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

Ma He, Zheng He in his previous life, looked quite different from what Zhu Tan had imagined.

In his previous life, Zhu Tan had seen portraits and statues of Zheng He, who looked very sanctimonious, with a square mouth and wide ears.

But now this...why does it look like he is malnourished?
Zhu Tan looked at the fair-faced young man in front of him, then turned to look at Zhu Di and asked softly, "Fourth brother, is this Ma He?"

"Don't you know what the person you want looks like?"

Zhu Di glared at him, and his expression had 70% of the old man's charm, which made Zhu Tan's heart tighten.

"Would I deceive you about this?"

Zhu Di rolled his eyes at Zhu Tan again and said, "Last year, Fu Youde and Lan Yu led their troops into the capital and brought them here together."

"This kid is quite clever. I had asked him to accompany Gao Chi before. Now that you want him, I will transfer him to you first."

Zhu Tan's heart was slightly moved when he heard this. He looked again at the little eunuch who was kneeling on the ground, slightly raised his head but his eyes were always on the ground. He still felt a little dissatisfied in his heart.

It's really too bad.

But now Ma He is only a teenager, far from making a name for himself. He is just a slave in the palace, so it is understandable that he is thin.

"Okay, get up."

Zhu Tan said to Ma He, "I have told my fourth brother that you will follow me from now on and be assigned to my personal guard to help me with maritime affairs."

After Zhu Tan finished speaking, Ma He slowly stood up and bowed again, saying, "Yes."

When Zhu Di heard this, he became suspicious. He first looked at Ma He, then at Zhu Tan, and asked.

"Tenth Brother, tell me the truth, what do you like about this kid?"

"My father gave me quite a few palace maids as gifts, but you remembered his name?"

"I have heard a little about it in the capital."

Zhu Tan laughed and said, "To be honest, Fourth Brother, I came to Beiping this time because I missed you."

"I'm asking you for a person because I want to show it to my father."

"Bullshit."

Zhu Di laughed at Zhu Tanhe's words. He knew that the other party didn't want to say it, but the reason was too far-fetched.

"Okay, you can say it or not, but I'll make it clear to you in advance."

Zhu Di took another sip of wine and said quietly, "I said I was borrowing someone, not giving him to you."

"When you are done with it, send him back to me. Gao Chi is still waiting for him."

"That's right, I will definitely send it back."

Zhu Tan responded with a smile, but thought in his heart: Send it back? I'll give you a ghost!

During this expedition, we must at least get some merits for Ma He so that he can stay by our side.

Don't be fooled by his thin and small appearance now, Ma He had a talent for sailing. He made seven voyages to the West, more than 200 years earlier than the Western voyages of discovery.

Why don’t I keep this kind of talent for myself?

That night, Zhu Tan stayed in Prince Yan's mansion.

The next day, Zhu Di took Zhu Tan to visit Beiping and also stood on the towering city wall of Beiping and looked into the distance.

The two brothers chatted about a lot of things, including state affairs and family matters, but it was mostly just idle chat and nothing important.

Zhu Tan stayed in Peking for three days. After three days, his convoy left Peking and headed straight for Liaodong Regional Military Commission.

As for Zhu Di, after Zhu Tan left, he immediately prepared his troops, selected soldiers, and prepared to go out on the ironclad ships to wipe out the Japanese pirates.

If he doesn't fight, he will suffocate to death.

On the way to Liaodong Regional Military Commission, Zhu Tan kept Ma He sitting outside his carriage.

At this time, he called Ma He in and chatted with him in a low voice.

According to legend, Ma He's family was once a wealthy family, but later their financial situation declined and they became slaves in the Yuan Dynasty palace.

After the Ming Dynasty defeated the Yuan Dynasty, these palace ladies were naturally taken in, and Ma He was one of them.

Perhaps because he had been in the palace for too long, Ma He was extremely cautious in everything he did and said. There were traces of training all over his body, and he spoke in a soft and gentle voice.

Zhu Tan leaned on the couch, looked at the young man in front of him, and asked softly.

"Do you know why I want you here?"

"This slave doesn't know."

Ma He knelt quietly in front of Zhu Tan, as docile as a kitten.

"To conquer Japan, we must go out to sea."

Zhu Tan smiled and said, "Are you interested?"

Ma He's heart was moved, and he bowed again and said, "If Your Highness is interested, I am interested too."

"What did you do in Prince Yan's Mansion before?"

Zhu Tan's words were very jumpy. Ma He was stunned for a moment before he caught up with his thoughts and replied immediately.

"His Royal Highness Prince Yan has been so kind as to assign this servant to serve the Crown Prince."

