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Chapter 977 Establishing Prestige
"Yes, sir. I'll arrange it right away!" You Bukuai was so excited that he forgot about etiquette and rushed out without even attending the imperial meeting.

With the emperor's approval, the Nanyang Fleet and the Marine Corps finally had something to do. If a soldier has no war to fight, it is like a student who cannot take the exam, and his work is in vain. Only by going to the battlefield can one gain merit, be promoted to a higher rank, and get more money and retirement allowance.

"Wait! If this continues, the Southeast Asian countries will soon know that it is our Ming Dynasty that is behind it. If a commotion breaks out, it will be difficult to quell. Your Majesty, think twice!" The soldiers were happy, but the officials might not be happy. The first person to stand up and try to dissuade them was Yang Sichang.

The fact that he had been able to hold the position of Minister of Rites for so many years showed that he was not pedantic and generally supported the emperor's consistent diplomatic strategy, especially the dispatch of diplomatic envoys to various countries, which enabled him to keep abreast of changes in the world and broaden his horizons.

But when it comes to the issues of the Southeast Asian countries, he prefers to take a gradual and subtle approach. This is not weakness, but rather in line with the emperor's style of doing things, calculated based on cost.

These countries are scattered across many islands. Due to many factors such as topography, climate, religious culture, and road traffic, they cannot be conquered all at once with a large army. The cost of conquering them by force alone is too high, so high that the imperial court is unable to afford it.

"I understand Yang Aiqing's worries, but your calculations are wrong. They have always been at odds with each other, and it is difficult for them to unite and fight against the Ming Dynasty. As long as we choose the right targets, we can defeat them one by one by attacking one group and winning over another group. When the rest realize that the situation is hopeless, they will have no choice but to be puppets of the Ming Dynasty.

My dear ministers, you may not have seen what a naval battle is like? This time, you can see the might of the Ming Navy with your own eyes. There is no point in saying more. Go back and have a good rest. Gather enough energy. Tomorrow, or at the latest the day after tomorrow, we will see the outcome!"

Hong Tao patiently comforted Yang Sichang in response to his concerns, but did not give any specific solutions. Instead, he left a small tail to whet Yang Sichang's appetite.

Nothing happened in Manila the next day, and the estuary was still crowded with ships. But with the arrival of a naval communications ship in the evening, the ships of the South China Sea Fleet anchored at the pier and the estuary suddenly came alive, hanging strings of red lanterns and patrolling around the port area all night.

After daybreak, the huge port area became deserted. Seventy percent of the hundreds of anchored merchant ships disappeared overnight, and the remaining thirty percent were busy loading and unloading cargoes. One ship after another raised their sails and sailed upstream along the river, led by many small boats.

After lunch, cannon fire suddenly rang out from the castle, one after another. Then teams of Marines ran out from the barracks on both sides of the river, and under the leadership of officers, they blocked the docks and the streets and houses near the city gates, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving, and even not allowing windows to be opened.

"Boom boom boom... Boom boom boom..." Before the cannons sounded, the emperor had already sent people to notify the officials accompanying him on his southern tour to gather at the dock. Not long after, bursts of cannon fire were heard at the river mouth, and then huge ships and tall masts appeared on the water one after another.

"One, two, three... nine, ten, eleven... Your Majesty, where do the thirteen Han-class ships come from?" Yuan Chonghuan, the Governor of Annan, had been in Manila Port for many years and had seen countless naval fleets. He was shocked at this moment.

Among the three fleets of the navy, the Indian Ocean Fleet, which was established last, was the most powerful, with 32 Qin-class and 10 Han-class warships, as well as more than 40 Guangzhou-class and Fuzhou-class armed cargo ships. However, more than ten Han-class warships were entering the channel one after another, which was obviously inconsistent with the fleet organization.

"Hehehe, this is my expeditionary fleet, with the Indian Ocean Fleet as the backbone and a small part of the East China Sea Fleet. The ones entering the port are just the support, less than half of the number, and more warships and cargo ships are anchored in the open sea. How about it, are you and I at ease going out to sea on them?" Seeing that Yang Lian, who has always been mentally tough and calm, was shocked, Hong Tao was very pleased. Such a scene is not only to show the empire's maritime strength to the ministers, but also to declare sovereignty to the South Sea countries and tell them who is the boss in this sea area!

The so-called southern tour was just a lie to fool the ministers. The real purpose was not to inspect but to deter. The cause was not that the Sulu Kingdom secretly supported the Visayans to harass the southern part of Luzon, but that the Aceh Sultanate attacked Malacca and Johor successively, and annexed the Demu Kingdom to occupy the old port.

Jiugang was once an important supply port for Zheng He's voyages to the West, and was also the location of the Jiugang Xuanwei Office. Since then, a large number of Chinese businessmen have gathered in the area, making it an important cargo distribution center on the island of Sumatra.

Since the Port of Manila was occupied by the Ming Empire, it gradually became the largest trading port in Southeast Asia. The Chinese businessmen in the old port took advantage of their own advantages and quickly established a distribution network in the local area, selling the goods purchased from the Port of Manila to various parts of Sumatra, including the Sultanate of Aceh.

Seeing that Jiugang was getting richer and richer, the surrounding forces must have had ulterior motives, which was also human nature. However, due to the strength of the Ming Empire, no one dared to act rashly, and they had to treat the Chinese merchants from Jiugang differently in order to get a better wholesale price.

However, Hong Tao adopted a strategic contraction policy for about ten years, concentrating on dealing with domestic issues, which caused the Sultanate of Aceh to have some misunderstandings. They thought that the Ming Empire would not have the energy to interfere in Sumatra or even Southeast Asia as it had done for the previous two hundred years, and began to expand its influence.

Although most of the countries and forces on the islands of Southeast Asia believe in Islam, there are also moderate and tough ones. Coincidentally, Johor and Tamu are both moderate and have the closest exchanges with the Ming Dynasty. The move by the Sultanate of Aceh is obviously full of provocation.

Could it be a coincidence? It's possible, but Hong Tao doesn't plan to investigate it. Even if someone can prove that it was 100% unintentional, the Sultanate of Aceh will be punished. It hit the gun point. The Ming Empire just needed to kill a chicken to deter the Southeast Asian countries, and it jumped out to perform. It would be inappropriate not to kill it.

The expeditionary fleet that came to welcome the emperor had a total of 39 ships, including 27 warships and 12 armed merchant ships. Most of them were the main forces of the Indian Ocean Fleet, and a small number were temporarily transferred from the East China Sea Fleet.

This time, Hong Tao did not arrange for the ministers to board the armed cargo ship, but put them all on the flagship. If someone could sink this Han-class battleship, 90% of the high-ranking officials of the Ming Empire, including the emperor, could be killed instantly, which would be equivalent to destroying the country.

But it was too difficult to do this, as the emperor's flagship was surrounded by two layers of warships. At this time, no fleet in the world could break through the defense line and sail one kilometer before launching an artillery attack under the firing of hundreds of breech-loading rifled cannons.

In addition to the large number of guns, the 12 armed merchant ships also carried the Marine Corps' Cancer Guards. This Marine Corps, which had been stationed in Manila, Da Nang and Thanlyin, was very familiar with tropical jungle warfare and accustomed to tropical climates, and was the main force in landing operations.

The specific location of the Sultanate of Aceh is in the northwest of Sumatra Island. Before the 16th century, it was a vassal state of Majapahit. Many of the high-ranking officials in this country are descendants of Muslim merchants from the Indian Peninsula, Bengal, and even the Middle East. Their ethnicity, customs, and culture are quite different from those of the Southeast Asian countries in the usual sense.

(End of this chapter)