Chapter 80 Don't Make Trouble
When people in the school heard Zhu Yuhuan's ambitions, they couldn't help but feel surprised and astonished.
Although they knew that the emperor was serious about going to sea, they had never imagined that their responsibility would be so heavy. They just thought that it would be a simple mission like in the past, to intimidate small countries, and by the way, bring envoys from those small countries along the coast to pay homage to the emperor.
Zhu Yuhuan's expression had softened considerably, yet a hint of undeniable determination remained. She didn't care for the crowd's surprise and simply spoke, "Since there are Champa, Java, Chenla, Siam, Malacca, Borneo, Sumatra... there must be even more countries, lands, populations, food, and wealth out there. I'm very curious, and I'm sure some of you share my curiosity. But I'm the emperor, and I'm not just curious about overseas. I hope to use these things to benefit the people of Ming. This is the important task I'm entrusting you to complete on my behalf."
After hearing the emperor's words, Gong Zhen felt even more excited and regretful.
Gong Zhen considered himself very lucky to have been able to sail with Zheng He and see scenery that many people would never see in their lifetime. But if he had been born a few years later, he would be in his prime now and perhaps he could have waited until the future to see more distant places.
Since the reign of Emperor Yongle, the Ming fleet had never gone out to sea to explore further. Over the past decade, he had returned to land and worked as an unknown teacher in a private school in his hometown. Only occasionally, when he woke up in the middle of the night, Gong Zhen would smell the salty smell of the sea breeze and feel his steps were occasionally unsteady.
Gong Zhen originally thought that his life would be quiet like this, but he never expected that he would be called back by the court to pass on his sailing experience to more people.
This way, he can be considered to have gone to a farther place with us.
Zhu Yuhuan's tone became more serious. "So you don't need to have any other concerns. Just keep going forward. I will take care of the rest. When we return from the sea, I will never let you down."
How can one not be moved when a king of a country entrusts such a heavy responsibility to someone so solemnly?
Most of them are low-level officials. If they don't seize this opportunity, it will be difficult for them to climb up. Now that the emperor has made her attitude clear, how can they give up the opportunity for advancement so easily?
"Your Majesty is wise."
Zhu Yuhuan specially founded this school, of course not only for going to sea, but also for the construction of the navy.
If she intended to end the maritime ban, she had to be responsible for the possible consequences. Not only the coastal security, but also the outer prefectures of Malacca needed a steady supply of talents, so it was necessary to establish a reliable navy.
After Malacca's outer prefectures gradually stabilized, the Nanyang Academy was developed into a comprehensive military school, and the martial arts of the Imperial College were separated and reintegrated.
As he was speaking, someone ran in quickly from outside and whispered a few words to Zhang Zhong.
Seeing this, Zhu Yuhuan waved to everyone, indicating that they should continue with the class, and then walked out with his attendants and Zhang Zhong.
When they were a little further away from the officials, Zhang Zhong said, "Your Majesty, Lord Xu and Lord Yu are chasing us!"
Song Cuilian looked at Zhu Yuhuan nervously, but the man himself remained calm and said, "Since they're here, let them come in and take a look. Especially Yu Qian, since he holds a high position in the Ministry of War, he should take a closer look."
"yes."
Song Cuilian, standing by, said cautiously, "Lord Xu and Lord Yu have just come here, and their journey must have been very tiring. Your Majesty, why don't you let them rest in the reception room first?"
She suddenly spoke, and Zhu Yuhuan and Zhang Zhong both looked at her. Song Cuilian was a little nervous for a moment under their gazes, but she still tried to remain calm.
Zhu Yuhuan tapped his palm with his folding fan and said, "That makes sense. I haven't given the academy a proper tour yet. Let's let them know first and let them wait."
After saying this, she looked at Zhang Zhong and said, "I remember having someone send over books related to sailing. We built a temporary library for the officers of these fleets to borrow and study. How is the result? Take me to see it."
