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

Chapter 851 Preemptive Strike
In order to get a share of the golden maritime trade business, when they heard that His Royal Highness King Zhou wanted to entertain the chieftains, the chieftains, landlords and gentry from all over Lianzhou came in droves.

These chieftains were used to being powerful in the local area, and they all had to be ostentatious and show off their face when they traveled. Although the chieftains in Lianzhou were respectful to the Ming court, they were scattered all over the place, and it was inevitable that there would be some hatred and friction between them. Therefore, if they wanted to enter Lianzhou City, they had to be accompanied by guards.

As a result, the originally desolate and dilapidated Lianzhou City suddenly became lively overnight. The main street, which was originally so crowded that people could catch sparrows, was actually bustling today.

However, most of these people were holding weapons, with their noses pointed upwards, and looked menacing...

As a state official, Wang Dabin only felt that when he was selected as a filial and honest official and was present in the Imperial Palace, he was not as nervous as he is today... Although serving the emperor is like serving a tiger, the Lianzhou City is now a huge tiger cage that holds countless tigers!

Poor Magistrate Wang was afraid that these tigers would fight in his territory, causing a tragedy that would be heard by the emperor. He was also afraid that these tigers would kill him, the incompetent magistrate, first as a sacrifice... He was running around with a few yamen runners and judges. As a dignified magistrate, he was now a small detective who was responsible for maintaining public order...

In the entire Lianzhou Prefecture, I am afraid that Zhu Su is the only one who really feels that Lianzhou is very lively today.

"Hahahahaha, although the scenery of Lianzhou is beautiful, I always felt that it was too desolate a few days ago... Today, you gentlemen are willing to give me a favor and come from afar to attend my banquet. This makes me feel a little more in the mood to drink!"

"Good, good! Very good! Come on, pour some wine. Lianzhou is very noisy today. It has the grand scene of the southwestern metropolis in the Song Dynasty!"

Dongpo Tower in Lianzhou City is the only restaurant in the city. It is said that it was built by a big businessman in the pre-Song Dynasty. The original name is unknown, but since the great writer Su Dongpo came to Lianzhou, the name of the restaurant was changed to Dongpo Tower. Lianzhou City has not many people. Although there is a restaurant that has been passed down for a hundred years, it is actually shaky. The only person left is a skinny old man who is in charge of the shopkeeper, waiter and chef. It was Zhu Su who bought the old building and repaired it in a hurry during this period. He also called the chef who accompanied him to organize the banquet.

He was at the top, acting unrestrained, like a dandy who had escaped from his parents' supervision. When they thought about how His Royal Highness Prince Zhou only sent Duke Liang to judge the situation when he arrived in Lianzhou, while he himself only cared about sightseeing and even bought a restaurant for his own banquets...they all felt that it was not surprising that he had set up a port in Lianzhou.

After all, no matter who you ask, Lianzhou is a place with no people and no money. It is so poor that setting up a port here is definitely a business that will only lose money and not make money.

If His Royal Highness Prince Zhou was not actually a playboy, how could he have such thoughts? People often say that hearing about someone is worse than seeing him in person. Although this prince is famous, he may not really have any ability.

After all, his biological father is the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty... As an emperor, isn't it easy for him to take some credit from his ministers to glorify his son?
I can’t envy her for this...it’s because she has a good father.

Some chieftains secretly disdained Zhu Su's "unworthy reputation", and naturally some chieftains were wary of Zhu Su's behavior. This prince's reputation was so great that it was really well-known. In fact, they did not believe that such a famous person would do something that was almost unprofitable.

However, setting up a port in Lianzhou would do them more harm than good. The establishment of the port should have been led by the imperial court. However, the ruling of the imperial court in Lianzhou was weak, and the chieftains of each tribe were all concerned with their own affairs. They knew that it would be difficult to coordinate all of them. If His Majesty the King of Zhou really intended to set up a port in Lianzhou, this huge benefit, as long as they could get it, would surely allow these chieftains to grow rapidly.

Of course, not all chieftains were ignorant. They were also cautious, fearing that this was Zhu Su's way of "killing three warriors with two peaches".

For chieftains who only wanted to survive safely, if it was really a conspiracy of the imperial court, most of them would choose to avoid it and continue to live their lives behind closed doors.

The title of Tusi is not an official title. It is a general term for all native officials who inherited the system of officialdom. In other words, these Tusi actually hold official positions in the Ming Dynasty to some extent.

Therefore, Zhu Su's reason for inviting them to the banquet was to "invite all officials from Lianzhou Prefecture to discuss important matters." The chieftains in Lianzhou City were not very powerful, and Li Wenzhong sat by Zhu Su's side, so naturally none of the chieftains dared to excuse themselves from coming. However, after they arrived, the King Zhou, who was in charge, seemed to have really just called them to join in the fun, and did not even mention the so-called "important matters."

After three rounds of wine and five kinds of dishes, someone finally couldn't help it. A chieftain with a beard and wearing Han Chinese clothes couldn't help but stand out from the crowd and said, "Your Highness, we have drunk the wine and eaten the dishes. I wonder if you have something important to discuss with us. Please tell us clearly."

The hypocritical noise gradually quieted down, and Zhu Su also turned his attention to the Han chieftain.

"Who is this gentleman?" Zhu Su asked with a smile.

"Your humble servant Ye Shangren, honored to serve as the native official of Xinjiang Village. Greetings to His Royal Highness King Zhou." The chieftain bowed, not seeming to be nervous, and his demeanor was quite graceful.

Perhaps he thought that even if Zhu Su had bad intentions towards the chieftains, he would definitely try to win over the Han chieftains like them. Therefore, the chieftain did not seem to be afraid that Zhu Su would harm him, but said directly: "I heard that Your Highness wants to open a sea port in Lianzhou. Is this true?"

"You've heard everything." Zhu Su put down the wine cup in his hand, still smiling, as if he had no ulterior motives.

"Indeed, when I arrived at Lianzhou, I felt that the state of Lianzhou was exhausted and dilapidated, which really brought down the dignity of the Ming Dynasty."

"I am not afraid to be frank with you. The important matter that I invited you all to come here to discuss together... is how to develop Lianzhou."

"From what I think, the grasslands in the north were as desolate as Lianzhou in the past... Then my court set up many trading grounds in the north to trade with the people. Now, there are many prosperous places in the north."

"Therefore, this king wants to set up a port and a trading post in Lianzhou to connect the world's goods and services. What do you think?"

(End of this chapter)