Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

……

That night, Zhu Biao suddenly came to visit.

He came alone, dressed in plain clothes, without even bringing any guards.

"Brother, it's so late..." Zhu Hui greeted him.

Zhu Biao waved his hand: "Let's go inside and talk."

The two entered the study, and Guanyinnu served tea before leaving.

Zhu Biao took a sip of tea, then pulled a map from his pocket and spread it out on the table.

It was a huge world map, bigger than any I had ever seen before.

"This map was drawn by the Hanlin Academy and the Imperial Observatory based on data collected over the years. Look, this is our Great Ming Dynasty, this is Southeast Asia, this is Japan, this is the Mongolian Plateau, this is Luzon, this is Australia..." Zhu Biao pointed to the map.

He pointed to them one by one, and Zhu Li looked at them one by one.

"Brother, what about the west side?" Zhu Li pointed to the edge of the map.

"To the west, there's Tibet, the Western Regions, and countries even further west. Second brother, do you know how big this land is?" Zhu Biao paused and said.

Zhu Li shook his head.

Zhu Biao looked at him and said seriously, "It's more than ten times bigger than what we've conquered so far."

Zhu Hui was taken aback and asked, "So we still have to fight?"

"We don't necessarily have to fight. We can talk, we can trade, and we can get those countries to submit on their own initiative. But no matter what, we have to be prepared," Zhu Biao said.

Zhu Hui thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll go?"

Zhu Biao laughed and said, "No rush. You stay in Yingtian first. Once the third and fourth brothers have stabilized the surrounding area, we can advance westward."

"Okay," Zhu Li nodded.

Zhu Biao put away the map, looked at him, and said, "Second brother, do you know why I made you stay until last?"

"have no idea."

"Because you are our family's biggest trump card. With you here, no matter what happens to anyone outside, there is always a way out. With you here, no matter where we fight, we know that our rear is as stable as Mount Tai," Zhu Biao said.

Zhu Hui scratched his head and said, "I just stayed in Yingtian and didn't do anything."

"You staying here is the most important thing. Okay, I'm leaving now. Get some rest." Zhu Biao patted his shoulder and said.

"Take care, brother."

……

After seeing Zhu Biao off, Zhu Hui returned to his bedroom.

Guanyin Nu was still awake, leaning against the headboard reading a book.

That was a copy of the Analects of Confucius; she had been studying Chinese classics very diligently.

"Has your older brother left?" she asked.

"Hmm." Zhu Li took off his outer robe and lay down.

Guanyin Nu put down her book and leaned closer: "What did you say, brother?"

"He told me to stay in Yingtian and not go anywhere else." Zhu Li looked at the top of the tent.

"Then we won't go," Guanyin Nu said.

Zhu Li turned to look at her and said, "Wife, tell me, just how big is this world we live in?"

After thinking for a moment, Guanyin Nu said, "It's very, very big! I heard from Granny that there's a country in the far west, an ice field in the north, an endless sea in the south, and in the east... we've already reached Japan."

"Then tell me, where can I hit?"

Guanyin Nu smiled, reached out and touched his face, saying, "Wherever you can fight, I'll follow you."

Zhu Hui grasped her hand and said with a simple smile, "Then we won't fight. We'll stay in Yingtian and keep you and our son company."

"real?"

"Really, my brother said that staying here is the most important thing, so I will stay here and take care of our parents, my brother, you, and our son," Zhu Li said earnestly.

Guanyin Nu's eyes welled up with tears as she nestled into his arms.

Outside the window, moonlight streamed in, bathing the courtyard in a silvery glow.

The night watchman walked by, striking his clapper; the sound carried far away.

"The weather is dry, so be careful with fire!"

Zhu Hui closed his eyes and hugged the person in his arms tightly.

He thought to himself, "The world is vast, but home is small."

With her here and our son here, that's enough.

……

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Australia.

Zhu Zhen was squatting by the campfire, gesturing to several local chieftains about something.

He held a piece of gold ore in his hand and mumbled in broken indigenous language.

"This, gold, in exchange for yours, that one..." He pointed to a Pokémon in the distance.

The chiefs looked at each other, and finally the eldest one spoke, saying a long string of words.

The translator whispered, "Your Highness, they say gold is fine, but they want two more knives."

Zhu Zhen waved his hand: "Here you go! Three are fine!"

The translator relayed the message, and the chiefs nodded in satisfaction.

Before long, a small pocket monster was brought over, looking timidly at Zhu Zhen.

Zhu Zhen's eyes lit up, and he squatted down and stretched out his hand.

The little monster hesitated for a long time, then jumped and leaped into his arms.

"Hahaha! I have a Pokémon now!" Zhu Zhen hugged it, laughing like a child.

The campfire illuminated his young face, while in the distance came the sound of endless waves.

This sixteen-year-old boy is building his kingdom thousands of miles away.

……

Japan, Izumo.

Zhu Gang stood before the ruins of Izumo Taisha Shrine, watching the craftsmen rebuild the temple.

Yoshihiro Ōuchi, standing beside him, asked cautiously, "Your Highness, what deity will be enshrined in this temple after it is completed?"

Zhu Gang glanced at him and said, "Worship the righteous god of Longhu Mountain of the Great Ming Dynasty. As for those local demons and spirits, move them all to the side hall."

