Bringing the Railway to Daming

After hearing Zhu Tan's words, Liu Kuan couldn't help but look at Zhu Biao.

Both of them knew that Zhu Tan felt that if Zhu Chong established a vassal state in North America, it would affect the potential of the Lu vassal state in North America, and even become a rival a hundred years later. That was why he persuaded Zhu Chong to go to South America.

But Zhu Tan was also Zhu Biao's younger brother, so neither Zhu Biao nor Liu Kuan could point this out. It all depended on whether Zhu Chong himself could see through it or what he thought.

Zhu Chong first stared at South America on the map with greed, then sneered, "Old Ten, do you think I don't know what you're thinking? Don't you think my going to North America will hinder the development of your Lu State?"

Zhu Tan smiled and said, "Second brother, if you want to establish a vassal state in North America and hinder the development of our Lu Kingdom, that will take a hundred years. What does it have to do with us?"

"However, if you really go to North America, if something happens in the future vassal state, the emperor might find out in a few days, and people from the North American or Central American Headquarters might be there in a few days."

After hearing what Zhu Tan said, Zhu Chong was stunned for a moment, and then he suddenly remembered why he chose South America in the first place - wasn't it just to stay away from Zhu Yuanzhang and never be under his control?
If he really listened to Liu Kuan and became a vassal in northern Mexico in the future, wouldn't that be equivalent to being surrounded by the imperial guards?
Thinking of this, Zhu Chong immediately said, "Son-in-law, I will be enfeoffed in South America. Please help my second brother choose a suitable starting place."

Hearing this, Liu Kuan sighed helplessly and then pointed to the western mountainous area of ​​future Bolivia on the map and said, "As far as I know, this is the ruling center of the Inca Empire."

"At its peak, the kingdom extended as far north as what would later become Colombia and as far south as what would later become Argentina, ruling almost the entire mountainous region along the west coast of South America."

"If His Royal Highness Prince Yong must establish a vassal state in South America, the first choice would be the coast of Colombia and Ecuador, followed by the west coast of Chile."

"The northern and southern ends are both very far from the Inca Empire's ruling center. Given the Inca's backward communication methods, by the time they send their army here, His Royal Highness Prince Yong might have already established a firm foothold."

"If His Royal Highness Prince Yong had developed faster, he might even have built the city."

Zhu Chong smiled after hearing this. "According to what my brother-in-law said, establishing a vassal state in South America isn't that difficult. Just wait and see. The little Inca will be easily conquered by my Yong Clan in the future!"

Seeing this, Zhu Biao asked, "Could you determine the exact starting point of the vassalage?"

Zhu Chong leaned over to the map, scanning the west coast of South America for a moment before pointing to a spot in the south. He smiled and said, "I think this place is good, isn't it, brother-in-law?"

When Liu Kuan saw it, he thought: Zhu Chong has a good eye. He actually chose the famous port of San Antonio in southern Chile in later generations.

He then said, "This place is indeed a good port. One hundred miles further east, near the mountains, it later developed into an international metropolis."

"If His Royal Highness Prince Yong can gain a foothold here and even build a city, the future of Yong Kingdom in South America will be promising."

"Hahaha!" Zhu Chong was even happier after hearing this, and even bowed to Liu Kuan. "Then I'll take your kind words, brother-in-law! When I open a gold or silver mine over there in the future, I'll definitely give you a thousand pounds of gold!"

Seeing that Zhu Chong had given up the idea of ​​becoming a vassal in North America, Zhu Tan also smiled.

After Liu Kuan and Zhu Chong returned to their seats, he stood up and bowed, saying, "Teacher, how strong are the indigenous tribes in North America? Are you sure there are no countries?"

Liu Kuan said, "Apart from the Aztec Empire in Mexico in later generations, there should be no other countries in North America at present. Even if there are any, they will not be strong."

"However, in the Mississippi River basin where you chose to establish your fiefdom, although the natives don't have a country, they have already developed villages and even towns."

"Of course, the weapons and combat methods of the natives there are still backward. You should be able to deal with them easily."

"That's good." Zhu Tan looked happy after hearing that.

