Emperor Ming Dynasty

"Your Highness, the Kingdom of Ladakh has been destroyed!"

After traveling thousands of miles hard, Yuan Zongdi suffered a lot and destroyed the Ladakh Kingdom where the Kagyu sect was in power.

Zhu Cunqu was happy about this. He smiled and patted Yuan Zongdi on the shoulder: "Thank you for your hard work, General Yuan."

"The Kingdom of Ladakh has been away from the plateau for hundreds of years, and the general recovered it in one fell swoop. It is a great contribution to the court. I will ask the court for credit on your behalf."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Yuan Zongdi's dirty face immediately showed a happy smile.

Sikkim, Bhutan, Ladakh, there is no doubt that Ladakh is more threatening, has a wider land, and is also the most dangerous.

In this way, it is easy to become an earl, and it is also possible to become a marquis.

A celebration banquet was held in Lhasa.

The three great heroes, Liu Fangliang, Yuan Zongdi, and Tian Jianxiu, accepted the congratulations from all the civil and military officials, and the Xizang nobles present were equally happy.

Because this is the heyday map of the Tubo period.

Gao He naturally also participated in such a celebration banquet.

Suppressing the rebel party is a piece of cake for him, and it is also commonplace for Xizang.

After all, rebellion among hundreds of noble families is inevitable.

Gao He was a young man after all. Seeing the three people being reused by the prince, he couldn't help but feel more desire in his heart.

He wanted to achieve greater military success.

If, as expected, Gao Yigong dies of illness, the title he will inherit will be reduced to Marquis.

And if he performs another meritorious service, it would also be very good to serve as a viscount or earl.

"Your Highness!" With his heart burning, he found the prince and couldn't help but said: "Now the southern foot of the Himalayas is all flat, only Nepal stands there, it's not ugly."

"The last general is willing to serve as a pawn for the prince, capture Nepal, and strengthen the West——"

Zhu Cunqu couldn't help but have a headache when he looked at Gao He who was sweating with blood.

Compared with the three countries with a population of tens of millions, Nepal has a larger population, numbering in the millions.

You must know that the total population of Xizang at this time was only 300 million.

Not to mention that compared to those three Buddhist countries, Nepal uses Hinduism as its state religion, which is incompatible with the West.

It is large in size and difficult to conquer, and cannot be conquered in the west.

To others, Gao He's identity is just Gao Yigong's son, but to Zhu Cunqu, it is very clear.

Gao He was the emperor's illegitimate son.

On the surface, they are kings and ministers, but in reality they are brothers. Zhu Cunqu has great trust in Gao He, and he also wants to be his arm.

An illegitimate child without inheritance rights is the most credible and suitable candidate.

Sure enough, this speech immediately caused a sensation.

Destroying three countries in succession has excited these military generals, and now they are about to destroy Nepal. How can they escape such feats?

All the generals requested to fight, hoping to gain merit and become a lord.

"I won't talk about other things today, it's mainly to celebrate!"

Zhu Cunqu changed the topic casually, and the atmosphere immediately relaxed.

Everyone was not an idiot and knew immediately that there was no chance.

After the banquet, Zhu Cunqu left Gao He alone.

"Drink tea?"

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Seeing the prince pouring tea for him personally, Gao He was quite flattered.

"In our relationship, there is no need to be so polite." Almost explicitly, Zhu Cunqu smiled, picked up the teacup, and took a sip gently.

“Nepal, it’s not time yet!”

Zhu Cuqu said seriously: "Xizang has just carried out reforms, and the land has not yet been equally divided. There are still nobles who have not surrendered. We must first settle the internal affairs before going abroad."

"But Your Highness, although Nepal is now one country, it has actually been divided into three. It is a good time!"

Gao He still didn't want to give up: "The three countries are at odds with each other, and they must be defeated one by one."

"There is no Buddhism in Nepal, they don't believe in Buddhism!" Zhu Cuqu said helplessly: "Even if we conquer them, it will not be easy to rule."

"The Himalayas are placed horizontally there, cutting off the southern and northern slopes. To tell you the truth, it is easy for the Three Kingdoms to occupy it, and it is also easy to lose it."

“Not to mention Nepal!”

Thinking about these words, Gao He also sighed in his heart.

The huge Himalayas are more despairing than the Taihang Mountains and the Yangtze River, and the barriers between them are helpless.

"Yes, we can seal the vassal state!" Suddenly, Gao He thought of a good idea.

