In early March of the 42nd year of Haojing (1685), the large-scale Ming Dynasty expedition fleet set sail from major bases along the mainland coast, first assembled on Jeju Island, and then sailed to the East along the established northern route through the Arctic Strait.
The expeditionary fleet includes two Bismarcks, six Dingyuan, 12 Yoshino, 12 Laiyuan, 12 Zhiyuan, as well as four Dingyuan type supply ships, four Dingyuan type hospital ships, and four Yoshino type supply ships ship and two Yoshino-type hospital ships.
There are also eight 10,000-ton steam armored supply ships and eight 7,000-ton steam armored supply ships modified from merchant ships. With these supply ships, the expeditionary fleet is fully prepared for ocean warfare.
Jiexuan, who was familiar with this route, was of course the best choice. This time he was not accompanied by Zheng Guangying, but this old man would also arrive in North America from the east coast to cooperate with Zheng Chenggong in taking over New Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Excluding the capital ships allocated to many allies after signing the trade agreement, Emperor Haojing almost allocated all the elite forces of the Ming Navy in order to form a powerful expedition fleet.
There are only one Bismarck and one Dingyuan left in the mainland. The tonnage of other types of ironclads is relatively small. Jiexuan also expressed some concern.
However, Emperor Haojing believed that the enemies who dared to attack the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty seemed to have not yet been born, and more than forty armored ships would be enough.
Without the protection of a large number of battleships, France and the Netherlands knew that the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty were relatively vulnerable at this time, and Emperor Haojing bet that they would not dare to act rashly.
If you dare to take any action, I will cut off your supply of elixir, and then watch you grow old little by little, and eventually die of illness or old age!
With one Bismarck, one Dingyuan, four Yoshinos, 28 self-developed second-class ironclads, and 20 Zhiyuan ships, Louis XIV was not completely sure that he would attack the Ming Empire without involving the Netherlands.
The Dutch Navy has one Dingyuan, 11 Yoshino, and 46 Zhiyuan. Together with the French fleet, its strength is quite impressive.
However, William III was not a fool who could be deceived easily. He used the power of the whole country to fight against the Ming Empire and both sides suffered losses. In the end, he could only let Louis XIV take advantage.
There are still three years to go. The ninth batch of cost plans includes one Blücher test ship, one Bismarck aircraft carrier test ship, eight Bismarcks, eight Dingyuan, 18 Yoshino, six Laiyuan, and eight Zhiyuan, three Dingyuan supply ships, and three Dingyuan medical ships will all be completed.
For Daming, it would only be uncomfortable for three years at most.
After that, even if Jiexuan's expedition fleet is permanently stationed in North America, there will be no defensive pressure on the mainland.
By the beginning of the next year at the latest, the twenty Yoshinos built by Lushun Shipyard and Nandu Shipyard will be launched.
This means that in reality, Emperor Haojing will only have to worry about it for two years, leaving little time for some enemies to make a comeback...
In the past thirty years, although the Ming Dynasty had been vigorously mining, the surplus of the Ministry of Household Affairs was still not much. The reason was that most of the money earned from mining was used for secondary investment in the mines and shipbuilding.
A lot of silver coins have been turned into ironclads, either in the shipyards or already in the naval ship list.
The navy is a gold-swallowing behemoth, but the benefits of raising the navy are also obvious.
Unlike later generations, now even retired ironclads can be sold for a good price.
This is equivalent to the fact that the Ming Dynasty did not spend much money in these years to achieve the goal of using ironclad ships to protect thousands of miles of sea territory.
In this expedition, in addition to combat ships and auxiliary ships, the fleet also carried nearly a thousand merchant ships.
Transporting 5,000 Marines, 15,000 Army troops, 20,000 Japanese troops, as well as a large number of aircraft, tanks, heavy artillery and other heavy weapons and supplies.
The person commanding the army is Zhang Tianbao's second uncle-Li Dingguo!
Li Dingguo, who was in his sixties, was transferred back from Sumatra a year ago. During the Chinese New Year in Beidu, Emperor Haojing gave him a new mission and several tubes of fairy medicine.
If it weren't for the fact that he killed Kong Youde and Nikan and scared Wu Sangui away, Li Dingguo would not have been able to get such a good thing.
Recalling his achievements in resisting the enemy in his previous life and his hard work in suppressing the natives of the East Indies in this life, he was given the elixir.
Due to the local climate and vegetation, the natives of the East Indies were no easier to fight than braids.
It can be said that Emperor Haojing gave Li Dingguo the most difficult task in all war zones.
This department has always used northern Shaanxi as its source of troops, and has suffered a total of no less than 10,000 casualties over the years.
The bravery and skill of the soldiers in northern Shaanxi also caused the local indigenous people to suffer a lot. Li Dingguo's troops killed no less than 200,000 enemies and injured and disabled millions.
