Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 259 Win-win
When the leader arrived, he had no idea why Zhu Yunfeng wanted to see him.

All I know is that there is a very important situation to explain.

As Zhu Yunfeng is now the richest man in Hunan, he has a very important position. His superiors needed his help with some things, so they readily agreed to his request.

Although I listened to what Zhu Yunfeng said on the way, and he recounted what had happened, I only listened superficially, while I was still skeptical in my heart.

Having reached that position, one has long since reached the point where one cannot easily show one's emotions and will not easily experience significant emotional fluctuations. Therefore, at the time, one was only slightly surprised, but did not believe everything. Everything still depends on the facts.

However, the reality is now before him.

After touching the first sphere on the stone tablet, the leader felt as if there was nothing in front of him. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in another world.

"This"

His previously calm face finally showed a change; even seeing Zhu Di disappear before couldn't compare to the intensity of this personal experience.

This is a large underground palace, which was previously expanded to store goods. It covers an area of ​​about one acre and is supported by cement pillars. A series of steps extend upwards, and sunlight is shining in from the outside.

"Boss, this way."

Zhu Yunfeng gestured forward, while Zhu Di had already walked to the steps leading up to the underground palace and was waiting for them.

"Ah."

The leader then slowly followed behind the two men up the steps, looking around.

It was already the first ten days of the first month of the twentieth year of the Hongwu reign. At this time, the north was affected by the Little Ice Age, and Henan, Hebei and other places were still in the snow and cold stage.

However, Nanjing is affected by the subtropical monsoon climate, and spring has arrived with flowers in bloom. Although the weather is still a bit chilly, such as needing a thick blanket at night, it has at least stopped snowing and is no longer as cold as it was before the Lunar New Year.

It must have rained in the last few days; the marble slabs are quite damp, and there are even puddles in some places. The sky is overcast, as if another storm could strike at any moment.

The leader stared wide-eyed at the solemn and majestic palace. Dragons were carved on the white jade railings, and there was a relief of the Danbi steps in the center of the steps leading to the platform above the Qianqing Palace.

The glazed tiles atop the Qianqing Palace above are bright and clean. The only thing that might seem a little out of place is that there are electrical wires running through them, secured with wires, leading to the roof behind and clearly extending into the palace.

"This is the Qianqing Palace in the Forbidden City of Nanjing, the sleeping quarters of Emperor Taizu of Ming."

Zhu Yunfeng led the leader up the steps like a tour guide and introduced him, "This is also where my ancestor usually works. He's waiting for you inside now."

"Good good."

The leader, who was initially shocked, has gradually regained his composure and walked onto the platform with Zhu Yunfeng and Zhu Di.

Upon seeing him, the guards at the door hurriedly knelt on one knee and said, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Yan; greetings, Your Highness Prince Wu."

Is His Majesty in the study?

"Yes."

"it is good."

Zhu Yunfeng nodded, stepped into the Qianqing Palace, and walked into the West Warm Pavilion on the left.

Passing through the west warm pavilion, you can vaguely see a figure sitting behind a desk in the study through the latticed wooden windows, with piles of official documents stacked around him.

"Ancestor."

Zhu Yunfeng poked his head out and shouted to Old Zhu, "I've brought the leader."

Old Zhu looked up.

The three men entered the study, and after exchanging glances for a few seconds, Old Zhu stood up, and the leader walked over and extended his hand, saying, "Hello, Mr. Zhu Yuanzhang."

"Hello."

Old Zhu now knows modern etiquette, and shakes hands by lightly touching his chin.

"You two chat? We'll head out first?"

Zhu Yunfeng knew that this matter likely involved many state secrets.

It's not a state secret of the Ming Dynasty, but a modern state secret, so it's better to avoid certain things.

"Okay, go and call Biao over here."

Old Zhu responded.

"it is good."

Zhu Yunfeng pulled Zhu Di out of the house.

Inside, they heard Old Zhu had already asked the leaders to sit down and they began to discuss things.

As he walked further and further away, the voices naturally grew fainter and fainter, and it became impossible to tell what they were saying.

Once outside the hall, Zhu Yunfeng summoned Mao Xiang and asked him to call Zhu Biao.

At this time, Zhu Biao was handling state affairs in the Fengtian Hall.

Now, Zhu has basically handed over all government affairs to Zhu Biao.

Many policies and plans no longer require Zhu's approval; at most, a record is made, and all official documents are handed over to Zhu for review.

Even though Lao Zhu read the official document and felt that the plan was not feasible, it was already practically being implemented, and it was unlikely that he could withdraw it.

