In a sense, the ocean is related to the destiny of the country.
Maintaining maritime rights and interests requires a capable and powerful naval fleet. It takes a process for soldiers who are accustomed to land combat to become naval forces.
Zhu Yunwen gave him one year, three months to move and settle down, three months to swim, three months to adapt to the ship, and three months to form combat capabilities.
Those who cannot pass the naval examination after one year will not be asked to go home and farm.
Time is tight, but time waits for no one.
After Zheng He returns to the capital, his mission is to go to South America to dig potatoes and pull sweet potatoes. At that time, the elite of the naval fleet will leave the Ming Dynasty, go to a truly unfamiliar sea area, and land on a completely unfamiliar continent.
Zhu Yunwen did not let Zheng He go to South America during his second voyage to the West. There were many reasons. The main reason was to test the navy's ability to conduct long voyages, train new captains, and identify problems in the voyage to ensure that during the third voyage, Able to reach South America successfully.
Getting there is much harder than reaching the sky. Zheng He should be in heaven now, right?
Tianfang.
Zheng He paid a visit to the king of Tianfang Kingdom and presented him with gifts such as musk, ceramics, silk, and tea. King Tianfang received Zheng He kindly and was willing to send envoys to the Ming Dynasty.
Just as Zheng He was preparing to return home, an earth-shattering news reached Tianfang Kingdom:
Timur assembled an army of 140,000 troops, set out from Samarkand, and advanced westward, aiming directly at the Ottoman Empire.
Bayezid, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (Sultan, an Islamic priest, similar to a ruler), was also prepared and mobilized more than 80,000 elites, intending to completely defeat Timur in the military town of Angola to establish himself. 's rule.
Zheng He delayed his return and ordered his general officers to search for information about Timur and Bayezid, because the outcome of this battle was likely to affect the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Neng, Zhang Yu, Luo Guanying, Zhao Shiyu and others were on the chartered ship, analyzing intelligence day and night.
But the problem is that Tianfang Kingdom is still more than three thousand miles away from Angola City. The information received at this time is already lagging behind. No one can say whether it can be used.
"This Bayezid is not simple."
Zheng He looked at the compiled information and sighed.
Zhu Neng, who has always been somewhat arrogant, couldn't help but nod in praise: "If the information collected is true, then this person is indeed a powerful person. The outside world has given him the title of lightning. This person moves very quickly."
Zhang Yu was silent.
Luo Guanying held a document, which clearly recorded the power of Bayezid. He fought with his father in all directions when he was a boy. When he was thirty-five years old, his father was assassinated and he became the commander-in-chief of the army and completely annihilated him. He defeated the coalition forces of Serbia, Bulgaria and other countries, captured and killed their commander, Duke Lazar, and conquered Serbia and Bulgaria.
A few years ago, to be precise, in the 28th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, Bayezid led his army to invade Hungary.
In the 29th year of Hongwu's reign, Bayezid led his troops in a decisive battle with the Hungarian and Polish armies commanded by King Sigismund of Hungary and the 100,000-strong Crusaders composed of British and French knights. He won the battle and completely destroyed the Crusaders. They lost the main force of Hungary and captured more than 10,000 cavalry. At the same time as these wars, Bayezid was still besieging Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, and has not withdrawn his troops yet.
Just look at the rough map and you will know that Bayezid is a veritable sergeant commander. At the same time, he also has an ambitious desire for land, hoping to incorporate endless territory and population into the Ottoman Empire.
"When he was in Kochi, the king talked about Timur's western expedition. Now it seems that this war is already on the way."
Zheng He looked a little solemn.
As for Tamerlane, the information about him becomes more detailed here, and the more detailed the information, the more disturbing the horror of the man.
What King Kochi said about Timur's invasion of Delhi and other places was just an insignificant event in Timur's military career. In the second and third years of Jianwen, this man did not rest honestly, but continued to expansion and war.
Especially last year, when Zheng He was staying in Guli, Timur suddenly went south, captured Mansu, and donated the city of Baghdad, where he massacred more than 90,000 people!
If it weren't for the plague caused by the corpses being left unburied, Timur would probably have gone straight to the Ottoman Empire last year.
The current war is just a delay.
"You think Bayezid or Tamerlane, who will win?"
Shen Wei asked.
Zhao Shiyu shook his head seriously and said, "It's hard to say. These two can be said to be the two most outstanding commanders among the Western countries. They have rich combat experience and high prestige. It's hard to say who is better."
Yuan Yichen gestured on the map and said: "Let me say, Bayezid has the advantage. His main force is not far away, and Angola is its military center. Timur will be tired after traveling a long distance. How can there be any reason to be invincible while waiting for hard work?"
Luo Guanying handed the fruit in his hand to Yuan Yichen. Yuan Yichen took it and watched Luo Guanying take the map and then photographed it on the wall of the ship: "Timur will win this battle without a doubt. Waiting for work in leisure is not enough for Timur. On the body, this person is good at running and attacking, and he is not afraid of being taken advantage of. Bayezid's lightning is true, but this time, he is afraid that if he dodges once, he will not be able to dodge again."
