Jingming

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.

Zhu Houcong ordered his subordinates to draw a map of the world based on his memory, which 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 are already very close to Australia.

Zhao Jun made a distinction and found that the Managa 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 Lord, General Zhao." Alfonso corrected him. His last name was not Alfonso. "Of course, I would rather you call me by my first name."

After successfully capturing the city of Malacca, Alfonso was very excited now.

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 the 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, in at least 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 is 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 European countries 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, and 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 Ming's vassals and 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 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 a good job, 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 kneel in front of your boots, hoping that you will help them make big deals with the East. You go to Guo After that, you can tell me everything that is true about that distant clan brother. If you have the help of the Ming 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 combat power become their bargaining chip?
Indeed, only a small half is enough to suppress the royal family's unwillingness.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 was not stupid, he would 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, I have the real bottom line required by His Majesty the Ming Emperor. How much gold and silver compensation will Portugal receive to restart trade with the East, and this is an unprecedented scale of trade?" 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 20. It can be printed in 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 Pope’s coronation, His Majesty the Emperor’s prestige 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 bewitched by him, thinking about the profound meaning of this newspaper in a daze.

From the newspaper he could read, he did see a lot of content.There are government decrees, local events, 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 that 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 terrifyingly large, and the transportation system in Ming Dynasty is also terrifyingly strong.

Juan finally looked up at Alfonso in confusion, with clear doubts in his eyes: What 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 Mongols and Duoyan of Gunpilik, Ada and Yongshebu.

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, 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'll say it again, the Eight White Chamber is here!"

"But are we just going to 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 asked 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, and make other troops 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. 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 about it! 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 penetrate the front and back covers from the east.With the existence of natural dangers in the Yellow River and the burden of Babaishi, Gunbilik hopes to stabilize the land under his control and bring prestige to meet the new situation of the grassland after Anda rebelled against the Khan's court.

Under various conditions, if Gunbilik did not withdraw to the north of the Yellow River, there would be a strategic threat of being surrounded; if he withdrew to the north of the Yellow River, the Ordos Plateau would be completely lost and its prestige would be greatly damaged.The Ming Dynasty relied on the natural dangers of the Yellow River to send more troops to the east and west wings. The pressure on the front and rear wings was equally great. It was just that there were several passes in the Yinshan Mountains for easy evacuation.

"We are in a dilemma." In the palace of Prince 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. It is also due to his success in several battles and his emphasis on border wages 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 frontier army.If it weren't for the emperor's priority in paying the border and the public trust established by not sparing rewards for meritorious service, the border generals would not be as eager to fight and perform 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 has great confidence in Tang Shunzhi and supports 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.

"It's extremely dangerous to go here!" 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 you at the governor's station. We'll go to the foothills of Mayin Mountain together next year."

"Definitely!" Tang Shunzhi said loudly, "Everyone! Thank you for your hard work! Finish this bowl of wine and get out of the way!"

"Exit!"

At the end of September in the 11th year of Jiajing, a Ming army of only 3000 people "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 was not large, but this army, which gathered almost the strongest warriors from the three western sides, drove away the trappers who were peeping outside the stronghold.

In the eyes of those who brought the news back to Gunbilik, 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 expelling the spying captives, the Ming army left the fort 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 in Xuanfu, a huge cavalry was moving south.

This is the result of Li Quanli and Yu Dayou's victory in wiping out Wanhu in Yongxiebu with the cooperation of the Duoyan tribe: 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 Gunbilik'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 Inspectorate on the grassland, these are the only ones who are still in that area. Set off as soon as possible and be sure to convey the military orders to Zhen Anbo!"

"Understandable!"

The special operations battalion soldiers who were left behind by Yan Chunsheng were in a very excited mood. Although they had a narrow escape from death, they were still deep in the grasslands with fresh faces. It was very likely that they would be discovered and robbed and killed by the Tatars before completing 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 Yinshan area, waiting to cut off the Taoluo's northward escape route and guard the most important passes in the Yinshan Mountain.

The special operations battalion can take advantage of Gunbilik's hesitation and once again make the Taolu prisoners in the north of the Yellow River uneasy just like they touched off the Kalaqin tribe.

What's more, he is not just a soldier from the special operations battalion.

Winter is almost here, 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 that overwhelmed Gunbilik.

"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 in 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! With this battle successful, you can stand up and see King Xuanping in the future!"

Zhu Qi knelt down and saluted excitedly: "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 Yu Jia leaving Shuozhou without any care, Zhu Qi looked at the horses and waved his whip to the west: "Hurry up! Hurry up!"

(End of this chapter)