Chapter 369

You're quite bold!

Zhu Youjian's eyes widened, his hand clamped tightly over his mouth as he looked at Su Qiao in disbelief.

This reckless move instantly silenced the great hall; even a pin dropping could be heard.

Zhu Yuanzhang's face darkened, his gaze fixed intently on Su Qiao's face.

His tone even carried a hint of gritted teeth!

"Su Qiao, you'd better explain yourself clearly to us, or else we'll have Zhu Youjian chop off your head!"

Zhu Youjian's expression was extremely complex; didn't it feel like Su Qing was deliberately provoking his Great-Grandfather?

Could this be their way of communicating as ruler and subject?

But Su Qing is useful to Great Ming!

If Great-Grandfather truly orders me to kill Su Qing, then I might have to disobey him once.

Zhu Youjian's inner monologue was very rich, his expression shifting constantly on the side.

Yet no one paid him any attention.

Tsk!

I thought you were going to take me back and chop off my head.

Turns out I got excited for nothing.

You told Zhu Youjian to chop off my head; in the end, is it you killing me, or Zhu Youjian killing me?

Facing Zhu Yuanzhang's anger, Su Qiao simply didn't take it to heart.

"Your Majesty, when I made the nautical charts and the globe earlier, I don't believe you didn't know!"

This Zhu Yuanzhang possesses a tool that allows him to communicate with other emperors of Great Ming at any time.

Su Qiao knew this!

It wasn't some system, just some chat group.

Anyway, it allows communication at any time and can even teleport people away.

Isn't that how he arrived here?

Hearing Su Qiao's words, Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to recall that when Su Qiao made the globe, it was he who had sent Zhu Di over.

Wait.

When the Fourth Brother returned, didn't he bring the maps and the globe over?

Oh, this damn thing!

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang finally realized something was wrong.

So that's how it is!

"We'll talk about the map issue later; first, tell me, were those words from the fallen princess and queen just bluffing us?"

In the past, Zhu Yuanzhang certainly wouldn't have taken this matter to heart.

But with Su Qiao constantly instilling the wealth overseas and the benefits of overseas expansion, etc.

it also made the Zhu family a bit covetous of the overseas regions.

Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang growing somewhat impatient.

Su Qiao then spoke: "Your Majesty, if you had seen that nautical chart or the world map on the globe, you should roughly understand my meaning. There is still quite a lot of unowned land overseas, but as long as we have sea charts, we can find it ourselves; there's absolutely no need for them to give it to us."

"So your meaning is, they are trying to get something for nothing from us?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's face was neither good nor bad; he was simply considering something unknown.

Neither Zhu Youjian nor Su Qiao spoke.

Anyway, Zhu Yuanzhang would consider the specifics himself.

"Then do you think we should agree to their demands and help them restore their kingdom?"

Zhu Yuanzhang weighed the pros and cons in his mind, suddenly glanced at Su Qiao, and couldn't help but ask again.

Su Qiao nodded and then shook his head. "Your Majesty, if one wishes to do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools! Great Ming currently lacks the ability to sail far, so patience is still needed. We can absolutely agree to their request for now, and then start with the sailors they brought, those with navigational abilities."

"You want to wait until Great Ming can sail out before acting?"

Su Qiao nodded and deceived Zhu Yuanzhang:

"Yes, although they are trying to get something for nothing, it is not without benefit to Great Ming. They can act as guides to help Great Ming acquire a piece of unowned land overseas; the resources and land there will all belong to Great Ming."

Zhu Yuanzhang was not deceived by Su Qiao's words; instead, he frowned and looked at Su Qiao, saying:

"What you say is easy, that piece of unowned land, we indeed want it, but if we have to use the blood of our Great Ming soldiers to help others restore their kingdom, we do not want it."

Hearing the hesitation in Zhu Yuanzhang's tone, Su Qiao quickly pressed his advantage.

"Don't! Restoring the kingdom or not is just a matter of us saying a word. Besides, war will happen sooner or later; it's better to fight early than late. Your Majesty, have you not thought that since people in Europe can sail far to reach our East, will they not explore?"

"Are you saying that if we don't go, they will take it?"

