The voyages to the Western Ocean were undoubtedly of paramount importance to Zhu Yunying. It was also his duty to raise awareness of maritime civilization and to play a guiding role in this endeavor.

In fact, the Ming Dynasty had a certain understanding of maritime civilization. After all, the Ming Dynasty's navy was no longer just focused on inland waterways; they were now sailing on the oceans and bringing back jewels and grains from Southeast Asia time and time again. These were all valuable items.

Zhu Yunying also felt that the time was ripe. From the poverty and backwardness at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, after more than 30 years of hard work and governance, the agricultural economy had recovered. There had also been great development in handicrafts.

In addition, the large-scale government-run shipbuilding industry, which had been actively developing, provided the Ming Dynasty with a stronger foundation.

The advanced shipbuilding industry, the use of the compass, the accumulation of navigation experience, the training of a large number of sailors, and the increase in nautical knowledge all contributed to Zhu Yunying's confidence in this massive voyage to the Western Ocean.

He wasn't just trying to simply promote national power; he did have some ulterior motives. However, many people also know that the Ming Dynasty had long since abolished the policy of "countries not to be conquered," so the Ming Dynasty inevitably relied on military force. Ideally, it would be best to subdue other nations and establish an international order centered on the Ming Empire without resorting to war.

However, if some foreign states do not recognize these things, then the Ming Dynasty's army can obviously have a certain level of strength.

Zhu Yunying sat in the Wuying Hall and slowly asked, "Ma Sanbao, I ask you if the fleet is ready."

Ma Sanbao immediately replied fluently, "Your Majesty, the fleet consists of sea barges, sea boats, sea-breathing ships, seagoing ships, and treasure ships. Some have nine masts and twelve sails, while others have three masts and five sails, or large eight-oared or six-oared vessels. They are divided into treasure ships, passenger ships, warships, horse ships, grain ships, and water ships. There are a total of 150 ships and 13,000 soldiers."

Zhu Yunying nodded slowly and asked, "I intend to appoint you as the chief envoy. What do you think?"

Ma Sanbao kowtowed to the ground, extremely excited, "This servant thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness. This servant has no way to repay you, I will give my life to repay Your Majesty's kindness."

Zhu Yunying then asked, "You are quick and cautious in your work, and you are also diligent in your studies, so I am at ease. However, this voyage to the South Seas will inevitably involve warships. Although you have learned some things these days, do you understand how to conduct naval warfare?"

The Ming Dynasty's fleet was actually a maritime task force, consisting of more than a hundred ocean-going ships of different types and purposes. Such a large, well-organized fleet could not necessarily be commanded by Ma Sanbao.

In fact, Zhu Yunying had listened to some advice beforehand, and this fleet must have been organized according to maritime navigation and military organization.

In other words, the fleet is composed of three sequences: the naval division, the amphibious force, and the honor guard. The naval division is the basic unit of the naval forces, consisting of warships, which are organized into formations called the forward battalion, the rear battalion, the central battalion, the port battalion, and the right battalion; the amphibious force is used for landing operations; and the honor guard serves as the personal guard and for ceremonial duties during foreign exchanges, appearing solemn and imposing.

At this moment, Ma Sanbao said, "Your Majesty, I know that I am crude and ignorant of martial arts. I believe that there should be a great general of the court to command the army."

Zhu Yunying nodded slowly, then said, "You are somewhat lacking in commanding a large army. However, you are, after all, one of my men. I have many plans, and many things cannot be accomplished simply by using troops."

The military, however, is only used for certain political purposes; it cannot be simply assumed that the military can solve everything.

Therefore, Ma Sanbao has been entrusted with an important task this time. He is not a military supervisor, but simply the chief envoy. He represents the Ming Dynasty and the Ming court, so there is nothing to worry about.

As for military command, Ma Sanbao would not need to personally take command; Zhu Yunying would certainly send some elite troops and generals to Ma Sanbao.

In naval warfare and navigation, the Ming Dynasty also had a number of outstanding generals.

After Ma Sanbao left, Xu Huizu, Chang Mao, and Li Jinglong were also summoned to the palace, as there were some matters that needed to be discussed with them.

Since they were all close relatives, Zhu Yunying naturally offered them seats, which could be considered as giving them some face. Speaking of which, these three must have been posthumously granted the title of prince, which may not have been due to their own merits, but rather the merits of their ancestors, making them three generations of princes.

Zhu Yunying smiled and said, "These are all outsiders, and they all know that although we are fond of martial arts, we lack talent. Speaking of which, my cousin knows these things best. I was intelligent and good at understanding people's hearts when I was young, and I have no trouble learning literature. It's just that I can't seem to get the hang of deploying troops and arranging formations."

Li Jinglong was very eloquent, saying, "Your Majesty is skilled at commanding generals; we are far inferior to you."

Zhu Yunying laughed heartily. Others could lead a million-strong army into battle; that was their talent as generals and commanders, something Zhu Yunying, the emperor, could never match. But it didn't matter. Zhu Yunying, as the emperor, only needed to keep a firm grip on his generals and let them give full play to their talents. This was also a form of strategic planning.

After a moment of self-admiration, Zhu Yunying asked, "Who do you think is capable of undertaking this important task for the naval force?"

At this moment, Xu Huizu said directly, "Your Majesty, I believe that the disgraced subject Yu Tongyuan is the most suitable."

Yu Tongyuan, also known as Yu Tonghai and Yu Tongyuan, was the youngest son of Yu Tingyu, the notorious bandit who once dominated Chaohu Lake. It can be said that Yu Tingyu and Liao Yong'an formed the core of Zhu De's early naval forces.

Liao Yong'an and Yu Tingyu led the Chaohu naval forces to join Zhu Yuanzhang. Relying on their skillful boatmanship, they repeatedly defeated the Yuan Dynasty's navy, giving Zhu the means to cross the Yangtze River and laying the foundation for his unification of Jiangnan. After crossing the river, they achieved numerous military exploits, conquering many cities and contributing to the expansion of the territory. In particular, they compensated for Zhu's shortcomings in naval warfare.

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