Plot:
During the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, the young Ma He was conscripted from Yunnan into the palace as a eunuch and assigned to the Prince of Yan's mansion as an attendant. Prince of Yan Zhu Di had great ambitions and was tempered during the years of guarding the border. Especially after meeting the eminent monk Yao Guangxiao, his mind became more open. He was increasingly out of sync with his father, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang's maritime ban policy. In the days of following Zhu Di to guard Beiping and the border, Ma He gradually grew up, and his good qualities laid the foundation for his future achievements. The eldest grandson of the emperor, Zhu Yunwen, came to power and began to reduce the power of the vassal states in order to consolidate the imperial power. Prince of Yan Zhu Di was the first to bear the brunt. In order to survive, Zhu Di was forced to pretend to be crazy and suffered humiliation. Zheng He's sworn sister Song Lianxin was also plotted by treacherous officials. In desperation, Zhu Di resolutely led 800 warriors to rise up and launched the "Jingnan" campaign to fight for the throne. During the war, Ma He, like Yao Guangxiao and Zhang Yu, made outstanding contributions. In particular, in the battle of Zhengcunba, he bravely saved Zhu Di from danger, and from then on he was regarded as a confidant by the King of Yan. After Zhu Di ascended the throne in Kaiyuan, in order to clear his name of "rebellion", he was determined to catch up with Han Wu and Tang Zong and create a prosperous era. At the beginning of his ascension to the throne, he gave Ma He the surname "Zheng". Then, he quietly changed Zhu Yuanzhang's national policy of banning sea voyages and appointed the 35-year-old Zheng He as the imperial envoy to lead the Ming treasure fleet to the West. On July 11, the third year of Yongle (1405), Zheng He led more than 27,800 people from Nanjing and Taicang to Taiping Port in Changle, Fujian, and set sail. From then on, the huge Ming fleet began a 28-year overseas voyage to promote national prestige and seek trade. Zhu Di was the decision maker and organizer of the great voyage. From the first day the fleet went to sea, he commanded, controlled and supported this great voyage on land. He ordered shipbuilding in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Hubei, and expanded the production of export goods such as porcelain, silk, and tea throughout the country. At the same time, he took advantage of the great voyage to implement the Yongle Restoration, began to compile the "Yongle Encyclopedia", and dredged the Grand Canal. He also went on a private visit with Yao Guangxiao to restore production and rest with the people. Empress Xu also practiced frugality and personally persuaded mulberry trees despite her illness. As a result, the country quickly achieved revival and provided a continuous supply of material guarantees for the voyage to the West. Zheng He led his fleet to the West for the first time, restored the Ming Dynasty's jurisdiction over the Nanyang Islands, and named Jinghong Island, Yongle Islands, etc. During this period, an important mission of Zheng He's fleet was to fight against the great pirate Chen Zuyi. This man had been doing evil in the Nanyang region for many years, and no one was subdued, which resulted in the blockage of the Ming Dynasty and the Nanyang waterway. Zheng He led his fleet to fight wits and courage with him, and finally eliminated a harm for the Nanyang countries. The Ming Dynasty's treasure fleet visited Champa, Java, Sumatra, Ceylon, Calicut, and Old Port in Southeast Asia. Wherever they went, they promoted peaceful diplomacy and rapidly developed the Ming Dynasty's overseas influence, especially with the people of Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the southern waters of India at that time. When the fleet returned, Zhu Di was not intoxicated by the victory. His eyes were no longer on "promoting national prestige" or secretly looking for the whereabouts of Emperor Jianwen, but he was determined to support an unprecedented great maritime cause with a more open mind. In this way, the concepts of the emperor and the people have changed, which has accelerated the emergence of the commodity economy. In that era, the strength of maritime navigation actually represented the comprehensive national strength of a country, and the prosperity of sea vessels also symbolized the prosperity of the country, the development of technology, and the progress of culture. As Zheng He's fleet went overseas, the king not only pursued the goal of "all the seas are submissive and all nations come to pay tribute", but also wanted to open up the Maritime Silk Road that had appeared since the Tang and Song dynasties, and widely spread the achievements of Chinese civilization to Southeast Asia and the Asian and African continents. On this basis, Zhu Di also started a series of bigger moves. One of them was the decision to change Beiping to Beijing, and ordered the large-scale construction of a new capital, including today's Forbidden City, which was basically based on the foundation laid in the early Ming Dynasty. Zhu Di asked Zheng He to always insist on winning people over with virtue and not bullying the weak in the process of interacting with Western countries. In terms of economy, he gave more to each country and gave many benefits to each country, establishing the style of a great country. In the world at that time, the Ming fleet played a good role as a great country in maintaining regional peace. During this period, Zheng He led the fleet to establish warehouses in Malacca and Hormuz and other countries, and carried out extensive trade with Arabs, Persians and Europeans. The usurper of Ceylon, Arikunayar, broke his promise and tried to hijack the Ming fleet. Zheng He was forced to fight back, but he always adhered to the creed of "since ancient times, soldiers are not bellicosity" and resolved the crisis between the two countries with wisdom and tolerance, justice and power. The death of Empress Xu made Zhu Di heartbroken. Fortunately, the Ming fleet returned again. Especially when Zheng He brought the unruly Arikunayar to the Ming Dynasty to wait for the emperor to decide his life or death, Zhu Di handled the case with Chinese civilization and finally influenced this brutal king.