The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Zhu Youtang was waiting for Zhang Zhou's fleet to return from Liaodong to Binhai City in Bohai Bay.

But it never came.

The fleet that was going out to sea could no longer wait, and at this time a memorial from Zhang Zhou came up, requesting that his fleet meet up at sea and go directly to the port of Dengzhou Prefecture, and no longer dock in Binhai City.

"Bingkuan's actions, I... Alas!"

Zhu Youtang originally thought he could say goodbye to Zhang Zhou, but seeing that Zhang Zhou was very determined to go to sea, Zhu Youtang seemed to realize that he could not stop him.

"Your Majesty," Xie Qian reminded, "Zhang Bingkuan's actions are a bit excessive. Perhaps you can consider detaining his family members for the time being to ensure... that he can return on time."

Zhu Youtang asked, "Mr. Xie, do you regret marrying your granddaughter to him now?"

Xie Qian was speechless for a moment.

Xie Qian felt annoyed when he thought that his little granddaughter was also on the list of people Zhang Zhou planned to go to sea with.

At first, she agreed to the marriage just to show her reconciliation with Zhang Zhou, but now it seems that she is digging a hole for herself to jump into.

"Let him go." Zhu Youtang said, "After two years at sea, I think Bingkuan can come back. No matter how good overseas is, it is just a wild place. Bingkuan will come back in a few years, and then I will rule the world with him."

Having said that, Zhu Youtang seemed to be tired.

Yang Peng said, "Then your majesty, should we send someone to convey your order?"

Zhu Youtang said, "How can we convey the imperial edict when everyone is at sea? Just follow Bingkuan's advice and transfer the fleet, craftsmen, and laborers that are out to sea to the port of Dengzhou Prefecture. But bring a copy of my imperial edict with you. When Bingkuan receives it, he will understand my good intentions."

……

……

The fleet is about to set out to sea.

Zhu Houzhao successfully boarded the ship under the name of "Zhu Shou", and Li Zhaoxian and his family also boarded the ship with him.

More than a dozen large ships went out to sea.

When the roar of the ship sounded, Zhu Houzhao looked up at the black smoke coming out of the chimney as if he was looking at a big toy.

"So this is a steam engine." Zhu Houzhao looked full of longing and yearning.

Li Zhaoxian appeared behind Zhu Houzhao and reminded him, "Everyone on the ship has already arranged their cabins. You should also go over and pack your own bedding. This trip will take several months at sea, so you must be prepared."

"I am fine."

Zhu Houzhao asked, "Look at this big ship, how stable it is?"

Li Zhaoxian nodded, turned his head and looked in the direction of the port, and said faintly: "I heard that the emperor is also in Binhai City. I wonder if His Majesty is also on the tower in the distance, watching our ship go away."

When Zhu Houzhao heard this, his eyes widened and he said, "Brother Li, you said you want to find a place to live, right? Um, go over and help."

Zhu Houzhao was instructing Qiu Ju to do something.

Qiu Ju was looking at the departing coastline at this time, and his heart was filled with anxiety. He had tried every possible way to inform others of the situation, but he still failed to stop Zhu Houzhao from boarding the ship.

Thinking about the long journey and the fact that they had to go by sea, Qiu Ju felt as if he had committed a crime.

"Brother Zhu, you have never told me where you are from? What is your family situation?" Li Zhaoxian followed behind Zhu Houzhao and asked.

Zhu Houzhao smiled and said, "I am just an ordinary person. My family runs a small business. We have met before in Nanjing."

"you……"

After hearing this, Li Zhaoxian seemed to have some impression, but he still couldn't remember it.

"Okay." Zhu Houzhao said, "We just need to wait for the landing. We may encounter various epidemics on the way. The sea is rough and it will be bad if something unexpected happens. Brother Li, you shouldn't bring your family with you. You can bear it, but your family can't. Fortunately, I have some medicine here. Do you want to take it?"

"..." Li Zhaoxian suddenly felt that it was ridiculous for him to bring Zhu Houzhao on board.

