prosperous age

Chapter 981 1070 Seeking Luzon

"Siyun, do you think that after Lin Feng's attack on Manila failed, he would return to Ming or find another place to settle overseas, just like Zhang Lian did?"

"Lord Wei, this is hard to say. I will order them to track down Lin Feng's whereabouts."

"We must investigate Lin Feng's whereabouts, but since Japanese pirates have appeared in Luzon, shouldn't the Ming navy chase them and wipe them out?"

The two were talking in the room. When Wei Guangde mentioned that the Ming Dynasty's South China Sea Navy should be dispatched to Luzon Island to encircle and suppress Lin Feng, Liu Shouyou's pupils could not help but dilate slightly.

He had already realized Wei Guangde's plan.

He knew it, but the current situation in Luzon Island was special. Although it was once a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he still knew some of the situation there after sending a large number of spies to Southeast Asia.

There is no country on the island of Luzon at all. The so-called kings who came to the Ming Dynasty to pay tribute were just leaders of several powerful tribes on the island.

And now?

It seems that that place has been occupied by the barbarians.

They have established strongholds all over the island and can control all kinds of information on the entire island.

Although their numbers are small and most of them are concentrated in the city of Manila, there are at least a dozen and sometimes dozens of soldiers stationed in important locations around them.

There were at least several hundred barbarians left on Luzon Island.

If the Ming navy went there at this time, it would obviously be landing on Luzon Island under the pretext of suppressing the Lin Feng pirate group.

Perhaps, it would be like the Dongfan Island, where they would first go there under the pretext of suppressing the Japanese pirates, then build a water fort, and after a few years move the garrison to the island, turning it into the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty.

Although it takes a long time to develop these barren lands, it did help expand the territory of the Ming Dynasty and can be said to have gone down in history.

However, it's not that there are no forces interested in that place. It's already the territory of the barbarians. Would the barbarians be willing to give a piece of their acquired territory to the Ming Dynasty?

If things go wrong, the Ming navy might have to fight the barbarians there.

Thinking of this, Liu Shouyou hurriedly said: "Wei Wei, let's take a long-term view. Luzon Island has been occupied by the barbarians. If our Ming navy goes there, I'm afraid there will be a conflict with the barbarians."

Liu Shouyou's reminder was naturally well-intentioned, as he was worried that a war would break out as a result.

The power of the Yi people is very great, and he has a clear understanding of this from the intelligence he has brought back from the south.

They seized many ports in various places to establish strongholds, and a steady stream of foreigners came by boat.

It is said that they have occupied a piece of land farther away that is more vast and has more abundant resources than the Ming Dynasty. However, most of the manpower is currently engaged in various development projects there and has not yet freed up its hands to come to the Ming Dynasty. Only a small number of people come to reinforce each time.

If a conflict breaks out between the Ming Dynasty and the barbarians, I am afraid that the other side will quickly mobilize a large number of troops to fight a fierce battle with the Ming Dynasty, and then it will not be a trivial matter.

The information Liu Shouyou obtained was actually true. The Spaniards were indeed very powerful at the moment.

By being one of the earliest participants in the Age of Discovery, they accumulated enormous wealth.

Also, Spain was originally a great European power. Yes, at that time Spain had massive wealth from its colonies and a huge population at home, making it the true overlord of Europe.

It is far from losing its colonies in the future and degenerating into a second-rate country in Europe.

Therefore, in Liu Shouyou's eyes, Spain, which seems powerful now, is an opponent that needs to be treated with caution.

Of course, Liu Shouyou was not aware that their opponent was Spain, although he had roughly judged from the intelligence he had collected about the barbarians that the barbarians in the trenches did not seem to be in the same group as the barbarians on Luzon Island, and there was even some hostility between them.

Yes, now the Spaniards and the Portuguese are actually in a state of hostility with each other, but they are temporarily following the rules of the European continent and adhere to the first come first served principle for colonies. However, the demarcation of borders between colonies has become the biggest dispute.

In the early 16th century, Spain and Portugal were among the most powerful maritime empires in Europe.

Portugal was the first European country to successfully sail to India and Asia and established many colonies, while Spain occupied many areas of the American continent and became the overlord of the New World.

In the mid-16th century, the competition for colonies between the two countries began.