Now Emperor Haojing asked the German Mixed Blood Corps to take over this task, and cooperated with aircraft and tanks, as well as the 100,000 Japanese troops who had already launched a local suppression operation, using dum bombs and white phosphorus bombs to compete with the natives in the second half.
It is estimated that in another eight to ten years, this damn archipelago should be completely conquered.
Like the Dutch before them, the Ming army and government only existed on the main islands of the East Indies, and those small islands did not need to be considered for the time being.
The big island only uses the city as a stronghold, and the countryside can only be visited during the campaign, and there is no need to pay attention to it at ordinary times.
Sumatra and Java are the most important strategic locations, and Emperor Haojing also plans to manage them carefully.
However, in the early 19th century, the violent eruption of Mount Tambora was always a worry for Emperor Haojing.
The scale of that eruption was beyond imagination and directly cooled the world by about 0.5 degrees Celsius.
It's certainly not a big deal, nor is it reactivating the Little Ice Age.
The problem is that Sumatra and Java will definitely be the most severely affected places, and they may eat volcanic ash for several years.
The current investment in the two big islands may be wiped out after the volcano erupts...
After careful consideration, Emperor Hao Jing only agreed to maintain the inherent cities in the two places, that is, the strongholds that the Dutch had built, and did not consider other matters for the time being.
Due to the existence of the volcanic and seismic belt in the Western Pacific, Emperor Haojing has always had reservations about moving to the south.
The money you have finally earned is at risk of being cleared by the system at every turn. This is a blow that a careful person cannot bear.
In contrast, although the Northland is cold, as long as they do not move to the Tunguska area, they will not suffer that fatal blow...
The more ideal places to move the capital are Omsk, Barnaul, or even Astana further south, located in the middle of the Northland.
But that’s a story for another day. The current priority is to recover the lost territory in North America and deal with Australia’s affairs at the same time.
Due to the large number of immigrants in Australia and the small scale of the local indigenous people, the imperial court also opened steel plants and shipyards there, making the situation in Australia much better than that in the East Indies.
Emperor Haojing planned to let his eldest son Zhu Xiangtang be the regent. Australia has always been a region directly under the imperial court. It is not and will not be the fiefdom of a certain prince, but this son has the right to manage everything.
This arrangement is to prevent Australia from something like North America happening in the future as its economic strength grows. With the emperor in charge and the deployment of troops, it can develop steadily for a hundred years.
As for being kidnapped by a general and proclaiming himself emperor, Emperor Haojing was not worried. With his eldest son's honest and honest character, even if he agreed at the time, he would come to apologize to his father later.
Zhu Xiangtang's personality is close to that of the chief prince Zhu Biao, but because his father paid attention to the physical health of the princes since childhood, Zhu Xiangtang has always been in good health and has never had any serious illness.
Now this guy can't continue to make a living in the Academy of Sciences. At his age, if he stays around for another ten years, he might even become the dean, which is Sun Yunqiu's position.
Zhu Xiangtang is already thirty years old, and it is just time for him to gain some experience abroad. Back then, his uncle traveled to Western Europe...
Regardless of the matter, Emperor Haojing told his eldest son that when he arrived in Australia, he could do his job well by remembering the edict.
The main purpose is scientific management, standardized operation, seeking truth from facts, and being strict with oneself!
The first two words are for the person below, and the last two words are for himself.
If you can apply the knowledge you have learned in the Academy of Sciences over the years, it will be considered a great success.
There is no emphasis on appearance or qualifications in the Academy of Sciences. Everything is evaluated based on practical ability and learning ability.
People with real abilities, even if they are not good at interpersonal relationships, can still get ahead in the Academy of Sciences and ensure that the whole family has enough food and clothing.
Emperor Haojing hoped that his eldest son could uphold the ethos of the Academy of Sciences and not bring over the smoky local things.
Even if the Australian side has been infected, they have the right to carry out vigorous rectification after he passes.
To this day, people in the Ming Dynasty still practice this virtue, and people are everywhere giving gifts during holidays.
The big guys in the Military Aircraft Department have been fed up by the emperor, so they are more restrained.
Regarding the virtues of the people below, the factory guard had already reported relevant information to Emperor Haojing.
As long as it doesn't go too far and doesn't affect ordinary people, Zhu Cixiang won't bother to deal with it.
Integrity in the face of power is just two words - haha!
Optimistic estimates suggest that only about 10% of officials in the country are strict with themselves and do not often accept gifts, which are only symbolic.
More than half of the officials, as long as there is no investigation from above, will try their best to make money, but based on the experience of the annual post-autumn battles, and the fact that Emperor Haojing is not too old to be too old to faint, they will almost give up.
