Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

You celebrated the New Year in the snowy night of Nanjing, and I traveled across the Lac-Jamaica Strait in the storm of Nanyang.

Just when the Ming Dynasty was reappearing in peace and prosperity, Zheng He's huge fleet was struggling to brave the violent storms and huge waves to rush to the vicinity of the Manlajia Strait.

There are no spring, summer, autumn and winter on the equator. The direct angle of the sun is too high and it is very hot all year round. If we have to distinguish a season, it is nothing more than a season formed by the change in precipitation caused by the movement of the direct point of the sun from north to south, that is, There is a dry season and a rainy season, but the dry season doesn’t mean it won’t rain, especially in this damn weather.

The huge storm rolled up the two-thousand-material treasure ship and rocked it left and right. The seawater poured over the deck one after another and slapped the hull. There were dozens of soldiers wearing red clothes on each treasure ship, their waists With thick hemp ropes tied between them, they insisted on their respective posts, trying their best to maintain the stability of the ship and prevent it from capsizing at any time.

However, this situation could not last long. As the storm intensified, the sea water rose higher and higher, and the people on the ship gradually felt overwhelmed.

The captain of this ship stood in the command room and looked around. His vision was very poor at the moment, and the flags were definitely useless. The sound of the storm and waves was so loud that even people could not hear clearly.

Therefore, he could only try his best to wave the oil lamp in his hand, but unfortunately, relying on light signals, he could not convey the order in time. The position and status of other subordinates on the ship could not be known, and he could only hear the sound of rolling waves.

"Follow me to lower the auxiliary anchor!"

The captain shouted to a few people around him and walked towards the cabin holding the handle. He wanted to drop the auxiliary anchor on the right bow to enhance the stability of the ship, although it was still unclear what the storm in the distance was. However, he knew that this was definitely the most dangerous moment, so he had to hurry up.

Only those who have been on a long voyage know that in the face of the power of nature, not to mention humans in the sail battleship era, even ironclad ships and even modern battleships are still extremely fragile. These two-thousand-material treasure ships are already giants in this era. Yes, but in the era of modern warships, the tonnage is at best a frigate. When a storm comes, a large cruiser of tens of thousands of tons and an aircraft carrier of 100,000 tons will also violently sway left and right and bump up and down, while frigates are No different than the leaves falling on the water.

Just when the captain was about to reach his position, he suddenly felt a biting and icy chill rising from the soles of his feet, as if the claws of some beast were tearing at his legs. The captain secretly screamed something bad, just now He raised his head and found that the view outside the cabin suddenly dimmed.

Black clouds quickly approached from the east, blocking all light. The sky was blackened by thick ink, and the sea surface was rolling like the bottom of a boiling pot, and waves of turbulent waves broke through the layer with screaming sounds. Layers of fog attacked the entire fleet.

Everyone on the ship held their breath at this moment, staring at the sudden vision in front of them. No one expected such a violent situation. Even the nerves of the officers were tense in an instant, and everyone stood stunned. on the spot.

Only the captain reacted faster. He immediately shouted: "Quick! Close the door! Tie the rope!"

The waves hit the side of the treasure ship with a deafening sound, and the ship jolted violently. The captain even heard the sound of his own teeth clashing.

The dull roar of the waves cut through the silent night. Under the huge impact, the side string of the treasure ship immediately broke apart. Countless broken wooden strips flew out, and little silver lights flickered in the dark night sky, falling on Waves arose in the nearby sea water.

"Ah!" "Ah!"

Miserable screams came one after another, and many people were thrown into the air and fell hard to the deck of the cabin. Deaths and injuries were everywhere.

The captain fell to the ground and struggled for a while before holding on to the wall and staggering up. He looked down and saw that the ship's hull was tilting violently, and he also had blood on his face, was soaked all over, and was in a very embarrassed state. .

"The boat is going to capsize."

"Why panic? There is a watertight cabin!"

"Let's go, lower the right auxiliary anchor first, and then follow me to open the water injection tank on the right side to balance the ship."

This situation happened to every ship in Zheng He's fleet. After the difficult New Year's Eve, the fleet floating on the water had already suffered considerable losses. About fifteen ships of various types capsized. Hundreds of people died, but as a blessing in misfortune, the main treasure ships had not capsized yet due to the world's top protection and watertight cabins. Only a few treasure ships had their masts broken and needed to be replaced from the reserve of logistics ships.

