prosperous age

The appearance of a Ming fleet in the port was not unexpected by the Acehnese.

However, the timing of the Ming Dynasty reinforcements' arrival was too coincidental.

The people inside the city, of course, had no idea what was happening in the port.

However, the Aceh generals and commanders in the Aceh camp had already received the news.

"General, should we stop the Ming army from landing?"

The artillery commander asked eagerly.

They are currently trying to negotiate peace. Although preventing the Ming army reinforcements from landing seems to be beneficial to the negotiations, it may inadvertently offend the Ming people and thus be detrimental to the king.

Before learning of the Ming Dynasty's plans, most of the people in the military tent still held the idea of ​​rescuing the king.

"They couldn't stop them, and they've already captured the Sultan."

There's nothing we can do now but negotiate with them.

We lost this battle; no one expected them to attack the capital by ship.

The Aceh commander shook his head helplessly.

Although the Aceh army did not make large-scale adjustments to its deployment, it had in fact abandoned its intention to fight the Ming army.

Each military camp adopted a closed-off approach, and as long as the Ming army did not launch an attack, they would hold their ground and wait for negotiations with the Ming Dynasty.

Meanwhile, small boats dispatched by the Ming Dynasty navy in the port also docked near the fort and made contact with the people at the fort.

News of what happened in the old port quickly reached the ship.

On the large boat, Fu Zun also arrived in a small boat. He wanted to discuss the next steps with Zhao Sheng and Wang Desheng.

"Did the Acehnese establish artillery positions behind the dock?"

Fu Zun stared at the simple map in front of him and asked in surprise, "How far is it from the dock?"

"About two miles, our artillery cannot cover it."

"It was clearly a platoon leader from the artillery emplacement who said this."

"Then my ship's cannons can't hit them either. I reckon their cannons are just covering the area near the dock."

As long as we don't land there, their artillery won't threaten us.

Fu Zun immediately understood that the enemy's deployment was aimed at the Ming army's possible landing at the dock.

"Then we can only use small boats to get people to land near the fort."

Using the cover of the artillery positions, assemble the marine battalion.

Zhao Sheng immediately said, "However, Commander Fu, we will also need you to spare a few ships to provide cover."

I was worried that they would launch an attack while our troops were landing, since although the artillery firepower was strong, it did not pose much of a threat to scattered soldiers.

The Acehnese already knew how to deal with artillery fire, but they had no way to counter volley fire.

Upon hearing this, Fu Zun immediately nodded and said, "Of course. Let me know when you want to land, and I will deploy five gunboats to provide cover."

"Oh, and they also mentioned something else. They said that Vice Admiral Zhang of the Western Navy led a fleet, which joined forces with Li Chonggui's troops in the Burmese army, to launch a surprise attack on Kutaraja, the capital of Aceh. Judging by the time, they should have already captured it."

Wang Desheng suddenly spoke at this moment.

"What? They launched a surprise attack on the capital of Aceh. Wouldn't that mean the credit for the attack go to the Western Navy and the Burmese army?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Zun became anxious and said with dissatisfaction, "What exactly is Yu Hualong doing in Old Port? He actually gave this huge credit to the guest army."

"Commander Fu, calm down. I reckon Commander Yu was just doing his duty."

After all, he was the garrison commander of Old Port, and he absolutely could not go on a surprise attack and abandon Old Port.

He couldn't afford to take responsibility if anything went wrong.

Zhao Sheng frowned and tried to exonerate Yu Shoubei.

In fact, the naval garrison in Old Harbor was of the same rank as him, just a marine battalion.

He and Yu Hualong were naturally acquainted and were true colleagues.

There are many such marine battalions and commanders in the South China Sea Fleet.

For example, the unit stationed at Turtle City was a marine battalion.

However, because there is also northern Luzon, the South China Sea Fleet has deployed two marine battalions there.

On Dongfan Island, the navy established and stationed three marine battalions.

Three marine battalions were also stationed in Hangzhou. Zhao Sheng's troops were already in Hangzhou and were part of one of the two marine battalions that followed Deng Zilong south.

"I reckon that our navy will be dealing with the Burmese army for quite some time to come."

Wang Desheng also spoke up.

"How to say?"

Zhao Shengqi said.

"What land forces does our Great Ming currently possess for external defense?"

Wang Desheng countered with a question.

"You mean, the Burmese army might become like the Liaodong army in the future?"
"Will you join our navy in our campaigns in the South Seas and the Western Seas?"

Fu Zun reacted quickly, after all, in the Ming Dynasty, the most elite army was the Northern Army.

The Northern Army's main focus was actually on Liaodong, Jizhou, and Xuanda; its troops in other garrisons were inferior.

