My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 298 The Beginning of Colonial Colonial Expansion
When the Longqing Emperor heard that the Kingdom of Luzon in Manila was so cooperative, his mood improved considerably.

In fact, as an emperor, Emperor Longqing knew the importance of Manila, but he was unwilling to let the court be disturbed by the affairs of a foreign state.

Now that the Kingdom of Luzon in Manila has found a way to invite a vassal king of the Ming Dynasty to be their ruler, the Longqing Emperor is naturally pleased.

But how should the king send someone, and who should he send?
The Longqing Emperor looked at his cabinet ministers, and Gao Gong spoke first:

“The journey from Luzon to the Ming Dynasty is treacherous, and the health of our Ming princes is too precious for them to travel far. We can follow the old system of the Tang Dynasty and have the princes lead the army remotely.”

"Remotely enfeoffed" refers to a nominally granted fiefdom.

The Longqing Emperor nodded, agreeing with Gao Gong's opinion.

The princes of the Ming Dynasty were not necessarily honest; wasn't Emperor Chengzu the one who seized the throne through the "Jingnan Campaign"?
The Ming Dynasty's preferential treatment of princes and its strict control over them are two sides of the same coin.

Manila is so far from the Ming Dynasty that it was impossible for them to actually send a vassal king there.

Having established the tone of "remote command," the emperor was even more pleased and continued to ask:
"Then, esteemed cabinet ministers, which vassal king do you think is capable of undertaking this great responsibility?"

Zhang Juzheng then said:
"I believe that the King of Chu is gentle, kind, frugal and modest, and is capable of undertaking this great responsibility."

Now even the emperor was watching Zhang Juzheng closely. Zhang Juzheng was truly shameless when he started lying.

Moreover, Zhang Juzheng, who was usually very serious, said such things with a straight face, making everyone feel that he was joking.

How old was the King of Chu? You say he was gentle, kind, frugal, and modest?
Back when the Chu Zong case was happening, you, Grand Secretary Zhang, were shouting that you wanted to destroy the Chu Zong family.

Now he's back to being gentle, kind, frugal, and modest?
Zhang Juzheng continued:
"But the King of Chu is young, so the court needs to take good care of the matter of the fiefdom. Therefore, I think it is appropriate to send the King of Chu's tutor to Manila to take charge of the local affairs."

Now the Longqing Emperor understood. Brilliant, truly brilliant!

Aren't you Manila and Luzon begging the Ming Dynasty's vassal king?
They probably also knew that the Ming Dynasty's vassal kings could not leave the Ming Dynasty, and they thought that recognizing a vassal king would allow them to trade with the Ming Dynasty.

However, the princes of the Ming Dynasty cannot go, but the tutor of the Prince of Chu can go!
Zhang Juzheng added:

"Chu Zong has received such a large amount of land as a reward, so he should return a portion of the royal estate to the court."

The Longqing Emperor nodded repeatedly!

Although the report of Chu Zong's enormous wealth was verified to be false after investigation by local officials in Wuchang.

However, Chu Zong's wealth was indeed astonishing, a figure that even the Longqing Emperor found unsatisfactory.

Now that the King of Chu is young and the royal family of Chu is embroiled in legal trouble, it is the perfect time to take control of the Chu royal family.

At this time, taking back some land from Chu Zong would be exactly what the emperor wanted.

And so, in the midst of the dialogue between the monarch and his ministers, the fate of the Kingdom of Luzon in Manila was decided.

On that day, the emperor issued an edict granting the petition of the Kingdom of Luzon in Manila.

The following day, the Ministry of Rites drafted a list of princes, and the tribute mission from Luzon, Manila, very "cooperatively" requested the court to grant them the title of King of Chu as their ruler.

The emperor readily agreed, and thus the King of Chu was granted the title of King of Manila once again.
-
The memorial entitled "On Clarifying the Fundamentals of the Imperial Clan and Strengthening the Foundation of the Nation" was passed.

The ruler of the Kingdom of Luzon in Manila was nominally appointed by a Ming Dynasty vassal king, marking the beginning of the practice where a Ming Dynasty vassal king concurrently served as the ruler of an overseas vassal state.

[Initially inspired, the Ming Dynasty established similar vassal states in the areas it occupied.]

Unwittingly, this system sparked a frenzy of overseas colonization by the Ming Dynasty.

Your "theory of culture and substance" became an important theory for the Ming Dynasty's evaluation of vassal states, thus establishing the tributary system centered on the Ming Dynasty.

[National fortune +2.]

[Prestige +400.]

[Remaining Prestige: 1330.]

Were these envoys from Manila and Luzon acting voluntarily, or were they acting under the influence of a system?
Su Ze didn't know either, but let's just say whether the memorial was approved or not!
November 9th, the Eastern Palace.

"Master Su! My father won't allow me to become the ruler of Manila!"

Looking at the sullen little chubby Jun, Su Ze was speechless.

Your father is still alive, and you want to become the ruler of Manila?
Once you ascend the throne, you can be the ruler of as many countries as you want!

