The emperor knew the general trend of the world, or the trajectory of historical development, better than anyone else. Although he had changed the history of the Ming Dynasty, he could not influence the trend of world development.
For example, the Western barbarians were plundering astonishing wealth in South America, and no matter how jealous the emperor was, he could not interfere.
This is determined by strength. Even in Asia, in terms of naval strength, the Ming army's long-sea combat capabilities cannot make the emperor feel at ease.
That’s right, when it comes to external expansion, the emperor is not worried about the army. With his weapons and equipment and strong military force, he is not afraid of conquering the whole world.
But the ocean is vast, naval battles are complex, strength, tactics, and even luck are all indispensable, and it is difficult to simply use data to deduce the results.
This is the historical naval battle between the Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands. Although the Ming Dynasty won, it suffered greater losses, which showed the gap between it and the Western navy.
If the Dutch were not too far away, focused on South America, and also competing with the British, and could not mobilize too many military forces, how could there be peace in the sea?
Therefore, the emperor attached great importance to the upcoming war with the Dutch. He allocated money to increase troops, and tried his best to increase the number of cannons and rockets. He was ready to fight a beautiful battle at his doorstep to prevent the Dutch from being rampant in the South China Sea.
The emperor was also extremely concerned about naval training. Although he would grit his teeth every time he saw the cost of ammunition consumed in sea training, he also knew that it was inevitable.
Without live-fire training and accumulation to a certain level, no matter how many ships or artillery pieces we have, they will find it difficult to exert their power in actual combat.
After years of painstaking planning and preparation, the cost of the war was no less than that of the Liao campaign. The cost of the navy gave the emperor a profound insight.
Of course, these are all essential investments. Once the Ming navy traverses the world, the returns will be several times or even dozens of times greater.
The biggest enemy of the Ming Dynasty Navy, or rather the first enemy the Emperor wanted to attack, was the Dutch. As for the British, they were future opponents and did not need to be considered too much at the moment.
Originally, the Emperor had hoped for more time to prepare, not only a navy capable of confronting the Dutch head-on in the open sea, but also forces in Borneo.
Borneo is not far from Java Island. The emperor's ultimate goal is not only to defeat the Dutch at sea, but also to flatten Batavia, where the Dutch are entrenched, and completely drive the Dutch out of Asia.
Ambitious, it is quite possible, because the Dutch did not have many troops in Asia, especially land forces.
The Ming army not only had an advantage in manpower, but also had superior weaponry and equipment. However, the sea was a barrier, making landing operations very difficult.
However, the establishment and expansion of the Maritime Chamber of Commerce in Borneo provided the emperor with favorable conditions to implement this plan.
It is not necessary to transport thousands or tens of thousands of elite soldiers at once. In Borneo, small numbers can be accumulated to form a large number, and eventually an overwhelming force can be formed.
Just like the Spaniards entrenched in Luzon, as long as the Ming army can land smoothly, victory will basically be a foregone conclusion.
In Asia, the Ming army was unrivaled in land warfare; even globally, it was undoubtedly number one. This didn't even include the Minié gun, a prototype of which the emperor had already developed, a product he was quite confident in.
However, man proposes, God disposes. The emperor did not have much time left before the Dutch arrived.
Fortunately, through the intelligence network set up by the General Chamber of Maritime Merchants, the Ming Dynasty Navy received the news in advance and made preparations to annihilate the invading enemy in accordance with the emperor's wishes.
……………….
The Dutch and Portuguese have fought several times over Macau, and the Dutch's attempts have always been unsuccessful.
In the 29th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, the Netherlands made several requests to the Ming government for land for trade, but each request was rejected.
That year, the Dutch warships "Amsterdam" and "Gouda" and a brig appeared in Macau waters, but were repelled by the Portuguese. Several Dutch were captured and executed.
Three years later, Dutch fleet commander Wilhelm Wimbledon led a fleet, departing from the Malay Peninsula in June and arriving at the Guangdong coast in mid-July, preparing to invade Macau. However, he encountered a typhoon, which blew the fleet to the Penghu Islands and was later repelled by Ming Dynasty Fujian naval general Shen Yourong.
In 1607, the Dutch sent Captain Matriev to Macau for reconnaissance, but he was driven away by six Portuguese warships.
In 1609, Spain and the Netherlands signed the Treaty of Antwerp 1609, agreeing to a 12-year truce that would expire in 1621. As a result, the Netherlands temporarily suspended its attack on Macau.
In the second year of the Tianqi reign, the Dutch felt that they had gained a firm foothold in Batavia, so they planned to use it as a base to launch a full-scale attack on the Portuguese forces.
But they were defeated again. Although the ships and troops dispatched this time were the largest in scale, it still exposed the Dutch's weakness of being unaccustomed to fighting tough battles, and they were defeated by the Portuguese's poorly equipped slave soldiers.
But the Dutch did not give up and set out again. Their goal was to anchor at the mouth of the Pearl River to block Macau's foreign trade shipping.
The Dutch had good reason to hold on to the Portuguese and Macau, as they discovered that although the Portuguese had suffered heavy losses in the Spice Islands and other places, they could still connect Malacca with Nagasaki, Japan through Macau.
In this way, even if the share of spices was damaged, the loss could be compensated by Japanese silver, Ming Dynasty porcelain and raw silk.
In particular, the glass mirrors, which were manufactured in the Ming Dynasty and given a share to the Portuguese, were shipped to Europe and sold at high prices. They were loved by the upper class aristocrats and became a new source of wealth for the Portuguese.
According to the Dutch bandit logic and their previous experiences in the Ming Dynasty waters, they believed that if they defeated the Portuguese and seized Macau, a trading outpost on the Far East continent, Macau would be theirs and they would enjoy the same treatment as the Portuguese in the Ming Dynasty.
Obviously, from the 29th year of Wanli to the 2nd year of Tianqi, the Ming Dynasty navy performed very poorly against foreign invaders, which gave the Dutch a big illusion.
But now it’s different. The emperor has given Shen Yourong a secret decree and authorized him to mobilize naval forces.
"How many?!" Shen Yourong narrowed his eyes and asked the scout who came to report again.
The scout reported again: "Sir, six galleons are anchored in the waters of the Pearl River Estuary, east of Macau Island."
Despite receiving intelligence in advance, Shen Yourong still mobilized sufficient ships and troops based on the principle of being lenient with the enemy.
Now that it was completely confirmed, Shen Yourong couldn't help but roll his eyes. He had been too cautious. The Dutch Red Haired Barbarians had indeed arrived with six galleons. The military forces they had mobilized and prepared in advance were excessive.
There were sixty main battleships, thirty of which were equipped with red cannons, with twenty guns each; and the other thirty were equipped with garang cannons, with forty guns each.
In addition, there were nearly a hundred fireships and dozens of supply ships and patrol boats, which together outnumbered the Dutch by several times.
After examining the map for a long time, Shen Yourong gave the order in a deep voice: "Order all units to start the action. The battle will begin tomorrow. We must annihilate the enemy completely."
The disparity in power was so great that defeating the Red-haired Barbarians was no longer a victory. Complete annihilation, not allowing a single ship to escape, would demonstrate the strength of the navy and live up to Wansui's years of painstaking cultivation.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
