Several fleets of the Ming Dynasty conquered overseas places. Every time they landed, the imperial court would immediately send out the royal family members who had been waiting for rewards.
From the time of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang to the present day, there have been many royal clansmen, but those who are truly qualified to enfeoff overseas are not too many. But even so, there are now no less than a hundred or so large and small feudal states.
Of course, the fiefdoms of those princes are naturally larger. As for the downgraded princes and other royal family members, although they also have fiefdoms, the size of the fiefdoms is obviously quite different.
Originally, Zhu Houzhao had been hesitant about enfeoffing these county princes, but after discussing with Yang Yiqing, Wang Yangming and other important cabinet ministers, Zhu Houzhao made up his mind to enfeoff them all.
On the one hand, Zhu Houzhao needed these people to go out and completely occupy the seized land. On the other hand, he also needed to use a gentle method to completely remove these royal family members who had become the cancer of the Ming Dynasty from the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Houzhao could even imagine that if the problem of royal family members could not be solved, even if there were no natural or man-made disasters, the royal family members of Ming Dynasty alone would be enough to drag Ming Dynasty to death.
Since there is a large amount of land overseas, and these royal family members are extremely cooperative, why not take the opportunity to send these people overseas.
Anyway, the basic foundation of the Ming Dynasty has been laid down. The bigger the vast land, the better. If we only occupy the vast land but do not manage it well, it will only become a burden to the court.
The most important thing is that through the move of enfeoffment, Zhu Houzhao gained extremely huge luck, and a steady stream of luck came together. This was the fundamental reason why Zhu Houzhao insisted on enfeoffment.
It's just obvious that with a large amount of land being occupied, the new amount of luck has slowed down significantly. For Zhu Houzhao who wants to get enough luck, the more luck, the better.
The reason for the slowdown in the increase in luck is very simple. It is simply that the territory that can be occupied has been almost occupied. In addition, several fleets are deployed abroad. Whether it is generals or soldiers, in the course of several years of external expansion,
From the enthusiasm at the beginning to the dullness and even boredom now, it can be said that the speed of expansion of several fleets is several times worse than the one at the beginning.
In fact, this is also a normal situation. It is quite difficult for Yu Dayou and others to maintain enough passion for several years.
On the one hand, the mentality of the soldiers is gradually changing. On the other hand, with the external expansion, the logistical supplies that a fleet can obtain are getting less and less, and the time is getting longer and longer, which also limits several fleets to a certain extent.
of combat effectiveness.
Not to mention other things, let’s just talk about Yu Dayou’s fleet. This fleet can be said to be the earliest among several fleets to go to sea, and it is also the strongest fleet.
Under the leadership of Yu Dayou, this fleet fought against maritime powers such as Spain and the Netherlands more than once.
In the West, when it comes to the Ming Dynasty fleet, those countries can be said to be both fearful and frightened. The destruction of the Kingdom of Spain really frightened many countries.
Several countries along the Mediterranean were destroyed by the Ming Dynasty, completely suppressing the Western countries.
Originally, countries such as Spain, Portugal, and the Empire on which the Sun Never Sets had been fighting openly and secretly with each other for their maritime interests.
But as Spain was gently bulldozed by the Ming Dynasty, the Western countries led by Portugal and the Empire of the Sun Never Set suddenly became more vigilant. Although they were frightened and afraid of the Ming Dynasty, they obviously wanted these countries to surrender obediently.
Unrealistic.
Yu Dayou and others pushed across the Mediterranean coast, and every time they destroyed a country, it was an irritation to the remaining countries.
In less than half a year, an alliance formed to fight against the Ming fleet was completely formed.
Led by maritime powers such as the Empire on which the Sun Never Sets, Portugal, and the Netherlands, more than a dozen countries, large and small, have united together to fight against the atrocities of the Ming Dynasty.
Every time a country is destroyed, Zhu Houzhao will be able to gain a lot of luck. For this reason, Zhu Houzhao even personally conveys the order to fleet commanders such as Yu Dayou and Xu Tianzuo.
With the emperor's secret decree, Yu Dayou, Xu Tianzuo and others did not hesitate to destroy the country. They destroyed the country, plundered, patted their butts and left, selected the target, and continued.
After this set of procedures, even if those countries that were targeted tried to fight, they would be easily bulldozed by the Ming Dynasty's opponents, resulting in the destruction of their country and their family.
The alliance's appearance was expected, even later than Yu Dayou and Qi Jingtong expected.
In fact, in Yu Dayou's view, as long as they continue to wreak havoc in the West, sooner or later the remaining countries will unite. This is an instinct. Unless they can give up and not continue, the key is that if they are willing, the emperor will not.
I do.
Large ships sailed on the sea one after another, and the eye-catching sun and moon flags showed the identity of the fleet. It was the Ming fleet that caused turbulent waves in the west.
