Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"Are you one of the Zhou king's men?"

"Is the King of Zhou coming here to establish new vassal states?"

Chen Shouzhen said in surprise, quite unexpectedly.

Since Emperor Chengzu of Ming succeeded in suppressing the rebellion as a prince, the court imposed strict restrictions on the imperial family in order to prevent other princes from following suit, and even prohibited them from leaving the city at will.

The current emperor's plan to enfeoff princes and, it seems, grant them real power is quite surprising to him.

Li Henian, the registrar of the Prince Zhou's residence who was sent to explore the route, said:
"The Emperor received a dream from Emperor Taizu and Emperor Chengzu, in which he learned that there would be a drought in the next ten years or so."

"Unable to bear seeing the people suffer in the Central Plains, he was ordered by the two emperors to enfeoff members of the imperial family and meritorious officials, and to allow them to lead the people to migrate."

"Our lineage of Prince Zhou is descended from the younger brother of Emperor Chengzu. Back then, Emperor Chengzu favored Prince Ding of Zhou the most, and the Emperor specially chose the best place to enfeoff the prince there..."

Li Henian almost blurted out the so-called "gold mine," but suddenly shut his mouth.

This matter needs to be kept strictly confidential; we must not let them know about the gold mine.

However, upon hearing the name of Prince Zhou, Chen Shouzhen's expression shifted, and he inquired:
"King Ding of Zhou?"

"Is it the prince who compiled the 'Compendium of Famine Relief Herbs'?"

This was something that made the Zhou Prince's Mansion quite proud, especially since the current emperor ordered the Ministry of Agriculture and the Imperial Medical Academy to proofread and reprint this classic text.

Li Henian proudly stated:
"It was compiled by King Ding of Zhou, and there is also the medical book 'Puji Fang'."

"Now that the world is plagued by disasters, the Emperor has ordered the printing of these two books."

Chen Shouzhen was filled with respect, bowed solemnly, and said:

"When I was in the wilderness, I once searched for wild vegetables to fill my stomach according to the 'Herbal Remedies for Famine Relief'."

"This book has benefited countless families, and I, Chen, am deeply grateful for it."

He sighed again:

"It's a pity that there are no figures like King Ding of Zhou in Mexico."

"Although the area is rich in species, it has not been utilized, and many wild vegetables and fruits are not eaten."

Upon hearing these words, Shang Kexi's heart stirred, and he said:

"The Emperor ordered us to come to the Americas, also with the intention of collecting plant and animal seeds."

"It is said that the local people here use the bark of a certain tree to treat malaria, and there is another tree that is like a lacquer tree that oozes lacquer when its bark is cut open."

"Both of these trees were ordered to be collected by the Emperor. I wonder if Brother Chen has any news about them?"

He was referring to cinchona and rubber trees, which are essential for developing Southeast Asia.

Cinchona trees can treat malaria and reduce the mortality rate of immigrants to Southeast Asia.

Rubber trees can make use of the land in Southeast Asia, transforming the vast rainforests of Southeast Asia into rubber plantations.

That way, Southeast Asia will have industries, which will attract more people to go there.

Chen Shouzhen was unaware of this, because the use of cinchona trees to treat malaria was only known to the natives and missionaries of Peru at that time, and it had not been widely known.

Rubber trees are located in the Amazon River region, which is Portuguese territory, and the Mexican side has no idea about them.

The emperor accurately identified two types of trees he didn't recognize and even explained their uses. Chen Shouzhen couldn't help but become skeptical of the emperor's claim of divine intervention.

"It seems that the current emperor is indeed different from previous emperors; he is an ambitious emperor who cares about the outside world."

"The matter of enfeoffment might be true; this could be an opportunity."

Exploring exotic lands and collecting seeds reminded him of the famous Emperor Wu of Han.

Under such an emperor, there was no shortage of opportunities to earn merit and be ennobled. However, if one disobeyed, one might be executed like Guo Jie.

Chen Shouzhen, who was well-versed in the history of chivalrous knights, both respected and feared this emperor.

Compared to that, he preferred to be close to the Zhou King. This lineage had a reputation for virtue, and with the court watching over them, it was impossible for them to brutally kill meritorious officials. Therefore, he was quite polite to Li Henian, and his words revealed his closeness.
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Li Henian sensed his intention and could not hide his joy.

He learned from Shang Kexi that there were several thousand Chinese people in Mexico.

