Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

In history, India has always been a big piece of fat in the eyes of various forces.

Their nation's combat effectiveness has never been strong, but it has fertile land and a large population, and it also has an extremely well-located coastline, which has led to dual vigilance from land and sea countries.

What is the result? India itself is not competitive, and has repeatedly let foreign races succeed.

The earliest can be traced back to the Aryans in 1500 BC. The nomadic people originally living in Central Asia migrated to the South Asian subcontinent, conquered the local indigenous peoples, established small slave states, and established the caste system.

At the end of the 6th century BC, after the rise of the First Persian Empire, it conquered the Indus Plain through the Khyber Pass.

In 327 BC, Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia, entered India along the Khyber Pass, won after four major battles with the Indian King Porus, and established two Alexandria cities in the Indus Valley.

In the early 2nd century BC, the Greeks, Scythians and Parthians invaded India successively. Among them, the Great Yuezhi who fled from China established the Kushan Empire in northern India.

In 1206, Qutbuddin Aybek, the governor of Delhi under the Ghur dynasty of Afghanistan, invaded India and established the Delhi Sultanate, which had a profound impact on the whole of India.

They were more fierce than the previous invasions. This time, Qutbuddin Aybek brought the darkest period to India. In this holy land of Buddhism, he required some Indians to convert to Islam, which eventually laid the groundwork for the independence of Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The ruling class of the Delhi Sultanate were all Islamic military feudal nobles from Central Asia, with the "forty major families" of Turks and Afghans as the core, occupying a large amount of military fiefdom land "Iqta", and relying on foreign mercenaries from Central Asia as the pillar of rule.

They adopted high-pressure ruling policies such as hostility, discrimination, and persecution against Hindu feudal lords and the vast majority of residents from all walks of life, forcibly levied head taxes and forced conversion to Islam, which stimulated the national feelings and religious emotions of all walks of life in Hinduism.

After the succession of several Islamic dynasties, the Delhi Sultanate that now rules India is now an empty frame, with various large and small princes separatist below.

The Delhi Sultanate was ruled by Ibrahim Lodi, the third Sultan of the Lodi Dynasty founded by Afghans, but he was tyrannical and killed all the court officials, causing strong resentment in the country, and his rule was shaky.

According to the original historical process, the Lodi Dynasty, which had only experienced three generations, had come to its end and was about to be replaced by Babur, a descendant of the Timurid Empire.

Babur, who replaced the Lodi Dynasty, was a descendant of the Timurid Empire. Since he was expelled from Transoxiana, he crossed mountains and entered Afghanistan, captured Kabul, and established a small dynasty in Kabul.

Originally, Babur's primary goal was to recover Transoxiana, but the situation in Transoxiana changed too quickly, so he turned his attention to the divided and weakened Lodi Dynasty.

The lights in the East Warm Pavilion flickered, and the eunuchs and palace maids carefully brought ginseng soup.

Zhu Youtang's attention was always on the several intelligence reports sent. Today, Babur went from Kabul to India to start a war. This war concerning the ownership of Indian territory was about to start in full swing on that troubled land.

"I remember that Babur seemed to have invaded India a few years in advance!" Zhu Youtang tried hard to recall the time when the Mughal Empire was founded, and vaguely felt that his appearance had affected the course of history.

Facing the big piece of fat meat in India, he wanted to take a bite.

After the Indian Ocean Governor's Office of the Ming Dynasty settled in the Indian Ocean, it was inevitable to deal with the Delhi Sultanate, so it soon learned that the Delhi Sultanate had lost the support of the people.

India was in the chaos of the separatist rule of the princes, and the army of the Lodi Dynasty was not strong, so they could send troops to annex India in one fell swoop.

When Wang Zhi served as the Governor-General of the Indian Ocean, the Indian Governor's Office had a good combat power at that time, and naturally had the strength to invade India. The warlike Wang Zhi was very active in this matter. He was ready to move soon after he took office, and he submitted several petitions to himself for war.

Zhu Youtang was indeed very tempted at the time, but as a mature emperor, he needed to resist this temptation and have a mind that thinks in all directions.

India has a good agricultural foundation. If the Ming Dynasty could occupy that land, it could indeed bring a lot of food to the Ming Dynasty and also settle some people.

However, history has long proved that a pure agricultural economy is actually very fragile. Once it encounters a natural disaster like the Little Ice Age, even the most powerful dynasty will eventually go to destruction.

