The fleet sailing to the West this time was more than quadrupled in size compared to the fleet that Zheng He sailed to the West in history.

This is because the national conditions of the Ming Dynasty are different today.

The current Ming Dynasty is simply incomparable to the Yongle period in terms of economy, especially in terms of maritime shipping.

Although many seagoing ships were built during the Yongle period, there had never been support like that which Zhu Ying had received over the years. Both the government and the people had already made huge profits.

These profits prompted more investment in the shipbuilding industry.

When an industry begins to experience crazy internal competition in the market, then this industry is bound to thrive.

Government and private shipyards are working on higher-tech transformations every day to make ships stronger and more durable.

After all, encountering storms on the sea is a very common thing. If a ship built by a certain company does not suffer serious damage after experiencing a storm, then this shipyard will definitely receive more orders.

The status of shipbuilders was also rising rapidly. For example, the monthly salary of a master craftsman has now reached 20 strings of treasure notes, which was unprecedented in history. Even those craftsmen did not expect to be worth so much today.

It is precisely because of the skyrocketing wages that more people flocked in to serve as apprentices. Quantitative change leads to qualitative change, and there will always be some geniuses who emerge to reform shipbuilding technology.

Therefore, under the fleet led by Li Jinglong this time, although there were not the previously exaggerated 500 treasure ships, there were actually 200 treasure ships.

Zheng He had only sixty-three treasure ships.

The number of people, scale and military strength involved are completely different.

Li Jinglong's government had a total of 520 ships, while Zheng He had about 300 ships each time he sailed to the West. There is no comparison at all.

This time, Li Jinglong had an army of nearly 50,000 people, including more than 15,000 elite soldiers and the rest were various accompanying personnel.

In fact, this fleet, even the horse ships, are several times larger than the previous ones. A full load could accommodate 100,000 people, but it was only half full. The reason for this was that they were carrying a large amount of supplies.

The various types of food needed to feed 50,000 people alone would be enough to feed them for about two years, and the trading goods such as tea, silk, and porcelain were a huge amount.

Among them, there were more than 30,000 matchlock guns, and all the treasure ships were loaded with the latest cannons from the Gunpowder Bureau, and there were countless ammunition.

The most exaggerated thing is that the horse ship carried more than 3,000 war horses.

Even after landing, they were able to quickly mobilize three thousand cavalry.

Taking the weather into consideration, they did not carry heavy armor, but mainly wore specially made leather armor.

Each ship is equipped with a medical team of three to ten people, depending on its size.

It can be said that every detail has been noticed.

After this, there was another very exaggerated thing, which was the merchant caravan following the Ming fleet.

The number of ships in the merchant caravan naturally could not be compared with that of the government, but there were still nearly 300 ships in total, and each ship was loaded with a large amount of cargo.

According to the accompanying rules, these merchant ships are also subject to government control.

In other words, there were more than 800 ships sailing to the West this time, with nearly 60,000 people on board, which is the largest scale in the world today.

As for the importance of this voyage to the West, Zheng He could not be compared with Li Jinglong in terms of status.

He held the title of Duke of Cao and was also the nephew of Zhu Yuanzhang, which was certainly not comparable to Zheng He.

Three months ago, after the court decided on this voyage, it was published overseas through official bulletins.

As far as all countries in the South Seas region are concerned, they have already received the news.

The Celestial Empire, the Great Ming, will send the honorable Duke Cao as its chief to lead a fleet to patrol the world.

This is a very important matter for the entire Nanyang region at present.

The monarchs of these countries only heard from others how powerful and prosperous the Ming Dynasty was. This feeling was very vague and had no concrete practical support.

Even if you have heard the specific number, you may feel that it is a bit too exaggerated.

This time, the size of the fleet and the number of personnel were directly published in the official gazette.

This is the confidence of the Ming Dynasty. I will tell you in detail how many ships and personnel I have arranged to come. If any country has any bad intentions, just let them come.

Half a month later, above the sea, the night sky was dotted with stars, and in front of us was the endless sea.

Even such a huge fleet sailing on this sea of ​​stars is as small as an ant.

Li Jinglong stood on the deck, feeling extremely emotional.

In the past, he thought that the Ming Dynasty was very big, but when he actually saw the vast and boundless ocean, he felt a little melancholy.

"Duke Cao, it's so late at night, why are you still on the deck? Maybe you can't sleep because the night at sea is so beautiful, hahaha."