The Liaodong Army and the Jizhou Army received much preferential treatment due to the imperial court. They were not only assigned elite troops and generals to lead them, but also received the most advanced and powerful firearms in the Ming Dynasty from the Ministry of War.

Xuanda was no less powerful. As a shield for the imperial court over the grasslands, its allocation of horses and firearms far exceeded that of other military garrisons.

Compared to the powerful Northern Army, the Southern Army was far inferior.

The decline in the combat strength of the garrisons is an indisputable fact.

In reality, the most important armed forces in each province were no longer the local garrisons, but the standard battalions under the control of the governors and viceroys.

This is a battalion of elite troops drawn from the garrison, whose combat strength far exceeds that of the garrison soldiers.

However, a strange phenomenon has emerged in the Southern Army: the Burmese army trained by Li Chengliang.

Although they are called the "Burmese Army," like the "Liaodong Army," it is a regional designation.

The tribes of the Burmese army mostly came from the southwestern garrisons, and were also Ming soldiers in essence.

Some of these southwestern garrisons were relocated to Myanmar, becoming a source of manpower for the Burmese army.

The army, composed of local Burmese, is large in number but poorly equipped, and is mostly used for maintaining order; its field combat capabilities have been severely limited.

Now, the imperial court's support for Palembang and its choice to send troops from Burma clearly indicates its intention to develop the Burmese army into the main fighting force of the Ming Dynasty in the Western and Southeast Asian seas.

In fact, geographically speaking, after acquiring Burma, the Ming Dynasty's activities in Southeast Asia and the West were fully opened up.

In the past, if the Ming Dynasty needed to send troops to the Western Ocean, it would have to draw troops from Fujian and Guangdong, and sail around Southeast Asia to reach the Western Ocean.

Due to the long distance, the Ming Dynasty remained completely indifferent to the situation in the West from beginning to end.

It was simply too far away for them to take action.

However, after the Ming Dynasty acquired Burma, court officials, especially those in the Ministry of War, immediately realized its importance.

Bordering the southwestern provinces, Burma could receive a steady stream of support from them. Furthermore, Burma's location made it extremely convenient for the Ming army to enter and exit the Western Ocean, strengthening ties with Western vassal states and allowing Ming merchants to conduct trade with the West on a larger scale under the protection of the Ming army.

These trades, in turn, bring in substantial taxes to various regions.

In particular, the Pegu Customs required all Ming merchants to register their goods and pay customs duties there before selling them to the West.

Correspondingly, the Western Navy will do its best to ensure their safety.

In fact, after the Ming Dynasty navy had wiped out the pirates in the South Seas, most of the survivors fled to the Western Ocean and hid on the Indian Peninsula.

Their presence also poses a significant threat to merchant ships traveling in the Indian Ocean.

Among these pirates were many Portuguese sailors who participated in the schemes for huge profits.

They not only directly participated in the plundering of merchant ships, but also acted as intermediaries in the sale of stolen goods, selling the looted goods to Portuguese merchants at low prices.

The Spanish were less involved in piracy.

After all, they possessed the wealth from their vast colonies, and their manpower was already stretched thin, so they naturally had no need to engage in piracy.

They were even victims of the pirate activity during this period.

Portugal, lacking the power of Spain and without vast colonies, could only earn trade profits by trading with various Eastern countries.

Therefore, it was only natural that some Portuguese would choose to join pirates for money.

Furthermore, among these pirates were Arabs, making their origins quite complex.

The West Sea Fleet's operational area is mainly in the eastern Indian Ocean.

The ocean there is vast, requiring a large number of warships to meet the requirements for patrolling.

For this reason, the Western Navy has been requesting ships, personnel, and overseas naval bases from the imperial court.

The eyes of the Western Navy have already been set on Ceylon, this pearl located in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

Once the Western Navy acquires this location, it can serve as an important supply point for its patrol fleets.

At the same time, the reach of the Western Naval Force can be extended westward from here, completing its coverage of the entire Indian Ocean.

As for the mainland north of Ceylon, the coastline was all mountainous, and southern India was truly unpopular during this period.

It's worth noting that the Portuguese only established the Goa Governorate in the flat northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent and did not choose to continue expanding.

Because India, despite its vast size, has a hilly and mountainous terrain in the south, which was not considered a high-quality resource in that era.

Therefore, the center of India has always been in the north, and definitely not in the south.

However, Ceylon, as a nominal vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, was definitely not a suitable target for direct attack.

Ceylon also welcomed the arrival of the Ming Dynasty, after all, it had been badly defeated by Zheng He's fleet in the past and had learned its lesson.

Therefore, whether it was Ming Dynasty merchants or the Ming Dynasty navy, Ceylon showed extraordinary enthusiasm in their hospitality.

