The Ming Dynasty: A Modern Return, Building an Overseas Empire

Chapter 100: The Southeast Asian Base of Luzon Prefecture – Further Expansion of the Domain

Beyond the Ryukyu Islands, Zhu Gaoxu led his fleet onward.

However, the fleet has now shrunk somewhat.

He left two warships and five hundred soldiers in Ryukyu Prefecture, and sent two more warships and two large ships to escort the people of the thirty-six clans of Kume and the money, food and supplies prepared by Shang Sishao back to Hanjing.

Although the fleet size has shrunk somewhat, it is still considered large in the Southeast Asian region.

Especially the new Ming warships seized from the Ming Dynasty—such behemoths were truly striking.

"Your Highness, the fleet is about to arrive at Xiaoliuqiu. Should we proceed with the landing?"

Seeing Sheng Jian hurriedly approach him, Zhu Gaoxu looked at Shang Bazhi beside him.

"Tomoshi, are you familiar with Xiaoliuqiu?"

"Your Highness, I only know that Xiaoliuqiu is part of the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and many people from the coastal areas of Fujian would come to the area around Xiaoliuqiu to fish and trade."

However, these were all privately undertaken activities, small in scale, and the government did not impose many restrictions on them, nor did it participate in them.

As for the rest, I truly have no idea.

Hearing Zhu Gaoxu ask about Xiaoliuqiu, Shang Bazhi suppressed the pounding in his heart and told him everything he knew.

After speaking with neither arrogance nor servility, Shangbazhi was filled with trepidation.

Was he being too dry in his speech? Did he know too little and disappoint Zhu Gaochi?

For a moment, Shangbazhi, who was frightening himself, began to sweat.

He made up his mind to study hard.

Following Zhu Gaoxu was both an opportunity and a challenge.

Whether he can seize the opportunity or let it slip away depends entirely on his own abilities, something Shang Bazhi is acutely aware of.

Zhu Gaoxu looked at Shang Bazhi with satisfaction. He knew a little about this place from his time in Ryukyu, and it was clear that he had done his homework.

"You're right. Although the Ming Dynasty didn't establish any government offices here, the court always regarded this place as part of the Ming Dynasty's territory, serving as a barrier for the Ming navy."

The vast majority of the people here are not yet intellectually savvy. The Ming Dynasty called them Dongfan, and they still exist in tribal form.

But if anyone has any ideas about this place, the Ming Dynasty will absolutely not allow it.

Although it was not a country to be conquered and had no direct affiliation with the Ming Dynasty, it was still part of the Ming Dynasty's territory.

17

After speaking, Zhu Gaoxu looked at Sheng Jian.

"Let's not stop here, let's continue on and head straight to Luzon Island."

Little Liuqiu, Zhu Gaoxu stared intently at it.

In fact, he really wanted to incorporate this place into his own territory, but unfortunately, the Ming Dynasty regarded this place as its own and as the forward base for the Ming Navy to conduct naval operations.

Now, he really has no way to compete with the Ming Dynasty for anything.

He took Ryukyu and other places; Zhu Di wouldn't have any objections.

But once they take this place, they will really have to give it all back to Zhu Di, with interest.

It was a strategic location, and Zhu Di wouldn't ignore it.

Pulling himself back to reality, Zhu Gaoxu looked at the sea, but his words reached Shang Bazhi's ears.

"From now on, you must observe carefully, learn diligently, and think deeply while you are out there."

Write down anything you can't figure out or understand, and think about it later.

When you get back, I will send you the books so you can study them carefully.

I'll give you a maximum of one month. After that, you'll be by my side, handling many matters for me.

Shang Bazhi kept these things firmly in mind and bowed deeply to Zhu Gaoxu.

"Your Highness, I thank you! I will certainly not fail your expectations!"

Shang Bazhi understood that this was Zhu Gaoxu's high regard for him, and also a test of whether he could seize the opportunity to stay by Zhu Gaoxu's side.

