Although the Spanish were unlikely to take retaliatory action, the emperor did not take it lightly. Three thousand well-trained and well-equipped troops were not something the Spanish could contend with thousands of miles away.
Moreover, if the Spanish received the news and organized an expeditionary force to rush to Luzon, the Ming army in Luzon might have reached 5,000 or even more.
Even in terms of naval power, the Spanish were no match for the Ming navy. The glory days of their "Invincible Armada" were long gone. Mobilizing the entire nation was simply impossible.
Li Dan was also very clear about this. Keeping regular troops stationed in Luzon was not a long-term solution.
Therefore, he purchased 5,000 flintlock muskets and dozens of cannons, and planned to train at least 3,000 to 5,000 armed forces with the help of retired officers and soldiers.
This was not only a possible revenge against the Spanish, but also a guarantee for the future expansion of his foundation. Yan Siqi guessed correctly that Luzon alone would not satisfy Li Dan.
Of course, this depends on the situation. If Luzon is stable, he will naturally extend his influence to other islands. The emperor has already approved of overseas expansion and will provide assistance.
Li Dan also had a wise understanding that with Luzon's population and naval power, if it left the support of its motherland or betrayed its motherland to become independent, its destruction would be inevitable.
Unless the country weakens and loses control over overseas areas, then even the interior of the country could be invaded, let alone its overseas areas.
If you lag behind, you will be beaten; if you are weak, you will be bullied. This is an unchanging truth.
If we want to keep overseas territories or protect our homeland from invasion, we can only start from the root and keep the country strong.
Although the cycle of prosperity and decline is an inevitable law of history, it is still possible to control its decline to a certain extent so that it does not have to climb back from the bottom.
The emperor's method was to make the cake bigger, and during his reign, he brought the Ming Dynasty's domestic and overseas territories to new heights.
The purpose of doing this is to prepare for the price of future decline.
We can refer to the British Empire in history. Although it declined after the two world wars, it still remained among the world's powers, although not the first.
Moreover, the more overseas territories occupied, the stronger the protection of the homeland.
Given the population size of the Ming Dynasty and the foreseeable population explosion after a major disaster, it would not be as unstable as the colonists, or it would only be able to plunder and rule temporarily but not to maintain a long-term and stable occupation.
Now, the population of the Ming Empire accounts for about one-third of the world's population, but its actual territory is far from matching its population.
The army should already be the best in the world, and the navy continues to grow and develop. There is no reason not to seize the opportunity to fight for a broader living space for the Ming Dynasty.
Moreover, the emperor was only focused on Asia and had no plans to expand into the world within ten or twenty years.
The Western barbarians, whether they were the Dutch, the Spanish, or the British who had just established some roots in South Asia, were all very weak in Asia.
The most important thing is that the Westerners are far away and are focusing on the wealth of Africa and America, so it is impossible for them to invest too much manpower resources in Asia.
Opportunities must be seized, otherwise, if you lose the initiative, you will have to pay many times the price to get it back.
Mekong Province was merely a small test, primarily a food base to support the Ming Empire in times of disaster. Luzon was a true overseas territory, the beginning of the Ming Empire's expansion.
Li Dan and Yan Siqi's boat slowly approached the shore. In the distance, the sound of gunfire and cannons could be heard, and the Marines began to fight with the Spaniards.
It is said that before the "Invincible Armada" was defeated by the British and the Spanish lost their dominance at sea, they were very strong in both the army and navy, and had a plan to send 4,000 expeditionary forces to occupy the coast of the Ming Dynasty.
Of course, the specific plan was to recruit another 5,000 to 6,000 soldiers from Japan and India to supplement the troops, and the entire province of Fujian was the target.
Whether it is true or false, the Spanish contempt for the Ming Empire is obvious.
However, the Spanish had never engaged in battle with the Ming army, and their assessment of Ming power remained at the level of several decades ago.
Therefore, although the Spanish had lost their dominance at sea, based on their previous misjudgment, they still confidently left Manila upon hearing the news of the Ming army's attack.
In order to adapt to the scale of the war, tactical changes and further development of firearms at that time, the Spanish Phalanx was also reformed and was called the Improved Spanish Phalanx.
The specific change was that the proportion of pikemen was greatly reduced and the proportion of musketeers was increased. Generally speaking, pikemen accounted for 25%, while musketeers reached 75%.
In the second half of the 16th century, the Spanish army was once a powerful force, relying on the Spanish phalanx tactics. At this time, Gustavus's military reforms had not yet blossomed.
The Spanish army, consisting of only more than 500 people, formed a square formation that made them full of confidence and fought against two marines that arrived one after another more than ten miles outside the city of Manila.
The flintlock rifle and bayonet were weapons and equipment that were decades ahead of the Spanish, but this was a gap that the Spanish were unaware of.
There were no spearmen, only flintlock rifles and bayonets, and a quarter of them were heavy muskets. But this was not the most powerful weapon of the Ming army. In addition to rockets, the Minié gun made its debut on the historical stage.
More than two miles apart, the Ming army formed three square formations, with a large one in the middle and two small ones on the two wings.
Behind the phalanx, the artillery was busy placing rocket launchers, adjusting angles, and preparing for intensive bombardment of the enemy.
Marine guerrilla Qi Shiguang looked at the Spanish phalanx through a telescope, his face serious, but his lips slightly pursed, as if with a bit of contempt.
The study of the Spanish, from their military to their navy, was extremely detailed and in-depth. The emperor had even specifically instructed that the Spanish phalanx was quite formidable and must be dealt with seriously.
Because of this, the new weapon, the Minié rifle, was issued to the Marines as an exception. There were only two hundred of them, but it was said to be the annual output of the Gunpowder and Ordnance Department.
Of course, after the actual drill, the Marines' eyes widened. Both in range and accuracy, this musket, named the Apocalypse Six, far surpassed the flintlock rifles they were already equipped with.
"This victory is somewhat unfair!" Qi Shiguang shook his head and ordered the phalanx to advance.
The flintlock rifle is one generation more advanced than the Spanish matchlock rifle, and the Type 6 Apocalypse rifle is even more powerful than the flintlock rifle. In this battle, victory is in our hands before it even begins.
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