Therefore, in a sense, Zhu Biao is currently the crown prince in name only, but in fact he is already the emperor.

We're just waiting for the day when Old Zhu passes away, so he can ascend to the throne normally.

Such an important matter as cooperating with modern technology naturally requires his presence.

About ten minutes later, Zhu Biao rushed over. He greeted Zhu Yunfeng and Zhu Di, who were squatting at the door, and then hurriedly went to the study.

Seeing this, Zhu Di couldn't help but ask Zhu Yunfeng, "What do you think they're talking about inside?"

"How would I know? Children shouldn't pry into adults' affairs."

"Hey, you're just a kid, don't talk about me like that. I was already enfeoffed in Beijing when I was twenty, went to war in the northern deserts when I was thirty, raised an army to quell the rebellion when I was thirty-eight, and became emperor when I was thirty-nine."

"Is that you? That's the you from history. The you now is just like me and Jihe, loafing around every day. In the future, with the help of modern times, you should choose a better fiefdom to become emperor. I think Australia would be good."

"."

Zhu Di remained silent.

I've become like this because of you guys.
If you guys hadn't been playing video games all the time and becoming couch potatoes, would you have ended up like this?
But thinking about it carefully, compared to experiencing so many life-or-death events in history, the modern world is much more comfortable. You can have whatever you want. Being an emperor is nothing compared to the joy of playing video games.

Thinking of this, Zhu Di smiled and took out his phone to play an offline single-player game.

Soon, it was noon.

After chatting for about an hour, Lao Zhu and Zhu Biao escorted the leader out of the study and walked to the main gate of the Qianqing Palace.

"That's settled then. We'll discuss the details later."

"Alright, brother, I'll take my leave now."

"Brother, I'm waiting for your good news."

In just a short while, they were already acting like brothers.

"Yunfeng, fourth brother, see your brother off."

"okay."

Zhu Yunfeng and Zhu Di then walked over.

The leader then smiled and shook hands with Lao Zhu again before walking down the steps.

The two followed behind, leading each other through the stone tablet and back to Zhujiaping.

Upon exiting the cellar, the leader's driver, secretary, and Zou Tingjihe were waiting by the car, the ground littered with the driver's and secretary's cigarette butts.

Ji He had obviously just arrived from the county today, and when he saw them come out, he didn't immediately strike up a conversation.

Zhu Yunfeng ran over to open the car door for his boss and said, "Take care, boss." "Yes, I'll have to trouble you with this matter again, Mr. Zhu."

After the leader got into the car, he opened the window and said, "You are more familiar with the area over there, so please take good care of me in the future, Mr. Zhu."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

"Alright, let's go, let's go back to the provincial capital immediately."

The driver immediately started the vehicle and set off.

Watching the black sedan drive away, Ji He hurriedly asked, "How did it go?"

"I don't know, but it seems like the cooperation is going well."

Zhu Yunfeng scratched his head.

"How long did you talk?"

"About an hour or two."

"What can be achieved through that discussion?"

"I guess it's something like a cooperation intention, but the specific details definitely need to be reported to higher authorities."

"That's true."

Jihe nodded.

Such a big matter cannot be decided by provincial leaders alone; it must be reported to the highest level.

Seeing them speaking in such a cryptic manner, Zou Ting couldn't help but ask, "What are you talking about? What have you been hiding from me?"

"Walk."

Zhu Yunfeng simply waved his hand, inviting her to come in and take a look.

There's no point in talking about this; seeing is believing.

Zou Ting followed the three little ones into the cellar, completely bewildered.

She had been to Zhu Yunfeng's house many times, but this was her first time visiting this cellar.

The main problem is that the cellar has a password, or rather, a fingerprint lock, which she can't open.

Now that she's inside, it feels like a large warehouse or a large underground parking garage, which puzzles her greatly.

What secrets could there be in this wretched place?

She then followed the three to the stone tablet placed on the undecorated muddy ground. Zhu Di was the first to go over and disappeared from the spot in an instant.

"He he he he he"

Zou Ting stammered, her eyes widening as she covered her mouth in astonishment, "He's gone."

Zhu Yunfeng turned his head to her and grinned strangely, then reached for the sphere as well.

Zou Ting almost cried the moment she saw Zhu Yunfeng disappear.

What kind of paranormal event is this?
"Let's go."

Ji He grabbed her hand and transported her to the Hongwu Dynasty.

At this moment, Zhu Di and Zhu Yunfeng had already entered the underground palace, while Ji He pulled Zou Ting, who was almost fainting from fright, behind him and whispered an explanation to her.

