My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

"Old Zhu, Old Zhu, don't be in a hurry, let me finish what I have to say."

Chen Mo was silent for a moment, then gave a wry smile, pulled him back to the map, and traced a long arc along the Pacific Ocean with his finger.

"Want to go to America? Difficult, extremely difficult! A thousand times more difficult than you can imagine!"

"How difficult could it be?"

Zhu Yuanzhang glared at him, unconvinced.

"Back when we fought Chen Youliang, we weren't afraid of crossing the natural barrier of the Yangtze River! We crushed the Yuan Dynasty's iron cavalry! How could a mere stretch of water stop us?"

"This is no ordinary body of water; it is the world's largest and deepest ocean—the Pacific Ocean!"

Chen Mo tapped the vast blue area heavily with his finger.

"The distance from Ningbo Port in the Ming Dynasty to San Francisco in the Americas is almost 10,000 kilometers."

"Ten thousand kilometers?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang gasped in shock; this number far exceeded his expectations.

The Ming Dynasty's territory, stretching from south to north, was less than ten thousand li, yet the ocean was so vast!

Looking at the two of them, Chen Mo added another sentence.

"Moreover, there are almost no islands between here and the Americas where we can stop and resupply."

"Most importantly, ships in your era were almost all powered by wind and ocean currents, unlike ours which can be powered by engines."

Chen Mo continued to pour cold water on the idea.

"At your current sailboat speed, even with favorable winds and currents, running day and night, it would still take at least three or four months, or even more than half a year, for a one-way trip!"

"This is just a conservative estimate! The actual figure could be much higher!"

"Six months?! Six months at sea?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression changed.

Traveling on land for half a year would be exhausting, let alone at sea without supplies and with no idea what the future holds!

"That's not all."

Chen Mo's expression grew increasingly serious.

"The sea is not a river; once you enter the deep sea, the raging winds and towering waves are like mountains, and the colossal waves can easily smash the largest treasure ships to pieces!"

"There's also the issue of course. On the vast ocean, without satellite navigation, you rely entirely on a compass, experience, and celestial observation. Once you deviate from your course, it's utter disaster!"

"Not to mention the psychological breakdowns and disease outbreaks among the crew during long voyages..."

With each word Chen Mo spoke, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression grew more somber.

Damn it!

They know there's money and resources there, but they just can't get there!

Are we just supposed to watch helplessly as others seize resources first?

As for Ying Zheng, he remained completely silent.

For the Qin Dynasty, even going to Yingzhou, or that Japanese country, was a stretch!

Not to mention going to America.

He's more interested in cars now than that.

It can run on its own without oxen or horses?

If his army had this thing, wouldn't fighting the Xiongnu be as easy as beating his grandson?

Their horses need rest, but the carts don't!

I just don't know if I can get my hands on this car!

Can his Great Qin produce them in mass production?

Chen Mo looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, whose face was gloomy and uncertain, sighed, and continued.

"So, Old Zhu, the discovery and development of America is not something that can be done overnight, nor can it be accomplished by one or two fleets."

Chen Mo concluded, his tone sincere.

"It requires continuous and massive investment from the country, tremendous progress in shipbuilding technology, navigation technology, and astronomical knowledge, and the exploration and sacrifice of one or even several generations of navigators."

"Your fourth son sent Zheng He on his voyages to the Western Ocean, but the furthest he ever reached was the east coast of Africa."

"That was the limit of navigation technology at the time."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang murmured with deep disappointment and resentment:

"Are we... are we just supposed to watch this treasure trove unfold without knowing where to begin?"

Chen Mo smiled upon hearing this.

"Instead of thinking about going to America, we should think about lifting the sea ban."

"Lifting the sea ban?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was slightly taken aback and subconsciously frowned.

"Lift the sea ban? Wouldn't that be condoning the people's secret dealings with foreign powers and inviting wolves into the house?"

"Oh, my old Zhu!"

Chen Mo gave him a look that said, "You've really lost out."

