Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 441: Don’t miss the opportunity
At this time, the news of the Battle of Malacca had already been passed back to Lisbon, shocking the "maritime powers" such as Spain, England and the Netherlands.

This means a huge change in the interest structure of the great voyages of discovery.

England and the Netherlands had just started, and although Spain was a "big country", its manpower was also limited. Therefore, after annexing Portugal, they could only focus on the Americas, and the colonies in the East were still mainly managed by Portugal.

What should we do now?
Spain was gritting its teeth when the "Invincible Armada" was frustrated. Thanks to the huge benefits that the forerunners had gained from the Americas, Spain "slept on straw and tasted gall" and, after three years of siege, the coalition forces of England and the Netherlands were defeated by Spain in Ostend fifteen years ago.

The armistice agreement allowed Spain to regain control of the western European waters, but although Britain and the Netherlands were suppressed, Spain was also burdened with great pressure.

Here are two ambitious up-and-coming forces, but in the far east, even more terrifying enemies have emerged.

European dignitaries were not so unfamiliar with the Eastern Empire.

What we know is that at least it was an empire with extremely vast territory, a large population, wealth and power. It's just that they didn't pay much attention to the ocean before, and they had powerful barbaric grassland enemies in the north on land.

The news that came back to Europe was that the Portuguese fleet had suffered a crushing defeat. The Eastern Empire's fleet was far inferior to the Portuguese troops stationed in Malacca in terms of firepower and manpower.

As partners who once fought side by side against Spain, contact between England and the Netherlands has begun.

Upon learning that the Netherlands had sent an embassy to the East, England naturally decided to join forces with the Netherlands to make it difficult for Spain to deal with both ends - one of them would begin to explore the Americas, while the other would try to go to the East to take over the routes occupied by Portugal.

Which side should Spain save?
At the same time, Spain was facing complaints from Portuguese nobles: it was precisely because of Spain's suppression of Portugal that it could not guarantee its military and financial investment in the East Indies. The Dutch had already arrived there and began to try to win over local forces, and the Eastern Empire seized this weak opportunity.

The Battle of Malacca had begun to affect the struggle for interests among Europe's pioneering maritime nations, and the commander of this battle had returned home and arrived in Beijing.

He had resigned as admiral of the South China Sea Fleet and was temporarily replaced by Maritime Staff Officer Jie Jingfu. The Xingang Squadron was led by Mao Wenlong and stationed in Malacca.

Yuan Keli has already gone to Yunnan.

During the time when Zhu Changluo was spending the summer in Chengde, the work in Southeast Asia did not stop.

"Next month, Outer Yunnan will enter the dry season." Chief of Staff Sun Chengzong reported, "Prime Minister Yuan has been in the southwest for nearly a year. The Duke of Rui, the Duke of Qian, the Right Military Governor's Office and the Tusi troops have been prepared. The military grain storage and the transportation of new grain to various provinces this year have been arranged."

Zhu Changluo nodded and looked at Shen Yourong again: "Where is Mao Wenlong?"

Shen Yourong replied, "I have already told him before I left for home. Malacca is now temporarily managed by Johor and Shunchang. The officials of the Xingang Xuanwei Division of Nandu took five warships of the Nanyang Fleet when they set off. In addition, Haimaohang and the other three foreign companies will set off for Nanyang in late summer with a total of 20 ships. Governor Mao can catch up with the Battle of Thanlyam. It has been less than four years since the Portuguese were driven out by Toungoo. Toungoo is not yet firmly established, and it has to send troops to the north to help. Thanlyam Port can definitely be won in one battle."

"Their Portuguese artillery..."

Shen Yourong was not surprised by the emperor's knowledge of the military strength of the Toungoo Dynasty in Outer Yunnan, and immediately said, "After the Portuguese in Malacca surrendered, I have learned from them the current situation of the Portuguese soldiers captured by Anabilon. Now, they are kept in an artillery farm. I think they will not move easily, just like the elephant soldiers. Anabilon will definitely delay the war until the rainy season next year, so he probably won't send them to the Yunnan front or Shalian at the beginning."

How long had it been since Zhu Changluo had discussed with the Duke of Qian's family during his southern tour?

After so many years of careful planning, we have learned a lot of intelligence from outside Yunnan.

Anabilun is indeed a powerful ruler of the Toungoo Dynasty in Outer Yunnan today. He first conquered Lanna, and then defeated the Portuguese who were entrenched on the southern coast of Myanmar more than three years ago.

The Toungoo Dynasty also had a bad record in the past. About 35 years ago, after the death of Toungoo King Mang Yinglong, local lords re-established their own regimes. It was during this period that a Portuguese mercenary army was hired by the Arakan Dynasty in southwest Myanmar.

