Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 299 Prince Yan, Zhu Di, Obtains a Precious Treasure

Although this thing doesn't sound very respectable.

However, Zhu Di showed no sign of disdain whatsoever.

Not only did they not find it offensive, but they also cherished it greatly.

The reason was simple: this was something his father had entrusted to him.

It was instructed that he should focus his search after setting sail.

In his father's words, this thing is no ordinary item.

It played an extremely important role for the Ming Dynasty.

It is the best fertilizer imaginable.

If this thing can be transported back, it would be even more cost-effective than transporting grain back directly.

Compared to cow dung and human excrement, these fertilizers are worlds apart.

If this bird droppings stone is broken up and applied to the fields, it can significantly increase grain yield.

Zhu Di was not the kind of person who was lazy and ignorant of farming.

He has a profound understanding of food.

Food is an extremely important thing.

On a smaller scale, it concerns the lives of many ordinary people.

On a larger scale, it is even related to the rise and fall of a country.

If there is enough food to feed all the people, then the world will not descend into chaos.

From now on, no one will think about overthrowing the Ming Dynasty or causing it any harm.

The country can then be stabilized.

He wasn't saying everyone could have enough to eat, but rather that if everyone could be fed to the point of not starving, then no one would think of rebelling.

But this one goal alone is particularly difficult to achieve.

When he was old enough to remember things, although the situation had stabilized, he still saw a lot of the lives of the common people.

I also know how low the demands of many ordinary people are.

As for what his father had told him before, he wanted to create an era where everyone could have enough to eat, clothes to wear, and education to attend.

Zhu Di's heart was naturally filled with excitement.

But I also know that these are things I can only think about in my heart.

It's basically impossible to achieve.

He is no longer the kind of person who knows nothing.

What Father Emperor is talking about is extremely difficult, even though food, clothing, shelter and transportation seem very simple.

Yes, it's possible, but it involves everyone. Getting everyone to do this would be truly difficult.

That is why Zhu Di did not find the stone he was holding, which was much lighter than ordinary stones, disgusting at all, when he heard his father say that it was formed from the droppings of many seabirds over hundreds or even tens of thousands of years, weathered and settled over time.

On the contrary, he looked at it with great interest, as if it were a precious treasure.

If these things really do have such a great effect as my father said.

It can increase grain production by such a large margin.

That thing really deserves his treatment.

It truly deserves to be called a gem.

While marveling at this unassuming thing.

Zhu Di couldn't help but feel a different kind of curiosity.

That is, how did his own father, the emperor, know that these things existed on this island?

How do you know so much about this and how do you know its effects?

Now, the more Zhu Di looked at his father, the more he felt that his father was extraordinary.

They are practically omniscient and omnipotent!

Father Emperor knows so many things very clearly!

Originally, I thought my father was very remarkable, but now, looking at him again, I feel even more that he is extraordinary!
My father is like a god.

Sometimes he couldn't help but wonder if his father had encountered some extraordinary adventure.

Otherwise, why would things have come to this?
I shook my head, trying to banish these seemingly absurd thoughts from my mind and stop thinking about them so much.

No matter what, Father is still Father.

It would be good if Father became more powerful.

Only in this way can we learn more from our father.

"Load it onto the ship. Take as much as you can back this time!"

Zhu Di gave the order.

Now that we know this bird droppings is something the Emperor needs, and that transporting it back is of great significance.

Then, naturally, he wouldn't be polite anymore.

As soon as he gave the order, the people accompanying him quickly got to work, one by one.

Load it onto the ship.

Although they didn't quite understand why they were putting these stone-like things in the container instead of some precious spices and other valuable items.

But since it was His Highness the Prince of Yan's order, they naturally complied.

Feeling the salty sea breeze, Zhu Di, who was already not fair-skinned, now looked even darker from the sun. He straightened up and faced the sea.

I felt refreshed and relaxed, both physically and mentally.

