In the evening, under the setting sun, the fleet of the Lord Protector of the Ming Dynasty returning home slowly set sail from the port of Goa and sailed towards the sea.
Due to the responsibility of guarding the port, the Ming Dynasty's Invincible Fleet was unable to make a triumphant return. The only fleet returning home this time was the Star flagship and three Kunpeng transport ships. Of course, there were also Zhu Qingyi's two trading ships that were fully loaded with cargo.
On the pier, the newly appointed Governor of South Asia, Wang Hong, and the Governor of Ceylon, Liu Tan, led all the soldiers to see him off. The artillery roared to salute the Lord Protector for his voyage.
Soon after, the Protector will return to the Ming Dynasty and send troops to take over their garrison. Only then can they return to the country and reunite with their families.
The sun sets in the west, and the sky is filled with colorful clouds. The sea and sky are vast, the blue sea and sky are the same color, and the seagulls fly around the sails and sing, as if they are also seeing off the fleet.
Zhang Yanling, fully dressed in military uniform, stood on the deck of the Star. Beside him, Chen Shiyi, Huo Shijian and others stood solemnly. A group of soldiers lined up behind, solemn and solemn.
The sea breeze blew their cloaks and made them ring. They stood on the bow of the ship like statues and insurmountable monuments, making people look up at them.
Zhang Yanling's heart was actually as turbulent and excited as the waves on the sea under the boat. He went to sea in August of the year before last, which lasted one year and five months. He marched thousands of miles and experienced dozens of battles. Facing powerful enemies, he fell into crisis several times.
During the trip, I was caught in a dilemma several times. Everything was like a nightmare, still in my memory.
The five thousand soldiers of the Armada were killed in more than a thousand battles during the year and a half, and more than half were injured. Dozens of leading generals were also killed in the battle, and more than ten people were killed in the battle, including senior generals like Feng Sihai.
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Of the seven warships, one was sunk, and the rest were all scarred after undergoing several rests and refits.
In this battle for more than a year, countless artillery shells, gunpowder, grenades and other combat materials were consumed. It can be said that almost all of Zhang Yanling's wealth was invested in it, and almost all of the ammunition and materials produced and accumulated were consumed in this naval battle.
among.
In addition, more than 100 of the 230 expensive Tiger Howling Cannons they carried were damaged, and less than half of the more than 1,000 war horses they carried were left alive.
All losses added up to a million taels. This fully illustrates the principle that war is fought with money.
Zhang Yanling has to thank himself for taking precautions. He arranged and prepared more than a year in advance to accumulate so much military supplies. He also conducted training and mobilization more than a year in advance. He trained generals and soldiers for naval battles and the physical and psychological training for long-term operations.
Construction, selecting soldiers, collecting materials, charts and intelligence about the Francons. Only these preparations can finally support this protracted maritime battle.
Of course, when the construction of the Wild Dog Ridge Arsenal in Xishan Manor began a few years ago, Zhang Yanling at that time still wanted to arm himself with modern firearms as his own capital. It was not for future maritime operations.
Unexpectedly, the original move was the best way to pave the way for the future battle for maritime supremacy. Without the large number of firearms manufactured by the Wild Dog Ridge Arsenal and the large amount of armor developed, this sea battle would have failed.
Undoubtedly, the power of the Fo Langji people is obvious to all. Their more than ten years of deep-rooted management has also brought huge troubles to the battle. It has to be said that there is God's will in this.
Zhang Yanling thought about the battle process for more than a year, and it was actually an extremely lucky one.
With the strength of the fleet of the Franji Kingdom, if it had not been caught off guard by its powerful warships and artillery firearms, it would have been passive from the beginning. And if various differences had arisen within the Eastern Fleet and they would have taken advantage of it.
If it weren't for the fact that the Folangji people had never been able to give it a go and were reluctant to abandon various ports, they had never been able to gather all their warships to launch a proactive decisive battle. Instead, they had eaten off their flesh bit by bit, which eventually led to their
If the fleet's strength is severely damaged and cannot be defeated, then the outcome of this battle may be difficult to say.
Even though I have more advanced warships and firearms than them, and I also have better soldiers and combat plans than them, but in the face of absolute strength, these are not factors that affect the outcome of the battle.
To a certain extent, it was the cooperation of the Fo Lang robots that led to the victory in this epic maritime battle. The Fo Lang robots also need to be thanked. They are the best supporting actors, and their cooperation is perfect.
Of course, there are many people on the list of thanks. The wives and concubines of the Zhang family endured the long separation without any complaints. They diverted family property for other purposes and invested huge sums of money into Wild Dog Ridge. They never
Doubts, and at most slight complaints. How much trust and love do you have to trust and love yourself in order to completely trust your own actions? There are also the families and parents of the soldiers who endure the pain of separation, fear, and fear. These are all emotional costs.
