Chapter 394 The Ming Dynasty is not what it used to be
Chapter 394 The Ming Dynasty is not what it used to be
Since the Portuguese occupied Malacca, the original Malacca royal family has been on the run for more than 20 years.
They are still resisting, and the location...
After Alfonso finished interrogating Juan, he said to Zhao Jun: "It seems that he went to a huge island in the southeast."
Zhao Jun frowned and walked to the side and opened the map.
Before setting off, Zhu Houcong gave him orders including: This map of the world must not be seen by the Western barbarians on the other side of Nanyang.
The map of the world that Zhu Houcong ordered his subordinates to draw based on his memory included places like Australia that had not yet been discovered by the West. As for the Indonesian Islands, known as the Spice Islands in Europe, they were already very close to Australia.
Zhao Jun made a distinction and found that the Malaccan royal family seemed to have fled to Java Island.
"I'm going to count their belongings. How long will it take for their Indian governor to attack? Please ask Lord A to interrogate them again."
"It's Alfonso County Duke, General Zhao." Alfonso corrected him. His last name was not Alfonso. "Of course, I would rather you call me by my first name."
Alfonso was very excited now that he successfully captured the city of Malacca.
This means that he took the first step to help the Ming Emperor control the entire Spice Islands and even the new continent in the future.
And a strong naval force is of course necessary.
Using the lives and interests of his own people to once again prove his loyalty to the Ming Emperor, Alfonso will be entrusted with an important task.
"Traitor!" Juan cursed him angrily, "You shameless devil, you will go to hell!"
"Oh, dear Juan, you can't say that." Alfonso was not under any psychological pressure. "As you have seen with your own eyes, the power of the Ming Dynasty is beyond the imagination of Portugal. I just wanted to survive, so I chose to be loyal.
The emperor of the Ming Dynasty has become a noble county title of the Ming Dynasty, which is the same level as my original title. However, this is a title of the huge Eastern Empire! And my daughter is still one of the women of His Majesty the Emperor."
"Shameless! You even sacrificed your daughter..."
Compared with the cakes Zhu Houcong drew for him, Alfonso no longer missed everything he could get in Portugal.
"It's better to worry about your fate." Alfonso said, "As long as this fleet is still there, Goa can only give up Malacca. And I will become a temporary diplomat stationed here by the Ming Dynasty. Now, you are needed
The choice has been made. Let me help Portugal one last time. If they still want to make money from the East through trade, the royal family should face this fact. Now, they should send knowledgeable diplomats here to negotiate with me."
"...You want me to go back and deliver the letter with your intention?"
"Don't get me wrong, it's not my intention, it's the intention of His Majesty the Ming Emperor." Alfonso became serious, "General Zhao is concerned about when Goa will counterattack, but I know you, at least within two years, Goa will
It is possible to gather enough troops. But you understand that unless Portugal gathers all its troops for an expedition to the east, it will be impossible to retake Malacca."
Juan was silent.
"That's just a possibility, a very small possibility. And here is closer to the Ming Dynasty. Is it possible for Portugal to ignore the threats from Spain and other countries in Europe and send all its troops to the east?" Alfonso sighed, "Arrogance and arrogance are...
A hopeless disease. You already know how huge the territory of the Ming Dynasty is. Portugal is too small in front of the Ming Dynasty. Now, you should think about yourself."
Juan gritted his teeth and asked, "What are the requirements of the emperor of Ming Dynasty?"
Alfonso became happy: "First of all, Portugal needs to pay the price for attacking the Ming Dynasty's tributary countries and the mainland. The specific method is compensation, using gold and silver. Secondly, Portugal needs to give up the idea of carving up the world's colonies with Spain under the mediation of the Pope.
The arrogant idea is that in the future, any behavior that interferes with the vassal countries of the Eastern powers will be retaliated against. If these two points can be agreed, then trade with the East can continue, provided that the laws and policies established by the Ming Dynasty are abided by, and the due tariffs are paid.
"
"This is impossible!" Juan shook his head repeatedly, "In addition to cutting off trade from the east, could the Ming Dynasty still have an expedition to Portugal?"
"This is possible, although it may take some time to prepare." Alfonso smiled meaningfully, "It's not like the Eastern army has never attacked Europa. Before, it was from land. In the future, it may be
It can be attacked from both land and sea. Of course, dear Juan, if trade from the east is cut off, do you think Portugal can still prosper? Portugal can lose Malacca, but it cannot lose the trade route to the east.
"
Of course Juan understood this, so he could only look at Alfonso.
"Oh, Juan, although we have not known each other for a long time, I can still call you old friend." Alfonso shrugged and spread his hands, "Since you are defeated, you can still have the opportunity to trade with the East.
