prosperous age

"Then we should build a city right next to them?"

The Wanli Emperor knew that the Ottoman Empire was very powerful, and he had read a lot of intelligence from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Hearing that the cabinet had discussed building cities around the Ottoman Empire, he frowned slightly and said.

"This will make it easier for our dynasty to understand its true strength."

Wei Guangde replied.

"But the Ottoman Empire has been expanding. What if they set their sights on the cities of my Great Ming?"

Master Wei, you don't really think the government troops there can resist the Ottoman Empire's attack, do you?

Their firearms are very powerful, especially their cannons; even the strongest city walls are easily destroyed by them.

Emperor Wanli was clearly worried that building a city near the Ottoman Empire would eventually make it a target of the Ottoman Empire.

If such a thing were to happen, the Ming Dynasty would have to confront the Ottoman Empire, the most powerful country in the West.

Emperor Wanli wasn't worried about being unable to win, as he had a million-strong army under his command; the only problem was the distance.

"Your Majesty, I have also considered this matter."

Hearing that the Wanli Emperor had such concerns, he smiled and said, "Although the main purpose of building this city is to facilitate trade between our Ming merchants and Angolan merchants, the difficulty is that we can only do business with them."

Of course not, merchants from the Ottoman Empire could also trade here.

We've delivered all the goods to their doorsteps, so they can receive our exquisite goods from Daming City, just like the Anelian merchants.

If the Ottoman Empire really brings the war there, and once the merchants of my Great Ming Dynasty withdraw, where will the merchants of the Ottoman Empire go to purchase the goods of my Great Ming Dynasty?

In any case, their relationship with Arabs and Persians was not good.

Their merchants would absolutely not dare to sail from the Western Red Sea to the Ming Dynasty to trade.

Wei Guangde then shared his thoughts at the time.

"How can one tolerate another's snoring beside one's bed?" The Ming Dynasty's construction of a city on the African coast was indeed risky, but the opportunities were also great.

What Wei Guangde valued most was actually limited contact with the Ottoman Empire and more direct communication with European countries.

War is the main driving force behind the advancement of weaponry.

With Europe on the verge of war, the Ming Dynasty could not stand idly by.

Although the Ming Dynasty will not intervene in the European wars, it must keep a close eye on things, especially the research on new weapons, and absolutely cannot lag behind others.

The backwardness of a nation invites aggression, as modern Chinese history has proven.

Therefore, the significance of building Daming City in Africa is extremely important.

Close observation of changes on the European battlefield and gathering intelligence from all sides were priorities, while trade had to take a backseat.

"Previously, the cabinet and the heads of the six ministries had a preliminary plan to build a new city on the west coast of the Western Red Sea, which would be called Daming City."

Half of the Western Navy's forces were diverted to form the Western Red Navy, with Daming City as its home port, while the docks of ports such as Mugudushu and Manbasa were repaired.

The dock there was built a century ago by Zheng He's fleet.

As for the weakening of the Western Navy after its separation, the Ministry of War will prioritize allocating more new-type warships to them in the subsequent allocation of newly built vessels.

Wei Guangde then briefly recounted the strategies for building the city and allocating troops that had been discussed the previous day.

Generally speaking, it would be necessary to establish a garrison in the Ming Dynasty, and at the same time, to form a new ocean-going navy equipped with at least twenty gunboats and deploy it there.

To be honest, the number of ships built by the Ming Dynasty in recent years was like that of a modern navy being made into dumplings.

At the two shipyards in Longjiangkou, Nanjing, as well as on the slipways of local shipyards in Zhejiang, large ships are being built at an accelerated pace.

In the past, it was somewhat limited by the availability of timber.

At this time, all the good timber in the southeast had already been cut down, and it was necessary to transfer it from Guangxi.

After the navy occupied Dongfan Island a few years ago, it became the main source of shipbuilding materials for the Ming Dynasty in the past two years.

The Ming Dynasty had no shortage of craftsmen, and within a few years, even novices gradually became skilled.

The technology for converting large bird ships into double-decker gunboats has matured, and large Fujian ships are constantly being launched, serving as the main force of naval transport and also as the main cargo ships for maritime merchants.

In other words, progress in imitating Western-style warships has been slightly slower, and so far only a few thousand-ton warships have been built.

This type of ship is the same one Magellan used on his circumnavigation of the globe, and it remains the mainstay of European seagoing vessels today.

This refers to a displacement of several hundred tons, not the type of ship.

Magellan circumnavigated the globe using a carrack, while the mainstream sailing vessel in Europe today is the galleon.

To be honest, the carracks were actually quite aesthetically pleasing to the Ming Dynasty. Their firepower was roughly equivalent to that of the Fujian ships, both being rather weak because they could not be equipped with many cannons.

Moreover, the towering forecastle and sterncastle of the carracks were actually very unsafe for maritime activities.