Su Ze still tried to persuade him gently:

“Your Highness, now is the time for you to study. Manila is just a small country. In the future, you will be in charge of the whole country.”

Children's tempers come and go quickly. Zhu Yijun's anger was probably similar to asking his father for a "toy" and being refused.

After Su Ze coaxed him, Zhu Yijun also calmed down.

After my father passes away, I will definitely bring all the rulers of Manila under my control!

Zhu Yijun made a decision in secret and stopped dwelling on the matter.

His interest soon shifted to the navy.

"Master Su, four more new ships have been launched in the navy!"

"Master Su, please take a look. These are the four newest ship models."

The eunuchs Zhang Hong and Chen Ju carried in a small table with four exquisite wooden ship models on it.

Zhang Hong said, "This is a ship model presented by Eunuch Zhang of the Denglai Maritime Trade Office."

Zhang Cheng, the eunuch of the Dengzhou-Laizhou Maritime Trade Office, was Feng Bao's adopted son.

The fact that he was able to hold the key position of the Maritime Trade Office of Dengzhou and Laizhou for three years is enough to demonstrate his ability.

Zhang Hong was Li Fang's adopted son. He glanced briefly at Chen Ju, the little eunuch beside him.

Chen Ju was also Feng Bao's adopted son, and Feng Bao arranged for him to be by the Crown Prince's side to share the burden of his relationship with the Crown Prince.

Although Chen Ju is also very clever and rarely clashes directly with Zhang Hong, the two belong to different factions, so there will inevitably be competition between them, both overt and covert.

Zhu Yijun was raised by Feng Bao when he was young, and the two had a close relationship. Zhang Hong was also very careful in the Eastern Palace.

Sure enough, after combining the best of Eastern and Western shipbuilding technologies, the shipbuilding level of the Ming Dynasty improved rapidly.

These four ship models are incredibly detailed, even replicating the interior structure of the cabins. No wonder Xiao Pangjun likes them so much.

With these four new ships, plus the four new vessels returning from Southeast Asia, the Ming Dynasty navy now has eight new ships.

With the addition of more than a dozen Fujian ships, the Ming Dynasty's navy had already taken initial shape.

Actually, this number is already quite good.

The Spanish Armada, renowned throughout the original timeline, had only about twenty four-masted galleons as its main battleships.

The firepower of each four-masted galleon was roughly equivalent to that of the new Ming Dynasty warships.

The Invincible Fleet consisted of more than one hundred ships, most of which were actually armed merchant ships.

Armed merchant ships are ordinary ships that are simply merchant ships when their armaments are removed.

If the Ming Dynasty were to immediately conscript merchant ships from the coast, it could field a fleet of hundreds of vessels. The Ottomans and Portuguese currently vying for control of Malacca possess main warships whose performance is inferior to the Ming Dynasty's new three-masted ships, and whose firepower is a generation behind.

It can be said that once these four new ships of the Ming Dynasty are launched, the Ming Navy will be the most powerful and advanced fleet in the Asian waters.

Of course, Su Ze also knew that this number of ships was far from enough.

With such a vast maritime territory, the navy also needed to protect the interests of Ryukyu, Penghu, and Southeast Asia. If they were to compete for Malacca, the number of new three-masted ships would need to be at least doubled.

Moreover, just as Spain and Britain in the original timeline did, warships not only need capital warships, but also armed merchant ships.

Before ironclad warships, the identities of naval personnel, merchants, and pirates were often blurred; a ship flying different flags was considered a different ship.

Seeing that the Crown Prince was in high spirits, Zhang Hong also said:

"I heard that His Majesty personally met with the naval officers and even bestowed upon them gold and silver as rewards."

Then Zhang Hong glanced at the eunuch Chen Ju beside him and said:
"Admiral Li of the Navy, the Imperial Envoy, suggested to His Majesty that the Dengzhou-Laizhou Maritime Training Institute be expanded, and His Majesty agreed to rename it the Naval Academy. His Majesty also allocated 10,000 silver dollars from the Imperial Treasury to specifically train maritime professionals."

Zhu Yijun was deeply moved after hearing this and wished he could also go to Dengzhou and Laizhou to study.

However, he knew that he could not leave the Eastern Palace at will.

Little Fatty Jun's eyes darted around, and he said to the little eunuch Chen Ju:
"Little Juzi, didn't you say you couldn't learn anything about naval warfare at the Military Academy? Now, if I send you to the Dengzhou-Laizhou Naval Academy, are you willing?"

Chen Ju's expression changed instantly. He hadn't expected that he would be sent to Dengzhou and Laizhou during the conversation.

Su Ze witnessed the power struggle between the two eunuchs and realized that Zhang Hongqi was indeed one step ahead.

Zhang Hong did not demonstrate any particularly outstanding talent in any area, yet the Crown Prince could not do without him.

Chen Ju, catering to Zhang Hong's interests, focused his efforts on navigation and naval warfare, which ultimately led to his exploitation by Zhang Hong.

But since the Crown Prince had spoken, Chen Ju had no choice but to grit his teeth and agree, otherwise the persona he had cultivated would completely collapse, so he could only put on a happy face.

