It’s the eighth year.
Zhu Yunwen stood in Wuying Hall, looking up at the hanging map of the Ming Dynasty with deep and calm eyes. After seven years of innovation, construction, and expansion, the Ming Dynasty finally reached a new level.
Politically, all officials speak out and are relatively clear-sighted.
Economically, businessmen are coming and going, and businesses are flourishing.
Culturally, education is in its infancy and literacy is on the rise.
In military terms, the territory is expanded and the map is changed.
Although there are still many conflicts and problems within the Ming Dynasty that have yet to be resolved, the Ming Dynasty's growing national power and comprehensive strength are objective.
As a political country, the overall situation is the top priority. The overall situation is stable and not in danger despite the storms.
When Zhu Yunwen was planning the policy strategy for the eighth year of Jianwen, the naval fleet, which had just celebrated the National Day, launched a two-pronged attack from Quanzhou Port in Fujian and Naha Port in Ryukyu, approaching Xiaoliuqiu Island.
When the navy landed at Jilong (later Keelung) in the north of Xiaoliuqiu Island, the Qingyuan Pirates stationed on the island had disappeared without a trace.
The Daming Navy, which did not encounter any resistance, officially occupied Chicken Coop, then divided its forces to occupy Tamsui, and started a comprehensive sweep, survey and occupation along the west coast.
Due to language barriers, the natives of Xiaoliuqiu clashed with the Ming Dynasty navy, and many of them were destroyed.
The scouts, led by Suo Jing, Du Jian and others, went deep into the mountains and forests, driving the remaining Gaoshan tribe to the west coast and becoming prisoners of the Ming Dynasty.
Considering the need for land reclamation, the Daming Navy did not massacre the Xiaoliuqiu natives on a large scale. Instead, after capturing them, they placed them in camps and arranged for people to teach the language and farm. They adopted the method of domestication and eradicated them through strong culture. The imprint of the indigenous people guides them to identify and gradually become people of the Ming Dynasty.
This process is long and requires at least two or three generations to achieve.
Xiaoliuqiu Island became the territory of the Ming Dynasty without any suspense, which also marked that the Ming Dynasty officially controlled all the peripheral sea areas on land from Liaodong Bay in the north to Jiaozhi Aizhou Port in the south.
Passing through Champa, Manlajia, Boni, etc., the Ming Dynasty also had an enclave in the south - Jiugang Xuanweisi, which guarded the east-west sea lanes from Nanyang to the West.
In the entire eastern sea area of the Ming Dynasty, the only ones that could compete with the Ming Dynasty for territory were North Korea and Japan. Considering that Li Fangyuan of North Korea surrendered to the Ming Dynasty and had a harmonious relationship with the Ming Dynasty, there was only one country left, Japan.
As for Nanyang, there are many countries scattered around. Their overall strength is very weak, far inferior to the Ming Dynasty. In addition, their navigation technology is weak. If they want to do some long-distance trade, they have to buy ships from the Ming Dynasty. They really do not pose a threat.
Chen Zuyi's pirate group was destroyed. Chen Zuyi's body was dug out by Li Jian, and his head was chopped off and brought back to the Ming Dynasty. As for Chen Shiliang, in December of the seventh year of Jianwen, he was beheaded in front of a group of envoys from various vassal countries. Head.
With the Qingyuan Pirates missing, the Ming Dynasty Navy has ushered in an era of enemy-free seas. However, this enemy-free period will not last long. The tide of history will eventually set off, leaving no room for the loneliness of the times.
The sky seemed to be penetrated by thousands of arrows, and the rain kept falling.
Luo Guanying looked up and saw that the dense canopy of trees blocked the sky. The rain hit the canopy and rolled from one leaf to the lower leaves until it rolled down and landed on this primitive land.
The raindrops shook, and the sergeant began to clear a relatively high position, set up a military tent, and hid in the military tent, waiting for the rain to stop.
Luo Guanying summoned Zhao Shiyu, Wang Zhen, Su An and others to discuss the next plan.
In May of the seventh year of Jianwen, Luo Guanying was the first to arrive at the mouth of the Amazon River and lit the smoke column. Then by mid-June, a total of eight fleets came to join forces. Only the Dabao fleet led by Wu Yi had no trace or news.
When it set off from the west coast of Africa, Zheng He's naval fleet had a total of more than 26,000 men. When they met, there were only more than 18,700 men. Facing such a tragic voyage, Zheng He couldn't help but feel sad secretly.
But with a great mission on our shoulders, sacrifice is nothing.
Zheng He left more than 2,700 troops to station at the mouth of the Amazon River, taking care of ships and supplies, and building a port. Then he led 16,000 soldiers up the Amazon River and split it into three at a large fork of the river. They will explore in three directions: northwest, due west, and southwest, with the plan to reach the Andes Mountains in search of crops, and then meet at the mouth of the Amazon River in October of the eighth year of Jianwen.
The team due west was led by Sergeant Zhang Yu's fleet, with Luo Guanying and Zhao Shiyu as the left vanguard, Yuan Yichen and Shen Wei as the right vanguard, and explored in the direction of the Andes in a "pin" pattern.
Half a month ago, Luo Guanying, Zhao Shiyu and others abandoned their ship and went ashore, taking two to more than a thousand people deep into the virgin forest. In just half a month, the sergeant turned There were already more than three hundred damages. In this weird forest, not only were giant pythons eating people, but even some spiders were so big that they could only survive a quarter of an hour after being bitten.
