Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 225 I want you to be the mountain that suppresses all storms!
The emperor's words, "It has to be you," struck Wei Zhongxian's withered soul like four bolts of lightning from the heavens.

In an instant, all the disappointment, shame, and fear were dispelled and evaporated by the lightning.

Instead, there was a frenzy and trembling that lasted from beginning to end!

Before Wei Zhongxian could even ponder the magnitude of the matter, he had already prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed, the sound of which shook the bluestone floor.

"His Majesty!"

Wei Zhongxian's voice was hoarse, yet filled with barely suppressed excitement, like an old wolf that had been sleeping for many years suddenly opening its blood-red eyes upon hearing a horn.

"This old servant...this old servant will obey Your Majesty's orders! Even if it were right now, this old servant were to go alone into Liaodong and take Huang Taiji's head from among ten thousand troops, this old servant...would dare to go!"

He wasn't joking.

At this moment, the old eunuch, who had spent his entire life navigating the quagmire of power struggles, felt an impulse like that of a young knight-errant, ready to wield a three-foot sword and achieve unparalleled feats.

He felt that as long as he could repay the emperor's trust that he "could not live without you," he would not hesitate to be shattered to pieces!

Zhu Youjian would certainly not allow Wei Zhongxian to do such a foolish thing that would lead to certain death.

A living Wei Zhongxian is far more valuable than a dead assassin.

He didn't speak immediately, but instead stretched out his fingers and tapped them rhythmically on the smooth imperial desk.

That slow yet firm voice, like the heavy echo of the wheels of history rolling over stubborn stones, struck Wei Zhongxian's heart again and again, gradually calming his heart, which was about to leap out of his chest.

"Zhongxian," Zhu Youjian finally spoke, his voice calm yet containing the force of a thunderbolt, "I ask you, what is the disease of the Ming Dynasty?"

Wei Zhongxian was taken aback; the question was far too broad. But he still followed his own understanding and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the problem lies in factional strife, in the empty treasury, in border troubles, and in the widespread refugee crisis..."

“These are all symptoms.” Zhu Youjian shook his head, his gaze piercing through the window frame and looking into the endless darkness.

"The real problem of the Ming Dynasty is that this land can no longer support so many people. If we guard this land and fight amongst ourselves, even if I pacify Jiangnan today, chaos will break out in the north in the future."

The emperor paused, then his tone suddenly changed, the somber mood vanished, replaced by a magnificent, earth-shattering aura.

"Therefore, the future of the Ming Dynasty does not lie on land!"

Zhu Youjian suddenly stood up, walked to a huge map of the world, and pressed his finger heavily on the vast blue ocean.

"The future of the Ming Dynasty should be born from the sea!"

Born from the sea!

These four words were like a beam of light piercing through a thousand-year-old dark room, instantly illuminating Wei Zhongxian's mind!
He trembled violently as a towering figure, also a eunuch, appeared before him, merging with the young emperor across two centuries.

Zheng He! The Yongle Emperor! Treasure ships sailing to the Western Ocean!
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty's intention is... to reopen the treasure ships and sail to the Western Ocean again?" Wei Zhongxian's voice trembled as he excitedly raised his head. "This old servant... Although this old servant is old, his body is still strong! This old servant is willing to follow the example of Eunuch Zheng for Your Majesty and open up vast oceans for the Ming Dynasty! Even if I die, I will have no regrets!"

He thought this was the momentous task the emperor had entrusted to him.

However, Zhu Youjian turned around and smiled.

"Do not."

The emperor shook his head, his smile carrying a hint of mockery and a deeper sense of reliance.

"Going out to sea to brave the waves is something for young people. What I want you to do is more important and more difficult than going out to sea."

"I don't want you to be the ship that braves the wind and waves; I want you to be the mountain that suppresses all storms!"

"I want you—to be in charge of the South!"

"Suppress all those who do not want my ships to go to sea! Enforce my national policies, down to the smallest detail, without any compromise, into this most prosperous land in Jiangnan!"

After returning to his desk, Zhu Youjian took out a beautifully drawn scroll from a locked sandalwood box and slowly unrolled it in front of Wei Zhongxian.

That was an unprecedented, grand blueprint centered on Songjiang Prefecture.

"Zhongxian, come and see."

"This is the first step I have planned for you and for the Ming Dynasty—to make Songjiang Prefecture the new gateway for our Ming Dynasty to the outside world!"

Zhu Youjian's finger touched the center of the drawing.

"Look what Songjiang Prefecture has! It possesses the most powerful weapon in the world, unmatched by any other in our Great Ming Dynasty!"

"Songjiang cotton cloth is famous throughout the world. Even now, through the smuggling channels of those desperate criminals, it has long been a hard currency that Japan and Southeast Asian countries are vying to buy! Its profits far exceed those of silk and porcelain! If the government could come forward and sell it openly and honestly, what a mountain of gold flowing with silver it would be!"

"Let's look at its geographical advantages. Songjiang Prefecture is located in the very center of the water network of Jiangnan! To the north, it can connect to the Grand Canal and link to the capital; to the west, it gathers Suzhou silk, Jingdezhen porcelain, and Huizhou tea! The essence of the world can be gathered and distributed here! As a source of goods, it is uniquely advantageous!" Zhu Youjian's finger then pointed overseas.

"There is both outflow and inflow! Jiangnan is prosperous, and its consumption power is the greatest in the world. Silver from Japan, spices from Southeast Asia, and ingenious crafts from the West can all be traded here! Exchange my cotton and silk for the world's gold and silver! This is a brilliant strategy that yields huge profits and is endlessly profitable!"

