The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 320 Mu Ying Returns to the Capital
At this moment, Crown Prince Zhu Biao and Marquis Mu Ying of Xiping were preparing to leave this place.

At this moment, the Crown Prince's concubine, Lady Lü, hurriedly spoke.

"Your Highness, Yunwen has made great progress. I wonder if it would be possible for him to serve Your Highness by your side? This way, Your Highness will be able to handle many things better!"

At this moment, not only Crown Prince Zhu Biao, but also Marquis Mu Ying of Xiping frowned.

The idea of ​​the Crown Prince's concubine, Lady Lü, seemed absurd to them. It was simply unrealistic for a Crown Prince to carry numbers around with him every day.

Thinking of this, Crown Prince Zhu Biao snorted coldly.

"Yunwen is still young, let him study more for now, we'll talk about the rest later." After finishing dressing, he flicked his sleeves and turned to leave the place!

After telling him to leave this place, Marquis Mu Ying of Xiping whispered to him.

"Your Highness, does she perhaps still have designs on that position?"

Upon hearing this, Crown Prince Zhu Biao sighed. Even Marquis Mu Ying of Xiping could see it clearly, so why couldn't this person? He sighed again.

"At least I know that much!"

Marquis Mu Ying of Xiping nodded. When they were young, they had a very good relationship, including with the Chang family, so it was natural for him to side with Zhu Xiong Ying.

Zhu Xiong Ying, in particular, has done things recently that have greatly satisfied them. Not only him, but also the veteran generals in the court felt the same way, so they naturally stood behind Zhu Xiong Ying.

When Marquis Mu Ying of Xiping arrived at Renshou Palace, he saw Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma were extremely pleased to see Mu Ying. Among their group of adopted sons, Mu Ying was the only one who was very easy for them to manage.

Soon Mu Ying told them about what had happened in the Southwest. Although the situation in the Southwest was somewhat complicated, Mu Ying handled it quite well.

This pleased Zhu Yuanzhang greatly, and he looked at Mu Ying and said.

"As expected, you're probably the only one who could have handled this matter so well!"

Just then, a person walked in from outside. It was Zhu Xiong Ying. Zhu Xiong Ying looked at Mu Ying in front of him and said with a smile.

"This must be Uncle Mu Ying!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Ying was startled and quickly replied.

"This humble general dares not pay his respects to His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled and helped him up.

"Uncle Mu Ying, there's no need for that. You were ordered by my imperial grandfather, so it's only natural for me to call you uncle!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was extremely pleased with Zhu Xiong Ying's behavior. Mu Ying was loyal to him, and it would be a good outcome if his grandson Zhu Xiong Ying could bring him under his command.

Finally, Zhu Xiong Ying began to inquire about some news in the southwest from Mu Ying.

Although those chieftains were nominally under the rule of the Ming Dynasty, they each had their own territory in private and had a very strong control over the local people.

Many of the imperial court's policies simply did not reach those areas.

At this moment, Zhu Xiong Ying looked at Mu Ying in front of him and said...

"How long would it take to completely assess these chieftains?" Mu Ying paused for a moment, but after some thought, she asked.

"To completely pacify them would likely require a considerable cost. They possess a relatively strong military force, and they hold an advantage in the deep mountains and forests. If our army were to reach that area, it might not be as powerful as theirs, so things could get quite troublesome!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded upon hearing this, as this was something he had been worried about all along. Taking over these places would not be an easy task. At this moment, everyone's gaze turned to Zhu Xiong Ying, who was standing to the side.

"U.A., do you perhaps have designs on these places?"

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded after hearing this.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I do have some ideas about this place. Now the southeast and northeast regions of the Great Ming have been completely pacified!"

"Now we must resolve the issues in the southwest and northwest. Only then will our Great Ming be safe around us, and we will have this foundation to continue our expansion outwards!"

"Actually, in many places south of Yunnan in the southwest region, rice production is only 30 days a year. If we can control all of these areas, we can get a continuous supply of food, and then we won't have to worry about famine!"

Marquis Mu Ying of Xiping was extremely surprised to hear this. He never expected that the Crown Prince Zhu Xiong Ying would know such things. In the eyes of the civil officials in the court, the south was a barren land and had no use at all.

However, he disagreed, saying that the southwest region not only has many fruits, but also very fertile land, and some places can even achieve three harvests a year.

In such a place, if it is managed well, it will be even more important for the Ming Dynasty.

At this moment, he looked at Zhu Xiong Ying in front of him with a face full of surprise.

"I never imagined that U.A. High School had such a thorough understanding of the situation in the Southwest!"

"Indeed, as far as I know, the lands of those countries to the south are extremely fertile. You can even harvest a lot by simply sowing a handful of seeds. I had the idea of ​​conquering those places, but unfortunately, my troops suffered heavy losses after defeating the King of Liang. It was already very difficult to suppress these chieftains, let alone continue to fight south!"

However, Zhu Xiong Ying continued speaking at this point.

"Those places have another very important advantage: they possess abundant copper mines!"

Everyone was very excited when they heard this. They had acquired several silver mines in Japan, which alleviated their problem of insufficient silver mines in the Ming Dynasty.

However, in the Ming Dynasty, not everyone spent money directly with silver.

Most people still used copper coins.

However, copper production in the Ming Dynasty was not particularly high, which was a constant headache for them.

"Xiongying, are you sure there's a copper mine in this place?"

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded after hearing this.

"That's right. That place has a huge copper mine with a very high output. Taking over these places will alleviate the problem of insufficient copper production in our Great Ming Dynasty!"

Everyone was thrilled to hear this news; it was truly wonderful news.

The number of copper mines in the Ming Dynasty was not particularly large to begin with, and if they could completely take over these places, it would bring them unexpected benefits.

Marquis Mu Ying of Xiping was also very surprised. He had heard rumors of copper mines in the south, but not many people knew about them, so he didn't pay much attention to them at the time.

To his surprise, Zhu Xiong Ying knew so much.

(End of this chapter)