Yongle Emperor's grandson: Zhu Yuanzhang with cheats, Zhu Di went crazy

Chapter 197 How can there be a prosperous age among the immortals?

Zhu Zhanjun's story left Zheng He silent.

He had suffered a lot in his childhood and knew the pain of hunger, and he knew even more how difficult life was for the people of the Ming Dynasty.

If the Ganges Plain area can really feed 400 million people as the Ministry of Revenue and other departments have speculated, then this plain is simply a natural treasure trove.

As a navigator, he knew that it would be easy for the Ming Dynasty to conquer this area, but the most difficult thing was to control it permanently.

"Your Highness, have you ever thought about how to control this area in the future?"

"It might be closer to start from Yunnan and Guizhou, but Myanmar and other places are full of mountains and jungles. It's no exaggeration to say that it's as difficult as climbing to the sky to get through."

“Also, our climate is different from theirs. If we don’t adapt to the climate here, all kinds of diseases and even deadly malaria will follow.”

"If 1000 people set out and only 200 arrive alive, it's a great blessing."

"Our fleet is too slow. It takes nearly a year to go back and forth. If we rely on the fleet for transportation, and something goes wrong here, the daylilies will be cold by the time we get here."

Hearing the difficulties raised by Zheng He, Zhu Zhanjun nodded.

Sitting opposite Zheng He, Zhu Zhanjun said slowly: "We have discussed this issue more than once."

"After our discussion, we decided to open a Ming-Myanmar road, and then use gunpowder blasting and various tools to connect the road from Bangladesh to Myanmar."

"It's too difficult, and it consumes a lot of manpower. We in the Ming Dynasty simply can't afford it."

As soon as Zhu Zhanjun finished speaking, Zheng He vetoed it.

The two roads may not be far apart, and for the Ming Dynasty, they are just the roads of one province.

But this is not a problem of distance, but a problem of local environment.

If you want to open up this road, you almost have to cut through the mountains all the way, which is too difficult.

If the people of the Ming Dynasty were allowed to build the road, the flesh and blood of countless people of the Ming Dynasty would be buried under this road.

Zheng He would not set foot on the road paved with the blood and flesh of the Ming Dynasty, and he would not allow the court to do so.

"Who said we, the people of the Ming Dynasty, should contribute?"

Zhu Zhanjun said slowly.

Zheng He suddenly looked up at Zhu Zhanjun. He heard something else in this sentence.

Zhu Zhanjun took a sip of tea and said slowly, "Siam, Zhenla, Burma, and Bangladesh, there are countless manpower here, enough for us to use."

"According to the plan, after we conquer Myanmar and Bangladesh, we will focus on stabilizing the current situation and build roads as a supplement."

"Five years."

Zhu Zhanjun stretched out his hand and said, "We plan to build this road within five years, and then we will carry out the next plan for the country of Asan."

Zheng He took a deep breath and lowered his voice and said, "Then do you know how many corpses will be buried underneath this road if it is built?"

Zhu Zhanjun raised his eyes to look at Zheng He, and replied in a calm voice: "Those who are not of my race must have different hearts."

"I believe they will be very happy to see their efforts paid off for the Ming Dynasty's strength."

"But, Your Highness..."

Zhu Zhanjun reached out to stop Zheng He from continuing to speak: "This is the overall strategy of the court. Eunuch Zheng, you just need to do your navigation mission well."

After saying that, Zhu Zhanjun stood up and walked out of the cabin and went to the rest room.

Looking at the departing figure, Zheng He was a little dazed.

Zhu Zhanjun told him this just to inform him, not to seek his opinion.

The following words are more direct.

As the commander of an ocean-going fleet, you just need to handle your job well and don't think about issues that you shouldn't consider.

Guo Gang, who was standing by, saw that Zheng He was silent. After thinking for a while, he decided to say something.

"Commander Zheng, there are some things that we cannot change. His Highness once said that people from different perspectives see things differently."

"Perhaps in our minds, peace and friendship can ensure our diplomacy and navigation safety."

"But for Your Highness and the Ming Dynasty, all of this is false. Only real occupation, nationalizing these lands and allowing the people to use them, may be the most correct choice."

Zheng He waved his hand tiredly.

Guo Gang didn't say anything more.

He didn't know whether the other party had listened to him or not, but he still hoped in his heart that his master could listen to him.

He knows his own prince's character very well. Appreciating you does not mean that he can tolerate you.

