Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 298 The Subordinate State's Imperial Guards Launch an Attack (Part 1)

Yang He went to offer amnesty, and Zhang Yun, the King of Hanzhong, seemed to be willing to submit. The whole Central Plains seemed to be much more stable.

Hou Xun went to suppress the rebels, and Zhang Xianzhong, the Eighth King, seemed to be frightened and dared not attack other vassal states anymore. The entire Northwest seemed to have calmed down.

As for Gao Yingxiang, the rebel leader, he seemed to have been very well-behaved in Shanxi and hadn't caused any trouble at all.

The rebels all behaved themselves, and the Jurchens dared not invade the borders anymore. The entire Ming Dynasty seemed to have entered a period of peace and prosperity, with little warfare.

Time flies, and it's already early December. The festive atmosphere in the capital is getting stronger and stronger.

At this time, Zhu Youzhen's Nanyang Fleet also returned.

This time, Zhu Jue did not go to the port and wharf at the mouth of the Haihe River to inspect or welcome the fleet returning from Southeast Asia.

This is all because Zhu Youzhen's Nanyang Fleet is accompanied by an envoy from the vassal state of Brunei. If he were to go and inspect it, it would be somewhat like welcoming an envoy from Brunei.

The emperor of the Ming Dynasty, a superior nation, naturally could not go to greet the envoys from vassal states.

Therefore, around 9 a.m. that day, after he finished dealing with the memorials, he did not go out.

He led Zheng Zhilong, Yang Sichang, Wang Chengen, and others directly to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where they set up a procession to receive the delegation from the vassal state of Brunei.

Brunei was somewhat special, or rather, its king's identity was somewhat special, because his king was a descendant of Huang Senping, the general appointed by the Hongwu Emperor to Brunei, who had married the local king.

In other words, their king had Ming Dynasty blood, and during the Yongle reign, Huang Senping was sent as an envoy to the Ming Dynasty as the King of Brunei. He eventually died in Nanjing, and his tomb still exists today.

The current King of Brunei is Hasanbuq, the fifth-generation descendant of Huang Guigu, daughter of Huang Senping.

Hassanbuq, upon hearing that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty had summoned him, actually led an envoy himself!
The delegation he brought was quite large, numbering three or four hundred people.

However, this number of people was nothing compared to the Ming Dynasty's massive South Seas fleet.

In fact, Zhu Jue specially ordered the sealing of the ship to accommodate the entire delegation.

The so-called "sealed boat" was actually a large merchant ship that had been converted. The huge cabin was not filled with shelves or cargo boxes, but instead had rows of wooden houses and miniature palaces built inside, with boilers and a number of cooling fans specially made to look like they were built.

Hassanbuq was utterly shocked when he saw the Fengzhou fleet. Hundreds of giant ships weighing over 3,000 li, plus hundreds of ships weighing 1,600 li and hundreds of fast ships weighing 800 li, exceeded even the legendary Zheng He fleet.

When he boarded the Fengzhou again, he could hardly believe his eyes. The Fengzhou's cabin was even more luxurious than his royal palace, filled with palaces and houses built of precious woods such as golden nanmu and sandalwood.

That was nothing compared to what happened when the fleet arrived in Luzon and joined up with the South Seas Fleet. He was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

The Ming Dynasty's South Sea Fleet actually had thousands of ships, including over a thousand giant ships with a capacity of over three thousand liang!
The journey was like a dream to him. The tribute route usually takes at least several months. It was a little better in Nanjing, but it really took several months to get to the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

The key point is that the journey is very dangerous, especially at sea. If they are unfortunate enough to encounter a storm at sea, their own small boats will not be able to withstand it. Only the giant ships built by the Ming Dynasty can withstand it.

Therefore, when they went to pay tribute, they usually traveled on the giant ships of the Ming Dynasty and went with the Ming Dynasty's fleet.