Even so, Magellan's fleet still completed the world's first circumnavigation, which was truly remarkable.

The Ming Dynasty, however, was imitating the most advanced ship type in Europe at the time, namely the galleon, a warship with two or even more gun decks and exceptionally powerful firepower.

In fact, the shipbuilding capabilities of the European ships that the Ming Dynasty is now imitating have reached the technical level of medium-sized European shipbuilding countries, which is quite impressive.

However, the Ming Dynasty itself was unaware of this.

In particular, the fact that the barbarians were accustomed to eating beef led them to compare the large galleons, which were difficult for them to build, with the ships of the Ming Dynasty, causing the Ming craftsmen to mistakenly believe that European countries could easily build large galleons of two or three thousand liang (a unit of weight).

Naturally, this led them to believe that the shipbuilding technology of the Ming Dynasty was still far behind that of European countries.

Although the Ming Dynasty had blueprints for treasure ships, so what?

The Ming Dynasty has now opened its eyes to the world, and upon seeing Chinese and Western ships, it is easy to see the difference between the two.

While Ming Dynasty ships were indeed better than Western-style ships in terms of carrying capacity, their firepower was far inferior.

Now, the large-scale ships can meet the needs of maritime trade, but the navy lacks powerful warships.

"Since you have already reached an agreement, then I will wait to see your report."

After hearing Wei Guangde's explanation, Emperor Wanli, though still harboring doubts, was at least less worried.

After all, Wei Guangde's reasoning sounded reasonable.

Of course, the actual construction of the Ming Dynasty city in Africa was not as simple as he described.

After selecting a location, it is necessary to contact the surrounding forces, present the benefits of building a city in this area for the Ming Dynasty, and gain their approval, or at least their tacit consent, before construction can truly begin.

It takes at least several years to build a city from scratch.

"Your Majesty, I have another matter to discuss, which requires your decision."

After finishing his account of the matter with the British, Wei Guangde spoke again.

"What's the matter?"

The Wanli Emperor asked.

"South China Sea Navy Report: At the northern tip of Sumatra Island, where Old Port is located, lies the Aceh Sultanate. In recent years, the country has purchased a considerable number of firearms from merchants from various countries, and its strength has grown day by day, to the point that it has already threatened the safety of our Old Port Pacification Commissioner's Office."

The navy reported to the Ministry of War for a decision on whether to take military action against them or to completely occupy Sumatra.

Wei Guangde spoke up.

Old Port actually only occupied a very small area in the southern part of what is now Sumatra, which is why Old Port was completely powerless to resist the surrounding forces after the Ming Dynasty withdrew its naval power.

As the Ming Dynasty returned to Old Port, more Ming people settled there, and the port became a bustling commercial hub, attracting many people from the surrounding areas to live there.

With the population increase, the required space increased, which undoubtedly led to the continuous expansion of the old port.

This expansion has drawn the ire of the Aceh Sultanate on the island of Sumatra. The two sides have clashed repeatedly, with occasional minor clashes.

Historically, the Aceh Sultanate changed roles among several surrounding powers because the Old Port lacked the protection of the Ming Dynasty.

Later, it was directly annexed by the Aceh Sultanate, which then extended its reach to the surrounding islands, forming a new and powerful force in Southeast Asia.

The Nanyang region in this era has been completely transformed by the arrival of Wei Guangde.

At this time, the Ming Dynasty, which was beginning to expand outwards, clashed with the Aceh Sultanate, which was in a similar situation. In fact, it was only a matter of time before the two countries broke out over control of Sumatra Island.

“Our merchant ships have sailed from the Aceh Sultanate to Temasek and the Portuguese more than once to trade, selling spices in exchange for their firearms.”

Wei Guangde concluded by emphasizing this point.

Initially, this news was discovered by Ming Dynasty maritime merchants, and it was later confirmed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

After acquiring Portuguese firearms, the Aceh Sultanate adopted a tougher stance towards the Old Port Pacification Commissioner.

Wei Guangde couldn't help but think that the Portuguese might be involved.

They hoped to use the power of Southeast Asian countries to restrain the Ming Dynasty's strength in the South China Sea.

The Wanli Emperor did not ask the court if it had not signed an agreement with the Portuguese to coexist amicably and mutually guarantee the rights and interests of each other's merchants.

The current Wanli Emperor is no child, and naturally he is not so easily fooled.

Moreover, Wei Guangde had already taught the young emperor in the words of later generations that agreements are meant to be torn up, and there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests.

Emperor Wanli initially did not understand the meaning of these ideas, but Wei Guangde explained them repeatedly before the young emperor grasped the concept.

Ultimately, all agreements are based on the strength of the parties involved.

An agreement is only valid when a country is powerful enough.

