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

Chapter 536 There are three ways to achieve immortality.
Yes, Emperor Xixiang, Zhu Qiyu, didn't just want to leave his descendants the secret to immortality. He was also unwilling to admit defeat or give up on his dream of immortality; he wanted to test just how difficult his father's method of achieving it truly was!
"Elder brother is right, please enlighten us, Father!"

"Brother is right."

"Your Majesty's words are reasonable." After Emperor Xixiang spoke, the princes immediately realized their mistake and wanted to give it a try! How would they know if they could succeed if they didn't try?!
What they didn't know was that this was exactly what Emperor Longwu had been hoping for!
"In that case, then you shall listen to it."

It is said that a tall building rises from the ground. For ordinary people, building a house starts with digging a foundation.

"In fact, nowadays, my Dragon Kingdom has already laid the foundation for exploring the stars!" Emperor Longwu said softly to the crowd, a faint glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Faced with the eager gazes of the princes, Emperor Longwu didn't keep them in suspense and spoke directly.

Gunpowder and steel!

These two are like the foundation of a house, the cornerstone of exploring the starry sky!

However, nowadays, our Dragon Kingdom's use of gunpowder is too simplistic, and its research on refined steel is too one-sided.

"We simply cannot support the exploration of the stars." Emperor Longwu did not hesitate to steer the conversation directly to gunpowder and refined steel.

"But exploring the stars is not just a matter of gunpowder and steel."

How far is it from the Dragon Kingdom to the Great Ming Dynasty? How many roads are there? Who will go? What kind of means of transportation will be used? How much food and fodder will be carried? How many horses will be there? These are all questions.

Similarly, taking the moon landing as an example, how far is the Dragon Kingdom from the moon? How many days would it take to reach it? How many days' worth of provisions would be needed? How many people would be needed to land? How would they search for the secret to immortality after landing? How would they ensure the loyalty of those who landed? How would these questions be calculated? These are all questions, aren't they?

In reality, these aren't the only issues. There are many more questions that even I, the Emperor, cannot understand or know, and that require our consideration.

This is an undertaking comparable to the ancient feat of severing the connection between heaven and earth. It requires countless sums of money, resources, and personnel to coordinate and explore.

All I can say is that, given the current state of the Dragon Kingdom, if nothing unexpected happens and the Dragon Kingdom continues to develop comprehensively, there is a chance in five hundred years!

However, if something unexpected happens to the country along the way, that would be a different story. Emperor Longwu's purpose in implementing this so-called Starry Sky Immortality Plan was to comprehensively develop the overall strength of the Dragon Kingdom.

After all, any lunar landing program involves the overall improvement of a nation's strength and power! This applies to materials science, aerospace engineering, mechanics, atmospheric science, and other disciplines alike!

And every breakthrough in a discipline represents a comprehensive improvement in the overall national strength of the Dragon Kingdom!

At this moment, after hearing Emperor Longwu's words, the hearts of all the princes, including Emperor Xixiang, sank. After all, according to Emperor Longwu, the problems that needed to be studied were simply countless!

Given the current state of China's national strength, the gap between China and the world is simply too vast for China to truly reach the stars!

The research and development funding required for just one spaceflight project is astronomical! Even one of their vassal states might not be able to support even a single research project!

"Father, is this the only way?" Emperor Xixiang, realizing the situation, asked Emperor Longwu unwillingly. Although his father's words were simple, Emperor Xixiang understood perfectly; there were too many problems! The required personnel, funds, and resources were far too numerous!

Even if we start planning and researching it tomorrow, it might take at least a hundred years to figure it out!

"Yu'er, this is the only way. It's the simplest, most realistic, and most likely solution to be achieved in the end."

"Only princes like you have the ability to gather the power of the nation and seek a way to achieve immortality," Emperor Longwu replied calmly to his son.

For a moment, all the princes present fell silent. What were originally three paths to immortality, seemingly many, had now all become dead ends! How could they not fall into self-doubt? And this was precisely the result Emperor Longwu desired!

The first of the three paths to immortality, seemingly a dead end, leaves a glimmer of hope, and this glimmer of hope is the foundation for the vigorous development of medicine!
The second path, seemingly the one everyone dislikes the most, is actually the one they are most likely to succeed on! At the same time, it is also the foundation that compels the emperor and princes to be diligent in their duties, ensuring national stability and development!

The third path, seemingly illusory and lengthy, is actually the one with the best chance of being realized. However, this path is a calculated scheme devised by Emperor Longwu specifically for the Zhu family of the Dragon Kingdom!

Whether it was emperors or princes throughout history, if they all wanted to achieve immortality, they had to dedicate themselves to developing the space program! This would undoubtedly drive a series of comprehensive developments across the entire country!

Even if an emperor or prince were to single-mindedly pursue aerospace development with only one leg, it would still spur significant advancements in gunpowder and materials science. These two fields are fundamental to national defense and external offensive capabilities! It wouldn't necessarily lead to the destruction of the nation!

Therefore, no matter which path these descendants of the Zhu family choose, or even if some clever ones want to take all three paths simultaneously, Emperor Longwu will not refuse! Because this is precisely the result Emperor Longwu desires!
Even if everyone present guessed that this was Emperor Longwu's open scheme, so what? They couldn't resist the temptation!

Because the Dragon Emperor has now reversed his aging process and is now young again, standing right in front of them! They simply cannot resist this temptation!

"Now that Father has regained his youth, I wonder which path he has chosen?" After a moment of silence, Crown Prince Zhu Qiyu respectfully asked Emperor Longwu.

For a time, countless princes looked expectantly at Emperor Longwu. After all, with Emperor Longwu as a cautionary tale, their path would be much easier!

"The third path will have to wait until five hundred years, or even later; it certainly won't be that one."
The second path is only available after death, so it's definitely not that one.

"Tell me, which path did I take?" Emperor Longwu asked the crowd without batting an eye, lying as he did so.

"Self-realization~~~~" After hearing Emperor Longwu's personal confirmation, all the princes and Emperor Xixiang's eyes darkened.

Because the path of self-enlightenment is simply too unreliable.

Ultimately, what one can comprehend depends entirely on oneself. Given their aptitude, it's highly likely they won't comprehend anything at all!
"Father, what about us..." Emperor Xixiang wanted to ask Emperor Longwu, "Can we, the people here, possibly gain any insight?" But the words stuck in his throat, and he didn't say them. After all, he knew that he probably really couldn't gain any insight.

Seeing his son's hesitant words, Emperor Longwu decided to make everyone see the reality!

"Hey~!"

According to Buddhist scriptures, when Shakyamuni Buddha was teaching the Dharma, he smiled while holding up a flower. Among the countless people present, only Venerable Kasyapa understood his meaning.

Even though Mahakasyapa understood the Buddha's teachings, he ultimately only became a Venerable One, not the Buddha.

And countless others remain completely unknown.

The first method of achieving immortality: My every move is actually a demonstration.

"But you have followed me for so long, have you understood anything?" As if sighing, Emperor Longwu let out a long breath and used the story of "smiling while holding up a flower" to illustrate that enlightenment is something that can only be understood intuitively and cannot be explained in words.

For a moment, the gazes of all the princes in the Imperial Ancestral Temple and Emperor Xixiang dimmed deeply.

"Brother, do you have any words of advice for us?" After a moment of silence, the King of Luzon asked the Emperor of Longwu in a deep voice.

(End of this chapter)