Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Zhu Youjian certainly wanted an important place like Malacca.

As long as we take control of this area and the Malacca Strait, we will be able to close the door and beat the dog in Southeast Asia and gain a strategic advantage over the Netherlands and Spain.

With the population and land combat capability of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Youjian could be sure that even if the naval battle failed, the Dutch would not be able to seize the land strongholds.

The Ming Dynasty was able to rely on its land resources to challenge the Dutch time and time again.

But this is also what he is most worried about. The Dutch, who have long coveted Malacca, will not sit idly by and watch the Ming Dynasty occupy this place.

Malacca is completely different in the hands of Portugal and in the hands of the Ming Dynasty.

The Dutch, who had already established a stronghold in Jambi on the island of Sumatra, might, upon discovering that the Ming occupied Malacca, unite with the Kingdom of Johor, the Kingdom of Aceh, and even the Spanish and English to exclude the Ming in Southeast Asia.

Zhu Youjian had to consider the impact of this incident and think about the Ming Dynasty's strategy towards Southeast Asia.

So he did not reply for a while, but summoned Yu Anxing, Yu Zigao and others who came to Beijing to set up the Ministry of the Navy, as well as the Privy Councilor and the Minister of the Lifanyuan to discuss the matter together.

The civil officials of the Ming Dynasty were not very enthusiastic about the idea of ​​annexing the country. Their desire for expansion was never very high.

When the ministers heard about this, the first thing they did was to suspect whether the Portuguese had evil intentions.

Huang Liji, the chief minister in charge of establishing the Lifanyuan, said:

"Your Majesty, if Malacca wants to submit, they should submit a petition."

"These Portuguese merchants may make their own decisions."

Zhu Youjian also thought of this possibility and said:
"It is indeed possible that some Portuguese businessmen made their own decisions."

"But the existence of these people shows that there were accomplices behind the Ming Dynasty."

"The 200-plus garrison troops in Malacca City are simply not enough to stop the Ming army."

"I don't doubt whether the Ming Dynasty can occupy Malacca now, but whether it can hold it firmly after it is recovered."

When he expressed his concerns about the alliance between the Netherlands, Johor, Aceh and other countries, the ministers were confused.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Youjian ordered his men to take out a map he had drawn, pointed to the Malacca Peninsula and said to his ministers:
"This is Malacca. When Zheng He sailed to the West, he set up a foreign government here as a supply base."

"The Malacca Kingdom once paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty. After the Ming Dynasty withdrew from Southeast Asia, it was conquered by the Portuguese more than a hundred years ago. Its royal descendants established the Kingdom of Johor."

"The island across the Strait of Malacca can be called Sumatra, or simply Sumatra."

"This used to be the Kingdom of Sumatra. Zheng He helped it to restore its country, and Emperor Xuanzong even conferred the throne on its ruler."

"After the Ming Dynasty withdrew from Southeast Asia, the Kingdom of Sumatra was destroyed by the Kingdom of Aceh."

(Comparison between Nanyang place names in the late Ming Dynasty and modern place names)

After introducing these place names and letting the ministers know their approximate locations, Zhu Youjian said:
"According to what the Portuguese merchants said, the Kingdom of Aceh was sending troops to fight for Malacca, and the Dutch and the Kingdom of Johor were also eyeing Malacca together."

"The Dutch also established a base in Jambi, south of Sumatra, and coveted Malacca and the old port area."

"And the English, after failing to seize Ambon Island in the Spice Islands, also established a base in Jambi, plotting to occupy the area."

After making this clear, the ministers realized the complexity of the situation in Southeast Asia.

Faced with the covetousness of so many forces, it is no wonder that some Portuguese merchants wanted the Ming Dynasty to come over to protect their interests.

However, some people have questions, that is, why are so many forces coveting Portugal's stronghold?
Zhu Youjian responded to them:
"This is because the Kingdom of Portugal was annexed by the Kingdom of Spain as a co-owner, and Spain was not interested in Portugal's overseas colonies."

"According to the intelligence collected by the Royal Guards from Portuguese merchants, Portugal has lost Hormuz Island and other places, and has also lost some of its strongholds in Myanmar. Now it is in danger everywhere."

"Moreover, the war between Spain and the Netherlands also led the Dutch to establish the East India Company to seize Portugal, which was subordinate to Spain, from its colonies."

(Schematic diagram of the colonies of Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands. At this time, Malacca and the Cape of Good Hope were still under Portuguese occupation)
After understanding these things, all the ministers realized that Malacca was a quagmire.

If the Ming Dynasty intervened, it might be involved in the war between Portugal and the Netherlands. There was a possibility of a major war between the Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands.

Although the Ming Dynasty was not afraid of the Dutch, having defeated the Dutch fleet in the Battle of Penghu and expelled the Dutch from the land of Dongning, it would try to avoid war if possible.

