Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 1149 Determined to Move Forward
Tie Xuan had his own opinion on this matter. He said to Zhu Su: "Your Highness, we are now trapped in a difficult situation. We have no choice but to move forward or backward. We should judge the situation and act cautiously."

"We have been drifting in the sea for a long time and have lost track of time. We are also far away from the planned route. Even if we can reach the Western Land, it will take a long time and we are far away from His Royal Highness the King of Yan. It will be useless."

"Moreover, the Western Expedition is just icing on the cake, and it will not harm the foundation of our Great Ming. However, Your Highness is a person worth millions of gold. How many major events in the country still need Your Highness to preside over them?"

"It is unwise to take a big risk for a small matter. I think it is better to return to the ship and save yourself."

Li Jinglong disagreed, saying, "How can this be possible? We have led a long expedition, but have returned empty-handed. Wouldn't this bring down the prestige of the Ming Dynasty?"

"Besides, the seas and winds might make it dangerous to go back...Since we are here, how can we not accept some benefits from the Western barbarians?"

Li Jinglong had invested a lot in this expedition. Not only him, but other nobles of the Ming Dynasty also invested in the ocean-going fleet. A large part of these nobles followed the style of his Caoguogong Li family. If he went back like this, Li Jinglong would not only have to eat coarse food, but also be unable to live as a human being.

Besides, Li Jinglong was really unwilling in his heart.

The rest of the people, like Li and Tie, also held their own opinions and argued endlessly. In the end, it was still up to Zhu Su to make the final decision.

Zhu Su thought for a long time, and then he said to comfort the two of them: "What you two are thinking about is reasonable. We are too far away from our homeland now."

"If we make a wrong decision, I am afraid that we and the remaining thousand soldiers will all die in a foreign land."

Hearing this, Li Jinglong's expression turned solemn, as if he was thinking about something. Tie Xuan, on the other hand, looked slightly happy and breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhu Su seemed not to notice the expressions of the two men. He looked at the tall silhouette of the treasure ship on the sea and the sun and moon flag on the ship that was flying in the wind, and continued: "However, Jiujiang is right about one thing."

"The imperial court has high hopes for us, providing us with countless supplies and money, and using all the power of the country to build such tall ships. They are hoping that we can expand the territory of China and enhance our country's prestige."

"If we return in disgrace, it would be fine. But if we damage the national prestige, wouldn't we become criminals?"

Tie Xuan's expression changed, and he interrupted, "Your Highness, the time and place are no longer favorable. If we continue to move forward, and the whole army is annihilated, wouldn't it be a loss?"

"A temporary defeat is not enough to rely on. After we return to the court, we will regroup and fight again. How can we hurt the national prestige?"

he said eagerly.

"Dingshi, I know you are concerned about the safety of me and my soldiers..." Zhu Su said. Then he changed the subject: "But have you ever thought about what kind of impact it will have on my future if we return home in defeat?"

Tie Xuan was stunned, not understanding what was going on. Zhu Su continued, "We are the first Chinese to go on an expedition to the West."

"How can we ensure that a major policy will remain unchanged in the future? It cannot be implemented by relying on an imperial edict from the court. Just like when the Japanese king and my father strongly advocated the policy of expanding the territory, when this national policy was first proposed in the court, how many corrupt officials and short-sighted people in the court strongly opposed it?"

"Father is the founding emperor, so he can certainly push this forward. But if it weren't for the two gold mines in Yingzhou and Fengmingzhou, plus the countless benefits brought by overseas business, even with Father's authority, how long could he have pushed this forward?"

"Not to mention the emperors of later generations!"

As the saying goes, "all the people in the world are here for profit." Without the most fundamental interests, even the imperial decrees will be difficult to implement. Tie Xuan has been in charge of Fengmingzhou for many years, so he naturally understands this principle now.

Zhu Su continued, "Now we are going to the Western Ocean, and this is another first for us. If we get nothing, we will definitely face many difficulties when we try again next time, and no one will be willing to support us... In the future, China may not have the chance to go to the Western Continent!"

"But..." Tie Xuan still wanted to dissuade him, "This is just your guess. And your Highness is worth a lot of money."

After thinking for a while, he said, "If Your Highness insists, how about this? We will split our troops into two groups. Your Highness and the young master will lead a fleet back to the Ming Dynasty to ask for help, and I will continue to lead people to the West Continent to gather information and act according to the situation..."

Zhu Su waved his hand and said, "Everything is difficult at the beginning. If there is no result at the beginning, people who come after will be even more daunted."

"Dingshi, I know you are loyal. But the soldiers followed me on this expedition. If I leave, how much morale will they have? If I leave, there will be no chance of success."

Tie Xuan was silent. A few days ago, when His Majesty the King of Zhou was still there, some soldiers could not stand the hardship at sea and took the boats to return home. If His Majesty the King of Zhou was not there, who knows what would happen.

At least, Tie Xuan was not sure whether he could still control the soldiers in the absence of His Highness.

"Besides, since we have set sail, our lives are tied to our belts. If we can create a new path for China, death will be of no concern," Zhu Su continued.

"There is a saying in the West that people who have set foot in places that no one has ever been to before are called "adventurers." We are the "adventurers" of China. Since it is an adventure, why would we think of retreating when we see danger?"

"Although we are few in number, we may be able to open up a new path in this Western Land."

At this point, Zhu Su blinked his eyes and said in a relaxed tone: "Besides, the most important thing is that I don't think that my fourth brother will be defeated by the Western Barbarians so easily."

Zhu Su could not believe that the Yongle Emperor in history, who chased the enemy north and conquered the Wolf's Lair, would be defeated by the Crusaders who were supposed to be beaten by the Ottomans.

In the current world situation, the East is strong and the West is weak. If we don't take this opportunity to beat up the Western world, are we going to sit back and watch them succeed in the Renaissance and then compete with the Eastern China?

Tie Xuan and other officials and generals who opposed the continued march fell into deep thought. Finally, Tie Xuan sighed and said, "Since Your Highness has made the decision, how dare we not die for him?"

"But please agree, Your Highness, that we must not venture into dangerous areas when we are deep behind enemy lines. If anything happens to Your Highness, even if this plan succeeds, it will be a great defeat for our Ming Dynasty."

"Don't worry, I know." Zhu Su said with a smile. "I have my own plan. Although we are short of manpower, our treasure ships are the best in the world."

"In that case, we might as well be pirates. Most of the Western Barbarians are small countries with few people, and they can't afford to be consumed. We can do this and that." Zhu Su laughed and gestured at the map.
(End of this chapter)