Chapter 342 Steam Ironclad
Spain is Ming's biggest rival in the fight for global interests, and it can even be said to be its only rival at the moment.
Although, Spanish power in North America has been gradually eroded by the forces injected by the Ming Dynasty.
But in Western Europe, Spain still has a strong military force and can pose a great threat to the Ming Dynasty's colonies in the Mediterranean!
"The Ming Dynasty cannot give up the colony of Ceuta just because of the distance. It is our bridgehead for mining gold and silver mines in North Africa. Now, Spain wants to take it away, and we must not agree!
Even, we cannot let Spain keep harassing this place. Ceuta cannot always be under the military deterrence of Spain. That will cause long-term interruption of trade in the Ceuta area, which will also be a huge loss for our country! Therefore, we must send out an expeditionary army to defeat Spain! I beat him so much that he dare not provoke me, Da Ming! ”
The Privy Deputy Envoy of the Guards, Koto, said this at a meeting with the Guards on responding to the Spanish military threat.
With the development of the empire to this day, it has become a consensus among the people of the Ming Dynasty that colonies cannot be lost or divided. After all, everyone in the world has benefited from colonial plunder. In other words, it is colonial plunder that has supported the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty to this day.
Because official governance, perfect government public services, high welfare benefits for the people, tax reductions and tax reductions, and the maintenance of a strong army are all related to this. Otherwise, the Ming Empire will have to pay huge financial expenditures to achieve these unique labels of the prosperous age.
Therefore, Jiangdong's proposal that the Central Empire of the Ming Dynasty should send troops to expedition to Spain was unanimously approved by the senior guards of the Guards. Naturally, Zhu Houzhao had no objection. He also hoped to have a luxurious global voyage in his lifetime. After all, he wanted to If you want to be a global emperor, you naturally want to see the empire he has built.
However, God's lifespan is limited, but the development of an empire takes longer than a person's lifespan. Therefore, Zhu Houzhao can only imagine how the pioneers of the empire struggled in global trade.
Of course, Zhu Houzhao also thought that after he was seventeen, he would completely hand over his burden to Zhu Zailei, be a retired old man, and travel around the world. Just imagine if he could ride a Ming Empire warship into the Strait of Gibraltar and see the Mediterranean Sea The style is also a good feeling.
"Of course an expedition is necessary. If you submit the memorial, I can grant it immediately. But how to plan the specific matters of the expedition? Does the General Staff have a detailed plan?"
Zhu Houzhao retracted his thoughts, and after speaking, he looked at Jia Yingchun, the chief of the imperial general staff in military uniform.
This imperial chief of general staff who once served as governor of Shaanxi and Gansu (originally the trilateral governor of Shaanxi, but the protagonist established Gansu Province, so it was changed to governor of Shaanxi and Gansu) and also governor of military affairs in Guangdong and Guangxi. What he likes most is studying geography and simulating the empire's global war. Today Seeing Zhu Hou taking care of him, he immediately raised his hands and said: "Report to Your Majesty, the General Staff has drawn up a plan."
As Jia Yingchun spoke, he walked to the bottom of the map and began to explain in detail to Zhu Houzhao. According to Jia Yingchun's plan, the most difficult thing for the Ming Empire to go on an expedition was the issue of logistical supplies, especially since the Ming Dynasty's army was now a firearms unit. Reliance on logistical supplies is even greater.
Therefore, Jia Yingchun believed that if the empire wanted to go on an expedition, it needed to establish several logistical supply depots first, using Qiongzhou, Quy Nhon, Managa, Goa, Cape Verde and other Ming colonies as logistical supply depots, and carry out logistical supply in stages, which is equivalent to staging a series of logistical supply depots. Chang Zhengde's version of "Zheng He's voyages to the West" gave the far-reaching troops a complete logistics supply line.
Of course, this is a systematic project.
First of all, the Ming Dynasty needed to establish a complete military industry system in Guihua and Qiongzhou. At the same time, the grain of Jiaozhi was used as food supplies for the expedition to the West, and a defense system was formed based on the land of Jiaozhi to control and protect the route to Manchuria. , and establish a shipping team that can specifically transport ordnance from Qiongzhou and Guihua areas to Manchuria.
The same is true from Mangla to Goa, from Goa to Cape Verde, and from Cape Verde to Ceuta.
Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty now has the prototype to build this system project. Qiongzhou already has the Ming Dynasty's most complete shipyard. After Jiaozhi was recovered by the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty also had absolute ruling authority because of the Ming Dynasty's forced land reform. As a result, Ming Dynasty has successively established heavy industrial bases and military industrial bases here.
Managa is the longest-administered colony of the Ming Dynasty, and it has always been controlled by the Ming army. Cai Kelian, the governor of India in the Ming Dynasty, was in India and Ceylon based on the information of Zheng He's voyages to the West, and successively reoccupied and built Guli, Kochi, and Xiaogelan, Guanyu, Gaolangwu, Bieloli and other ports were used as the supply base for the Ming Dynasty to go to the West.
