Smuggling Daming

The second fleet that the Portuguese sent to India was led by an arrogant nobleman Cabral. After he arrived in India, he arbitrarily demanded that the local small states should give him priority in buying spices, which seriously damaged the The interests of Muslim merchants who monopolize the spice trade, and Muslims have significant influence in various small countries, so conflicts inevitably broke out in the end.

At the beginning, the Portuguese nobleman Cabral who led the fleet ransacked a Muslim merchant ship by force and killed everyone on board. This aroused the anger of the local Muslims, so they united to attack the Portuguese in India. The merchant station, and killed more than 50 Portuguese, which made Cabral even more angry, bombarded the important port of the Indians where the merchant station was located, ransacked the merchant ships in the port, and slaughtered more than 600 people innocent boat people.

The brutal behavior of the Portuguese naturally made the local Muslim businessmen hate them very much. However, at that time, there were many small countries on the west coast of India, and the massacre of the Portuguese in that state aroused the favor of some countries that had enemies with this state. The division of the Indians soon gained a foothold in other parts of the west coast of India, but the hatred between them and the Muslim businessmen became more irresolvable.

Two years later, Da Gama arrived in India again with the huge Portuguese fleet. This navigator who was born as a Portuguese aristocrat was tougher and more arrogant than the previous Cabral. As soon as he arrived in India, he captured a ship that arrived in India He massacred nearly 400 people on board the Hajj ship, a considerable number of whom were women and children.

In addition, Da Gama also threatened the small states on the west coast of India with force.And signed a business agreement that is very beneficial to Portugal with another state, and during this period, Da Gama also had a naval battle with the local state, but he only used four warships to defeat the opponent by 50 There are many ships, and the losses of the Portuguese themselves are very small. The most important reason for such a disparity in results is the huge gap in technology.

The warship used by the Portuguese was the most popular Clark ship in Europe, which was the predecessor of the famous Galen ship.It is countless times stronger than the Indian warships, and their ships are also loaded with heavy artillery. The primitive warships of the Indians have no power to fight back in front of them.

After this naval battle, the Portuguese finally gained a firm foothold in India, and they also took part of the maritime trade from Muslim merchants.And at this time, although their power has not yet completely conquered the entire west coast of India, they have grown into a local force that cannot be ignored, and they have begun to erode the maritime trade of Muslim merchants step by step.

In 1504, the year before Emperor Zhengde ascended the throne, Portugal formally formed an alliance with a small state named Cochin in India, and with the help of the other party.A port that truly belonged to the Portuguese - Manuel, was built, which was named after the Portuguese king at that time.From this we can see the importance of this port, and in the same year, Portugal defeated 150 Indian warships with only three warships. In this battle, 25 Indians were sunk and tens of thousands died. people, but the Portuguese turned out to have zero casualties.

For the above results.Zhou Zhong didn't believe it at first, but Father John and Chilawa swore together.The result of this battle is absolutely true, and it was recorded by the Portuguese in history. Not only the Europeans know it, but even the defeated Indians admit it, and this disparity in the result is not just a special case. Surprised results.

In the Battle of Hormuz in 1507, Portugal sent out six ships with nearly 500 people to fight against 170 warships of the Persians. As a result, the Persians sank more than 30 warships and killed more than 3000 people. There were zero deaths and only eleven people were injured.

In the Battle of Diu in 1509, 150 warships from Portugal and [-] warships from Egypt, Ottomans and India were jointly dispatched. As a result, Portugal won again. Although it was not zero casualties this time, the losses were minimal.Moreover, after the Diwu naval battle, Muslims withdrew from the Indian Ocean completely, and the Portuguese became the masters of the Indian Ocean ever since.

Through the disparate results of the above series of naval battles, Zhou Zhong finally saw the fact that the Europeans have completely surpassed the Arabs and Indians in terms of navigation and weapons, which is why they are overwhelming in naval battles, and Zhou Zhong I also have to admit that although the Central Plains area was once at the forefront of the world in terms of navigation, after so many years of sea bans, shipbuilding and navigation technology have regressed significantly, and now it is estimated that they are also no match for the Portuguese.

According to Father John and Chilawa, the influence of the Portuguese people in India is no longer limited to the port of Manuel. They have already occupied Goa, an important port city of the Indians, and put politics, Both economic and military loyalties have moved there, while the Portuguese have stationed [-] warships and more than [-] soldiers in India all year round. He controlled the entire west coast of India, and at the same time monopolized the maritime trade there, transporting huge amounts of wealth to Portugal every year.