From now on, this ocean will be my final resting place!

Speaking of which, the last time, his father had spoken to him.

Besides telling himself how vast the overseas regions were, it also revealed his intention to enfeoff himself, the Prince of Yan, and other capable and ambitious princes of the Ming Dynasty overseas in the future.

Zhu Di agreed on the spot.

However, to be honest, while I agree, I still feel a little uneasy inside.

Because this Ming Dynasty is the place where he was born and raised.

His parents, his brother, and everything he knew were here.

Now, his father was suddenly sending him to such a far place, which he naturally found hard to accept.

However, when I looked back at my father's arrangements at this point, I had some different thoughts.

She began to accept her father and even expressed gratitude to him.

Because he had already seen quite a bit of just how vast the overseas world truly is.

We saw many more places and how wealthy they were.

Many spices that are very precious in the Ming Dynasty are found everywhere.

The next emperor of the Ming Dynasty was the eldest brother, and could only be the eldest brother.

As people grow up, they can no longer consider only pure family affection.

Besides family ties, there are other things to consider.

The issue of vassal kings wielding real power has been deeply guarded against ever since the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms during the Han Dynasty, followed by the Rebellion of the Eight Princes during the Jin Dynasty.

The Emperor was able to bestow upon us the title of king, and even intended for us to become powerful vassal kings. He was exceptionally good to us.

Staying in China now presents a dilemma.

Not only was the eldest brother in a difficult position, but the rest of us were also in a difficult position.

Many things, in reality, are not so free to do.

In addition, some ministers were watching them like thieves.

He also knew that, given the respect his younger brothers showed their elder brother, they would never cause trouble for him if they became vassal kings.

All they do is try to help their elder brother protect the country.

The eldest brother has always been exceptionally kind to his younger brothers.

The eldest brother is like a father, and this was truly the case with our elder brother. Even if we were to become vassal kings, our elder brother would never have any objections.

But what about the eldest brother's son, the eldest brother's grandson, and the eldest brother's great-grandson?
As for us, the throne will be inherited by our sons and grandsons.

As the generations go by, blood ties will become increasingly distant.

Where is there any family affection left?

In the future, the reduction of the power of the feudal lords will inevitably be carried out.

It will definitely cause a lot of trouble for the Ming Dynasty.

This patriarchal system, which relies solely on blood ties for its cohesion, will inevitably encounter problems over time.

This can be clearly seen by looking at the enfeoffment system during the Zhou Dynasty.

This will not be a good outcome for the Ming Dynasty, its emperor, or their descendants.

But if we were to be enfeoffed and sent out to other places, that would be a different story.

In the words of my father, there is a vast world outside, and much can be accomplished.

We don't need to be kept under close surveillance in China.

Be careful of this, worry about that, consider everything carefully.

Their talents were not given a chance to be displayed, and everyone lived a stifled and miserable life.

A good man's ambition lies in all corners of the world.

In such a state, there is no better way to go overseas, with the support and troops given by my father, to rebuild an empire.

Is it more comfortable to be a true king?

Now, Zhu Di is quite impatient, waiting for this day to happen.

The only regret is that if we really go to sea in the future to establish our own kingdoms, we will not be able to do so.

Then it would be extremely difficult to see the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and my elder brother again.

Home is always a bond.

If one's own home were like other imperial homes, filled with scheming and calculation.

They schemed against each other, even brothers and fathers and sons were wary of each other, fighting to the death.

So they left, and that's that; it won't leave anyone feeling too sad.

But my own family is harmonious and free of those troubles.

That's what makes people even more reluctant to part with it.

Zhu Di faced the sea, opened his arms, and exhaled a long breath.

I felt my heart and mind expand considerably at that moment.

Many things are inherently difficult to balance.

You can not have it both ways.

Since that's the case, I should let loose and go out into the world to make my own way!

