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Chapter 779 Nicobar Islands

On November 001, the th year of Jingyang, the Ming Navy Expeditionary Fleet, under the darkness of dawn, hung a string of mast lights and, led by the flagship Han , quietly sailed out of the Da Nang base one ship after another. After a short stop on the nearby sea, they quickly formed two columns, spread out layers of sails and headed south.

"Commander, where is this port?"

As the deputy commander of the fleet, Huang Nanping still had to board the flagship Han 001, but without Wang Yuanjing and Miao Buzhun. The two were sent to the armed cargo ship formation to re-educate the captains who had not participated in the emperor's special training before.

After getting the nautical chart of the destination, I looked at the small island more than 3000 kilometers away with confusion in my eyes. I didn't know where the island was, nor did I know what to do.

Ever since he could remember, he had been traveling on the sea with his father and had served in the Ming Navy for 11 years. He knew the South and East Oceans like the back of his hand, but had never been to the West Ocean.

First, the sea route was long, full of dangers, and there was nowhere to get supplies. Second, the navy strictly ordered the fleet not to go west past Siam (Malay Peninsula), south past Borneo (Kalimantan Island) and Belitung Island.

"Great Nicobar Island was discovered by the Portuguese. There is no port or city there, so the fleet did not stop there, but just passed by. Inform all ships to add more personnel to observe along the way and keep an eye out for pirates."

If there were no Portugal and Spain, Hong Tao really didn't know how to explain the many place names on the map. Now, as long as those who don't want to change the name can just push it on their heads, it will be fine.

Change the name? Count it as a discovery by the Han people? Hong Tao actually did this when he first traveled to ancient times, and directly changed the names of Luzon and Ryukyu.

But I stopped changing it after a while. It’s not that I really have naming difficulty syndrome, but after changing the name, I don’t even know where it is, and I have to look for it all over the map, which is too time-consuming.

In addition, Hong Tao has no obsession with the Han people or Greater China. He just wants to try to find a more reasonable way of wealth distribution, or a national system. He has no liking for or need for false titles such as the greatest emperor of all time or thousands of years of civilization.

"The commander is going to lead the fleet to the West?" Huang Nanping had some understanding of what the emperor was going to do on this trip, but he did not feel particularly excited. Instead, he was filled with fear of unfamiliar waters.

"It's not the West Ocean, it's all called the South Ocean from now on! As the commander of the South Ocean Fleet, shouldn't you go check out the sea area you're in charge of first?"

Fear is normal, but ambition is also normal. Hong Tao plans to see if this commander is competent. If he is only afraid but not ambitious, then he should be replaced as soon as possible.

As for the names of Western, Eastern, and Southern Oceans, the Ming Dynasty was different from later generations. It was not invented by anyone, but was passed down from previous dynasties. There was no specific boundary, just a general term.

Dongyang, there is no dispute, refers specifically to the sea area in the direction of Korea and Japan. Nanyang is similar to the Southeast Asian sea area in later generations, but does not include the sea area west of the Strait of Malacca. The sea area west of the Strait is called Xiyang, so there is a saying that Zheng He sailed to the West.

At that time, Europe was called Far West Europe. The Atlantic Ocean was unknown, and there was no concept of the Earth. People thought that the world ended beyond Japan, but they never explored it. Lack of curiosity was the fatal weakness of the ancients.

"All... all go to Nanyang... I dare to ask for your order to lead two warships to explore the way ahead first, and when everything is clear, Your Majesty can lead the fleet in person!"

Huang Nanping did not act lame this time. After a little thought, he immediately proposed a safer solution, mainly because he did not want the emperor to put himself in danger. If something unexpected happened, not only would he be in trouble, but the entire navy would suffer. "Do you still think this commander can't sail?" Unfortunately, the emperor was not interested in this suggestion. He even raised an eyebrow and began to look at people with a squint.

"I dare not..." After all, after spending more than a month together day and night, Huang Nanping was already familiar with some of the emperor's expressions and movements. Seeing this, he quickly swallowed back his words of dissuasion.

"Don't you dare to go and pass on the order? Don't worry about me anymore in the future, and don't learn the bad habits of old officials who try to figure out the intentions of their superiors. Concentrate on doing your job well, which is the greatest loyalty to me!"

If Huang Nanping had not made many contributions when the navy was first established, and was not young and experienced, Hong Tao really did not want to keep him. Just like many officials in the court, the communication was not very smooth, and he was not as easy to use as a young man who had just graduated from the Haihu Division.

Why choose the destination as Great Nicobar Island? In four words, geographical location. Big Nicobar Island, Little Nicobar Island and a bunch of small islands make up the Nicobar Islands, which are located at the western exit of the Strait of Malacca, together with the Andaman Islands to the north, like two doors.

In later times, these two archipelagos belonged to India's overseas territories, and were the legacy of the foreign expansion of the Zhunian Kingdom. Where was the Zhunian Kingdom? In the southern part of the Indian Peninsula.

Before being colonized by the British, the Indian Peninsula was just a geographical name, not a country. So, before being colonized by the British, there was no Indian country, only many dynasties, just like China, which kept changing.

But unlike China, all dynasties in the history of the Indian Peninsula have never unified the Indian Peninsula. That is to say, before being colonized by Britain, there were at least two or more regimes, dynasties, tribes, etc. on the Indian Peninsula.

There are many famous Indian dynasties in history, such as the Maurya Dynasty and the Mughal Dynasty that built the Taj Mahal. Why couldn't they unify the Indian peninsula? In Hong Tao's opinion, it is nothing more than three reasons: the wrong time, the wrong place, and the wrong people.

The topography of the Indian Peninsula is relatively easy to summarize. The north is a combination of plateaus and plains, while the south is a mountainous area surrounded by two mountain ranges close to the sea. There are also many large east-west rivers running through it, and tropical rainforests are everywhere.

This is the disadvantage of the location. It is very difficult to travel from south to north or from north to south. It is almost impossible to walk thousands of miles in the rainforest and mountains with the transportation capabilities in ancient times.

Due to different terrain and latitude, the climate of the Indian Peninsula is very different in the north and south. Generally speaking, the north is more arid and the south is more tropical monsoon.

This is just the wrong time. Just look at ancient China and you will understand that if you want to develop agriculture and animal husbandry, the plains and plateaus in the north are more suitable, while although there is plenty of water in the south, it is difficult to use it effectively.

The Indian peninsula itself has indigenous inhabitants, divided into many tribes from north to south, with different nationalities, languages ​​and customs.

Since the 2nd century AD, India has been constantly invaded by foreign races. Greeks, Parthians, Yuezhi, Persians, Macedonians, Turks, and Mongols have come and gone like a revolving lantern. The entire history of India is almost a history of invasion.

This is the discord among people. There are too many ethnic groups with different beliefs and cultures to count, which makes it very difficult to unify them. Even if they are forcibly brought together by force, they will fall apart again if they relax a little. There is no centripetal force or cohesion at all.

(End of this chapter)