Many people see challenges as difficulties, but wise people know that challenges are also opportunities and a sign of importance.

Being put to the test, catching someone's eye, is itself an opportunity.

There's no such thing as getting something for nothing in this world.

The fleet continued its journey and finally arrived in the waters off Luzon Island.

"Your Highness, Luzon Island is under the jurisdiction of Governor Xu Chailao, appointed by the Emperor. Shall I go and summon him?"

Sheng Jian and Jin Rong looked at Zhu Gaoxu with tense expressions. They were genuinely afraid that Zhu Gaoxu would take the initiative to go in again.

Zhu Gaoxu remained calm, but they were anything but calm.

If anything were to happen to Zhu Gaoxu, all of them would truly have no future left.

At this moment, both of them hoped that Zhu Gaoxu would summon Xu Chailao.

Zhu Gaoxu smiled as he looked at Luzon Island, which was so close at hand.

He'd been cooped up on the ship for a while now, and it was really getting to him.

"Send someone over first, and the fleet will go directly to the port to dock. I want to go in and take a look."

Don't worry, Luzon Island isn't very strong, and Xu Chai Lao is the Governor-General of Luzon under the Ming Dynasty, so he'll be fine.

""

Seeing the reluctance on Sheng Jian and Jin Rong's faces, he could only offer a word of comfort before urging them to go down and make the arrangements.

Luzon, ah, that's a wonderful place.

The place is small, but it is rich in resources.

Now that Ryukyu has become his territory, and as a bridgehead connecting Southeast Asia, it is time to access the resources of Southeast Asia.

Japan is resource-poor. If it doesn't develop some resource points and establish its own vassal state base, it really won't be able to play the game.

If you rely on buying everything, even the deepest family fortune can't sustain it.

Moreover, he had no savings, only debts.

Hanjing is lacking this and that; what else could it be but debt?

Once the boat had come to a stop, Shang Bazhi, holding a cloak, stayed close to Zhu Gaoxu, constantly scanning the surroundings, ready to shield Zhu Gaoxu in case of any danger.

It was Jin Rong again, leading five hundred soldiers to disembark one after another and closely guard Zhu Gaoxu's perimeter.

Sheng Jian remained on the ship, ready to launch an attack at the first opportunity.

Zhu Gaoxu ignored it. When he stepped off the ship and onto the ground, he felt a sense of peace that only those who had been at sea for a long time could understand.

Never before had Zhu Gaoxu felt so comfortable and at ease with his feet firmly planted on the ground.

Before long, Governor-General Xu Chai Lao of Luzon arrived under the watchful eye of Jin Rong.

"Your humble servant Xu Chai Lao pays respects to His Highness the Prince of Han of the Great Ming Dynasty."

Get up.

Zhu Gaoxu gently helped him up and led him to a quieter place.

After a round of pleasantries, they finally got down to business.

"I have heard that you have made many contributions to Luzon and have done a great job in developing Luzon."

How much arable land is there here now? How many people live here?

"I am unworthy of the praise of His Highness the Prince of Han of the Great Ming Dynasty; I, an official from outside the capital, am ashamed to accept it."

Today, this area has over 50,000 mu of arable land and more than 30,000 inhabitants.

The main means of livelihood here are fishing, hunting, and foraging for wild vegetables.

Zhu Gaoxu nodded. The situation here was not much different from what he had guessed after learning about it in the modern world.

Zhu Gaoxu didn't know how to evaluate it. Despite having a large plain, two smaller plains, numerous mineral deposits, and many river systems, this place was still so barren.

Stopping thinking about it, Zhu Gaoxu looked at Xu Chailao.

"My departure from the Ming Dynasty to develop outside of it is also for the sake of the Ming Dynasty's overseas expansion."

My domain is now in Japan, where I have established a capital city.

The three kingdoms of Ryukyu have become one of my domains, known as Ryukyu Prefecture.

