This has been going on since ancient times...
Wu Sanfu and Huang Binqing, who knew the inside story, really admired Emperor Zhu's ability to deceive people!
You must know that not long ago, because there were no nautical charts, the Ming Navy did not know how to use ocean currents to travel between the two sides of the Pacific. Now it is just a one-way trip - he does not know whether the Henan has arrived safely, so he dares to brag about it since ancient times! If Henan comes back now, will he brag about all of America?
"Is this true? Did you really discover the New World in the Tang Dynasty?"
"The narrowest point of the ocean between Asia and America is really only a few dozen miles? Where is this strait?"
Marvell and Kirkbell both felt unbelievable and kept asking questions.
Zhu Cixiang nodded with certainty: "When we finish defeating the Satsuma Domain and the Spanish Eastern Armada, we will organize an expedition fleet together. Then we will be able to prove that what I said is true."
Of course what Zhu Cixi said is true...unless this is not the earth!
The reason why he proposed to organize a joint expedition fleet was because the Ming Navy still needed high-level British navigators to take them on expeditions!
The era of sailing focused on a century-old navy. Without long-term accumulation, it is impossible to improve navigation technology by leaps and bounds unless we get good learning opportunities.
Now, by learning navigation from the Dutch, the Ming Dynasty already has a group of naval officers and soldiers who can sail long distances and fight in distant seas. But it’s still not feasible for them to go on adventures... Exploration is not only about being able to go and come back, but also about being able to draw maps and charts, be able to find good ports, and be able to face various complex sea conditions. If the ship is damaged, you have to repair it yourself, and sometimes you have to deal with a group of crazy sailors!
Zhu Cixiang had a limited number of navigators at hand, so he had to use them sparingly. If he could deceive foreigners to help with route exploration and mapping, then let's do it!
Marvell and Kirkbell looked at each other, then nodded together. The opportunity is also quite rare. Maybe you can use this opportunity to find a shortcut between Europe and Asia through the sea at the edge of the Arctic Circle.
After Marvell and Kirkbell agreed to Emperor Zhu’s proposal to jointly explore northwest North America and northeastern Asia, Emperor Zhu continued: “The Ming Dynasty’s territorial claims in Spanish America are not high, and are limited to the area north of the Port of San Diego. , including the Port of San Diego and its surroundings.”
Zhu Cixiang put forward his territorial claim to the New World without any bad intentions. He did not want Mexico, the core of New Spain, but only wanted California, which is still desolate.
As for north of California, that's since time immemorial...
After hearing Emperor Zhu's request, Marvell and Kirkbell did not express their opinions immediately - it was not that they opposed Ming's occupation of California, but that they could not make such a big decision.
Moreover, the two of them couldn't believe that with the strength of the five countries of England, France, Ming Dynasty, Portugal and the Netherlands, they could really smash the Spanish world empire.
Spain is not so easy to break!
Don’t think that with the army of France, the navy of England, and the money of the Great Ming Dynasty, you can crush the Kingdom of Spain, which is either blessed by God or crazy!
It may be easy to defeat Spain, but it is actually very difficult to break it, or even force the old stubborn Philip IV to admit defeat. Although this old man cannot fight, he can really endure it, and sometimes he really gets God. of favor.
...
Japan, Kagoshima Bay.
On the sea north of Sakurajima, there are thirteen small Galenic sailing ships moored, like leaves, floating gently on the calm sea.
Most of the armed galenic ships of Spain's Oriental Armada had left Kagoshima Bay at this time and were stationed on the China-Japan and North Korea trade routes.
Due to their dispatch, the route between Tomorrow and Asahi has been temporarily interrupted, so Tokugawa Takako, who should have been sent to Emperor Zhu's palace, is still stranded in Nagasaki.
The thirteen Spanish warships staying in Kagoshima Bay were also a huge obstacle to the Tokugawa shogunate who was planning to attack the Satsuma Domain.
Because they can be dispatched at any time to cut off the waterway traffic between Kyushu Island, Honshu Island, and Shikoku Island.