If they could all be brought over, Zhou Fan could instantly establish a garrison, staffed with people familiar with the local climate and who knew how to survive here.

If he had the authority, he would have almost promised the title on the spot. Even so, he assured Li Henian that as long as he brought over a thousand households, becoming a hereditary commander of a thousand households would be no problem at all.

Chen Shouzhen was already quite satisfied with this, because the chiliarch was now eligible to be promoted to baron. He could then choose a piece of land in northern Mexico and establish his own small town.

He suggested to Shang Kexi and Li Henian:
“A market is held here in February or March, and merchants from Mexico and Peru come here.”

“You can ask them for whatever you need. As long as you offer tribute and a reward, these people will surely be able to find the seeds you need.”

"After the market closes, the large sailing ships will set sail for Manila, and you can go with them."

This is the ideal situation, but there is still a concern that Spain may not be willing to let them participate in the galleon trade, and they may even have to be wary of being attacked by them.

If these people don't provide help, they'll have to figure out the route themselves.

Therefore, he asked Chen Shouzhen to find more people who had previously sailed on this route.

Chinese, Japanese, Southeast Asians, and even Spaniards are all welcome.

Once a sea route is discovered, the imperial court will reward the pilgrims generously, and may even bestow hereditary titles.

This reward was already quite generous, and at Chen Shouzhen's suggestion, Shang Kexi presented several tribute items as gifts to Sanchez, which earned his tacit approval.

Under Chen Shouzhen's vigorous efforts, some Chinese who wanted to return to their hometowns, as well as Spaniards who wanted to make a fortune, volunteered to join the fleet.

However, the news coming from Mexico City is rather pessimistic.

Mexican nobles are willing to increase trade with the Ming Dynasty.

The officials sent by the King of Spain, however, strongly opposed it. This was because the galleon trade was monopolized by the royal family, and no sailing ship was allowed to pass without royal permission.

They even demanded that the governor of New Spain seize Ming ships to prevent Ming from exploring sea routes and joining the trade.

The Viceroy of New Spain, though unwilling to defy the King's will, also did not want to completely break with the locals, lest he suffer the same fate as his predecessor, being impeached and removed from office by local powers.

He decided not to provide assistance to the Ming ships, but also not to attack them. He tacitly allowed the locals to trade with the Ming delegations, turning a blind eye to it.

He did not refuse the letter of credence and gifts sent by the Ming Dynasty envoy, but instead forwarded them to Spain, claiming that he had no authority to make such a decision.

Upon learning this news, Shang Kexi realized that it was impossible to get any more help.

He immediately issued bounties for various plant and animal seeds, and spread the word that the Ming Dynasty needed copper ore, saltpeter, and guano, which could be traded. After leaving a batch of silk and porcelain as a deposit, he led Chen Shouzhen and others to explore the sea route back alone.

Leaving aside the hardships and dangers along the way, in February of the Gregorian calendar, some merchants from Peru began to be tempted after seeing the bounty.

They actively sought seeds of crops such as cinchona and rubber trees, and carried guano and copper ore to trade with the Ming Dynasty strongholds to the north.

The King of Spain restricted the total amount of trade from Manila to Mexico, but did not restrict trade between Vancouver and Mexico.

They exploited this loophole to transport species and various supplies that the Ming Dynasty had offered as rewards for.

A batch of goods remained in Wencheng, and some gold was also found. After they readily paid the reward and purchased the goods, more merchants began to do this business.

In particular, the rouge insects, for which the Ming Dynasty had secretly offered a bounty, became something many people coveted.

After the emperor pointed out that cinnabar was poisonous and that other pigments should be used as substitutes, carmine, which was brought to the Ming Dynasty by Western merchants, began to be sought after.

Especially after the British Duke's Mansion used cochineal to create a vermilion color for the renovation of his residence, the nobles of the Ming Dynasty became extremely eager to obtain this pigment. Its reward price was far higher than that for other species.

Dutch, English, and even local Mexicans who roamed the area as pirates began competing for the bounty. They infiltrated cactus plantations and smuggled away cacti and cochineal insects.

The Viceroyalty of New Spain in Mexico City was furious upon learning of this, as the profits from cochineal were almost second only to those from gold and silver mining.

They began to clash with the North American Governor's Office of the Ming Dynasty, and after learning that there were gold mines in the Wencheng area, they became even more covetous.

These factors became the origin of the war between the two sides, and a crisis was brewing beneath the temporary peace in North America. (End of Chapter)