"yes……"
By the time Zhu Yuhuan slowly arrived at the reception room, Xu Yun and Yu Qian had already rested for a while. Xu Yun was wiping his sweat with a handkerchief and fanning himself with his hands. Although Yu Qian didn't move much, his still red face proved that he was not in a calm mood.
Seeing Zhu Yuhuan finally appear, the two men immediately saluted Zhu Yuhuan and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
"Get up, why are you two here?"
Xu Yun cautiously glanced at the emperor's face, which showed no sign of anger. He then cautiously said, "The lecturer for the afternoon lecture was worried about not seeing Your Majesty, so he came to inform the Prime Minister. Today is our turn to take charge, and the Prime Minister is old and can't stand the stress, so we came after him."
Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile: "Thank you for your hard work."
Xu Yun hurriedly said, "We, your Majesty, do not work as hard as you do. We work hard for the country, yet we are often misunderstood."
Zhu Yuhuan sat at the head of the table and said, "I'm not angry with you. I'm simply proving that I'm the emperor and can do anything. Not promoting Wang Zhen is simply hoping that Ming officials will consciously side with me. In my eyes, the most important thing is whether someone is useful and beneficial to the country. Anyone who tries to form a clique, thinking they'll compromise or become intimidated by offering advice or writing in blood, is gravely mistaken."
Xu Yun was startled and looked at Yu Qian beside him.
Yu Qian was silent for a moment, then spoke up again, "Some officials in the court are indeed opposed because they are concerned about the tax revenue of the national treasury. Your Majesty has promised that these merchants will hand over part of their profits, and that the profits will be split 50-50 between the national treasury and the inner treasury. But how can Your Majesty be sure that long-term transactions can guarantee a continuous increase in profits?"
Zhu Yuhuan stared at the two of them and asked, "Is Luzon adjacent to our territory?"
Xu Yun shook his head and said, "Of course they are not adjacent to each other."
"Then how did Luzon come to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty?"
Although Xu Yun was a little confused, he still answered honestly, "Use a boat."
"If one day Luzon arrives uninvited and sails to Ming, where should our army strike back?"
"port……"
After Xu Yun answered, he finally realized something was wrong.
They're already at your bedroom door, and you're thinking of fighting back?
Yu Qian also understood Zhu Yuhuan's implication.
Xu Yun laughed and said awkwardly, "Our Great Ming is a prosperous nation with a strong people. Your Majesty is wise and powerful. How dare a small Luzon offend you?"
"Since ancient times, has there ever been an immortal king or an immortal nation?"
Only then did Xu Yun realize that the emperor's eyes were filled with pity and helplessness, and that gaze was more like a mother looking at her ignorant child.
"One hundred and twenty Qin passes ultimately belonged to Chu, and three thousand Yue soldiers could conquer Wu. How could we know that there is no country more powerful than the Ming Dynasty?" Zhu Yuhuan sighed and said, "Even if the Ming Dynasty is truly doomed, I do not want it to be conquered from outside, forcing the people to become captives and suffer in vain."
Xu Yun had never expected the emperor to say such discouraging words, and he showed a bit of surprise. However, seeing that there were no outsiders around, he asked honestly, "Is Your Majesty really upset by those people in the Censorate?"
Zhu Yuhuan was only thirty years old, strong and healthy, yet he actually said such words. Even if he was farsighted, it was too early to say such a thing so far as to threaten the country's demise... Xu Yun could only think that Zhu Yuhuan was really irritated by these censors in the Censorate.
Yu Qian had already spoken: "Your Majesty's point is that the sea is also Ming territory. If you are truly concerned about the Ming people being harassed by foreign invaders, you should increase your troops and build defenses at sea, rather than thinking that everything will be fine if you just close the door. To increase troops and build defenses, you must have the right people, and the Nanyang Academy is the first step."
Zhu Yuhuan's tone was very sincere, without any hint of anger, impatience or self-abandonment.
"My patience is limited. I simply do not have the time to continue their mischief. If this continues, the next time they will be sparring with my own Imperial Guards, not my trusted female officials."
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