Zhu Tan did not meet Zhu Gaochi, the prince of Prince of Yan, during his trip to Beiping, but he knew that this fat man was quite capable. Zhu Di waged wars for years, and he was ordered to supervise the country, and he was able to keep things in order.

It's just that his life is a little short.

"From now on, you should stay by my side and watch and learn more."

Zhu Tan spoke casually, then he opened the curtains and looked outside, and then he said softly, "You don't have to be so careful. I don't have that many things to do, and I don't need to follow those rules."

"Just tell me everything you know when I ask you."

Hearing this, Ma He felt a little confused.

Although he is young, he has experienced turbulent times and has seen many royal families. However, he has never seen anyone like the one in front of him.

To be honest, he still didn't know why His Royal Highness Prince Lu transferred him to his side.

According to his thinking, it must be related to King Yan.

Ma He said nothing, but bowed respectfully.

Zhu Tan glanced at him and just smiled without saying anything else.

There are many things that he certainly cannot say openly, and he doesn't really care what other people think.

……

At the same time, in Peking, Prince Yan's Mansion.

Zhu Di sat in the first seat with a frown on his face. Princess Xu sat beside him and poured wine for him.

"Your Majesty, you don't look well today."

Xu put down the wine pot, turned to look at Zhu Di, and asked softly: "Did the conversation with Prince Lu go wrong?"

Zhu Di did not speak, but picked up the wine glass and drank it all, feeling the heat from top to bottom, and then he said: "Don't you think it's strange?"

"What's weird?"

Xu smiled and said, "Didn't you have a very pleasant conversation with the King of Lu these past two days?"

"It's just a show."

Zhu Di sighed and said, "He is no longer the little brat who followed me around and called me Fourth Brother."

"He is now the Prince of Lu in the Ming Dynasty, the most powerful prince."

Hearing this, Xu's smile faded and she said, "Your Highness, do you think there is something wrong with Prince Lu's visit this time?"

Xu was the daughter of Xu Da, a descendant of a general. Although she was a female member of the family, her vision was beyond the reach of ordinary people.

She didn’t think it was a big deal before, but after hearing what Zhu Di said, she immediately felt there was a problem.

"Now he has been ordered to conquer Japan, and the army has not yet moved, but he has come to Peking alone."

Zhu Di frowned and said, "He came here and said nothing, but just asked a little eunuch to leave. What do you think he means?" Hearing this, Xu seemed to have thought of something and immediately said, "What the prince means is that the old man..."

"Nine times out of ten."

Zhu Di took another sip of wine, then sighed and said, "The war in the north has ended, but I, the Prince of Yan, who is guarding the border, have a large number of troops in my hands. Isn't it time for you to think about it, old man?"

"I was drinking with Zhu Tan earlier, and the more I thought about what he said, the more I felt something was wrong."

"How did he say?"

"He said he came to Peking simply because he missed me, and he wanted someone to show it to his father."

Zhu Di looked at Xu and said softly, "But before that, he told me the details of the expedition to Japan. I thought about it carefully and it was not a lie."

"He said that he just missed me, told me the details of the war, invited me to join him in defeating the Japanese pirates, and wanted to take away the palace maids around Gao Chi."

"Taking all these things together, I don't believe that this is not what the emperor father intended."

"What does the old man mean?" Xu also frowned and whispered, "Is he afraid of the prince?"

"Want to strip the prince of his military power?"

"At the moment, it doesn't look like it."

Zhu Di added: "I'm afraid that letting Prince Lu come here is just a test. The Ma He he took away is the key."

"Madam, how much does this Ma He know about the affairs in the palace?"

After hearing this, Xu thought for a moment and said, "He has always been by Gao Chi's side, working hard without complaint, and I have never seen him get involved with anyone else."

"As for the affairs of the palace, he probably knows some, but these are not taboos."

"Whether it is taboo or not is not up to us to decide."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di gently closed his eyes, stretched out his hand to rub his temple, and then said faintly: "Old Ten invited me to wipe out the Japanese pirates. I thought I had made some kind of deal with him and was taking advantage of him."

"Now it seems that this is clearly what Father meant. The Tenth Elder has already told me, but I just figured it out now."

"This expedition against the Japanese pirates is not a matter of whether I want to go or not. I must go, and I must win."

Hearing this, Xu thought for a moment and then asked, "If the old man really has this idea, he can just give the order to the prince. Why go through so much trouble?"

"Ah! Could it be..."

"Use my power to help Old Ten achieve merit."

Zhu Di sighed softly, "I have been here for a few years and have not made much progress, but the Tenth Prince has risen to prominence and has caught the eye of my father."

