Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1146 Twelve Kings

Gilbert was stunned. He did not expect that the emperor knew so much about the East India Company, but when he thought of the previous European mission, he immediately understood.

The news from Europe can only be hidden from those savages, and it is not worth mentioning to the Ming Dynasty.

As a result, his heart immediately became unstoppable.

Unable to use the Netherlands as a shield, the East India Company seemed insignificant in front of the huge Ming Empire.

"I am indeed representing the company's opinions when I come here this time."

Gilbert's bow was also lowered, and his face became more respectful: "The situation in Nanyang is complicated. You and I are in the driver's seat, and there is no room for a third party to intervene."

"Therefore, in order not to cause unnecessary conflicts and affect the interests of both yourselves and ours, it is better to follow the meridian of Spain and Portugal and directly carve up Nanyang..."

After interpreting the explanation, Zhu Yixi immediately fell into thinking.

"Bring the map over here!"

Soon, the Kunyu Ten Thousand Kingdoms Screen was carried out.

The emperor's eyes immediately focused on Nanyang, and then focused on the island of Java.

"Your company controls nothing more than the East Indies, and the most important thing is Java, right?"

"Your Majesty, in addition to the East Indies, there are also Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula!"

Gilbert quickly explained.

Zhu Yixi did not rush to refute, but pointed to the map and said: "This place in the Malay Peninsula, I remember it is the Kingdom of Johor. Your company defeated the Portuguese army in Malacca in the Battle of Malacca in 1641 and cleared the Portuguese army in the Malay Peninsula. power."

"Although you have increased your influence and monopolized trade, the Kingdom of Johor still exists and has expanded."

“As for Sumatra, the overlords there are the Kingdom of Aceh and the Kingdom of Palembang (Old Port).”

Speaking of this, Zhu Yixi said with great interest: "Even on the island of Java, there are the Kingdom of Banten and the Kingdom of Mataram. Batavia, where your company is located, is just a slap in the face!"

There is no doubt that the East India Company was huge, but it was not as scary as imagined.

Stuck by the Dutch population, the East India Company was unable to rule the vast Southeast Asia region and could only rely on one trading station and port after another, thus shaping trade routes throughout South Asia.

Of course, this was also a flaw of the East India Company.

In order to maintain huge trade routes in Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, the East India Company's military strength has been stretched thin, and it is naturally unable to expand.

The attributes of merchants, coupled with population restrictions, led them to be willing to do business and maintain stability. It was not until the early nineteenth century that large-scale colonization was carried out.

This also resulted in the fact that even Java Island had several kingdoms and could not be completely conquered.

After some suppression, Zhu Yixi showed his fangs: "The East Indies including Java Island belong to your company, and the Kingdom of Johor on the Malay Peninsula, as well as Sumatra Island and Borneo, all belong to the Ming Dynasty. "

"No!" Gilbert refused almost without thinking.

Because in this era, the lion opens its mouth.

In order to obtain the Port of Singapore, the Dutch helped the Kingdom of Johor defeat the Kingdom of Aceh. They worked hard to obtain the port, but they may easily give it away.

"Your Majesty has too much appetite!" Gilbert said solemnly: "The Kingdom of Aceh belongs to you, and the old port belongs to us."

"As for the Kingdom of Johor, it remains neutral!"

"No!" Zhu Yixi said in a deep voice: "The Kingdom of Aceh has a strong military force and is a strong force, and I am determined to win the Kingdom of Johor."

"Unless your company is willing to go to war with me, the Ming Dynasty, and cut off the trade of the Ming Dynasty, as well as Qin, Qi, Yue, Wei, Korea, Japan and other vassal countries!"

A series of national titles were spoken, and Gilbert was stunned.

Well, it’s not that the entire East Asian trade was lost, and the East India Company’s profits were about to be cut in half.

"Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Johor can be given to you, and the island of Sumatra can be given to you, but Singapore belongs to the company and must not be given to you."

Zhu Yixi asked tentatively: "How about co-management?"

"Your Majesty, this is our final bottom line!"

"Okay!" Zhu Yixi stopped, and then said: "But Singapore cannot refuse our merchant ships and warships to dock for supplies."

"This is also my final bottom line."

"Of course!"

Gilbert thought for a while and agreed.

For the East India Company, what they wanted to protect most was the Spice Islands (East Indies) and the important city of Singapore. The rest of the country was just a barbaric land that could not be conquered or conquered. It was a generosity to others.

The same is true for Ming Dynasty here.

The East India Company's generosity was nothing more than a helpless move as its power could not expand.

But if it expands directly without the consent of the East India Company, then the East India Company will fail more than succeed.

Its support to the Kingdom of Aceh and some muskets from the Kingdom of Johor were enough to make Ming Dynasty very anxious.

Once you have negotiated your sphere of influence, you can focus all your efforts on conquest.

Facing a small country with a population of several hundred thousand, the East India Company was powerless, but Ming Dynasty was not afraid.

