First, we must severely damage the Burmese, and then nibble away at and weaken them. Even if it takes ten or even several decades, we must completely resolve the issue of Myanmar.
The emperor remembered very clearly that the Burmese were fickle and had fought wars with the central dynasties during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.
Their wolves' ambitions cannot be satisfied or tamed, nor can they be persuaded by kindness and righteousness. The only things that can convince them are cannons and muskets, and the despair of not daring to fight.
If we label the Burmese invasion as a war of revenge, it is not entirely accurate. However, the Spanish conquest of Luzon was a bloody war of revenge.
Those who kill the people of the Ming Dynasty will be punished with blood and will never be forgiven.
Dongfan has been officially designated as Taiwan Prefecture by the imperial court, temporarily administering eleven counties, one of which is Kaohsiung County in Tainan.
However, the nature of Kaohsiung County is different from that of other counties. The temporary martial law is, to be more precise, used as a military base for the conquest of Luzon.
After the navy completed its mission by annihilating the Dutch fleet, regaining control of the Channel, and signing a treaty with the Dutch, the two fleets returned to Kaohsiung to continue preparations and training.
Fighting a battle with the Dutch was not actually a great military achievement. At least in the eyes of naval generals such as Shen Yourong, conquering Luzon and defeating the Spanish was the navy's first battle to gain prominence in the ocean.
Between the sixth and seventh years of the Tianqi reign, a severe drought struck southern Fujian, leaving the land covered in red soil. The imperial court and the Maritime Merchants Association jointly recruited tens of thousands of starving people from Quanzhou to reclaim land in Taiwan.
In the eighth year of the Tianqi reign, southern Fujian was hit by another severe drought, leaving many people starving. The imperial court and the Maritime Merchants Association once again recruited tens of thousands of disaster victims from Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, giving them "three taels of silver per person and an ox for every three people" and transporting them to Taiwan for settlement and reclamation.
This is just the large-scale migration caused by disasters. Coastal provinces such as Fujian, Zhejiang, and Guangdong have formulated policies for immigration. Those who are interested can also disperse to Taiwan and be resettled by the Taiwan government.
Over the past few years, Kaohsiung County has had a population of over 100,000, and the military and civilians have reclaimed over 200,000 hectares of wasteland. The county is not only self-sufficient in grain production, but can also fully supply tens of thousands of naval officers and soldiers.
This was certainly a preferential policy of the emperor. Otherwise, Taiwan's land reclamation and colonization would require a large population and labor force. If Kaohsiung County had not been given special attention, how could it have received so many immigrants?
With the people, labor, army, favorable court policies and financial investment, Kaohsiung's construction was very rapid, and its ports, large and small, were able to berth two fleets and hundreds of warships.
The Marine Corps has reached three battalions with a total of 15,000 people, and is fully staffed. They are currently conducting intensive training in beach landings, land combat, and other areas.
Shen Yourong returned to Kaohsiung and immediately plunged into his busy work.
In his lifetime, Shen Yourong, who was already in his eighties, felt that time was running out in order to spread his power abroad, restore the prestige of the Ming Dynasty, and avenge the dead Ming people.
Next year? The year after?
Putting down the documents in his hand, Shen Yourong stood up, walked to the window, looked at the shadows of the masts in the harbor in the distance, and fell into deep thought.
Wansui hated the Spaniards to the core, and the wording of the secret decree was full of anger, which put a lot of pressure on Shen Yourong.
Of course, the emperor also had strategies and plans, and did not choose the Spaniards as his first opponent.
First, attack Burma and use plunder to accumulate funds in order to launch a war across thousands of miles of sea; first, fight the Dutch to build up the navy's confidence and practice the tactics of naval warfare.
First build a base in Kaohsiung, settle immigrants and cultivate the land, minimize the difficulties in transporting materials from the mainland, and minimize costs.
First, they would build large transport ships large enough to carry 20,000 marines and various ammunition and supplies. Combined with the ships of the Maritime Merchants Association, the transport capacity would be sufficient to support the expedition of tens of thousands of troops.
Train the marines first. As long as they can land smoothly, the Spaniards in Luzon will be defeated by virtue of their superior weapons, equipment and manpower.
First, conduct reconnaissance and gather all kinds of intelligence. As the saying goes, knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles.
The sea merchants who went to Luzon, the Chinese who had lived in Luzon and returned to the Ming Dynasty, and the disguised spies of the Pacification Office all had a clear grasp of the Spanish's strengths and weaknesses.
All of this was done in a secretive and covert manner, and the Spanish in Luzon were still unaware of it.
In order to paralyze them, the emperor never mentioned the Spaniards or Luzon in public, and allowed merchants to go to Luzon to trade and make money, so that the Spaniards could obtain some silk, porcelain and other popular European products.
Shen Yourong believed that the emperor was being overly cautious again. In his opinion, attacking Luzon and destroying the Spaniards was not too difficult.
In terms of military strength, the Spanish in Luzon, together with the vassal natives, had only a few thousand people; the Spanish had only a dozen warships.
The Ming army will dispatch tens of thousands of troops, and the two squadrons will have more than 200 warships. With such a huge disparity in strength, wouldn't victory be a piece of cake?
The difficulties and risks facing the Ming army were the long-distance voyages at sea and the unpredictable winds and waves.
Shen Yourong had no choice but to choose the safest time to go out to sea based on the climate and experience.
In order to prevent risks, Shen Yourong once secretly reported to the emperor that weapons and ammunition should be smuggled in by merchants, and that officers should be sent to Luzon to train local Chinese people.
After the massacre, there are still 70,000 to 80,000 Chinese in Luzon. If they arm thousands of troops, they are enough to compete with the Spaniards.
Moreover, instead of letting the Chinese fight alone, the Ming army would still dispatch a certain number of regular troops to cross the sea to participate in the war.
But the emperor rejected Shen Yourong's suggestion without hesitation. The reason was simple: there was no guarantee that the news would be leaked, which would not only allow the Spaniards to be prepared, but also lead to the local Chinese being massacred again.
There was a gentle knock on the door, and after Shen Yourong responded, several officers pushed the door open and entered, bowing and paying their respects.
These were the main commanders of the two squadrons, both quite young. After experiencing the naval battle with the Dutch, their personal spirit and energy were different from before.
Shen Yourong ordered everyone to sit down and hold an informal military meeting in his office.
"The construction of landing ships needs to be accelerated. The practicality of the new models is satisfactory."
"The Marines not only need to train for beach landings, but also for combat on land. For example, siege attacks, and frontal battles."
"Combat experience may be a problem, but there's no place for Marines to go into actual combat. If the training is more rigorous, they won't be afraid of death when fighting."
"The Spanish are still using matchlock guns, and their numbers are only a few thousand, including soldiers and civilians. What can they use to fight us?"
"It would be best to fight next year. If it takes too long, news will easily leak out, and the soldiers' tense spirits will easily relax."
"Five thousand soldiers landed would be enough to defeat the enemy. As for fifteen thousand, we would have to fight in many places in the future, to train the troops beforehand and then use Luzon for actual combat."
Shen Yourong listened with a smile, and finally waved his hand, signaling everyone to stop talking.
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