Led by Qi Jingtong, Yu Dayou and others, looking at the warships one after another, almost all the warships of the Ming fleet were dispatched. Just looking at the posture, you can feel the pressure of the storm coming.
On the flagship, Qi Jingtong, Yu Dayou and a dozen other civil and military officials stood on the deck, looking at the sea ahead.
Qi Jingtong was heard saying to Yu Dayou: "Commander, this time the Western coalition forces are coming out in full force, I'm afraid it will be difficult to deal with them."
Yu Dayou squinted his eyes and said with a somewhat cold expression: "Even if it is difficult to deal with, we will still fight. Even if we are defeated, we can still fight. We are not afraid of failure. Your Majesty will continue to send you."
army, but the Western Allied Forces cannot be defeated. They have already gambled all their wealth. Once the bet fails, the Western Allied Forces will fall into an irreversible situation. By then, whether it is the Netherlands, Portugal or the Empire on which the sun never sets,
, these countries are like our back gardens, allowing us to enter and plunder."
There is no need for Yu Dayou to explain. Qi Jingtong, Yue Buqun and others all know very well that this battle is of great importance.
There are no countries in the West that are capable of confronting the Ming Dynasty, but if they were spread out and pushed through one by one, it would take a lot of time and energy.
After all, simply avoiding a fight is not something Yu Dayou and the others can bear.
Although most of the materials needed by the fleet can be obtained from the countries they occupy, such as the gun barrels, muskets and even cannon shells that need to be replaced, these need to be transported across the ocean from the Ming Dynasty, thousands of miles away.
Therefore, Yu Dayou and the others simply cannot afford it. They are not afraid of hard-on-hard confrontation. They are just afraid that these countries will avoid fighting.
The emergence of the coalition forces was probably due to Yu Dayou and the others being behind it. At least Spain had been breached, so there was no problem at all in taking the opportunity to directly breach Portugal.
However, after Yu Dayou, Jiao Yuan and others discussed it, they did not turn around and deal with Portugal. Instead, they launched a crazy offensive against the countries along the Mediterranean coast. In just over half a year, they completely destroyed several countries.
The sun never sets and other countries have been suppressed.
Under the threat of the Ming Dynasty, these countries naturally gave up their hostility and discord and united together.
The strength of the Western countries varies, but no matter what, the strength of the coalition accounts for most of the strength of the entire Western countries.
Gathering the strength of all countries, the strength of the coalition fleet expanded crazily like a balloon, and there were thousands of warships piled up, with more than 200,000 soldiers.
With so many warships and men, it can be said that no other country except the Ming Dynasty can get it together by selling iron and steel. But for the more than a dozen countries in the alliance, everyone's strength is concentrated together to create such a big battle.
And it’s really not that difficult to gain momentum.
Not long ago, the Alliance even dared to take the initiative to declare a challenge to the Ming Fleet. This was simply the first time that it happened. It showed that the strength of the Alliance was so strong that these people even suppressed the fear of the Ming Fleet in their hearts.
Scottish waters
With the fall of Spain, the kingdom of Portugal was originally the strongest at sea. Compared with Portugal, which could almost share the world with Spain at its peak, and the first to emerge as sea coachmen, the Netherlands had lagged far behind.
However, the Empire on which the Sun Never Sets was a latecomer and actually showed strong maritime strength in the alliance, almost as much as Portugal.
In order to compete for the dominance of the alliance, the Sun Never Sets Empire and the Portuguese Empire fought countless times overtly and covertly.
If this were not the case, I am afraid that the combined fleet would have completed its assembly long ago and would have taken action against the Ming fleet, and it would not have been delayed until today.
Even so, the alliance still did not elect a real leader. Instead, it formed a strange situation in which the two kingdoms, Portugal and the Sun Never Sets Empire, were dominated.
There is a saying that when two tigers compete, one will be injured. Since there is the first position, who wants to be in second place honestly? If it is really a lack of strength, then that’s it. The key is the strength of second place.
It’s not worse than first place, so why can’t we fight for it?
The Alliance army's dispatch was indeed massive, with thousands of warships looming in the darkness. It was an extremely rare scene in human history.
But if someone can observe carefully, they will find that these thousands of warships are almost clearly divided into two parts.
Needless to say, this was the result of the conflict between the two countries, and the alliance army also split into two parts invisibly.
In fact, both the Empire of the Sun Never Sets and Portugal no longer take Yu Dayou's Ming fleet to heart after gathering the power of more than a dozen Western countries.
Although the Ming fleet is said to be very strong, can it still be stronger than the strength of the coalition forces? In the minds of most people, as soon as the coalition forces come out, the Ming fleet will inevitably be destroyed.
The sea area chosen by both sides for the battle was the Scottish sea. It can be said that the right time, place and people were in the hands of the alliance army. Although they did not really care about Yu Dayou's fleet, in order to prevent accidents, the alliance army still
The location of the battle was chosen in the Scottish waters.