Since two people can't pee in the same pot, the one who can't pee in the same pot will be kicked out directly.

Zhu Zhanjun might not do such a thing, but it is okay to put away the good bows after the birds are gone and put those who disagree with him in the cold for life.

Guo Gang admired his master very much, and knew his master's dedication to sailing and the sea, so he tried to persuade him, hoping that his master would not go down the wrong path.

Half a month passed in a blink of an eye, and the fleet arrived at the port of Saddi in Bangladesh.

"Your Highness, I will do my best to persuade our King when I return."

At the port terminal, the envoy of the Sultanate of Bengal made the assurance with a flattering look on his face.

In the past half month, this guy completely betrayed Bengal and decided to help the Ming Dynasty persuade all Bengalis to surrender.

Zhu Zhanjun nodded with a smile: "Don't worry, as long as the matter is done, the Ming Dynasty will not forget your contribution."

The envoy had a happy look on his face and led his team happily to the capital.

After the other party left, Zhu Zhanjun took a look at Zheng He who had locked himself in the cabin.

During the past half month, Zheng He has been in the cabin and has never come out.

Zhu Zhanjun did not try to comfort or persuade, because the country's strategic direction would not change because of the rejection of one or several people.

The surname of this Ming Dynasty is Zhu, not anything else.

He raised his hand and waved, and the soldiers of the Shenwei Camp who had been on standby on the transport ship quickly boarded the dock.

Under the suspicion of Bengali soldiers and civilians, they took control of various important areas.

"What do you want to do? This is Meng..."

At the port office, several officials from the Sultanate of Bengal scolded the soldiers of the Kamiya Battalion who were walking over.

"Fuck you..."

The leading officer could not understand the broken language at all, so he raised his hand and slapped the other man to the ground.

Just as the guarding soldiers were about to draw their weapons, they were restrained by the soldiers from the Shenwei Battalion.

"Bang bang bang..."

The few who still wanted to resist were knocked down by a volley of gunfire.

Looking at the twitching body on the ground with large amounts of blood flowing out, the Bangladeshi official who was still shouting and cursing immediately shut up.

Half an hour later, the entire port was under control.

The remaining soldiers began to disembark, arranged their artillery and other equipment, and prepared for battle. The next morning, Zhu Zhanjun met the envoy again.

"Your Highness, the old king is a stubborn guy. I have tried to persuade him for a long time and mentioned so many benefits, but he not only did not agree to surrender to the Ming Dynasty, but he loudly insulted the Ming Dynasty instead."

"They said that the Ming Dynasty was dishonest and bullied these small foreign countries. He wanted to make the crimes of the Ming Dynasty known to the whole world, so that all countries in the world could see the ugly face of the Ming Dynasty."

"Moreover, they have assembled an army of more than 3 and intend to retake the entire port and drive away your fleet and the Ming fleet."

"Their vanguard troops are currently gathering and waiting for orders. I believe they will be able to attack us tomorrow or so."

Zhu Zhanjun, who was fishing at the dock, heard the report and waved his hand calmly.

Xiaohu, who was on standby, turned and left.

"Thank you for your hard work. You can rest at the port for two days. I believe that your king will understand your intentions soon."

With a strong pull on the fishing rod in his hand, a lively sea fish was pulled out of the sea.

Zhu Zhanjun casually comforted the envoy and returned to his ship with the fish.

The troops of the Sultanate of Bengal arrived faster than expected.

The next morning, a large number of troops appeared outside the port.

Xiaohu and the general of the Sixth Battalion stood in the command position, looking through binoculars at the slowly approaching troops, without any urgency in their eyes.

Although this army was large in number, its discipline was obviously poor. When it launched the attack, it was scattered and did not even have a complete formation.

The soldiers' equipment was even worse, with only a small number of them equipped with armor, and most of them wearing cloth with turbans.

The weapons in their hands were also varied, including short swords, daggers, and even wooden spears.

"Inform them not to open fire until they get closer."

"Tell the cavalry that if the enemy shows any signs of escaping, they should attack immediately and cut off their retreat."

The commander of the Sixth Battalion gave the order, then raised his telescope and continued to observe the opposite side.

"I really envy you guys. If I learn to read and study hard, I can become a general."

"Haha." The general chuckled and said jokingly, "How about we switch roles? I want to be His Highness's personal guard, and you can be the general."