Due to its geographical location, Myanmar was able to imitate some firearms from both the East and the West, but the overall level was relatively poor. When the war began, the Portuguese, who were interested in establishing a stronghold, hit it off with the ambitions of the separatist lords and surrounding countries.

Myanmar's firearms level and city defense level have taken a small step forward, which is one of the reasons why the Ming Dynasty had to be adequately prepared.

Among them, the Portuguese finally got what they wanted: after ambushing the fleet led by their employer, the Crown Prince of the Arakan Dynasty, the port of Thanlyin fell into the hands of the Portuguese.

The Portuguese relied on this stronghold to almost destroy the navy of the Arakan Dynasty. Otherwise, it would not have been so easy for Anabilon to reintegrate Myanmar, stabilize the Toungoo Dynasty, and conquer Lanna.

But after the Portuguese weakened the Arakan Dynasty, a powerful enemy to the southwest of the Toungoo Dynasty, the Toungoo Dynasty finally had time to make efforts. More than three years ago, Anabilun personally led an army of more than 100,000 soldiers and surrounded Thanlyin, leaving only a gap on the seaside.

However, the Portuguese commander in Thanlyin was actually an adventurer. He was still in the early stages of development, and if he could not gain a foothold, he would lose everything - Portugal's focus was still Goa and Malacca in India, not Myanmar.

Three months later, the port city of Thalín was breached, and the Portuguese leader was pierced by a wooden stake and died after being tortured. In addition to some people who escaped by boat, more than 400 Portuguese soldiers were captured.

Because these people were proficient in firearms, they were organized into a special artillery team and kept in captivity.

The Ming Dynasty wanted to take action against Outer Yunnan, but it had to take into account the thermal weapons capabilities that Toungoo already possessed.

"I think your majesty need not worry too much." Sun Chengzong said, "Outer Yunnan's firearms are inferior to Western firearms, let alone Ming firearms. This battle is a battle for the Duke of Rui, the Duke of Qian, the chieftains of Yunnan and Guizhou, and the Xuanweis of Outer Yunnan to establish themselves. The goal is to advance steadily. If there is a drought and a rain, if Anabilon wants to counterattack, the firearms soldiers will definitely go into battle. Since there are Portuguese surrendered generals, both sides will be sent. When the time comes, Anabilon will not dare to take the risk of shouting to defect in front of the battle, regardless of whether it succeeds or not."

Zhu Changluo nodded: "The arrow is on the string, so let's do it."

When fighting in Outer Yunnan, the climate must be taken into consideration. The dry season is from the tenth month of the lunar calendar to around April of the following year. If it is the rainy season, it will be a disaster for marching and fighting, especially for the use of hot weapons.

Even if the Outer Yunnan army wanted to take advantage of the local climate and terrain, they would be launching a counterattack in a season that was not suitable for combat.

At the same time, we must advance and divide along the north and south lines.

Because the large rivers running north and south in Outer Yunnan are indeed conducive to the in-depth containment of the Ming Dynasty's maritime forces.

After controlling the area around Shalian Port, they controlled the estuaries of the two most important rivers in Outer Yunnan. In the virtual territory conceived by the Ming Dynasty, Xingang was the core of Nanyang, and Shalian was the real outpost frontier in the southwest.

Preparations for the war in the East still needed to be made, but the two main tasks in Southeast Asia were to rebuild the Xingang Xuanwei Division, and the battle in Outer Yunnan would officially begin immediately.

In the past, the Ming Dynasty always defended against Outer Yunnan, and the three Xuans and six Wei had long been in name only.

Now the Ming Dynasty is finally going to counterattack.

The Privy Council needs to focus on the war in Outer Yunnan first, while Shen Yourong will be responsible for the overall operation of the Eastern Ocean strategy.

"After the battle in Japan, you will be the Duke of Fubo and stay in Taiyuan forever." Zhu Changluo said at the beginning, "This island is extremely important. In the future, it will be located to the south and north of Tsushima Island, and will be the outpost of the Ming Dynasty to control the Japanese vassal states, Ryukyu and Luzon."

"I only know how to be loyal to my country and repay the emperor's grace!"

"It's all the same." Zhu Changluo nodded with a smile, and then said seriously, "Famous naval commanders are hard to come by. You must not go through danger yourself. It is especially important to train more naval commanders!"

Shen Yourong was no stranger to the island which is still called Taiyuan. The Ming Dynasty was no longer satisfied with having only one Penghu Inspection Office, and the development and garrison of Taiyuan had to be put on the agenda.

Zhu Changluo updated him on the latest developments: Tian Le had already set off for Korea, the northern border tribes would send servant cavalry, the Beijing camp and the front army governor's office were already making preparations, and the two towns of Liaodong and Liaoxi had long been looking forward to another battle.

