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

Chapter 32 The grand goal of dominating the ocean!
After discussing with Guo Zi, Zhu Zhanjun returned to the carriage and said to Zheng He with a smile: "Eunuch Zheng is going out of the city, right? We are going the same way, why don't we go together?"

Zheng He glanced at Zhu Zhanjun and knew that the other party had something to tell him.

If it were the King of Han or the King of Zhao, Zheng He would definitely refuse without hesitation.

Although he is a eunuch, he is very supportive of the country. When comparing the prince's line with the King of Han and the King of Zhao, he will stand on the side of the prince without hesitation.

"Then thank you, Your Highness."

Zheng He bowed and thanked him, then personally helped Zhu Zhanjun into the car.

Zhu Zhanjun did not let the carriage set off immediately, but waited for a while.

When Guo Zi, who was ordered by him to go back and get something, came back, Zhu Zhanjun asked him to sit in the carriage with him.

"Your Highness."

Guozi handed over a package.

Zhu Zhanjun took it without opening it and handed it to Zheng He.

"Your Highness, what does this mean?"

Zheng He did not answer it and looked at Zhu Zhanjun in confusion.

Zhu Zhanjun smiled and said, "You have always been interested in my trip to the north and that continent, haven't you?"

He patted the package and said, "Inside this is my record of events in the north, as well as a world map compiled based on some data. Although it is not comprehensive, it still contains at least 70% of the information."

"World map."

Zheng He let out a low cry and quickly took the package with both hands.

As a navigator, the significance of a world map to him is self-evident. Even a simple world map can save him countless navigation troubles.

When I opened the package, I found a booklet and a folded piece of rice paper inside.

The rice paper looked very new, with military logos on the corners. Zheng He secretly guessed that this map should have been copied from memory by Zhu Zhanjun when he led his army back.

The booklet recording events in the north was also written roughly based on memory.

Zheng He opened the world map and with simple brushstrokes, he sketched out a vast world before his eyes.

Guozi helped hold up the map while Zheng He slowly moved his finger across it.

"This is Ming, this is Champa, this is Malacca, and Ceylon can bypass this."

"The Ottoman Empire. So the Ottoman Empire is here."

Zheng He was so excited that his body was shaking when he saw this world map.

Zheng He could not judge the accuracy of other parts of the map, but based on the areas he knew, the accuracy of the map was as high as 9%.

Although it is impossible to judge other places, based on these familiar places, others can also give Zheng He a direction.

After returning from his first voyage to the West, Zheng He wanted to explore further afield.

But the problem is that the sailing routes he knew were collected from various places, and their accuracy could not be judged.

It would be fine if you were just traveling along the continent, but once you want to cross the ocean and go to another place, for example, from Sumatra to Ceylon, the fastest way is to follow the ancient Persian route.

However, the Ming Dynasty had never traveled this route. Once they crossed it, whether they could reach their destination would depend on fate, in addition to their own experience and navigation knowledge.

But now with this map, the meaning is different.

With the help of the ancient Persian waterways, the Ming fleet's rich navigation experience, and various methods such as star navigation, they can go further.

What surprised Zheng He even more was that this map also marked many countries that he had only heard of but never encountered. For example, the Timurid Empire, the country that almost went to war with the Ming Dynasty, and there was also a whole continent marked as the production of Kunlun slaves. Zheng He had never heard of these.

Zheng He carefully put away the booklet and map, hid them close to his body, and bowed to Zhu Zhanjun.

"I don't know what your Highness wants me to do, but as long as I can do it, I will do it even if it means danger."

Yesterday, he even brought up the old man, but His Highness just mentioned it in one sentence.

Giving him two such important things today obviously shows that Zheng He will be of some use to them.

If someone gives you a plum, you should get a peach in return. Zheng He is not a person who doesn't know the rules.

Of course, he didn't promise everything. He only said what he could do. As for things he couldn't do, he couldn't help.

“It’s not that difficult.”

Zhu Zhanjun patted Guo Zi who was squatting next to him and said, "One of my brothers is interested in sailing. I want him to become your disciple and learn the art of sailing from you."

Guo Zi immediately knelt down in front of Zheng He and said loudly: "Guo Gang has been interested in the sea since he was a child. Please give Guo Gang a chance to learn real sailing skills."

Zheng He did not agree immediately, but hesitated for a long time before saying to Guo Gang: "Guard Guo, please think carefully. Zheng is a eunuch."

Throughout history, eunuchs have had a bad reputation, and he didn't want to affect the guard's future because of his identity.

Guo Gang straightened up, looked at Zheng He and said seriously: "What are you talking about, Eunuch Zheng? You have opened up the sea for the Ming Dynasty. Many normal people cannot accomplish such a great feat. In my heart, you are the fourth most respected person. It is my honor to be your apprentice. I am so happy."

Zheng He laughed and joked, "Can I know who are the top three?"

Guo Gang scratched his head naively and gave a thumbs up, "The first one is of course His Majesty, the second one is our Highness, the third one is my father, and the fourth one is you."

"Hahaha……"

Such an honest answer made Zheng He laugh out loud.

He reached out and patted Guo Gang on the shoulder, then said to Zhu Zhanjun, "Okay, I like this kid very much. I'll accept him as my disciple."

"Congratulations to Eunuch Zheng for having a talented disciple."

Zhu Zhanjun smiled and bowed to congratulate, at the same time kicking Guo Gang who was still kneeling stupidly beside him.

Guo Gang reacted quickly and lay down quickly, causing the carriage floor to hit with a loud bang.

"Disciple Guo Gang, I pay my respects to my Master."

With the relationship of having Guo Gang as his disciple, Zhu Zhanjun and Zheng He became closer. On the way out of the city, the two talked a lot about their experiences overseas.

It was not until they reached the city gate that Zheng He got off the carriage with his apprentice, still reluctant to leave.

"Your Highness, I'm afraid we won't see each other again for several years after we part today. When I come back one day, I must drink and chat with you for three days and three nights."

"Okay, I'll wait for you to come back." Zhu Zhanjun bowed to Zheng He and said, "Eunuch Zheng, have a safe trip!"

Zheng He returned the salute, and Guo Gang next to him knelt on the ground and bowed deeply to say goodbye.

Old Zhu, who was eating lunch in the space, looked at the team of Zheng He and others leaving in the picture. He took a bite of the scallion, swallowed the pancake and asked, "Little bastard, are you going to interfere in the West?"

Zhu Zhanjun watched the team go away and replied softly: "Grandfather, I am not planning to interfere in the Western Ocean. My ambition is to dominate the ocean."

"In the future, wherever there is an ocean in the world, my Ming flag will be flying in the wind."

ps: Sorry, I was delayed for a while because I had a parent-teacher meeting for my child.

(End of this chapter)