Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne Chapter 1060 - 113: Sending Ships to Search for America (Part 2)

Even though he realized deep down that spotting America on the maiden voyage was utterly impossible, Zhao Yao still yearned for the fleet to discover it and haul back potatoes, corn, and various other goodies.

Should America truly get discovered, Zhao Yao resolved to dispatch troops for garrison duty there, claiming it as Great Zhou territory, ensuring all its future riches flowed straight to Great Zhou.

Dispatching folks to America posed a manpower shortage for him, so he'd rely on the court to supply the garrison forces at the appropriate time.

The scant population plaguing Swamp Prefecture and indeed all of Lingnan filled Zhao Yao with worry. He'd commanded locals to produce more offspring and dangled incentives for settlers from afar, yet the outcomes had proven disappointingly modest up to now.

Such growth couldn't be hastened; steady progress was essential. Zhao Yao trusted that Lingnan's populace would explode in size within mere years.

On another note, about the fleet bound for Mysir—could it uncover the Europe and Africa from Zhao Yao's dream realm? If located, both lands ought to fold into Great Zhou's domain, Europe most urgently. In Zhao Yao's dream world, Europeans were scoundrels who tormented his homeland. Upon finding Europe, he'd extract revenge for his dream world's folk and bar them from ever oppressing again.

Zhao Yao's dream version of Europe spanned modestly; seizing it would render it a personal retreat. Africa, by contrast, loomed vast, packed with precious resources.

Imagining the vast wealth awaiting Great Zhou ahead, Zhao Yao brimmed with glee, his smile growing ever more radiant. Yet Tong Xi nearby caught that sly grin and pondered silently: Your Highness, that devious smirk—what nefarious plot brews now?

Having bid farewell to the fleet, Zhao Yao made his way back to Han Prince Mansion in high spirits. But scarcely had he settled with a cup of tea when Wen Daoji and his companions shattered that cheer by arriving.

The sight of Wen Daoji and company always made Zhao Yao's heart race. Their visits invariably signaled troubles—never minor ones, often dire crises.

Cabinet ministers could tackle trifles independently. Only quandaries too grave for Wen Daoji and peers to resolve solo demanded Zhao Yao's input.

Inwardly sighing, Zhao Yao greeted Wen Daoji and the rest with a look of utter resignation, desperately hoping no earth-shattering problems arose today. Regrettably, reality rarely bends to desire; grave matters indeed pressed them to consult him.

This year brought the elimination of officials beyond Swamp Prefecture, placing those regions firmly under Zhao Yao's sway. That said, not every local had bowed submissively to His Highness Prince Han.

In addition to hordes of Central Plains exiles shipped to Lingnan, tribal natives proliferated—fiercely independent folk loyal to chieftains, scorning His Highness Prince Han entirely.

Ministers first proposed enlightening these Southern Barbarians, but efforts flopped. Weak to the strong and predatory toward the frail, they yielded solely to brutal force. Once cowed by might, compliance followed swiftly. Thus, Zhao Yao publicly executed defiant chieftains before their kin, after declaring their offenses.

Beholding honored chieftains slain, tribesmen erupted in defiance, met with savage quelling. Prior to the trade conference, Zhao Yao's bloody toll even echoed to the capital court, drawing sharp rebukes from myriad officials—which he brushed aside completely.

Following the clampdown, tribes across prefectures turned markedly docile. Still, pockets of defiance endured, none thornier than the Shan Yue. Tribe-less and insufferably cocky, Shan Yue plundered without cease.

Pre-conference, brazen Shan Yue dared disrupt Swamp Prefecture yet got chased off. Post-conference, Zhao Yao unleashed pursuers after the Shan Yue, who proved slippery phantoms in mountain depths and tangled wilds. Lingnan's miasma-choked forests rendered mountain chases a hazardous ordeal.

Leveraging such advantages, Shan Yue glided like specters, butchering officials and commoners aplenty. Fearing no bureaucracy or tribes alike, they craved only coin and grain.

Wen Daoji and companions sought Zhao Yao precisely over the Shan Yue scourge. Lately rampant, they'd massacred droves and razed sites relentlessly. Soldiers and guards dispatched proved futile in captures, reduced to impotent fury.