On the other hand, as long as the maritime hegemony is not lost, the country can control the global maritime trade and is destined to be the most dazzling existence in the world.

Even in the later generations with advanced technology, all countries attach great importance to maritime hegemony. A small Suez Canal has become a battleground for military strategists and directly affects the global economic artery.

That's why India is indeed a big piece of fat, but it is far from comparable to maritime hegemony.

The reason why Zhu Youtang did not adopt Wang Zhi's proposal and did not choose to invade India was that the Ming Dynasty wanted to establish a persona of a country of etiquette in the Indian Ocean, and secondly, it required too much investment to fight a war, and the most important reason was maritime hegemony.

Although India's land can indeed get good economic returns, there are also risks in the agricultural economy. What's more, sending troops to India was a major investment for the Ming Dynasty, and operating and managing India was another major investment, and there were many variables here.

Based on these considerations, Zhu Youtang ignored the fat piece of India and focused on clearing all the ships in the entire Indian Ocean, thus becoming the world's true maritime overlord.

Now, the new opportunity has arrived as expected. Babur's invasion of India will provide an excuse for the Indian Governor's Office to enter the Indian region.

Zhu Youtang's mouth corners slightly raised, and then he made a decision: "The princes of India who belong to my Ming Dynasty should protect their country and people! King Lodi is tyrannical, killing his subjects, being resented by the people, and not respecting my Celestial Empire. Just sit and watch him overturn!"

For various reasons, the Ming Dynasty did not think of accepting the Lodi Dynasty as a younger brother, and the Lodi Dynasty also did not intend to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty because of its status.

Now the Lodi Dynasty is desperate to face the invasion of Babur, and even wants the Ming Dynasty to send troops to rescue him. It can only be said that he has made a good calculation.

However, the time is ripe for the Indian Ocean Governor's Office to enter India. Since India has entered a turbulent period, the Ming Dynasty will naturally benefit from it.

Even if an Indian province cannot be built this time, it is necessary to take advantage of the opportunity to occupy a plain and build an Indian granary belonging to the Ming Dynasty.

The Forbidden City under the night is solemn and mysterious, and the moonlight falls on the courtyard of the Qianqing Palace like water.

The one who sleeps tonight is the British concubine Margaret Tudor, a young princess full of Western charm.

In order to strengthen the influence of the Ming Dynasty, although Zhu Youtang no longer worries about his offspring, he has to take several princesses into the palace for politics.

Margaret Tudor is the eldest daughter of Henry VII, the first king of the Tudor Dynasty of England, and Queen Elizabeth. She spent most of her time in the nursery of Eltham Palace, where she received a careful education and became the most educated princess in Europe.

Henry VII originally wanted to marry Spain, but after seeing the powerful Ming fleet appear, he changed his mind. He used his daughter as a political bargaining chip and took the initiative to marry his daughter to the Ming Dynasty.

Facing this princess from a small European country, Emperor Hongzhi did not mean to treat her badly, and also gave her the title of Yingfei.

After a whole day's work, Zhu Youtang walked to the depths of the Qianqing Palace and came to a warm room. As soon as he came in, he saw Yingfei Margaret Tudor sitting on the dragon bed, like a blooming rose.

Unlike the gentleness and subtlety of oriental women, Margaret Tudor has the unique publicity and charm of Western women.

The long golden hair flows like a waterfall, the eyes are as deep and charming as blue gems, the face is exquisite and picturesque, the red lips are slightly opened, the fair skin, and the white teeth are exposed. Every smile is as warm as the sun.

Such a stunning woman, if placed in the future, would either be a world-class supermodel or a top star.

"Your Majesty, I will help you undress!" Margaret took the initiative to come forward, trying to please the high and mighty Ming Emperor Hongzhi with her actions and charm.

Although she knew that her beauty was a powerful weapon, and someone had taught her to use her innate beauty as early as Eltham Palace, beauty was the most abundant thing in this palace.

Not to mention that these oriental concubines were all beautiful, even if they were Western women in Europe, there was actually fierce competition in this palace. The status and appearance of the princesses of Spain and France were not inferior to hers.

That's why she wanted to stand out from the competition of so many concubines. It was not enough to rely on her beauty alone, but she also needed her passionate actions.

Zhu Youtang listened to this exotic tone, so he opened his arms and enjoyed the service of this princess from England.

