The expedition fleet led by Jiexuan set sail from Dengzhou in early April and arrived at Chongguo in the southern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula more than a month later.
After Zhou Wang Zhu Gongqi and other older generation vassal kings died of illness one after another, the originally young Chong Wang Zhu Youfan became a highly respected member of the northern vassal kings.
In the nearly twenty years since I came to Kamchatka to take root, the capital of Chongguo has already transformed from a pile of small wooden houses into a large and stylish fortress.
Although it is still far away from the size of the city in the Ming Dynasty, it is quite good in the vast and sparsely populated north land that seems to be very desolate.
Sailors who have never been here are very curious about how such a temperature can exist in the far north. The snow-capped mountains in the distance are clearly visible, but there are dots of green along the coast near the sea.
In June and July, when the temperatures are the highest, the vegetation coverage will be much better than it is now.
Stretching from the foot of the mountain to the seaside, as long as it is not saline-alkali land, almost all of it has been cultivated into fertile farmland.
The newspaper said that Chongguo had large areas of fertile land and could be self-sufficient in food, but many people still didn't believe it.
I thought it would be freezing here all year round, but I had to accept this fact after seeing it with my own eyes.
Being able to see the fleet from the mainland was the happiest thing for Chong Wang Zhu Youfan.
The scale this time was unprecedented. Zheng Guangying's fleet had 522 ships, and Jiexuan's fleet had 164 ships, including 14 ironclads.
This was the first time that the people of Chongguo, and even Chongwang Zhu Youfan, had seen an armored ship. Jiexuan had received permission from a certain new emperor before and invited him to board the ship and visit it.
For this kind of warship without sails, especially when it is said that it can sail across the ocean by eating only coal and water, the people standing on the seaside are pointing and pointing in wonder.
Even Zhu Youfan himself, who had already boarded the ship, admired such a majestic battleship. The rapid development of Ming Dynasty's science and technology caught the world by surprise.
Such a big iron guy can actually float on the sea and run faster than a wooden sailboat. This is something that many people can't figure out.
However, as ordinary people, what they are most concerned about is that the fleet has brought some good things.
Later, Jiexuan also explained the whole story. The fleet was replenishing fresh water in Chongguo. It would be better if fresh meat could be purchased.
Zheng Guangying asked some merchant ships to unload their goods on the spot after docking, and at the same time load them with furs, canned seafood and sulfur soap produced in Chongguo, and then they could return.
The remaining main force followed Jiexuan's fleet along the Aleutian Islands route, entered the waters of Alaska, and then headed southeast into Canada, which was Zhang Xianzhong's Dadong Empire.
After the local fleet docked, all kinds of supplies were unloaded in large quantities. For the people, this was like a festival, even more lively than New Year's Eve.
The quantity and style of materials carried by each merchant ship under Zheng Guangying's jurisdiction are roughly equivalent. As long as the number of merchant ships is calculated, it can meet the needs of Chongguo.
There are now no less than 300,000 people in Chongguo. In addition to the capital, there are also two counties in the northeast and northwest, each with a population of tens of thousands.
In line with the principle that good things come in pairs, Zhu Youfan specially gave Jiexuan and Zheng Guangying two sets of fur coats, fur hats, gloves, and leather boots made of polar bear skins as a way to keep out the cold.
Jiexuan took out a gift prepared by the new emperor in advance, two revolvers with gold-plated dragon patterns as a return gift.
Zheng Guangying brought out a Fujian specialty, a full twenty kilograms of Dahongpao tea, and the quality reached the tribute level.
It's just a gift on the table, it's symbolic, but in reality, the number of things that go back and forth can be counted as a ship.
Jiexuan was most concerned about the supply situation of the fleet, because he could not expect to go further north to Alaska for supplies.
In response to this request, Zhu Youqi wholeheartedly agreed. They have nothing else here. They lack fresh water to melt snow, and they can pick wild vegetables if they don't have enough vegetables.
There is so much seafood that it can replace the staple food. Only in Chongguo can all the soldiers in the army have a king crab the size of a basin placed in front of them!
It seems that all kinds of cold-water fish are commonplace. As long as some soldiers can still hold it in their stomachs, local cooks will always serve hard dishes!
There is a lot of seafood in Denglai, but it is far less generous than in Chongguo. One person can eat a fish...
According to the plan made in advance, the Jiexuan fleet had to use less than 10,000 supplies to carry out barter trade with Chongguo, and it was entirely up to Zheng Guangying.
Although the supplies carried by one hundred merchant ships were enough to meet the current needs, Zheng Guangying ordered that the supplies of two hundred ships be unloaded.
Firstly, it gave Prince Chong a face, and secondly, it was considered a futures contract. Even if it could not be traded for the time being, when the fleet came back in a year, the goods could still be picked up.