When Zhou Zhong heard that Portugal had so many ships and soldiers in India, and thought that they would attack Malacca next year, his complexion suddenly became ugly. Although the strength of the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce has grown rapidly, However, there are only 1000 members in the chamber of commerce, and there are only 600 people who can actually be used to fight at sea. Even if he mobilizes other chambers of commerce, he may only be able to recruit 1000 people in the end.

In addition, it should be noted that whether it is the people from the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce or other chambers of commerce, they are just civilian armed forces and cannot be compared with the real army. In addition, their ships and weapons are not comparable to the Portuguese. Taking these 1000 people to aid the city of Malacca may have very limited effect in the end. If one side suffers a huge loss of personnel and fails to prevent Portugal from occupying Malacca, the consequences will be so serious that even Zhou Zhong It is also unbearable.

Thinking of this, Zhou Zhong's expression didn't turn ugly all of a sudden. He also knew something about the Portuguese's expansion in Southeast Asia. There, then they opened the door to Southeast Asia, and at the same time posed a huge threat to the coast of Daming.

Think about the complicated relationship between several generations of pirate kings in the Ming Dynasty and Portugal in history, and the war between Zheng Zhilong and his sons and the Portuguese at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Although they were able to repel Portugal’s invasion of the coast of the Ming Dynasty temporarily, Nanyang had already fallen. In the hands of Western countries, they can attack, retreat or defend, and will soon make a comeback. Finally, at the end of the Qing Dynasty, it evolved into countries invading the Central Plains. no longer exists.

Aside from these major aspects, if the Portuguese are allowed to enter Southeast Asia, it will definitely not be a good thing for smugglers such as Zhou Zhong, because it marks that they will have another powerful and tyrannical trade in the future. opponents, which also means that their profits from smuggling will drop sharply.

Even Zhou Zhong suddenly discovered that the situation of himself and these people was actually very similar to that of the Muslim businessmen in India before. After the Portuguese crossed the Cape of Good Hope, they finally opened up the route between Europe and the Indian Ocean, thus competing with the Muslim businessmen. And now the Strait of Malacca is the Cape of Good Hope in Southeast Asia and the coast of Daming. If Portugal is allowed to occupy there, it will definitely be the beginning of a disaster for smugglers like Zhou Zhong.

no!I must not let the Portuguese occupy the Straits of Malacca!Zhou Zhong, who was sitting in the living room, suddenly stood up, and then walked back and forth in the living room a few times, no matter whether it was for business or private, Zhou Zhong couldn't let Portugal succeed, it's a pity that his current strength is limited, Even if he gambled his capital, he was not very sure, which made Zhou Zhong extremely anxious.

No, I have another way!Zhou Zhong, who was originally anxious, suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Thinking of a possibility that he had thought about before, he couldn't help showing a smile on his face. He was still hesitating whether to do this, but now it seems that this is already His only hope is to try his best!

The solution Zhou Zhong came up with was actually very simple. Since he was not strong enough, he had no choice but to ask for help, and the only one who had the strength to help him in the entire Ming Dynasty was the Emperor Zhengde, who was famous for playing with things and losing his mind, and it happened that he also agreed Ashikaga Kazuki is going to Beijing with their Ashikaga envoys to meet Emperor Masatoku, just in time to find a way to persuade the other party.

Speaking of which, although the military strength of Ming Dynasty had declined severely during this period, except for the northern frontier army that still maintained a relatively strong combat effectiveness, the central and southern armies had almost lost most of their combat effectiveness in a peaceful life. The implementation of the sea ban has shrunk dramatically.

However, as the saying goes, there are still three catties of nails in a bad ship. No matter how powerful Daming's army is, there are still some relatively elite troops. For example, Zhou Zhong is most familiar with the sea force. Around a port that allows tribute teams from various countries to enter and leave, there are two fleets that still maintain considerable combat effectiveness. If Emperor Zhengde can be persuaded to mobilize these two fleets to assist when the Portuguese attack Malacca next year, then definitely. Frustrating Portugal's invasion of Nanyang, he can also take advantage of the vacancy and extend his power to the city of Malacca! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation.)