The eleven vassal kings currently in the hall are divided into two factions, the North and the South, according to different regions.
The southern faction includes King Zhao and King Zheng whose fiefdoms are in New Zealand, and King Qin and King Xiang whose fiefdoms are located in many islands north of New Zealand.
The northern sect consisted of King Dai and King Jin whose fiefdoms were on Kuwu Island, as well as King Zhou, King Lu, King Fu, and King Hui who moved their vassals from Henan to the other side of Kuwu Island, as well as King Chong of Kamchatka Peninsula.
Among the four vassal kings of the southern faction, King Zhao and King Zheng, who were obviously more powerful, lived next to each other, while King Qin and King Xiang, who did not have many princes in their hands, were farther away from them and seemed relatively safe.
The northern faction is headed by the King of Zhou, who serves as the king of thirty-seven counties. The other four vassal kings may not have as many soldiers and horses as those of the King of Zhou, so they can only form a star-like situation.
"Would King Zhou tell me the content of His Highness's instructions before choosing the site?"
The acting king Zhu Chuanfu wanted to know why the king of Zhou would willingly choose the northernmost place as his fiefdom. If there was no mystery, he would not believe it. What the prince said must have played a vital role.
Not only the acting king, but other vassal kings with fiefdoms in the "Northland" also wanted to know. However, among the many vassal kings present, only King Zhou and King Chong were the parties involved. They decided not to tell, and the prince would naturally not take the initiative to tell other vassals. King truth.
"Thinking about it, it's not a secret. Your Highness saw that the king and Prince Chong were in a bitter cold and it was difficult to harvest, so he just suggested buying some volcanic ash!"
King Zhou just brushed it off in an understatement, but the sale of volcanic ash was worth ten thousand taels of silver, and it was impossible for others to intervene.
"Is this true???"
King Fu Zhu Changxun looked at King Chong Zhu Youqi with a little surprise. He never thought that volcanic ash could be sold for money. King Zhou said so, and he confirmed it to King Chong like a walrus.
Zhu Youyi could only nod to indicate that it was indeed the case. Now that King Zhou had said it, there was no need for him to conceal or deny it. Besides, not everyone could do this business.
Only the Kamchatka Peninsula has a large number of active volcanoes, and only active volcanoes can continuously produce sulfur. Extinct volcanoes cannot, and the concentration of sulfur will not be very high.
It was not cost-effective for a certain prince to buy it, and for the two vassal princes, it was impossible to sell it. King Zhou and King Chong made five additions to one another and divided up the Kamchatka Peninsula. Outsiders had no fiefdoms here and could not get involved at all.
King Fu Zhu Changxun immediately began to wonder if there was a volcano in his fiefdom, and whether he could also connect with the prince. As long as he had volcanic ash in his hand, it would be okay to buy it at a lower price. It is not difficult to extract this thing, and the cost will naturally be Very low.
Not only King Fu, but also the vassal kings such as King Lu, King Hui, King Dai, and King Jin whose fiefdoms are in the "Northland" also feel that they can make a difference. As long as the prince is interested in buying it and there is a volcano in the fiefdom, then the deal can be completed. .
Zhu Gongzhen, the king of Zhou who was well-connected in the city, could tell by looking at the expressions of these clan members that they were planning something bad, but the plans of these guys with ulterior motives were about to come to nothing.
Because the prince has told himself the truth, only Kamchatka Peninsula has a large number of highly concentrated active volcanoes, which is something other fiefdoms do not have.
Zhou Wang Zhu Gongzhen stopped talking and didn't go any further. If they were willing to search in the fiefdom, just let them find it.
The volcanoes in his and King Chong's fiefdoms are extremely obvious and ready-made active volcanoes. As soon as Fan Guo Zimin lands, he can start collecting, and within ten days, the transport fleet will be fully loaded when returning.
Regarding this secret, if King Zhou didn't tell it, King Chong would not be stupid enough to tell others, especially the clans who were eyeing them eagerly. His Highness the Crown Prince has already said it. This can be regarded as a special subsidy for the two vassal kings who established their vassal in a bitter cold land. .
Other vassal kings did not have this treatment. In general, from the volcanic ash plus the share of the gold mine, King Zhou and King Chong received the most benefits among the seven vassal kings located in the "Northland".
The two vassal kings would naturally be willing to guard the "Northern Land" portal for the prince and the court, especially after Huang Taiji really sent a Donglu branch to attack the Habaru area. Very necessary.
The open-mindedness of King Zhou and the obedience of King Chong were also one of the reasons why he was favored by a certain prince. Compared with other vassal princes who were extremely stingy, a certain prince was certainly willing to deliberately support these two people. He wanted to be even with a bowl of water. It's impossible.
The four southern vassal kings are not as jealous as the northern lords, and they even want to redivide the business. Their fiefdoms may not be as big as those of the "northern" vassal kings, but they are better than the pleasant climate.