King Chong has always been true to his word and will not do things that sacrifice the good for some benefits. This is one of the reasons why Chongguo develops faster than most vassals.
The remaining supplies on the 322 ships belong to Zhang Xianzhong.
This is not because the new emperor is pretending to be taken advantage of. Zhang Xianzhong will attack the Spaniards vigorously only if he is given enough benefits.
More than three hundred ships of goods were parked on the shore. If Zhang Xianzhong wanted to accept all the orders, he had to come up with the corresponding exchange items.
Zhang Xianzhong, who claimed to be a cheerful person, would definitely not let Zheng Guangying's fleet return the same way without waiting for unloading.
All the supplies on the ship are what the little emperor wants, so it depends on his sincerity in taking the goods...
Three thousand marines and tens of thousands of sailors and sailors ate and drank in Chongguo for five days.
Jiexuan would not take his men to eat and drink for free, and he also paid for the meals afterwards.
Originally, Zhu Youfan didn't want to take it, but Jiexuan reminded the vassal king that when the fleet returned, more Chongguo products would definitely be taken away, and this money would be regarded as the cost of purchasing raw materials for the factory.
At least hiring workers to extract sulfur from the crater requires money. Ten thousand taels of silver is not much, but it is quite interesting.
Although Zhu Youfan didn't understand military affairs, the armored ship was parked on the shore. He believed that this time the king's army went on an expedition, they would definitely win a great victory. By then, a lot of the sulfur soap and other commodities produced in the country would be taken away by the fleet.
This time, I can make a fortune for myself and the whole country.
Thinking of this, Zhu Youfan wished the fleet a smooth journey and success.
When the fleet is replenished, in addition to the hundred merchant ships that set out to return, the remaining merchant ships, even if they are empty ships, will follow the fleet to Alaska.
Although there are occasional storms on this route, there are no most terrifying typhoons. As long as we head east along the Aleutian Islands, we will definitely not get lost.
On July 30th of the Western calendar, a huge fleet of 586 ships appeared in Port Prince.
Afterwards, the flying cavalry galloped all the way and reported the situation to the young emperor Zhang Xianzhong who was in the capital of Vancouver.
"Your Majesty, I am worried that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty will make a false plan to destroy Guo?"
After hearing the news, Prime Minister Pan Dubie expressed his worries.
"Your Majesty, if the Ming army really wants to do this, they can sail the fleet directly into the sea outside the capital. Why do they need to dock at Prince's Port first?"
The Right Prime Minister Xu Yixian had a different view. The Ming Dynasty was their backer, and they must not offend their backer because of unwarranted suspicion.
"I already understand. If the Great Emperor really helps me to eliminate the Spaniards this time, I will naturally reciprocate. Otherwise..."
Zhang Xianzhong did not directly say what happened next. The great emperor owed him a huge favor by letting him live.
This time, Zhang Xianzhong planned to satisfy the demands of the generals leading the Ming army as long as they were not too excessive.
The letter explained the general situation, but the decision must be made after discussing it with the general himself.
Today's left and right prime ministers are the left and right military advisors back then.
The two were very loyal to Zhang Xianzhong. After Zhang Xianzhong ascended the throne, he gave them prominent status.
At present, the three adopted sons are all commanding troops abroad. There are only more than a thousand troops of General Feng Shuangli in the capital, which is quite empty.
However, Zhang Xianzhong is not so afraid that the emperor will kill him. He did not kill him back then, but now he sends troops to chase him thousands of miles away. Isn't he putting the cart before the horse?
At present, North America is far from being under his control. Even if he wants to kill, he must defeat the Spaniards before taking action, otherwise it will be difficult to take over the territory of the Dadong Empire.
After careful thought, Zhang Xianzhong decided to lead his cronies to welcome the Ming army at the city gate and take a look at his new friend Zheng Guangying.
The young man only came here the year before last, but he didn't expect to come again this year. At least it was a chance encounter, and he had to fulfill his friendship as a landlord.
"Commander Jie! Brother Zheng! It's been a hard journey!"
When he saw him in person, Zhang Xianzhong smiled and saluted the two of them with clasped fists, as if he was seeing relatives.
"Your Majesty, you're welcome!"
Jiexuan used the honorific title according to the wishes of a certain new emperor, which at least gave the other party some face.
Although Emperor Ming and Emperor Dadong were both emperors, everyone knew in their hearts that only the powerful could be the emperor.
"Alas~! This title of emperor is me... It is used to suppress the local indigenous people. Commander Jie must not be embarrassed. If you don't dislike it, calling him Brother Zhang is enough!"
