Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 1151: Treasure Ship Natural Moat
Zhu Su's stern rebuke was quickly conveyed to the other ship by the interpreter using a copper trumpet. The red-haired Western barbarians on the other ship mumbled something, and judging from their tone, they seemed extremely angry.

However, Zhu Su no longer cared about it and returned to the cabin with his men. He was even too lazy to ask the accompanying interpreter to translate.

"Your Highness." After entering the cabin, Tie Xuan saw Zhu Su was calm and composed, and he did not seem to care about the Western barbarians. He caught up with Zhu Su and said:
"Your Highness, we have come here on a long expedition. After all, the road is long and food and grass are in short supply. In the end, we are short of manpower. After a long time, we will not be able to support the whole country alone."

"I think those Western barbarians may not all be hostile to our Ming Dynasty. If we can unite and form alliances, we may be able to make them realize their situation and sign an alliance with us to help us. Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

"Why bother to threaten me right at the beginning..."

He frowned deeply, with a look of worry and confusion between his brows.

Zhu Su smiled and said, "Dingshi, when you were in Fengmingzhou, you were too gentle to the tribesmen, so your views are biased."

"The Western barbarians are different from the natives of Fengmingzhou. The natives of the tribe would worship us as gods because we taught them how to farm and provided them with food and clothing... But would these Western barbarians do that?"

"Their nobles do not lack food and clothing. What they want is land and wealth... We want to sign an alliance with them. Can we satisfy their desires?"

Tie Xuan pondered for a moment, then shook his head solemnly.

"They are thousands of miles away from China," Zhu Su continued. "China's wealth has long been known to Europe. When they see us coming here, I'm afraid they will be more inclined to kill and rob."

"If we don't take the initiative and let the Western barbarians know that we Chinese people should not be bullied, how can we gain a foothold here?"

"I understand what Your Highness means. It was my lack of consideration that almost caused me to make a big mistake." Tie Xuan bowed.

Zhu Su patted his shoulder and said with a smile: "You don't have to say that. I also know that you are being cautious."

"The future will inevitably be an era of maritime hegemony. Our Ming Dynasty has no shortage of elite soldiers and brave generals on land, but what it lacks are famous and capable generals on the sea."

"Fighting at sea is different from fighting on land. You have to travel thousands of miles away from your homeland, and the decisions you need to make are far more than just the war itself. Politics, culture, and economics are all very different from the old Chinese customs, and all of them require the consideration of the generals at sea."

"You traveled to Fengmingzhou, and Jiujiang patrolled the South China Sea. You and Jiujiang are the best among the maritime generals of the Ming Dynasty. I have something to tell you and Jiujiang."

"Dignity lies only on the edge of the sword! Justice lies only within the range of the cannon! If we want others to listen to us calmly, we must let them know that we are strong enough to beat them down! Otherwise, even if we sign an alliance, it will only be a castle in the air!"

"Dignity is only on the edge of the sword, benevolence and righteousness are only within the range of the cannon..." Tie Xuan murmured these words, and suddenly he felt as if he had been enlightened. For a moment, he was stunned.

Li Jinglong, who had been listening silently, was even more excited and shouted, "Uncle Wu, what you said is like gold! That's right, these Western barbarians speak in a gibberish and have no moral integrity. They dare to send troops to attack our mercenary countries without even saying hello."

"If we use nice words to negotiate with these guys, wouldn't that ruin the prestige of our Ming Dynasty?"

"If we don't give him a good slap first, how can those bastards recognize us old men?"

"Fifth Uncle, let me take charge this time! I will let them know why the flowers are so red!"

Li Jinglong was eager to try.

This was also a demonstration battle. Zhu Su did not think that any fleet in Europe during this period could rival the Ming Dynasty's treasure fleet. Moreover, in terms of naval combat experience alone, Li Jinglong was actually much richer than everyone else, including him.

After all, when he led the South China Sea Fleet in the past, he had fought many "naval battles" with the natives of Southeast Asia.

Considering the gap in ship technology between the Ming Dynasty and Europe, attacking these European warships is not much more difficult than attacking the canoes of the raw meat-eating and blood-drinking native Nanyang people.

The three chatted for a while and waited for the movement in the harbor. Soon, they received a report from the lookout on the observation tower, saying that a large number of ships were leaving the harbor and were approaching here aggressively.

"These birds are coming fast!" Li Jinglong said excitedly. According to him, it would take at least three to five days for these Western barbarians to organize a fleet.

After all, the port didn't seem very large, so it wasn't a big city. And this was a big deal, so the manager reported it to their king, and the king issued an order, which would take some time. But I didn't expect these people to be so eager to die on the spot.

Zhu Su was not surprised. He asked the interpreter to convey the message, which included "abandoning the despicable church". This was definitely the most unbearable provocation for Westerners.

Church beliefs are deeply rooted in the West. Asking them to abandon the church is the most vicious humiliation. They have no chance of compromise, so they have no choice but to go to war.

However, what Zhu Su did not expect was that the opponent's fleet was actually quite large in number.

"Jiujiang, be careful." Since he had handed over the command of the fleet to Li Jinglong, Zhu Su had no intention of going back on his word. However, with so many fleets, he still felt a little worried, so he warned him.

Although they were all broken ships, it is not impossible that many ants can kill an elephant. In the late Ming Dynasty, the fleet of Zheng Zhilong, a big pirate in the East China Sea, defeated the large ships of the West with small boats.

"Got it, Uncle Wu. Don't worry." Li Jinglong said eagerly. He called the messenger and issued a number of instructions like pouring beans out of a bamboo tube. After receiving the order, the messenger used flag language to convey the order to another messenger on the mast. The messenger on the mast also waved the flag to convey the order on the flagship.

Soon, the entire Ming fleet began to move slowly like a giant beast awakening. Under Li Jinglong's order, they lined up in two rows facing the harbor, with the shorter Fu ships in front and the taller treasure ships in the back.

The two rows of warships were arranged in an orderly manner, like a wall, with cannon muzzles on the sides of the ships, which was breathtaking. Out of caution, Li Jinglong ordered the release of small boats, and scattered dense iron hook fishing nets in front of the formation.

The Ming army's naval warfare tactics were still in the exploratory stage. Li Jinglong's deployment of this formation was actually the same idea as "forming battle arrays" on land.

However, this tactic was just right for the treasure ships and Fuzhou ships of the Ming fleet. The Ming fleet, like a wall on the sea, was an insurmountable barrier that no ship in the world could cross.

(End of this chapter)