Chapter 317: Do You Submit?

"Prince… what are you…"

Zhu Yong waved his hand, not letting him continue asking.

"I, the king, know many things; you Portuguese…"

He paused, then said: "You came to the Timur Empire to gather information, to see if you can ally with Timur and together attack other countries."

The Portuguese envoy's complexion changed.

Zhu Yong was right; they indeed came to gather information.

Portugal has been expanding these years, seeking to control the Indian Ocean trade routes.

The Timur Empire is the most powerful nation in this region; they want to see if they can win over Timur to jointly deal with those Arab merchants.

But now…

They witnessed firsthand that the Timur Empire's strongest army could not even hold out for a single hour against the Great Ming army.

Three thousand men captured a capital defended by thirty thousand.

What does that mean?

The Portuguese envoy's mind raced.

He suddenly realized they might have chosen the wrong target.

Even the Timur Empire, however strong, cannot match Great Ming.

The real big boss is here.

"Prince, we Portugal are willing to befriend Great Ming," he bowed deeply.

Zhu Yong looked at him and said calmly, "We can befriend each other; go back and tell your king that Great Ming's ships will eventually sail to Europe."

When that time comes, we can have a proper discussion.

The Portuguese envoy nodded repeatedly.

The few Ottoman Empire envoys standing nearby also quickly voiced their stance.

"Prince, our Ottoman Empire also wishes to befriend Great Ming!"

"Prince, our Egyptian Mamluk Dynasty also does!"

"...."

Zhu Yong nodded to each, but said nothing more; he claimed they would discuss properly, yet how and with what they would discuss was entirely up to him…

He knew these people's thoughts.

Like weeds on a wall, they bend toward the stronger wind.

Now the Great Ming wind is strong, so they lean toward Great Ming.

When Great Ming falters someday, they will swing to someone else.

But that doesn't matter.

He doesn't need their sincere allegiance, only that they return and spread the word.

Let the entire West know that the East has a powerful Great Ming.

Let everyone know the fate of crossing Great Ming.

……

Timur stood aside, listening to the foreign envoys one by one pledge loyalty to Zhu Yong, feeling both angry and fearful.

What angered him was that these guys had just been deferential to him, and now in an instant switched allegiance.

What he feared was that Great Ming was truly overwhelming.

Three thousand men captured his capital.

What does that mean?

He had fought for twenty years, seeing countless armies.

Mongol cavalry, Persian infantry, Indian elephant troops.

But none could compare with this army.

Those soldiers were encased from head to toe in iron armor, their weapons could spew fire and kill at a Hundred Steps.

When they charged in, his soldiers lacked even the courage to resist.

One by one they knelt and begged for mercy; some even tossed their weapons and pretended to be dead on the ground.

Timur felt fear for the first time.

True fear.

Not fear of death, but fear that the lands he labored for could vanish overnight.

Zhu Yong walked to his front, looking down upon him.

"Timur, do you know where you went wrong?"

Timur opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Zhu Yong said word for word: "You err by overestimating yourself; you think sweeping Central Asia makes you invincible, you think three years without paying tribute to Great Ming leaves you helpless, you think a mere show of force can make me bow."

He paused, then added: "Do you know that Great Ming's territory is more than ten times the size of your entire Timur Empire? Do you know that Great Ming's army numbers in the hundreds of thousands?"

"Do you know that the three thousand I lead are merely the most ordinary unit within Great Ming's forces."

Timur's complexion grew paler.

He had thought Great Ming was just like the countries he had conquered, nothing special.

Now he realized how absurd his mistake was.

"I have come today only to ask you one question," Zhu Yong said, looking into his eyes, "Do you submit or not?"

Timur remained silent for a long while.

Finally, he lowered his head.

"I concede."

Two words, as if he had exhausted all his strength.

Zhu Yong nodded, turned, and walked back to the throne.

"Fine, you submit. From today onward, the Timur Empire belongs to Great Ming."

The hall fell into dead silence.

The officials of the Timur Empire wore faces ashen as death.

They knew that from today onward, everything had changed.

……

At dusk, Zhu Yong held a Banquet in the main hall of the palace.

It wasn't because he liked to show off, but because he needed to soothe people's hearts.

Those Timur Empire officials and those foreign envoys both needed a stepping stone.

The Banquet was lavish: roasted whole lamb, pilaf, assorted pastries, filling the entire table.

But only a few could eat it all.

Zhu Yong, however, was not modest—he ate meat in big bites, drank Wine in gulps, and savored every mouthful.

Guanyin Nu sat at another table with the children; Zhu QiongJiong was curious about everything, sometimes staring at the foreigners in long robes, other times teasing the roasted whole lamb on the table.

Zhu Huanhuan sat beside her mother, graceful in manner, occasionally looking up at her father, her gaze full of admiration.

She saw everything that happened today.

Dad was amazing.

A single person, a few words, made the once‑arrogant Tie Mu Er lower his head.

Three thousand men seized the entire capital.

Now that is a true great hero.

……

After the Banquet dispersed, Zhu Yong returned to the former Timur palace.

It had already been cleaned, and the bedding and furnishings brought by Great Ming had been replaced.

Guanyin Nu was making the bed; seeing him enter, she whispered, "Prince, you're tired, aren't you?"

Zhu Yong shook his head and sat down on the chair.

"Not tired, just a bit reflective."

Guanyin Nu walked over and sat beside him.

"What are you reflecting on?"

Zhu Yong fell silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Tie Mu Er, do you know what he was like before?"

Guanyin Nu shook her head.

Zhu Yong said, "He was originally a chieftain of a small tribe on the Grassland, defeated before, captured before, and his leg was crippled then."

"But he relied on ruthless force and tactics, climbing step by step, eventually unifying all of Central Asia."

He paused, then added, "He fought countless battles, killed countless people, conquered countless nations; he thought he was invincible, but…"

Guanyin Nu interjected, "He met the Prince."

Zhu Yong smiled and shook his head.

"It's not my prowess, it's Great Ming's. Even if I were unbeatable alone, I couldn't defeat a three‑hundred‑thousand army, but Great Ming has three thousand Longxiang Army, Flintlock Guns, plate armor… Tie Mu Er has none of those."

He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the night outside.

"He lost, not to me, but to Great Ming."

Guanyin Nu moved to his side and took his hand.

"Prince, when are we going back?"

Zhu Yong thought for a moment and said, "We still have to wait. The Timur Empire is so vast that fully securing it isn't a matter of a day or two.

I've already sent word back to Great Ming, asking my elder brother to dispatch troops."

He paused, then added, "Once this side stabilizes, we'll return."

Guanyin Nu nodded and leaned against his shoulder.

Outside the window, Moonlight was like water.

In the distance, the footsteps of the Longxiang Army patrol could be heard.

This once‑arrogant city was unusually quiet tonight.