But it was Zhu Houzhao who helped him get on board, so he had no right to be picky. …

……

It took the ship two days to go out to sea, and it met up with Zhang Zhou's fleet in the waters outside Dengzhou Prefecture.

There were a total of twenty-six ships, all of which were ocean-going vessels and all powered by steam engines. Twelve of them were giant steel ships, while the rest were a combination of wood and iron plates.

On the main ship.

Zhang Zhou stood on the deck, flanked by his subordinates, including Sun Shangqi and Xie Zheng.

During this voyage, Zhang Zhou did not completely break away from the Ming system. At least the people he used were all trusted by the emperor. This gave Zhu Youtang psychological comfort and made him feel that he would come back.

"Sir, your family is on the boat behind. Do you want to meet them?" Sun Shangqi came over and reported the situation to Zhang Zhou.

Zhang Zhou nodded and said, "We will gather on this boat again in a few days. I am also thinking, if Your Majesty does not bring my family out, how should I achieve this."

Sun Shangqi said, "Your Majesty is considerate of the Duke, so how could he embarrass the Duke?"

"Ah."

Zhang Zhou said, "Your Majesty, you understand that the Ming Dynasty can no longer accommodate me in the past two years. After the war in the north, even if there is no situation of abandoning the enemy after the rabbit is dead, there is no place for me to use my skills. If I am in the Ming Dynasty, it will cause all kinds of waves. It is better to let me go to sea and seek a place for the development of the Ming Dynasty overseas."

Sun Shangqi asked, "If your majesty doesn't release them, will you lead your troops to rob them?"

"Yes." Zhang Zhou said, "But I won't rebel. The tacit understanding between His Majesty and I is that... He knows what I'm thinking. I also understand what he's thinking. I hope I'll have the opportunity to set foot on this land again in the future."

……

……

The fleet set out to sea from the coast of Dengzhou Prefecture and sailed for more than ten days.

The news that Zhu Houzhao was on the ship had been told to Zhang Zhou through channels.

It's not that Zhu Houzhao leaked the information himself, but several eunuchs accompanying Zhu Houzhao felt that the matter was too dangerous, so they had to find ways to report the matter to their superiors, and finally it was known to the leader Zhang Zhou.

When Zhu Houzhao was carried in a small boat and climbed up the ladder of Zhang Zhou's ship and appeared in front of Zhang Zhou, Zhang Zhou couldn't help but frown and look at this guy.

"It's dark." Zhang Zhou said, "Do you know what you are doing?"

When Sun Shangqi saw the prince, he was so shocked that his jaw dropped and he quickly moved away.

After all, there were very few people on the ship who had seen the prince. If people knew that the prince was on the ship, it might cause an uproar.

Zhu Houzhao grinned and said, "I heard that Mr. Zhang's eldest son, Mr. Zhang, was left in the capital by Mr. Zhang. I will go to sea with Mr. Zhang, just as an exchange, isn't it good? Student Zhu Shou, meet Mr. Zhang."

What I mean is, don't treat me as some prince, just treat me as your ordinary student.

Zhang Zhou called out, "Let's talk in the cabin."

……

……

The teacher and the student entered the cabin, and Zhu Houzhao sat down there, saying with emotion: "Your big ship is more stable, so it's better to live here. Sir, you have nothing to do at sea, but you can teach me more. I want to learn more. Don't try to send me back, I will definitely run away halfway."

Zhang Zhou said, "Then do you know when I will be back after I go out to sea?"

Zhu Houzhao smiled and said, "I guess you don't want to go back, right? Actually, I am the same as you. I can go out and explore the world. Why do I want to be a crown prince? It's really boring."

Zhang Zhou asked, "Don't you want the country?"

"My father is in his prime, and he may not die in ten or twenty years. Why should I worry about that? He ignored my thoughts and used you to pacify the grassland. Now I am pursuing my own ideals, pacifying overseas lands and conquering the entire earth, isn't that good?"

Zhu Houzhao said, "Sir, it's boring to talk about that. I find these days of sailing very interesting. Going to the other side of the sea is what I want." (End of this chapter)