Xiaohu rolled his eyes when he heard this and didn't respond.

He serves as His Highness's personal bodyguard, and in addition to his loyalty, it is also because of his brother's sacrifice of his life.

Although there is a saying that being a bodyguard for the monarch is like being with a tiger, the benefits and honorary status it brings cannot be compared with that of a small general.

"Woooooooo..."

The attack horn sounded from the opposite side, accompanied by a strange cry, and the army of the Sultanate of Bengal began to attack the port.

Looking at the troops running from a distance, the general shook his head.

There are strict regulations on when the Ming army should launch a charge or attack.

Before reaching a certain distance, the troops marched in formation, and no one was allowed to break out or leave the team.

Should we launch a charge?

The decision is not made by the soldiers, but by the leading officers and the orders of the commander-in-chief.

Anyone who launches a charge without authorization and causes a huge impact will not escape the consequence of beheading, even if he or she makes contributions later.

It is for this reason that in this era, in addition to countries such as Mongolia and Korea, which have had frequent contacts with the Ming Dynasty.

In terms of war queues and other aspects, there is no one in the world that can compare.

The huge army was getting closer and closer, and despite such an oppressive situation, the soldiers of the Shenwei Camp were not affected at all.

Several major battles with Cambodia and Siam gave them sufficient practical experience.

Coupled with long-term training, their mental firmness and other aspects are unmatched by ordinary people.

Faced with the charge of tens of thousands of enemies, they were not afraid. Instead, there was a hint of contempt in their eyes.

Accompanied by the shouts from the opposite side, the distance between the two sides became closer and closer, soon reaching a distance of one hundred feet, then eighty feet, seventy feet, and fifty feet.

When the enemy's vanguard crossed a distance of thirty feet, the general waved the command flag in his hand vigorously.

"Fire!"

The officers who had been paying close attention saw their boss give the order to attack, drew their command sabers and shouted loudly.

Suddenly, there was dense gunfire and smoke filled the entire defense line.

The whizzing bullets came out like a rainstorm, and the Bengali soldiers rushing towards them were instantly swept down like wheat being cut.

"Sizzle, sizzle..."

The tiger squat cannon soldier who was on standby behind the infantry quickly lit the fuse.

With a series of muffled sounds, the balls flew out and fell into the chaotic group of Bengali soldiers.

"Boom boom boom..."

Explosions sounded one after another, followed by miserable wails and screams.

"They can't hold on any longer, they have to run!"

Xiaohu held up a telescope to observe the situation. He saw the soldiers in the rear of the Sultanate of Bengal and the heavy casualties in the front. It was also his first time to come into contact with this strange weapon.

Many were so scared that they turned and ran away, some even led by officers and generals.

Hearing Xiaohu's reminder, the general waved the command flag in his hand vigorously.

The cannons removed from the battleships in the rear roared in unison.

Hundreds of artillery pieces fired at the same time, and shell after shell slammed into the ranks of the soldiers of the Sultanate of Bengal, intensifying the fear in their hearts and making the chaos even worse.

"Blow the horn and charge!"

Seeing that the enemy formation was in complete chaos, the general gave an order to a soldier holding a trumpet next to him.

The soldiers raised the copper trumpets tied with red tassels, puffed up their cheeks and blew the charge trumpets with all their might.

"Beep, beep, beep..."

The passionate charge sounded throughout the battlefield, and the soldiers who were shooting pulled out the bayonets at their waists and stuck them on the muzzles of their guns.

With a deafening shout, he rushed out of the trench and launched a charge towards the opposite side.

The crew members of the fleet serving as support forces in the rear heard the charge horn, excitedly raised their weapons, and rushed out with the soldiers of the Shenwei Battalion.

Zheng He's fleet had more than 20,000 people. Excluding the sailors and auxiliary personnel who operated the ship, there were more than 10,000 people with combat capabilities.

Wow, with the cooperation of 5000 people from the Shenwei Camp, nearly people launched a charge, and the momentum was as vast as the sea.

The Bengali Sudanese soldiers, who were frightened by the artillery fire and pissed themselves, looked at the troops rushing out like tigers and listened to their terrifying shouts.

Some were so scared that they turned around and ran away, while others simply dropped their weapons, knelt on the ground and chose to surrender.

The Sultanate of Bengal, a country that had been fighting against India and Myanmar for countless years, was defeated by the Ming Dynasty in one battle.

(End of this chapter)