Since Nepal, which has millions of people, cannot be occupied, it can only be sealed as a vassal state and let a certain prince become a vassal to serve as a barrier to the West.

"This..." Zhu Cunqu hesitated.

It is also a good strategy to enfeoff vassal states.

You must know that going down from Nepal is India, where the Mughal Empire is located. Letting this vassal state serve as a sentry post is as stable as Mount Tai for the West.

When Xizang becomes unstable, we can also send troops from Xikang and Nepal to attack from both sides.

"It's not appropriate now!" Zhu Cunqu neither nodded nor shook his head: "Xizang is not stable, we have to wait until next year."

"Besides, this matter requires His Majesty's consent, and I can't make the decision..."

"However, you can train more elite soldiers, just in case!"

Gao He immediately became energetic.

It doesn't matter if you wait for a year. This is the right time to train troops, and you will be more confident that they will be useful when the time comes.

"The last general takes orders!"

Gao He left happily.

After he left, Zhu Cunqu smiled: "He is in good spirits. I hope he can grow up!"

……

"Ah Heng, can Ceylon really divide his wife?"

"The cow really doesn't cost money?"

Guo Heng stood on the deck, looking at the calm sea, feeling quite emotional for a while.

Beside him, the cowering big men continued to ask questions that they had asked countless times along the way.

In this regard, Guo Heng could only say: "For sure, I will not lie to you."

Entrusted by the King of Ceylon, he naturally went home to recruit those bachelors to immigrate.

Although the imperial court had a road guide system, his ship registration book could already recruit sailors. In his name, he got [-] bachelors at one time.

There was no cargo in the entire cabin, basically food and water, and the supply station did not dare to be missed.

It can be said that this trip was a loss.

But before anyone left, the King of Ceylon directly gave a deposit of 100 people, and each person had ten taels of gold.

If all 300 people come to Ceylon, that is 3000 taels of gold.

On the return journey, the goods carried can also be sold for a fortune.

Of course, what he looks forward to most is being knighted.

There were countless businessmen like him in the Ming Dynasty. They could not obtain fame like literati, nor could they obtain meritorious service like warriors.

A title was hopeless for him.

But in Ceylon, it can be true.

Even if it is a vassal state, it is still a lord!
The temptation of being superior to others makes people unable to control themselves.

"Captain, we are almost arriving in Chittagong, Bangladesh!"

"Stop the ship and resupply!"

Guo Heng nodded, months of hard work was finally coming.

However, there was also a Thousand Materials Ship that docked right behind him.

"Guo Datou, how long until we arrive?" Before he could stand firmly on the pier, a voice came to his ears.

Guo Heng said helplessly: "You have asked all the way, we will be here in a few days!"

"This Chittagong port is the largest port in Bangladesh. Sell your things and resupply."

The person he was talking to was naturally Zuo Zhong, the captain of another ship following him.

He is a good friend and a fellow villager from a neighboring village.

Because he was discovered recruiting bachelors, Guo Heng had to reveal the truth.

Zuo Zhong was naturally curious about Ceylon. At the same time, unlike Guo Heng who was keen on officialdom, his younger brother was a scholar and was not keen on the vassal state.

But he is very greedy for money.

Then I followed him to the west, not only to see Ceylon, but to make more money.

Zuo Zhong had found out clearly that selling the silk to Xiyi at the customs would only make double the profit; selling it to Luzon would make double the profit.

Go to Batavia, that's triple the benefit.

And if you go to India and sell it to those Portuguese businessmen, you will get at least five times the profit.

Of course, going to the legendary Europe would be even more profitable.

Greed and the pursuit of profit have kept him following him all the way, and he has suffered until now.

After resting for half a day, we headed all the way south without making too many supplies on the east coast of India. We went directly south and arrived at Crescent Bay in Ceylon.

Guo Heng met his old acquaintance, Chu Ke.

"300 people?" Chu Ke was surprised, and then said with great joy: "You are really surprising!"

"Your Highness will be pleased."

"This is my good friend Zuo Zhong. He wants to come to see me and do business at the same time."

Zuo Zhong is also naughty and respectful.

In this way, the two of them were taken to Jicheng, the capital of the country, and met His Royal Highness again.

Zhu Ci admired Guo Heng's efficiency and said with a smile: "Your ship is too full. I have decided to buy you another big ship. You can sell more goods and make more money."

Immediately, he decisively ennobled Guo Heng as a male from Ceylon County, with hundreds of households living in the city, and also owned a mansion and several maids.

The latter was overjoyed and couldn't wait to thank him.

Zuo Zhong was also stunned, he didn't expect this to be true.