"Yes, they are people too; people won't just stay still forever."

Su Qiao blinked and said.

"They dare?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly felt he had misunderstood.

Previously, upon hearing about unowned land, he instinctively thought it belonged to Great Ming, forgetting that Western nations could also seize and occupy it.

He looked at Su Qiao, wanting to ask more, but felt his dignity completely lost in front of his junior.

He glared angrily at Su Qiao, "Spit out everything quickly, don't just spit out a little bit for every question!"

Su Qiao secretly rolled his eyes and explained: "Actually, if Great Ming wishes to expand overseas, conflict with some Western nations is inevitable. After all, they are not stupid either; they similarly hope to occupy more land and resources. After all, the unowned land and resources worldwide are fixed; whoever occupies more will develop better in the future and belong to the strong and powerful!"

"Hmm, that is not wrong." Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

Zhu Youjian stood to one side, also staring at Su Qiao with shining eyes, but with Zhu Yuanzhang present, he did not dare to interject.

Su Qiao continued, "Since we have to fight them sooner or later anyway, why not strike first? One, the West doesn't really understand us. Two, they won't expect us to suddenly attack. Three, with that so-called fallen royal family member acting as our guide, we can truly know ourselves and know the enemy — so naturally we can win every battle!"

"And after we win?"

"Once we win, the land naturally belongs to our Great Ming! And a victory on the battlefield will also give Great Ming the initiative. If we want to help the fallen royal family restore their kingdom, we can stick a foot into the West's affairs. With the banner of righteousness on our side, they won't dare to block us."

"Helping someone else restore their kingdom — doesn't that count as privately aiding the enemy? What if they grow a second heart later? Our Great Ming isn't exactly close to that place."

Zhu Youjian listened intently, and the question in his mind slipped out of his mouth.

Su Qiao shook his head. "We can completely control that. For example, set up a country within a country — give them administrative rights but no military power. Or we could just set up a puppet royal house, keep the royals propped up on a pedestal, only responsible for enjoying themselves, with everything else controlled in our hands, and so on."

The moment Su Qiao finished speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang slapped his thigh. "Good! That plan works!"

After saying that, he looked at Su Qiao with a very disdainful gaze. "You little brat, your heart's plenty dirty. I haven't seen many dirtier than you!"

Holy crap!

What do you mean by that?

Even burning bridges after crossing them isn't as bad as the way you're tearing it down, is it?

Su Qiao had just opened his mouth to retort, but Zhu Yuanzhang had already turned his head away and refused to look at him.

223, Cui Linyu: Get lost, all of you, get lost!

"That navigation chart he made, the globe and all that — bring me a copy. I still haven't finished reviewing the memorials, and I'll have to head back soon."

Zhu Yuanzhang said to Zhu Youjian.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian did not dare to dawdle, and quickly called out toward the outside of the great hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang paid no attention to Su Qiao's little glare, and said very crisply, "Zhu Youjian told you to deal with the Goguryeo envoys, so don't waste time here fooling around. Take care of them quickly, and after that, make a trip to the southeast."

"Huh? This minister may leave Jingcheng?"

Su Qiao had practically been trapped in Jingcheng — Zhu Youjian came looking for him every two or three days.

Most of the time it was all just small talk, asking about progress and the like.

Su Qiao seriously suspected it was Zhu Yuanzhang's idea.

And now he was opening his mouth again to send Su Qiao to the southeast — no matter how he looked at it, it felt like he was about to assign him another task.

"Originally you could go anywhere, but going out is bound to be dangerous. Didn't those Bai Lianjiao people come once before? If you leave the capital, they certainly won't stay quiet on the road."

Zhu Yuanzhang said to Su Qiao with a half-smile.

Su Qiao shook his head without a care. "Your Majesty, it's fine if those rats of theirs don't show up. But if they do show up, the unlucky ones will definitely be them!"

Zhu Yuanzhang considered for a moment and said, "Since you have that confidence, fine. But the matter in the southeast can't be delayed either. I'll give you half a month more — wrap things up quickly and head south."

"As you command!"

Although he really wanted to grumble about something, Su Qiao still did not object.