Ten thousand elite soldiers are enough to crush them.

Once the sphere of influence is negotiated, there will be no conflict of interest between the two parties, and the relationship will naturally become good.

With a wave of his hand, Zhu Yixi directly agreed that the Netherlands could trade with Qin, Wei, Qi, Yue, and most importantly, North Korea.

Gilbert was overjoyed.

You must know that because the Netherlands participated in Japanese trade in the [-]th century, it had a good relationship with the Tokugawa shogunate. After Japan closed itself off, it was one of the three trading countries alongside the Ming Dynasty and North Korea.

North Korea, on the other hand, has no way out.

Now that the suzerain country has agreed, he can naturally rely on the power of the Ming Dynasty to move to Yongzong Island.

Zhu Yixi has no taboos against small countries like the Netherlands and Portugal that pursue interests and are destined to decline. Only big countries like England and France deserve vigilance.

In the entire north, Siberia was the gate, and for the Ming Dynasty, the gate to the south was the Malay Peninsula.

After a few years, they will use the sausage-slicing tactic to condone Singapore, and then take over it completely, bringing Nanyang into the pot.

Although Borneo is large, there are many small Sudanese kingdoms along the coast, such as the kingdoms of Banyan, Sanfa, Sukadana, Landak and other kingdoms.

According to the established division, North Borneo is Xiang Kingdom, West Borneo, and South Borneo can be further divided into two countries.

Singapore must be directly governed, but the Kingdom of Johor in the Malay Peninsula can be granted a state.

Needless to mention Sumatra, Aceh, Old Port, and Champei can be divided into three.

Now, it’s the Six Nations immediately.

Feeling relaxed, Zhu Yixi wandered around the harem.

As she gets older, Zhu Yixi focuses on accompanying her concubines, for fear of accidentally giving birth to an elderly woman.

In this day and age, the dangers are self-evident.

After meeting Qiqige, the Mongolian concubine was inspired and implicitly expressed her request for the prince to be crowned king:

"Your Majesty, Ju'er is already fifteen!"

Zhu Yixi's eyebrows moved and she understood instantly.

Qiqige has three sons and one daughter. Her eldest son is Zhu Cuntong, the twelfth son of the emperor, who was awarded the title of King of Fujian. He is 17 years old this year and will be [-] after the Chinese New Year.

The second son, ranked 23, is [-] years old this year, and his name is Zhu Cunju; the third son, ranked [-], is ten years old this year, and his name is Zhu Cunju.

"Yes, it has been eight years since the last time I was crowned king." In the seventh year of Shaowu and the fifteenth year of Shaowu, the kings were crowned in two batches, creating fourteen kings (including the prince's King Wu).

For an emperor with 37 sons, having so many sons made him forget about them for a while.

Nearly eight years have passed, and it’s time to crown the king.

However, Zhu Yixi understood that this thing could not be stocked, and all the previous kings had to be eliminated first.

You know, under the successive enfeoffments, only ten sons were divided.

The eldest King of Qin is in Annan, the second eldest King of Qi is in Mindanao, the third eldest Prince, the fourth eldest King of Liao is in the Bukhara Khanate, the old King of Wuyue is in Hokkaido, and the old Sixth King of Wei is in Khmer.

The old Seven Blessed Kings are in the Chechen Khan tribe, the eighth Zhao Kingdom is in the Kokand Basin, the old Jiuxiang Kingdom is in Brunei, and the old Ten Liang Kingdom is in the Zasaktu Khan tribe.

"Next there will be King Qi, King Min, King Ji, King Qi, the four kingdoms!"

After sighing, Zhu Yixi grasped the softness and said casually: "Don't worry, I will arrange it!"

Only then did Qiqige smile.

The next day, Zhu Yixi announced that the four kings had entered.

He didn't have much to say, and went straight to the point: "Your tenth brother Liang Guo has been arranged in the Zasak Tuhan tribe. Although it is farther away and more desolate, it is still a vassal state after all, and the royal city is already being built."

"I think it won't take a few years to become a vassal."

"what about you?"

"Father, I am willing to serve you as a filial servant!"

King Qi immediately said, full of filial piety: "Nowadays, both the government and the public are saying that the vassal state consumes a lot of money, and I am willing to stay in Beijing to accompany my father."

"What do you mean?"

"My son is also willing to accompany his father, the emperor, his mother and his concubines in the capital..."

"What a beautiful idea!" Zhu Yixi raised her brows when she saw her four sons having an idea: "If I build you a royal palace in the capital and enfeoff the land, I'm afraid it will cost more than three and a half million yuan, so you might as well go and become a feudal lord."

"My Ministry of Internal Affairs is not short of money. I will keep you all as vassals, and you will be called lonely, Taoist, and few!"

Zhu Yixi knew exactly what they were thinking.

