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

Early the next morning.

Zhu Tan went straight to the camp of the royal guards.

Although it is called a military camp, it is actually more like a large parade ground. There are no more than a hundred soldiers training. After all, they are the prince's guards, and the emphasis is on elite rather than quantity.

Zhu Tan stood on the platform, looking at the burly men below, and felt troubled.

These guys are all capable of fighting ten people at once, but when it comes to water skills...

"Ahem," Zhu Tan cleared his throat, "I want to ask you, who can swim?"

There was total silence below, with only the wind blowing across the training ground, stirring up gusts of sand.

"What? You are a royal guard, but there isn't even one person who can swim?"

Zhu Tan asked in a feigned displeasure.

"Your Highness, please forgive me!" Finally, a rough voice sounded in the crowd, "We are all from the north. We grew up on horseback. We are not very good at playing in the water."

Zhu Tan held his forehead helplessly. Why is it so difficult to find someone who can swim these days?
"Your Highness," a lean man stood up and said with a bow, "I can swim a little, but..."

"Just what? But you can say it."

Zhu Tan's eyes lit up.

The man scratched his head a little embarrassedly:

"But my swimming ability was learned when I was fishing in paddy fields when I was a kid. I'm afraid it's still a long way from being able to ride the wind and waves in the sea..."

Zhu Tan laughed loudly, walked down from the command platform, and patted the man on the shoulder:

"It's all right if you can slack off! It's better than being a landlubber! So, you will be responsible for teaching everyone how to swim first, and I will take care of the rest."

……

At the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang was strolling in the Prince of Lu's Mansion, looking around.

Princess Lu was well-educated and well-mannered. Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was quite interested in the affairs of the palace, she said respectfully:

"Father, why don't you let your daughter-in-law take you to see some new Western toys in the mansion? They are very interesting."

"No need," Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, "I'm just taking a walk, go and do your thing, don't worry about me."

Zhu Yuanzhang said he was just taking a walk, but his eyes drifted towards Zhu Tan's study intentionally or unintentionally.

This Old Ten is usually mysterious and no one knows what he is doing in his study.

Thinking of this, he walked straight towards the study.

The door of the study was ajar, and Zhu Yuanzhang opened it with a gentle push.

The study is simply decorated, with bookshelves filled with various books, the desk covered with rice paper, and all kinds of pens, ink, paper and inkstone available.

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced across the bookshelf and found that there were not only Confucian classics on it.

There are also many military books, travel notes, and even a few books written in strange characters.

He picked up a book and flipped through it, but found that he didn't recognize a single word, so he put it back.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed a ball of white light above his head, illuminating the entire study.

He looked up and saw that it was not wax.

Instead, it was a strange transparent sphere with a thin line that seemed to be glowing inside.

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at the white light in confusion, marveling in his heart.

Where on earth did Old Ten get all these strange and bizarre things?

Could it be... that this is another treasure found from Western merchants?

When he was young, he traveled all over the country. What strange things had he not seen? But this thing was something he had never heard of or seen before.

Just as he was about to leave, the white light became more and more dazzling, making him even more curious.

He simply moved a chair and stood on it, trying to see more clearly.

But this thing was smooth all over, and no one knew what material it was made of. He looked at it for a long time but couldn't figure out what it was.

"Someone come!" Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but shouted loudly.

Princess Lu was pruning flowers in the garden. When she heard her father-in-law calling her, she immediately put down her work and hurried over.

"Father, what do you want from your daughter-in-law?"

Princess Lu asked respectfully.

"You've come just in time," Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at the white ball of light above his head and asked, "What is this? Why is it glowing?"

Princess Lu looked in the direction of his finger, covered her mouth and chuckled:

"Father, this is an electric light. It is a rare item that the Tenth Master bought from a Western merchant. Don't be fooled by its strange appearance. It is very useful! With it, we don't need to light candles at night. It is much brighter than candles, and there is no smoke or fire."

"Electric light?" Zhu Yuanzhang frowned. "This name is quite novel. How can this thing glow? Is there some night-shining pearl hidden inside?"

