When the second year of Hongxing in the Ming Dynasty was approaching, Nanjing, the most prosperous capital of the Ming Dynasty, was a prosperous and lively time.
The harvest this autumn is pretty good, and the various places are relatively calm. Except for the small-scale war that is still going on around Sichuan, there is not much fighting here in the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, after the autumn harvest, the always high rice prices in Nanjing have dropped significantly. The price of brown rice has dropped to about one tael per stone, and that of white rice has dropped to about one tael per stone.
The drop in food prices also gave civilians, military family members and low-level officials living in Nanjing some extra money. So when the New Year is approaching, the streets and markets on both sides of the Qinhuai River are all overcrowded. People are everywhere buying new year's goods. People are bumping into each other, and it is very lively.
After coming out of West Chang'an Street, passing through Tongjimen Street and the Imperial City Moat, Caballero and his party plunged into the crowds of Nanjing City.
The carriage they were riding in was slowly moving along the most crowded streets on the north bank of the Qinhuai River. There were pedestrians, carriages and horses in front and behind. The shops on both sides of the streets are full of customers. There are also many female dancers who make a living on the Qinhuai River. They are welcomed and sent away. The flowers are red and the willows are green, which is really beautiful.
It is indeed a huge country with a population of more than 100 million! Caballero looked at the sea of people in front of him and sighed in his heart.
The population of Nanjing alone is probably equivalent to that of the entire Kingdom of Portugal!
Once such a country with a vast territory, a large population, and a relatively weak military force rushes to the sea, it will undoubtedly break the existing world order.
How could Philip IV, who had only a native population of over 5.2 million and a population of less than 10 million overseas colonies, dare to be called the "King of the World" in front of the Ming Emperor, who had a population of over 100 million?
What is the difference between such a "king of the world" and those arrogant and ignorant Eastern monarchs?
Caballero thought of the Zhu Cixiang he had just met - this man was not at all the same species as the feudal chiefs (who claimed to be kings, sultans or something else) across Southeast Asia that he had met before, nor was he the self-righteous person in the legend. King of the Eastern Celestial Dynasty.
This person is a bit like Van Diemen... Caballero actually thought of the Dutch profiteer who instigated a confrontation between Spain and the Ming Dynasty - of course he knew that Van Diemen was sowing discord, but Caballero also You know, Van Diemen's "Ming Dynasty threat theory" is right!
If the Ming Emperor wanted to find enough food for his 100 million people, the only way out was to go to the ocean!
As for the Ming Dynasty, which is heading towards the ocean, relying on its geographical advantage in the Western Pacific and its large population, it will sooner or later become the overlord of the Pacific Ocean... The Ming Dynasty, which owns the Pacific Ocean, will definitely target its expansion towards the rich and fertile land. New World!
Therefore, the Spanish Empire must do everything possible to prevent Ming Dynasty from going to the deep sea!
Caballero let out a breath and turned his attention back to the bustling and crowded streets of Nanjing. Westerners can sometimes be seen on the streets. The number is incomparable with that in Shanghai. They also follow the local customs. Most of them wear gorgeous Chinese clothes, and some wear the gauze hats of Chinese scholars.
"Are there Westerners here too?" Caballero asked.
"There are some," Tang Ruowang answered him, "About a thousand people."
Tang Ruowang was accompanying Caballero back to a state guesthouse managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This state guesthouse was originally the residence of a Nanjing noble, just outside Dinghuai Gate in the outer city of Nanjing. It is not necessary to pass through the Qinhuai River from the imperial city, but Tang Ruowang wanted the Spanish guests to know more about the prosperity of the Ming capital, so he took a detour.
"Who are they?" Caballero asked.
"Mainly mercenaries and engineers," Tang Ruowang said with a smile. "The Ming Dynasty is at war with the Qing State of the Tatars in the north and the Shun State established by the rebels in the west, so it needs to introduce Western military technology. Therefore, the Ming Dynasty has been fighting for three or four years. Since then, thousands of people have been employed through the Dutch East India Company and the Macao Parliament. There are instructors, senior officers, sailors, and engineers in metallurgy, foundry, shipbuilding, and construction. Most of these people live in Nanjing.
