The eldest grandson of Emperor Ming Dynasty!

Compared with the fleet of Zheng He's voyages in history, the size of the fleet on this voyage has more than quadrupled.

This is because the national conditions of Ming Dynasty are different today.

The economy of the current Ming Dynasty is not comparable to that of the Yongle period, especially in terms of seagoing ships.

Although many sea-going ships were built during the Yongle period, they did not receive the support that Zhu Ying had provided over the past few years. Both the government and the private sector had already made huge profits.

And these profits prompted more investment in the shipbuilding industry.

When a certain industry starts to involve wildly in the market, then this industry must be thriving.

Both government and private shipyards are thinking about upgrading to a higher level of technology every day, so that sea-going ships can be stronger and more durable.

After all, encountering a storm on the sea is a very common thing. If any ship built will not suffer major damage after experiencing a storm, then this shipyard will definitely receive more orders.

The status of shipbuilders is also rising rapidly. For example, the monthly wages of the master craftsmen have already reached [-] coins. worth.

It is precisely because of the skyrocketing wages that more people flood into it as apprentices, and quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes. After all, there will be some geniuses who will reform the shipbuilding technology.

Therefore, under the fleet led by Li Jinglong this time, although there are no previously exaggerated five hundred treasure ships, there are actually two hundred treasure ships.

Zheng He had only 63 treasure ships.

The number of people carried, the scale, and the strength of the troops are completely different.

Li Jinglong's government has a total of 520 ships, and Zheng He's voyages each time there are about 300 or so, which is completely incomparable.

This time Li Jinglong has a scale of nearly 5 people, including more than [-] elite soldiers, and the rest are all kinds of entourage.

In fact, the fleet this time, even the horse boats, is several times larger than the original one, with a full load of 10 people, but only half of the people were loaded. The reason is that they carried a lot of supplies.

Just supplying 5 people with all kinds of food can last about two years. Among them, tea, silk, porcelain and other trading goods have a huge amount of goods.

Among them, there are more than 3 arquebus guns, and the latest guns of the Gunpowder Department are fully loaded with all the treasure ships, and there are countless ammunition.

The most exaggerated thing is that there are more than 3000 war horses carried by the horse boat.

Even after landing, three thousand cavalry can be pulled out quickly.

Taking the weather into consideration, they didn't carry heavy armor, mainly leather armor specially made.

Each ship, depending on the size, is equipped with a team of three to ten doctors.

It can be said that every detail has been noticed.

After this, there is another very exaggerated thing, that is the caravan following the Ming fleet.

Naturally, the number of ships in the caravan cannot be compared with that of the government, but there are also nearly three hundred ships, and each ship is loaded with a large amount of cargo.

According to the accompanying rules, these merchant ships are also subject to government control.

In other words, there are a total of more than 800 ships sailing to the West this time, with a population of nearly [-], and its scale can be called the largest in the world.

Regarding the importance attached to this voyage to the Western Seas, Zheng He has no possibility of being compared with Li Jinglong in terms of identity.

Cao Guogong's title is placed here, and he is still Zhu Yuanzhang's nephew, and of course it is not comparable to Zheng He.

Three months ago, after the imperial court ordered this voyage, it had already been published overseas through the Mansion Newspaper.

As far as all the countries in the Nanyang region are concerned, they have already received the news.

The Heavenly Dynasty Shangguo Ming Dynasty will send the distinguished Cao Guogong as the main leader to lead the fleet to patrol the world.

This is a very important matter for the entire Nanyang region at present.

The monarchs of these countries only heard how powerful and prosperous Daming was from other people's mouths. This feeling is very false, without any specific practical support.

Even if you have heard the specific number, you still feel that it is too exaggerated.

But this time in the mansion newspaper, the size of the fleet and the number of personnel were directly published.

This is Daming's confidence. I will tell you in detail how many ships and personnel I have arranged to come here. If any country has any bad intentions, you can just let it go.

Half a month later, above the sea, the night sky was full of stars, and in front of me was the unobstructed sea.

The huge fleet is as insignificant as an ant sailing on this sea of ​​stars.

Li Jinglong stood on the deck, feeling extremely emotional in his heart.

In the past, he thought that Daming was very big, but when he really saw the vast and boundless sea, he felt a little bit disappointed.

"Cao Guogong, it's late at night, why are you still on the deck, it's because the night on the sea is so beautiful, so I can't sleep, hahaha."

A burst of hearty laughter came from behind Cao Guogong, and a middle-aged man in Chinese clothes laughed and stepped out.