Being able to farm, you can have three crops a year in tropical areas, and you can even go fishing every day. There are countless fruits on the shore, and delicious food is indispensable.
Even if you don't continue to expand territory for the Ming Dynasty, it will be a pleasure to enjoy life in such a picturesque place during your lifetime.
Different from the dispatches of previous dynasties, the prince also said that in order to maintain the connection between the mainland and overseas vassal states, and at the same time continuously strengthen the strength of the vassal states, the imperial court would send a large number of merchant ships every quarter.
This means that many good items from the local area, especially the prince's imitation of the fairy world, will be continuously sent to the vassal state, so that many vassal kings will not feel abandoned by the court.
There are three main demands of the vassal kings. First, they must support themselves with troops to protect themselves. Second, the imperial court cannot interfere in the affairs of the vassal state. Third, the good things that are available locally must also be available in the vassal state.
Now that the prince has agreed to all these conditions, the vassal kings no longer resist the move to overseas, but are more supportive.
In fact, as long as the imperial court issued an order and found out that the vassal kings were occupying land and keeping customers, it was impossible for the vassal kings to resist to the end in order to survive.
"It's dinner time, and this is a special period. His Highness the Crown Prince emphasizes that I, the Ming Dynasty Zimin, should share joys and sorrows regardless of his or her birth status. I will prepare a few simple meals, but I hope you don't mind."
The acting king Zhu Chuanfu looked at the clock and felt that it was almost done. Since many feudal princes gathered in his house, he could not finish playing mahjong and directly drove these clans away. He would have to interact with many of them in the future.
For dinner, we had braised noodles. The braised sauce and noodles were naturally ordered from a ramen shop that had just opened. If he hadn't been a feudal lord, he wouldn't even have been able to make a reservation.
According to the prince, this ramen shop is the main store in Kifu. Unlike ordinary shops that buy noodles, this shop is currently only responsible for training and a small amount of private orders, and does not implement large-scale external retail.
From the lord to the ministers, if you want to eat, you must make a reservation in advance. Otherwise, even if the lord wants to jump in line, the ministers will hear about it and they will take one at the court the next day. The reason is "I don't understand." "Etiquette"...
The mahjong was removed and replaced with a large bowl of noodles, a braised pork platter and a few refreshing and delicious side dishes. It can be considered an appetizing meal combination on a hot summer day.
"Is this all the king does every day?"
King Fu Zhu Changxun was used to eating and drinking a lot, and so were the other vassal kings. When they saw King Dai being so stingy, they couldn't help but be a little surprised.
After all, everyone can be regarded as the dignified vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty. It is extremely difficult to gather here in our lifetime, but you are so shabby and feed everyone this?
"His Royal Highness can only eat four dishes. Although we are the vassal kings, as ministers, how can we overstep our bounds? Do you know about the famous 'Huangdou Gong'?"
After a lot of trouble from the dog thief Wang Pu, and being invited by the factory guards to the capital to receive instruction from a certain prince, the acting king Zhu Chuanfu was no longer as angry and arrogant as when he came, and he learned to behave with his tail between his legs.
The same is true for the successive kings of Jin. Once they have seen what the young prince did after overseeing the country's governance, any vassal king who is not a fool will become respectful and obedient, unless he no longer wants to live.
After hearing what Dai Wang said, some nodded, while others were confused. Most of those who knew about the matter had read the "Jingshi Daily", while those who didn't knew were waiting for explanations from the clan brothers.
Seeing that there were still people who were puzzled, the acting king Zhu Chuanfu said bluntly: "On the day when His Majesty the Crown Prince came to supervise the country, he said that the national treasury was now exhausted and asked nobles to donate money. Xu Yunzhen, the Duke of Dingguo, said that his family was in embarrassment and ate soybeans to satisfy his hunger yesterday. As a result, the factory guard asked Duke Dingguo's family members faced each other face to face, and after the truth came to light, all the nobles in the capital were wiped out by the Crown Prince, with the exception of seven people including Gongshun Hou! Duke Dingguo became the "Huangdou Gong" among the people. If he had known this, why bother? At the beginning!"
This story tells everyone that although the prince is young, he is not as easy to fool as his father, Emperor Chongzhen. Since he was taught by His Majesty Emperor Taizu Gao in the immortal world, he must have been extremely smart and he must be very recognized.
If you want to deceive Sheng Cong again, you will have to seek death. The factory guards have still regained their original strength. It is natural to deal with the disobedient guys. After entering the Dongchang Prison, how many can come out alive?
Seeing that everyone was silent, King Zhu Changzi of Lu took the lead to speak and agreed: "What the King Dai said is absolutely true. Your Highness the Prince lives such a simple life, and we, as vassal kings, must obey it."
The real hard days are yet to come. If you can’t endure even this little bit of hardship, then after going to the “Northland” and seeing a desolate land, why don’t you become desperate for life and death?
