Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

In September of the twelfth year of the Hongwu reign, the autumn wind began to blow.

Outside Yingtianfu City, three enormous flying ships slowly descended.

Those were troop transport ships returning simultaneously from Southeast Asia, Japan, and the Mongolian steppe, fully loaded with spoils of war and tributes from various vassal kings.

Zhu Li stood at the city gate to greet them.

He held his nine-month-old son, Zhu Jingbei, in his left arm and held Guanyinnu's hand in his right.

The little guy is chubby and fair-skinned, with big, round eyes. He's staring at the golden-winged roc flying overhead and calling out to it.

"Son, that's your seventh uncle's messenger," Zhu Hui said, pointing to the roc.

Zhu Jingbei didn't understand, but he grinned, drooling all over Zhu Li's sleeve.

Guanyin Nu handed over a handkerchief and said, "You let him shed tears all over you again."

"It's nothing, it's just my son's saliva... Look, your third uncle is back." Zhu Hui wiped his face and lifted his son up higher as he spoke.

The cabin door of the first airship opened, and Zhu Shuang strode out.

He was wearing the official robes of the Governor-General of the South Seas, with a string of huge pearls hanging from his waist, the largest of which was bigger than an egg.

He was followed by a dozen or so attendants carrying seven or eight large boxes.

"Second brother, sister-in-law... Oh my, nephew! You've grown so much!" Zhu Shuang quickly stepped forward, first bowing to Zhu Hui, then leaning over to look at Zhu Jingbei.

He pulled a blood-red gem from his pocket, stuffed it into Zhu Jingbei's hand, and said, "This is a gift from my third uncle, a South Sea ruby. Take it and play with it."

Zhu Jingbei grabbed the gemstone and stuffed it into his mouth.

Zhu Hui quickly stopped him, saying, "You can't eat that!"

"This child is just like you, Second Brother, he puts everything in his mouth." Zhu Shuang laughed heartily.

The second airship landed, and Zhu Gang stepped down.

He was thinner and darker than when he went to Japan, but he was in good spirits.

He had a Japanese katana hanging at his waist, the scabbard inlaid with gold and silver threads.

"Fourth brother..." Zhu Li greeted him, holding her son.

Zhu Gang leaned closer to look at Zhu Jingbei, took out an exquisite wooden box from his pocket, and said, "This is a Japanese lacquerware box. It contains soil from Mount Fuji. Keep it for the child. When he grows up, tell him that it was the place his fourth uncle conquered."

Zhu Hui took the wooden box and handed it to Guanyin Nu.

The hatch of the third flying boat opened, and Zhu Di strode out.

He was wearing armor and a black cloak, with two attendants dressed in Mongolian attire following behind him.

Upon seeing Zhu Hui, he quickly stepped forward, first clasped his hands in a salute, and then looked at Zhu Jingbei.

"Nephew, your fifth uncle didn't bring anything fancy, just two fine horses from the grasslands for you to ride when you grow up," Zhu Di said with a smile.

Zhu Jingbei stretched out his hand, trying to grab the jade pendant at Zhu Di's waist.

Zhu Di took off the jade pendant and handed it over, but Zhu Li stopped him, saying, "No, if you give it to him, he can eat it."

"Eat it if you want, it's just a jade pendant. As long as my nephew is happy." Zhu Di stuffed the jade pendant directly into Zhu Jingbei's arms.

The little guy held the jade pendant and giggled.

The fourth flying boat landed, and Zhu Su stepped off.

He was wearing a plain-colored robe and holding a dried herb in his hand.

Upon seeing Zhu Hui, he quickly came over to greet him, then looked at Zhu Jingbei and said, "Nephew, let your sixth uncle take a look... Hmm, your complexion is rosy, your pulse is steady, you're in very good health."

He pulled a porcelain bottle from his sleeve and said, "These are deworming pills I made with herbs from Luzon. When the child is older, he can take one a year to prevent insect infestation."

