, according to Yu Qian's thinking, the various reforms implemented by the Prince of Han's Mansion were indeed groundbreaking! Just the single rule of requiring officials and gentry to pay taxes together would cause a huge uproar in the court!
Not to mention, the Prince of Han's residence also established the Military Academy, a purely military institution, and even appointed the Prince of Han's residence as the academy's director! Wouldn't all the generals who graduated from the Military Academy be the emperor's protégés? If this were in the imperial court, it would definitely be met with unanimous opposition from the court officials!

However, what puzzled Yu Qian was how the young Prince of Han managed to implement these seemingly impossible tasks within the jurisdiction of his palace! Was it really as simple as the legendary "pacifying chaos through killing"?
(End of this chapter)