Let the glorious civilization of the Ming Dynasty spread to even more distant places!
Let them all bask in the benevolent light of the Great Ming, and send them the warmth from the Great Ming!

Let your brothers and others explore the outside world properly, and truly make everything that the sun and moon shine on and rivers flow into Han territory!

As for Father Emperor and Mother Empress... they can only come back to visit more often when they have the chance...

……

Huh? Why is this an empty camp?
The Northern Yuan Grand Commandant, Manzi, led his large army swiftly forward.

Head straight for our goal and seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

However, upon arriving here, I discovered that things had changed and were vastly different from what I had imagined!
This place is actually an empty camp!

Upon discovering this, he was immediately shocked, and his heart sank.

A sense of foreboding suddenly welled up inside me.

"Get out! Get out!"

He shouted and charged towards the camp gate not far away.

The rest of the troops also set off.

Unfortunately, it was a bit too late.

A burst of light appeared, followed by rockets hurtling straight in.

It immediately caused a huge fire!

If it were just fire, that would be fine.

But Xu Da had prepared for so long, how could he only have such limited methods?
Immediately after the fire started, a deafening explosion rang out!
It was as if an earth dragon had turned over, causing the earth to crack and mountains to collapse!
The vibrations were so intense they made my eardrums ache, and I felt the whole earth shaking.

At the same time, many of the Yuan dynasty's elite troops were blown into the air!

After that first loud noise, a series of earth-shattering explosions followed.

It felt like the end of the world!
It turned out that while preparing the ignition source, Xu Da had already secretly ordered his men to plant a lot of gunpowder in these places to kill the enemy.

Moreover, the gunpowder and its corresponding gunpowder containers had been improved by the Firearms Bureau, making them extremely powerful.

Lighting it at this point produces amazing results.

Grand Commandant Manzi felt his eyes were about to burst and his liver and gallbladder were about to shatter!

Without time to think, he roared again and led his men away quickly.

Fortunately, he remained somewhat cautious and did not send all his troops in.

Only a portion of the advance force has arrived here.

He was positioned relatively far back, which allowed him to escape.

Otherwise, he would have lost his life right here.

In an instant, I was shocked, angry, and heartbroken.

By this point, how could he not realize that he had once again fallen into Xu Da's trap?

I absolutely hate them to the core!

He was so careful and cautious, yet in the end he still couldn't escape being outmaneuvered by Xu Da.
Xu Da deserved to die!

While thinking this, I kept retreating.

The once elite and well-organized Yuan army had now become chaotic.
"Get out quickly!"

Grand Commandant Manzi shouted loudly and led his men back at top speed.

He didn't think they were safe at this point.

They weren't killed in the explosion, only temporarily.

Xu Da is an exceptionally cunning fox, since he has resorted to such methods against them.

Then that's impossible; there are only these.

There will certainly be other methods to follow.

When they can escape back to the grasslands, that will be true safety!

And his idea was indeed correct; Xu Da really did have a backup plan.

After the earth-shattering explosion, the barbarians quickly issued a retreat order and fled with their men.

Unexpected changes followed one after another.

Immediately, shouts of battle rang out, and soldiers charged out from both sides in the darkness, heading straight for them.

The momentum is like a rainbow!

Faced with this situation, even though the Northern Yuan Grand Commandant Manzi knew the situation was critical, he had no other good way to deal with it.

The best approach, naturally, is to gather the troops, stabilize the situation, and prevent the troops from falling into chaos.

However, Xu Da was far too cunning!

These things were already planned out!
How could we possibly give them a chance?

He could only run, run as far as he could, and escape as many people as he could!
In this process, the few remaining warriors of the Great Yuan Dynasty will be slaughtered like pigs and dogs by the people of the false Ming Dynasty, and there is nothing that can be done about it.

The only way now is to escape as quickly as possible, to the army he left behind as a backup.

Let them provide backup; that's the only chance we have!
(End of this chapter)