Three days flew by.
Chen Kan put on his battle armor and stood on the bow of the treasure ship, with two hundred personal guards armed to the teeth behind him.
Zhang Dong handed the helmet to Chen Kan, who took it and put it on, then pulled down the movable visor.
From then on, Chen Kan's only weakness was his eyes.
Unless the enemy's bow and arrow can hit his eyes, he is immortal.
Looking at the assembled fleet in front of him, with 12,000 soldiers wearing leather armor, standing on the warships, Chen Kan was filled with pride.
"Tan Cong led the front army of 5,000 people and used treasure ships to clear the way. Dou Xing led the rear army of 5,000 people and used the treasure ships to cut off the rear. I, the Marquis, led the 2,000 center troops to support them in the center. The whole army set off!"
Chen Kan didn't talk nonsense. The swearing-in meeting had already been held when he set off from Daming.
Now, with more than three months to recharge their batteries, what the soldiers need is a hearty victory.
They will eventually leave immortal legends in Nanyang, a place thousands of miles away from the mainland of the Tang Dynasty.
"Woo~"
The trumpets sounded and the war drums thundered.
With the flag waving, the fleet led by three behemoths gradually left the port of Lion Kingdom.
The leading treasure ship has passed the capital of the Lion Kingdom, and there are still cruisers at the stern of the ship before leaving the port. The long fleet stretches for several miles, with military flags and leaves thickly covered with armor. It is so spectacular.
There is a mountain on the island where the capital of the Lion Kingdom is located, which is hundreds of meters high. The Lion City is built on the mountain, and the highest point is the palace of the Lion Kingdom.
On the observation deck of the palace, Liu Ye, the prime minister of the Lion Kingdom, stood side by side with a young man who had a similar face to him but was a head taller than him.
The two of them watched quietly as the fleet of ships stretched above the sea and sailed towards the depths of the strait.
"Uncle Wang, tell me, when will our Lion Kingdom have such a powerful fleet to conquer the world?"
Liu Ye looked thoughtful, shook his head and said, "Unless tomorrow collapses and a hurricane breaks out in the world."
The two of them spoke the language of the Ming Dynasty, and their voices were very low.
Therefore, when the palace servant who stood behind the two of them heard the conversation between the two, he couldn't help but feel a little confused on his face.
The young man is none other than Dizulila, the king of the Lion Kingdom. Of course, he also has a Chinese name, Liu La.
Hearing his uncle Wang's words, which made others feel presumptuous and undermined his ambition, he couldn't help but sigh softly.
Thinking back to three years ago, that beardless man was like a divine soldier descending from heaven, leading a huge fleet of ships to pass through the gate of the Lion Kingdom. He also sent an envoy to ask for the same thing.
At that time, he thought that no matter how powerful the Ming Dynasty was, such a huge fleet should be the strongest trump card of the old empire.
After all, Sumatra and Manchuria, two neighbors as powerful as the Lion Kingdom, never had such a fleet.
But today, three years later, he sent away a more powerful fleet.
This fleet is stronger than the one three years ago. Their ships are newer, their weapons are more advanced, and their morale is stronger.
And such fleets all came from the powerful Ming Empire.
According to the passing caravans, the Ming Dynasty had more than two such powerful fleets, and their army was even more powerful.
Dizzurilla couldn't imagine what kind of country that was.
Why can it be so ridiculously strong?
With a long sigh, Di Zulila's face suddenly became resolute. He raised his head, looked at Liu Ye in front of him, and said firmly: "Uncle Wang, I am going to Daming to meet with the legendary Emperor. .”
Liu Ye was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, there is an old saying in the Ming Dynasty, which is that a country cannot be without its owner for a day. If you go to the Ming Dynasty, what will happen to the millions of people in the Lion Kingdom? Let me go.
Please rest assured, Your Majesty, that the commander-in-chief of the Ming Dynasty accepted our gift, and I went to the Ming Dynasty. With his care, even if I cannot buy the treasure ship of the Ming Dynasty, it will not be difficult to buy one more blessing ship. "
Dizzurilla shook his head firmly and said word by word: "If I can't go to the Ming Dynasty in this life, how can I be happy in life? Uncle Wang doesn't need to persuade me anymore. I must go to the Ming Dynasty to see the power of the great kingdom. I never want to do it again. Be the frog in the well!"
Liu Ye heard this and said with a panic look on his face: "Does the King really want to abandon the millions of citizens of our Lion Kingdom?"
Di Zulila took a deep breath and looked at Liu Ye intently: "I have no heirs. When I went to the Ming Dynasty, Uncle Wang became the leader of the Lion Kingdom and protected millions of people in our Lion Kingdom. How about it?"
"How does this work?"
Liu Ye panicked all of a sudden and hurriedly knelt on the ground and refused: "No, since ancient times, the succession of the throne has been determined. I may not be able to take on this important task."
"I have made up my mind, Uncle Wang, there is no need to shirk. I believe that Uncle Wang will be able to protect our lion nation under his wings."
Desulira made the final decision with a firm look on his face, then turned around and said in Nanyang language: "Come here, summon the guru, I want to inquire, and also order the people of the country, from now on Bailiyaer is My Lord, the Lion King!"
"No, Your Majesty, no!"
Liu Ye pulled on Di Zulila's sleeve, so anxious that tears almost flowed out.
But Dizzurilla did not listen to the advice, threw off his sleeves and strode away. Not far from the watchtower, a scribe dressed as a Ming Dynasty merchant was waiting for him.