Many officials disagreed with the Ming Dynasty's interference in Malacca, and believed that there was no need to pay attention to the matter and that the request of Portuguese merchants should be rejected.

Yuan Keli was also responsible for disaster relief, so he thought more about it and asked:
"What's the climate like in Malacca?"

“How many people can be immigrated?”

Zhu Youjian thought for a moment and speculated:
"The Malacca area is a plain, and it is in the tropics, so there is plenty of rain."

"It should be no problem to harvest three crops a year. If all of them are developed, it can feed at least one million people."

Yuan Ke immediately said:
"If this is the case, I think we should agree to the Portuguese merchants' request and send troops to intervene in Malacca."

“After Dongning relocated 50,000 households this year, most of the places that were easy to reclaim were being reclaimed.”

"It's not impossible to continue migrating, but reclamation will be much more difficult and conflicts with local natives will increase."

"Next year, Shaanxi will have to relocate at least 100,000 households, and Malacca can just accommodate them."

After hearing this, Xu Guangqi also thought of this matter and believed that the Ming Dynasty should intervene in Southeast Asia to facilitate the relocation of disaster victims.

After taking charge of disaster relief affairs, the two did not dare to underestimate the current population of Shaanxi at all.

Previously, the emperor believed that the actual population of Shaanxi was at least twice as high as the statistics showed, but the two men were a little skeptical.

But after 50,000 households migrated to Shaanxi, they had no choice but to believe it.

According to household registration statistics previously submitted by local officials in Shaanxi, there are a total of 39 households and 450 million people in Shaanxi.

After the relocation of 50,000 households, the number of households decreased by one-eighth, and the population decreased by about 300,000 people because only small households were relocated.

With so many fewer victims, the situation in Shaanxi should have improved significantly. However, the current disaster relief situation in Shaanxi is still very serious. As a result, Sun Chuanting and others had no choice but to take action against the King of Qin and levy the accumulation of the King of Qin's palace.

Therefore, the officials of the Disaster Relief Committee believed that Shaanxi probably had a population of at least nine million, as the emperor had speculated. The number of households might even exceed one million.

In the future, 30% or even half of these people may need to be relocated in order for Shaanxi to be self-sufficient and survive the severe drought predicted by the emperor.

Therefore, Xu Guangqi, Yuan Keli and others have decided to relocate at least 100,000 households of disaster victims in Shaanxi next year until the grain produced in Shaanxi can feed the remaining people.

These 100,000 households needed to be resettled, and Dongning couldn't accommodate more people. Because of the war in the Northeast, it was not convenient for more people to move there.

They originally planned to hand these people over to the pirates who were recruited by the imperial court and have them dispersed and resettled.

Now, after discovering Malacca, they immediately thought that they could recapture the outer prefecture of Malacca, establish a military and civil government modeled after Dongning Prefecture, organize the disaster victims into military and civil guards, and relocate them in batches.

When Zhu Youjian heard this, he praised the two men's overall view.

He had originally intended to recapture Malacca, but because the matter was too important, he summoned all his ministers to discuss it.

Now, after getting the support of Yuan Keli and Xu Guangqi, he immediately said: "Agree to the request of the Portuguese merchants, and the Lifanyuan and the Navy will send people to discuss with the Portuguese merchants."

"Let them prepare at least enough food to feed 200,000 people for a year, and prepare houses and farmers who are good at farming in the area."

"If you can meet my requirements, I will send troops to defend Malacca and designate the area currently occupied by the Portuguese as the Malacca Free Trade Zone."

This is their greatest value and the reason why Zhu Youjian is willing to negotiate with them.

With these Portuguese merchants leading the way, the Ming Dynasty would not be completely in the dark when it arrived at the local area, and would be able to adapt to the local climate more quickly and reclaim arable land.

Someone needed to be responsible for the migration of so many people. Zhu Youjian did not intend to divide the important land of Malacca, so he issued an order:
"After Malacca was recovered, it was directly under the Nanyang Governor-General's Office."

"Order the Nanyang Governor to be changed to the Nanyang Governor-General, and establish Nanyang Guards in the Malacca area."

"As for the specific location of the garrison, ask Guo Shangyou to send someone to investigate and make advance preparations."

As he spoke, he remembered something else and added:

"Zhu Youjian, the grandson of the Tang king, has already requested to establish a vassal state and has made many preparations."

"Let him also participate in this matter as the Minister of the Lifanyuan."

"Coordinate the disputes with the Kingdom of Johor and the Kingdom of Aceh and make them submit to the Ming Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Xu Guangqi asked:

"What if the two countries are unwilling to submit?"

Zhu Youjian said categorically:

"Then beat them until they surrender!"