Wei Zhongxian was thrilled. This blueprint was practically a money-printing machine that could continuously turn the resources of the Ming Dynasty into military funds and imperial silver!

But he was, after all, Wei Zhongxian, and in his fervor, he immediately thought of the enormous obstacle that could overthrow the court.

"Your Majesty... this plan is good, but... I'm afraid there are two major difficulties."

"speak."

Wei Zhongxian said in a deep voice, "Firstly, there is the obstruction of vested interests. From local officials to customs superintendents, to the Portuguese entrenched in Macau, and the Fujian and Guangdong merchants who collude with them, a huge, deeply entrenched network of vested interests has been formed. Now, opening the port in Songjiang is tantamount to cutting flesh off this beast alive. They will inevitably use all their power, from the local to the central government, to launch a full-scale counterattack!"

"Well said!" A hint of approval flashed in Zhu Youjian's eyes. "I have been eyeing this enormous beast for a long time as well."

He pointed to the southeastern coastline on the map and said coldly:

"I will authorize you to take command of the newly formed Ming Navy, as well as... Zheng Zhilong's fleet!"

"My decree is simple—first, let Zheng Zhilong use his pirate logic to wipe out the strongholds of the Portuguese and foreigners in Southeast Asia one by one! And subdue those disobedient Fujian and Guangdong merchants one by one!"

"When will the gunboats of my Great Ming be able to roam freely in Malacca and keep all Westerners out? When will the power of the Zheng family be almost exhausted? Then I will issue another decree to relocate all members of the Zheng family to the interior, grant them titles and honors, and let them live out their days in peace."

That fleet, however, must be completely brought under the control of the Ming Dynasty! This game might take five, ten, or even longer. Until then, I want you in Jiangnan to keep a close watch on this mad dog!

Wei Zhongxian gasped.

What a clever trick – using one tiger to devour another, then discarding it after it's no longer needed!
"As for the second point..." Wei Zhongxian pointed to the sea outlet on the map, "This old servant has also heard that the sea route from Songjiang Prefecture is silted up and the water is too shallow to accommodate large ocean-going vessels. Dredging it would be extremely costly, and with the current national treasury, I'm afraid..."

“You’re right,” Zhu Youjian readily admitted. “Therefore, Songjiang Prefecture can only serve as a transit point and a pilot project for now! I don’t expect it to become a giant overnight. What I want is to first establish my rules and raise my banner here! Let the world see that the profits from maritime trade belong entirely to the nation!”

He slowly rolled up the blueprints, put them back in the wooden box, and solemnly handed them to Wei Zhongxian.

"I will soon personally lead a large army to quell the rebellion throughout Jiangnan. You do not need to come with me."

"You will stay here in Songjiang Prefecture and work with Yang Sichang and Hou Xun to get things done for me!"

Zhu Youjian looked at him one last time, his voice extremely solemn.

"Once I have pacified Jiangnan, you will accompany me south to Fujian. At that time, Quanzhou, Yuegang, and even the entire southeastern coast will be your stage! Guard this blue territory that can bring boundless vitality to the Ming Dynasty!"

After saying this, Zhu Youjian turned around and stood with his hands behind his back, leaving his entire back view to him, like a majestic empire.

It was a silent delivery, and also an absolute trust.

Wei Zhongxian held the heavy sandalwood box in his hands, and his fingertips could even feel the burning heat of the magnificent blueprint that was enough to shake the world beneath the wood grain.

For more than a year, he served by the emperor's side and witnessed firsthand how this young emperor repeatedly cast his gaze upon the boundless deep blue of the map.

He knew that lifting the sea ban, gaining control of the seas, and venturing out to sea thousands of miles away was not a whim of His Majesty, nor was it empty talk to appease people's hearts.

That was a belief deeply ingrained in the very bones and blood of this great ruler! It was the remedy for the Ming Dynasty's deep-seated ills! It was a glimmer of hope won for this fading empire!
This is not feigned affection.

This is the path that the emperor truly believes in and is prepared to dedicate his life to practicing!
Wei Zhongxian stopped thinking about whether he was a dirty knife that was used and discarded or a chamber pot that everyone despised.

How history records him, how future generations judge him—to him at this moment, all of that is insignificant dust in the dust of time.

Because what the emperor bestowed upon him was not a title, nor an honor...

Rather, it is a responsibility heavy enough to crush Mount Tai!
Whether it's a rock or a mountain.

From this moment on, he will be the first iron stake to be driven into the rotten heart of Jiangnan for His Majesty!
It is the strongest anchor on land for that invincible fleet that will dominate the world in the future!

An unprecedented sense of responsibility washed over Wei Zhongxian's long-parched soul like a torrent, reigniting a raging fire in his dying body!
Slowly, the spine that had been hunched over all its life, bearing the infamy of being a castrated dog and the contempt of the people, was forcibly straightened at this moment, creaking as if it could not bear the weight any longer!

The movement was extremely slow, as if it were not pushing away the air, but rather the humiliation and darkness that had weighed on him throughout his life.

The sinister and calculating nature had faded from his cloudy old eyes, leaving only a blazing light like molten lava.

He looked up at that figure as imposing as a mountain, his voice not loud, but as firm as metal and stone, each word like a vow bursting forth from the depths of his soul:

"This old servant will die a thousand deaths! I will slay gods and Buddhas alike if they stand in my way! Even if the blade shatters into pieces, I will clear all obstacles in His Majesty's path before it crumbles!"

(End of this chapter)