Zhu Hui took the porcelain bottle and handed it to Guanyin Nu.

When the fifth airship landed, the hatch opened, and the first thing to jump out was not a person, but a furry little creature.

It hopped twice after landing, looking around warily.

Then Zhu Zhen jumped down, picked up the little thing, and said, "Why are you running? This is our home!"

He hurried over, carrying the Pocket Monster, and first bowed to Zhu Hui, saying, "Second Brother!"

Then he leaned close to Zhu Jingbei and said, "Nephew! Look! Your seventh uncle brought you a pet! An Australian Pocket Monster, it can jump, hop, and be cute!"

The little thing tilted its head to look at Zhu Jingbei, then suddenly jumped up and landed on Zhu Hui's shoulder, peering at the little guy.

Zhu Jingbei stared at it, his eyes wide open, then reached out and grabbed its ear.

The Pokémon let out a scream and struggled desperately.

Zhu Li quickly removed his son's hand, and the little guy jumped back into Zhu Zhen's arms, trembling.

"That grip strength is just like yours, Second Brother," Zhu Zhen laughed heartily.

All five younger brothers have returned.

...

That evening, a grand family banquet was held at Kunning Palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat in the main seat, and Empress Ma sat beside him.

Zhu Biao and Madam Chang sat on the left, Zhu Hui held Zhu Jingbei on the right, and Guanyin Nu was beside them.

Zhu Shuang, Zhu Gang, Zhu Di, Zhu Su, and Zhu Zhen took their seats in that order.

Zhu Xiong Ying was already five years old. She sat next to Zhu Biao and occasionally stole glances at Zhu Jing Bei across from her.

"Xiongying, that's your second uncle's younger brother. Go and hug him," Madam Chang said softly.

Zhu Xiong Ying ran over and stood on tiptoe to look at Zhu Jing Bei in the cradle.

Zhu Jingbei stared at him with wide eyes, then suddenly reached out and grabbed Zhu Xiong Ying's sleeve.

"He's arresting me!" Zhu Xiong Ying shouted.

"That's because he likes you. Be gentle, don't hurt your older brother." Zhu Li removed his son's hand and laughed.

Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang laughed so hard his eyes crinkled: "Good, good, they're all back."

Empress Ma wiped her eyes and said, "They've all lost weight. The third prince is much darker, the fourth prince is thinner too, and the fifth prince... fifth prince, why is your cloak so dark?"

"Mother, that's dyed. The grasslands are windy and sandy, and light colors don't stand up to dirt," Zhu Di said.

"Sixth Prince, I could tell it was you from the herbal scent all the way here," Empress Ma said, looking at Zhu Su.

Zhu Su laughed and said, "Mother, that's medicine to save lives, and it doesn't smell bad."

"Seventh Brother, what's that in your arms?" Empress Ma pointed to the pocket monster in Zhu Zhen's arms.

"It's an Australian specialty, called Pocket Monster, and it's very cute." Zhu Zhen held up the little thing.

The little creature stared wide-eyed at everyone in the room, then suddenly spat out a bubble. The bubble floated up, burst in the air, and turned into a small flower.

Everyone in the room was stunned.

Then Zhu Xiong Ying clapped her hands and shouted, "Fun!"

Zhu Jingbei babbled and laughed in the cradle.

"This thing... is quite interesting." Zhu Yuanzhang also laughed.

...

Halfway through the family dinner, Zhu Biao stood up and took out a roll of paper from his sleeve.

"Father, Mother, these are reports from various regional princes. Let me briefly read them aloud."

He unfolded the paper and read aloud: "Prince Qin, Zhu Shuang, guarded the South Seas, established the Old Port Protectorate, pacified the seventy-two islands, eradicated three groups of sea monsters, and collected 300,000 taels of tax revenue annually, thus bringing peace to the South Seas."

Zhu Shuang straightened his chest.

