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

Zhu Di listened quietly, his brows furrowed.

Zhu Di slowly spoke after Yao Guangxiao finished speaking.

"So, is the second son planning to find territory in Southeast Asia?"

Luzon, Zheng He went there, but what is there to be worth going there for?

Zhu Di knew about Luzon; Zheng He would compile and present to him everything he encountered and saw at sea upon his return.

Zhu Di really didn't know what was so attractive about Luzon that Zhu Gaoxu wanted to go there. Was there something he had overlooked or failed to remember?

It's just that he wasn't in the palace at that moment, otherwise Zhu Di would have already had all the information about Luzon brought over.

"Your Majesty, the place the King of Han wishes to go to may not necessarily be Luzon."

But these are not the key points. Where the King of Han wants to go is not with the King of Han, but with Your Majesty.

Overseas, the most suitable territory for the Han King's fiefdom is Japan.

Now that the King of Han is determined to go to sea, Your Majesty may grant his request, but the King of Han will need to travel to Japan.

In this way, if the King of Han does not want to go, then Your Majesty can make him give up the idea of ​​being enfeoffed overseas.

"If the Prince of Han goes, Your Majesty will provide him with certain support. With the Prince of Han's abilities, the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty will no longer be plagued by Japanese pirate raids."

Zhu Di stared intently at Yao Guangxiao without saying a word.

These words sounded reasonable, but in Zhu Di's eyes, Yao Guangxiao was simply talking without understanding the situation.

In a vast country like the Ming Dynasty, was it really necessary to send his own son to solve the Japanese pirate problem along the coast?

Even if he did agree to Zhu Gaoxu going to sea to take up his fiefdom, he would already be extremely indebted to Zhu Gaoxu. If he were to send Zhu Gaoxu to Japan, there would be even less peace and quiet for him.

Japan is indeed a small island nation, and Zhu Di looked down on it as well. As for Japan's strength, it was even less of a concern to him.

If they met on the battlefield, he could make the Japanese utterly pathetic.

However, once Zhu Gaoxu is enfeoffed in Japan, he will need to take the initiative to attack.

This immediately brings us back to the question that Yao Guangxiao had previously raised with Zhu Gaoxu.

Zhu Di was genuinely worried and uneasy about sending Zhu Gaochi out with only a small number of men.

However, he was also uneasy about giving Zhu Gaochi too many troops.

If he could be so ruthless as to send Zhu Gaoxu to his fiefdom at sea, he should at least send Zhu Gaoxu to a more peaceful place, where he could at least enjoy a comfortable life.

In fact, he would have agreed if Zhu Gaochi really wanted to go to Luzon.

Although it was a bit far, the governor of Luzon was appointed by his decree, and there wasn't a proper army there.

In the past, as long as Zhu Gaoxu issued an imperial edict, the Governor-General of Luzon, Xu Chai Lao, would help Zhu Gaoxu consolidate his power there.

But the other side of Yao Guangxiao's words, Zhu Di's rationality told him, was not wrong.

That was because the Japanese pirates had been harassing the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty for many years, which made him very angry, one could say he was furious.

As for why they didn't send troops to attack Japan, it was simply because no one in the imperial court would agree to it.

Moreover, his focus was on the Oirat and Tatar in the north, and in Zhu Di's mind, it was not worth it to spend a lot of national strength to conquer a Japanese country.

Zhu Di disregarded Zhu Yuanzhang's ancestral instruction that Japan was a country not to be conquered.

He had already broken many of Zhu Yuanzhang's ancestral precepts, whether it was some government decrees, or the conquest of Annam, or sending Zheng He on his voyages to the Western Ocean.

However, Zhu Di saw absolutely no advantage for the Ming Dynasty in attacking Japan, except that it would deplete the nation's resources.

As for that small island of Japan, even if it were given to the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di would find it a burden.

If Zhu Gaochi had gone to the Ming Dynasty with only the Han Prince's Three Guards and the Han Prince's Palace guards, he could have greatly alleviated the threat of Japanese pirates attacking the Ming Dynasty by fighting slowly.

The key point is that he only needs appropriate support, without expending much of the Ming Dynasty's national strength.

Moreover, Zhu Gaochi was only enfeoffed in Japan, which would not affect the prestige and face of the Ming Dynasty in the surrounding small countries.

