Chapter 227: Continuing Southward

On December 13th, the Longxiang Army had five thousand men, plus two thousand elite troops assigned by Xu Da, totaling seven thousand, boarded the ships and continued southward.

The fleet sailed southwest along the coastline.

The farther south they went, the hotter the weather, and the bluer the sea.

Chang Yuchun stood at the bow, gazing at the faintly visible islands in the distance, and asked, "Prince, where shall we strike next?"

Zhu Yong took out a map, pointed to several marked locations, and said, "First we take Malacca; that spot is the throat of the Western seas. Controlling Malacca is equivalent to controlling the trade route between East and West."

Then we take Sumatra, which also has spices.

Chang Yuchun nodded and asked, "Do these places also have people who rob and kill our merchant caravans?"

Zhu Yong shook his head and said, "Not necessarily, but since we're here, we'll deal with them all at once. As the elder said, wherever we go, we can establish counties and prefectures, bringing them into Great Ming's territory."

Chang Yuchun grinned, "Good! That's exactly the kind of talk I like from you, Prince!"

On December 20th, the fleet reached the entrance of the Malacca Strait.

In the distance, many buildings lined both shores of the strait, and numerous vessels—fishing boats and merchant ships—were coming and going on the water.

The ships, upon seeing the Ming army's steam fleet, hurried to evade.

Zhu Yong raised his telescope and observed carefully.

Malacca City sat on the bank at the narrowest point of the strait; its walls were low, yet it looked quite prosperous, with many merchant ships docked in the harbor—some of Arab design, some of Indian design.

"Prince, shall we attack?" Chang Yuchun asked.

Zhu Yong lowered the telescope and said, "First send a small boat to scout the situation and ask whether their king is present."

A small boat was lowered and rowed toward the harbor.

Half an hour later, the boat returned, bringing an Arabic merchant who understood Chinese.

The merchant knelt on the deck and, in halting Chinese, said, "Honorable sir, the King of Malacca wishes to submit to Great Ming, offering tribute, and begs you not to besiege the city."

Zhu Yong was startled and asked, "How does he know we are coming?"

The merchant said, "News has spread throughout the South Sea nations that Great Ming's heavenly troops have already conquered Manzhe Boyi, Java, Champa, Siam, Zhenla, Pagan; wherever they go, no one can resist."

The Malacca king has been terrified for a long time, sending people daily to gather information; upon hearing that you have arrived, he immediately ordered preparations of tribute.

Chang Yuchun laughed heartily, "That certainly makes things easier!"

Zhu Yong thought for a moment and said to the merchant, "Tell your king to come in person to see me."

The merchant nodded repeatedly and rowed the small boat back.

An hour later, a splendid vessel sailed out of the harbor, with a middle‑aged man in a golden robe standing at the bow, followed by a retinue of ministers and guards.

The man boarded the flagship, knelt on the deck, and in imperfect Chinese said, "King Shi Li of Malacca pays his respects to Prince Wu of Great Ming."

Zhu Yong helped him to his feet and asked, "Do you wish to submit to Great Ming?"

Shi Li nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes! Malacca will forever be a vassal of Great Ming, offering tribute every year and presenting tribute each season."

Zhu Yong looked at him, unable to read any emotion on his simple, honest face.

"Did Malacca take part in the robbery and killing of Great Ming's merchant caravans?"

The expression on Shi Li's face changed, and he waved his hands, saying, "No, absolutely not! Malacca has always been a trading state, never robbing or killing merchants."

"You may ask those merchants; Malacca's port is open to all ships, only charging a small docking fee, never harming anyone."

Zhu Yong turned his gaze toward the Arabic merchant.

The merchant nodded and said, "Sir, what he says is true; Malacca truly is a free‑trade port, where merchants of all nations come to trade, and there is no robbery."

Zhu Yong paused briefly and said, "In that case, I can spare Malacca. But you must agree to three conditions."

Shi Li hurriedly replied, "Please, sir, speak."

"First, Malacca's port shall be freely open to Great Ming's merchant ships; Great Ming merchants may trade here without any taxes or fees."

"Second, Malacca must not deal with any nation hostile to Great Ming; if anyone departs from Malacca to attack Great Ming, Malacca must report it."