"Prince Zhu Gang of Jin was stationed in Dongying. He established the Dongying Provincial Administration Commission, promoted Sinicization, eradicated the remnants of the Yamata no Orochi, and educated a million Japanese people, thus pacifying Dongying."

Zhu Gang nodded slightly.

"Prince Zhu Di of Yan was stationed in the northern desert, where he established the Northern Desert Protectorate, pacified forty-seven tribes of the grasslands, and annihilated the Wolf King, thus bringing peace to the northern frontier."

Zhu Di picked up his wine cup and took a sip.

"When King Zhu Su of Zhou was stationed in Luzon, he established the Luzon Protectorate, built 32 medical clinics, treated more than 10,000 local people, and compiled the 'Nanyang Materia Medica'. Luzon was won over."

Zhu Su smiled and waved his hand.

"When Zhu Zhen, the Prince of Chu, was stationed in Australia, he established the Australian Protectorate, pacified the indigenous tribes, discovered three gold mines, and Australia came to submit to him."

Zhu Zhen hugged the Pocket Monster and chuckled.

After Zhu Biao finished reading, he put away the paper and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang: "Father, the five regional princes have all completed their missions, and the whole world has come under the rule of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up at the sky and laughed loudly.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said "good" three times in a row, stood up, raised his wine glass, and said, "Come on, let's toast you! Let's toast the fine sons of the Zhu family!"

Everyone stood up and raised their glasses in a toast.

Zhu Jingbei was woken up and started crying loudly in the cradle.

Guanyin Nu quickly picked him up and comforted him. The little guy nestled in his mother's arms and fell asleep again, sobbing.

...

After the banquet, Zhu Yuanzhang kept Zhu Biao and Zhu Li behind.

The three sat down in the east pavilion, and Zhu Yuanzhang closed the door.

"Biao'er, Li'er, I have an idea," Zhu Yuanzhang said bluntly.

"Father, please speak," Zhu Biao said.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the huge world map hanging on the wall. It was drawn by the Hanlin Academy and the Imperial Observatory based on the data collected over the years. It was larger and more detailed than the one Zhu Biao had shown to Zhu Yuanzhang before.

"We've conquered most of this land, but what happens after that?" Zhu Yuanzhang pointed to the map. "Southeast Asia, Japan, the Mongolian steppes, Luzon, and Australia are all under our control, but what about the west? And even further west?"

He pointed to the edge of the map: "What about Tibet, the Western Regions, India, and the far west? What should we do with those places?"

Zhu Biao pondered for a moment and said, "Father means..."

"Send people, but not to fight, but to negotiate, to establish trade, and to get them to submit on their own. The third and fourth princes have already proven that some places can be fought, and some places can be negotiated," Zhu Yuanzhang said.

He looked at Zhu Hui: "Second brother, your eldest brother told you before that you are our family's trump card. With you here, no matter what happens to anyone outside, there will always be a way out."

Zhu Hui nodded: "I remember."

"Now, it's time to reveal our hand."

Zhu Yuanzhang walked to the map, pointed west, and said, "Take some men to the west. No need to fight, just wander around and let those countries see what kind of person the Ming Dynasty has. If they know what's good for them, they'll come and submit. If they don't..."

He paused, then looked at Zhu Li's left hand.

Zhu Hui understood: "I'll just let them know what's good for them."

Zhu Biao frowned and said, "Father, is it too dangerous for Second Brother to go alone?"

"Who said he'd go alone? You'll go with him." Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao was taken aback and said, "Me?"

"Yes, you, as the Crown Prince, have been overseeing the country for so many years. It's time for you to go out and see the civil and military officials. They should see that the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty is not just someone who sits in the court reviewing memorials. Chang Shi and Xiong Ying will stay in Yingtian. Your mother will take care of them. Don't worry," Zhu Yuanzhang said.

Zhu Biao was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Your subject understands."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Di: "Second son, your elder brother has literary skills, and you have martial skills. You two go together, we can rest assured."

Zhu Hui nodded: "Okay, I'll go."