Although Ryukyu is close to Southeast Asia, I do not yet have any territories in Southeast Asia.

I, the King, wish to incorporate Luzon Island into my domain and establish Luzon Prefecture there.

If you agree, this place will henceforth be my fiefdom, the overseas territory of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Gaoxu was not surprised at all, and Xu Chailao agreed excitedly.

As for Xu Chai Lao, he really didn't care about being the Governor of Luzon.

Now that this place has caught Zhu Gaoxu's eye, Xu Chailao couldn't be happier that Zhu Gaoxu build a palace here right now.

By following Zhu Gaochi, at least this area would become part of the Ming Dynasty's territory, and he successfully gained a powerful backer.

When Zhu Gaochi appointed Xu Chailao as the prefect of Luzon Prefecture, Xu Chailao was so excited that his words could not be contained.

Prefect—that's the official system of the Ming Dynasty, and he was one of the officials of the Ming Dynasty!

Zhu Gaoxu was equally pleased, for he finally had a foothold in Southeast Asia.

Later in Luzon, Zhu Gaoxu left behind 1,200 troops and three warships.

After doing all this, Zhu Gaoxu began to frown again.

"Theoretically, there are three rice harvests a year, but at least two. There is also a plain in the Cagayan area, as well as gold, silver, copper, and iron mines."

This area should also be developed.

Zhu Gaoxu kept thinking that this place was far superior to Japan in terms of resources.

The only pity is that the development here is too low.

He wants to develop these places, which requires a lot of manpower.

The arrival of a large number of people will inevitably require the allocation of other resources.

This place is not only a major grain-producing area in his domain, but also a suitable place to grow cotton.

"It seems we need to start attacking other parts of Japan, capture some more slaves, and develop this area!"

Having made up his mind, Zhu Gaoxu stayed for two days before leaving.

This place not only needs manpower, but also requires sending a larger army.

Zhu Gaochi was extremely satisfied to depart from Luzon once again.

This time, he came out with the identity of the Han King of the Great Ming Dynasty and the self-proclaimed overseas leader of the Great Ming Dynasty, to develop the overseas territory of the Great Ming Dynasty, and with just his words, he brought Ryukyu and Luzon into his own domain.

One of these two places is where the localization was successfully completed.

One is a place with low productivity, far behind the times.

The presence of people in Luzon dates back to the late Song dynasty when remnants of the Song dynasty stayed here for a period of time before being chased to Java by the Yuan army. Only then did more people gradually begin to arrive.

Zhu Gaoxu sighed, wishing these places existed in the late Ming Dynasty.

During that period, many of these places were developed.

Those Westerners who love colonization have developed these places quite well.

Zhu Gaoxu was feeling quite exhausted by the mess he was in.

After thinking about it for a long time, Zhu Gaoxu finally understood.

These places, like Handong Prefecture, will basically have to develop gradually.

There's still a long time to go. It's like this now, but five or ten years from now, with a lot of resources being invested, he doesn't believe it can't develop.

Once aboard the ship, Zhu Gaoxu summoned Jin Rong.

"Go back personally and tell Zhu Huan to send some officials here, and also have Zhou Ping lead two thousand troops to garrison this place."

This place will henceforth be my domain, my Luzon prefecture, and will obey only my orders!

Then he personally delivered these two letters to Zhu Huan and Zhou Ping.

These two letters are respectively: one instructing Zhu Huan to come and mine, and the other instructing Zhou Ping to organize manpower to reclaim the land.

Here, not everyone is Han Chinese.

It is necessary to distinguish between those who directly became Han Chinese and those who became slaves.

He doesn't need to specifically relocate Han Chinese to Ryukyu Prefecture, but here, they are a must.

Having done all this, Zhu Gaoxu led his further reduced fleet westward.

Skip Sulu and head directly to the largest island in Southeast Asia.

There, there was something that Zhu Gaoxu was extremely interested in.