"Third, I will station five hundred men in Malacca and establish a Post Station to facilitate resupply for Great Ming vessels."

Shi Li, after hearing, grimaced briefly, then clenched his teeth and nodded, "I… I agree."

Zhu Yong nodded, "Very well, I trust you. If you outwardly comply but secretly betray, the next time I come, I will not be so easy to talk with."

Shi Li gave repeated assurances.

At the end of December, the Longxiang Army rested in Malacca for three days, replenishing fresh water and food, leaving five hundred men to garrison and continuing southward.

In the twelfth year of the Hongwu era, on the fifth day of the first month, the fleet arrived at Sumatra Island.

The King of Sumatra, having also heard of the Ming army's reputation, did not wait for Zhu Yong to send envoys; he personally came with tribute to submit.

Zhu Yong likewise set three conditions and left five hundred men to garrison.

On the tenth day of the first month, the fleet arrived at Borneo.

Borneo had no unified kingdom, only several tribal chiefs.

The chiefs, upon hearing of the Ming army's arrival, some wished to resist, others to surrender.

Zhu Yong said no more and dispatched troops to land directly.

A line of Flintlock Guns fired, and the resisting tribes promptly submitted.

The surrendering tribal chiefs were also given three conditions by Zhu Yong, and three hundred men were left to garrison.

On the twentieth day of the first month, the fleet arrived at the Spice Islands.

This was the easternmost territory of Manzhe Boyi, previously conquered once by the Longxiang Army; now that the Ming forces have returned, the local tribal chiefs are surrendering en masse.

Zhu Yong likewise set conditions and left three hundred men to garrison.

In early February, the fleet began its return voyage.

Standing at the bow, Zhu Yong watched the islands recede, silently tallying in his mind.

From the end of September last year until now, over four months have passed, during which we have taken Manzhe Boyi, Java, Champa, Siam, Zhenla, Pagan, Malacca, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Spice Islands…

Dozens of nations, large and small, spanned ten thousand li of sea, forming a realm larger than Great Ming's own mainland—a territory that reflects the borders when Great Ming was first founded, not its present extent.

These places are now incorporated into Great Ming's territory.

Those spices, gems and ivory will be continuously shipped back to Great Ming, exchanged for real gold and silver.

Those ports and straits will become the throat through which Great Ming controls East‑West trade.

The Great Ming merchant convoy of over four thousand slain can now rest in peace.

"Prince, what are you thinking?" Wang Baobao walked over.

Zhu Yong turned his head toward him, gave a simple smile and said, "Nothing, just missing home."

Wang Baobao also smiled, "Soon, when we return, you'll see the princess, the young princess and the young prince."

Zhu Yong nodded.

Yes, missing home.

Missing Guanyin Nu, missing Huan Huan, missing my son, missing father and mother, missing my elder brother, missing Xiong Ying, and missing those few mischievous but good‑hearted younger brothers.

Missing the factories in Yingtian Prefecture that belch black smoke, missing the brightly lit workshops along the Qinhuai River, missing the common folk who labor daily building ships, forging steel and weaving cloth.

Even the South Sea, vast as it is, is not as good as home.

In the distance, sea and sky merged into one hue, and the setting sun dyed the whole sea area golden.

Zhu Yong took a deep breath, turned and walked into the cabin.

In the cabin, Chang Yuchun was drinking wine with a few Imperial Troops; seeing Zhu Yong come in, he called out, "Prince, have a drink!"

Zhu Yong walked over, took the cup and drained it in one gulp.

The strong wine hit his throat, carrying the warmth of the South Sea and thoughts of home.

"Chang Shu, when we get back, let's go to Kunning Palace for a meal; mother's braised pork is the best," Zhu Yong said.

Chang Yuchun laughed heartily, "Good! Your servant hasn't tasted elder sister's cooking in ages!"

Laughter echoed in the cabin.

The fleet continued northward, toward Yingtian Prefecture.

Behind them, the coastlines of the South Sea nations gradually blurred, finally vanishing into the boundless sea‑sky.

On the lands that had just been incorporated into Great Ming's territory, the Longxiang Army's banners were fluttering.

A new era has begun.