"Yes," Yoshihiro Ouchi replied.

Zhu Gang turned around and looked at the distant sea.

There, the red sun is slowly rising.

He suddenly remembered Zhu Biao's words before he left: "Fourth brother, the people of Japan are fierce and difficult to manage, but you only need to remember one thing... subdue them with force and reform them with virtue."

Subdue them with power, and transform them with virtue.

He remembered it.

……

Northern desert, and Karakorum.

Zhu Di stood on the ruins of the former Northern Yuan royal court, gazing at the boundless grassland.

Behind him, 30,000 Ming soldiers stood in formation, their banners waving.

An elderly Mongolian man was brought forward and made to kneel before him.

"Your Highness, these are the last batch of tribal chiefs who refused to surrender," the lieutenant reported.

Zhu Di looked down at the old man, and the old man looked up at him, his eyes full of defiance.

"What's your name?" Zhu Di asked.

"Bartel," the old man said.

"Bater, in Mongolian it means warrior. You are a warrior, but your tribe has been wiped out. Are you still going to hold on?" Zhu Di nodded and said.

The old man hissed, "Wolves on the grasslands would rather die standing than live kneeling!"

Zhu Di remained silent for a moment, then suddenly drew his sword.

The old man closed his eyes.

But the knife did not fall.

Zhu Di cut the ropes binding his hands, sheathed his sword, and said, "You may leave!"

The old man looked up in astonishment.

"Take the rest of your men and head north, across the icy plains, where there are no Ming troops," Zhu Di said.

The old man stood there stunned for a long time before finally getting up, giving Zhu Di a deep look, and then turning to leave.

The lieutenant cried out urgently, "Your Highness, we must release the tiger back into the mountains..."

Zhu Di raised his hand to interrupt him: "You can't kill all the wolves on the grasslands. But as long as they know that the Ming Dynasty is benevolent and powerful, one day they will come back on their own."

He watched the old man's departing figure and murmured, "My father said that conquering the world is easy, but ruling it is difficult. This grassland must be ruled with benevolence and righteousness."

……

Nanyang, old port.

Zhu Shuang sat in the main hall of the Protectorate General's office, looking at the mountain of account books in front of him, feeling utterly overwhelmed.

"Your Highness, this is this month's tax revenue, this is the customs duty for maritime merchants, this is..." the advisor rattled off the report.

Zhu Shuang waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, just tell me how much you made?"

"Net profit... 300,000 taels of silver," the clerk said.

Zhu Shuang's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "So many!"

"Your Highness, this is just the beginning. Once all seventy-two islands in the South Seas are developed, earning a million taels of silver annually will not be a problem."

Zhu Shuang laughed heartily, "Excellent! Excellent! I've finally found something more interesting than pleasure!"

He got up, walked to the window, and looked at the sea in the distance.

There, countless merchant ships came and went, creating a prosperous scene.

He suddenly remembered that when he was in Yingtian, he spent all his time thinking about eating, drinking and having fun, and was scolded by his eldest brother and disciplined by his second brother.

Looking back now, those days were pretty good.

But life is better now.

……

Luzon, Manila.

Zhu Su is treating a local child.

The child has a fever and is delirious.

Zhu Su carefully examined the pulse, wrote a prescription, and sent the apprentice to fetch the medicine.

The child's mother knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

Zhu Su helped her up and said in the indigenous language she had just learned, "No, don't kneel, child, good."

The mother couldn't understand his words, but she understood his smile, and tears streamed down her face.

Zhu Su patted her on the shoulder and turned to look at the next patient.

Outside the door, there was a long queue of local people who came to see a doctor.

A medical student approached and whispered, "Your Highness, we've seen two hundred patients today. Please take a break."

Zhu Su shook his head and said, "There are still so many people waiting, we can't rest."

He wiped the sweat from his brow and continued seeing patients.

Sunlight streamed into the simple clinic, illuminating his young face.

He recalled Zhu Hui's words before he left and said, "Sixth Brother, you save people, I'll chop them up. Let's divide the work."

He smiled.

Yes, the second brother was attacking someone, and he was saving someone.

Good.

……

Yingtian, the Imperial Palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma sat in the Kunning Palace, reading reports from various places.

As he looked through the documents, Zhu Yuanzhang's smile grew wider and wider.

"Sister, look, the third son is making money now, the fourth son has established himself in Japan, the fifth son has made a name for himself on the grasslands, the sixth son is rescuing people in Luzon, and the seventh son... the seventh son is catching some Pokémon in Australia." Zhu Yuanzhang handed the report to Empress Ma.

Empress Ma took it and looked at it; as she read, her eyes reddened.

"Why are you crying?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

"I'm so happy, my children have all become successful," Empress Ma said, wiping away her tears.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and looked out the window.

Outside the window, the moon is very round.

"Yes, they've all made something of themselves. Our lives have been worthwhile," he said softly.

……

The Palace of the King of Wu.

Zhu Li was sleeping soundly.

In his dream, he saw his five younger brothers, standing in five different directions, smiling at him.

He smiled too.

Then he saw his parents, older brother, wife, and son standing around him.

The whole family, all together.

He smiled sheepishly.

Outside the window, the moonlight remained the same.

The night in Yingtian Prefecture is quiet and long.

But everyone knows that this vast empire has only just begun to truly function.

And their story continues.