Gilbert was stunned. He did not expect that the emperor knew so much about the East India Company, but when he thought of the previous European mission, he immediately understood.
The news from Europe can only be hidden from those savages, and is not worth mentioning to the Ming Dynasty.
When this happened, his heart immediately became unstoppable.
Unable to use the Netherlands as a shield, the East India Company seemed insignificant in front of the huge Ming Empire.
"I am indeed representing the company's opinions when I come here this time."
Gilbert's bow was also lowered, and his face became more respectful: "The situation in Nanyang is complicated. You and I are in the driver's seat, and there is no room for a third party to intervene."
"Therefore, in order not to cause unnecessary conflicts and affect the interests of both yourselves and ours, it is better to follow the meridian of Spain and Portugal and directly carve up Nanyang..."
After interpreting the explanation, Zhu Yixi immediately fell into thinking.
"Bring the map over here!"
Soon, the Kunyu Ten Thousand Kingdoms Screen was carried out.
The emperor's eyes immediately focused on Nanyang, and then focused on the island of Java.
"Your company controls nothing more than the East Indies, and the most important thing is Java, right?"
"Your Majesty, in addition to the East Indies, there are also Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula!"
Gilbert quickly explained.
Zhu Yixi did not rush to refute, but instead pointed to the map and said: "This place in the Malay Peninsula, I remember it is the Kingdom of Johor. Your company defeated the Portuguese army in Malacca in the Battle of Malacca in 1641 and cleared the Portuguese army in the Malay Peninsula.
power."
"Although you have increased your influence and monopolized trade, the Kingdom of Johor still exists and has expanded."
"As for Sumatra, the overlords there are the Kingdom of Aceh and the Kingdom of Palembang (Old Port)."
Speaking of this, Zhu Yixi said with great interest: "Even on the island of Java, there are the Kingdom of Banten and the Kingdom of Mataram. Batavia, where your company is located, is just a slap in the face!"
There is no doubt that the East India Company was powerful, but it was not as scary as imagined.
Due to the population of the Netherlands, the East India Company was unable to rule the vast Southeast Asia region and could only rely on one trading station and port after another, thus shaping the trade routes throughout South Asia.
Of course, this was also a flaw of the East India Company.
In order to maintain huge trade routes in Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, the East India Company's military strength has been stretched thin, and it is naturally unable to expand.
The attributes of merchants, coupled with population restrictions, led them to be willing to do business and maintain stability. It was not until the early 19th century that large-scale colonization was carried out.
This also resulted in the fact that even the island of Java had several kingdoms and could not be completely conquered.
After some suppression, Zhu Yixi showed his fangs: "The East Indies including Java Island belong to your company, while the Kingdom of Johor on the Malay Peninsula, as well as Sumatra Island and Borneo, all belong to the Ming Dynasty.
"
"No!" Gilbert refused almost without thinking.
Because in this era, the lion opens his mouth widely.
In order to obtain the Port of Singapore, the Dutch helped the Kingdom of Johor defeat the Kingdom of Aceh. They worked hard to obtain the port, but they might easily give it away.
"Your Majesty has too much appetite!" Gilbert said solemnly: "The Kingdom of Aceh belongs to you, and the old port belongs to us."
"As for the Kingdom of Johor, it remains neutral!"
"No!" Zhu Yixi said in a deep voice: "The Kingdom of Aceh has a strong military force and is a strong force, and I am determined to win the Kingdom of Johor."
"Unless your company is willing to go to war with me, the Ming Dynasty, and cut off the trade of the Ming Dynasty, as well as Qin, Qi, Yue, Wei, Korea, Japan and other vassal countries!"
A series of country titles were spoken, and Gilbert was stunned.
Well, it’s not like the entire East Asian trade was lost, and the East India Company’s profits were about to be cut in half.
"Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Johor can be given to you, and the island of Sumatra can be given to you, but Singapore belongs to the company and must not be shared with you."
Zhu Yixi asked tentatively: "How about co-management?"
"Your Majesty, this is our final bottom line!"
"Okay!" Zhu Yixi stopped, and then said: "But Singapore cannot refuse our merchant ships and warships to dock for supplies."
"This is also my final bottom line."
"certainly!"
Gilbert thought about it and agreed.
For the East India Company, what they most wanted to protect was the Spice Islands (East Indies) and the important city of Singapore. The rest of the country was just a barbaric land that could not be conquered or conquered. It was a generosity to others.
The same is true here in Ming Dynasty.
The East India Company's generosity was nothing more than a helpless move as its power could not be expanded.
But if it expands directly without the consent of the East India Company, then the East India Company will fail more than succeed.
It supported the Kingdom of Aceh and the Kingdom of Johor with some muskets, which was enough to make the Ming Dynasty very anxious.
Once you have negotiated your sphere of influence, you can concentrate all your efforts on conquest.
Facing a small country with a population of hundreds of thousands, the East India Company was powerless, but Ming Dynasty was not afraid.