The person who came was none other than Yu Tongyuan, Marquis of Yuexuan, the commander of the Daming Navy.

During this voyage to the West, Yu Tongyuan served as the deputy commander, in charge of naval operations.

"Yue Yuhou thinks that he can often see such beautiful scenery on the sea."

Li Jinglong turned his head and said with a smile.

I thought the sea was boring, but I didn't expect to be accompanied by such beautiful scenery, which is one of the great joys of life.

Yu Tongyuan said: "I can't watch it often. I only went to sea once or twice. This is only due to the order of His Royal Highness. This time I go to the West, but I can watch it every day."

"No matter how beautiful the scenery is, you will get tired of seeing it every day."

Yu Tongyuan's tone was flattering. Putting Cao Guogong's status aside, the key is to be valued by His Majesty. Being able to serve as the commander of this trip to the West shows that His Highness Taisun also values ​​it very much.

In terms of the status of the naval army, the promotion was mainly due to His Highness the Grandson. There was no response in the past 20 years. With the support of His Highness the Grandson in the past few years, Yu Tongyuan had real power.

It's just that there are too many capable men and soldiers now, and Yu Tongyuan is also worried that he will be demoted one day.

Today's Daming Navy is an oil and water department, and there are a lot of bribes received and given from the sea alone, and they are usually overseas, and the government has almost no jurisdiction.

"The Marquis of Yuexuan came just in time. I always have some troubles in my heart. Let's have a drink?" Li Jinglong said in greeting.

Yu Tongyuan naturally couldn't get what he wanted: "I have what I want, I dare not ask for it."

Under Li Jinglong's order, the guards immediately brought drinks, and the cook was also woken up to cook some appetizers.

This treasure ship is different, it is the one that Zhu Ying took to Japan. Compared with other treasure ships, it is not only three points larger, but also equipped with firearms, and the luxury of decoration is not comparable to that of other treasure ships. It is equivalent to royal custom. .

If it weren't for Li Jinglong's relationship with the emperor, this treasure ship would not be able to go to sea, and he would not dare to sit on it if he was not high enough.

Yu Tongyuan was considered to be in Li Jinglong's favor.

"This voyage to the West, the task is very arduous. When the time comes, we still have to rely more on the Marquis of Yuexuan. If something goes wrong, there is no way for His Majesty and Grandson to explain it."

Li Jinglong said with some concern, after all, it was the first time to go to sea, and it was such an important matter, and he felt a lot of pressure while being excited in his heart.

Li Jinglong actually doesn't know much about overseas, especially among these small countries.

This trip to the West, Li Jinglong is carrying a political mission. Simply put, he wants to exert political influence on many countries, and even intervene in local conflicts.

Before coming, the imperial court had already prepared documents and seals, and Li Jinglong could use the name of Daming to carry out some canonization matters.

"Actually, Duke Cao doesn't have to worry about this. Duke Cao will know when he gets to the local area that few of these small countries are powerful."

"I'm not familiar with the Western Ocean, but as far as Nanyang is concerned, the only strong point is Chenla, and now it's just at the end of its strength, and the national strength continues to decline."

"However, the current Princess Zhenla is the Concubine Dan of His Highness the Grandson. Cao Guogong still needs to think more about this point. According to the meaning conveyed by His Highness the Grandson, it is necessary to protect the face of the Concubine Dan and at the same time not let our Daming suffer. .”

"Generally speaking, in fact, according to His Highness Taisun's intention, it is to strengthen the influence of our Daming, specifically in the word 'education'."

"We can actually learn from Annan's way and try our best to promote these countries to set up Chinese language schools to learn our Ming characters and language. I think His Royal Highness will like these things very much."

Before the food and wine were served, Yue Yu Hou Yu Tongyuan expressed his thoughts.

This made Li Jinglong's eyes brighten. He didn't expect Yu Tongyuan to ponder so deeply when he was at a loss.

"The ancients said that three people must have my teacher. I heard what Yue Yuhou said today, which really enlightened me." Li Jinglong felt that his thoughts became clear all of a sudden.

Yu Tongyuan, Marquis of Yuexuan waved his hands again and again and said, "Duke Cao praised me absurdly. I can only make a fool of myself in front of Duke Cao. For example, our naval division has increased a lot because of the support of His Royal Highness. I was always terrified."

"The more His Highness Taisun valued, the more I can't live up to the emperor's favor. I can only carefully ponder His Highness's meaning."

"It's the feedback from the navy. Whether it's Annan or Zhancheng, His Royal Highness Taisun is asking for the continuous expansion of the Chinese language school. I'm naturally thinking about it."

