The Spanish treasure fleet refers to the large ships organized by the Spanish Empire from the 16th to the 18th centuries that regularly traveled between Spain and its overseas colonies, transporting European goods to the American colonies and transporting colonial products back to the mother country. Team.
In addition to gold, silver and gems, the transported goods also include spices, tobacco, silk, etc. The Spanish royal family can take one-fifth of the goods.
There are usually two treasure fleets. One is the Caribbean treasure fleet, which travels from Spain to the New World of America. The main ports of call include Havana, Veracruz, Portobello, and Cartagena.
The other one runs between the Philippines in Asia and Acapulco on the west coast of Mexico. It is called the Manila Fleet and is responsible for delivering goods from Asia to Mexico.
The goods from Asia are then transported to Veracruz and eventually shipped back to Spain by the Caribbean Treasure Fleet.
The treasure fleet returned carrying huge treasures of gold and silver, which was quite tempting for hostile British, Dutch and French sailors.
Although many believe that a large number of Spanish transport ships were captured by English or Dutch privateers, in fact only a few ships suffered this fate.
The most famous one was that the Dutchman Piet Hein successfully captured the Spanish treasure fleet in the Battle of Matanzas Bay in 1628 and safely transported the goods back to the Netherlands.
In 1656 and 1657, the Englishman Robert Blake destroyed the fleet in the Battle of Cadiz, but most of the cargo on board had been transported ashore by the Spanish.
In 1702, the treasure fleet was destroyed again in the Battle of Vigo Bay, but most of the cargo was also safely transported to land by the Spaniards.
All of these battles took place in inshore bays, and none took place offshore.
As for the Manila fleet, only four ships were captured in history.
Although battles and storms took their toll, overall the Treasure Fleet remains the most successful large-scale naval operation in history.
Many people only see the rapid rise of Britain and mistakenly believe that it grew up with Spanish blood. They mistakenly believe that Britain once plundered a large number of Spanish treasure ships. In fact, these are all misunderstandings.
After 1520, in response to the increasing number of privateering and pirate attacks, Spain decided to organize the scattered transport ships into two large fleets that sailed regularly and equipped them with heavy weapons. After that, the losses Already very small.
By sending regular fleets of ships, Spain effectively controlled trade between its homeland and its colonies.
In Spanish law, the colony itself could only trade with one designated home port.
However, because many Spanish businessmen or businessmen from other countries carried out smuggling, the actual number of goods shipped to Spain was far more than the recorded quantity.
This monopoly lasted for more than two centuries and made Spain the richest country in Europe.
The Spanish Habsburgs used this wealth to engage in frequent wars in the 16th and 17th centuries. Their opponents included the Ottoman Empire and most major European countries.
The activities of the treasure fleet also began in 1550 and lasted until the end of the Spanish Bourbon Dynasty in the 18th century.
At this time, the Spanish treasure ship had not been robbed by pirates for a long time, especially when it was protected by heavily armed warships.
Yu Dayou was ordered to investigate the activities of Spanish treasure ships in Nanyang. Although he was surprised and somewhat guessed some of Wei Guangde's plans, Yu Dayou would never say anything.
Treasure ship, as you can tell from its name, the things on board must be very valuable.
The merchants who went to sea in the Ming Dynasty were also used to doing business and stealing, so Yu Dayou didn't think there was anything wrong at first.
As for whether you will have other thoughts after thinking about your identity as an officer or soldier, that is another matter.
"You and Qi Jiguang know each other, have you discussed the loading matter?"
After talking about the Nanyang Navy, Wei Guangde's attention shifted to this military operation.
“After our fleet arrived at Tianjin the day before yesterday, I met him and learned about the soldiers and equipment that needed to be loaded.
In the past three days, I have been adjusting the fleet’s cargo and adjusting Two hundred thousand stones of grain were sent to the Jinmen grain storage, and the remaining grain went to Gaizhou with the army. "
Yu Dayou replied.
“When can we leave?”
Wei Guangde was more concerned about this, so he asked directly.
"The unloading of grain should be completed today. At the same time, some equipment will also begin to be loaded on the ship in the next two days. The army should be able to board the ship and go to sea tomorrow. I wonder if Mr. Ge has any other instructions."
Yu Dayou asked respectfully.
"I came here this time. Firstly, I haven't seen you for a long time, so I came to see you, and also asked about the situation of the Nanyang Navy in person.
Secondly, I wanted to see the army prepared by Qi Jiguang. This time he was transferred to Liaodong. You should have made some guesses in private. "
When Wei Guangde said this, he saw Yu Dayou nodding slightly, so he continued: "You are all military generals with outstanding achievements in the Ming Dynasty. You should be familiar with marching and fighting.
This time, it was really the imperial court that wanted to take action against the Jurchen tribe in Liaodong. ’
Wei Guangde then analyzed the situation in Liaodong and Yu Dayou. At this time, Yu Dayou heard about the fiasco of Changdian Fort for the first time.