In addition, Feng Yue, the governor of Manchuria in the Ming Dynasty, also successively established ports such as Kunlun Island, Xincun, Jiugang, Yalu, Nanwuli, Cuilan Island, etc., recreating the past of Zheng He's overseas discoveries after his voyages to the West. location.
Whether it is the Ming Dynasty's army or caravans, from the Pearl River Estuary to the city of Goa, there is basically no need to worry about any logistical support issues. A special rescue fleet has even been established in this area to escort and rescue ships in distress on this route around the clock. The pirates in the area have basically disappeared.
The real challenge lies in the area from Goa City to Cape Verde, and from Cape Verde to Ceuta. Fortunately, Zheng He's voyages to the West reached as far as today's southern Africa, and Xia Yan also followed Zheng He's instructions. I went through a Western tour once.
What's more, by conferring kings overseas and encouraging Ming people to develop overseas, the Ming Dynasty also made many Ming and Han strongholds everywhere from India to Africa. There was no need to worry too much about getting lost and finding suitable anchorage and supply places. .
Zhu Houzhao finally decided to adopt Jia Yingchun's plan, first let the Ming expeditionary force gather in Guihua, and then take a boat from Guihua to Malacca, then go to Goa, pass through Cape Verde, arrive at Ceuta, and then pass through the Strait of Gibraltar to attack Spain.
The expeditionary army was initially determined to be a main force of more than 10,000 people. Yu Dayou, who was familiar with water warfare in the war to regain Cochin and had also studied at the Army Command College, was appointed as the chief military officer. He was a non-combatant who was responsible for logistics and propaganda. There are also more than 10,000 people in communications, translation, and technology, totaling nearly 30,000.
This is the number of people after the Ming Dynasty improved, and it is similar to the number of people during Zheng He's seventh voyage to the West in history.
But just when Zhu Houzhao was discussing with the senior officials of the Guards about dispatching the expeditionary force, a report from Ceuta was delivered to Zhu Houzhao. "Weng Wanda, the governor of Ceuta, would like to report to your majesty that in the fifty-first year of Zhengde's reign, Spain repeatedly harassed our waters near Ceuta, and even went so far as to massacre our fishermen. Since last year, a total of 267 fishermen have been killed. Among them, there were no less than fifty women, children and children. The crimes committed by the Western Barbarians are too numerous to be described! ... I request your Majesty to send a royal master to punish the evil deeds of the Western Barbarians in order to prevent future troubles!"
Weng Wanda's memorial detailed the crimes committed by Spain and the pirates it supported in the Ceuta area of the Ming Dynasty. After Zhu Hou finished reading it, his thick black eyebrows stood straight up, and he immediately said: "Spain has already offended our court. , and are already killing my people, it is not too late to send an expedition! Summon Yu Dayou and order him to go south immediately after receiving the order!"
At this time, Yu Dayou was still studying in the general class of the Ming Dynasty Supreme Military Academy in Nanjing. After all, Ming Dynasty was already a country that used rifled rifles and rifled cannons as its main combat weapons. Naturally, military command needed to be re-summarized and learned, and as the As the empire's global trade unfolds, ideological education also needs to be continuously updated and followed up.
For Yu Dayou, his participation in further studies was naturally mainly for ideological education and to understand whose command he should follow. In addition, he also learned more about the history of war and summarized various war experiences.
Yu Dayou rushed to Qiongzhou soon after receiving the transfer order, where he was preparing to accept the expeditionary force prepared for him by the General Staff of the Guards. Here, he met his old friends Lu Boring and Tang Kekuan, who were His deputies were all the newly-rising famous generals of the Ming Dynasty. In addition, after Yu Dayou arrived in Qiongzhou, he also saw the Ming Dynasty's new battleship - the "Nanjing" steam armored battleship!
This battleship will also go on expeditions with the expeditionary force and serve as the flagship of the expeditionary force.
The "Nanjing" steam-armored battleship built in the Qiongzhou shipyard is more than 40 feet long, more than 30 feet long between the water lines, about six feet wide, the length-to-width ratio is about 7.2, and it is two and a half feet deep. , with a displacement of 9,200 tons, a sail area of more than seven acres, an armor thickness of three to four inches, and a total of more than forty cannons of various types. Although the gun deck has only one layer, it is one of the most advanced armored warships in the Ming Dynasty. It can directly carry more than 700 people.
In addition, there will also be three lower-tonnage wooden-hulled and iron-clad steam battleships that will also participate in the formation of the expeditionary force, namely the "Daming", the "Fengyang", and the "Jiaxing".
The others are sail warships and various functional warships.