Perhaps this is why the vassal states of Southeast Asia gradually stopped paying tribute to the Ming Dynasty. They were separated by vast oceans, and they did not know how to build large ocean-going ships. The journey was fraught with danger, so they simply could not come to the Ming Dynasty to pay tribute.

Now that the Ming Dynasty's fleet has come to Southeast Asia to pick them up, they naturally came without hesitation.

He originally thought that this journey would take at least several months, just like during the Hongwu and Yongle reigns.

Who would have thought that after setting off from Luzon, they would arrive in the snow-covered capital region of the Ming Dynasty in just five or six days?

As soon as the fleet docked, he was once again shocked by the densely packed port terminals and the enormous city.

If he hadn't looked at the map and known that the capital of the Ming Dynasty wasn't by the sea, he would have truly thought that this giant city by the sea was the capital. Originally, he thought that traveling to the capital of the Ming Dynasty in this freezing weather would take at least several days.

This snowy landscape is truly enchanting, as such scenes are not found in Southeast Asia. However, the weather is also somewhat frightening, as he fears he might not be able to withstand the extreme cold.

Who would have thought that Zhu Youzhen, the Ming Dynasty's General Commander of the Southern Seas, would only let them rest on the ship for one night. The next morning, around dawn, as soon as they disembarked, more than ten huge carriages came to pick them up.

Moreover, once you get into that huge carriage, it feels as warm and cozy as if you were on a boat.

He was once again stunned by the sight of the enormous docks along the roadside, which stretched for over a hundred miles.

Before he could recover from the shock, the carriage entered a city that was unimaginably large, filled with enormous docks and factories, and even larger chimneys than his palace!

That's not all. After the carriage had been traveling for a while, it entered another city wall. Inside, it was bustling with activity, with crowds of people, and the prosperity was beyond his imagination.

Before he could catch his breath, another towering city wall appeared in front of him.

This time, they were going to get off the car and go inside.

As a result, they hadn't gone far when they encountered another towering city wall!

Beyond the city wall lies an enormous plaza, lined with countless Ming soldiers on both sides.

As he walked along the red carpet into the unimaginably large palace in the middle of the square, his face filled with awe, he finally saw His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty sitting high on the steps in the distance.

At this moment, he couldn't help but think of the etiquette that the Brunei Kingdom had inherited for more than two hundred years.

He hurriedly stepped forward, prostrated himself on the ground, and respectfully cried out, "Your humble servant, King Hasanbuk of Brunei, pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty! Long live the Emperor!"

This guy is pretty good. He speaks fluent Mandarin with perfect pronunciation and even looks like a Ming Dynasty person.

Zhu Jue naturally knew that the King of Brunei had the blood of the Ming Dynasty; otherwise, he would not have received him with such grandeur in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

He nodded slightly, then raised his hand authoritatively and said, "No need for formalities, rise."

Hassanbuq quickly kowtowed to express his gratitude before getting up from the ground.

Zhu Jue got straight to the point: "My dear minister, you must be tired from your journey. I summoned you here today to ask you if you are willing to hand over the mineral resources of Brunei to the Ming Dynasty for mining, and if you are willing to hand over the trees of Brunei to the Ming Dynasty for logging."

Don't worry, I won't let you suffer any losses. I will pay you for all the timber harvested at market price, and I will also give you a share of the profits from all the mineral deposits. I guarantee that you will earn much more than what you are currently making from mining.

So, are you willing?

Upon hearing this, Hassanbuk bowed without hesitation and said, "Boni is a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. Mining and logging are entirely up to His Majesty the Emperor. This humble subject has no objection."

well.

As expected of someone of the Ming Dynasty bloodline.

Since you're so agreeable, then I'll bestow upon you immense wealth and honor.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then stood up and said, "You've come a long way and must be tired from standing and talking. Come on, let's find a place to sit down and talk."

what?
Hassanbuq was taken aback upon hearing this.

There is no record of this in the ancient texts of their Brunei Kingdom.

(End of this chapter)