Inside Deyang Palace.
While the people of the Han Dynasty were all immersed in the joy of the victory in the western expedition, Liu Hong stood alone in front of a huge map, gazing at the blank space above.
Today, the Han Dynasty has dominated most of Asia, and its land hegemony has extended to Southeast Asia and West Asia.
As for maritime hegemony, although there is no country in the world that can rival the Han fleet, it is still a long way to go if we want to control the world through the sea.
From the Kushan Empire to Parthia, and then to the regions bordering Europe, Liu Hong marked more than a dozen areas that must be occupied.
These markers later became important support points and supply stations for the Han army's westward advance.
In addition to land routes, Liu Hong also drew up a sea route, from Southeast Asia to South Asia, then to the Persian Gulf, and finally to Rome.
Whether on land or at sea, Liu Hong's ultimate goal is Rome.
Now that the land route has reached the Kushan Mountains, it needs to slow down, so Liu Hong has set his sights on the sea route.
At present, the only country that can affect the Great Han shipping route is India, which is the country of later generations.
During this period, the Indian subcontinent was collectively known as the Sindhu people. The previously unified Mauryan dynasty had been destroyed for many years. Subsequently, due to invasions by the Bactrian Greeks, Sakas, and Kushans, the Indian subcontinent was now filled with small kingdoms, and various conflicts frequently broke out between them.
Such a region posed almost no threat to the Han Dynasty.
Liu Hong currently has no intention of completely occupying the Indian subcontinent, because it is impossible for him to do so.
Therefore, Liu Hong envisioned first turning the entire Indian subcontinent into a colony of the Han Dynasty, relying on its abundant resources to develop the Han's strength, and then annexing it after ten or twenty years.
After finalizing this idea, Liu Hong went to the Privy Council and met with a group of military officers and advisors to discuss the colonization of India in detail.
After careful consultation, a detailed colonization plan was completed.
According to the Privy Council's plan, the various countries in South India have small territories and extremely weak military capabilities, so sending 30,000 soldiers would be enough to intimidate the entire Indian subcontinent.
Of course, for the Han Dynasty, the real enemy was not the small countries on the Indian subcontinent, but the Hinduism practiced by the Sindhu people.
Therefore, in this plan to colonize India, military force was only a supplement, while religious invasion was the main means.
Therefore, Liu Hong also summoned Zhang Liang, who was in charge of the affairs of the Great Han Taiping Religion, to the palace.
Upon hearing the emperor's plan to launch a religious invasion against India, Zhang Liang's eyes lit up.
Now, his second brother Zhang Bao is thriving in Rome, and his eldest brother Zhang Jiao has become the great teacher of the Kushan diocese, while he himself remains mediocre.
Therefore, after hearing the emperor's plan, Zhang Liang immediately volunteered to go to India to preach.
Liu Hong agreed to Zhang Liang's request.
Subsequently, Liu Hong issued an edict, transferring 30,000 naval soldiers from Donglai and Kuaiji, and then renaming it the Indian Ocean Fleet.
In the middle of May of the twenty-third year of the Kaiyuan era.
On the vast ocean, the officers and soldiers of the Indian Ocean Fleet struggled against a sudden storm.
Although this was not the first time these naval soldiers had been to sea, the storm at sea still made them feel dizzy.
On the flagship, the "Pioneer," Zhang Liang, dressed in a Taoist robe, gripped the deck railing tightly, joining the naval soldiers in resisting the onslaught of the storm.
Several ships in the fleet have already been swept away by the huge waves to an unknown location.
Seeing their comrades perish at sea, the naval soldiers had no time to grieve. They could only grit their teeth and struggle to steer their ships, drifting on the ocean with the waves.
The storm gradually subsided after a full night, until dawn the next day.
Subsequently, after a count, it was found that seven ships were swept away by the storm last night, and the whereabouts of nearly 1,500 naval soldiers on board were unknown.
On deck, the naval soldiers observed a brief moment of silence before steering the ship back toward the Indian Ocean.
After several days of sailing, the fleet finally arrived at the coastal waters of the Indian subcontinent.
"There is a port of the Sindhu people, two hundred nautical miles ahead!"
The reconnaissance ship reported its findings to the fleet commander, Ling Cao.
"No need to rush, let's rest for a couple of days first!"
Seeing the anxious looks on his subordinates' faces, Ling Cao calmed them down.
After all, it's an operation to land in a foreign country. No matter how strong the opponent is, it's always good to be cautious.
Subsequently, under Ling Cao's command, the Indian Ocean fleet, which had been disrupted by the storm, quickly regrouped, and the remaining 28,000 soldiers on board also seized the time to recover their strength.
Three days later, the fleet arrived at a near-shore area, where Ling Cao gathered all the officers in the fleet together to discuss the next move.
Inside the cabin, Ling Cao hung up the map he had obtained from the merchants.
"This port, which our people call Mona Port, is a big target for our fleet. It may have already been spotted by their fishing boats and reported to their authorities!"
Upon hearing Ling Cao's account, several staff officers in the army stepped forward and began to discuss the matter.
An advisor stepped forward and said, "General, according to intelligence, the garrison at this port is only about five thousand men, and the coastline within ten miles of the port is indefensible. We can launch a full-scale attack!"
Upon hearing the advisor's suggestion, Ling Cao frowned and pondered for a moment before shaking his head.
"We are here to assist the Taiping Religion in colonizing this area. If we resort to force from the beginning, we may encounter strong resistance."
Even if these Indians are no match for us, they will still inevitably cause damage to our army.
In my opinion, we should first bribe some officials in the city to see if we can buy a piece of land. Once we've established a foothold, we can talk about other things!
After hearing Ling Cao's suggestion, the group of advisors thought about it carefully and finally nodded in agreement.
Then, Ling Cao commanded more than one hundred ships of the Indian Ocean Fleet to head towards the port of Mona City.
As the fleet approached the port, the fishermen fishing in the nearby waters were stunned by the sight of the massive ships slowly drawing near.
"That's the Han fleet!"
Inside the port, some merchants who had traded in Southeast Asia before immediately recognized the flags on the fleet.
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