The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 458 All Nations Coming to Pay Tribute Are Robbers
Li Guozhu actually brought back a large number of tribute envoys from Indian tribes.

This was indeed a surprise for Wanli.

He quickly flipped through the list of tribute items and then asked, "Guozhu, where are the tribute envoys now?"

Li Guozhu said without hesitation: "They are still on the boat."

Wanli asked again: "How many people came in total?"

Li Guozhu said without hesitation: "Almost 400 people, just a few short."

Wanli continued to ask: "Are they used to eating Ming Dynasty food?"

Li Guozhu nodded repeatedly and said, "They like it very much. They all say that the food of Daming is a rare delicacy."

That's good.

Wanli nodded slightly, looked at the sky again, and then said decisively: "General Shan, quickly order the imperial guards to set up forty large round tables in the square in front of Chengtian Hall.

My dear uncle, tell the royal chef to start cooking quickly. Kill a few more cows, sheep, and deer, and bring in more delicacies from land and sea, and prepare forty tables.

In addition, you send someone to convey my oral instructions, ordering the soldiers of the Shenji Camp to pull up the artillery and form an array on the road from the dock to the East Palace, filling both sides of the road to welcome the tribute envoys from the vassal states.

Guozhu, go back to the ship and have the tribute envoys prepare properly. Once the soldiers of the Shenji Camp have formed their ranks, you can bring them to the Chengtian Palace for an audience."

Everyone responded with a roar, and the entire Dongwang City quickly followed suit.

The envoys from the Indian tribe gained a lot of experience this time.

Originally, they knew that the Ming Dynasty was very powerful when they saw the Ming Dynasty navy's Fuchuan warships, but they did not expect that the Ming Dynasty's strength was so terrifying.

They were so shocked along the way that their jaws almost dropped.

Li Guozhu did not return along the same route because the route they took was a one-way loop.

That is, it follows the North Pacific warm current to the west coast of America, then follows the East Pacific cold current south to near the equator, then follows the equatorial warm current to the South Pacific, then follows the West Pacific warm current, which is the Kuroshio Current, to Dongfan, through Ryukyu, and then to Japan.

The ocean current in this circle rotates in a unidirectional clockwise direction. If they want to return to Ming Dynasty by relying on the ocean current, they can only return from the South China Sea.

Therefore, the envoys of the Indian tribe first followed the fleet to the harbor east of Dongfan.

Dongfan has been developed now, and there are too many fishing boats, merchant ships and naval warships there.

Originally, they thought that Dongfan’s thousands of ships were quite formidable.

Who knew that after they arrived in Japan with the fleet, they would see countless warships along the way.

This Dongwang Port is even more amazing. There are thousands of ocean-going ships and warships so densely packed that they are impossible to count.

Their jaws dropped just by seeing so many ships.

Unexpectedly, after reaching the shore, the Ming army soldiers on both sides of the road were even more terrifying.

There were countless densely packed square formations, and most of the Ming army soldiers were carrying muskets. There were also neatly arranged cannons lined up along the road all the way to the city, and it was unknown how many there were.

But they knew the power of muskets and cannons. As long as the colonial bandits brought a few hundred muskets, none of their tribes would be able to defeat them. Cannons were even more terrifying. As long as there were dozens of them, their tribe would be blown to pieces.

They really didn't expect that the Ming Dynasty had so many muskets and cannons.

When they arrived at the square in front of Chengtian Temple, they were shocked by the huge house. They really couldn't imagine that a house could be built so big.

Wanli had already ordered people to lay a red carpet in the middle of the square, and he sat on the steps as if he were attending a morning court session.

There was no way. The Chengtian Hall in the Prince’s Mansion was not big enough and could not accommodate four hundred people.

When he saw the shirtless Indian tribal envoys wearing colorful feathers on their heads, he couldn't help but feel as if he was in another world.

He had only seen this outfit in videos in later generations, but he didn't expect it to appear in front of him at this moment.

He had never expected that these Indian envoys would actually salute and shout in unison in the stiff official language of the Ming Dynasty: "We pay our respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Long live the Emperor!"

Li Guozhu is a really good guy.

Wanli nodded slightly, then raised his hand and said in a loud voice: "No need for formalities, please stand up, and I will grant you a feast."

"Thank you, His Majesty the Emperor."

The envoys of the Indian tribe actually got up from the ground and dispersed to the tables on both sides.

This proves that they all understood!

Moreover, Li Guozhu should have explained how to sit at the banquet before he came.

This guy is really good.