And this time it is a comprehensive trade with the Ming Dynasty. Even if you have to pay taxes, the size of the market will be countless times larger than before. If you do well, I am willing to petition His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty to only recognize you as the trade representative between Portugal and the Ming Dynasty.
."
He leaned over and said seductively: "Imagine that all the royal families and businessmen in Europe will crawl in front of your boots, hoping that you will help them make big deals with the East. You go to Fruit
After that, you can tell me everything that is true about that distant clan brother. If you have the help of the Ming Dynasty Navy, why do you still need to be controlled by the royal family? Isn't it a more promising thing to control the trade routes to the east? "
Juan's heart skipped a beat.
Can the Ming Dynasty's extraordinary military power become their bargaining chip?
Indeed, only a small half is enough to suppress the unwillingness of the royal family. And here, the legend of that huge suzerain country has been circulated for thousands of years. With their prestige here, they can also organize a large-scale servant army.
"Listen, you can do it step by step." Alfonso was not only trying to convince him, but also for his own pie that might become a reality in the future. "I will give you Ming's official diplomatic credentials and take them back with you.
Although the captives brought back news of the defeat, they also brought back a huge list of goods quantities and prices that Ming Dynasty could trade. If Joao is not stupid, he will make the right choice. And old man, we can cooperate with each other.
.”
"...How to cooperate?"
"For invading the Ming vassal states and the mainland and occupying Malacca for so many years, how much gold and silver compensation will Portugal receive to start trade with the East again, and it is an unprecedented scale of trade? I have the real bottom line required by His Majesty the Ming Emperor.
If there is any extra part, old man, you know, you and my distant cousin can share part of it."
Juan looked at him blankly.
Alfonso said with a smile: "The assessment of the strength of the eastern powers by the Governor of India and the Governor of Malacca should be taken seriously. As evidence, I will show you something."
"What?"
Alfonso took out two copies of Ming Pao: "One is the original version, and the other was translated by me on the road."
Juan didn't know why.
Alfonso narrowed his eyes and said calmly: "The Ming Dynasty, whose territory is larger than the entire Europe, prints such a newspaper every fifteen days. The number of printed copies of each issue of the newspaper has exceeded 200,000. It can
It can be delivered to most provinces in Ming Dynasty within seven days, and can be delivered to the most remote places in more than 20 days at the latest. The content above is different in each issue, but the same thing is that it is very rich and the price is very cheap."
He pointed to the copy he translated: "If Joao is a smart king, he can understand what this means. The Ming Emperor ruled a very dynamic empire and was very efficient. His authority does not need to be relied on
Bloodline, although he also has the most noble bloodline; there is no need for the so-called coronation of the Pope, the prestige of His Majesty the Emperor comes from his talent, mind, and moral character."
"Juan, if you can become a diplomat assigned by Portugal, you will have the opportunity to visit the Ming Dynasty. At that time, you will understand that everything I said is true, and it is not enough to express the overwhelming power of the Ming Dynasty.
one."
Juan was so beguiled by him that he thought about the profound meaning of this newspaper in a daze.
From the newspaper he could read, he did see a lot of content. There were government orders, major events happening in the place, teaching people how to grow crops, literary works, and... commercial advertisements and recruitment
information……
First of all, if this thing can really print an issue every fifteen days, it means that Ming Dynasty has a large and sophisticated information transmission system, which is enough to collect a large amount of content and then edit it.
Secondly, if it has to print so many copies every time, and so many copies every fifteen days... How powerful is the printing technology and paper manufacturing technology that Ming Dynasty has mastered, so that it can sell at such a low price?
Finally, if it can be transmitted to every corner of the empire so quickly, it means that the number of educated elites in Ming Dynasty is terrible, and the transportation system of Ming Dynasty is also terrible.
Juan finally looked up at Alfonso in confusion, with clear doubts in his eyes: What exactly is the Eastern Empire like?
…
Distant Europe does not understand today's Ming Dynasty.
Juan is about to bring back the latest news.
The legends Marco Polo brought back then seem to be very different from those now.
In fact, even the Ming Dynasty ten years ago was very different from now.
This point is felt most deeply by the Mongolians of Gonbilik, Anda, Yongshebu, and Duoyan.
Gunbilik was in a dilemma. His body, which was almost exhausted by beauty, had been feeling more and more tired recently, and the pressure on his will was particularly great.
"The banner of the Han governor Tang Shunzhi appeared at Zhenyuan Pass!" The elder of the Ordos tribe couldn't bear it any longer, "Jinong! The Ming army in the south has been playing tricks on us like this. Unless they are very heavily guarded.
If possible, go attack their Great Wall Fortress, otherwise we won’t be able to fight. However, now they obviously want to drag us here! And over at Piantou Pass, the Ming army from Taiyuan is also gathering!"
