During the Ming Dynasty, Sumatra was considered a medium-sized country.
The king was also relatively powerful; at this time, the king of Sumatra was the King of Aceh.
When the King of Aceh, as the leader of Sumatra, heard that the Ming Dynasty delegation had docked on Sumatra Island and was preparing to enter Sumatra, he felt both excited and worried.
After all, the Ming Dynasty was too powerful. Although Sumatra was some distance away from the Ming Dynasty, it was still worried about whether it would clash with the Ming Dynasty or be ruled by it.
Small countries often have many worries when faced with such powerful nations, after all, those nations have a stronger fist.
It's inevitable that we'll be afraid of some major powers doing things that bully us.
Therefore, it is not unreasonable for the King of Aceh of Sumatra to have such concerns.
He even repeatedly asked his subordinates how many people from the Ming Dynasty had come, what their condition was, and what their attitude was.
Upon receiving a report from his subordinates that the Ming Dynasty's delegation numbered in the tens of thousands and was of immense size, the King of Sumatra turned deathly pale.
Although Sumatra had tens of thousands of soldiers, he knew that their fighting strength was on a completely different level from that of the Ming Dynasty soldiers.
The enemy has 10,000 men, and they are even fully capable of wiping out tens of thousands of soldiers from their Sumatra Kingdom.
Even if that doesn't work, the Ming Dynasty can still send more soldiers.
He heard from his subordinates that they had brought a lot of supplies this time and that their attitude was quite good.
The King of Aceh was finally somewhat relieved. He had heard of the Ming Dynasty's team, which sought trade cooperation with various countries overseas.
The slogan has always been mutual benefit and common development.
Therefore, when they learned that although the Ming Dynasty had brought a large number of soldiers this time, they could also deduce that its main purpose was to conduct trade cooperation with various countries.
This reassured the King of Aceh, and he immediately ordered that the Ming envoy be received with the highest honors.
Furthermore, a banquet was held in the old port to receive Ma Sanbao, the envoy of the Ming Dynasty.
When Ma Sanbao met the King of Sumatra, he immediately said to the King of Sumatra:
"Actually, I am not the main person in charge of this voyage. Accompanying me is His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Ming Dynasty."
The same scene, the same shock, the same disbelief—and so, the King of Sumatra immediately stood up and excitedly exclaimed:
"Your Highness the Crown Prince? Where is he now? Your Excellency, please take me quickly to pay my respects to such a person. It would be an immense honor for me to have the opportunity to meet him."
Ma Sanbao was already used to the shocked reactions of the kings from various countries.
So he immediately took a king from Sumatra to see Zhu Yunwen.
As the crown prince, Zhu Yunwen could not easily disembark or enter other countries at will.
So wherever he went, he would stand on the boat and wait for him. Sure enough, the King of Sumatra came upon hearing the news and paid homage to Zhu Yunwen with the highest honors.
We have no choice but to pay our respects. The Ming Dynasty is currently recognized as the Celestial Empire, a very powerful nation.
Leaving aside other places, just in Southeast Asia, no country can argue with that.
Perhaps initially, there were countries like the Eastern Island Kingdom, and later, Goryeo, which fueled their wolfish ambitions, as well as Annam and the Chechi Kingdom to the west.
But in the end, they all paid a heavy price for their foolish actions.
These relatively larger countries all paid such a heavy price after provoking the Ming Dynasty.
And what about these small countries in Southeast Asia?
Therefore, the King of Sumatra should not be negligent in the slightest. After fulfilling all the proper etiquette, he also corrected his attitude.
Although Sumatra was not a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty in the East, the Ming Dynasty was not the suzerain state of Sumatra.
But the weak must grovel before the strong. Therefore, the King of Sumatra bowed to Zhu Yuntong and said:
"Your Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Ming Dynasty, I humbly request that you disembark and board the ship to enter the royal palace of Sumatra. Sumatra will surely treat Your Highness with the highest honors."
Zhu Yunwen stood with his hands behind his back, a faint smile on his face, and said:
"Your Majesty the King of Sumatra are too kind. I have come here to discuss trade between our two countries. I was also thinking of coming to Sumatra to have some talks with Your Majesty."
As he spoke, Zhu Yunwen slowly disembarked, with Zhao Qingzhu following behind him. After disembarking, the King of Aceh of Sumatra bowed to Zhu Yunwen again to show his respect, and then said:
"I've long heard of the Ming Dynasty's power, but I've only heard rumors before. Now, seeing this enormous ship and such a powerful fleet, I know the rumors are true. It's truly astonishing."
Zhu Yunwen smiled slightly and said:
"The strength of the Ming Dynasty was not accidental; it was achieved step by step through trade cooperation with various countries. Therefore, cooperation and exchanges between countries are of paramount importance and cannot be ignored."
The King of Sumatra immediately nodded:
"Your Highness, what you say is absolutely right. Our Sumatra is extremely fortunate to have the favor of His Highness the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, who is willing to conduct trade with us. It is truly an honor."
"Your Highness, please rest assured, Sumatra will certainly strive to maintain good bilateral cooperation with the Ming Dynasty."
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