Beijing is a great city. It is full of food, drink, entertainment, and one of the best places in the world. Who is willing to go all the way to expand the territory?
Enduring hardship is the last thing people want to do.

Even the first-class Qin State was looked down upon by the princes.

This is the result of people's bad nature and long-term enjoyment of happiness.

Zhu Yixi was a decisive person, and with many sons, the family relationship between father and son was very indifferent, so she immediately rejected their opinions:

"I am determined to build a vassal state for you starting next year."

At the emperor's signal, the map screen was raised again:
"The Qi Kingdom is in West Borneo, and it is a neighbor of your ninth brother, King Xiang. There is a Sanfa Kingdom here, which could just be conquered and made your capital."

King Qi was startled, and then he hurriedly bowed his head in thanksgiving.

The old twelfth King of Fujian was shaken and complained endlessly.

Sure enough, the emperor stopped him: "Old Twelve, your place is also in Borneo, just in the south. There is the Kingdom of Marchen there, which should be your destination."

"There are many rainforests and rugged mountains in Borneo. You can allocate territory independently in the future and don't start a fight."

"My dear father, I thank you!" King Qi and King Min said bitterly, but they had to smile.

The remaining King Ji and King Qi could only wait with great thoughts.

Almost in a breath, the emperor made a decision:
"Nowadays, the Johor Kingdom is large and requires a lot of effort. However, it can borrow some strength from the neighboring Kingdom of Wei (Khmer) and Qin, but it will take a few more years!"

"Old Thirteen, your Ji Kingdom is in Johor."

In the feudal kingdom, the Thirteen Ji Kings had an advantage, but there was no way. The son was more valuable than the mother, and his mother was the noble concubine Miaoxian. As his second son, he naturally enjoyed some preferential treatment.

Zhu Yixi is not exempt from vulgarity.

Of course, Qi and Min are located in Borneo, which is very fertile and has many Han people, so it also has advantages. What needs to be developed is development.

Immediately, the emperor looked at the evasive King Qi again, and said in a deep voice: "Fourteen, your kingdom is on Sumatra Island. The former Old Port Xuanweisi is now the Kingdom of Palembang."

"Yes, my dear, thank you very much, father!" King Qi smiled.

"Next year, the two kingdoms of Qi and Fujian will be established, and within three years, Ji Kingdom and Qi Kingdom will follow. The court will not be stingy with soldiers, horses, money and food, and they will definitely defeat them."

Zhu Yixi showed a heartfelt smile: "From today on, you can recruit personal ministers."

Among the kings, they are generally divided into two categories.

Those with king titles and those without king titles.

And among the kings, they are divided into two.

Those with vassal states or planned vassal states, and those without vassal states.

Those who did not designate a vassal state and had the title of king could only live in the courtyard and be honored as Your Highness. They could not recruit private ministers, let alone have the Beijing camp train private soldiers on their behalf.

The emperor has designated a vassal state, and the princes who are about to join the vassal state will generally be honored as kings by the ministers and are allowed to recruit personal ministers.

The emperor would ask them to go to the grasslands to recruit cavalry and infantry from various places, usually between one thousand and three thousand. The court not only helped them train, but also equipped and fed them.

The difference between the two is huge.

The four kings smiled, but what was in their hearts was unknown.

A few days later, the time came for the Winter Solstice in the 22nd year of Shaowu, and the Winter Solstice Dynasty was held grandly.

As the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yixi not only received civil and military officials from home and abroad, princes, nobles, and envoys from various vassals, but also announced a major event.

The third batch of princes were canonized.

Before anyone could react, the eunuch announced:

Zhu Cunxi, the fifteenth son of the emperor, was granted the title of King Xing.

Zhu Cunchen, the sixteenth son of the emperor, was granted the title of King of Cai.

Zhu Cunzhi, the seventeenth son of the emperor, was waiting for King Cao.
Zhu Cunqi, the eighteenth son of the emperor, was granted the title of King Yong

Zhu Cunqi, the nineteenth son of the emperor, was granted the title of King of Guo.

Zhu Cunyan, the twentieth son of the emperor, was granted the title of Prince Zheng.

Zhu Cunzhuang, the 21st son of the emperor, was granted the title of King Chen.

Zhu Cunjiao, the 22nd son of the emperor, was granted the title of King Xu.

Zhu Cunju, the 23rd son of the emperor, was granted the title of King of Zou.

The 24th son of the emperor, Zhu Cunfang, was granted the title of Sixth Prince.

Zhu Cunzhang, the 25th son of the emperor, was granted the title of King Shen.

The 26th son of the emperor, Zhu Cunji, was granted the title of King Huo.

This time, twelve kings were directly canonized, four more than the eight kings Shaowu had in 15 years.

Needless to say, it was shocking, I read it for a quarter of an hour.

Among them, Cui Bingchun, the Minister of Household Affairs, couldn't help but lower his head and his face twitched.

God, how much does this cost?
(End of this chapter)