Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 286 Divide the world, invincible fleet!
Ok Hee Palace.

Zhu Houcong's desk was filled with content about the Western world, and the most mentioned were Portugal and Spain.

These two countries, located on the outskirts of Europe and almost bordering Africa, were undoubtedly the protagonists of the world in the first half of the century.

The history of the two countries is very complicated. In the early years, Spain and Portugal were both part of the Roman Empire.

Later, when the Roman Empire split, it became part of the Western Roman Empire.

However, the Western Roman Empire was short-lived, and was followed by the period of rule by the Roman Catholic Church, which made Spain and Portugal countries with the Church as their state religion.

After the rise of the Arab Empire, due to its rapid expansion, the Arab Empire, which was expanding in North Africa, wanted to further advance into Europe, the main grain-producing area. So, at the same time as conquering Morocco, it crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and began to march into Spain and Portugal.

Compared with the endless desert, the climate environment in Spain and Portugal can be said to be much better, which further stimulated the Arab Empire's ambition to completely conquer Europe.

However, because the Vatican was desperate to resist these pagan invaders, it launched several decisive battles on the land of Spain and France. Thanks to the advantages of geographical location, human resources and material supplies, the Vatican's desperate gamble ultimately won the war.

The Arab Empire was forced to agree to peace talks, but due to the cowardice and internal corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, the victorious party in the war still had to cede territory.

Spain and Portugal were ceded to the Arab Empire in exchange for peace in Europe.

Later, with the demise of the Arab Empire and the intensification of religious movements in Europe, the Vatican chose to send troops to retake Spain and Portugal to prove the recovery of lost territory.

So, with the help of military assistance from the French Empire and economic support from the Holy See, the Muslim forces in Spain and Portugal were gradually eliminated, and this territory, which was regarded as long-lost by the Holy See, was finally recovered.

But less than a hundred years after its restoration, it was faced with the dilemma of being ignored. In addition, the economic aid from the Holy See was reduced, which put the two countries that had just achieved independence under tremendous economic pressure. As a result, they had to find other ways and began to be at the forefront of the Age of Discovery.

After Spain and Portugal achieved national independence, their territories were basically stable and they entered an era of normal economic development.

Thanks to the favorable Mediterranean climate, Portugal and Spain reaped rich rewards in agricultural production and ushered in a peak period of economic development. However, compared with some old European empires, the two countries, which had just been independent for more than a hundred years, still seemed a little weak in national strength. Especially with the rise of the Ottoman Empire, Europe encountered an unprecedented strategic crisis, which led the Vatican to encourage countries to open up new trade routes to the East, intending to bypass the Ottoman Empire's ruling areas.

With the encouragement of the Vatican, many European countries began to prepare for maritime exploration. However, due to geographical conditions, there were not many European countries that were truly suitable for developing large-scale shipping industry. However, relying on their geographical advantages, Spain and Portugal had a great advantage in this maritime trend formed in Europe.

After seeing his country's geographical advantages, the King of Portugal took the lead in starting the great maritime exploration. He took advantage of the port of Lisbon and began external exploration. While discovering the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, he also expanded the sailing routes to the Arabian area, which was a crucial step in the exploration and discovery in the Age of Discovery.

In addition, Portugal opened up extensive colonies in Africa, which made Portugal gradually prosperous. It soon changed from a small border country in Europe to a famous wealthy kingdom in Europe. This also stimulated the ambition of its neighbor Spain, and it also devoted itself to the great voyages of discovery.

In the seventh year of Hongzhi in the Ming Dynasty, Portugal and Spain signed the Treaty of Tordesillas and divided the world.

The treaty stipulated that Spain would explore and occupy the New World to the west, while Portugal would explore and occupy territories in Asia and Africa to the east.

This agreement avoided conflicts between the two countries to a certain extent and also promoted their colonial expansion.

Spain went west and established a large number of colonies in the Americas, which made Spain the world's first empire on which the sun never set.

To the east, Portugal also established the prototype of a maritime empire, and its tentacles extended all the way to South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia.

India on the South Asian subcontinent fell. In the fifth year of Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty, the Portuguese fleet, led by Albuquerque, occupied Goa and made it the capital of Portugal in India.

Goa became an important base for Portugal in the Eastern world, and Portugal controlled the trade routes in the Eastern world through Goa.