Gunbilik shouted again: "I say it again, the Eight White Chamber is here!"
"But should we just wait and wait for them to attack the grasslands north of the Yellow River from the west and east at the same time? If we don't make a decision, we will even have our retreat from Yinshan Mountain cut off, and we will have to cross the Yellow River later.
Only then can we leave the encirclement.”
"Then go to Taiyuan! The emperor of the Han people is there. I don't believe they mobilized their army just to surround us, regardless of their emperor!"
"Did Jinong forget that the last time the Han emperor left the capital, it was just to lure Bodi?" Someone said earnestly, "I bet! If we attack Yansui and attack Taiyuan, we will definitely succeed at the beginning.
, just like Anda successfully defeated the Xuanfu. What happens next? They are going to use all their means to keep us south of the Yellow River!"
Someone even revealed the scar: "Jinong, have you forgotten that we invaded Datong last time and were almost left there?"
Gunbilik was furious: "Are you all thinking of retreating to the north of the Yellow River first? If you retreat, you will not be able to come back! News came from the north that Anda has defeated and conquered a total of four Otoks in Chahar.
If I am scared away like this, how can I scold Anda, a traitor, so that other troops are willing to submit to me?"
"It was Anda who took the entire tribe away, so that we in Ordos could only face the Ming army alone. However, the Ming army in Taiyuan and Datong did not have to worry about safety at all, and could march from Fengzhou Beach without fear.
Fight to the west!"
"Stop talking! Let me think about it again! Think about it again!"
Here on the west three sides, Tang Shunzhi's chess game is a conspiracy.
Da Ming made his attitude clear, provoking but not fighting yet, but his purpose was already very clear to fight.
But the vacuum in Fengzhou Beach brought about by Anda's departure made it possible for the Ming Dynasty to break through the front cover and the back cover from the east. And with the existence of the Yellow River's natural dangers and the burden of Babaishi, Gunbilik hoped to stabilize the land under his control.
Bringing prestige to prepare for the new situation in the grassland after Anda rebelled against the Khan's court.
Under various conditions, if Gunbilik does not withdraw to the north of the Yellow River, there will be a strategic threat of being surrounded; if he withdraws to the north of the Yellow River, the Ordos Plateau will definitely be lost and its prestige will be greatly damaged. The Ming Dynasty can rely on the natural danger of the Yellow River to allocate more troops
When going to the east and west wings, the pressure on the front and back sets is equally great. It's just that there are several passes in Yinshan Mountain that are convenient for evacuation.
"We are in a dilemma." In the palace of the Prince of Jin in Taiyuan, Zhu Houcong was very satisfied. "According to De's plan, before the war started, the morale of Gunbilik's army was already in chaos."
"This is due to your Majesty's ability to recognize people. This is also due to your Majesty's success in several battles and his emphasis on border pay and ordnance. The morale of the Ming generals is now not what it used to be." Although Gao Gong said it sincerely, he was still flattering.
"First, the trap was used to peek into the border wall, and everyone was panicked. Now that the trap is hesitant, it will be much easier to sell the national debt, right?"
Zhu Houcong was in a very good mood.
Tang Shunzhi easily created the dilemma of Gunbilik in his strategy. This was indeed based on the prestige established by the Ming Dynasty in several battles against the northern captives and the unprecedented strength of the border army. If it were not for the emperor's priority on border pay,
To build public trust by not sparing rewards for meritorious deeds, generals will not be as hungry for meritorious service as they are now.
Without all these foundations, Tang Shunzhi would not be able to realize his ideas no matter what.
Of course, there is another important reason. Zhu Houcong had great confidence in Tang Shunzhi and supported him in doing this.
Now, Tang Shunzhi is standing on the wall beside Zhenyuan Pass on the bank of Helan Mountain. Helan Mountain is in the distance on the left, and the Yellow River is in the distance on the right.
After looking far to the north, he turned to face the three thousand generals who had assembled in Zhenyuan Pass.
"This trip is extremely dangerous!" Tang Shunzhi picked up the wine that had been poured beside him, "I have important responsibilities on three sides. Otherwise, I will definitely go with you!"
The generals in front of him knew that the young governor had extraordinary martial arts skills and recognized his words.
"You are all elites selected from all walks of life!" Tang Shunzhi held up the wine bowl with both hands, "This governor only has one sentence: If you go here successfully, you will all have made extraordinary achievements! Zhang Futai, please!"
Zhang Jing, the governor of Ningxia, stood at the front. He finally learned of Tang Shunzhi's plan not long ago.
Now, this elite frontier army is about to take on an important task. In addition to the generals leading the army, they also need a civil servant who understands the art of war.