The prince of Runan County, Zhu Youhuo, also had his face wrapped in gauze. At this time, he was running back and forth with the help of soldiers from the land battle.

As his experience increased, Zhu Youyi was no longer Zhu Gaoxu's little follower, but gradually grew into an excellent naval general.

In fact, during the Hongwu Dynasty, in order to find someone to accompany his grandson to study, Lao Zhu summoned some of the emperor's grandsons, including the current Qin and Jin vassals, that is, the then Qin Crown Prince Zhu Shangbing and the Jin Crown Prince Zhu Jixi. There are also the Yan Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi and the Zhou Crown Prince Zhu Youdou.

In addition to these princes, there are also Zhu Jixi, the king of Zhaode County of the Jin Dynasty, Zhu Gaoxu, the king of Gaoyang County of the Yan Fan Dynasty, and Zhu Youxu, the king of Runan County of the Zhou Fan Dynasty. These three imperial grandsons are not the eldest son.

Compared with the good students Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Youdun, Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Youhuan and Zhu Jiyi are pure devils. It is not an exaggeration to say that people hate dogs and Lao Zhu often beats these three turtle grandsons himself.

However, just as good students in school may not necessarily be at the top of the social class when they enter society, bad students may not be able to change and stand out after they have struggled a lot.

For example, Zhu Youyi could not survive in the Ming Dynasty. But because of this, when the clan was going to sea last year, he became the first and only prince to sign up. In addition, he could speak well in the army. Under the care of Zhu Gaoxu, who spoke up, he had become a budding young general at this time.

"How far have we sailed?"

Zhu Youhuo, the king of Runan County, also had gauze wrapped on his face. When he saw Zheng He coming, he asked.

"Five thousand miles."

Zheng He's words made Zhu Youxuan slightly startled, and then he sighed: "If this is five thousand miles on the road, we won't be able to reach it in a month or two."

In fact, Zheng He's estimate was very accurate. Although it was not a completely straight line, he set sail from Manila and headed southwest, only supplying supplies in Bo Ni (Brunei) on Tanjung Buro Island (Kalimantan). Once, we arrived at the Strait of Malacca. Judging from the map, it was five thousand miles away, just a little more.

"We have two main missions on this voyage. The first is to go west out of the Strait of Malaka to Tianzhu to explore a good way for subsequent trade routes. The second is to go south to Java Island to understand the true situation of the Majapahit Empire. Collect relevant information."

"We must establish an overseas base, Temasek (Singapore) or Old Port."

At this time Wang Jinghong also came over and said.

“If you want to go to Temasek, go west; if you want to go to Old Port, go south.”

The situation has become obvious. The fleet that has sailed five thousand miles is in urgent need of a port to replenish supplies and repair damaged ships, and these two options have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Now the fleet is on the verge of running out of supplies. Temasek is relatively small and can obtain few supplies. The old port is one of the important trading nodes in Southeast Asia at this time, with a large number of Han people gathered. However, the old port is a mixed bag and far more dangerous. Better than Temasek.

Although Zheng He's fleet was powerful, the soldiers and sailors were exhausted, and there was a risk of the ship capsizing in the gutter when going to the old port.

But the commanders of the fleet all turned their attention to the old port at this time.

As the largest fleet that has ever existed on the South China Sea, its scale is even far greater than the expeditionary force sent to Java by Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty.

They have the ability to destroy a small country. They are the greatest danger to any force!

In fact, in addition to promoting the majesty of the newly enthroned Emperor Yongle throughout the world, Zheng He's fleet also had another mission, and that was trade.

There are many goods in Nanyang that can be sold at high prices in the Ming Dynasty. As the executors of the royal trade, they sell silk, tea, porcelain, and cotton cloth with one hand, and buy these goods with the other hand to sell them back to the country. Temasek, which has a small territory and a small population, obviously cannot To meet their trade needs, Old Port was the largest trade center in Southeast Asia in this era.

Moreover, Daming's eyes have been on the Old Port territory for a long time.

The Ming Dynasty has annexed the northern part of the Annan Kingdom and established the Jiaozhi Administrative Envoy Department that can control the entire Indochina Peninsula. However, this is far from enough. If you want to completely control Nanyang, you must have stable overseas bases in the most critical locations. Without a stable overseas base that is used to berth warships, maintain trade nodes, and supply the fleet, the fleet will become rootless duckweeds. Once supplies such as fresh water are exhausted, it will face large-scale non-combat attrition, which is absolutely unacceptable. It is a serious problem that has been ignored. After all, there is no seawater desalination device. Tens of thousands of people in the fleet need to drink water every day. Without fresh water, it is a fatal problem.