Then, the Portuguese began to grow opium in India. The opium produced in India was shipped to the Ming Dynasty in exchange for Ming Dynasty's tea, silk and other commodities. The tea, silk and other commodities were then shipped back to Europe, and Portugal made hundreds or even thousands of times the profit from it.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard discovered in Jiangnan that opium had become rampant among the literati and scholars in the area.

Just like the "Wushisan" back then, "Ophron" became something that countless frustrated scholars in Jiangnan relied on to make a living and live a life of drunkenness and debauchery.

With the changes in the court system and talent selection last year and this year, the amount of "opium" that the Portuguese transported to Jiangnan through the Wangxia Peninsula, which they secretly invaded, increased by dozens or even hundreds of times.

Thousands of scholars in the south of the Yangtze River turned into skeletons, but the Portuguese made a fortune. Millions, even tens of millions of taels of silver flowed out of the Ming Dynasty!

Zhu Houcong felt a chill all over his body as he read the description of people who "consumed opium" in the Jinyiwei intelligence.

It is originally a good medicine, but when it is used by people with ulterior motives, it becomes a poison. If left unchecked, it is only a matter of time before it harms a person, a clan, or even a country.

Portugal couldn't defeat the Ming Dynasty in the war, so it resorted to such vicious tactics. It really deserved to die!
Since the beginning of this spring, the imperial court has sent more than a dozen fleets to the Western Ocean, not for the pursuit of trade profits, but more to understand the situation in the West. Therefore, people from all walks of life are included, and many Jinyiwei have also gone.

The Jinyiwei also conducted a detailed investigation of Portugal, which had fought four major wars with the Ming Dynasty.

The Portuguese opened up two shipping routes.

One is the eastern trade route that goes through the west coast of Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope, across the Indian Ocean, and reaches Asia.

Another route is to sail to South America via the Atlantic Islands.

Portugal used force to monopolize the market and used advanced ships to reach places no one else had yet reached. At its peak, the territory of the Portuguese Empire was no smaller than that of the Ming Dynasty.

But a large territory does not mean invincibility. The country’s geographical location and small land area were once advantages, but are now disadvantages.

Spain took the lead in forming the Invincible Armada, a powerful naval fleet with more than 150 large warships, more than 3,000 cannons, and tens of thousands of soldiers, competing openly and covertly with Portugal.

In the face of huge interests, the so-called agreement is nothing but a piece of waste paper. Under the Treaty of Tordesillas, Portugal also has a route to the west, and Spain also has a route to the east.

Faced with the Spanish Invincible Armada, Portugal gradually became powerless. If it had not been for its previous accumulation, it would probably have been eliminated from the ocean battle.

According to news sent back by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Portugal, Spain, and almost the entire Europe are pursuing one thing.

Tulip bulbs!
After living two lives, Zhu Houcong suddenly thought of a way other than war: plundering the West and punishing Portugal.

Anyone who dares to sell opium to the Ming Dynasty should be prepared to die!
However, Zhu Houcong had no intention of letting go of those literati in Jiangnan who dared to consume opium.

Zhu Houcong handed over both tasks to the Jinyiwei.

Huang Jin delivered the news that the four cabinet elders were coming to meet the emperor together.

Obviously, killing all the Portuguese and their servants on the Wangxia Peninsula was tantamount to a declaration of war, which made the ministers a little panicked.

"Xuan!"

Gao Gong, Hu Zongxian, Li Chunfang, and Li Chunfang, four cabinet elders, soon came to the hall under the guidance of Huang Jin, knelt down and said, "Greetings to the Holy Saint!"

Zhu Houcong waved his hand, and the four ministers stood up. Huang Jin also brought an embroidered cushion for the ministers to sit on.

Gao Gong, the chief minister of the cabinet, was obviously a little uneasy. He opened his mouth several times but no sound came out.

Zhu Houcong noticed Gao Gong's strangeness and knew what he wanted to say, so he said, "I have made up my mind about the Portuguese matter. There is no need to say more."

Gao Gong immediately sat firmly after hearing the sonorous and powerful holy voice. The smarter a person is, the more he knows how to learn from his mistakes. He learned from the former prime minister Zhang Juzheng that he could not go against the emperor's decision. He said, "Even if there is no one who is wiser than the emperor, I cannot compare with him.

However, in the relations between countries, if they become enemies, it is necessary to make preparations early. I would like to ask Your Majesty to be informed of this."

Killing all the Portuguese and their servants on the Wangxia Peninsula would definitely anger Portugal and even lead to retaliation from Portugal.