However, once the other party's strength surpasses that of oneself, such agreements are often torn up.

For the sake of profit, no friend is worth selling, as long as the profit is big enough.

Therefore, the agreement signed between the Ming Dynasty and the Western barbarians was essentially because the Ming Dynasty was far enough away from their homeland that there would be no fundamental conflict of interest.

However, minor conflicts, or conflicts arising from the struggle for local interests, are normal and will not affect the overall situation.

The relationship between the Ming Dynasty and the foreigners was essentially a trade relationship.

As long as normal trade between the two sides is maintained, no matter how fiercely they fight overseas, they will maintain a tacit understanding in certain aspects.

"So, the Portuguese want to use the Southeast Asian barbarians to make enemies of our Great Ming Dynasty and contain our forces in Old Port?"

After a moment's thought, the Wanli Emperor spoke, then pressed further, "What are the Ministry of War's plans?"

He understood that Wei Guangde was actually there to spread rumors.

The Ministry of War may already have a response, but it depends on the Emperor's attitude.

If the emperor is strong-willed, then the memorials submitted by the Ministry of War will be very powerful, and vice versa.

"The Ministry of War is determined to resolve the Sumatra issue completely, and seek an opportunity to destroy the Aceh Sultanate and gain complete control over the region."

Without hesitation, Wei Guangde directly stated the Ministry of War's plan.

In fact, Wei Guangde didn't think much about it. After all, it was just an island; how strong could the other side be?

However, the implementation of this decision still brought considerable trouble to the Ming Dynasty.

Eliminating the main force of the Aceh Sultanate was simple, but maintaining control afterward was indeed difficult.

The area is densely forested. After the main force was wiped out, the remaining armed forces hid in the rainforest and fought against the Ming army in Old Port for decades.

It took almost two generations to completely eradicate them.

"What negative impact would annihilating them have on the imperial court's presence in Southeast Asia?"

After a moment of contemplation, the Wanli Emperor asked the question.

By this time, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had a general understanding of the situation in Southeast Asia.

There are nominally several kingdoms, predominantly Islamic religious states.

Then there are the islands, large and small, which are nominally subordinate to these kingdoms but are actually in a semi-independent state.

Obey orders, not pronouncements.

Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that the Southeast Asian countries are actually divided into several major powers based on islands, that is, two or three powers will emerge on a few larger islands.

For example, on Sumatra Island, most of it was occupied by the Aceh Sultanate, while the Ming Dynasty only restored control of the old port.

In such a situation, conflict between the two sides is inevitable, until one side submits or is eliminated.

After the islands were unified, expansion began to extend to the outer islands.

This is the situation in Southeast Asia: the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak.

"Countries will be more fearful and more subservient to the Ming Dynasty."

Wei Guangde replied.

This was the assessment of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The idea for the main station came from the Ministry of War.

Based on the situation of various forces in Southeast Asia, the Embroidered Uniform Guard believed that this would make many of them more respectful of the Ming Dynasty.

The rest, perhaps harboring ulterior motives, might become even closer to the barbarians.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard has completed its deployment in the Southeast Asian countries, and they will be keeping an eye on them."

If they choose to cooperate with the barbarians, the navy will take precautions in advance.

Wei Guangde's talk of prevention did not necessarily mean finding an opportunity to attack and eliminate them.

Instead, they will choose to isolate these forces to prevent them from forming alliances, while simultaneously instigating infighting among their internal factions to weaken them.

"They have no connection with the Ottoman Empire, right?"

After a moment of contemplation, the Wanli Emperor suddenly spoke up, "I recall that the Ottoman Empire was also an Islamic country."

"Ok?"

Emperor Wanli's words startled Wei Guangde.

He then shook his head and laughed, “Most of the countries in Southeast Asia have Islam as their state religion. They do have connections with each other, but there are also many conflicts.”

As for whether they have any connections with the Ottoman Empire, I will have the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigate.

Although Wei Guangde disagreed, after leaving the Qianqing Palace, he still handed a note to Liu Shouyou, asking the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate whether there was any connection between the Aceh Sultanate and the Ottoman Empire.

It should be noted that while the Indian Ocean was mainly populated by Portuguese, Persian, and Arab merchant ships, the Ottoman Empire's navy was also active in the western Red Sea.

This is also why they are able to control large coastal areas along the Red Sea.

However, intelligence naturally wouldn't be transmitted back to the capital so quickly.

In the afternoon, Wei Guangde met the returning British delegation in the duty room, along with Jiang Zhi and Zhang Ke.

Upon seeing their faces, Wei Guangde knew that the firearms manufactured by the Ministry of Works might have indeed caught the eye of the British.

As expected, Earl Robert expressed a strong desire to purchase it.

Since the other party offered money, Wei Guangde naturally wouldn't refuse, and an agreement was quickly reached. (End of Chapter)