A hearty laugh came from behind Duke Cao, and a middle-aged man in gorgeous clothes walked out laughing.

The person who came was none other than the current commander of the Ming navy, Yuexi Marquis Yu Tongyuan.

During this voyage to the West, Yu Tongyuan served as deputy commander, in charge of naval affairs.

"I think the Marquis of Yuexi can often see such beautiful sea views."

Li Jinglong turned around and said with a smile.

I originally thought that the sea was very boring, but I didn’t expect to be accompanied by such beautiful scenery. It is one of the great pleasures of life.

Yu Tongyuan said, "How can I watch it often? I have only been to sea once or twice. This is only possible with the order of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. This time I am in the West, I can watch it every day."

"No matter how beautiful the scenery is, you will get tired of it if you look at it every day."

There was a flattering tone in Yu Tongyuan's voice. Putting aside his status as Duke of Cao, the key was that he was valued by His Majesty. The fact that he could serve as the commander-in-chief of this voyage to the West showed that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also valued him very much.

In terms of the status of the navy, the improvement was mainly due to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. There had been no response in the previous twenty years, but with the support of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in recent years, Yu Tongyuan finally gained real power.

But there are too many talented people now, and Yu Tongyuan is worried that he will be demoted one day.

Today's Ming Dynasty Navy is a lucrative department. The bribes received and accepted on the sea alone are not small, and most of them are overseas, so the government has almost no control over them.

"Marquis Yuexi has arrived at the right time. I have been feeling troubled by something. Shall we have a drink?" Li Jinglong invited him.

Yu Tongyuan naturally wanted it more than he could ask for: "It is what I really want, but I dare not ask for it."

At Li Jinglong's command, guards immediately brought wine and the cook was woken up to cook some side dishes.

This treasure ship is different. It is the one that Zhu Ying once took to Japan. Compared with other treasure ships, it is not only three times larger, but also carries more firearms and has more luxurious decorations than other treasure ships. It is equivalent to a royal customization.

If it weren't for Li Jinglong's royal relationship, this treasure ship would never have been able to sail, as people of low rank would not have dared to board it.

Yu Tongyuan benefited from Li Jinglong's help.

"This voyage to the West will be a very arduous mission. We will have to rely heavily on Marquis Yuexi. If anything goes wrong, His Majesty will not be able to explain to the Crown Prince."

Li Jinglong said with some concern. After all, it was his first time going out to sea, and it was such a big thing. While he was excited, he also felt a lot of pressure.

In fact, Li Jinglong didn't know much about overseas countries, especially those small countries.

Li Jinglong had a political mission on this voyage to the West. To put it simply, it was to have a political impact on many countries and even intervene in local conflicts.

Before coming, the imperial court had already prepared the documents and seals, so Li Jinglong could use the name of the Ming Dynasty to carry out some enthronement matters.

"In fact, Duke Cao doesn't need to worry about these things. When you get there, you will know that few of these small countries are strong."

"I'm not familiar with the West, but as far as Southeast Asia is concerned, the only strong country is Zhenla, but now it is just a spent force, and its national strength is constantly declining."

"But the current Zhenla Princess is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's Consort Dan. Duke Cao still needs to consider this point more carefully. According to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's message, we need to protect Consort Dan's face while not letting our Ming Dynasty suffer any loss."

"In general, according to His Royal Highness, the intention is to strengthen the influence of our Ming Dynasty, specifically focusing on the word 'education'."

"We can actually learn from Annan's approach and try to encourage these countries to set up Chinese schools and learn the writing and language of our Ming Dynasty. I think His Royal Highness will be very interested in these things."

Before the food and wine were served, Yu Tongyuan, Marquis of Yuexi, expressed his thoughts.

This made Li Jinglong's eyes light up. He didn't expect that when he was confused, Yu Tongyuan had thought so deeply.

"As the ancients said, there must be one person who can be my teacher when three people walk together. Hearing Yuexi Hou's words today really gave me an epiphany." Li Jinglong felt that his thoughts suddenly became clear.

Yu Tongyuan, Marquis of Yuexi, waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Duke Cao, you are too kind. I can only show my ugliness in front of you. For example, our navy has increased a lot because of the support of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I have always been worried in my heart."

"The more His Royal Highness the Crown Prince values ​​me, the more I cannot fail to live up to the Emperor's grace. I can only carefully consider His Royal Highness's intentions."

"This is the news from the navy. Whether it's Annan or Champa, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has requested the continuous expansion of Chinese language schools. Naturally, I have been thinking about this."