Those who can't control their claws and always hope to receive a gift from Shen Wansan will end up in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment or the prison of the factory guard!
Emperor Haojing did not give additional instructions to the governors of each province to clean up the moths. Wouldn't it be better for you to figure out the Holy Will?
Just take a guess!
What an interesting game!
Emperor Haojing could calculate the number of borers and the amount of money that should be paid based on the population, number of officials, tax amount, and economic status of each province.
If you meet the standard, you will be considered a passing grade; if you exceed the standard, you will be considered outstanding!
If a certain governor said that his officials are all honest and self-disciplined...
The happiest people are the officials, because starting from the governor, there are a lot of good positions!
Except for the candidates designated by the emperor, it will cost money for others to fill the vacancy!
Back then Zuo Maodi's protégé Xu Jiufu filled the vacancy of Shaanxi governor, which directly made a group of spare tires miserable!
But this is a matter that the emperor opened Chrysostom, and it cannot be changed. We can only find other ways to make up for the shortcomings.
His biological mother, the Queen Xue Wanqing, was very reluctant to let her son go to Australia.
Even if he stays with her, even if she doesn't become the regent, as long as she can see her son every day, she will be satisfied as a mother.
Fortunately, Zhu Xiangtang already has a lot of children, especially some of his children who are very rebellious and usually don't listen to him.
Some of the descendants will stay in Beidu, which will give Xue Wanqing a chance to get close to her grandchildren.
Going to Australia to serve as regent is not permanent. It lasts for ten years. After the expiration, Emperor Haojing will also go for inspection.
If you do well, it depends on the specific situation. Otherwise, just work at the Academy of Sciences for the rest of your life!
But even if he goes to Australia, Zhu Xiangtang can continue to do what he likes in his spare time.
Emperor Haojing was too lazy to take care of this aspect.
The eldest son of the emperor has many followers, and many important matters will be taken care of by dedicated people, and he will be responsible for the final decision.
This is equivalent to going on a study tour in Australia, not going to a specific college to attend classes, but the kind of practical learning that involves traveling thousands of miles.
Regarding the reasons for this decision, Zhu Cixiang also explained in detail to Xue Wanqing.
It's not aimed at the eldest son, and it's not that Xue Wanqing usually doesn't do well, on the contrary.
He had to do this because he was worried about the future of the empire.
The eldest son had been engaged in scientific research for a long time and acted cautiously. Zhu Cihong was not at ease when sending other princes.
There is another important thing, that is, Emperor Haojing hopes that his eldest son will go to Dongao for a field trip to the Great Dividing Range.
Due to the existence of the Great Dividing Range, the climate of pleasant Eastern Australia is completely different from that of the arid inland.
Emperor Haojing wanted to see if certain measures could be taken to allow warm and humid air to enter the inland areas.
Zhu Xiangtang was very interested in this secret mission. He had good geography scores and knew about the existence of the Great Divide. He really wanted to go and check it out with his own eyes.
If it can succeed, it will be an act of immeasurable merit and benefit millions of people. Zhu Xiangtang and Emperor Haojing have been studying this for half a month with many experts from the Academy of Sciences.
Eventually, the Academy of Sciences will also send a project team there. If it is really feasible, even if it means using the method of Foolish Old Man to move mountains, the Great Dividing Range will have to be dismantled.
Everyone agreed that even if the amount of the project was huge, it would be very worthwhile if there could be a place on the west side of the Great Dividing Range that is close to the East Australia area and suitable for farming.
Send your own son to blow up the mountain? ? ?
As a queen, Xue Wanqing no longer knows how to evaluate...
Emperor Haojing believed that his eldest son, who had been working in the Academy of Sciences for a long time, was the best candidate for this matter.
Besides, as long as scientific planning and construction are used, TMT is used with a large number of construction machinery, and digging can be successful even if it persists for a hundred or two hundred years.
My uncle likes carpentry, I like building armored ships, and my son’s first priority in his career is to blow up mountains!
It can be said that the Ming Dynasty royal family is full of talents~!
Some of the wasteland in Dong'ao has been reclaimed, and food has long been self-sufficient, with some surpluses.
The arrival of the emperor's eldest son will inevitably intensify the migration of local people to Australia, especially Eastern Australia.
The larger the number of new people arriving in the area, the more wasteland will be reclaimed, and the harvested food will increase rapidly.
Papua New Guinea is also a grain-producing area. If the grain in Eastern Australia is not enough, it can be transferred from the island.
The drought conditions in the Australian outback must be changed, otherwise those areas will only be suitable for mining and grazing in the future.
Only parts of Northern Australia, Southern Australia and Eastern Australia can be cultivated, accounting for less than 20% of the total area of the Australian continent. This is a result that Emperor Hao Jing cannot accept!