The Old Port is not only an excellent natural port, but also an important trade node with rich products. As long as you control this place, it is equivalent to blocking the southeastern end of the Malacca Strait. The strategic significance is very important, and then occupy an overseas port at the northwest end. With the base, we can control both ends of the Malacca Strait.

Old Port, Palembang City, one of the largest ports in Indonesia in Jiang Xinghuo's previous life, has played an irreplaceable importance in Southeast Asia trade in all eras. Whether it is the Netherlands, Portugal in modern times, or later Japan, they all regard it as It is one of the most important strategic nodes.

And if you open the map, you can see that from a geographical point of view, the old port is located in the southeast of Golden Island (Sumatra Island), and you can directly reach Temasek to the north. Once you control this place, you can radiate influence to the entire Southeast Asia. core zone.

Therefore, all the powerful rulers in the history of Old Port could rely on this geographical advantage to expand their ruling areas to the peninsula in the north of the Manlac Strait and Tanjung Buro Island in the east.

Further south is the Molucca Islands, the origin of the most high-end spices in the entire Southeast Asia.

Spices are one of the most important bulk goods in maritime trade, and the Molucca Islands are rich in cloves, cardamom, and pepper, which are under the rule of the Majapahit Empire with Java as its core ruling area.

Part of the reason why the Yuan Dynasty was able to launch an expedition to Java was due to this.

You know, there is such a big Tanjong Buro Island or Borneo between Java Island and Champa State.

"To the Old Port."

Zheng He made the final decision. He explained: "If we can control the old port, we will not only be able to complete the first task of controlling the Manrak Strait, but also the old port is not far from the Majapahit Empire, and there are many merchants, so we can directly obtain information about the Majapahit Empire." The Boyi Empire’s intelligence is equivalent to being able to complete the second mission, killing two birds with one stone.”

As the fleet turned south, more and more intelligence was gathered by capturing pirates and fishermen along the way.

The water in Old Port is very deep, and most people really can’t grasp it.

"Our intelligence has fallen behind. The rule of the Srivijaya Kingdom has collapsed. Now there is no Srivijaya Kingdom. There are only independent forces formed by various small kings occupying Jambi, Nilan, Pannat and other places. But they are all The information that people in Champa and Luzon have learned under the name of Srivijaya Kingdom is not accurate."

After hearing Wang Jinghong's report, Zheng He frowned deeply.

According to the information they had received previously, the Kingdom of Srivijaya rules the Golden Island (Sumatra). This is an ancient kingdom with Buddhism as its national religion. Counting from the first generation of kings, it has been with China for nearly 700 years. With a history of exchanges of more than 100 years, it once professed vassalage to the Tang and Song dynasties. The Kingdom of Srivijaya ruled at its peak including Golden Island and Java Island.

The governance style of the Srivijaya Kingdom is also more Buddhist. Because of its vast territory and sparse population, there is a lot of undeveloped land. The Sriwijaya Kingdom has a friendly and accepting attitude towards immigrants. As long as they pay taxes, they can settle here. , so many Han immigrants settled in the Kingdom of Srivijaya, and the old port in the southeast of Jindao was the most concentrated.

These Han people who migrated from the southeastern coastal areas, the first large wave of migration was during the late Tang Dynasty, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the second wave was during the late Song Dynasty, and the third wave was during the late Yuan Dynasty. These people merged with the local indigenous people. It is not deep, but it still continues the past culture. When every new wave of immigrants arrives, they will have a feeling of revisiting "The Peach Blossom Spring", which really means "I don't know the Han Dynasty, regardless of the Wei and Jin Dynasties".

Starting three hundred years ago, the Kingdom of Majapahit, which believed in Tianzhu religion, replaced the Kingdom of Sriwijaya in Java Island. By two hundred years ago, the Kingdom of Srivijaya was forced to abandon Java Island and retreat to Golden Island.

Without the intervention of the Mongols, the Srivijaya Kingdom might have ceased to exist before the arrival of Zheng He.

The Mongols were also very interested in the sea. At that time, Annan, Champa, and Siam, as well as the princely states in the Sanxuan and Liuwei areas later established by the Ming Dynasty, basically surrendered to the Mongols. The Mongols even wanted to cross the sea. Hainan, and they did the same. In the 28th year of the Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan sent tens of thousands of people on thousands of warships to land on Java Island. The Kingdom of Majapahit was certainly no match for the Mongols, but Then the Mongols fell into the nightmare of the "Talking Jungle" and had to retreat into the country.