"Kings!"
"Master, please take me to Ming Dynasty."
Dizzurilla left resolutely, leaving Bairiayel slumped on the lookout and weeping hastily.
...
...
After sailing for a day and a night, Chen Kan's fleet finally entered the strait.
The Strait of Malacca, since the rise of the Maritime Silk Road in the former Song Dynasty, has been the choke point for the Central Plains dynasties to communicate with the world.
The strait runs from southeast to northwest, with the western section belonging to the Indian Ocean and the southeast end connected to the South China Sea of the Ming Dynasty.
The total length of the strait is more than 2,000 miles, the widest point is more than 700 miles, and the narrowest point is only more than 70 miles. It is an international waterway connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
The footprints of the Han people have penetrated into this area since the Song Dynasty. From this strait, they brought back various goods from as far away as Europe and Africa.
At that time, many countries in Southeast Asia were proud of learning Chinese culture and speaking Chinese language.
However, after the Battle of Yashan in the former Song Dynasty, the Mongols ravaged the Central Plains, and the Han people became the lowest ethnic group.
The Maritime Silk Road was cut off.
Many countries in Southeast Asia have not seen traces of Han people for a hundred years.
It was not until more than 40 years ago that Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty reopened the Song Dynasty, and the footprints of the Han people once again penetrated deep into the strait.
As soon as the Han people came to Nanyang, they quickly took root in Nanyang.
Countries have re-learned the Chinese language that they had long forgotten, and put on gorgeous Han clothes again.
Many Han merchants were even worshiped as national masters or royal masters by many Southeast Asian countries.
However, at that time, the Ming Dynasty implemented a maritime ban policy, and most of the fleets that came and went were those of the gentry and wealthy families in the south of the Yangtze River.
So at that time, the Nanyang countries only knew that the huge country in the north was once again ruled by the Han people, and its new name was Ming Dynasty, but they were not very clear about how powerful that country was.
This situation lasted until Zheng He went to sea.
Zheng He's huge fleet allowed the countries in Nanyang to see what the great power of Heaven is, and also let them know how wealthy the Ming Dynasty was.
As a result, many small countries sent envoys northward to request for canonization and trade, and honored Zhu Di as the great emperor.
It's just that there are areas where Zhu Di's divine power cannot reach him.
Sumatra and Manchuria kept away from the Ming Dynasty and dared to covet Zheng He's treasure ships.
So, Chen Kan came, and Chen Kan came with another powerful fleet.
Zhu Di specially called Chen Kan back from Beijing to lead the expedition. Naturally, he did not simply ask Chen Kan to take Zheng He back.
If we just wanted to bring Zheng He back to China, there would be no need for a bold man like Chen Kan to take action, he could just send a navy southward.
As for Zhu Di's thoughts, Chen Kan could also guess a little bit.
It is nothing more than trying to use his bold character as much as possible to teach those who dare to provoke Tianwei a harsh lesson.
It's just that some things cannot be said clearly. After all, Ming Dynasty needs to maintain an appearance of benevolence and righteousness in front of all the countries in the world.
That's why Chen Kan and Song Qing decided on the boat to attack the two capitals and capture the two emperors alive.
This move is not only to let the countries in Southeast Asia know the power of the Ming Dynasty, but also to let them know that the power of the Ming Dynasty cannot be offended, and those who offend will die.
As for Chen Kan's plan to plot Nanyang, it does not conflict with Zhu Di's plan.
After all, Nanyang is too big. The number of countries and the complexity of the situation are far beyond the reach of Liaodong. It cannot be done in a day or two to bring it under its command.
Before that, the Ming Dynasty's caravans had to continue doing business, and tariffs had to continue to be collected. Otherwise, where would the Ming Dynasty get the money to continue building strong ships and cannons?
"Report~"
The leading cruise ship returned and roared from a distance.
On the Chinese treasure ship where Chen Kan was, the guards lowered the ladder, and a soldier climbed up the ladder and quickly ran to Chen Kan.
Kneeling on one knee and cupping his hands, he said: "Commander, sixty nautical miles ahead, a Manchurian warship has been spotted!"
Chen Kan sat on a chair with four legs fixed on the deck, holding a sword with one hand. Hearing this, he opened his half-closed eyes and asked lightly: "How many people and ships are there on the other side? "
"There are more than a hundred warships with about 3,000 manpower. General Tan guesses that they should be the vanguard fleet of Manlajia."
The scout quickly reported the detailed configuration of the enemy.
Chen Kan thought for a while and then said calmly: "Go back and tell Tan Cong that I have given him the power to make decisions on the fly. He can attack on his own or avoid the edge temporarily."
"Got the order!"
The scouting soldiers came and went as quickly as they came.
Chen Kan got up and walked to the deck without saying anything else.
Unlike land battles, naval battles can have so many war situations and can be fought into an art form.
Naval battles rely on strong ships and cannons. When you encounter the enemy's fleet, the cannons will blast it. If the enemy's fleet has not sunk into the sea after the ammunition is used up, then use the ship to ram it.
As for jumping operations, things like jumping into enemy ships to kill people and seize ships, were limited to small-scale naval battles in the period when there were no thermal weapons.
But now, Ming Dynasty has cannons.
However, only Ming Dynasty has it.
Therefore, the Manlajia fleet without cannons is a living target for Chen Kan's fleet at sea, and there is no place to escape.
If Zheng He had not run out of ammunition, they would not have been able to stop him from leaving the strait.