Li Jinglong also began to ponder in his heart what he should do to make His Royal Highness the Crown Prince more satisfied.

From now on, the Ming Dynasty will have to execute everything according to the Crown Prince's wishes. Only by being valued by the Crown Prince can one have wealth and power.

At this time, the wine and food were also delivered.

Yu Tongyuan's eyes lit up immediately when he looked at the jar of wine that was delivered to him.

"Is this a heroic feat?"

Li Jinglong smiled and replied: "It seems that Yuexi Hou is still a wine lover."

Yu Tongyuan couldn't wait to open the seal, saying at the same time: "I had the honor of drinking this heroic spirit once before, and I still remember it clearly. It's just a pity that the annual production is too small, and it's not sold outside very often, so it can only be rewarded by His Majesty."

"I've always wanted to drink this wine, but I never had the chance. Others kept it hidden. Today I'm lucky enough to drink it again."

Yingxiong Lie is the flagship wine of Zhuying Royal Chamber of Commerce. It is brewed with the best raw materials. It takes nearly a year to make the wine, and then it needs to settle for half a year before it can be consumed.

These wines were only given as rewards by the court, and also to enhance the royal majesty, so they were made by the emperor.

When Yu Tongyuan looked at the seal on the wine, he knew that it was absolutely authentic.

You have to know that a jar of wine like this, which is only two kilograms, was sold at a sky-high price of one thousand strings of precious coins.

Even at this price, there is still no demand.

Anyone who can get this wine will not care about the thousand strings of precious coins, so there is naturally no reason to sell it.

Even though Yu Tongyuan was a marquis, he could hardly drink it.

Li Jinglong smiled and said, "I don't usually have such heroic deeds. This time, His Majesty gave me twenty jars as a reward for my trip to the West. It's for entertainment on the way."

"Although the wine is good, it will lose some of its flavor if I enjoy it alone. Now that I have the Marquis of Yuexi to drink with me, this journey will be more enjoyable."

Li Jinglong obviously also wanted to establish a good relationship with Yu Tongyuan, Marquis of Yuexi.

Although he had trained a lot in his early years, he was unfamiliar with naval warfare. However, Yu Tongyuan, Marquis of Yuexi, had followed his father and elder brother in long-term naval battles since he was very young and had rich experience.

The weather is a little cool.

It is now the early winter season, and only at this time can the ocean-going treasure ships sail with the help of the monsoon.

After all, today's sea vessels still need the help of wind power to travel. For a treasure ship as large as this one, manpower is totally insufficient.

Although the Ming Dynasty does not have the concept of monsoon now, its navigation technology is currently the best in the world.

Today's fleets use the sea route compass combined with the ocean-crossing star-pulling technique to navigate.

Use a compass to navigate during the day and use the stars and a water compass to keep heading at night.

Even if we encounter a dangerous environment with huge waves reaching the sky and as big as mountains on the sea, we can still hoist the sails and race day and night.

This is a navigation technology that only the Ming Dynasty has at present.

"This time, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also gave instructions in secret, regarding Timur's detention of our Ming envoy."

"According to His Royal Highness's order, we should not only collect information about Timur, but also bring back our envoys."

After three rounds of drinking, Li Jinglong finally took advantage of the alcohol to reveal his sorrow.

What he was worried about was not the affairs of these small countries in the South Seas, but dealing with the Timurid Empire.

Since Timur dared to detain the Ming envoy, he naturally did not worry about the Ming causing trouble or anything, and there was not much difference between his military strength and that of the Ming.

If Timur insisted on not releasing the people, Li Jinglong would have no way to deal with it.

After hearing this, Yu Tongyuan, Marquis of Yuexi, was silent for a while. He also knew something about the Timurid Empire.

Then he raised his glass and said, "Duke Cao, you don't have to think so much. As the old saying goes, things will work out when we get there. No matter what the situation is, we won't know until we get there."

"If it really can't be done, then there is nothing we can do. Don't think too much now. Let's drink first."

Li Jinglong also understood this truth, so he raised his glass and drank together.

The first stop of the voyage to the West was naturally Champa.

This is due to the monsoon route.

At this time, Zhu Yunwen, who had already established himself as a vassal in Champa, had of course received the news early.

King of Wu was the title given to Zhu Yunwen, and this could be considered Zhu Yuanzhang's last act of love.

In the Prince of Wu's palace, Zhu Yunwen was gathering people and preparing to go to the Champa port to welcome them.