Once the waterway traffic was cut off, the shogunate army that penetrated deep into Kyushu was alone.
Therefore, after the Tokugawa shogunate designated the Satsuma clan as an enemy, they took no further action. They neither issued an order for a crusade nor had any intention of reconciling with the Satsuma clan. They seemed to be confused.
The Satsuma Domain seemed to be inspired. Starting from October 2016 (1656), the banner of the fall of the emperor and the revival of Toyotomi was publicly raised, calling on all Japanese patriots to come to the Satsuma Domain to participate in the grand event.
At the same time, the Satsuma clan also sent secret envoys to Nagasu, Tosa and other "strong clans", trying to contact these two "strong clans" who were also facing an extreme surplus of samurai to raise troops to resist the rule of the shogunate!
In the Satsuma Domain, Shimazu Mitsuhisa was re-appointed as the governor with the support of Mitsuo Kiyo and other feudal warriors, and issued a summons within the domain, ordering all domain warriors and country warriors who could go into battle to kill the enemy to gather at Kagoshima Castle and wait. The military headquarters of the feudal lord selected loyal and brave men from among them to form the overthrowing army.
After summoning an order from within the domain, the two kingdoms of Satsuma and Osumi to which the Satsuma domain belongs suddenly became agitated. The countrymen working in the fields immediately dropped their farm work and went home to find various carefully maintained tools, spears, bows and arrows, and matchlocks. , and then rushed towards Kagoshima, the main city of the Shimadzu family, like a tide, everyone was as happy as if they were celebrating a festival!
Even the neighboring feudal lords of Kyushu were in commotion. Countless countrymen, wanderers, and even low-level feudal lords all flocked to the Satsuma clan.
Even after the news that the Celestial Empire was trying to form an eight-nation coalition to attack the Satsuma Domain was brought to Kyushu by the merchant ships of the Dutch who remained neutral for the time being, the enthusiasm of the Kyushu samurai to overthrow the emperor did not diminish at all.
This scene was seen by Admiral Garcia who was visiting Kagoshima City, but he was very surprised - the Japanese were fighting too hard, weren't they?
The Eight-Power Allied Forces!
It all sounds scary...and the Ming Emperor also paid a high price to recruit armed Galen ships to join the war! So Admiral Garcia himself was scared, but why were the little dwarf warriors of Satsuma Domain not scared at all?
There are more and more samurai camped outside Kagoshima City, probably no less than 50,000...
However, their equipment is very poor. They have basically no cavalry and no flintlock rifles. The most common equipment is the samurai sword. These people don't think that they can cut down the Eight-Nation Allied Forces commanded by Prince Kongdai with a slender knife, right?
"Your Excellency, Your Excellency, General... what a great news!"
When Admiral Garcia was thinking about running away and returning to the New World, Caballero, the Spanish envoy to the Ming Dynasty (now the ambassador to Japan), ran into Garcia's room in Kagoshima Castle excitedly.
"What's the good news?" Garcia looked at Caballero, who had just arrived from Mitsuhisa Shimazu.
"Admiral," Caballero said, "Satsuma Domain has decided to form a new army, and will use all the weapons and equipment in storage to equip the samurai gathered outside the city...His Royal Highness the feudal lord hopes that we can provide people with proficiency in Spanish methods." The officers of the formation will help them train. He hopes to complete the formation and training of the new army before the end of the year, and start the Kyushu strategy after the New Year."
Although the feudal lords of the Satsuma Domain are campaigning to overthrow the emperor, what they really want is to separatize Kyushu - overthrowing the entire shogunate is not something they dare to think about!
"Can we win?" Garcia was still a little worried. "We have to win quickly, right? The Ming Dynasty is already forming an eight-nation coalition. It won't be long before their expeditionary force will come across the sea."
"That's why Shimazu Mitsuhisa decided to give it a go... He hoped to capture Kyushu before the Eight-Nation Alliance arrived." Caballero said, "After occupying Kyushu, he can organize 100,000 people The above samurai army will really have nothing to fear by then!"