Ten thousand elite soldiers are enough to crush them.
Once the sphere of influence is negotiated, there will be no conflict of interest between the two parties, and the relationship will naturally become good.
With a wave of his hand, Zhu Yixi directly agreed that the Netherlands could trade with Qin, Wei, Qi, Yue, and most importantly, North Korea.
Gilbert was overjoyed.
You must know that because the Netherlands participated in Japanese trade in the 16th century, it had a good relationship with the Tokugawa shogunate. After Japan closed itself off, it was one of the three trading countries alongside the Ming Dynasty and North Korea.
North Korea, on the other hand, has no other options.
Now that the suzerain country has agreed, it is natural to rely on the power of the Ming Dynasty to move to Yongzong Island.
Zhu Yixi has no taboos against small countries like the Netherlands and Portugal that pursue interests and are destined to decline. Only big countries like England and France deserve caution.
To the entire north, Siberia was the gate, and for Ming Dynasty, the gate to the south was the Malay Peninsula.
After a few years, they will use the sausage-slicing tactic to co-administer Singapore, and then take over it completely, completely bringing Nanyang into the pot.
Although Borneo is large, there are many small Sudanese kingdoms along the coast, such as the kingdoms of Banyan, Sanfa, Sukadana, Landak and so on.
According to the established division, North Borneo is Xiang Kingdom, West Borneo, and South Borneo can be further divided into two countries.
Singapore must be directly governed, but the Kingdom of Johor in the Malay Peninsula can be granted a state.
Needless to mention Sumatra, Aceh, Old Port, and Champai can be divided into three areas.
Now, it will be the Six Nations immediately.
Feeling relaxed, Zhu Yixi wandered around the harem.
As she gets older, Zhu Yixi focuses on accompanying the concubines who have been accompanying her for a long time, for fear of accidentally giving birth to an elderly woman.
In today's era, the dangers are self-evident.
After meeting Qiqige, the Mongolian concubine was inspired and implicitly expressed her request for the prince to be crowned king:
"Your Majesty, Ju'er is already fifteen!"
Zhu Yixi's eyebrows moved and she understood instantly.
Qiqige has three sons and one daughter. Her eldest son is Zhu Cuntong, the twelfth son of the emperor, who was awarded the title of King of Fujian. He is seventeen years old this year and will be eighteen after the Chinese New Year.
The second son is eighteen, thirteen years old this year, and his name is Zhu Cunju; the third son is twenty-three, ten years old this year, and his name is Zhu Cunju.
"Yes, it has been eight years since the last time I was crowned king."
In the seventh year of Shaowu and the fifteenth year of Shaowu, kings were granted in two batches, creating fourteen kings (including the prince's King Wu).
For an emperor with thirty-seven sons, having too many sons made him forget about it for a while.
Nearly eight years have passed, and it’s time to crown the king.
However, Zhu Yixi understood that this thing could not be stocked, and all the previous kings had to be eliminated first.
You know, under the successive enfeoffments, only ten sons were divided.
The eldest King of Qin is in Annan, the second eldest King of Qi is in Mindanao, the third eldest Prince is in the Bukhara Khanate, the fourth eldest King of Liao is in the Bukhara Khanate, the oldest King of Wuyue is in Hokkaido, and the oldest 6th King of Wei is in Khmer.
The old Seven Blessed Kings are in the Chechen Khan tribe, the eighth Zhao Kingdom is in the Kokand Basin, the old Jiuxiang Kingdom is in Brunei, and the old Ten Liang Kingdom is in the Zasaktu Khan tribe.
"Next there will be King Qi, King Min, King Ji, King Qi, the four kingdoms!"
After sighing, Zhu Yixi grasped the softness and said casually: "Don't worry, I will arrange it!"
Only then did Qiqige smile.
The next day, Zhu Yixi announced that the four kings had entered.
He didn't have much to say, and went straight to the point: "Your tenth brother Liang Guo has been arranged in the Zhasak Tuhan tribe. Although it is farther away and more desolate, it is still a vassal state after all, and the royal city is already being built."
"I expect that it will take only a few years to become a vassal state."
"what about you?"
"Father, I am willing to serve you as a filial servant!"
King Qi immediately said, full of filial piety: "Nowadays, both the government and the public are saying that the vassal state consumes a lot of money, and I am willing to stay in Beijing to accompany my father."
"What do you mean?"
"My son is also willing to accompany his father, the emperor, his mother and his concubines in the capital..."
"What a beautiful idea!" Zhu Yixi raised her brows after meeting her four sons with an idea: "If I build you a royal palace in the capital and enfeoff the land, I'm afraid it will cost more than three to five million, so you might as well go and become a feudal lord."
"My Ministry of Internal Affairs is not short of money. I will keep you in charge of the vassals one by one, and you will be called a lone Taoist and a few people!"
Zhu Yixi knew exactly what they were thinking.