"Father is telling me again to stop worrying and focus on helping Old Ten. Otherwise, the Ma He I took away will be the evidence against me later."

Speaking of this, Zhu Di's tone seemed to be a little bitter, and he opened his eyes slightly and said: "Father, he has always looked down on me."

"Don't say that, my lord."

Xu's eyes were red. She held Zhu Di's hand and said softly, "Maybe you think too much. The old man doesn't have these thoughts at all."

"Old Ten has said it clearly, it can't be false."

Zhu Di shook his head and smiled, "I just can't see through it. What exactly does the old man want to do by supporting the tenth master so much?"

"Big brother's position as crown prince is very stable, and the old man has given such great favor to the tenth brother. What does he want?"

After hearing this, Xu said nothing more and just silently poured wine for Zhu Di.

However, this incident has turned into a haze, lurking in the hearts of the couple and unable to dissipate for a long time.

……

Beiping was not far from Liaodong Regional Military Commission. Even though Zhu Tan's carriage was not traveling fast, he still arrived there after four days.

Zhu Tan did not go to the city, but ordered his men to go directly to the shipyard to check the ironclad ship under construction.

He had not spoken nonsense in the palace before. The shipyard of Liaodong Regional Command is now working at full capacity and already has ten ironclad warships.

This was the first time Ma He saw such a big ship.

He stood at the dock, looking at the ship in front of him that looked like a giant steel beast. He felt fear in his heart, but also a bit of yearning.

If one day I could sail across the blue sea on such a warship, it would be a great blessing in life.

Zhu Tan took his people on a tour of the shipyard and was quite satisfied.

According to his plan, the more warships the better.

It’s just that the shipbuilding technology of the Ming Dynasty is still a little weak. Despite his guidance, the efficiency is still slow.

At present, it is still a pipe dream to build the kind of warship with a draft of 10,000 tons that you have in mind.

But just based on the current type of warships, we are several eras ahead of the world.

Noon, Baochuan Factory Supervisory Office, main hall.

Zhu Tan sat in the first seat, looking at the file in his hand, thinking slightly.

Ma He stood behind Zhu Tan, watching him with his eyes and his nose. Although he was extremely curious, he did not dare to look at Zhu Tan.

"Seven guns, not enough."

After looking at it for a few times, Zhu Tan threw the file on the table, looked up at the official from the Supervision Department, and said softly, "Yes."

"If there's not enough space on the deck, put it in the cabin and point it outward."

"A battleship must have at least fourteen guns per row, and a full ship must have at least thirty-six."

"We need to set up a special ammunition warehouse to store the ammunition separately. It also needs to be convenient so that soldiers can move quickly."

Zhu Tan pointed at the files on the table and said, "Based on the seven guns on the deck, this is not a warship, but more like a fishing ship."

After hearing Zhu Tan's words, the officials below were all silent and nodded in agreement, but there was clear stupidity in their eyes.

They really don't understand.

Zhu Tan's description is probably equivalent to the kind of sailing ships in the West during the Age of Discovery, with several layers of cannons on the top and bottom, which were as powerful as thunder and lightning once they opened fire.

But even that kind of thing is a product that is ahead of its time.

After all, people cannot imagine things they have never seen, so just talking about it is not enough.

Zhu Tan shook his head and said, "The specific improvement drawings will be sent to you when they are ready."

"The most urgent task now is to transform the five warships. They will be sent to sea in ten days."

"Your Highness."

Hearing this, Yang Zheng, the head of the Supervision Department, slowly raised his head, with a bit of embarrassment on his face, and said softly: "Ten days, isn't it too tight, you see..."

"The war is imminent, and there is only so much time."

Zhu Tan interrupted the other party and said, "Moreover, ten warships are still too few. Keep building. We will need at least twenty ships to send troops to Japan this time."

“Time can be given to you, but quality must be guaranteed.”

Zhu Tan knocked on the table and said in a deep voice: "All warships must be tested and ensured to be correct before they can be delivered."

"This is related to the success or failure of the war. Your Majesty has been watching."

Upon hearing this, Yang Zheng didn't dare to say anything more and could only lower his head in agreement.

Zhu Tan didn't want to push so hard.

Although he taught these people all the technology for building ironclad ships, and they did a good job, it still takes time to absorb such a cross-era thing.

But Zhu Tan is very pressed for time now, so this is the only thing he can do.

"If you're short on manpower, tell me."

Zhu Tan looked at Yang Zheng and said, "I will try my best to satisfy you."

"But the progress of warship construction cannot be delayed."

"Do you understand?" (End of this chapter)