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

Chapter 88 Entering North Korea, the Confidence of a Great Power (Seeking First Subscription)

The Kingdom of Joseon.

On the sea outside Seoul, Zhu Gaoxu's fleet slowly approached.

Ten enormous ships stretched across the sea, their banners fluttering in the wind, with the Ming and Zhu banners billowing in the air.

On each warship, the cold muzzles of cannons were all pointed towards the coast of Seoul. On the warships, all the Ming soldiers stood ready, awaiting Zhu Gaoxu's military orders.

Even though there were only ten warships, and even though they were just a few thousand men in a small, isolated force, every single one of them looked at the Korean Kingdom on the shore with cold eyes.

Beside Zhu Gaoxu, the commander of the personal guards, Niu Cheng, stood behind him, his left hand tightly gripping the long sword at his waist, his gaze coldly fixed on the Joseon Kingdom ahead.

At this moment, Wei Da, Sheng Jian, and Jin Rong arrived one after another.

"Your Highness, the army is ready and awaits your command to launch the attack!"

Suppressing their intense fighting spirit, the three looked at Zhu Gaoxu with burning eyes.

Zhu Gaoxu turned around, looked at the three men with their battle-ready expressions, and slowly smiled.

"Good, well prepared."

However, this time we're not here to attack North Korea, we're just here to take a look around and get to know our neighbors.

But if North Korea doesn't know what's good for them, then we'll teach them a lesson, understand?

The group looked at each other in bewilderment. They had come all this way just to get to know their neighbors?

Were they too ignorant of the ways of the world, or was Zhu Gaochi too open-minded? Who would bring such a large army to meet their neighbors?

The three of them exchanged glances. They clearly had many questions they wanted to ask, but in the end, they could only agree.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Now the three of them only hope that the Kingdom of Joseon will be sensible and preferably take a tough stance, so that they might be able to send troops.

As for whether they could win with only a few thousand men, no one had considered that.

Whether we can win or not, we'll only know after we fight.

With them, even if they have no other confidence, they are still confident that they can take Seoul.

After the group left, Zhu Gaoxu looked at Niucheng.

"Send someone to tell Joseon that I want to go in and have a seat, and ask Yi Bang-won to come over."

Zhu Gaoxu smiled and gazed intently in the direction of North Korea.

In Zhu Gaoxu's eyes, North Korea at this time was of some importance.

In a little over three years, Li He will be officially named the heir apparent.

Once Yi Tao comes to power, he will establish the Korean script instead of continuing to use the Chinese script.

But it's just another small country, bordering the Ming Dynasty and even another vassal state. Why bother with its own writing system and language?

Not long after they left Niucheng, a small boat sailed in from North Korea, and the people on board were soon brought before Zhu Gaoxu.

"Yoon Im, Prince of Seoul, pays his respects to His Highness the King of Han of the Great Ming Dynasty."

"Good, your manners and etiquette are excellent. Get up."

"

Seeing that Yin Lin was bowing respectfully, Zhu Gaoxu did not make things difficult for him.

His purpose in coming here was not to find this person.

Yin Lin slowly stood up, still looking at Zhu Gaoxu with a respectful expression and demeanor.

"Your Highness, the Prince of Han of the Great Ming Dynasty, I have already sent someone to the palace urgently. My King will arrive shortly after. Please wait a moment, Your Highness."

"Your Highness, the Prince of Han of the Great Ming Dynasty, has graciously waited for me. To express my sincerity, I have prepared some small gifts, which I humbly request Your Highness to accept."

Looking at Yin Lin in front of him, Zhu Gaoxu felt a great sense of admiration.

This person is very good at handling things; no wonder he's in this position.

"I am not interested in your meager gift, but I am quite interested in you."

"Take me there. I'll wait for Brother Fangyuan inside the city."

As soon as Zhu Gaoxu finished speaking, Yin Lin and Niu Cheng were both taken aback.

Yin Lin's hands trembled involuntarily, his heart filled with doubt and shock.

What exactly is Zhu Gaoxu trying to do?

It's one thing that they didn't send a letter beforehand, but now they want to go in. If something goes wrong, or if they get upset, North Korea is finished!

Yin Lin felt a deep bitterness in his heart, but he dared not say a word about it.