Although the Ming Dynasty had maintained unbroken victory in the four previous wars with Portugal, it could not let its guard down.

Currently, the world's main forces are three major types of troops: infantry, cavalry and sailors.

Infantry and cavalry both belong to the army, while sailors belong to the navy, also called the navy.

Since the army fights on land, victory and defeat are common in the military. It is difficult to completely annihilate the enemy when one is not fully ahead of the enemy in terms of manpower, weapons, intelligence, strategy, etc.

In other words, it is not easy for the infantry and cavalry in the army to be completely defeated in one battle.

But it is different for the navy. Once the ship sinks, it sinks, and the people on it sink into the sea, far away from the land. As long as they suffer a major defeat, it is easy to lose everything.

The Cabinet was the power center of the Ming Dynasty. Although the Jinyiwei was only responsible to the emperor, it was ultimately part of the court organization. In some basic situations, the Jinyiwei would specially compile a briefing and send it to the Cabinet.

Therefore, the cabinet had some understanding of the West and the world situation, and was no stranger to Portugal, which was a well-deserved maritime power.

What the Ming Dynasty was doing was, first, to kill the Portuguese and second, to cut off the sale of opium to the Ming Dynasty from Portugal.

Cutting off someone's financial resources is like killing their parents. The Ming Dynasty was equivalent to wiping out the entire Portuguese family.

The stronger a country is, the more pride it has. Even after four failures, the possibility of Portugal attacking the Ming Dynasty for the fifth time cannot be ruled out.

Gao Gong’s meaning was very simple: the Ming Dynasty must be prepared for defense.

Zhu Houcong glanced at him, frowned slightly, and said in a dignified manner, "It is not the Ming Dynasty that should make preparations, but Portugal."

Hear the words.

Gao, Hu, Li and Wang were all shocked.

Hu Zongxian, the second prime minister, could not help but raise his head and look up at the emperor. After a quick glance, he lowered his head again, but he was sure of what he was thinking.

Gao Gong stood up and said nervously, "I would like to ask Your Majesty, what is your intention?"

"More than a hundred years ago, when Spain and Portugal were still small countries with few people, the fleet of our Ming Dynasty sailed to the West and spread the glory of the East. In the blink of an eye, foreign countries such as Portugal forgot the prestige of our Ming Dynasty and invaded several times. It is time to announce to the world that our Ming Dynasty has returned."

Zhu Houcong supported the imperial desk with both hands and slowly stood up, like a coiled dragon waking up from a deep sleep, and said: "Whoever offends our Heavenly Dynasty will be punished no matter how far away they are!"

More than a hundred years ago, the eunuch Zheng He sailed to the West. It was not a simple trading fleet. During the voyage, they encountered countless resistance and challenges. It was difficult to resolve those conflicts by peaceful means alone. The unparalleled military force was the real reason why Western countries were intimidated.

During his third voyage to the West, Zheng He took decisive action in the face of provocation from King Arikunaru of Ceylon.

Yalekunail attempted to launch an attack on Zheng He's fleet when it was returning, but Zheng He led only 2,000 Ming troops directly into the palace of the King of Ceylon and captured Yalekunail alive.

An entire country was destroyed because of it, and this is the national prestige of the Ming Dynasty.

Overlord of the sea?

It’s time for a change!

Hu Zongxian and Wang Chonggu were both cabinet ministers who supported the military. When there was a war, they did not panic, but only felt the blood coursing in their chests.

If small countries like Spain and Portugal could blatantly divide up the world, why couldn't the Ming Dynasty?
Nowadays, the Ming Dynasty is invincible in East Asia, so it would be a good idea to make some moves.

Everyone has fantasized about the stars and the sea. The stars are too far away, while the sea is very close.

Gao Gong's face instantly turned bitter. Once a war was fought, there would be endless money to spend. In the current Ming Dynasty, the national policy was to implement national policies at home and to pacify the Japanese islands and peninsulas abroad, and to relocate the people. The expenses were terrifying.

Gao Gong, who was also the Minister of Finance, wanted to say one of Emperor Renzong's famous sayings, "No money," but under the emperor's watchful eyes, he changed his words and said, "My emperor is wise!"

Age of Navigation.

The most important things are charts and fleets.

These two things existed before the Ming Dynasty, but they are gone now. If we start over again, I'm afraid it would be a waste of countless time.

Hu Zongxian stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the family of Chen Yiqin, the elder Chen, may have something that the court wants..."

(End of this chapter)