Zhu Yijun said with satisfaction:

"I will help you get admitted. After you are admitted, you must not reveal your identity. If anything interesting happens at the Naval Academy, you can tell me in a letter!"

After watching the eunuchs vying for the emperor's favor, Xiao Pangjun finally got down to business with Su Ze.

"Master Su, now that Manila and Luzon have paid tribute, can our Ming Dynasty navy be stationed in Southeast Asia and set its sights on Malacca?"

Seeing his disciple's overly dramatic and immature behavior, Su Ze could only offer some advice:

"Your Highness, it is already November, and it is no longer suitable to go to Southeast Asia."

"Master Su, why is that?"

Su Ze said, "Warships are different from merchant ships; their long voyages depend on the wind direction."

"The best time to go to Southeast Asia is early summer, when there are stable southwest winds at sea."

"It is late autumn now, the wind direction has reversed, and it would be very risky for ships to set sail rashly."

Upon hearing the word "risk," Xiao Pangjun, who cherished his navy, immediately abandoned the idea.

But Little Fatty Jun asked with some concern:
What if the Ottomans and the Portuguese decide a winner in Malacca?

Su Ze said:

"Your Highness, rest assured, now is the best time for the European fleet to return home. Based on my assessment of these Western barbarians, they will surely cease hostilities at this time."

"Why is Master Su doing this?"

Su Ze said:

"Two reasons: climate and pirates."

“If we do not return to port now, there will be a hurricane in the waters off Sindhu next May. Ancient books say, ‘If we pass through Old Port (Sumatra) by Qingming Festival, we will be overwhelmed by the wind and waves.’”

"The window of opportunity for Western merchant ships to return home is only a few months, so the Portuguese and Ottomans must be seeking a ceasefire now."

Zhu Yijun immediately said:
“These barbarians are only interested in small gains and have no long-term vision. These are places we can take advantage of in the future.”

Su Ze nodded in satisfaction. His disciple was indeed clever. With this understanding, he would not suffer losses when dealing with Westerners in the future.

How did Master Su determine the storm's location?

Seeing his disciple's eagerness to learn, Su Ze immediately took out the blackboard and explained the lessons on monsoons and ocean currents from junior and senior high school geography classes to Xiao Pangjun.

This left Zhang Hong and Chen Ju, who were listening in, completely stunned.

Can weather and wind direction be calculated?
Moreover, after Su Ze's clear and concise explanation, although they could not understand some of the calculation and derivation processes, the underlying principles were all sound.

Is this Su Hanlin's true strength?

Could it be that Zhuge Liang didn't borrow the east wind, but instead calculated it like Su Hanlin?
No wonder everyone in the court said that Hanlin Su possessed "divine and supernatural wisdom"—he truly was terrifying!
In the Ming Dynasty, the emperor only needed to issue imperial edicts, while the Court of State Ceremonial had many other things to consider.

Throughout the first and middle of the month, Shen Yiguan was constantly shuttling between the Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonial.

This is the first time that an overseas vassal king has been conferred a title. What kind of ceremony should be followed in carrying it out?

The Ministry of Rites, which was in charge of the rites and laws, and the Court of State Ceremonial, which was in charge of the specific implementation, needed to communicate constantly before finally finalizing the ceremony.

Then, since the King of Chu was young and still in Wuchang, this time the investiture ceremony was held in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the Crown Prince could inform the ancestors on behalf of the Emperor.

Clearly, all the ministers knew that the King of Chu was merely a figurehead, and that the one who would truly hold power in the future was the Grand Tutor of the King of Chu, who would be sent to Manila.

Immediately afterwards, a dispute arose in the court over the selection of the Grand Tutor of the King of Chu.

Manila is, after all, in the South Seas. Sending someone too old there might lead to their death.

But being too young seems inappropriate.

The court went back and forth trying to find a suitable candidate, but to no avail.

In the end, it was Yang Sizhong, the Commissioner of the Court of State Ceremonies, who stepped forward and proposed that Zhang Xuanxian of the Southern Ocean Administration concurrently serve as the commissioner, and that the court would select a suitable candidate before sending him.

This outcome can be considered a compromise, since Zhang Xuan was the most knowledgeable minister in the Ming Dynasty about Southeast Asian affairs. Giving him the position of tutor to the Prince of Chu would also make it easier for him to control Southeast Asia.

In any case, the Ming Dynasty has no plans to interfere in Manila's internal affairs at present, and the more inactive this tutor of the Prince of Chu is, the better.

Zhang Xuan has close ties with the upper echelons of Manila and will not incur their hostility.

This Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review kept a low profile, but always managed to reap the rewards at the last minute.

By mid-November, the court had finally calmed down.

The end of the year is approaching, and various government departments are busy with performance evaluations.

The department where Su Ze worked didn't have many assessment tasks, so he started slacking off again.

On November 21st, during the end of the month's rest period, Su Ze's wife, Zhao Lingxian, brought a box of account books to his study.

"My husband, it's almost the end of the year. You promised to accompany me on a tour of the estates outside the city this year."

(End of this chapter)