Princess Lu patiently explained:

"Father, there is no night-shining pearl in this electric light, but electricity. This electricity, which cannot be seen or touched, has magical power. It can make the light glow and the machine run. It is amazing!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was completely confused. This was the first time he had heard of electricity in his entire life.

He waved his hand, signaling Princess Lu not to say anything more, but he became even more curious.

"Is there anything else in this mansion that uses electricity?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Princess Lu thought for a moment and said:
"Father, there are so many things that use electricity! In addition to electric lights, there are also electric fans that can blow cool air, which is much more useful than fans; there are also phonographs that can record sounds and play them back, which is very interesting..."

Princess Lu introduced all the "newfangled gadgets" that used electricity in the mansion as if they were her own treasures.

Zhu Yuanzhang listened with great interest, as if he was back in his youth when he first embarked on a journey and saw all kinds of new things.

"Come on, take me to see those 'treasures' that use electricity!"

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and spoke impatiently.

He wanted to see how many good things this Old Ten had hidden!

Seeing that he was so interested, Princess Lu naturally did not dare to neglect him and quickly responded:
"Yes, Father, please come this way."

As I passed a corridor, a cool breeze blew, dispelling the summer heat.

Zhu Yuanzhang stopped curiously and saw a strange-shaped "big wheel" standing in the corner, spinning whirring and blowing out gusts of cool breeze.

"Father, this is an electric fan. My husband specially ordered someone to buy it from the West. He said it can be used to cool down in the summer. It is much more useful than a fan."

Princess Lu explained with a smile.

Zhu Yuanzhang walked to the electric fan, put his hands behind his back, felt the cool breeze, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Well, this Western thing is quite interesting."

Afterwards, Princess Lu took him to a room filled with rare treasures.

I saw a strangely shaped machine placed on the mahogany table with a large speaker next to it. I didn't know what it was used for.

"Father, look, this is a phonograph. It can record people's voices and play them back. It's amazing!"

As Princess Lu spoke, she picked up a disc, carefully placed it on the phonograph, and gently moved the joystick.

Suddenly, a melodious Western music came out from the loudspeaker and filled the entire room.

Zhu Yuanzhang was fascinated by the music. This new thing was even more beautiful than the music played by the palace musicians.

After the song ended, Zhu Yuanzhang was still not satisfied. He pointed at the phonograph and asked:
"Can this thing really record the sound of people talking?"

"Of course it's true. If you don't believe it, you can give it a try." Princess Lu said, and then taught Zhu Yuanzhang how to talk to the machine.

Zhu Yuanzhang cleared his throat and spoke into the phonograph in a loud voice:

"I am the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang!"

After saying that, he couldn't wait to ask Princess Lu to play it again.

All that could be heard was his voice clearly coming from the loudspeaker. Every word he spoke was extremely majestic, exactly the same as what he had just said.

Zhu Yuanzhang was in a playful mood and recorded several passages in succession, including some reciting poems and some scolding court officials.

There were even people singing operas, and they were having a lot of fun.

After visiting these novelties.

Zhu Yuanzhang also felt a little worried.

These "Western gadgets" are certainly novel and interesting, but it would be a waste if they were only used for enjoyment.

If this phonograph is used in military affairs, then... He suppressed his excitement and asked calmly:
"Princess, how many of these phonographs are left?"

"Father, the manufacturing process of this phonograph is complicated, and there is only one in the mansion at present," said Princess Lu.

"Only one..."

A hint of disappointment flashed across Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes.

"Father, this Western gadget is good, but the electricity is a problem. The power is unstable and sometimes available. If we want to mass produce it, it will be extremely difficult!"

Princess Lu explained.

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help feeling a little disappointed, but then he thought, is there anything perfect in this world?
Since this "electricity" is so magical, Lao Shi will certainly not give up easily. Maybe he will be able to solve the electricity problem in a short time!
Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang's mood improved again. He looked at the room full of "Western things" and his heart was full of anticipation. The future of the Ming Dynasty will be bright!

"This Western stuff is really rare!"

Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his beard and looked around with a sharp gaze, "If I could use these things on the battlefield..."

The scene of thousands of troops using these "magic weapons" to fight emerged in his mind, and his heart was burning with excitement.

