King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

Zhu Yuanzhang was suddenly speechless. In order to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty, he had indeed used some extraordinary means, even at the cost of bearing the infamy.

But in his heart, this is all for the people of the world.

However, what is advocated in this book "The Prince" is a naked power struggle, without any humanity, justice or morality.

"What a farce!" Zhu Yuanzhang shouted angrily, "What I did back then was all for the benefit of the people of the world. How can I compare it to such a conspiracy?"

"Father, I am not denying your achievements in the past. I just want to say that when governing a country, we cannot just focus on morality and justice. We must also be flexible."

Zhu Tan said sincerely, "Just like this Western firearm, it is extremely powerful. If it can be used by our Ming Dynasty, wouldn't it greatly enhance our Ming Dynasty's military strength?"

"Western firearms?" Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned. This was the first time he had heard of it.

"Yes, I have some books about Western firearms manufacturing here. If you are interested, please..."

"enough!"

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up suddenly and interrupted Zhu Tan. He glared at Zhu Tan, his eyes full of disappointment and anger:
"I originally thought that although you like Western things, you still care about the Ming Dynasty in your heart. I didn't expect that you would be bewitched by these crooked ways and say such ridiculous words!"

"Father..."

"Come here!" Zhu Yuanzhang roared, "Burn all these evil books for me!"

When the guards outside the palace heard Zhu Yuanzhang's roar, they immediately rushed in with their swords drawn. However, the moment they stepped over the threshold, they were stopped by Zhu Tan's cold shout:
"Don't come in!"

The guards were in a dilemma, looking at each other in bewilderment. On one side was the furious emperor, and on the other was Prince Lu who was trying to stop them. As servants, they couldn't afford to offend either side.

"Rebellious son! How dare you stop my people?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed the table and stood up, his anger almost setting the dragon throne on fire, "What? Do you really want to rebel?!"

Zhu Tan looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and sighed deeply, with a helpless tone in his voice:
"Father, you are still so hot-tempered. Just think of it as your son's overstepping his authority today. In Shandong, in order to implement the new policy, all officials and people must listen to me. How about you also put up with it today and listen to what your son has to say?"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed out of anger:

"Okay! Okay! Okay! I want to see what you have to say!"

Zhu Tan waved his hand to signal the guards to withdraw, then walked calmly to Zhu Yuanzhang and said sincerely:
"Father, you think my obsession with Western things is unorthodox. But I want to say that these are not useless things, but the foundation of a strong country!"

He paused and pointed to the soldiers who were training in the distance outside the palace:
"You see, our Ming army still uses swords, guns, bows and arrows. These things are useful, but compared with Western firearms, they are far less powerful! I have seen the power of Western artillery with my own eyes. Just one shot can bring down the city wall. The power is more than ten times that of our Ming army!"

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, his brows furrowed and his doubts deepened.

He had fought on the battlefield for many years and was well aware of the power of gunpowder.

But in his view, gunpowder was just a side trick, and what really determined the outcome of a war was the bravery of the soldiers and the strategy of the generals.

"What you said are just some fancy tricks. How can they be compared with the millions of mighty soldiers of the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, obviously disagreeing with Zhu Tan's words.

"Father, this is wrong!"

Zhu Tan said solemnly, "I am not saying that we should give up the traditional military advantages of the Ming Dynasty, but we should integrate Western firearms into it, learn from their strengths and make up for their weaknesses, so that the Ming Dynasty's army can become more powerful!"

He walked to the desk, picked up a thick book, opened a page, pointed to the densely packed drawings and texts on it, and said to Zhu Yuanzhang:
"Father, please look at this. These are the blueprints for manufacturing Western firearms that I have collected. As long as we can master these technologies, we can manufacture firearms that are more sophisticated than those of the Westerners. By then, our Ming army will be able to sweep across the world and no one will be able to defeat us!"

Although Zhu Yuanzhang knew nothing about the things on these drawings.

But seeing Zhu Tan so confident, he couldn't help but feel a little shaken.

He was silent for a moment and asked:

"You said that Westerners have already gone ahead of us, so why do they still want to pass on these technologies to us?"