Above the sea, the Alliance army formed two distinct teams, facing each other from a distance.
The sea is calm and calm, which is definitely the best weather for fighting.
When black spots gradually appeared on the horizon, both Portugal and the naval admirals of the Empire on which the Sun Never Sets were shocked.
Led by Portugal and the Sun Never Sets Empire, some countries were gathered together below. When these generals saw the Ming Dynasty fleet approaching slowly, their hearts naturally became nervous.
After all, the Ming Dynasty fleet has a reputation for being evil, so how can it be said that they don't care about it?
When the coalition forces saw the Ming Dynasty fleet, the Ming fleet did not notice the two distinct naval teams on the opposite side.
When they saw the two distinct navies, on the flagship, Yu Dayou and others showed no signs of surprise on their faces. Instead, they showed a bit of smiles as expected.
At least they have gained a foothold in the West. Although there are many Yi people who are hostile to the Ming Dynasty, more Westerners choose to surrender. It is conceivable that under this situation, Yu Dayou and the others will not even be able to deal with the dirty things within the coalition forces.
If you don't know, then you can only say that you underestimate Jin Yiwei's ability.
You must know that under the leadership of Yue Buqun, the Jinyiwei developed the Jinyiwei to the west, absorbed a large number of Western Yi people into the Jinyiwei, and immediately completely grasped the situation of the alliance army.
Yue Buqun stood aside, stroking his beard, and said with a sarcastic sneer: "These barbarians really don't know when they are about to die. They don't forget to fight among themselves in this situation. Tsk tsk, this is
How much confidence they have to not take us to heart."
Hearing this, Jiao Yuan smiled and said: "Master Yue, don't you think they have thousands of ships, among which there are almost hundreds of warships, which is almost several times ours. If it were you, wouldn't you
Do you think that something unexpected could happen with such a strong force?"
Yue Buqun looked at the clearly distinguished coalition fleet in the distance with disdain, and sneered: "If there is no bullshit fight for power within the coalition, maybe we should deal with it carefully, but Portugal and the Empire of the Sun Never Set.
It's just that they didn't just fall out and start a fight. It would be strange if they could work together in the next battle."
Yu Dayou on the side just looked at the coalition forces on the opposite side with a solemn expression. No matter how Yue Buqun, Jiao Yuan and others mocked and despised the coalition forces in their words, as the coach, Yu Dayou must remain calm enough.
When the Ming Dynasty fleet gradually came to a stop, the coalition forces on the opposite side were stunned for a moment, and then they all raised their sails and actively came towards the Ming Dynasty fleet.
You must know that the people in charge of the coalition forces were very worried that the Ming Dynasty would not accept their invitation to fight, so they used extremely provocative words in the war letter.
Obviously, the coalition forces were worried in vain. Yu Dayou and others did not even have the courage to fight. When the coalition forces plotted against the Ming Dynasty fleet, Yu Dayou and others were taking the opportunity to plot against the Western coalition forces.
As for the final victory or defeat, it depends on which of the two sides is better.
Just as the largest naval battle in human history was about to break out in the Atlantic Ocean, in the vast northern land of the Ming Dynasty.
Across the northern grasslands, an elite army of tens of thousands was sent out to conquer the grasslands on the order of the emperor a year ago. It can be said that there was no opponent wherever it passed along the way.
In the early years, the Tatars and Oaras almost became a serious problem for the Ming Dynasty. Even the Ming Emperor fell into their hands during the Tumubao Incident. This shows how powerful the Oaras and Tatars have grown on the grasslands.
However, Chu Yi, who was almost at his peak during the Tatar War, had his back broken and his claws reaching towards the Central Plains cut off.
In recent years, the Ming Dynasty has gradually disintegrated the alliances among the tribes on the grassland through economic plunder. Now, every tribe on the grassland is busy raising sheep and cattle, and busy providing business for the Central Plains merchants.
Providing wool, beef and mutton, how can we still risk our lives to invade the Central Plains?
If the tens of thousands of troops were deployed in Tatar and Oara when they were at their peak, I am afraid that the tens of thousands of troops from the Ming Dynasty would not even be able to penetrate deep into the grasslands. But now they are directly pushing across the grasslands, and the army is thousands of miles away in the heart of Europe.
.
However, after pushing forward and annihilating tribes of all sizes, the Ming Dynasty's army, which numbered dozens of people, crossed the Ural Mountains and ran into the Grand Duchy of Moscow, which was in the process of rapid expansion.
It has expanded step by step from a small principality, and even grown into the most extensive country in the world. The Grand Duchy of Moscow is definitely in the most expansionary period now.
It can be imagined that when the armies of the two sides fought a battle, not only the commander of the Grand Duchy of Moscow was shocked, but also the general Lu Dazhu who led the army on the expedition was also surprised.