Li Jinglong also began to ponder in his heart, what should be done to make His Royal Highness more satisfied.

From now on, the Great Ming will have to follow the Taisun's wishes. Only when the Taisun values ​​him can he be rich and powerful.

At this time, the food and wine were also delivered.

Yu Tongyuan's eyes lit up immediately when he looked at the wine jar that was delivered.

"Is this a hero?"

Li Jinglong replied with a smile: "It seems that Marquis Yue is still a good drinker."

Yu Tongyuan couldn't wait to unseal the seal, and said at the same time: "I was lucky enough to drink this heroic liquor once before, and it is really fresh in my memory, but it is a pity that the annual production is too small, and it is not sold outside. Your Majesty will reward you."

"I have been thinking about it all the time, but there is no chance. Others will hide this wine when they get it. Today, I am finally lucky enough to drink it again."

Yingxiong Lie is the main wine of the Zhuying Royal Chamber of Commerce. It is brewed with the best raw materials. It takes nearly a year to become a wine, and then it needs to settle for half a year before it can be drunk.

These wines are only rewards from the court, and they can also be regarded as enhancing the majesty of the royal family, which belongs to the imperial system.

Yu Tongyuan looked at the seal on the wine seal and knew that it was absolutely authentic.

You must know that a jar of wine like this, which is two catties, has been sold for a sky-high price of one thousand coins.

Even at such a price, it is also a price without a market.

Those who can get this wine will not care about the thousand guan banknotes at all, so naturally there is no reason to sell it.

Even if Yu Tongyuan is a marquis, he can hardly drink it.

Li Jinglong smiled and said: "I don't have such a hero on weekdays. This time, His Majesty Xia Xiyang rewarded [-] altars, counting them as entertainment on the road."

"Although the wine is good, it's a little bit tasteless if it's enjoyed by one person alone. Now that the Marquis of Yue is drinking it together, it will be a bit more enjoyable on the journey."

Li Jinglong obviously also wanted to have a good relationship with Yu Tongyuan, Marquis of Yuexuan.

Although he had trained a lot in the early years, he was very unfamiliar with water warfare, and Yu Tongyuan, Marquis of Yuexie, had been engaged in water warfare with his father and elder brother for a long time since he was very young, and he had very rich experience.

The weather is a little cooler.

It is now the beginning of winter, and only at this time can ocean-going treasure ships sail with the help of the monsoon.

After all, the current sea-going ships still need to rely on wind power to move. As big as a treasure ship, manpower is completely insufficient.

Although Daming doesn't have the concept of monsoon, its navigation technology is currently the top in the world.

Today's fleet is driven by seaway acupuncture combined with ocean astrology.

During the day, the compass is used to navigate, and at night, the method of watching the stars and the water compass is used to maintain the heading.

Even in the dangerous environment of torrents reaching the sky and huge waves like mountains on the sea, the clouds and sails are still high, and the stars are galloping day and night.

This is a navigation technique that only Ming can possess at present.

"This time, His Highness Taisun still secretly confessed that it was about Timur detaining my Ming envoy."

"According to His Royal Highness's order, it is not only to collect information about the current Timur, it is best to be able to bring back all our envoys."

After drinking for three rounds, Li Jinglong finally expressed his inner sorrow through the strength of wine.

What he worries about is not the affairs of these small countries in the Nanyang region, but the affairs of dealing with the Timurid Empire.

Tamerlane dared to detain the envoys of Ming Dynasty, so he naturally didn't worry that Ming Dynasty would come to make trouble or something, and his military strength was not much different from that of Ming Dynasty.

If Timur insists on not letting him go, Li Jinglong has no way to deal with it.

After hearing the words, Yu Tongyuan, Marquis of Yuexuan, was silent for a while. He also knew something about the Timur Empire.

Then he picked up his wine glass and said, "Duke Cao doesn't need to think so much. As the old saying goes, the boat will be straight when it reaches the bridge. No matter what the situation is, we won't know until we get there."

"If it can't be done well, there's nothing you can do about it. Don't think so much now, drink first, drink."

Li Jinglong also understood this truth in his heart, and immediately raised his glass to drink together.

The first stop on the voyage is naturally Champa.

This is due to the course of the monsoon.

At this time, Zhu Yunqi, who was already in Champa, had already received the news.

King Wu is Zhu Yunqi's title, and this is Zhu Yuanzhang's last love.

In Wu Wang's mansion, Zhu Yunqi was gathering his men, preparing to go to the port of Champa to meet him.