"Brother Zhang is really good at what he does, no wonder he can conquer the world so quickly!"
"Hahahaha! Commander Jie, you deserve the award, you deserve the award!"
"Brother Zhang, just call me Brother Jie!"
"Okay! That's very good! Please come to the city quickly. I'm hosting a banquet for my two brothers and the soldiers under my command!"
Seeing that the other party brought not many soldiers and horses, only about a hundred or so people, Zhang Xianzhong was somewhat relieved, but he still had to find out the purpose and bottom line of the other party's trip before he could be prepared.
During the banquet, Jiexuan directly pointed out the information that the other party wanted to know, because he brought the fleet up and down, either to enjoy the mountains and rivers, or to seek revenge.
The reason is very simple. The Spanish fleet once poisoned the Jiangnan area and caused huge harm to the people of the Ming Dynasty. Now it is time to avenge this revenge.
"So that's it, these Western barbarians are really hateful! They didn't bother to kill my people in Luzon, but they went too far. They are really asking for death. Don't worry, brothers. Since there is a strong fleet this time, I will definitely send a large number of troops from the land. Attack the Western Yi stronghold, and if we advance by sea and land, we will definitely defeat the Western Yi bandits!"
You still have to speak up first, or at least express your position and attitude, especially since the Spaniards really don't know how to praise.
There are Rakshasa in the north, Western barbarians in the east, and Nanman in the south. These three are all weak people who don’t know how high the sky is until they are beaten.
Since Zhang Xianzhong replied like this, Jiexuan explained the basic goal of the expedition on the spot.
Destroy the entire maritime power on the west coast of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Specifically, no one larger than a fishing boat will be left behind!
All personnel, materials, money and food seized at sea and along the coast shall belong to the expeditionary force.
In addition, all Spanish strongholds or towns located in the interior will be assigned to Zhang Xianzhong after they are captured.
In order to reach an agreement as soon as possible, Jiexuan allowed Zhang Xianzhong to exchange local specialties for a large amount of military supplies loaded on merchant ships.
Zhang Xianzhong was overjoyed to see 150 artillery pieces, 3,300 rifles, and 50,000 grenades. Although these needed to be exchanged for local specialties, they were well worth the money.
In particular, Zhang Xianzhong was so surprised that the great emperor could actually provide him with a tank.
With the invulnerable tanks, Zhang Xianzhong no longer worried about his cavalry being unable to defeat the Spanish.
Since the other party's requirements were not high, Zhang Xianzhong agreed and even signed a bilateral agreement.
Any outstanding balance can be settled by barter or cash before the fleet returns home.
After replacing the shotguns with cannons with his own men and horses, the combat power increased sharply, and there was no need to worry about being unable to defeat the Spanish stronghold.
Now there are airships above and tanks below, attacking cities and territories along the way, and then using the captured silver coins to pay off debts.
Now that the bandits have become officers and soldiers, you are not allowed to say "rob, plunder, or plunder"; you must use the word "capture"!
This expedition to the south, with the help of the Ming army, was of extraordinary significance.
Therefore, it is not possible to just dispatch direct descendants, but also need to contact the chiefs of the Indian tribes who have surrendered to themselves.
In particular, they were asked to come to the beach to see the armored ships in the Ming fleet. With this, the Spanish wooden warships were like targets.
Originally, Zhang Xianzhong and his subordinates did not believe that the steel battleship could float on the sea. They had the same reaction as King Chong, and they were extremely surprised after they stepped off the ship.
The left and right prime ministers also brought a magnet. After the experiment was correct, their minds were already in a trance.
In this regard, Jiexuan just explained that the principles of iron armored ships and iron basins are the same.
After being notified, the chiefs stepped off the ship and were shocked again.
Now everyone completely believes that they have the strength to defeat the Spanish fleet. There are airships and tanks on land, which means that the end of the Spanish is coming!
Everyone has been looking forward to this day for years, even decades.
Now that both sides have common enemies, they can share the same hatred.
After repeated discussions, all Indian tribes decided to go out in full force. The number of Indian warriors participating in this southern battle alone could reach 70,000!
Zhang Xianzhong gathered nearly 40,000 people, which was already the limit of his mobilization.
The combined strength of the two armies exceeds 100,000, making it a very large army.
Jie Xuan is entirely responsible for maritime operations, and he also wants to see what the strength of the former world's largest navy is.
Although it should only be a squadron stationed on the west coast, it can also allow the expeditionary fleet to accumulate practical experience.
You can be polite to the French!
You can be polite to the Dutch too!
You can be more polite to the Ottomans!
Only the Spaniards can be as rude as they like!
When the Spanish fleet invaded Jiangnan, were they polite to you?
Confucius said - It is rude to be polite when you come!