The Majapahit Kingdom's process of conquering the entire Southeast Asia was also interrupted. The Majapahit Kingdom's strength was severely damaged. It took hundreds of years to recover and become stronger. Now it has completely ruled all the islands except Jindao. The entire Nanyang region outside the country, with Trovolan as its capital, has a sphere of influence that extends from Java Island in the south, to Borneo in the north, to the east of Golden Island in the west, and to the Molucca Islands in the east. It is an out-and-out big country with thousands of miles. It has been upgraded from a kingdom to a kingdom. The empire.

The time when Zheng He's fleet arrived in the northern part of the old port happened to be at a time when the old and new forces were alternating violently.

Because of the collapse of the Sriwijaya Kingdom, although this kingdom still exists in name, it is actually just a banner of these small forces on the Golden Island. Even the king is gone, and the Majapahit Empire also covets the old port. It was only because of the huge military power of Old Port that they did not dare to reach out rashly.

Yes, the military in Old Port is huge.

In addition to Nanyang's leader, Pirate King Chen Zuyi, there are also several other comparable forces.

"You said that the current 'King' of the Srivijaya Kingdom is actually not a prince of the Srivijaya Kingdom, but a Han?"

Looking at the captured pirates in front of him, Zheng He was a little confused.

The pirates who disguised themselves as the Champa State mission in Nanjing were only the outermost pirate gang of Chen Zuyi's organization. They had never even been to the old port. They were active in the waters of the Indochina Peninsula all year round, so they knew almost nothing about it and gave nothing to Zheng Zheng. and provided any useful information.

"exactly."

The captured pirate nodded and explained with a wry smile: "The king's name is Liang Daoming. He was born in the Chief Envoy of Guangdong. In the 30th year of Hongwu, the Srivijaya Kingdom had no king at that time and was facing the threat of the Majapahit Empire. After attacking, the Han people in Old Port elected him as king. It was under his leadership that all the major forces came together to resist the Majapahit Empire, including many local natives of the Srivijaya Kingdom on Jin Island who resisted the Majapahit Empire. Princes and nobles, but what Liang Daoming can control is actually the area around Old Port."

"Then what happened to Chen Zuyi?"

"Chen Zuyi had tens of thousands of people and hundreds of warships. At that time, he wandered over from the north and joined Liang Daoming's side who was fighting against the Majapahit Empire. It was precisely because of Chen Zuyi's joining that the Majapahit Empire chose to withdraw its troops. But as soon as the enemy withdrew, our own people started fighting among themselves, and now the civil war is probably about to break out."

After comparing the explanations and confessions of the captured pirates, Zheng He, Wang Jinghong and others finally understood what the situation was like in the old port now.

The people of Srivijaya are so Buddhist that they don't mind a Han being the nominal king, but this does not mean that Liang Daoming's dominance is very strong. The real reason is that the Kingdom of Srivijaya has always had this kind of free-range rule. .

It doesn't matter who is the king.

What truly makes the Srivijaya Kingdom cohesive is shared beliefs and interests.

Oh, by the way, the state religion of Srivijaya Kingdom is no longer Buddhism.

Many sultans have appeared around the Srivijaya Kingdom, and the internal religion has basically been converted for hundreds of years. Liang Daoming's faction has also undergone religious conversion, which is the best choice to stabilize its rule.

At this time, there were actually only two tit-for-tat sects left in Golden Island, Java Island, Borneo and other places. One was the Tianzhu sect believed in by the Majapahit Empire, and the other was an alien sect from Persia. The reason why the alien sect The main reason for such prosperity is that Nanyang is very closely connected with Persia and other places. Therefore, this kind of conversion can also bring more trade tax revenue to its own power.

Chen Zuyi, the pirate king, has been wandering in Nanyang for a long time. He also has his own complete team. During the Hongwu Dynasty, they began to plunder all over Nanyang. They had a bad reputation, but their strength was indeed strong, and they were just like the pirates. Zheng He's fleet was weaker than the fleets of other forces, and compared with the fleets of other forces, it was a giant. Chen Zuyi had been looking for a new territory for a long time. After many failed attempts, he finally settled in the old port this time.

Liang Daoming needs a fleet of pirates to resist the Majapahit Empire's attack, while Chen Zuyi needs a reputation. He doesn't want to be called a pirate all the time, and indeed no one accepts him. At this stall, both sides take what they need to complete. cooperation.

