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

Chapter 477 The Crown Prince and the Conferment of a Royal Title

"As you command!" Upon hearing Emperor Longwu's order, Minister of Works Zhang Dazhu did not stand on ceremony. With a wave of his hand, he ordered the craftsmen to continue the firearms demonstration!

Then, a lightly armored soldier stepped forward, carrying a long musket. Emperor Longwu immediately looked at him intently.

With each shot fired by the musketeers, they quickly reloaded their ammunition, followed by a series of firearms blasts. Then, a row of dummies in the distance fell to the ground.

"This musket, what a fast firing rate!" Before Emperor Longwu could speak, the eldest prince Zhu Qiyu was the first to notice the musketeer's unusual characteristics and exclaimed in astonishment.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince's judgment is truly astute!" After hearing the First Prince Zhu Qiyu's words, Zhang Dazhu spoke again. However, this clever fellow immediately addressed Zhu Qiyu as "Your Highness, the Crown Prince!"

Emperor Longwu acted as if he hadn't heard a thing! He continued to stare at the pile of fallen dummies in the distance! Because, at that moment, Emperor Longwu noticed the shredded oil paper at the feet of the musketeers!

"Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince, when Your Majesty last inspected the firearms camp, you suggested that gunpowder and bullets be packaged separately in small packets."

Each time the musket is loaded, only one packet of gunpowder and one packet of ammunition need to be removed to reduce the risk of barrel explosion. Thanks to the efforts of the artillery battalion's craftsmen, this improvement has now been completed! The gunpowder and ammunition are now individually wrapped in oiled paper; when needed, simply remove one packet of gunpowder and one packet of ammunition!
Furthermore, this improvement not only reduced the risk of the musket exploding, but also increased the rate of fire of the musket!
"Now, after testing by the Firearms Bureau, a skilled musketeer can fire two more bullets in the same amount of time than before!" Zhang Dazhu respectfully described the advantages of the improved musket!

"Continue!" Emperor Longwu was quite pleased with himself. After all, his suggestions had improved the firearms battalion and increased the power of the firearms, which made him very proud!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Another series of thunderous explosions followed. Looking closely, it was clear that artillery had fired shells. The earthen slope in front of them exploded, sending plumes of smoke and dust billowing up!
"Your Majesty, these red-coated cannons, after improvements, can now fire horizontally!" Zhang Dazhu only offered this one sentence regarding the cannons. However, anyone could sense the bloodshed emanating from them! Horizontal firing—unrivaled under heaven!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!" A series of flames shot out more than ten meters away!
"Your Majesty, this is a new type of high-fire oil tank!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

"Your Majesty, these are thunderbolts made with fierce fire oil! And thunderbolts with iron filings added!"

Amidst a series of roars, smoke and dust filled the firearms testing ground, where Zhang Dazhu skillfully introduced each type of firearm being tested!
"For all the artisans who displayed the firearms today, each will be awarded ten gold coins as a reward!" After all the firearms were displayed, Emperor Longwu was very satisfied and immediately announced his reward.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your divine grace!" Upon hearing Emperor Longwu's words, the Minister of Works knew that the emperor was very pleased. He immediately bowed and expressed his gratitude.

"With the expedition to Tibet imminent, these improved firearms should be quickly deployed to the army!" Recalling the purpose of his inspection of the firearms battalion, which was to wage war against Tibet, Emperor Longwu added.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I have already begun the arrangements. It will absolutely not delay Your Majesty's military campaign!" Zhang Dazhu was a clever man, and he naturally knew that Emperor Longwu's purpose in promoting firearms in the army was for the upcoming military campaign against Tibet, so he bowed and accepted the order!
Time passed, and finally it was August of the fourth year of Longwu.

On this day, the most solemn court assembly since the founding of the Dragon Kingdom was being held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Because, at this moment, standing at the very front of the Sumeru Throne were no longer a group of civil and military officials, but rather a group of young people led by the eldest prince, Zhu Qiyu! At this moment, Emperor Longwu, dressed in a yellow embroidered dragon robe and wearing a crown, sat upright on his high dragon throne, looking down at his sons and officials below. Meanwhile, the Grand Eunuch Xiao Xizi slowly opened a decree in his hands.