Actually, when Zhu Gaochi led his fleet into the waters near Korea, he learned of this news and was almost scared to death.

My first thought was that the Ming Dynasty had sent troops, and that they were coming to attack them.

Even after calming down, she was still shocked when she heard that Zhu Gaoxu had come in person.

I really can't understand why Zhu Gaoxu came to North Korea.

Niu Cheng was even more anxious and wanted to stop Zhu Gaoxu, but Yin Lin was still there.

Seeing that Zhu Gaoxu was determined to go in, Niu Cheng immediately began selecting elite troops and sent someone to inform Wei Da, Sheng Jian, and others.

Jin Rong and his group were outside, ready to respond at any time.

As Zhu Gaoxu departed in a small boat, Niu Cheng followed with five hundred elite troops.

Zhu Gaoxu looked at the hundreds of people who had followed him and couldn't help but glance at Niu Cheng.

"You simpleton, a hundred or two hundred men are enough. The North Koreans won't dare to do anything to me."

Zhu Gaochi was truly helpless. Even if he were just a prince with real power, let alone a prince with no real authority, if the people of Joseon dared to cause him any trouble, the Ming army would be able to cover the sky and march over the next day, launching a war to destroy the country.

However, Niu Cheng looked unwilling after hearing this.

"Your Highness, no! I am responsible for Your Highness's safety, and I must ensure Your Highness's safety!"

"If Your Highness doesn't want to go, then you can simply not go. I'll just lead my troops in and bring that so-called King of Korea before you!"

Zhu Gaoxu's lips twitched, his face darkened, and he kicked Niu Cheng without saying anything more.

The North Koreans, including Yoon Lin, were terrified, and some of them nearly lost their footing.

Are all the people of the Ming Dynasty this ruthless?

They would start fighting at the slightest disagreement, and capturing the king seemed to be an easy task for them.

Following closely behind, Yin Lin and the others felt another wave of envy and longing.

This is the Ming Dynasty—a nation with profound cultural heritage and a powerful army. Only with such confidence could one utter such words.

Based on the warships they saw, even if Korea mobilized the entire nation's resources, it couldn't build them, while the Ming army had them, and many of them.

In fact, no one knew that these were the latest warships of the Ming Dynasty, as the Ming navy was equipped with these kinds of ships.

Seoul, also known as the capital region of Joseon, was the most prosperous area.

Zhu Gaoxu rode his horse through the streets, flanked by elite Korean soldiers who cautiously surveyed their surroundings, ready to be deployed at any moment.

Beside Zhu Gaoxu, Niu Cheng and his personal guards were scattered around him, their eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, their right hands resting on the hilt of their swords at their waists, as if they might draw their long swords at any moment.

The archers and swordsmen following behind were always ready for battle, with crossbow bolts ready to be fired at any moment and the swordsmen providing immediate protection in order to launch a counterattack.

At the city gate, there were two hundred soldiers left behind by Niucheng to prevent the gate from closing.

At the same time, some horses were left at the city gate as a backup.

Zhu Gaoxu rode his horse, appearing quite relaxed as he looked around at the present-day Han City.

Compared to what he saw online in modern times, Zhu Gaoxu felt that it was worlds apart.

After arriving at the place where Yin Lin had prepared to rest, Zhu Gaoxu chatted with Yin Lin for a while before sending him out.

Before long, Yin Lin brought food, several beauties, and some precious items, but Zhu Gaoxu ignored them.

In his position, these are all just ordinary things.

If he wants it, there are plenty of people lining up to give it to him.

Less than an hour later, the current King of North Korea, Yi Bang-won, rushed over.

"Greetings, Your Highness, Prince of Han of the Great Ming Dynasty."

"Oh, Brother Fangyuan, you are the King of Joseon, and I am also a king. There's no need for such formalities. Please rise."

Looking at Li Fangyuan, who was only in his early fifties but looked much older, Zhu Gaoxu's eyes were full of admiration.

For no other reason than that Zhu Gaoxu admired Li Fangyuan as a person.

After all, he was the one who rose to power in Korea by perfectly replicating the Hundred Gates during the reign of Yi Seong-gye, the founding king of Joseon.

How could Zhu Gaoxu not appreciate it?