But after the Majapahit Empire's fleet retreated, the conflict between the two forces became more acute. All Liang Daoming wanted to do was use the treasure trove of Old Port to collect taxes, but Chen Zuyi wanted to use it as a den for his pirate gang. , that is, one wants to make the Old Port a free trade port, and the other wants to make the Old Port a paradise for pirates.

Yes, Chen Zuyi is very idealistic, and his idea is not whimsical. In fact, Western pirates did this later, and that is the "pirate capital" Kingston (located on the south coast of Jamaica Island in the 18th century) in "Pirates of the Caribbean" The habitat and base of operations for pirates in the Caribbean).

If nothing unexpected happens, Chen Zuyi and Liang Daoming at the old port may have also received the news of the arrival of Zheng He's fleet.

As the king, Liang Daoming may not have anything to worry about, but Chen Zuyi must be on tenterhooks.

Because Chen Zuyi's piracy was so rampant, he was ranked No. 1 on the Ming Dynasty's pirate bounty list, and his head was worth seven thousand five hundred coins, which is about ten thousand taels of silver if rounded up.

In fact, since the purpose of Zheng He's fleet's first voyage to the Western Ocean was to control the South Sea, especially the Strait of Manchuria, it is certainly impossible to treat the old port as an important node at the eastern end of the Strait of Manchuria as invisible, and Chen Zuyi This kind of pirate is at the top of the bounty list, and the Ming Dynasty will basically not recruit it. Since there are internal conflicts between the two groups of Han forces in Old Port, and it has even reached the point of being on the verge of civil war, then the weight of Zheng He's fleet will naturally play a role. Directly destroy the balance between the two ends of the scale, and then gain benefits from it.

——————

Old Port.

In the early Ming Dynasty, this place was the most prosperous area in Jindao and a distribution center for overseas trade. But now, it has become a huge logistics base and military camp.

On this day, Liang Daoming summoned Chen Zuyi in the meeting hall of Old Port.

"I will finally pay my respects to His Highness."

The leader was eight feet tall with a strong build. He was wearing a blue silk shirt with armor underneath. He looked full of vigilance, and the murderous look in his eyes was chilling.

The men who followed him were like sharp knives in a sheath, just waiting for the master's order to take out the sheath and cut off the enemy's head at any time!

He is the Pirate King Chen Zuyi.

When he left the Ming Dynasty with his family in despair, he was still an inconspicuous small force, but after so many years of running around, he managed to amass a huge fleet that spanned the Southeast Asia.

Chen Zuyi said he was respectful, but he didn't even bother to clasp his fists and bend down. Liang Daoming didn't take it seriously and just said: "Zuyi, do you know why this king is looking for you?"

Chen Zuyi shook his head and said, "Please forgive me for being so stupid."

Liang Daoming smiled and said: "The Ming army's fleet is here."

Of course Chen Zuyi knew, but at this time he pretended not to know.

After saying this, Liang Daoming looked at Chen Zuyi's reaction. Since Chen Zuyi was pretending to be stupid, he simply went straight to the topic and said: "You must have heard the news from Luzon Kingdom from the fleeing businessmen. The Luzon army was defeated by the Ming army with a small number and a large number. The Ming army came to the capital, and the king of Luzon was forced to sign an alliance under the city. Even the eldest prince was sent to the Ming Dynasty as a hostage."

"This time the Ming army came to the old port, it is definitely not just for supplies. The most important task is probably to seize the old port and then completely control the Strait of Malacca. Only in this way can the westward passage be stabilized. According to Manila's experience, the Ming army should not If you embarrass me, you can either pay tribute and call me a vassal, or you can grant me the title of Xuan Fu Envoy or Xuan Comfort Envoy. In the end, I will not lose my high position, but what will you do, General Chen?"

Liang Daoming said it very frankly and without any attempt to hide it.

After all, this time the Ming fleet came to Old Port, even a fool could see that the ultimate purpose was to control the Malacca Strait, and then through the east-west trade here, continuously obtain wealth and various resources needed by the Ming Dynasty, and build Out of the sea routes belonging to the Ming Dynasty.

Chen Zuyi also knew very well that with the precedent of Luzon State, the Ming Dynasty also fulfilled its promise and handed over the governance of Manila to the local Han immigrants headed by Xu Chailao. Therefore, the future mentioned by Liang Daoming is very likely to come true.

