At this moment, the King of Nan Zhang also sighed and could only resign himself to his fate, uttering the same words.

They also recognized the Ming Dynasty as their suzerain state.

Now he knows the truth in his heart. Some things done in the past always come at a price.

Now is clearly the time.

Seeing that they had largely achieved their goal, Zhu Yunwen said no more. He instructed them to submit documents to the Ming Dynasty, voluntarily recognizing the Ming as their suzerain state, and to sign a series of tributary agreements.

After this matter was settled, Zhu Yunwen, while having tea with Ma Sanbao in private, said to Ma Sanbao:

"Well, is the problem in the southwest completely solved? It wasn't for nothing that you put in so much effort."

Ma Sanbao's intentions were exposed, and he said with a wry smile:

"His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Ming Dynasty is truly awe-inspiring. Not only have I witnessed it, but the people of these countries have also seen it."

Zhu Yunwen smiled and waved his hand, saying:

"Stop flattering me. You've been with me for a while now. I understand some of your thoughts. These things are ultimately beneficial to the Ming Dynasty."

You don't need to worry about it having any negative impact on me. If you have any questions, you can tell me directly. I'm not an unreasonable or petty person.

Ma Sanbao nodded and said:

"Your subject understands."

Zhu Yunwen then stayed in the Pegu Dynasty for a few more days, during which time all the kings returned to their own countries.

Then, following the procedure, they submitted a petition to the Ming Dynasty court, requesting to become a vassal state, and went through a series of procedures.

Meanwhile, Zhu Yuanzhang, far away in Nanjing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, sat in his study, stroking his white beard, his mouth agape in a wide smile.

Although he had previously decided not to participate much in court affairs and to leave everything to Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Yunwen still wanted to be a hands-off manager and would often run off to other places.

Although the affairs of the court were arranged quite well, Zhu Yuanzhang would still occasionally step in to oversee things.

Especially each time, other countries would send people to recognize the Ming Dynasty as their suzerain state, and Zhu Yuanzhang would personally handle the matter.

He was very happy, from Java at the beginning to Sumatra now.

This includes the present-day Bago Kingdom, the Lan Xang Kingdom, and the Siam Kingdom.

Five or six dynasties, under pressure from Zhu Yunwen, had already taken the initiative to befriend the Ming Dynasty and recognize it as their master.

How could Zhu Yuanzhang not be happy?

This immediately extended their influence to Southeast Asia and the southwest region.

Having these countries come to pay tribute year after year naturally made Zhu Yuanzhang so happy that he would wake up laughing in the middle of the night.

He looked at the three Yangs of the cabinet and said:

"The Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty truly deserves his title; he should be considered the greatest Crown Prince of all time. If we say that Ma Sanbao's voyages overseas can bring various trade collaborations, rare treasures, and various overseas specialties..."

Therefore, the grandson's voyage was meant to make foreign countries bow down to our Great Ming and make our Great Ming famous overseas.

"This will allow our Great Ming Dynasty to extend its reach further, solve more problems, and truly establish its power in the world."

Below, Yang Shiqi stroked his sparse beard and said:

"Yes, His Highness the Crown Prince can be called the greatest Crown Prince of all time. I believe he will become an even more outstanding emperor."

Yang Shiqi, though seemingly young, possessed a maturity and composure beyond his years. Zhu Yuanzhang smiled with satisfaction and said:

"Great! That's wonderful! We're really looking forward to what the Grandson will gain this time as he continues his journey westward. How many dynasties will travel thousands of miles across the ocean to come and acknowledge the Ming Dynasty as their master? We're getting more and more excited."

Yang Rong, Yang Pu, and Yang Shiqi below also smiled again. As officials of the Ming Dynasty, their pride was not much less, and they even enjoyed the satisfaction of their vanity.

On the other hand, after Zhu Yunwen completely resolved the issues in the southwest, he instructed Ma Sanbao to prepare for establishing trade relations with these three countries. Moreover, since they bordered the Ming Dynasty, trade could be conducted directly on land, eliminating the need for sea routes and saving considerable costs.

After the trade negotiations were settled, Zhu Yunwen returned to the port, boarded a ship, and embarked on another voyage with the fleet.

In just over half a day, they reached Bengal.

Bengal borders Myanmar. Ma Sanbao had never been here before, but Zhu Yunwen planned to visit this time because of its proximity, making trade cooperation even more meaningful.

Therefore, upon arriving at the destination, Zhu Yunwen immediately sent Ma Sanbao to negotiate with the King of Bengal.

When the King of Bengal learned that Zhu Yunwen of the Ming Dynasty had arrived, he also made a grand display to welcome him.

Zhu Yunwen was quite satisfied. The conversation with Banggala went very smoothly, so it only took one day to settle the matter, and Zhu Yunwen set sail again.

After all, according to the current itinerary, there are still many places to visit. If we stay in some places for too long, it will probably take a long time.

Zhu Yunwen also felt that there was no need to waste too much time and that they should hurry up with the schedule.

So they only made a simple rest stop in Bengal, and after reaching an agreement, they didn't linger and set sail again.

This time, they headed directly southwest across the sea. After about two days of sailing, they landed in the kingdom of India.