The envious look was fleeting.

He will not stay in Ceylon and become an overseas citizen.

When he learned that he was going to the West, Zhu Ci showed no concern and even had someone issue a voucher:

"Although Ceylon is a small country and the people are poor, I have some contacts with the Portuguese and Dutch. You can bring your voucher and enter the port to replenish your supplies!"

Zuo Zhong was overjoyed.

He originally thought that this journey had ended here, but he did not expect that he could continue to move forward.

Naturally, I couldn’t stop thanking him for a while.

In return, he gave Ceylon hundreds of books, and even sold all the books to the King of Ceylon to enrich the thin king's treasury.

A few days later, Zuo Zhong carried a warehouse full of goods and went to Goa!
The Portuguese had occupied Goa for decades and had built it into the most beautiful city on the west coast of India.

When Zuo Zhong arrived, he couldn't help but admire the tropical scenery.

Facing a rare Ming businessman, these Portuguese people offered him a price that he could not refuse, selling all porcelain, silk, and various lacquerware.

The profit from peddling has quadrupled compared to customs.

In this way, Zuo Zhong directly made a net profit of [-] silver dollars after deducting costs.

This is the profit from the past two years, and now it is completely earned in one trip.

Just when he was excited, a Portuguese businessman with a tall nose and deep eyes found him:
"Mr. Zuo, are you leaving like this?"

"Purchasing ivory, gems, and spices from India and transporting them to Europe can also make several times the profit."

"Europe is too far!" Zuo Zhong said hesitantly.

"But the profit is high!" The businessman hurriedly advised: "This is a new route for you, and I am willing to take you there."

Hearing this, Zuo Zhong hesitated even more: "Europe is too far away and is not among our goals."

"Then, be careful when you go back!" The businessman showed a gloating smile:

"There are too many things being sold this time. Pirates are already targeting you. I hope you can go back safely."

Zuo Zhong was startled, and then said with piercing eyes: "I'm afraid you are one of them!"

"Of course, it's possible!" The businessman shook his head and nodded: "Anything is possible on the sea."

"Pirates and merchant ships, their identities can change at any time. This is an unspoken rule on the sea."

"Good luck!"

As he spoke, he left briskly.

"Damn it..." Zuo Zhong was angry: "The Xiyi people are indeed a bad breed."

No, he could only seek to save himself.

He found a fleet of three ships and they decided to go to Ming Dynasty.

He wanted to join in on the condition of leading the way.

But he was rejected: "Mr. Zuo Zhong, we are familiar with this route and don't need your guidance."

"Bringing you with me will cause trouble!"

"Pirates all act alone. They never dare to join forces. Infighting is their common problem."

Zuo Zhong hurriedly said: "I can teach you how to avoid scurvy!"

The Portuguese were immediately interested.

"Bean sprouts and kimchi. As long as you eat bean sprouts and kimchi on board, you will be free from scurvy. This is our experience over the years."

“And I can grow bean sprouts!”

This time, he was able to join the fleet and gain safety.

With lingering fear, he looked at the merchant ships surrounding the fleet, and he couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable:

"I taught Xiyi bean sprouts and kimchi, my ancestors won't blame me, right?"

"Probably not, the Westerners will know sooner or later..."

……

At this time, Qi State slowly entered the rainy season.

In the huge palace, a new round of operations to eradicate insects and snakes began.

In just three days, dozens of large snakes several feet long were captured alive, and countless spiders, scorpions, locusts, etc. were burned continuously.

A large amount of spices were ignited and surrounded the entire palace. No less than hundreds of kilograms of spices were consumed every day. It was very expensive and the smell was extremely strong.

King Qi couldn't help but sigh: "What is this?"

Although Qi Guohao is good, it is too troublesome.

There are countless kinds of insects and scorpions. If you accidentally step into the grass, you will be bitten, and then you will get sick and die.

In just one dry season, more than a dozen palace ladies died of poisoning.

This happens every year, and he gets tired.

"Report, Your Highness, a ship has returned and they say they have found the big island!"

The eunuch said hurriedly.

The wet floor made him afraid to run.

"Oh?" Qi King Zhu Cunhua couldn't help but feel happy: "Bring them to see me quickly."

"I've been gone for more than half a year, and I thought they were all dead!"

In the side hall, he saw this group of embarrassed sailors and their captain Du Long.

The latter knelt down and saluted, with tears in his eyes: "Your Highness, I have found it. I have found a huge island, bigger than Qi State, and there are only savages!"