Listening to King Fu's tone, when he arrives in the capital, he still wants to eat hundreds of dishes in one meal, without even looking at who is sitting on the table now?
If you actively seek death, the other clan brothers will naturally not stop you!
The acting king, Zhu Chuanhuang, nodded in agreement and asked everyone to use their chopsticks: "That's why, you don't need to be polite, please come, the noodles will stick to each other if it's too late. This noodles is a delicacy imitated by His Highness the Prince from the fairy world. It tastes great. If It’s even more rare to have a bowl of fragrant beef ramen in winter. In the hot summer, you can only treat yourself to noodles, so don’t be dissatisfied.”
Using the prince as an excuse to save a lot of money by treating guests to a meal, Zhu Chuanfu received one thousand taels of food expenses from the prince, so it was not considered a feast for other vassal kings.
Now that his family is in decline, he can save money if he can. For him, it is impossible to repay the money. From this one thousand taels of silver, he still plans to earn part of it.
"Yes, it tastes very good, it's rare!"
King Zhu Cunji of Qin came from Shaanxi, a place that mainly sells pasta. Although Zhu Cunji was a vassal king, he was also a noodle maker.
As soon as he took a bite, he was startled. This noodle was very different from the braised noodles he had eaten before. The braised sauce was fresh and delicious, and the noodles were even more elastic.
Once you enter the mouth, you will be craving for more. You can't wait to finish a bowl of it in one go. You won't even bother to drink the tea. It can be regarded as one of the top-quality noodles in the world.
"Wonderful~!"
Chong Wang Zhu Youqi is from Henan, and it is also a noodle place. While eating noodles, Zhu Youqi also does not forget to eat garlic. The spicy feeling can stimulate the taste buds, and this way of eating is more exciting.
It is not that all feudal lords cannot endure hardship, but the living conditions before did not require such conditions. Now the situation is very different. If you do not want to endure hardship, you must first eat enough.
The other vassal kings also ate with gusto. Apart from chewing and admiring, there were almost no words. Only King Fu Zhu Changxun was angry while eating.
For King Dai to entertain himself like this is still considered a slight. Since he was born, no one has dared to do this. The attitude of the kings towards the young prince also made him extremely disappointed. It seemed that waiting for an opportunity to put pressure on the prince would not work.
While playing mahjong, Zhu Changxun also noticed that the King of Lu, Zhu Changzi, seemed to be hostile to him, which made Zhu Changxun very angry. After all, he was Zhu Changzi's brother. He did not expect that the relationship between the brothers would be so bad.
The two new fiefs still live next to each other. If this continues, there will be some friction in the future. Zhu Changxun wants to find an ally to help out, but he seems to feel that the other vassal kings are ignoring him, which makes Zhu Changxun even more depressed.
"If you feel that this noodle is delicious, you can ask His Majesty the Crown Prince for permission. After approval, you can ask your respective cooks to learn a few skills from the imperial chef. After the vassal, you can also satisfy your appetite. Ouchi not only has this noodle, Instead, there are a dazzling array of snacks. Your Highness will entertain us for a banquet tomorrow, and you will know about it then."
The King of Jin, Zhu Shenxuan, had already sent his cook out to learn. After eating the prince's food, Zhu Shenxuan felt that it would be a big loss to go to the vassal state without letting his cook learn a few skills.
Delicacies such as squid in sauce, sea cucumbers roasted with green onions, and bear paws with honey will leave you with endless aftertaste after eating them. Naturally, there will be no shortage of delicacies in the domain. As long as the cook learns how to eat them, he can enjoy them every day.
After the vassal, there was no such thing as being particular about it. As the vassal king guarding one side, he could eat whatever good food he wanted, but it was much more comfortable than begging for work in the capital.
It's just that the prosperity of the capital city is something that the vassal state does not have. The prince has implemented many new policies, which has stimulated the vitality of all walks of life, making the Jifu area seem more prosperous than before.
King Zhu Shenxuan of Jin not only likes to eat and drink, he will take this opportunity to learn some real skills and copy these strategies after he becomes a vassal, so that at least the Jin Kingdom will not fall behind the Dai Kingdom in the north of the island.
Although the seven vassal states are all located in the "Northland", there is no doubt that the Jin State is the southernmost vassal state geographically. It has many good harbors at the southern end of Kuwu Island. It can be said that it is first come first served. If it does not develop well in this way, , then no one else is to blame.
Although the Jin Kingdom did not have as vast arable land and rich fishing grounds as the Dai Kingdom, its port alone was the envy of other vassal kings. All merchant ships sailing to the northern vassal states would choose to stop here first.
Every vassal king has his own plan in mind, and Zhu Shenxuan is no exception. Since the prince can give advice to King Zhou and King Chong, even volcanic ash can be exchanged for money.
So as long as you respectfully request and the prince reveals some strategies, the whole Jin Kingdom will benefit a lot, but it is much better than racking your brains by yourself.