In order to reduce casualties, Luo Guanying ordered the sergeants to wear clothes with iron armor on the inside and clothes on the outside to seal the gaps to prevent poisons from getting into the clothes. At the same time, he only marched during the day and camped to rest at night.
If we were in the Ming Dynasty, it would be no exaggeration to wrap ourselves up in clothes in this season, but this is South America, and it is obviously the winter of the Ming Dynasty, but it doesn’t seem to be cold here, it is sultry and sultry, so that’s it, wearing so many clothes , wrapped so tightly, when it rained, I was soaked all over.
It rained once and I endured it.
It doesn't matter if it rains twice.
But who can keep raining for two or three days? Why can't the rain here stop for ten and a half months to let people dry their clothes?
My clothes were wet, and it wasn't too cold. I gritted my teeth and insisted that it would be okay. However, my body was always wet, and my skin was about to break. My hands were white, my feet were white, and even the flesh on my elbows and inner thighs was wet. It's all festered, how can you resist?
I thought that arriving in South America would be victory, but when I got here, I realized that victory was still far away.
Sergeants kept getting sick and falling down, sergeants kept being attacked and killed by various poisons, and sergeants kept walking out for a long time and never came back. When they were found, they were hanging in the vines...
These great Ming Navy sergeants went deep into South America step by step and approached the Andes.
Luo Guanying was already unshaven, so he cut off a section of his beard with a short knife. People in the Ming Dynasty advocated growing a beard, but growing a beard in South America meant hanging a water bag on your chin all day long, which was not only uncomfortable, but also leaked.
"Where are we now?"
Luo Guanying sat down, poured out the water from her shoes, took out a piece of cloth and began to wipe her feet.
Liang Dafang took the map and compass and calculated carefully before speaking: "We should be less than three hundred miles away from the Andes. There is no problem with the direction. As long as we keep walking, we will definitely be able to see the mountains."
In this forest full of towering trees, it is impossible to climb high and see far away. In addition, there are strange animals hanging on the trees from time to time. No one dares to climb the trees easily and can only rely on Liang Dafang and others. Identify the direction.
"It's been half a year since July. Calculating the time, we should be almost there."
Zhao Shiyu took off his armor and breathed a long sigh of relief. Although the armor had been reduced in weight, it still weighed more than ten kilograms. In addition, the clothes were soaked, making it uncomfortable to wear.
Wang Zhen wiped his face and exhaled, "Are we moving too slowly?"
Su An said bitterly: "Can we get up quickly? There are no roads here, there are swamps and puddles from time to time, and there is always rain. It's good to be here now."
Ma Huan carefully took out the booklet from the cowhide package, found the pen and ink, and added a sentence before recording: "Speed is not important. What is important is whether we can dig potatoes."
Luo Guanying nodded heavily and appeased everyone: "Haste makes waste. Let's go slower and more cautiously. We must take everyone back. My brother-in-law is still waiting to go back, and the people of Ming Dynasty are waiting for us to go back."
Zhao Shiyu checked the bow and arrow and tried the bow string. It was OK and did not lose much elasticity: "Let's do it step by step, ?????????????????? We are not in a hurry anymore, as long as Once we find something, we can move down the river.”
Luo Guanying nodded, and everyone became silent.
Soon after, the sergeant brought food.
Although there are many sergeants entering the forest, there is no shortage of food for the march. There are countless edible animals in this forest. With the quality and equipment of the navy, there will be trouble if you are hungry. Killing a python is enough food for many people, not to mention that the sergeant's backpack is coated with wax to keep out water. Every few days, he will focus on hunting and gathering to collect practical supplies for reserves.
Eating is not a problem. The problem is that it rains too frequently, which seriously affects the marching speed.
The next day, it was sunny.
Luo Guanying took stock of the sergeants. Fortunately, there were not many of them, so he dispersed his troops, forming groups of ten, and fanned westward.
The ancient forest is so quiet that it makes people panic.
If it weren't for the large number of soldiers, this terrifying and depressing environment would be enough to drive people crazy.
When the march reached noon, a dark cloud flew over, and the little light in the forest suddenly disappeared, and the environment became much darker. Fortunately, it was daytime, and one could always see fifty-six steps away.
Su An took a big knife and cut off a vine. Just when he was about to turn around and talk to Luo Guanying, he saw a small wooden stick flying past in front of him, followed by the sound of a stone hitting metal. When he looked closely, the wooden stick hit the horse. Huan's chest, and then fell to the ground.
Luo Guanying bent down, picked up the stick, and looked at it carefully. It was a slender stick, one and a half feet long, with a notch on one end and a small sharpened stone on the other end.
"Is this an arrow?"
Luo Guanying stared and saw a tall man standing next to a tree not far away. This man was dressed strangely. He wore a tanned leather belt that reached his femur and was tied around his waist with a narrow belt. The front and back sides of the belt become two square aprons, hanging down for shelter.
This man has yellow skin and black hair, but has a high nose, sharp features, and a bunch of weird feathers on his head. He is holding a bow in his hand and looking at Luo Guanying and others in surprise.
"Could this be the natives and Indians that the emperor mentioned?"
Luo Guanying was full of curiosity, and the other sergeants also opened their eyes to observe. Curious, there were actually people in this place...