"Also, if the Kingdom of Aceh still dares to covet Malacca after the Ming Dynasty recaptures Malacca, then we will authorize Zhu Youjian to establish a vassal state on Sumatra."

"The size of Sumen Island is large enough to enfeoff two vassal kings."

"I plan to move the Tang vassal to this island. If the establishment of the vassal state goes smoothly, I will also move the Qin vassal state there."

This was a strategy to deal with the Kingdom of Aceh and also a measure to appease the Qin vassal.

The King of Qin must be upset to be forced to move overseas. In order to prevent the King of Qin from causing trouble after entering Beijing, Zhu Youjian decided to give the area around Jiugang Xuanweisi to the King of Qin as a fief.

He didn't even need to establish a vassal state. He could just let Zhu Youjian, the grandson of the King of Tang, send troops to help him conquer it.

Zhu Youjian believed that with the support of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Youjian should be able to take Sumatra.

At most, he would be allowed to avenge his father as a reward.

When Yuan Keli heard that the emperor had planned to expand to Sumatra in addition to Malacca, he was worried that the emperor was too radical and said:

"Malacca can immigrate a million people and at least set up three guards."

"Assuming that each military and civilian guard can accommodate a maximum of 50,000 households, that would be 150,000 households."

"Each palace can also have three guards. The Tang and Qin vassal states combined have 300,000 households."

"Four hundred and fifty thousand households are enough to accommodate all the disaster victims in Shaanxi."

"I think it is enough to occupy these two places, and the rest of Nanyang can be ignored for the time being."

Zhu Youjian nodded in approval and said:
"I have the same idea."

"If the Portuguese hadn't come to us, we wouldn't have planned to establish a vassal state in Southeast Asia."

"In the South China Sea, the Ming navy has no advantage and cannot control the sea."

"Once there is a conflict with the Dutch, the Ming soldiers in Malacca and Sumatra will have to rely on themselves."

"Mr. Yu, tell me, when will the Ming Dynasty be able to gain control of the sea and gain an absolute advantage over the Dutch?"

Yu Zigao listened for a long time, and only spoke up after hearing the emperor's question:

"I think we need at least fifty warships comparable to the Ctesigallonian ships, plus one hundred and fifty auxiliary ships, to gain control of the sea in the South China Sea."

"Western warships are good at artillery warfare, which is indeed desirable. I, Zheng Zhihu and others have recruited some shipbuilding craftsmen from Manila, but they do not fully understand this type of ship."

"Your Majesty, please order Portuguese merchants to recruit craftsmen to help the Ming Dynasty master galleons."

Zhu Youjian had previously assigned Zheng Zhihu the task of replicating Western ships such as galleons. Zheng Zhihu was quick to act, sending merchants to recruit some Chinese shipbuilders from Manila.

These men specialized in Manila galleons, or Chinese junks.

This type of sailing ship was designed by Spain based on Chinese ocean-going sailing ships and built in Manila by Chinese craftsmen. It is deeply imprinted with Chinese shipbuilding technology and is an authentic Chinese ship.

After the Ming shipbuilders obtained the design, they quickly figured it out, started copying it, and began construction.

However, the Ming Dynasty craftsmen did not quite understand the construction of warships such as galleons. They needed more professional shipbuilding craftsmen to guide them in construction.

After hearing this, Zhu Youjian immediately ordered this clause to be added to the conditions for negotiating with Portuguese merchants. He also asked Yu Zigao:

"How many guns and soldiers are needed for each galleon?"

"With fifty galleons, how many more people does the navy need?"

Yu Zigao calculated and said:

"According to the tonnage set by Your Majesty, a galleon of 500 to 600 tons can be equipped with 40 to 50 guns and requires nearly 300 soldiers to operate them."

"Fifty galleons will require more than two thousand guns and fifteen thousand soldiers."

"Two hundred auxiliary ships would require about 20 to 30 thousand men."

"In total, we need about 40,000 soldiers to ensure control of the South China Sea."

Zhu Youjian was very surprised to hear this number. It was not because it was too much, but because it was a little too little.

Thirty to forty thousand people is equivalent to the military strength of a town in the Ming Dynasty. If one more town is set up, the entire Nanyang can be controlled. It is really a great deal for Zhu Youjian.

The only thing that made him hesitate was that building ships and cannons would cost a lot of money.

When the ministers heard that it would take a whole town of troops to control Nanyang, they frowned. In their opinion, this was more than the cost of Zheng He's fleet.

Zheng He's fleet at that time had only more than 200 ships and more than 20,000 soldiers, but it was enough to make all the Western countries surrender.

Now, in order to control the South Seas, they would need to spend twice as much as Zheng He's fleet, which they thought was not cost-effective.

Most officials were still focused on suppressing the Jianlu, and thought it was not worthwhile to devote their energy to controlling Southeast Asia. (End of this chapter)