King Philip II of Spain was an ambitious monarch who was eager to expand his territory and power. Under his rule, the Spanish Empire continued to grow in strength and became the most powerful country in the world at that time.

As Spain was competing for world hegemony, it was the small country next to it called Portugal.

After the death of King John III of Portugal in 1542, his grandson Sebastian I ascended the throne.

But he was still very young, only three years old, and unable to take charge of state power. The Portuguese nobles chose Regent Pedro, Sebastian I's uncle, to take charge of state affairs.

During Pedro's reign, he paid little attention to the country's military and maritime affairs, which caused Portugal's territorial expansion to gradually stagnate and even regress.

King Philip II of Spain was also secretly coveting Portugal's colonies and wealth. At that time, Spain and Portugal were among the most powerful countries in Europe, and the competition and struggle between the two countries never stopped.

Philip II repeatedly tried to gain control of Portugal through diplomatic means, but always failed.

It wasn't until 1556 that Philip II's brother Don Juan became King of Portugal, but he died after only two years of reign.

The death of Don Juan gave Philip II an opportunity to seize Portugal. He claimed to be Don Juan's successor, but the Portuguese nobles did not recognize his rights.

Philip II turned his attention to Sebastian I, claiming to be his heir and having received support from some Portuguese nobles.

The Portuguese, especially the top Portuguese nobles, would naturally not be willing to accept being coveted.

In their view, even if the Portuguese royal family was extinct, the choice should be made from among the Portuguese nobility who had blood ties to the royal family, and definitely not from the malicious neighbors next door.

Of course, a few years later, due to some unrest in Portugal, Spain finally had the opportunity to seize Portugal.

In 1578, King Sebastian I of Portugal died without leaving an heir, leaving the throne of Portugal vacant.

Since Sebastian I's sister Gabriela died before 1578, her son Antonio did not receive support in Portugal and was exiled to France in 1579.

In 1580, King Philip II of Spain made a claim to the throne of Portugal. The people and nobles in Portugal did not accept this request because they believed that it would lead to the loss of Portugal's independence and autonomy.

Countries such as Britain and the Netherlands also did not support Spain's move because they were worried that Spain would use this opportunity to expand its territory and power.

Against this background, Philip II formally declared himself heir to the Portuguese throne in 1580 and led an army into Portugal, where he won the battle and became King of Portugal on December 12 of the same year.

After Philip II became King of Portugal, he began to plunder and manage Portugal's wealth and colonies. He merged the Portuguese and Spanish empires to form a larger and more powerful empire.

Philip II was the King of Spain, the son and successor of Charles V, a powerful ruler who ruled over Spain and the Holy Roman Empire and became one of the most powerful monarchs in Europe.

Charles V abdicated in 1556 and was succeeded by his son Philip II, who inherited not only the thrones of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, but also the Netherlands, southern Italy, and territories in the southern Mediterranean.

Of course, Spain's invasion of Portugal was still a few years away, but even if Spain became the King of Portugal, in fact many Portuguese nobles and overseas colonies would not accept Spain's orders.

Several decades later, around 1640, the Portuguese overthrew the Spanish rule through an uprising with the joint efforts of Portuguese princes, nobles and common people. The Duke of Braganza, a descendant of the Portuguese royal family, was elected King of Portugal, called John IV, thus completely ending Spain's sixty-year "colonization" in Portugal.

If the time was three hundred years later, Wei Guangde would naturally have many concerns.

  But now, what is he afraid of?

The development of navigation technology and Spain's seemingly overbearing position in Europe have made Spain have many rivals in Europe, who are always trying to weaken Spain.

Therefore, at this time, although Spain had a large army, especially the most powerful naval fleet in Europe, it did not dare to leave Europe easily.

As for the colonial fleet, although it was also very powerful, Wei Guangde believed that the Spaniards would not dare to transfer all their forces to the East Asian waters.

Did they abandon their colonies in other places just for the sake of Luzon?

Unless there is so much gold on the outskirts of Luzon that it is impossible to pick it all up, perhaps they will give up other places.

But in fact, the resources of Luzon Island are far inferior to the holy land that the Spanish king is paying close attention to at this time, that is, Mexico.

The vast gold and silver resources in Mexico and South America are the foundation for the prosperity of the Spanish Empire.