The reason why he came up with the idea of ​​using Xuanguanwei to go to the southeastern part of North America to establish a vassal state was not because according to the information about America provided by Liu Kuan, it was a rare and good place to establish a vassal state?

The natives are civilized enough, but their weapons are backward and they have no country. Aren't they just waiting for him to conquer them one tribe at a time and make them his citizens?

Just as Zhu Tan couldn't help but imagine developing a powerful "Great Lu" in North America, Liu Kuan spoke again. "If Prince Lu wishes to travel to North America, he will need to pass through the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico in later generations. I recall that these two sea areas seem prone to storms, especially tornadoes."

"In addition, tornadoes frequently strike the lower Mississippi River region, which is also the starting point chosen by His Royal Highness Prince Lu to establish his vassal state. Your Highness must be mentally prepared for this."

After Liu Kuan finished speaking, the smile on Zhu Tan's face froze on the spot.

Are there many storms at sea?
Are there tornadoes along the coast?
Could it be that after careful selection, he finally chose a place where natural disasters are frequent?
After coming to his senses, Zhu Tan recalled the maps of the future he had memorized and couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, those two sea areas are surrounded by land and islands, so why are there so many storms? And why are there so many tornadoes in the lower Mississippi River?"

Liu Kuan said, "I'm not sure about that. It's probably related to the topography of North America. If Your Highness Prince Lu remembers the topographical maps of North America from later generations, he would know that central North America is a vast, open plain."

"That means there's nothing over central North America to stop the cold air from moving southward from the north."

"When the cold air moves south to the central Great Plains, it will form a terrible cold wave. When it reaches the southern coast and encounters the warm air currents from the ocean, it will generate tornadoes on land and hurricanes at sea."

Zhu Tan recalled again and found that central North America was indeed a large plain connecting the north and the south, just as Liu Kuan said.

In fact, the reason why he insisted on becoming a vassal in the lower Mississippi River was because he had his eyes on this great plain. At that time, he was thinking about how much land he could reclaim, how much grain he could grow, and how many people he could feed if he took over this great plain.

Food and population are the foundation of a country. With such a strong foundation, his Da Lu will surely become a powerful vassal state.

Who would have thought that this vast plain, which connects the north and the south, would not only experience such a cold wave, but would also cause frequent tornado disasters along the coast.

Thinking of this, he wanted to blame Liu Kuan for not saying it earlier, but he opened his mouth and didn't say anything in the end.

Firstly, Liu Kuan was his teacher. Secondly, he did not consult Liu Kuan before telling Zhu Yuanzhang that he would choose this place to be established as a fiefdom. How could he blame Liu Kuan now?

However, Liu Kuan could see Zhu Tan's regret.

He thought for a moment and said, "If Your Highness Prince Lu doesn't want to choose the mouth of the Mississippi River as the starting point for establishing a vassal state, you could consider the peninsula in southeastern North America, which is what is now Florida."

"For one thing, this place is closer to Xuanguanwei, and we don't have to cross the Gulf of Mexico."

"Secondly, not only are there fewer natural disasters here, but the terrain is also more complex, which means that resources in all aspects are not too scarce..."

Having said this, Liu Kuan suddenly stopped, but remembered another important matter.

Zhu Biao noticed that Liu Kuan looked strange and asked, "What's wrong with my brother-in-law? Is he feeling unwell?"

Liu Kuan said with a hint of embarrassment, "I forgot to remind your Highnesses one thing—North America is short on copper and iron, especially in the shallow surface. It's almost impossible to find copper or iron ores. I've only heard that some can be found near the Great Lakes in the north, but the rest are mostly hidden deep underground, making them difficult to mine with current mining technology."

"South America does have iron and copper mines, but they are all deep in the mountains, in the core area of ​​the Inca Empire. Also, South America lacks coal mines."

After hearing this, Zhu Chong looked fine, but Zhu Tan was completely stunned.

At this moment, Zhu Tan was actually wailing in his heart.

"Oh my god! After all my planning, I ended up choosing a place of damnation?"

"No, didn't the videos I watched earlier say that the Bald Eagle would become the world's most powerful nation in the future? Why is it in the Land of Heaven's Punishment?" (End of this chapter)