Zhu Tan had expected Zhu Yuanzhang to ask this question, and answered confidently:
"Father, think about it, why did Western merchants travel across the ocean to the Ming Dynasty? Isn't it to make a profit!"

"They sell these technologies and firearms to us, and we exchange them with silk, tea, and porcelain. This is a very profitable business for them, and we can use these technologies to improve our national strength. Isn't this a mutually beneficial thing?"

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang was thoughtful. Although he still had doubts in his heart, he had to admit that what Zhu Tan said was not entirely unreasonable.

He began to think seriously about Zhu Tan's proposal and what kind of place the Western world was.

"Tell me, what do these Western countries look like?"

When Zhu Tan saw that Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude had softened, he was delighted, knowing that he was halfway to success.

Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was interested, Zhu Tan ordered someone to bring a huge map and slowly unfold it in the imperial study.

This map is different from the usual style used by the Ming Dynasty. It depicts strangely shaped land and vast oceans.

"Father, please look..."

Zhu Tan pointed to a corner of the map and said, "This is where the Western countries are located. They use this vast ocean as their route, driving ships that are several times larger than ours to travel around the world."

He slid his finger across the map, and finally stopped at a long and narrow peninsula:
"This country, called Portugal, was the first to open up a route to the East, conquered many places with cannons and warships, and seized countless wealth."

Zhu Yuanzhang was shocked when he looked at the densely packed country and place names on the map.

He fought all his life, but all he saw was a tiny corner on the map. However, the tiny Portugal that Zhu Tan talked about could actually cross the ocean and conquer the distance.

"There is another country," Zhu Tan's finger moved to a larger piece of land, "called Spain. Their king claims to own the entire world. Their fleet is even more powerful. They once sailed across the ocean, defeated our western neighbor, and plundered countless gold and silver treasures."

"That's unreasonable!"

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed his palm on the table, furious, "How dare these barbarians be so rampant!"

"Father, please calm down," Zhu Tan continued calmly, "Although Spain is strong, it is not invincible. They dominate the sea by relying on advanced shipbuilding technology and artillery. And these technologies are not beyond our control."

Zhu Tan said, and picked up a few blueprints from the desk and handed them to Zhu Yuanzhang:
"Over the years, I have secretly recruited many craftsmen to study Western shipbuilding and artillery technology. These drawings are the results of our work during this period."

Zhu Yuanzhang took the drawing and looked at it carefully.

Although he didn't understand these technologies, he could see that these drawings were carefully drawn and were no child's play.

"Father," Zhu Tan pointed to one of the blueprints, "This is a warship that Westerners call a 'Gallen Ship'. It is larger and stronger than our existing warships, and it is faster and has more powerful firepower."

He paused, then picked up another drawing:
"This is a blueprint of Western artillery. Their artillery has a longer range, greater power, and is more accurate."

"If we can master these technologies, we can build a powerful maritime force to defend the sea borders of our Ming Dynasty. We can even emulate the Westerners and expand our influence to further places."

Zhu Yuanzhang felt as if his heart was in turmoil as he listened to Zhu Tan's story.

He had never thought that there was such a powerful country and civilization on the other side of the world, and the technology they mastered far exceeded that of the Ming Dynasty. He originally thought that the Ming Dynasty was already the most powerful country in the world, but Zhu Tan's words were like a bolt of lightning, waking him up from his dream.

"Old Ten," Zhu Yuanzhang put down the blueprint, his tone solemn, "Are what you said true?"

"Father."

Zhu Tan said seriously:
"Every word I said is true."

"Over the years, I have secretly sent people to various Western countries to collect intelligence and learn technology, all in order to bring these things back to Ming one day and make our Ming Dynasty stronger."

Zhu Yuanzhang said nothing.

Lao Shi is definitely not the kind of person who speaks without thinking.

Although Zhu Tan was obsessed with Western things over the years, he never neglected government affairs, and the new policies he implemented in Shandong did achieve good results.

"Old Ten," Zhu Yuanzhang raised his head and stared at Zhu Tan with sharp eyes, "What you said really opened my eyes."

"Father," Zhu Tan bowed, "I understand. Today, I just want you to understand that this world is not just what we see."