I was also extremely shocked to hear that the imperial guerrilla general had been killed and his troops suffered thousands of casualties.
To attack and kill the imperial officers and soldiers, regardless of what they have done, in this era is to commit rebellion.
In fact, in any era, it is a major crime of rebellion for civilians to attack and kill officers and soldiers.
As for what the officers and soldiers have done, in the eyes of the court, they have their own national laws to punish them, and it is not the turn of the people to make the decision.
“Originally, I wanted to completely drive the Liaodong Jurchen tribe further north, out of sight but out of mind.
However, there are also many Jurchen tribes that sincerely surrender to the Ming Dynasty. Whether in Liaodong or in the court, many people do not want to do things too badly, saying that God has the virtue of good life.
Dayou, tell me, how should I do this? ”
Wei Guangde really wanted to hear the thoughts of Yu Dayou and even Qi Jiguang to see if they had any plan to completely eliminate the Jurchen tribe.
After hearing Wei Guangde’s question, Yu Dayou lowered his head and thought for a long time. Then he raised his head and said, "General, have you heard that Liaodong is a vast land with few people? "
"Indeed, the environment in that place is harsh, no less than that of the desert.
Although our Ming Dynasty has been running Liaodong for more than a hundred years, most of the population is concentrated in the southeast of Liaoning, and the population in the north is very small. "
Wei Guangde replied.
"Then why does the imperial court allow the expansion of territory to the north by eight hundred miles? Since eating tasteless things. ”
Yu Dayou obviously didn’t understand why the cabinet was so determined to open up new territories. He knew clearly that the Northern Expansion Council and Wang Gao were enemies and war was inevitable, but he still chose to do so.
You know, judging from the current situation, the land is of no use at all.
"Hahaha" Wei Guangde finally woke up after hearing Yu Dayou's doubts. He and Zhang Juzheng seemed to have made a big mistake before.
Zhang Juzheng only thought of the credit for opening up territory, and he thought of using this strategy to start a war with the Jurchen tribe and drive the Jurchen tribe north, but he did not consider the national interests of the Ming Dynasty. It is really necessary to build Kuandian Six Forts.
If this policy is aimed at the cage policy of Wang Gao's tribe and traps him to death, it is actually better to directly send troops to attack Wang Gao.
After all, it is already recognized by all the ministries in Liaodong that Wang Gao's tribe attacked and killed the Ming Dynasty border troops many times, so there is no need for a reason to destroy him.
Instead of expanding Kuandian Liubao to block Wang Gao's southbound passage, it seems more worry-free to launch a direct attack.
The current troops and horses in Liaodong are far stronger than those of the Jurchen tribes.
Even if all the Jurchen tribes unite, the attack will only take a little effort. The court needs to dispatch more troops and prepare more war materials.
"Li Chengliang is really good."
Wei Guangde was not angry, but sighed.
"In fact, as long as Wang Gao's tribe is eliminated and the army is stationed in Wang Gao's walled city, the imperial court will naturally complete the strategy of marching north. There is no need to build the Six Kuandian Forts. Li Chengliang's plan is inherently problematic."
Yu Dayou said.
"He wants to make enemies in Liaodong and raise the bandits to respect themselves."
Wei Guangde softly uttered a few words in his mouth, and Yu Dayou immediately lowered his head and did not dare to speak.
As for Deng Zilong, who was at the bottom, he didn’t dare to say anything at the moment. There was nothing he could say.
"It seems that I wanted to transfer him to Datong to replace Ma Fang, but it seems that it is not possible."
Wei Guangde finally continued, "If he goes to Datong, I am afraid that I will be in trouble the next day. It's the other way around."
It can only be said that Li Chengliang's plan to build Kuandian Six Forts happened to hit the weakness of Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde.
Zhang Juzheng wanted to do something as soon as possible to enhance his prestige and surpass Gao Gong among the courtiers as soon as possible, so that people would no longer want him to come back.
Extending territory, is there any better way to enhance prestige than this?
No.
When Wei Guangde heard about this plan, because it was a plan against Wang Gao of the Jurchen tribe in Jianzhou, he naturally only considered taking this opportunity to eradicate Liaodong in the north, so as not to leave the hidden danger of the Ming Dynasty's subjugation. .
Li Chengliang's attack was unexpected, so that neither he nor Zhang Juzheng could see through his plan, and they all fell into the trap at once.
However, as things have developed now, the battle in Liaodong must be fought, otherwise the court will lose face.
It’s just that what Wei Guangde finds difficult now is how to place Li Chengliang after the war. This person is a troublemaker and a troublemaker.
The north has finally formed a peaceful situation that has not been seen for many years, and Wei Guangde does not intend to destroy this hard-won peace.
The border residents in the north are often harassed by horsemen, and their lives are already difficult.
If the war breaks out again because of Li Chengliang, it does not seem to be a blessing to the world.