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Your Majesty's benevolence extends far and wide, encompassing all things under Heaven and on Earth, and all are honored and respected; Your Majesty's commands are widespread, reaching even the southernmost corners of the land, and all are obeyed. The eldest son of the Emperor, Zhu Qiyu, is exceptionally talented and of noble character, and in accordance with the Empress Dowager's benevolent decree, and following due rites, to uphold the imperial line for ten thousand years and to unite the hearts of the four seas, is hereby established as Crown Prince!" Xiao Xizi stood at the edge of the Sumeru pedestal, loudly proclaiming the edict appointing the Crown Prince.

The matter was not over yet. After the first edict was read, Xiao Xizi turned around and took out another edict, which he slowly opened!

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Your Majesty's benevolence and grace extend to all things under Heaven and on Earth. The Second Prince, Zhu Qihao, is humble, courteous, gentle, and refined, possessing both literary and martial talents, and is thus granted the title of King of Joseon: vassal states of Pyongan Province, Hwanghae Province, Gyeonggi Province, Chungcheong Province, and Jeolla Province. May you uphold the majesty of the Dragon Kingdom, establish ancestral temples, and ensure its perpetuation for ten thousand generations!"

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Third Prince Zhu Qihui is hereby enfeoffed as the King of Joseon, with the vassal states of Wigyeong Province, Gangwon Province, and Gyeongsang Province under his command. He is hereby granted the right to establish ancestral temples and perpetuate the dynasty for ten thousand generations!"

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Fourth Prince Zhu Qize is hereby enfeoffed as the Prince of Ange: a vassal state of the Western Rong, and is hereby granted the authority to establish an ancestral temple to ensure the continuation of the lineage for ten thousand generations!"

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Fifth Prince Zhu Qixiang is hereby enfeoffed as the Prince of Annam: a vassal state of the Western Rong, and is hereby granted the right to establish an ancestral temple to ensure the continuation of the lineage for ten thousand generations!"

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The sixth prince, Zhu Qijun, is hereby enfeoffed as the Prince of Pingfan: a vassal state of the Western Rong, and is hereby granted the authority to establish an ancestral temple to ensure the continuation of the dynasty for ten thousand generations!"

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Seventh Prince Zhu Qiyuan is hereby enfeoffed as the Prince of Pingnan, a vassal state of the Western Rong. It is hoped that you will establish an ancestral temple and pass on your lineage for ten thousand generations!"

Xiao Xizi read out one imperial edict after another. Clearly, this time, Emperor Longwu had not only directly appointed the Crown Prince, but also directly appointed the Second Prince, Third Prince, Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince, Sixth Prince, and Seventh Prince—six princes who were fifteen years old or older—as kings! Even their fiefdoms had been arranged!

Apart from the second and third princes, the other princes, the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh princes, were all directly enfeoffed in Xirong (Africa)!
At this moment, the princes, led by the eldest prince Zhu Qiyu, knelt down in front of the Sumeru throne!
"Your subjects thank Your Majesty for your great favor!" The princes, led by the eldest prince Zhu Qiyu, respectfully kowtowed to Emperor Longwu in gratitude.

Even the Fourth Prince and his entourage from the Western Rong fiefdom were visibly excited. After all, they knew perfectly well that the Dragon Kingdom's Third Ocean Navy had already set sail for the Western Rong!
This situation clearly indicates that the Emperor is clearing obstacles for their fiefdoms! Once they establish their own government and recruit the three guards of the princes, they can head to their fiefdoms, establish vassal states, and declare themselves kings!
Moreover, the princes of the Western Rong, led by the Fourth Prince, were well aware that the Western Rong had no powerful enemies at all! This time, their father had sent the navy to wipe them out again, so all they could do was focus on construction!

Most importantly, while the Fourth Prince and his companions still need to work on their development, they have a significant advantage over their second and third brothers: their fiefdoms are not fixed in size. They can claim as much land as they can! This is what's truly exciting!

Then, amidst the envious gazes of the assembled officials, the eldest prince, Zhu Qiyu, dressed in a bright yellow python robe, slowly ascended the Sumeru pedestal and stood beside the Longwu Emperor.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"Your subjects pay their respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince. Long live Your Highness! Long live Your Highness!" In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, a group of subjects, led by the Second Prince, respectfully bowed to Emperor Longwu and Crown Prince Zhu Qiyu on the Sumeru Platform.

At this moment, the foundation of the Dragon Kingdom has been established!
(End of this chapter)