This time, the fleets of Datang Western Company and Gerdes Trading Company have a total of eight ships. The fleet has a total of more than 1,600 people. In addition to the sailors and gunners who are left to control the ships and artillery, they can be pulled out for landing operations.
There are at least thousands of armed personnel.
Gerdes Trading Company's ships are all armed merchant ships with a smaller number of people. Each ship is used to control the ship, naval gun crews, handymen, and marine personnel who specialize in guarding against pirate attacks and resisting boarding battles. Of course,
Although these private company ships are equipped with the same personnel as army ships, they are naturally not called Marines. Most of them are still called sailors. Each ship has a crew of one hundred to one hundred and fifty, and the total number is about
In six hundred people.
There were many people in the four ships of Datang Western Company, with the total number of people reaching over a thousand.
There are more than 300 people on each of the two cruisers, and even the two Type 680 armed merchant ships have more than 200 people on each.
The reason why the number of people is so large is that in addition to the necessary crew members, Datang Western Marine Company also brought four marines with a total of more than 500 people. Well, they were all retired from the Marine Corps directly into the establishment, and then
Collectively joined Datang Western Company.
There are hundreds of artillery pieces in the fleet, plus the ability to pull out thousands of people to land and fight. To put it bluntly, it is enough to directly destroy the port of Banten!
The native officials of Wandan are not stupid, and they are all experienced in the world. One look at this posture and know that this fleet is not easy to mess with. No matter which country they are from, but since they have proposed a piece of land for construction
store, they have no objections.
Therefore, the indigenous officials in Banten happily took the money to purchase the land and agreed to Ying Zihua's request to open a commercial center!
After discussing the preliminary matters, signing an agreement, and doing some small business, the fleet began to carry out a large amount of supplies. Later, the fleet will pass through the Sunda Strait, then enter the Indian Ocean, heading northwest along the coastline of Sumatra Island.
The direction continues forward, preparing to go to the Myanmar region and the Indian region in the Bay of Bengal area, and then continue along the Indian coastline around the Indian Peninsula, to the Persian Gulf, then south to the east coast of Africa, then around the Cape of Good Hope to the west coast of Africa, and finally all the way
Go to Europe.
The main purpose of this route is to avoid the Portuguese blockade of the Strait of Malacca. The other routes are not new routes. They are all long-established sea routes in the maritime trade between the East and the West.
And this time, whether it is Datang Western Company or Gerdes Trading Company, although their purposes are different, one thing is very clear, that is, to go to Europe and avoid the Portuguese blockade.
In addition, Datang Western Company also has a very important goal, which is to serve as a frontline for the subsequent expansion of Datang Western Company to the west. This is why Ying Zihua always goes to a suitable place, especially a strategically important area, or a suitable place.
They would stop at supply depots and important trading posts, and then use various methods, well, in most cases, force was used to open trading posts.
Its main purpose was to provide a stable supply point for the later fleet of Datang Western Company!
Behind this fleet, there is also a fleet of Datang Western Company's own fleet. The number is not large. There are only two 600-type merchant ships. They are already sailing in the South China Sea and will reach Luzon in the future.
The island was not to be traded, but to transport the company's armed personnel and supplies to expand and stabilize the trading station on Luzon Island.
It is not easy to establish a perfect route these days, because ships need supplies when sailing, and they basically cannot sail deep into the ocean. It is too dangerous. Except for adventurers exploring routes, almost no one does it.
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Therefore, it is necessary to establish sufficient supply stations along the routes. The commercial stores on Luzon Island and the commercial stores in Banten in western Java Island are all positioned in this way, at least in the early stage. Will they develop in the future?
As a colony, we will have to look at it later, but judging from the history of world colonization, it will basically follow the colonial pattern.
And it is not that easy to establish a trading station. Many indigenous countries actually welcome your ships to trade, but if you have to occupy a piece of land, build a fortress on it, and station armed personnel, they will
Not happy anymore.
The Portuguese wanted to do this in Haojing before, but they were defeated by the Tang Dynasty!
After Banten replenished a large amount of supplies and briefly repaired the ships, the fleet composed of the two companies set sail again.
But after setting sail, the fleet was split into two, and the Jinyuan, a Type 680 merchant ship from Datang Western Company, broke away from the fleet!
Ying Zihua told Gerdes that the Jinyuan would carry the spices and other goods purchased on Java Island and return to Luzon Island first. Gerdes naturally had no objection. It was not his ship anyway. This Tang Dynasty
It's none of his business whether the Western Company's ships go wherever they like.
In fact, even Ying Zihua didn't know where the Jinyuan was going!
After the fleet separated, the seven ships in the fleet began to cross the Sunda Strait, preparing to enter the Indian Ocean, while the Jinyuan began to sail westward!
At this time, although many of the staff on the ship were employees of Datang Western Company, they were actually all people from the Military Intelligence Department!
Their purpose is simple and clear. They will first sail west, and after reaching the eastern part of Java Island, they will then turn south to find the Australia that His Majesty mentioned!
Because the road ahead was unknown and no other navigators had ever explored what was in the sea south of Java Island, the preparations on board the Jinyuan were very complete.
First of all, there are not many people on board, only more than a hundred people, but the ship is no larger than other merchant ships, and it carries a lot of goods for trade. Except for a few bits and pieces, the rest are all kinds of supplies.
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Not only daily supplies, but even spare canvas and ropes, they brought several times the amount they used for daily sailing, just in case they went south without encountering land for a long time, or encountered a storm or the like.
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The Jinyuan went to explore the new world, but Ying Zihua's fleet continued to move forward and sailed towards Europe.
At the same time, in Jinling City, Li Xuan also began to focus on the military again, because the Huguang Campaign prepared by the Privy Council was similar and expected to be launched in November.
But while Li Xuan was busy preparing for the Battle of Huguang, the Tatars from the northern grasslands arrived!