Zhu Di: My fourth son is a great emperor of all time?

Chapter 68 The Fourth Prince is in trouble, and the Ming Dynasty is about to collapse!
"Did the fourth brother embezzle?"

Upon hearing Tianmu's words, Zhu Di was greatly alarmed.

He wasn't surprised that Zhu Gaoshuo had embezzled money.

It's only been a few short years, yet the fourth brother has amassed so much silver; it's practically a miracle.

Zhu Di was very curious to know how Zhu Gaoshuo had managed to do it.

However, he also knew very well that Zhu Gaoshuo would not tell him what he was about to say.

So Zhu Di didn't ask.

However, the three brothers' collaboration is likely to end in failure.

Because Zhu Gaoshuo offered a large sum of money, he immediately silenced everyone, and Zhu Di ordered that the Japanese islands must be attacked.

However, Zhu Di at the time played a trick. He planned to lead the expedition in person, but left Zhu Gaoshuo behind to oversee the country.

With Zhu Gaoshuo's newly developed firearms, conquering the Japanese islands was only a matter of time. Zhu Di didn't want his fourth son to steal the credit for this monumental achievement!

Therefore, in the nineteenth year of the Yongle reign, Zhu Di personally led an army of 300,000 to attack the Japanese islands. He took his three sons with him, leaving Zhu Gaoshuo in the capital.

The three brothers were dumbfounded. Their mission was to completely conquer a vast country, a task expected to take at least a year. Leaving Zhu Gaoshuo behind meant that for a whole year, the entire Ming Dynasty would be under Zhu Gaoshuo's control, and no one could stop him!

Zhu Gaochi, of course, felt that things weren't so simple. This was very likely Zhu Gaoshuo's scheme; otherwise, why would he spend so much money to let his grandfather enjoy the war?

To keep an eye on Zhu Gaoshuo and prevent him from ruling alone, Zhu Zhanji chose to stay behind.

Zhu Di looked at Zhu Gaochi with displeasure: "Do you think the fourth regent is like you? You're so stingy. When I need to fight a war, you won't even take out a single tael of silver."

Zhu Gaochi felt very wronged.

We really don't have any money. Where can we get the silver from?

Zhu Di was aware of this, and he was actually feeling rather uncomfortable.

The version of myself in the sky is already living a good life.

He just finished fighting in the northern desert and he's completely broke.

They're all Zhu Laosi, so why are they so different?

Zhu Di was now fantasizing about when his fourth son, this god of wealth, would finally start making money.

Then Zhu Di's eyes flashed.

Perhaps the fourth brother already possesses a large sum of wealth from Tianmu.

They've just been hiding it.

Thinking of this, Zhu Di felt helpless. His fourth son was good in every way, except that he was too good at hiding his flaws.

All secrets must be kept hidden.

Moreover, there's simply no way to dig it out.

Sometimes Zhu Di was really anxious and sent out a large number of Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) to keep watch, but to no avail.

[Zhu Di's expedition this time was completely different from the campaign against the Mongolian steppes. The advent of new firearms allowed the Shenji Battalion to play its full potential; with cannons firing simultaneously, the Japanese pirates were utterly unable to withstand it.]

The Ming army easily broke through the Japanese pirates' coastal defenses and entered the Japanese islands to garrison troops. That was completely different territory; initially, many Japanese pirates dared to come out and confront the Ming army head-on!

[But with Zhu Di's thunderous actions, it seemed he also harbored a grudge against the Japanese pirates, employing extremely harsh methods. However, this was actually at Zhu Gaoshuo's request; he could choose not to come, but he pleaded with Zhu Di not to show any mercy to the Japanese pirates.] [Zhu Gaoshuo was Zhu Di's cash cow, his biggest financial backer. Zhu Di couldn't possibly disobey him. Given the current situation, it's likely that Zhu Di would even grant Zhu Gaoshuo the throne if he wanted it.]