In fact, due to the brutal rule of the Majapahit Empire, most of the Han immigrants on Java Island have now flocked to Old Port to escape the war. The rapid growth in the number of Han people in Old Port and other places has also allowed armed forces like Liang Daoming to take advantage of the situation. They have Not weak in land combat power, they actually control the old port, and they are at war with the Majapahit Empire from time to time. They are no different from an independent kingdom. Even if the Ming Dynasty comes, they will only listen to the instructions but not the declaration, and continue to maintain independent rule.

Of course, the Ming Dynasty is not stupid, and it will certainly not be completely handed over to the local Han people to govern. Instead, it will be set up as the administrative, taxation, and military units of the Ming Dynasty here, with some power intervening in the middle.

This can not only appease people's hearts, but also not delay the Ming Dynasty's jurisdiction over the local area.

And due to the special status of Old Port, the value of this place is very high, so the Ming Dynasty is probably happy not to go to war, so that Liang Daoming and his family can control this place and prevent it from becoming a stronghold for other forces.

In the history of Jiang Xinghuo's previous life, Zheng He sent a reconnaissance team to the old port during his first voyage to the West. Liang Daoming, who understood that the old port had become a must-win place for the Ming Dynasty, accepted the edict and took some people with him. He returned to the Ming Dynasty, and then left his deputy Shi Jinqing as the Xuanwei Envoy of the Jiugang Xuanwei Envoy Department.

But at this point in time, there is something different.

Because although the internal conflict between Liang Daoming and Chen Zuyi has become public, serious internal fighting has not yet occurred, and Liang Daoming is not yet at a complete disadvantage, so whether he will make the same choice is open to question.

But their feelings towards Daming are highly consistent.

It is precisely because of the Ming Dynasty's maritime ban policy that the Han people from the southeastern coast fled overseas. In fact, whether it was Liang Daoming, Shi Jinqing or Chen Zuyi, they were essentially fleeing, but some fled early and some fled late. That’s all.

In the Ming Dynasty, their social status and economic level were very low. If they could not survive, they would not choose to leave the Ming Dynasty.

And for Daming, they really wished they could never contact him again for the rest of their lives.

At this time, the arrival of the Ming fleet forced them to make a choice again.

In Jiang Xinghuo's previous life, Liang Daoming, who was recruited by the Ming Dynasty, could enjoy his old age in peace, not because he was the king of the Srivijaya Kingdom, nor because he was respectful to the Ming Dynasty, but because the Xuanwei Department of Jiugang was still important to the Ming Dynasty. Very useful.

As for Chen Zuyi, there is nothing to say. Ming Dynasty wanted to kill chickens to scare monkeys and clear order in the Nanyang sea. He was the chicken waiting to be slaughtered, but he still had the strength and could struggle a little.

Chen Zuyi thought for a moment and suddenly burst into laughter. Then he raised his head and asked Liang Daoming: "Your Highness, judging from the affairs of Luzon Kingdom, we cannot resist the great power of tomorrow. Why not surrender early?"

Liang Daoming's eyes flashed with doubts, but he said calmly on the surface: "I think we should cooperate to fight against the Ming army!"

He did not call himself "my king". Obviously he had a clear understanding of his own strength and situation. Treating himself as King Srivijaya at this time would only bring more danger to himself.

Chen Zuyi shook his head and said: "No, no, no, your highness has misunderstood what the general meant. The general just thinks that Ming Dynasty does not necessarily want my head. What can't we talk about? Now we can take good defense, but we still send people." Let’s talk to the Ming Dynasty’s fleet. If the conditions are right, of course we can surrender.”

Chen Zuyi's gesture actually made Liang Daoming feel a little stunned. He said, "General Chen, don't you think about it again?"

However, Chen Zuyi waved his hand and refused and said: "I don't have any lofty ambitions. I just want to have enough food and drink to enjoy the rest of my life. Your Highness, please don't persuade me."

Liang Daoming frowned and said, "What about General Chen's wishes?"

Chen Zuyi chuckled and said, "Let's send someone to talk to Ming Dynasty's fleet today."

Just after leaving the "Royal Palace" in Old Port, Chen Zuyi's expression immediately darkened, and he gave instructions to his subordinates.

"Move all the ships. When the negotiations are settled tomorrow, the Ming army will enter the old port bay and attack. This fleet is already the entire property of the Ming army's ocean-going navy. It has broken the backbone of the Ming army. It will take as little as three to five years." , for as long as seven or eight years, the Ming army will not dare to extend its claws to Nanyang again."