Wei Guangde remembered some kind of holy war in Europe, in which Spain challenged European powers alone and sent the "Invincible Fleet" twice against Britain, but both times ended in failure, which completely brought Spain down from the altar.

The long distance and the clearly distinct interests made Wei Guangde believe that the Spaniards would not start a war with the Ming Dynasty for the tiny island of Luzon.

Yes, if Spain really dropped its fleet here in Ming Dynasty, it would be really troublesome to deal with it.

Moreover, because the Spaniards occupied Manila first, it was not easy for the Ming Dynasty to send troops directly to capture it.

However, it is still possible to land on Luzon and divide some territory.

In fact, Europeans are very talented in dividing territory.

If you look carefully at the world map, you will find that the borders of former colonies are often straight lines, clearly divided according to longitude and latitude lines.

This custom continued until the end of World War II, when the warring parties on the Korean Peninsula finally divided their territories in this way.

The Ming Dynasty needed the Spanish to send American silver, so it really couldn't offend Spain.

With such awareness, Wei Guangde would naturally not be afraid of anything. It would not be too much to divide Luzon Island in half.

I believe that the Governor of Manila appointed by Spain should be able to see clearly.

"You go back first. I'll send someone to notify you if anything happens."

After Liu Shouyou left, Wei Guangde went to find Zhang Juzheng with the information from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

As the Prime Minister, Wei Guangde's military adventure must have the support of Zhang Juzheng, otherwise it would be impossible to carry out.

He could send a private message to Yu Dayou to ask him to do this or that, but there was no legal basis for this. Even if he could get land from Luzon, some people in the Ming Dynasty might not want it. They would even dislike it as a barren land and say that the Ming Dynasty would lose money if it spent money to operate it.

Well, although the scholars say that they hate yellow and white things and will not bow down for a few pieces of silver, that is just talk. In fact, they love those things more than anyone else, and their enthusiasm is no less than that of the eunuchs they look down upon.

Otherwise, there would not have been such a scandal of collective corruption among officials in the Ming Dynasty that will go down in history.

There are really few clean officials who live strictly according to the salary set by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Even Hai Rui received government benefits. If it were during the Hongwu Dynasty, he would still be sentenced to death with skinning and straw stuffing.

Of course, these benefits were obtained by officials from the emperor. Although they were not fair, they did solve many problems.

It is hard to say whether it can be considered corruption, although it is indeed private wealth collected through excessive taxes and levies.

"Shan Dai, what can I say about you? Dongfan Island has not yet been completely incorporated into our administration, so why are you setting your sights on Luzon?

I have received some memorials from Fujian stating that the South China Sea Navy has been stationed on Dongfan Island for a long time and has had some conflicts with the island's inhabitants, a tribe that seems to be called the Gaoshan tribe, and they are requesting that the navy be recalled.

At this time, you still want to extend your tentacles to Luzon. If the news spreads, aren't you afraid of being impeached by the officials?"

Zhang Juzheng, who was in the cabinet, was in the room. After reading the intelligence about the Jinyiwei brought by Wei Guangde and listening to Wei Guangde's plan, Zhang Juzheng frowned and did not look at Wei Guangde well.

Expanding territory is a great achievement, but Wei Guangde seems to be addicted to it and wants to get involved in everything.

This is not okay.

Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di had done the same thing before, but he also gave up Annan in the end.

Having learned from previous experience, Zhang Juzheng naturally had to think twice before acting.

Wei Guangde certainly knew about the conflict between the South China Sea Navy and the Gaoshan people on Dongfan Island, but the news was kept in the cabinet and the Ministry of War and never spread.

Zhang Juzheng's attitude now naturally shows that he does not support Wei Guangde's radical strategy.

The risk is too great.

The risk here is not a military risk, but a political risk.

If he did so, he might be impeached by all the ministers in the court.

In any case, Wei Guangde was young and very supportive of his work in reforming the internal affairs of the Ming Dynasty, so he did not want to replace the second assistant.

In fact, in Zhang Juzheng's view, Wei Guangde was the best candidate to succeed him.

Of course, the replacement of the Prime Minister will have to wait until he realizes his ambitions.

Through observation over the years, Zhang Juzheng has realized that although Wei Guangde is not an official like Hai Rui, he is very sensible in doing things. He takes what he should take and never thinks about taking what he should not take.

Because he has money.

(End of this chapter)