After landing on the island, the Ming army was invincible, and the Japanese pirates were simply no match for them. Zhu Di led the Ming army to countless victories and was about to conquer the entire Japanese island. In addition, according to Zhu Gaoshuo's instructions, the task of mining gold in the mountains was initiated.

Soon, large quantities of gold and silver were brought back to the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Di was very excited and suggested to Zhu Gaoshuo that after defeating the Japanese pirates, they should immediately attack Goryeo. However, Zhu Gaoshuo rejected the idea, and Zhu Di had no choice but to abandon the plan.

Hearing this, Zhu Di felt somewhat helpless.

He was not only the emperor, but also a father.

It's so embarrassing to have to be ordered around by my son.

However, the weapons made by the fourth brother are indeed powerful.

The Japanese pirates were quite formidable in combat, even comparable to the Ming soldiers. As a result, the Ming dynasty utterly crushed the Japanese pirates in the end.

This is clearly all thanks to the new weapons.

This was the easiest battle we fought. If it weren't for the help of the fourth brother, although we could have taken the Japanese island, it would have come at a great cost.

With this batch of gold, the Ming Dynasty will never have to worry about money again.

Zhu Di was now eager to know what policies his fourth son would use to govern the country once he received so much wealth.

Large quantities of gold and silver from the Japanese islands were brought back, leaving the islands essentially defenseless. The Ming army was originally planning to retreat, and Zhu Di, who hadn't returned to the Ming Dynasty for over half a year and was somewhat homesick, was stopped by Zhu Gaoshuo.

Zhu Gaoshuo advised Zhu Di not to rush back. He reasoned that having finally conquered such a vast territory, his return could easily lead to a loss of control and ultimately, the formation of a rebellious force.

Zhu Di obeyed Zhu Gaoshuo's orders, but Zhu Gaochi sensed something was amiss and immediately ordered Zhu Zhanji to investigate Zhu Gaoshuo's intentions.

As expected, they discovered that Zhu Gaoshuo actually planned to use all the silver to build merchant ships. Zhu Gaochi was completely baffled as to what his fourth brother was up to, but no matter what, he couldn't let Zhu Gaoshuo accomplish this.

Zhu Gaochi had only one thought: he would stop Zhu Gaoshuo from doing anything he set his mind to.

After considering the matter, Zhu Gaochi reported it to Zhu Di.

Zhu Di was indeed very puzzled. If it were warships, he would definitely agree, since they were used for fighting.

But before Zhu Di could even give his opinion, Zhu Gaoshuo wrote an IOU, wanting to borrow the money to repair merchant ships. Of course, Zhu Gaoshuo had conditions: once the merchant ships were repaired, they would no longer be under the management of the imperial court, but rather under his control!

[The three brothers, along with their good grandson, all opposed the plan, but not only did they fail to stop it, they were also severely reprimanded by Zhu Di and made to listen to Zhu Gaoshuo from now on.]

After the merchant ships were completed, Zhu Di and his entourage returned to the Ming Dynasty from the Japanese islands. Following this, with Zhu Di's approval, the maritime ban was lifted.

"What are merchant ships used for? As the name suggests, they're for doing business!"

Zhu Di understood perfectly well that the reason his eldest son couldn't figure it out at the time was probably because these ships hadn't been named merchant ships yet.

Is the fourth prince trying to get all the merchants from the Ming Dynasty to go abroad to do business?
Then they collect a large amount of sea tax.

At that time, you won't have to do anything; the silver will automatically enter the Ming Dynasty's treasury.

Zhu Di quickly deduced Zhu Gaoshuo's intentions from the previous exposure of the sky canopy.

"That fourth son of mine truly lives up to his title as the Ming Zhongzu!"

However, just as Zhu Di was overjoyed, Tianmu's words enraged him completely.

Just as the Ming Dynasty was reaching its zenith, Zhu Gaoshuo, who was then regent, encountered trouble. He was assassinated by villains while on an inspection tour and his whereabouts became unknown!

(End of this chapter)