As a general of the Ming Dynasty, Yu Dayou was naturally no stranger to this kind of steam-armored battleship, but when he saw the steel giant "Nanjing", he could not hide his excitement and couldn't help but reach out and touch the cool and textured ice. The iron armor, not to mention the two huge chimneys that shot straight into the sky, made his mouth go dry.
However, Yu Dayou cannot immediately order this behemoth to sail across the ocean. He has to train the troops he accepts for a period of time first, so as to enhance the relationship between the officers and soldiers and himself, and to make himself more familiar with the troops who are on the expedition with him. , at the same time, he also had to make corresponding preparations for materials and purchases. Of course, it was also necessary to say goodbye to his family.
"Your Majesty, the expeditionary force went to sea on the fourth day of last month. It is estimated that it is now naturalized and replenished with food and grass to go to Managaha." At this time, autumn has already ushered in the capital, and the autumn wind is blowing again. , the older you get, the more afraid you are In the cold autumn, Zhu Houzhao was already wrapped in thick woolen clothes, but Jia Yingchun, who was reporting to Zhu Houzhao, was still wearing a single coat. When Zhu Houzhao saw it, he was not very sad and secretly lamented that he also had his time to grow old.
Zhu Houzhao nodded, took the magnifying glass from Jia Yingchun's hand, and while looking at the entire Western Ocean area on the map, he asked: "How is the contact between Hu Zongxian and Wang Zhi? Is this pirate in Japan willing to return to the imperial court to make updates?" Big pirates went to the West and plundered Western countries.”
After Zhu Houzhao learned that Spain secretly supported pirates in attacking Ming Dynasty ships, he also decided to send officials to recruit some pirates and specifically rob Spanish ships. After all, it was not cost-effective for the Imperial Navy to specialize in robberies and would also delay training. If some pirates were supported to rob, these pirates would not They will consider logistics, and don't care about domestic public opinion. Naturally, if they win the battle, they will grab it and if they don't, they will run away.
However, Hu Zongxian volunteered and decided to secretly contact these pirates on behalf of the imperial court. Now that the expeditionary force had gone to sea, Zhu Houzhao felt that it was not enough. After all, the expeditionary force was carrying out a frontal military operation and required many considerations. The speed of the attack on Spain would undoubtedly be affected, so, At this time, Zhu Houzhao began to care about the progress of Hu Zongxian's contact with pirates. If everything goes well, Ming Dynasty can naturally use these pirates to go to the West to muddy the water first.
"Hu Zongxian sent word back that this Wang Zhi is willing to join the imperial court and do things for the imperial court, but these people are pirates. I am worried that if the conservative officials know that the imperial court intends to recruit and use these pirates, I may get into trouble. Criticism.”
Jia Yingchun said with concern.
"If you criticize, criticize. If you want to achieve something big, how can you stick to the trivial details? Let Hu Zongxian tell Wang Zhi that the court only recognizes the number of white-skinned eunuchs. When Wang Zhi goes to the West, if he can donate one to the court, he will be rewarded with ten silver dollars! This will add up! , the contribution of ten people is one hundred silver dollars, I am waiting for him to empty my treasury!”
Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but stand up as he spoke: "The Ming Dynasty needs labor force, but it does not need too many non-Yellow alien races to reproduce. There are some things that the court is not easy to do, but these pirates can do it. After all, they are thieves. Since Westerners dare If you kill my people through piracy, our pirates will also destroy their descendants.”
Jia Yingchun nodded in agreement. He began to worry that Wang Zhi would exterminate many Western barbarians in order to make money for the court. Even the Ming army would do such a thing in order to make money from Wang Zhi, but he did not dissuade the emperor. Zhu Houzhao, after all, he also knows that kindness to the enemy is cruelty to oneself.
Zhu Houzhao quickly decreed the establishment of a slave department to manage slaves all over the world, and established a state-owned slave management company under the slave department as a way to receive a large number of castrated white slaves in the future, because there is no need to predict this, once the court really wants to purchase it at a high price of ten silver dollars White-skinned eunuchs, pirates all over the world will definitely go crazy, because this is obviously more profitable than robbing merchant ships. Just arrest people directly, and the cost is not too low.
Of course, the great Ming Emperor did not issue such an explicit edict. Therefore, even many years later, when people examined why the white skin had decreased significantly, they only thought that the development of capitalism at that time was still in the primitive period, which led to the prevalence of the slave trade. This is just the dark side of the slave trade.
At that time, the Ming Dynasty was revered by people all over the world as a country of freedom, prosperity, and high quality. Naturally, not many people would blame the great Emperor Zhengde, who single-handedly created the great empire, for not stopping this evil behavior in that era.
After all, people will easily tolerate the strong, and even take the initiative to whitewash the strong.
Hundreds of years later, a white professor at a higher education institution in Cambridge, Atlantic, mentioned this matter in an interview and said: "Emperor Zhengde also had his historical limitations, but this does not prevent us from praising him as a great one. Emperors are the founders and builders of great civilizations! ”
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(End of chapter)