It is likely that some small countries will feel frustrated and disheartened, wondering why Zhu Gaochi could not choose them as the vassal states. These are all very possible scenarios.

Sending Zhu Gaochi to Japan to assume his fiefdom would be beneficial to the Ming Dynasty, but not bad for him or Zhu Gaochi himself.

At this moment, Zhu Di was caught in a dilemma.

"Young Master, do you know how difficult it was for the King of Han to take the initiative to go to sea and settle down in his fiefdom, and to make this decision?"

Whatever his ulterior motives for going to sea to establish his fiefdom, what ulterior motives could those people in those places possibly have?

But whether or not the Prince of Han thought of it, his decision was a great contribution to the Ming Dynasty.

During the Jingnan Rebellion, the Prince of Han fought in the south and north, turning the tide many times and making countless contributions, as you know.

When I went on my northern expedition, they followed me and contributed a great deal of effort.

Now that he has finally come to his senses, I already owe him so much. If I agree to let him go to sea and settle down here, I will owe him even more.

I am his father, his biological father. He is already in this state, and I still want him to go to Japan to serve as a feudal lord. How can I make it up to him? How can I be so heartless?

That Japan is but a minor ailment; the real threat to the Ming Dynasty lies in the north.

Even if I were to agree to let him go to sea to assume his fiefdom, the choice of where the Prince of Han goes would be up to him.

Zhu Di stood up, looked out the door, and ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it.

He was already heartbroken enough to send Zhu Gaoxu to his fiefdom at sea; he truly couldn't bring himself to do something like that.

Ultimately, Zhu Gaoxu was his son, a son he had always admired and loved.

After saying this, Zhu Di closed his eyes.

He knew he was being a bit sentimental this time, and for an emperor, sentimentality was the most taboo thing.

As an emperor, one must always remain rational and not be swayed by emotions; this is the most basic and essential quality.

To put it bluntly, an emperor must first pluck out his own heart and become ruthless.

For an emperor burdened with the weight of the empire, a display of sentimentality is not a blessing for the empire.

This isn't heartlessness; it's something you have to do and must do once you reach that position.

But this time, Zhu Di was unable to do so.

However, as soon as Zhu Di finished speaking, Yao Guangxiao became anxious.

He stood up and came to Zhu Di, clearly showing some anger.

"Your Majesty! As the Emperor of the Great Ming, you should naturally prioritize the stability and prosperity of the Ming Dynasty. How can you act on emotion?"

I know Your Majesty is reluctant, but has Your Majesty forgotten what you said before?

When you decided to move the capital from Shuntian to Beiping, it was because you, as the emperor, were guarding the nation's gates, keeping the Ming Dynasty away from external threats, and preventing the people of the Ming Dynasty from suffering.

As the son of the Emperor, the Prince of Han is the Prince of Han of the Great Ming Dynasty. He should naturally prioritize the Great Ming Dynasty, which is the responsibility of a prince!

This humble monk has no intention of targeting the Prince of Han; this humble monk is only concerned for the Ming Dynasty.

Now it is the Prince of Han who himself wants to go to sea to assume his fiefdom. Since he is going to sea to assume his fiefdom and go to Japan to solve the problem of Japanese pirates in the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty, millions of people in the coastal areas will be grateful to the Prince of Han, the Emperor, and the court!

Why not?

"Only the Prince of Han is capable of shouldering this heavy responsibility. I urge Your Majesty to set aside your womanly concerns and prioritize the Ming Dynasty and the people!"

Yao Guangxiao showed no fear of Zhu Di's anger and even stared directly at Zhu Di.

Because he knew very well that once he missed this opportunity, he would never have another chance like it.

This was an opportunity created by Zhu Gaochi's willingness to go to sea and assume his fiefdom, and he didn't want to miss it.

If this opportunity is missed, the people along the coast of the Ming Dynasty will likely live in misery forever.

Zhu Gaochi was the most suitable candidate because he was the most capable military commander in the Ming Dynasty besides Zhu Di.

Only Zhu Gaochi could have accomplished this with such a small force.

Regardless of who they were or what prejudices they held against Zhu Gaoxu, when it came to warfare, not a single official in the Ming Dynasty dared to underestimate him.

In the army, no one dared to say that they were better fighters than Zhu Gaoxu.

Now, in Yao Guangxiao's eyes, it is the perfect time, the right place, and the right people to deal with the Japanese pirates and the Ming Dynasty's Wokou problem.