Of course, their attitude made the Western Navy feel troubled.

Therefore, the only option was to pass the problem on to the imperial court and let them decide.

Next, unaware that Imperial Censor Wang and Garrison Commander Yu were planning negotiations with Aceh, the Ming army in Old Port began to move troops piecemeal.

All the sampans were mobilized to transport the Ming army's marine battalion from the Fujian ships to land, instead of choosing to dock at the pier.

It wasn't until two days later that Zhao Sheng realized their caution had been in vain.

Meanwhile, in the Ming Dynasty's cabinet, Wei Guangde was meeting with Zhang, the head of the Ministry of Rites, to learn about his experiences during his recent trip to Persia and the Western Ocean.

His primary task was actually to establish a formal vassal relationship with the Persian Kingdom in order to obtain firearms from the Ming Dynasty.

The document signed by the Persian king had already been submitted to the Ministry of Rites, and this time it was delivered directly to the cabinet for the emperor's review.

However, when Wei Guangde met with him alone and talked about his experiences in the West, Zhang was flattered.

"You met so many merchants in Persia and even went to places like Mogadishu, the land of the Blacks, but didn't they mention any unusual architecture there?"
For example, those supposedly tall, triangular, cone-shaped buildings?

Wei Guangde was naturally asking about the Egyptian pyramids.

In later years, Wei Guangde saw many analyses of Western pseudo-history online.

Apart from a very few legendary figures who wrote about the existence of pyramids, there are no records of pyramids in Africa, Europe, or the Middle East.

In particular, countries like Portugal and Italy during the Age of Exploration had more contact with Africa.

During interactions with local businessmen, no mention was found of pyramids in local customs, traditions, or anecdotes.

Reports of the pyramids appear frequently, mostly in the early 19th century, as if they never existed before.

Moreover, after the country opened its doors to the world, many Chinese people went abroad and witnessed the so-called miracle with their own eyes. However, many people said that it looked more like a modern architectural creation than the "construction of hundreds of tons of stone" recorded in the documents.

Wei Guangde didn't have time to travel to the West to see the Egyptian pyramids in person, but he could send his men to take a look and record the findings, which would serve as corroborating evidence.

Unfortunately, although Manager Zhang visited many places and met many people during this trip to the West, especially Western merchants who traveled all over the country, he still gained nothing from inquiring about them.

"Your Excellency, as entrusted before the trip, I have been doing my best to inquire about the ruins of Western countries since Persia."

At this point, Manager Zhang replied calmly, "No, they said there are no major historical sites."

It is said that there are some huge stone statues in Mughal and Kambul places, according to Persian merchants.

I am preoccupied with official duties and unable to check.

As for those places in Heisi, they are nothing but mountains and sand, and supposedly there is nothing there at all.

However, I believe that if these relics exist, they will eventually be discovered by our Ming Dynasty merchants as they travel to the West.”

Wei Guangde nodded slightly and smiled, "What you said makes sense."

At this moment, Wei Guangde had already made his judgment.

The speculations of those online experts in later generations might actually be true.

The West has no history at all; it's all fabricated lies.

The so-called four ancient civilizations are actually only one ancient civilization, and that is China.

Those three are completely fictitious.

Since the Tang Dynasty, Chinese people have set foot in the West and reached the Middle East.

At that time, the Arabs in the Middle East did not only live in the Middle East; their influence had extended to Africa.

If Middle Eastern merchants did not spread rumors about the existence of massive pyramid ruins in Egypt, then the possibility that those artifacts were fakes is extremely high.

It's important to know that merchants traveled everywhere, collecting goods for trade, making them arguably the most knowledgeable people in ancient times.

And when they get together, they share what they see and hear along the way.

This is how the image of ancient China spread to the West.

One of the clerks recommended a miscellaneous book called "Jingxing Ji" to Wei Guangde. It is said to have been written by Du Huan of the Tang Dynasty. He was captured in the Battle of Talas and stayed in the Arab Empire for more than ten years, traveling through Central Asia, West Asia and many places along the Mediterranean coast.

It records the urban structure, products and trade of Baghdad under the rule of the Arab Empire, as well as the activities of Han Chinese artisans, and covers the geography, religion and customs of neighboring countries, namely North Africa and the Abbasid Caliphate.

The contents include early records of products from outside the region such as watermelons and dates, the spread of Islam, Nestorianism and Zoroastrianism, and the westward transmission of papermaking and textile technology during the Tang Dynasty.

The book makes no mention of any pyramids in Morin.

As for Zheng He's fleet, perhaps due to the nature of their mission, there are no records of them visiting overseas pyramids. (End of Chapter)