There are also some teachers, hired through the Jesuits, who are teachers of Gezhijing School, and there are hundreds of them.
In addition, the Ming court had just abolished the road guide system and allowed people to move freely. Westerners in China can also enjoy such treatment, and businessmen in Shanghai can now enter and exit Nanjing freely.
Today's Ming Dynasty, even compared with European countries, is very open. "
He is very satisfied with the current development of Ming Dynasty - an open country also means that preaching can be carried out more freely!
Although Emperor Zhu was wary of Catholicism, his country still needed Jesuit missionaries to introduce Western scientific knowledge, so he turned a blind eye to their incidental missionary work...
"Yeah...a European country with more than 100 million people!" Caballero said thoughtfully, "It's really amazing!"
The carriage moved forward slowly and finally arrived at Dinghuaimen Street. Dinghuai Gate is a city gate on the outer edge of Nanjing, on the east bank of the lower reaches of the Qinhuai River. The lower reaches of the Qinhuai River serve as the natural moat for this section of the city wall. However, Dinghuai Gate is still there, but large sections of the city wall on the left and right have been demolished. Along the banks of the Qinhuai River, many iron workshops that use water power to forge hammers have been built. Although it is the New Year, these iron workshops are still very busy. The chimneys are filled with black smoke, and the tall water wheels are turning creakingly. The sound of hammers clanging can be heard on Dinghuaimen Street.
"What are these factories producing?" Caballero asked.
"Producing Spanish light matchlocks," Tang Ruowang replied, "His Majesty the Emperor has a huge army of hundreds of thousands of people that needs to be armed. Even if the arsenals in Shanghai, Nanjing, Quanzhou and Guangzhou are all at full capacity, they will be busy for a long time."
"Hundreds of thousands of people?" Caballero took a breath, "All armed with matchlocks?"
"There are also plate armor, long guns and 3-pound cannons." Tang Ruowang smiled, "But this army is not aimed at Spain, that's for sure!"
The only thing that is certain is Ming's ambition! Caballero is even more convinced of the "Ming Dynasty threat theory."
Hundreds of thousands of Ming troops armed with Western weapons and tactics are a threat to everyone!
"So...how is their navy?" Caballero inquired, "The Chinese also build Galen ships, right?"
"Yes, but they are not very good at maneuvering." Tang Ruowang replied, "Their favorite boat type is the bird boat. This kind of boat uses hard sails, is easy to maneuver, does not require too many sailors, and can adapt to the complex and changeable offshore waters. The wind direction. Recently, large shipyards in Nanjing and the five major commercial ports have received design orders for the 'Ten Thousand Stone Bird Ship' issued by the Ming Dynasty."
"Ten Thousand Stone Bird Ship?"
"It is a large bird ship that can carry ten thousand shi of cargo!" Tang Ruowang explained, "Ten thousand shi is about 12,000 to 3,000 bushels. This carrying capacity is almost equivalent to that of a Spanish galleon.
But they were not warships, they could only be equipped with a small number of artillery, and their speed was slow. They could only sail between China, Annam, Chenla and Siam. "
The Wanshi Big Bird Ship was used to transport immigrants and food. Ten thousand stone was almost 600 tons. The light-load displacement of a sailboat that can carry 600 tons of cargo at a time is about 800 tons, which is similar to the Qiying that later sailed around the world.
Because it is driven by a hard sail, it only requires about 40 sailors to operate it. Although it cannot be used for fighting, it is very economical. It is the best tool for Nanyang colonization and food import - and once Nanyang colonization and food import reach a large scale, Ming Dynasty will gradually have strong maritime power!
"This is a huge improvement!" Caballero thought to himself, "You can also go to the Philippines... It seems that this country is impatient to go to the sea!
The conflict between Spain and Ming Dynasty can only be postponed, it is inevitable! "
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