However, if Li Chengliang was transferred back to the capital after the Liaodong war and left idle, it would also have an impact on the court's prestige.
Thinking of this, Wei Guangde couldn't help but think of the southwest.
To say that the north of the Ming Dynasty is generally peaceful, that is to say, there are still chieftains in the southwest from time to time, and in Yunnan News, the situation in Myanmar is unstable.
However, the Yunnan briefing was many years ago. The chaos in Myanmar seems to be calming down, and it has not been reported to the capital for a long time.
Wei Guangde still had an impression of this. He had a good memory. He had read a lot of documents in the Hanlin Academy, and two of them were still fresh in his memory.
Firstly, in the ninth year of Jiajing, Liu Gao, then the censor of Yunnan Province, once presented a report stating the disadvantages of purchasing gems, revealing the gem trade between Meng Mi and the Portuguese "Western Ships", and also criticized the previous years. Meng Mi acted "unreasonably late" when purchasing gems.
The key is that at that time, through communication with the Burmese people, he learned that a new dynasty in Burma was rising at this time and was conquering cities and territories to increase its strength.
At this time, the Ming Dynasty also purchased gems from him, which undoubtedly helped to increase his economic strength, allowing him to send troops to seize territory and provide military expenses.
The Ming Dynasty's foreign policy has always been to maintain the status quo and avoid major military conflicts.
But in fact, Ming's order was nothing more than a dead letter in Myanmar.
In the sixth year of Jiajing, Silun, the son of Silu, the lord of Mengyang Kingdom, joined forces with Hanlie, the lord of Mubang state, and Meng Miguo to capture the city of Ava. They killed King Mang Jisui of Ava, his wife and children, and established him. One clan named Mang Buxin as the king of Ava, and the three kingdoms occupied the land of Ava.
As a result, the Ava State sent an envoy to Yunnan to cry out to the local government of the Ming Dynasty. However, the Chief Envoy of Yunnan did not report the matter to Beijing in time.
Although later, the Ming Dynasty sent Yongchang prefect Yan Shitai and Wei commander Wang Xun to the local area to investigate the actual situation.
As a result, Silun heard the news and sent troops to the post house where the Ming army stayed temporarily at night to make a noise and cause trouble. They burned the post house and killed Cao Yi, a thousand households with gold medals. Yan Shitai and other forces fled in a hurry. Return to Yunnan.
At this time, due to the Anfeng Rebellion, the Ming Dynasty had no time to pursue further investigations. Since then, its prestige in Myanmar has greatly diminished, paving the way for greater disasters in the future.
In the seventh year of Jiajing, Yunnan Commander-in-Chief Mu Shaoxun and Governor Ouyang Zhong sent political advisor Wang Ruzhou and others to Burma again to visit chieftains from all sides and persuade them to cease their troops and truce, and not to disobey the orders of the Ming Dynasty.
At this time, Meng Yangguo Silun and others did not want to make the relationship with the Ming Dynasty worse. They were each willing to pay tribute to ivory, brocade, gold and silverware and other items, and were willing to return the land they had seized in the past. Repent of your own mistakes.
However, the territorial dispute remains unresolved and war may still break out in the future.
The Yunnan side reported to Beijing that they hoped to allocate 13 wide areas such as Manmo, which caused the most serious troubles and the Ming Dynasty was unable to garrison troops for a long time, to Meng Mi. They asked for a payment of one thousand taels of silver every year. Because of the dissatisfaction of Mu State, seven places including Meng Nai were ceded to Han Lie, the leader of Mu State.
At this point, the Ming Dynasty, as the suzerain state, temporarily settled the dispute at the expense of its own interests in order to maintain the peace of the vassal state.
Wei Guangde was surprised when he saw these documents and could not understand the purpose of Mu Shaoxun and Ouyang Zhong at all.
Even if the vassal states were at war, there was absolutely no need for the Ming Dynasty to promote so-called peace in its own interests.
The key is that through this incident, all forces in Myanmar have looked down upon the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty's influence on the states in Myanmar has dropped to a freezing point.
In fact, if the Ming Dynasty continued to pay attention to the situation in Myanmar at this time, it would know that the Dongwu Dynasty of Myanmar was born in the second year after this incident.
The so-called Dongwu Dynasty was actually the Toungoo Dynasty of Myanmar, which had many fierce battles with the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Starting from the 14th year of Jiajing, King Mang Ruiti of Dongwu began to attack the Baigu Dynasty, and then destroyed the Baigu Dynasty, and then captured Maduba and Piaimai, the important foreign trade ports.
In the 30th year of Jiajing, after Mang Ruiti died, Mang Yinglong succeeded to the throne. He destroyed the Ava dynasty, conquered the Shan states, and completed the second unification of Myanmar.
At this time, Mang Yinglong's goal of eastward expansion was already aimed at the Ming Dynasty. After breaking through the Royal City of Siam a few years ago, there was actually no more land around Myanmar that could be encroached on. (End of this chapter)