Once they reached the platform, Zhu Yunfeng said to Ji He, "You take Tingting around for a bit, I'll go in and ask around."

"it is good."

Jihe nodded.

Zou Ting was already feeling dizzy at this point.

She remembered that she was just at Zhu Yunfeng's house, but in the blink of an eye she was in a palace-like place.

Although she is a successful businesswoman, such a shocking event is still frightening.

While comforting her, Ji He pulled her towards the nearby palace road.

Zhu Yunfeng and Zhu Di then entered the Qianqing Palace.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di were sitting in the study talking about something.

After they went inside, Zhu Yunfeng asked, "How did it go, Ancestor? How did the conversation go?"

"Ah."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "It went even more smoothly than I expected. He seems to understand my concerns and has assured me that he will not send troops over."

Zhu Yunfeng laughed and said, "There is no need for that. For our country, the resources of one world are already inexhaustible, not to mention there are so many other worlds. There is no need to cut off cooperation. Hongwu Ming will become an emerging market, which will be a huge potential for our industrial and social development."

"Yes."

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "He has also mentioned this matter, but the specific details still need to be reported to the higher-ups. I estimate that someone from above will come to discuss it with me in detail, but he gave a brief explanation, saying that they can send a large number of technical and professional personnel to quickly assist the Ming Dynasty in its construction."

"This is the most basic requirement."

Zhu Yunfeng could figure this out even with his toes.

For modern times, this is not only a brand new world, but also a blue ocean full of resources.

And there is more than one such world.

Even if he conquered the Southern Ming by force, Zhu Yuanzhang could have given any of the Southern Ming to the modern world. There was no need for him to antagonize a Hongwu Ming dynasty that had established a stable situation and possessed a certain level of modern military power.

So what is the most correct method?

Just as we cultivate emerging markets in Africa, we will complete the transformation and upgrading of the Hongwu Ming Dynasty.

The Hongwu Emperor's concept of the Ming Dynasty extended beyond its territory; it encompassed the trade of natural resources from across the world.

In return, the modern world can send over a large amount of industrial goods, while this world can provide a wealth of natural resources and supply countless professionals to fill the gaps in the Ming Dynasty's economy.

In this way, we can cultivate emerging markets and complete a country's foreign trade transactions with the whole world.

It can also supply talent and alleviate the current domestic talent surplus, where many graduates from prestigious universities cannot even find jobs.

This is a win-win situation for both the ancient and modern sides.

"In a few days, someone should come over to discuss the details with me, and then the matter should be largely settled."

Old Zhu continued, "Now my life is almost complete. There are only eleven years left until the thirty-first year of Hongwu's reign. If I can see the rapid development of the Ming Dynasty in the remaining eleven years, I can die in peace."

Zhu Biao hurriedly said, "Father, now that we are cooperating with modern technology, extending lifespan is not difficult. Besides, you have always been in good health, so there is no need to worry so much."

"Hahahahaha."

Old Zhu laughed loudly, "Birth, aging, sickness and death are the natural course of life. Extending lifespan is one thing, but no matter how much you extend it, your age is still what it is. I'm already sixty years old, and there's nothing I can't be happy about. All that's left is to fulfill my wishes."

After saying that, he pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, the main reason I am willing to cooperate with Modern is that after these years of development, I have realized that if we want to develop quickly, even with Modern's accumulation, it will probably take us decades to achieve that on our own. Education needs time to mature, and technology needs to be gradually understood and adapted. If we can reach the level of the 1980s or 1990s in the next thirty years, that would be considered good. How could we possibly reach the magnificent city I see? That's why I hope to get Modern's help. That way, I will have no regrets. There is only one thing left."

"what's up?"

Everyone looked at him curiously.

"Southern Ming".

Old Zhu's eyes flashed with a hint of murderous intent as he said, "The most painful history of the Ming Dynasty is the history of the Southern Ming. Killing all those bandits is nothing, and sending troops to the border to wipe out the Jurchens is nothing. Only by returning to the Southern Ming and killing all those Jurchens who entered the pass and all the traitors who surrendered to the Jurchens can I relieve the hatred in my heart. After a while, once things are settled, Biao'er will take over the cooperation with the modern world. Yunfeng and Lao Si will come with me to the Southern Ming again. This old body of mine will eventually sweep away the scorching sun for the Han people!"

The Southern Ming Dynasty, much like the invasion of Japanese pirates, has long been a history of blood and tears for countless Han Chinese.

However, that period is too far removed from later generations, and the Jurchens ruled for too long, so many people have forgotten it, forgetting that tens of millions of Han Chinese men also died during that period of history.

Now is the time to collect the debt.

(End of this chapter)