Although Liaodong was not pacified, the emperor was not prepared to wait any longer, just like exempting the untouchables, but would gradually promulgate and implement the planned policy measures.
Expansion in Southeast Asia is one of them, and the accelerated development of Mekong Province is only part of the plan.
Of course, given that the navy's power is not particularly strong and the emperor is not prepared to go to war with the Western barbarians, it should be a good choice to rely on civilian forces to make arrangements in Southeast Asia first.
Think about the Lan Fang Republic, which should have happened decades or even hundreds of years later in history! It would have been fine then, and now that the power of the Western Barbarians is not that strong, it is even less of a problem.
The emperor pondered for a while, then picked up his pen to write a reply to Li Dan.
Drawing on the experience of the Lan Fang Republic and the tactics of the Western barbarians, the emperor wrote the word "company".
In later times, the definition of a company was clear: it was a commercial entity. But at that time, it was a group organization with political overtones.
The Western barbarians had the East India Company, and the Ming Dynasty also had the "Nanhua" Company, which means "Chinese in Southeast Asia."
According to Li Dan's description, there were many Chinese people making a living in Southeast Asia. Because the Chinese were good at business, many of them were respected by local chiefs.
Not only must they be respected, but they must also have their own armed forces. The emperor knew that the invasion of the indigenous peoples of Southeast Asia by the Western Barbarians also posed a threat to the local sultans and chiefs.
In history, the Lan Fang Republic gradually evolved from a trading group into an armed political force.
Based on this, the emperor gave Li Dan some advice, asking him to first send people to take root and unite the local Chinese, and then recruit and expand from the mainland.
As for weapons, the emperor agreed to sell Li Dan some of the Ming army's standard equipment.
But he also reminded Li Dan not to show his fangs too early and arouse the vigilance of the natives and Western barbarians. The Ming navy might not have the strength to dominate Southeast Asia until two or three years later.
In order to quell the Liao and rebellion, the emperor used up most of the resources, and the navy did not get much, and the speed of its development was also restricted.
There was no way out. The emperor was facing not only enemies, but also natural disasters. He had to make overall plans, prioritize, and solve them one by one.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
