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

Chapter 479 The World!

Upon first hearing this insane plan, the princes in the Imperial Ancestral Temple were all stunned. Their gazes darted back and forth between the geomantic map on the wall and their father, Emperor Longwu. Their eyes, as if gazing upon a living deity, were filled with such piety and disbelief!

After all, they never imagined that anyone would be so crazy as to want to take over the whole world!

However, looking at the vast geomantic map before them, and then turning to look at their father, Emperor Longwu, whose expression remained resolute, the princes finally realized the breadth of their father's heart!
Seeing his sons' blank expressions, Emperor Longwu also came to the geomantic map, using his towering figure to block most of it, and then began to speak.

"I would like to add something more to the list of princes!"

I enfeoffed you all here for the sake of my Zhu family, to plan for the entire world!
Your sons, apart from the one who will inherit the throne, should also be distributed out as many times as possible!
Just as I am now enfeoffing you, you should also provide support to your descendants so that they can expand outwards!
This operation can be seen as a reversed bestowal of favor!

Only in this way can we possibly achieve the ambition of the Zhu family of my Dragon Kingdom to rule the world! The Dragon Emperor looked at his sons, each with a blank expression, and solemnly instructed them as they were about to be enfeoffed.
In reality, Emperor Longwu's requirement was also a fundamental condition to enable the descendants of the Zhu family to expand outwards as much as possible!

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Hearing their father, Emperor Longwu's, solemn words, the princes swallowed hard, exchanged a glance at the shocked looks on their brothers' faces, and bowed to their father in reply.

"Don't rush to agree, I haven't finished explaining my request yet!" Seeing his sons readily agree, Emperor Longwu waved his hand, signaling them to continue listening to him. Immediately, all the princes listened attentively once more.

"After you take up your fiefdoms, you must remember the ethics of my Dragon Kingdom!"

I do not mind you forming alliances, but intermarriage between fiefdoms is prohibited within five generations of kinship!

However, although I do not care about your intention to form an alliance, I will not stop you from attacking each other after you establish your own fiefdoms!

"But you must think carefully: is it more important to expand outwards and occupy more vast fiefdoms, or to directly seize your brothers' territory?" Emperor Longwu traced the vast expanse of land with his finger, telling his sons without hesitation that they could form alliances, attack each other, and wage war against each other!
However, although Emperor Longwu said this, he knew in his heart that his sons would definitely not fight each other for at least several generations! After all, there was still so much land to be developed, and fighting each other would be too wasteful! If anyone had such thoughts, the vassals in their fiefdoms would not be happy about it!
Hearing their father, Emperor Longwu's, words, the princes were all greatly alarmed. They were about to express their opinions to their father, but before they could speak, Emperor Longwu raised his hand to stop them from saying what they hadn't yet uttered, and continued.

"Not only that, but if in the future the emperor of the Dragon Kingdom becomes incompetent, you can also raise an army to overthrow them and establish a new kingdom! I wouldn't mind!"

No matter what, you are all my sons. Even if you fight and wage war against each other, the final winner will still be a member of the Zhu family! We absolutely cannot let outsiders benefit from this!

Just like Emperor Guangwu revived the Han Dynasty twice and Emperor Zhaolie rebuilt it for the third time, no matter how much infighting occurs among the descendants of the Zhu family, it is still the Zhu family's business!
The emperors were all members of the Zhu family!
At no time should the descendants of the Zhu family cease their expansionist ambitions!

"What the descendants of the Zhu family desire is the world!" Emperor Longwu continued to tell his sons about the "Spark Spreads Like Wildfire" plan.

For a moment, all the princes were stunned. They never imagined that their father would have such a broad mind! This was true magnanimity!

The whole world!
Looking at his sons, who were staring blankly, Emperor Longwu continued to speak.

"I have enfeoffed your aunts on islands, and your children can do the same in the future!"