"What we lack right now is warships. The Beiyang Fleet is responsible for the northern direction, and the Dongyang Fleet is still being formed." Zhu Changluo looked at him, "The Nanyang Fleet is also responsible for the battles of Xingang Xuanweisi and Outer Yunnan. Based on your understanding of the Nandu Shipyard, plus the three major shipyards of Dagu, Ningbo, and Quanzhou, how long will it take for the Dongyang Fleet to be formed?"

Shen Yourong immediately replied: "Two years! Two years at most!"

"Two years?" Zhu Changluo frowned.

"If we want to build a fleet like the Nanyang Fleet, it will take many years. But I only need three Zhenyang-class ships, five Weiyuan-class ships, and some patrol ships and merchant ships to form an army!" Shen Yourong is now fully confident. "If we can have ten ships within two years, I can first capture Satsuma Osumi, and then the army can come from Ryukyu on merchant ships!"

Zhu Changluo hesitated for a moment, then said, "The steamship I told you about is now ready. If I want to be more cautious, I'm thinking of trying to build this steamship."

"Your Majesty, Japan has many islands and a long and narrow terrain. Even if we attack from both sides, it will take more than one or two years." Shen Yourong has certainly done a lot of research. "It is good news that steamships can be built now. But the first step is still to attack from both sides and capture their so-called Kyushu Island as their base camp first."

After thinking it over for a while, he said, "If what Your Majesty said about steamships can indeed be used together with sails to sail faster, then when I have established a firm foothold in Kyushu Island, I should be able to build several steamships. Then I can lead the fleet and launch a surprise attack on Edo Castle. If the shogun of Japan suddenly dies, various places will surely fight for power again. Without someone who can command the troops of various places, they will naturally be able to attack at once."

During the years of development of the steam engine, the key uses in the future had already been considered. The first trial was conducted in a coal plant in order to improve efficiency and determine the configuration.

Because of this, after the new steam engine was developed, it could be put into the paddle steamer that had been developed by Dagu Shipyard long ago and sailed to Chengde as quickly as possible.

Now that the actual voyage has been verified, the next step is to start the Ming Dynasty's steam warship plan. With the efficiency of the steam engine at that time, even if a larger steam engine with higher horsepower is customized for the warship, it still needs to be combined with sails to achieve better performance.

This will still take some time, so Zhu Changluo needs to discuss with Shen Yourong, who is an expert in naval warfare, whether the plan for the East Asia region should be adjusted accordingly.

"You mean, with the existing Zhenyang-class and Weiyuan-class weapons, plus the firepower of the various land forces, it is enough to firmly control Kyushu Island first?"

"If we don't have this little ability, how can we justify the strong ships, powerful guns, and divine weapons and armor that the imperial court spent so much money to build?" Shen Yourong was very confident. "If we can't win the battle, I will bring my head to you!"

"...That's not necessary."

Zhu Changluo knew that with the start of the War in Southeast Asia and the War in Outer Yunnan, and the preparations for the grand plan for the East, the atmosphere of thirst for merit in the army had become very strong.

But although the battle of Malacca could be decided in one battle and the battle of Outer Yunnan would definitely last for several years, Zhu Changluo still hoped that the Ming Dynasty would not immediately enter the rhythm of fighting on two fronts.

After all, the East Asia plan was still in the preparation stage, and now there was great progress in the steam engine.

Just when he still wanted Shen Yourong to be more cautious and lay a solid foundation for the Oriental Fleet, Wang An suddenly came in a hurry.

"Your Majesty, secret report from Korea!" Wang An looked at Shen Yourong, bowed to him first, and then handed over the secret letter without avoiding him, saying, "Tokugawa Ieyasu, the powerful ruler of Japan, died on March 21. The news has just arrived. His son Hidetada has taken power and has just issued a one-country-one-city order, ordering local leaders to only build one city and reduce the number of soldiers."

"Oh?" Zhu Changluo immediately took the secret letter and opened it to read.

Although Japan is far away, it would be interesting if the news only came out half a year after this guy died.

According to the intelligence already obtained by the Ming Dynasty, although he had nominally given up the throne to his son, he still actually held power in recent years.

This kind of power transfer is most likely to cause turmoil.

And can the method of weakening the power of local daimyo, which even Tokugawa Ieyasu failed to completely accomplish, really be accomplished by this so-called one country, one city order?

After reading the contents of the secret letter, Zhu Changluo was still thinking, and Shen Yourong had already said: "Your Majesty, this opportunity cannot be missed!"

Zhu Changluo understood what he meant. If the pressure from the Ming Dynasty appeared immediately, the daimyo in the west of Japan would be the first to bear the brunt. Would they be willing to obey this one country one city order? If not, what would happen to their relationship with the shogunate?

If the shogunate wanted to use this as an excuse to directly withdraw their troops to resist foreign enemies, it would also arouse suspicion.

After thinking for a while, he said, "General Xuansun, let's discuss this matter with the ministers of the Privy Council!"

(End of this chapter)