They are not trying to fight hard, they are trying to create a situation.
Zhang Jing also picked up the wine bowl and said: "I'm waiting for the governor's office, and we'll go to the foothills of Mayin Mountain together next year."
"Definitely!" Tang Shunzhi said loudly, "Everyone! I have to thank you for your hard work! Finish this bowl of wine and get out of the city!"
"Get out of the gate!"
At the end of September in the 11th year of Jiajing, a Ming army of only 3,000 men "reinforced" the fortress northwest of Helan Mountain, which was still being built under the watchful eye of the Taolu.
A few days later, the first real battle between the Ming army and the Taolu broke out here.
The scale of this army was not large, but it gathered almost the strongest warriors from the three western sides and drove away the captives who were peeping outside the fort.
In the eyes of those who brought the news back to Gunbilik's ears, the combat power of the Ming army was a little too outrageous. Could it be that the Ming army everywhere was already so powerful?
Then, after driving away the spying captives, the Ming army left the fortress that night, entered the desert to the west of Helan Mountain, and disappeared.
At this time, in the northeast of the Yinshan Mountains, Yan Chunsheng's special warfare battalion and a small tribe disguised as Duoyan herdsmen were also slowly migrating to the north of the Yinshan Mountains.
Zhu Qi was waiting near Piantou Pass, while to the north of Zhangjiakou, Xuanfu, a huge cavalry was moving south.
This is the result of Li Quanli, Yu Dayou and the others, with the cooperation of the Duoyan tribe, in wiping out Wanhu in Yongxiebu: war horses were captured one after another.
"Feed enough fodder along the way and send it to Piantou Pass as soon as possible!"
Zhu Qi was waiting for more horses, and he was very anxious.
According to the latest military information and orders, it is only a matter of time before Gunbilik is forced to abandon the south of the Yellow River.
Can he kill as many captives as possible while Gunbilic's men cross the river?
In Tucheng, Zhang Bor also appeared.
In front of him, there were ten people.
"You are the soldiers who suppress Anbo, you should be able to find him!" Zhang Bor handed a piece of paper to the leader, "Of the people from our foreign inspection factory on the grassland, only these few are still in that area.
Set off as soon as possible and be sure to convey the military orders to Zhen Anbo!"
"I understand the humble position!"
The special operations battalion soldiers who were left behind by Yan Chunsheng were in a very excited mood. Even though they had narrowly escaped death and had gone deep into the grasslands with fresh faces, it was very likely that they would be discovered and robbed and killed by the Tatars before they completed their mission.
But they are a special operations battalion!
But the situation has changed, and the special operations battalion does not need to hide in the Yin Mountain area, waiting to cut off the Taolu's northward escape route and guard the most important passes in the Yin Mountain.
The special operations battalion could take advantage of Gunbilik's hesitation and once again make the Taolu prisoners in the north of the Yellow River uneasy just like they had done with the Kalaqin tribe.
What's more, he is not just a soldier from the special operations battalion.
Winter is coming soon, and if you want to migrate, now is the time.
After leaving the Hetao familiar to these two and three generations of Taolu, can they survive this winter well?
In Tang Shunzhi's chess game, winter is also the Ming Dynasty's pawn!
If you try to disperse the captives as much as possible, why use only real swords and guns?
Zhu Houcong stayed in Taiyuan until October, and finally set off on his journey.
"Start driving, first to Datong, then to Kaiping!"
The news that the emperor of the Ming Dynasty moved north to Datong became the last straw for Gonbilik.
"Jinong! If you don't leave, it will snow and you won't be able to leave!"
To cross the river again in winter is to risk your life.
Last winter, the Ming army captured Tucheng.
Nowadays, the Ming army seems to have discovered that attacking in winter is not a disadvantage, because the cavalry cannot run too fast in the snow.
What if the Ming army repeats its old tricks and takes advantage of the inconvenience of the Ordos tribe to move during the winter to annihilate the main force of the Ordos tribe south of the Yellow River?
Zhu Houcong passed by the cavalry team escorted to Piantou Pass in Shuozhou, where Zhu Qi bid farewell to the emperor.
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty! Before the imperial expedition to the north next spring, the good news from Hetao will definitely reach Kaiping!"
Zhu Houcong nodded: "I told you before that I hope you can regain your reputation as a protector of the country! If this battle is successful, you can stand up and see King Xuanping in the future!"
Zhu Qi knelt down excitedly and saluted: "I will sacrifice my life to repay your kindness!"
If the rematch is successful, you will indeed be qualified to become a public official.
Seeing the imperial driver leaving Shuozhou indifferently, Zhu Qi looked at the horses and waved his whip to the west: "Hurry up! Hurry up!"