I hope that in the future, wherever we go, even if it's an island or a desert, it will be my Zhu family's descendants ruling the world!
"The sun will never set above the Zhu family's sky!" Emperor Longwu's sons said with serious expressions.

"Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!" Countless sounds of swallowing saliva rose and fell in the Dragon Kingdom's ancestral temple. "Father, the world is so vast, why should we children fight each other, or covet our elder brother's territory!"
Father and elder brother, rest assured, as long as the Dragon Kingdom is still ruled by members of the Zhu family, your children will absolutely not bring troops back!

After all, such vast fields are enough for our children and future generations to roam freely! After staring at the map again and again, the Second Prince Zhu Qihao seemed to have come to his senses. His eyes were fixed on the Jurchens and the land extending outwards, his eyes filled with a crazy possessiveness!

"Grandpa, Father, Eldest Brother!"

Second brother is right. Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are subjects of the king!
"This statement is most fitting when applied to the descendants of the Zhu family of my Dragon Kingdom!" Zhu Qize said, his face flushed as he stared intently at the geomantic map before him. Clearly, he too was lost in his own reverie!
Seeing his sons' excited expressions, Emperor Longwu gently shook his head, not wanting to dampen their confidence.

"That's what I say, but there's one thing I need to make clear to you."

Once, when your great-grandfather, Emperor Taizong, was in power, I promised him that I would never wage war against the Ming Dynasty!
However, what I want to tell you here is that the Central Plains will be left to the descendants of the Zhu family of the Ming Dynasty!
"As long as the future emperor there still bears the surname Zhu, the descendants of the Zhu family of my Dragon Kingdom must not wage war against them!" Emperor Longwu said solemnly to his sons. His unspoken meaning was simple: if the person sitting on the throne of the Ming Dynasty no longer bore the surname Zhu, then everyone could do as they pleased!

The princes present naturally understood the meaning behind these words!

"Father, please rest assured, your children will certainly follow your teachings!" The Second Prince, Zhu Qihao, quickly bowed and echoed with his younger brothers.

"Fourth brother, fifth brother, sixth brother, seventh brother."

Since you also wish to go to your fiefdoms this year, you may do so along with your second brother and the others. I have no objection. Furthermore, your father will speak on your mother's behalf.

However, your marriage will have to be arranged in a less than ideal way. I had originally planned to hold a separate selection of candidates for you!

Since you are so eager to take up your fiefdoms, I can only grant you marriages and let you leave with your princesses. You cannot choose from the ladies-in-waiting like your elder brothers did!

"You brothers really need to think this through!" Emperor Longwu then said to his fourth son and the others. After all, Emperor Longwu hadn't expected that after being granted the title of prince, his sons would all be eager to go to their fiefdoms as soon as possible! They didn't even have time for the imperial concubine selection!

Of course, it's also possible that the princes realized they couldn't inherit the throne of the Dragon Kingdom, which is why they were in a hurry to take up their fiefdoms!

"Father, marriages are arranged by parents and matchmakers, as has been the case since ancient times! Our marriages will naturally be conducted in accordance with Your Majesty's decree!" Zhu Qize and Zhu Qixiang quickly replied after hearing Emperor Longwu's words.

After all, with the lure of fiefdoms, the choice of a princess isn't so important! Besides, once they're in their fiefdoms, they'll have all sorts of beauties! They are the sons of Emperor Longwu, and their goal is to conquer the world! As for princesses, as long as they're virtuous, that's enough!

"In that case, let the descendants of the Zhu family of my Dragon Kingdom begin to spread throughout the world!" After hearing his son's words, Emperor Longwu stood in front of the geomantic map, his imposing figure reflected in the vast map, and said with a serious expression.

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Upon hearing Emperor Longwu's words, all the princes in the ancestral temple bowed respectfully to Emperor Longwu, who stood before the geomantic map, and responded in unison!
Meanwhile, Zhu Gaoxu, whose figure was hunched over, looked at the scene before him with a proud and gratified look in his somewhat cloudy eyes.

(End of this chapter)