Wanli nodded slightly, then waved his hand, and the imperial guards brought in dishes like a stream of water. Beef, mutton, and venison were all served in huge basins, and countless dishes of delicacies from land and sea were placed on the table. All the tables were quickly filled, and the whole square was immediately filled with the aroma of meat, making everyone salivate with greed.

The envoys from the Indian tribes were really drooling.

Although they had eaten Ming Dynasty cuisine, it was cooked by naval officers or the Imperial Guards, and the quality alone could not compare with that of the imperial chefs.

What's more, it is impossible for the navy officers and soldiers and the Jinyiwei to eat meat and fish every meal, and it is even more impossible for them to prepare such a large table of delicious food.

They were really a little greedy, as the table full of dishes looked extremely delicious.

Upon seeing this, Wanli stood up and walked over to the table where Li Guozhu was sitting. He picked up the filled wine glass and raised it directly, saying, "Everyone has worked hard on this journey. I would like to offer you a toast. After drinking, please feel free to do as you please. Don't be polite."

I don't know whether the Indian tribe's envoys understood or not, but they all stood up in unison and drank the wine in their glasses.

Seeing this, Wanli raised his hand and asked them to sit down, then picked up his chopsticks and asked everyone to start eating.

These people have even learned to use chopsticks!
Seeing this, Wanli couldn't help but wonder, "Guozhu, how long have you been teaching them? They actually know so much."

Li Guozhu quickly explained: “Your Majesty, they were all selected from various tribes and are naturally very smart.

Besides, they had nothing to do along the way, so I ordered the Jinyiwei and the navy officers to teach them whenever they caught them. After a few months of learning, they will be able to speak Ming Mandarin with us."

Not bad, not bad, really not bad.

Upon hearing this, Wanli nodded slightly and then asked, "You all know that the colonial bandits are looting crazily over there, right?"

Of course, many tribes were forced to flee everywhere by the colonial bandits, and they all heard about it.

Originally, they didn't know what to call those people who were more brutal than beasts. The term "colonial bandits" was taught to them by the navy soldiers and the Jinyiwei.

They also knew that these colonial bandits were specifically there to plunder.

The envoys from several major tribes at the table all nodded repeatedly and said, "I know, I know."

You really came here to seek asylum.

Wanli nodded slightly and asked, "Are you all willing to become vassal states of the Ming Dynasty?"

At this moment, the messengers were a little confused.

Obviously, they didn't understand.

Seeing this, Li Guozhu quickly explained: "Your Majesty, they haven't established a country yet, they are just tribes."

I know this.

Wanli nodded slightly and said as simply and clearly as possible: "I will send people to help you establish your country, help you build a city like this, and provide you with weapons and equipment to help you resist the invasion of colonial bandits. The prerequisite is that you all submit to the Ming Dynasty. Are you willing?"

They all understand the meaning of submission.

Several messengers nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes."

That's enough. There's no need to say more about the rest. Even if I do, these people may not understand.

When the time comes, just send someone to teach them how to do it.

Wanli picked up his chopsticks and said, "Come, eat the food, eat the food, everyone, please don't be polite."

He greeted them for a while, then said solemnly, "Guozuke, have you figured out the route to America?"

Li Guozhu nodded repeatedly and said, "I've figured it out. This mainly depends on the ocean currents, similar to observing the Kuroshio Current. We have telescopes, and we can find ocean currents faster than the Spanish and Portuguese."

Wanli nodded slightly, then asked, "What is the attitude of the Spanish and Portuguese in America towards you?"

Li Guozhu said carefully, "They were quite accommodating to me, and they really wanted Ming merchant ships to go to America to do business with them. They liked the gifts I brought with me."

These colonial bandits think your fleet is too powerful, so their attitude is acceptable. If you bring merchant ships instead of gunboats, they will probably start robbing you directly, taking away people, goods and ships together!

Upon hearing this, Wanli said solemnly: "We can deal with them perfunctorily on this business, but our strategy in America should focus on helping the Indians.

These colonial bandits stole everything. If we help the Indians drive them away and take everything back, business will definitely be better and profits will definitely be higher."

what?
We help the Indians fight those colonial bandits?

Is this helping the weak and suppressing the strong?
The problem is that the Indian tribes are a bit too weak.

Li Guozhu looked at the Indian tribal envoy who didn't even have a knife, and he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Upon hearing this, the envoy of the Indian tribe was filled with excitement.

Such a powerful Ming Dynasty is really willing to help them!
They no longer have to fear those colonial bandits.

(End of this chapter)