In order to occupy an advantageous position in trade with the Ming Dynasty, Rhodes had no choice but to do what Portugal had been doing for many years, sowing discord.
Sure enough, Zhang Yan and a group of civil and military ministers were shocked and angry when they learned that the Netherlands and Spain had united to prepare to organize warships to attack Nanjing from the sea.
When she learned that the two countries could gather at most more than two hundred large ships weighing more than 1,000 tons, Zhang Yan was shocked and a little panicked.
If it was before, she wouldn't know how big the thousand-dan ship was, but now she knows it clearly.
There are more than two hundred large ships, and even all the navy of the Ming Dynasty combined may not be able to defeat them. They may actually be able to be defeated directly to Nanjing City.
When she thought of this, Zhang Yan felt extremely anxious, her face was full of worry, and she even felt a little overwhelmed.
Obviously, if it were just to deal with military and political affairs in the south, whether it was the New Deal or various conflicts, Zhang Yan would be well aware of it.
But now they have to recover Dongfan Island, trade with the Western Yi countries, and even go to war, so they are really unable to do what they want.
The reaction of Ma Shiying and other civil servants was not much better than that of Zhang Yan. After all, this kind of enemy attack from the sea had never been experienced before.
The key is that Rhodes also said that Spain and the Netherlands had formulated a plan to invade the Ming Dynasty decades ago, and the total number of ships in the two countries combined was no less than tens of thousands.
At this time, the role of Zuo Liangyu, a battle-hardened veteran, became apparent.
"Don't worry, Queen Mother. With two hundred warships, the Nanjing Navy is indeed unmatched at sea. However, no matter how powerful the opponent's warships are, they cannot get ashore. If those red-haired ghosts really dare to land, I will let them never come back."
, dead without a whole body!”
"General Zuo, don't forget. According to what Narrod said, the warships of the two countries plan to go up the Yangtze River. When the time comes, those Westerners will not go ashore, but will only bombard the city of Nanjing with cannons on the river. So what?
Respond?" the Minister of Rites retorted.
"Humph! Ignorance, let's not say that we can sink the ship in a narrow place on the river and block the channel to prevent others from entering. Even if the ship does not sink and block the channel, there is nothing we can do about the two hundred large ships on the sea. But if it really enters the Yangtze River, it will be completely
You can use the small to defeat the large, use the large to bully the small, and use small boats to carry gunpowder or kerosene to make the opponent unable to come back."
Zuo Liangyu snorted coldly and said confidently. Not only did his face not show the slightest hint of worry and timidity, but he was actually eager for the Dutch and Spanish people to come and die in order to gain him military exploits.
Ma Shiying and others did not know much about the specific military affairs, so they could not refute for a while and fell silent.
Seeing what Zuo Liangyu said, Zhang Yan relaxed a lot and asked Zuo Liangyu to be responsible for preparing for the possible attack of the two fleets, while reporting to Beijing.
After this incident, both Ma Shiying and a group of civil servants, as well as Zhang Yan, had a new understanding of the role of the Navy.
For the first time, he faced the threat from the sea, especially Ma Shiying, who was in charge of economic reform. He knew that His Majesty attached great importance to maritime trade. If the navy of the Ming Dynasty could not guarantee the safety of merchants and cargo ships, maritime trade would exist.
Huge hidden danger.
Of course, this is only Rhodes's side view. Although Zhang Yan attaches great importance to it, she will not immediately agree to give Portugal any benefits.
At this time, Zhu Cixiang's reply also arrived regarding Zheng Sen's report. Zhang Yan simply asked Zheng Sen to inquire about the situation on Dongfan Island to see if, as the Portuguese said, the fleets of the two countries were preparing to jointly attack Nanjing.
However, before the official document was sent out, Zheng Sen's memorial arrived in Nanjing. It not only requested the imperial court to allocate funds, cast cannons and repair ships, and dispatch officers, but also assembled a large number of warships from the two countries on Dongfan Island, and
He also reported his own speculation that the two countries might attack the Portuguese in Guangdong.
This was almost a real statement. At least half of what Rhodes said was true. As for whether the two countries came to fight Nanjing or the wealthy Portuguese, it is still open to question.
Zhang Yan saw that Zhu Cixiang seemed to attach great importance to Zheng Sen and Dongfan Island in his reply. In addition, he only knew a superficial knowledge of the situation of the Three Kingdoms of Xiyi and could not figure out who was the enemy or friend. After thinking about it, Zhang Yan decided to
Zheng Sen came to Nanjing and asked him carefully in person.
In fact, she also felt some self-blame in her heart, regretting that she had not carefully informed Zheng Sen about the Western Yi countries and the specific strength of the Three Kingdoms in Nanyang.
Obviously, Zhang Yan, Ma Shiying and other civil servants and military generals were somewhat skeptical of Rhode's words.
Especially the Netherlands is a big place with a population of less than one million, but there are tens of thousands of sea ships traveling around the world. It is really unbelievable.
When Zheng Sen received Zhang Yan's summons, he did not dare to neglect it. He rushed to Nanjing as soon as possible. He was full of expectations. He estimated that His Majesty's imperial decree had arrived, so he changed the Queen Mother's attention to him and called him
How not to be excited?
The Dutch and Spanish fleets on Dongfan Island have not taken action for a long time because they are still trying their best to win over the Portuguese in Macau and want the three countries to unite and go to Nanjing.
Obviously, the two countries are also extremely cautious. The governors of the two countries actually don't have much confidence in attacking the capital of this huge empire from the sea. If it weren't for helplessness, they would not make such a crazy plan.
That's why they delayed taking action, because the longer time passed, the more warships and merchant ships they could gather.
Zheng Sen worked hard all the way and arrived in Nanjing in only six days.
"Zheng Sen, your majesty attaches great importance to the matter of Dongfan Island, and he also thinks highly of you. The imperial court has decided to formally establish the Ming Dynasty Navy. The navy will be parallel to the field army, garrison army and reserve army. It will also be directly under the governor's office. The Nanjing Navy will be adapted
It is the First Fleet of the Royal Navy of the Ming Dynasty. The Dengzhou Navy has been reorganized into the Second Fleet, and the Fujian Navy has been reorganized into the Third Fleet. You will serve as the fleet admiral, temporarily with the rank of rear admiral, and be fully responsible for the recovery of Dongfan Island. I hope you don’t want to
I have betrayed His Majesty’s trust and respect.”
"My Emperor, Holy Ming, thank you very much for your support, Your Majesty, Your Majesty. I will never die in repayment of Your Majesty's grace. From now on, even if I am broken into pieces, I will protect the sea territory for the Ming Dynasty and promote the power of the Ming Dynasty!"
Zheng Sen knelt down on the ground excitedly and kowtowed with choked words.
He never expected that His Majesty would not only directly establish the navy, but also let him, a fledgling and incompetent person, serve as the admiral of the Third Fleet.
I only thought it was the result of the Queen Mother's strong recommendation, so I was full of gratitude to Zhang Yan for giving him the opportunity to realize his dream.
He also confirmed his suspicion that His Majesty really attaches great importance to maritime borders and has the ambition to dominate the world.
Zuo Liangyu on the side had a look of envy and jealousy on his face, secretly cursing this boy for his bad luck.
If possible, he really wanted to change with this kid and serve as the admiral of the Third Fleet himself, even if he had the rank of rear admiral, he would be willing to do so.
Because you can get it with your buttocks, this third fleet will definitely be the vanguard of Ming Dynasty in expanding its territory at sea.