Daming: The most ruthless tyrant in history

Chapter 573 Nanyang (3)

"...As for Luzon, the situation is complicated."

Li Zhiqi held the shackles with one hand and pointed at the map with the other, and talked eloquently: "Buddha... well, Spain has a strong power in this area. I heard that it also established a governor-general to govern, built the city of Manila to strengthen its rule, and communicated with the local indigenous dignitaries. The connection is very close, and the waters in this area are all under Spanish control.”

"Even if the powerful Netherlands wants to go north and transfer to Haoying in order to rush to Nagasaki and Hirado for trade, they must abide by the rules set by Spain."

"Because of this incident, the overt and covert fighting between the Netherlands and Spain in Southeast Asia was very fierce. Many pirate forces they secretly supported robbed each other, and some of them were Han pirates."

"What about Sulu?"

Wei Zhongxian frowned slightly and said, "Could it have been destroyed by the Spanish maritime forces?"

"no!"

Li Zhiqi hurriedly pointed to one place, "They are huddled in this area. The people of Sulu are tough. The Spanish want them to listen to their orders, and everyone rises up to resist. During this period, many people were beaten at sea and on the island." Although Spain took advantage of the battle, it was not able to destroy Sulu. "

"Although Spain has a lot of power in Southeast Asia, and it occupies a large area of ​​land in Luzon, there is an old saying that says, if you bite off more than you can chew, sometimes when Spain goes to war with Sulu, other places will follow. There will be conflicts, not to mention that there are many pirates involved during this period..."

Nanyang is really chaotic.

Wei Zhongxian stared at the map in front of him. After listening to what Li Zhiqi said, Wei Zhongxian had a clear understanding of Nanyang and the distribution of many forces in Nanyang. In addition to the Mo Dynasty, Beizheng, and Nanruan mentioned initially, such as Lancang , Phnom Penh, Champa, Malay State, Johor Sultanate, Sumatra, Zia Sultanate, Ayutthaya, Taungoo, Arakan and other countries. On the one hand, they have fights with each other, and on the other hand, there are various differences within them.

It is precisely this that has allowed the maritime powers of Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and other European countries to establish a firm foothold in some strategic locations in the South Seas, and even intimidated the countries in the South Seas with their outstanding naval battles. This has also made the relationship between them It's also complicated.

After understanding the actual situation under the rule of Nanyang, what Wei Zhongxian couldn't accept was that some of the country names canonized by the Ming Dynasty were no longer used in Nanyang nowadays!
This is a rebellion! !

The Ming Dynasty did not pay much attention to Nanyang in the past, but if it dared to do such a thing, it was clear that it did not take the dignity of the Ming Dynasty into consideration! !

"The Department of Xuanwei of Old Port is now occupied by many countries in Europe?"

Thinking of this, Wei Zhongxian locked his eyes on one place and said in a cold tone.

"Yes."

Li Zhiqi nodded hurriedly and said: "In addition to being occupied by many countries in Europe, there are many pirates in this area. In the past, maritime merchants often chose to fly their flags, but in this case, they would have to pay taxes to the people from many countries in Europe."

The old port has long been in decline, and now most people entering and leaving the sea area gather in Malacca, which is controlled by Portugal...

But Li Zhiqi didn't dare to say this, he just said it secretly in his heart.

Although Wei Zhongxian showed restraint when describing the situation in various places in Nanyang just now, Li Zhiqi was still keenly aware of Wei Zhongxian's dissatisfaction.

Come to think of it. In the past, the Ming Dynasty had the final say in the land of Nanyang. The Ming Dynasty merchants traveling back and forth from various places were not afraid of being harassed by the Nanyang regions.

But what about now?
As long as the Ming Dynasty merchants went to sea to do business, they would not be unworthy of escorting armed ships, and they would even have to deal with the maritime forces entrenched along the way.

The sea is different from the land. The most dangerous thing is never the changeable climate. The most dangerous thing is the people, especially the pirates who are entrenched in various places. There are too many pirates who are not affiliated with any force. They are killing people. That is Dare to do anything! !
"Okay, you go down and rest first."

While Li Zhiqi was thinking, Wei Zhongxian said: "In a few days, our family will look for you again."

"Here!"

Li Zhiqi hurriedly clasped his fists and responded: "As long as my father-in-law needs me, I am willing to ride the horse and back for my father-in-law!"

Wei Zhongxian didn't listen to Li Zhiqi's declaration of allegiance at all. At the moment, Wei Zhongxian's thoughts were all on this messy Nanyang.

"General Yu, do you think it is feasible for us to get involved in the Southeast Asian countries?" Not long after Li Zhiqi left, Wei Zhongxian looked at Yu Zigao and asked.

"I'm afraid it will be difficult."

Yu Zigao's expression was solemn and he frowned and said: "Although there are several large ships with thousands of materials among the ships heading to Dongfan this time, if you want to sail through the southern seas, these alone are far from enough."

"Besides, when we first arrived in Dongfan, we were far from establishing a firm foothold in Dongfan. If we rashly set foot in various places in Nanyang, I'm afraid we would touch the interests of many forces. It's hard to say what the situation will be like."

"Indeed, this is what our family is most worried about."

Wei Zhongxian said in a low tone: "Ever since the emperor issued a decree allowing Western merchants to go north and stop in Tianjin for trade, many Western merchants have gone north to Tianjin through the trench. These guys have seen the wealth of the Ming Dynasty, and I'm afraid It’s hard not to think about something else.”

"As for what Li Zhiqi just said, our family found that the maritime powers of the European countries seem to be very enthusiastic about occupying land. According to what our family knows, many people have been coveting this place in Penghu for a long time. If this is During this period, if someone plans to go to Penghu or even Dongfan, a naval battle will inevitably break out. "

"I'm afraid it will be difficult to avoid."

Yu Zigao said: "Although there are naval forces stationed in Penghu and Dongfan, the scale is still too small. If a naval battle really breaks out, the Fujian Navy will inevitably be used."

"The Fujian Navy is probably unreliable."

Wei Zhongxian shook his head and said: "General Yu has been in Fujian for all these years. Doesn't he still know the situation of the Fujian Navy? Not to mention that in order to go to Dongfang, almost all the generals and commanders in the Fujian Navy who could fight, including the ships that could be driven, were killed. After being transferred to General Yu, we still have to rely on ourselves."

"If this is the case, we must speed up the construction of sea ships, especially large ships with thousands of materials!"

Yu Zigao said with a serious expression: "I have never been afraid of naval battles, but I am afraid that there will be no sea ships to supplement them. If this is the case, I am afraid that the navy under my command will not be able to fight a few decent naval battles! "

Wei Zhongxian was silent. This was something he had been thinking about after learning about the situation in various places in Nanyang. If this problem could not be solved, let alone conquering Nanyang, it would be difficult to defend even Dongfan and Penghu. If this trend develops, then how can he have the face to return to Beijing in the future?
(End of this chapter)