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

Chapter 1160: Portugal's Foreign Attachment
Since Zhu Su had drawn his sword, Li Jinglong, Tie Xuan and others also stood up and drew their swords. The Portuguese guards outside the door realized that the situation inside was tense, and several of them were about to rush in, but the Ming soldiers on all sides were faster and had already controlled the situation with thunder and lightning. In just a moment, all the guards outside were subdued.

Zhu Su's sudden attack was completely unexpected for João and his companions. Some nobles were so shocked by this sudden change that they fell to the ground, and some wanted to draw their swords to resist, but João reacted quickly and held down the hand of the young noble who wanted to draw his sword.

After all, they were also heroes, so they could understand that they were at the mercy of the enemy. If they dared to resist, they would only die faster.

His mind was working rapidly, and after thinking for a long time, he said with an unpleasant expression: "My prince definitely has no intention of offending the Ming Dynasty."

"You are using sweet words and flattering manners, but you are not knowing what you are talking about. You are trying to threaten me and to make me an equal to the Ming Dynasty. Is there any more outrageous offense than this?" Zhu Su sneered, his eyes fixed on the blade of the sword in his hand.

"My prince is not...not threatening the Ming Dynasty, nor am I unwilling to be a vassal of the Ming Dynasty. It's really...really..." João tried hard to look sincere.

"The influence of the church spreads across Europe. If the young king declares his allegiance to the Ming today, I'm afraid that all my soldiers and people will rebel tonight..."

"Moreover, our country is weak and we have no confidence in being able to fight against the countries that believe in the church!"

He was very clever and secretly changed the concept, changing his initial "You are definitely not the opponent of the church, I am useful to you, as long as you give me benefits, I will help you mediate with the church" to "It's not that I don't want to help you, I really don't have the ability. I am actually on the side of the Ming Dynasty, but the church is too powerful." He shifted his position from the church to Zhu Su's side, and acted as if he was helpless and had to reject the Ming Dynasty.

He wanted to add something like "You are few in number after all. If you want to kill me, my subordinates will definitely do this and that." But looking at the sword in Zhu Su's hand, he swallowed the threatening words. Zhu Su looked at him and smiled. "It seems that this is the best you can do."

"A declining church has frightened you like this."

"Your country of Portugal is located on the border everywhere, with a long and narrow border and almost no resources. And there are powerful neighbors waiting for you. There is no escape or avoidance."

"It only takes time for us to be devoured by jackals... Oh, I'm afraid it won't take time at all. It must have been very difficult to organize your fleet, right? If the neighboring countries knew about this, do you think they would seize this opportunity?"

Joao's face became even uglier.

Portugal's neighbor Castile, later known as Spain, was a powerful country that had a feud with Portugal. The most glorious victory of John I after he ascended the throne was the Battle of Aljubarrota with Castile, where he defeated the enemy's 30,000 troops with only 7,000 men.

Given the chance, Castile would be more than willing to take advantage of the situation to avenge its humiliation.

"Rather than asking you to mediate for the Ming Dynasty, I would rather capture you and send you to the King of Castile as a gift. I believe that the Kingdom of Castile will be very satisfied with this great gift from the Ming Dynasty. With such a great gift as a country, perhaps they will take the initiative to ask to become a vassal of the Ming Dynasty?"

"But if that happens, your country of Portugal will surely perish. Or, you can ask your God for help. Perhaps there will be a miracle and Castile will show leniency to you."

"Haha, there is a saying in my Ming Buddhism, 'One thought leads to heaven, one thought leads to hell'. Your country of Portugal encountered this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but because of your stupidity and short-sightedness, you missed this only chance to grow stronger. In this way, it is not unfair to ask you to be the king of a fallen country."

This is even more murderous. Joao's face became even gloomier.

As an ambitious king, he always thought about how to strengthen the country, not to mention being a king who destroyed the country. He raised his head and glared at Zhu Su, but after all, he was forced by the situation around him and quickly lowered his head.

"What's the point of hating me? With the national strength of your country, even if I hadn't come, the country would have been destroyed sooner or later." Zhu Su lied. But to Joao, this didn't make sense. If Portugal really had no way to develop, he wouldn't have put all his efforts on the sea.

"If you want to blame someone, blame your own stupidity." Zhu Su continued to provoke João.

Joao's face was livid, and he was stunned for a long time. Zhu Su stood there with his sword in hand, and did not disturb him. After a while, Joao suddenly raised his head and said, "If I am willing to become a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, what can the Ming Dynasty bring me?"

This is the final reveal of the true intention. He no longer speaks those empty words, but puts his true intention on the table. Zhu Su leans on his sword and sits down with interest: "Become a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty will naturally give you protection."

"The trade agreements and shipping routes you want will not be stingy. If a foreign country bullies you, we will stand up for you."

Joao shook his head and said, "This place is too far away from the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty does not have the ability to help us. If Castile invades our country, you will not be able to help us."

"Heh, even though you suffered a great defeat, you still don't understand the strength of our Ming Dynasty." Zhu Su said. "A country like Castile is not worth our attention."

"If you can help us defeat Castile, I will be willing to become a vassal of the Ming Dynasty." João put forward the conditions.

"I have said before that you are not worthy of negotiating terms with the Ming Dynasty." Zhu Su shook his head. "Become a vassal or lose your country. You can only make one choice."

"As the saying goes, I have a legitimate reason to fight for you. Only after you officially become my vassal will I consider standing up for you."

"You are the enemies of the Church. My soldiers and people will not allow me to betray the Lord," João said again.

"Your Lord and the church are not the same thing. In my Great Ming Empire, we also have Taoism and Buddhism. Can't we have room for a Catholic Lord like you?"

"You, the rulers of the country, actually regard the religious charlatans as tigers and are willing to be under the so-called pope. Isn't it ridiculous? Haha, I, the Ming Dynasty, don't take them seriously."

"If there is a chance in the future, why not support you, João, to become the Pope?" Zhu Su smiled casually.

Joao's expression changed several times.

"In order to accomplish great things, you would rather use despicable means of provocation and threats...but you don't even have the courage to take a gamble?" Zhu Su finally gave Joao a strong dose of medicine.

Joao raised his head again...

(End of this chapter)