"On the other side of this world, there is a wider world and a more powerful force."

“We cannot rest on our laurels or become arrogant, but must always remain vigilant, keep learning, and make continuous progress, so that we can remain invincible.”

"As the saying goes... if you fall behind, you will be beaten. Father should understand this principle best."

As the founding emperor.

Of course Zhu Yuanzhang understood the implication of Zhu Tan's words.

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment and asked:

"Old Ten, since you have such great ambitions, have you ever thought about what to do next?"

Zhu Tan had already prepared a plan, and answered confidently:

"Father, I think the most urgent task is to build a strong navy that can compete with the Westerners."

"Sailor?"

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned slightly, "Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, we have always relied mainly on land warfare, and the navy is just better than nothing."

"You want to build a navy that can compete with the Westerners. How easy is that?"

"Father, this is wrong."

Zhu Tan explained calmly:

"The reason why Westerners were able to dominate the sea was not because of their natural supernatural powers, but because they mastered advanced shipbuilding and artillery technology."

"As long as we can master these technologies, it is not impossible to build a powerful navy in time."

"Besides," Zhu Tan paused and continued, "Overseas is not a barren land, but contains countless wealth."

"For example, Japan, which we defeated before, now obediently pays tribute of iron ore every year, doesn't it?"

"If we can build a strong navy, we can go to farther places and obtain more resources and wealth. Why not do it?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was moved when he heard Zhu Tan's words.

What Lao Shi said is right. Overseas resources are abundant. If the Ming Dynasty can use them, the national strength will definitely become stronger.

Thinking of this, he looked at Zhu Tan with a little more appreciation in his eyes and asked:

"Then in your opinion, how should this navy be built?"

Zhu Tan was delighted to see Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude soften, and he quickly said:

"I think we can first recruit soldiers who are proficient in water from coastal areas such as Fujian and Guangdong, and at the same time speed up the construction of new warships equipped with Western artillery."

"In addition, we need to train a group of professionals who are proficient in navigation, shipbuilding, artillery and other technologies."

"Hmm..." Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly. These are long-term plans and need to be considered carefully.

he asked:
"Building a navy is very expensive. Have you ever thought about where to raise money and food?"

Zhu Tan had expected Zhu Yuanzhang to ask this question, and answered confidently:
"Don't worry, father. I will discipline the nobles in Shandong and return the fire consumption to the public. The money I earn will be enough to support the initial construction of the navy. Once the navy is completed, we can follow the example of the Westerners and go overseas to trade and gain more wealth."

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang felt relieved.

He had originally been worried that building a navy would increase the burden on the people, but now it seemed that Old Ten had considered everything carefully.

Zhu Tan smiled slightly, his eyes gleaming with confidence, and said:

"Father, I have great ambitions. It is not just to build a navy and acquire overseas wealth."

"Oh?" Zhu Yuanzhang became interested and leaned forward slightly on the dragon chair. "Then according to Old Ten's opinion, what should we do with the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Tan took a deep breath and said loudly:

"I think that the Ming Dynasty should follow the example of our ancestors and recreate the grand scene of all nations coming to pay tribute! Let the four barbarians submit and the four directions be subservient! Let all the places where the sun and the moon shine are the territory of the Ming Dynasty!"

"presumptuous!"

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed the table, stood up and glared at Zhu Tan.

The air in the room froze instantly, and one could hear a pin drop.

Zhu Tan was not afraid at all. He still stood straight and looked directly into Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes without any sign of retreat.

After a moment's silence, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter full of relief and appreciation:
"Good! Good! Good! You are indeed my good son, you have great ambitions!"

"You are right. Our Ming Dynasty is the Celestial Empire, and we should have such great ambitions! The Western barbarians dare to show off their might on the sea. When our Ming Dynasty navy is built, they will bow down and submit to us!"

As Zhu Yuanzhang spoke, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.

He spent his whole life in military service, from being a commoner to becoming the founding emperor. What kind of storms had he not seen?
Now, I hear my son set such an ambitious goal.

Instead of feeling angry, he felt extremely excited and inspired. (End of this chapter)