Beijing is a great city. It’s full of food, drink, and entertainment. It’s one of the best places in the world. Who is willing to go all the way to expand the territory?
Enduring hardship is the last thing people want to do.
Even the first-class Qin State was looked down upon by the princes.
This is the result of people's bad nature and enjoying happiness over time.
Zhu Yixi was a decisive person, and with many sons, the family relationship between father and son was very indifferent, so she immediately rejected their opinions:
"I am determined to build a vassal state for you starting next year."
At the emperor's signal, the map screen was raised again:
"The Qi Kingdom is in West Borneo, and it is a neighbor of your ninth brother, King Xiang. There is a Sanfa Kingdom here, which could just be conquered and made your capital."
King Qi was startled, and then he hurriedly bowed his head in thanksgiving.
The old twelfth King of Fujian was shaken and complained endlessly.
Sure enough, the emperor stopped him: "Old Twelve, your place is also in Borneo, just in the south. There is the Kingdom of Marchen there, which should be your destination."
"There are many rainforests and rugged mountains in Borneo. You can allocate territory independently in the future and don't start a fight."
"My dear father, I thank you!" King Qi and King Min said bitterly, but they had to smile.
The remaining Ji Wang and Qi Wang could only wait with their hearts full of thoughts.
Almost in a breath, the emperor made a decision:
"Nowadays, the Johor Kingdom is large in scale and requires a lot of effort. However, it can borrow some strength from the neighboring Kingdom of Wei (Khmer) and Qin, but it will take a few more years!"
"Old Thirteen, your Ji Kingdom is in Johor."
In the feudal kingdom, the Thirteen Ji Kings had an advantage, but there was no way. The son was more valuable than his mother, and his mother was the noble concubine Miaoxian. As his second son, he naturally enjoyed some preferential treatment.
Zhu Yixi is not exempt from vulgarity.
Of course, Qi and Fujian are located in Borneo, which is very fertile and has many Han people, so it also has advantages. What needs to be developed is development.
Immediately, the emperor looked at the evasive King Qi again, and said in a deep voice: "Fourteen, your kingdom is on Sumatra Island. It used to be the old port of Xuanweisi, but now it is the Kingdom of Palembang."
"Yes, my dear, thank you very much, Father!" King Qi smiled.
"Next year, the two kingdoms of Qi and Fujian will be established. Within three years, Ji Kingdom and Qi Kingdom will follow. The imperial court will not be stingy with soldiers, horses, money and food, and they will definitely defeat them."
Zhu Yixi showed a heartfelt smile: "From today on, you can recruit private ministers."
Among the kings, they are generally divided into two categories.
Those with royal titles and those without royal titles.
And among the kings, they are divided into two.
Those with vassal states or planned vassal states, and those without vassal states.
Those who did not designate a vassal state and only had the title of king could only live in the courtyard and be honored as your highness. They could not recruit private ministers, let alone have the Beijing camp train private soldiers on their behalf.
The emperor has designated a vassal state, and the princes who are about to join the vassal state will generally be honored as kings by the ministers and are allowed to recruit personal ministers.
The emperor would ask them to go to the grasslands to recruit cavalry and infantry from various places, usually between a thousand and three thousand. The court not only helped them train, but also equipped and fed them.
The difference between the two is huge.
The four kings smiled, but what was in their hearts was unknown.
A few days later, the time came for the Winter Solstice in the 22nd year of Shaowu, and the Winter Solstice Festival was held grandly.
As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yixi not only met with domestic and foreign civil and military officials, princes, nobles, and envoys from various vassals, but also announced a major event.
The third batch of princes were canonized.
Before anyone could react, the eunuch announced:
Zhu Cunxi, the fifteenth son of the emperor, was granted the title of King Xing.
Zhu Cunchen, the sixteenth son of the emperor, was granted the title of King of Cai.
Zhu Cunzhi, the seventeenth son of the emperor, is waiting for King Cao,
Zhu Cunqi, the eighteenth son of the emperor, was granted the title of King Yong
Zhu Cunqi, the nineteenth son of the emperor, was granted the title of King of Guo.
Zhu Cunyan, the twentieth son of the emperor, was granted the title of Prince Zheng.
Zhu Cunzhuang, the twenty-first son of the emperor, was granted the title of King Chen.
Zhu Cunjiao, the twenty-second son of the emperor, was granted the title of King Xu.
Zhu Cunju, the twenty-third son of the emperor, was granted the title of King of Zou.
The twenty-fourth son of the emperor, Zhu Cunqiao, was granted the title of Sixth Prince.
Zhu Cunzhang, the twenty-fifth son of the emperor, was granted the title of King Shen.
The twenty-sixth son of the emperor, Zhu Cunji, was granted the title of King Huo.
This time, twelve kings were directly canonized, four more than the eight kings in Shaowu's fifteenth year.
Needless to say, it was shocking, I read it for a quarter of an hour.
Among them, Cui Bingchun, the Minister of Household Affairs, couldn't help but lower his head and his face twitched.