Upon seeing this, Ying Zheng immediately perked up his ears.

Although I don't know what this sea ban is, listening to it must be right!

Chen Mo pulled Zhu Yuanzhang along and pointed to the map again, this time to the coastal area.

"You only see that the maritime ban prevented some Japanese pirates, but you don't see how much wealth it closed the door to!"

"Look, not far south from here are the countries of Southeast Asia."

"The area is rich in spices, pepper, sandalwood, ivory, and other treasures that are scarce in the Central Plains."

"Our Ming Dynasty's silk, porcelain, and tea are more valuable than gold there!"

"If the maritime ban were lifted, allowing private merchants, whether government-run or under supervision, to form fleets and trade with Southeast Asian countries, the profits would be more than tenfold or a hundredfold!"

"But if that's the case, wouldn't those merchants make a fortune?"

Old Zhu frowned and asked a question.

Chen Mo smiled.

"The imperial court only needs to establish a Maritime Trade Office to collect customs duties."

"With tariffs, it's a gold mine that never runs dry!"

Chen Mo smiled sideways.

"Isn't this much faster than you toiling away on the land collecting those meager land taxes!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes flickered; he was clearly tempted by the promise of "tenfold or hundredfold profits" and "an endless gold mine," but he still had doubts.

"But...the Japanese pirates..."

"We must eliminate the Japanese pirates, but we must also continue our business!"

Chen Mo was resolute.

"You can't skip meals just because you're afraid of choking! You can build a powerful navy to both suppress the Japanese pirates and escort legitimate merchant fleets!"

"This is called using offense as defense! A powerful navy is the best form of coastal defense!"

Seeing that Lao Zhu was still hesitating, Chen Mo continued to offer temptations.

"Old Zhu, think about it again. There's a shortage of silver in the Ming Dynasty right now, making transactions inconvenient, isn't that right?"

"Do you know how much silver can flow in through overseas trade?"

"Luzon (the Philippines) and Japan themselves have silver mines, not to mention the Europeans. They will bring the vast amounts of silver they've unearthed in the Americas to buy our silk and porcelain!"

"Opening up the sea is like bringing a river of silver to the Ming Dynasty! It's hard for the national treasury not to be overflowing!"

"The Silver River..."

Zhu Yuanzhang repeated these four words in a low voice, his eyes flashing intensely.

The silver problem has always been a concern for him; if it could truly be resolved…

Seeing that he was already interested, Chen Mo continued.

"Therefore, lifting the sea ban will allow us to access the South Seas, reap huge profits, fill the national treasury, and attract silver; it will also train our navy, familiarize them with navigation, and lay the foundation for future exploration of a wider world, such as the Americas, as mentioned before!"

Chen Mo then pointed to the world map, especially the large blue area.

"Especially look at this world, so much of it is water. Right now, most of your warfare is on land, but what about later..."

Chen Mo pointed to Europe, and then to Japan.

"The primary focus will definitely be on naval warfare. A strong land force can protect the country, but a navy is necessary if we truly want to expand outwards!"

Chen Mo looked at Old Zhu.

"This is a win-win situation that will benefit future generations!"

Zhu Yuanzhang fell completely silent.

He paced back and forth in the inner hall with his hands behind his back, his expression constantly changing.

Seeing that Old Zhu was still hesitant, Zhu Biao stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Father, I believe Brother Chen is absolutely right!"

"If our Great Ming Dynasty wishes to venture into the Americas and further develop and prosper, it certainly needs both wealth and a powerful navy!"

"Your Majesty, I believe the sea ban should be lifted!"

Zhu Yuanzhang stopped and gave Zhu Biao a deep look.

Judging from Zhu Biao's appearance, even if he doesn't drive it himself, he will drive it in the future.

Since that's the case, then I might as well take the lead myself.

Moreover, he was the founding emperor, so lifting the sea ban was definitely more appropriate for him than for Zhu Biao.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Chen Mo with a serious expression.

"If the maritime ban is to be lifted, where should we begin? What key points should we pay attention to?"