Even Liu Jin and Anhua Wang should be included in the list of thanks. The large donations they provided prevented themselves from going bankrupt and made the whole thing unsustainable. The one million taels of silver blackmailed by Liu Jin before his fall became
He got the last chance to build warships and a large amount of artillery and ammunition. At that time, I was short of funds. I have to thank him. Regardless of his original intention or not, he did good things for the Ming Dynasty after all.
The price is of course huge, but the harvest is obviously even greater and long-term. Except for the regrettable death of the unrenewable soldiers, all other efforts will be rewarded.
The results of opening up maritime trade channels are self-evident. The development of overseas trade will greatly promote the internal prosperity of the Ming Dynasty, land conflicts, and people's livelihood. These will all improve at a speed visible to the naked eye. It will also drive the construction of roads and bridges, shipping and shipbuilding,
A series of developments such as handicraft workshops will be revolutionary. The rewards generated will also be immeasurable.
For an individual, the income will be ten times and a hundred times the expenditure. Not to mention the huge gains in personal merit and reputation from this victory, it will undoubtedly make him the leader among the Ming Dynasty's nobles and the status of an important minister of the country.
It will be unshakable. Just the pirate treasures captured during this battle, the contributions from dignitaries from various countries, and the future monopoly on special industries such as tobacco will be immeasurable huge rewards.
But personal gains and losses are not actually the most important. The huge changes brought to the Ming Dynasty from then on in the national policy and the thinking of the monarch, ministers and people are the most important.
Overseas colonies will be gradually built, and driven by a series of measures, there will be a large number of adventurers to open up overseas colonies. The changes in the philosophy of the Ming Dynasty will inevitably change with the increase in income.
Fight for hegemony over the ocean, fight for hegemony over the world, and become the protagonist of the Age of Discovery. This will greatly change the appearance and code of conduct of the entire country.
After tasting the sweetness, some positive changes will even occur in the thoughts that have been solidified for thousands of years. No longer remain complacent, no longer limit our sights to our own country and surrounding areas, but look to the world. This will bring huge benefits.
opportunity for change.
Of course, it all depends on whether, as Zhang Yanling hopes, the seeds of the industrial revolution can be born under the premise of extremely abundant means of production, extremely large overseas markets, and great domestic development.
Chances are good.
What Zhang Yanling had to do was to prepare the soil, sunshine, rain and dew that he thought the seed would germinate. Zhang Yanling was not sure whether it would germinate. Even if it failed, she would have a clear conscience.
Facing the open sea under the setting sun and the tumbling waves, Zhang Yanling thought a lot, and the blood in his body was boiling and he couldn't help himself. He was not an introverted person to begin with, but at this moment, his heart was surging and he was filled with heroic spirit. A word came to his heart.
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Zhang Yanling opened his arms, faced the sea, and chanted loudly.
"The sky is connected with the clouds and waves, and the dawn mist is connected, and the stars and rivers are about to turn and dance with thousands of sails. It is like the soul of a dream returning to the emperor's home.
Hearing Tian's words, he asked me diligently where I was going.
I reported that the road leader was lamenting that the sun was setting, and I learned some amazing lines from poetry. The wind of ninety thousand miles was rising. The wind stopped, and the boat blew away three mountains!"
In the ship's hall, Zhu Qingyi and Catherine stood side by side, looking with blurred eyes at the back of Zhang Yanling who was standing on the bow of the ship and chanting loudly.
"You are so handsome. Your Majesty the Duke has the best demeanor in the world and will not accept any doubts." Catherine praised with a nymphomaniacal smile.
Zhu Qingyi nodded and said: "It's true...it's hard to find yourself. He is so handsome and handsome, and so majestic that no one can match him."
Catherine said: "As long as you are good at fighting, you can also dance and write. This poem is so good. Ninety Thousand Miles Wind Peng is doing it right, tsk tsk tsk. Can ordinary people come up with this sentence?"
Zhu Qingyi chuckled and said: "Katherine, don't talk nonsense. These are the words of a female poet in the Song Dynasty, not the words written by the father-in-law himself. You can talk about it here, but in the Ming Dynasty, don't talk nonsense. Otherwise, others will
I would like to say that my father-in-law is shameless and takes other people’s words as his own. Although Ming Dynasty is a good place, there are many people who are mean-mouthed, hold back bad things, and are not good at seeing others. You have to be careful.”
Catherine was stunned and said with a smile: "Isn't that the same as our country of Franco? Hey, there are such people everywhere, it's really annoying."
As they spoke, the fleet was already raising its sails and heading east at full speed. The land was getting farther and farther behind, and finally merged with the twilight sea and sky, turning into a vast chaos.