……

On the other side, Zhu Tan was sweating profusely on the training ground.

He summoned five hundred personal soldiers. Although this team was small in number, they were elite soldiers carefully selected from the tens of thousands of guards of the Prince of Lu's Palace.

At this moment, they are carrying out the most basic queue training under the scorching sun.

"Stand at attention! At ease! March in step!"

Zhu Tan’s roar echoed in the training ground.

He carried out every command meticulously.

Strive to train this team into an iron-blooded division.

"My Lord, are you going to train your troops?"

A personal soldier couldn't help but ask. His name was Zhang Meng, and he was the captain of this team. He was a loyal and brave man, and was Zhu Tan's confidant.

Zhu Tan stopped, wiped the sweat from his forehead, walked in front of everyone, and said loudly:
"That's right! I want to train a powerful naval force to spread our national prestige overseas!"

"The Sea Army?"

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. They were all from the north and had never seen the sea, let alone a mighty maritime army.

Seeing that everyone was confused, Zhu Tan revealed his plans to build a navy, develop overseas trade, and even launch an expedition to the West.

He painted a magnificent picture, which made everyone's blood boil and their eyes filled with longing.

"Your Highness, although I, Old Zhang, don't know anything about overseas trade, I know that following Your Highness is the right path!"

Zhang Meng said this in a muffled voice, and the other soldiers nodded in agreement.

Zhu Tan nodded with satisfaction.

"Good! From today on, you will be the seeds of my Ming navy! I have only one request for you, that is: obey orders, train hard, and become a true sea dragon!"

"Become a sea dragon!"

Everyone shouted in unison, and the sound shook the sky.

As the sun set in the west, Zhu Tan dragged his tired body back to the palace.

As soon as I entered the study, I saw Zhu Yuanzhang sitting on the armchair, fiddling with an exquisite music box in his hand.

As the clear music sounded, the little people on the music box danced gracefully, which was very beautiful.

"Father, you still have a childlike innocence."

Zhu Tan smiled and said that he had ordered someone to make this music box some time ago, but he didn't expect that it was discovered by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Hearing Zhu Tan's voice, Zhu Yuanzhang paused and snorted in annoyance.

"How dare you come back? Tell me, where did you go today?"

Zhu Tan knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was concerned about him, so he smiled and said:

"I was training outside the city today, so I came to see you right after I got back."

"Train troops? What kind of troops are you training? Are you going to provoke those nobles again?"

Zhu Yuanzhang put down the music box and stared at Zhu Tan with sharp eyes.

"Father, what are you thinking about? This time I am seriously training the troops. I want to build a navy..."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand impatiently, "Go ahead if you want to mess around, I don't have the time to mess around with you."

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore."

He put down the music box and glanced across the study:
"Didn't you bring back some Western stuff? Those lights that glow, and that...steam engine, how did you make them?"

Only then did Zhu Tan realize that what Zhu Yuanzhang was really interested in were these newfangled gadgets.

He smiled bitterly in his heart. The people of the Zhu family were indeed pragmatic above all else.

"Father, those lights are called electric lights. They use a power called 'electricity'..."

Zhu Tan patiently explained the principle of the electric light to Zhu Yuanzhang, starting with the most basic frictional electricity.

I kept talking about batteries and generators, trying to describe them in simple and easy-to-understand language.

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned when he heard this. Although he was the emperor, he knew nothing about these scientific principles.

I could only nod my head in a daze, interrupting from time to time and asking:
"What exactly is this 'electricity'? Can you touch it? Can it be used in warfare?"

"This……"

Zhu Tan was suddenly speechless. He really didn't know how to answer Zhu Yuanzhang's fantastic question.

"Father, this 'electricity' is a very magical power. I have only mastered the basics of it. As for whether it can be used in war..."

Zhu Tan paused:
"It will definitely be possible later."

"Okay, then we'll wait for your good news."

Zhu Yuanzhang patted Zhu Tan on the shoulder.

Then he turned and left the study.

He wanted to return to his bedroom and sleep comfortably on the feather mattress invented by the brat. (End of this chapter)