Zhang Yu glanced at Luo Guanying and said seriously: "Tell me your basis."
Luo Guanying pointed at Angola and said: "Bayesid chose to fight Timur here, and he himself was inferior. When the enemy invaded, he did not take the initiative to attack and look for opportunities to annihilate the enemy. Instead, he sat somewhere and waited for the enemy to wreak havoc around him. Cut off your wings and fight again later?"
"If Bayezid really decides like this, it means that he does not have enough confidence to fight against Timur. If the generals no longer have confidence, how much fighting strength can the army have? In addition, Timur has done something wrong and massacred countless people. I was so frightened by the news that I didn't dare to fight with him at all. Let me say, Bayezid lost three points of his combat power before the war even started."
Zhu Neng stood up, patted Luo Guanying on the head, and then clicked on the map: "You see clearly, Bayezid is guarding Angola. There are mountains here, which can completely weaken Timur's cavalry advantage. Waiting for work in leisure is not necessarily a sign of the enemy's strength. Weakness, but a kind of wisdom.”
Luo Guanying was helpless and had no way to fight back. He was a general and he was nothing...
Zheng He stared at the map on the wall and said solemnly: "Have you calculated the distance from Samarkand to Angola?"
Zhang Yu nodded and said, "At least seven thousand miles!"
"Seven thousand miles? So far?"
Luo Guanying and others were shocked.
It is only more than 6,000 miles from the capital of the Ming Dynasty to Jiayuguan in the far west. This is already the extreme west. Unexpectedly, Timur's one expedition actually covered more than 7,000 miles. How long does this guy have to walk just on the road? .
Zheng He started walking: "Seven thousand miles, Tamerlane came here as soon as he said he would fight. And from Samarkand to Jiayuguan, it is only four thousand miles! If he wants to attack the Ming Dynasty, he is fully capable!"
Luo Guanying and others stared at the map and made some rough calculations, and it was indeed as Zheng He said. Timur's expedition of seven thousand miles is not a problem. If he wins Bayezit in this battle, he will have no worries about the Eastern Expedition. When the time comes to march four thousand miles and enter the Gansu area, the northwest border of the Ming Dynasty will face war!
Once Hami, Gansu and other places are lost, it will be difficult for Shaanxi to stop their invasion. If they are allowed to attack all the way, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Beizhili...
"The Sword Comes"
The consequences could be disastrous!
"We cannot stay here any longer. We should return to the capital as soon as possible and tell the emperor and the court this information."
Luo Guanying shouted.
Shen Wei, Zhao Shiyu and others did not refute.
Although it would take a year at the earliest for the fleet to return to the capital, the battle between Timur and Bayezid may not have started yet. After they finish, Timur will return home along the 7,000-mile road, and then prepare for the Eastern Expedition. Thinking about it for one year is not enough.
"Go home, the soldiers have been out long enough."
Zhang Yu said to Zheng He.
Zheng He pondered for a while and continued to wait here. He didn't know when the war between Timur and Bayezid would be decided. It was a waste of time, and Tianfang Kingdom was still far away from the battlefield. After receiving the news, Timur My son is probably on his way to class.
Go home, go home now!
Zheng He sent an order: "Return in two days!"
"As you command!"
Everyone hurried to prepare.
Those who need to purchase goods need to purchase goods, those who need to reserve fresh water need to reserve fresh water, and it is time for the horses and unicorns wandering on the shore to board the ship.
The busy fleet and the mood of returning home.
Zheng He stared at the sky, came here, touched the holy stone, and washed his soul. The rest of his life was to repay this era, an era of great navigation opened by Zhu Yunwen himself!
A more important mission?
Zheng He set his sights on the great fortune ships and the soldiers. Many of them were sailing to the South Seas for the first time, and all of them were sailing to the Western Seas for the first time. After more than a year of tempering, , polished by life and death, they have become qualified captains, sailors, and naval forces!
go home.
Although home is far away, every journey from now on will bring us closer and closer to home and country.
The flag of the Ming Dynasty flying high has become the spiritual sustenance of countless people. As long as you look at the sun and moon flag swinging in the wind, you will know that you are the ship of the Ming Dynasty under your feet, and beside you are the comrades of the Ming Dynasty.
Not lonely, but missing.
On the tenth day of the first lunar month in the fourth year of Jianwen, Zheng He led his naval fleet to return from Tianfang. The crew members were excited and occasionally made a few atavistic cries at sea.
Almost at the same time, Zhu Yunwen walked into the Imperial College dressed in regular clothes.
Yang Shiqi of the Imperial College led a large crowd to greet the students, and began the first high-level educational meeting in the history of Ming Dynasty. This meeting will determine the educational program, route and goals of Jianwen and even Ming Dynasty in the future.
Educational innovation is not easy, and promoting educational development is not just a matter of investing money and teachers. If some problems are not solved, enlightening people's wisdom, eliminating illiteracy and eliminating ignorance will be an illusion.
Zhu Yunwen doesn't like fantasy, but likes reality.