Margaret had the enthusiasm of a Western woman. When Zhu Youtang slowly took off his clothes, she slowly squatted down and knelt in front of Zhu Youtang.

Liu Jin, who followed in, dismissed the attendants with great tact, leaving the room to the emperor and Concubine Ying.

Zhu Youtang felt Concubine Ying's enthusiasm, and soon turned from passive to active, pushing Concubine Ying onto the dragon bed, and then began to train this fox from the West.

Although he was nearly forty years old, he was still vigorous, and at the same time he knew the sacred mission he was shouldering.

Although the Western European countries were not a concern and could no longer affect the maritime hegemony of the Ming Dynasty, in order to completely eradicate this threat, he had to give birth to several princes and send them to Western Europe to serve as kings.

March in Beijing is the season of revival of all things.

Just as the entire northern region started a new round of farming, a message from Europe came to Beijing, and then directly detonated the fragile capital market.

The Atlantic Ocean is ruled by the Atlantic Governor's Office. Since the headquarters of the Atlantic Governor's Office is rooted in the Strait of Gibraltar, it is a fortress that blocks the Mediterranean from entering the Atlantic Ocean. All ships from European countries need a pass from the Atlantic Governor's Office to enter the Atlantic Ocean.

Since the Atlantic Governor's Office controlled the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea, Ming merchant ships have been active in the Mediterranean Sea in recent years, and Ming goods with good quality and low prices have been sold to coastal countries and regions of the Mediterranean Sea.

However, flowers do not bloom for a hundred days, and now the merchant ship Xiyang No. 14 has an accident, and the location of the accident is the Dardanelles.

The terrain of Europe is very peculiar. The west of the Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean, but the northeast of the Mediterranean Sea is connected to another sea area, which is the East European sea area-the Black Sea.

There is a key strait from the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea, which is the Dardanelles Strait, which has a strategic position equivalent to the Strait of Gibraltar.

The owner of the Dardanelles Strait is the Ottoman Empire, the overlord of Eastern Europe. It controls the land transportation lines of Eastern and Western civilizations and controls the gateway from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea.

The founder of the Ottoman Empire is called Osman, who is indeed a great leader.

In 1299, Osman was born in the northern Turkish city of Sogut. He was the son of the tribal leader Ertugrul Gazi. When he was young, he led the tribe to guard the border of the Romani Dynasty. Later, he took advantage of the decline of the Romani Dynasty to rise up and formally declared independence, called "Gazi", and established the Ottoman Dynasty.

In 1354, Orhan of Turkey led his army across the Dardanelles and occupied the Gallipoli Peninsula, and used it as a bridgehead to attack the Balkan Peninsula.

On May 29, 1453, Constantinople was besieged by the Turkish army. The army of Mehmed II entered the city, Constantinople fell, and the Eastern Roman Empire perished.

Constantinople is located at the eastern end of the Balkan Peninsula, facing the Bosphorus Strait and the gateway to the Black Sea. It is a transportation hub between Europe and Asia and has a very important strategic position.

After the Ottoman Empire occupied Constantinople, it designated it as the capital of the Ottoman Empire and renamed it Istanbul, naturally controlling the gateway to the Black Sea.

Although the Ottoman Empire had a navy, they only operated in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, so the Atlantic Governor's Office of the Ming Dynasty did not attack them. After all, the Ottoman Empire was more like a land country.

With conquest as its basic national policy, the Ottoman Empire continued to expand westward and gradually occupied the territory of the Eastern European Christian world. To the east, it competed with the Islamic Persian Safavid Dynasty and to the south with the Egyptian Mamluk Dynasty.

Now the king of the Ottoman Empire is Bayezid II, who continues the conquest of his ancestors and is now preparing to embark on an eastern expedition, striving towards the direction of the leader of the orthodox Islamic faction.

The Ottoman Empire and the Ming Dynasty can be said to be indifferent to each other, but no one expected that the Ottoman Empire would attack the merchant ships of the Ming Dynasty at this juncture.

Originally, the Ottoman navy intended to capture the Ming merchant ships and rob them of their property, but it turned into a sea battle.

But no matter what, the fact is that the relationship between the two countries has broken down, and the sinking of the Ming merchant ships is also a fact.

After learning the news, Wang Zhi, who was in charge of the Atlantic Governor's Office, also sent a telegram back as soon as possible, requesting the Ming court to allow them to go to war with the Ottoman Empire. (End of this chapter)