Rule over Ming Dynasty

Just as Tang Bohu led the logistics fleet to Western Europe, Western Europe was not peaceful.

The night was spreading like thick ink over the ancient stone walls of Gaeta. The smoke of war in Europe was quietly rising, and at this moment it condensed into a solemn atmosphere.

After gathering outside the city, the Spanish troops were surging towards the lonely castle like a surging tide, and the war seemed to be imminent.

On the city wall, torches flickered and light and shadows were mottled.

The French soldiers were dressed in heavy armor, holding spears and swords, as well as a small number of matchlock muskets. Their eyes revealed determination and indomitable spirit.

At the highest point of the city wall, the figure of French commander Arthur appeared particularly tall.

Arthur was a French nobleman in his forties, wearing a suit of silver armor and a sword hanging from his waist, which gleamed coldly in the firelight.

His face was full of traces of time, but his deep eyes still sparkled with a fiery light as he stared at the Spanish army's position.

They were ordered to garrison here this time. If this last territory is lost, it means that their French plan to occupy Naples will end in failure, which is a result that their king absolutely cannot accept.

That's why he had to hold on to this last piece of territory at all costs and preserve the last spark of France on the Italian peninsula.

"rush!"

"Brothers, kill!"

"Take this place, there will be a huge reward!"

……

As the Spanish positions launched an attack, the battle came to an end.

Boom!

The roar of several artillery shells broke the silence of the night.

Although limited by the high cost of gunpowder or technical reasons, the effect of artillery is not significant and its power is relatively small, it is widely used in the military because it can have a good deterrent effect.

The Spanish army carried several small artillery pieces, which not only served to scare the French army, but also served as a signal for the Spanish army to launch an attack.

"Charge! Kill all the damn French people. Naples belongs to our great Majesty!" The Spanish commander Gonzalo led the team personally, looking determined to take down Gaeta.

The battlefield was fully launched at night. The Spanish army was like a tide, and the garrison in Gaeta was like a lone boat.

Facing the invading Spanish army, French commander Arthur was full of fighting spirit and said: "Brothers, we are in a desperate situation, but our beliefs will never yield. Tonight, we will fight for glory, for His Majesty the King, and for the dignity of France. Regardless of life or death, we must hold on to the end!"

"Whether we live or die, we must hold on to the end!" The soldiers shouted in unison, and their voices echoed in the night sky, filled with the heroism and grandeur of a fight to the death.

Boom!

The French army's city defense artillery fired immediately, and the war had already begun in full swing.

The Spanish army's arrows and bullets poured down like a rainstorm, and French soldiers kept falling on the city walls, showing the cruel and bloody side of the battlefield.

Throughout the history of the East and the West, war has been the main theme of mankind.

The French soldiers did not retreat. They fought back with their guns and bows and arrows, and engaged in a desperate battle with the invading enemy.

The Spanish soldiers were exposed and were also shot or arrowed and fell down one after another. Their lives were also so insignificant and they became victims of the ambitious.

Every charge and every confrontation was accompanied by fierce shouts and screams from both sides, and the sparks of life bloomed and disappeared on this land.

In fact, this era saw major changes in European history.

Not only did their maritime exploration fail to yield huge returns, but because their fleet was sunk by the Ming Dynasty, the royal families who had bet heavily on maritime exploration went bankrupt one after another.

On the other hand, due to the ravages of smallpox over the years, the population of the whole of Europe has been declining sharply, and even now a large number of people are infected with smallpox and die every day.

Greed is human nature. The rulers of France and Spain do not understand the philosophy of rest and recuperation at all. Today, they are still fighting for the territory of Naples as they did in the past.

"Brothers, kill me!"

As the Spanish army had already attacked, Arthur brandished his sword to meet them, and they fought face to face madly on the battlefield.

"Go, kill all these French people!"

The Spanish commander Gonzalo saw his men falling one after another, so he boosted the morale of the soldiers and encouraged them to fight more bravely.

However, as the battle progressed, although the Spanish army killed many French troops, they found that they could not take the place in one go, and finally chose to call off the battle.

Gonzalo was not too depressed. This night attack was mainly to consume the French army. As long as he waited for the Spanish reinforcements to arrive, he could easily take this place and kill all the French troops here.

When a ray of sunlight rose from the horizon, the walls of Gaeta were covered with blood and debris.

Arthur stood at the top of the city wall, looking at the approaching Spanish army in the distance, his heart was filled with helplessness and sadness. Although he and his men were brave and fearless, how long could they hold on?

During this period, after Western Europe was blocked from embarking on the Age of Discovery, internal conflicts were not only irreconcilable, but also became more acute due to interests.

The war on the Italian Peninsula was caused by the death of King Ferdinand I of Naples in the seventh year of Hongzhi. King Charles VIII of France took the opportunity to declare himself the successor to the throne and became the King of Naples.

Naples on the Italian Peninsula is not a useless place. Instead, it is located in a prime location in the center of the country and is also the most prosperous region in Europe.

Although France declared itself the successor to the throne of Naples, great powers such as the Holy Roman Empire and Spain coveted its huge wealth and naturally could not recognize the legitimacy of the French king.

King Charles VIII of France was the first country to take action. He led 3.5 French troops across the Alps to invade the Kingdom of Naples and occupied Naples the following year.

In the eighth year of the Hongzhi reign, the Holy See, Venice, Milan, the Holy Roman Empire and Spain organized the anti-French "Holy Alliance" and began a fierce battle with the French army.

Faced with such a powerful Holy Alliance, France also lost a large part of Naples' territory, and the French army was forced to retreat north of the Alps.

In the 12th year of Hongzhi, the new King of France, Louis XII, inherited the will of Charles VIII, led an expedition to Milan and won the victory. His next target was Naples.

In the 13th year of the Hongzhi reign, France sent troops to occupy northern Italy. The King of France had originally agreed to join forces with the King of Spain to conquer and divide the kingdom, but the two allies soon had a dispute over land, and war broke out between France and Spain.

Because Venice took advantage of the French invasion to expand its power, it caused dissatisfaction among other countries. Spain, France, the Holy Roman Empire and the Pope organized the "League of Cambrai" to oppose Venice.

The Italian Peninsula War, which originally centered around the conflict between Spain and France, had begun to expand during this period, with more and more European countries being drawn in.

In the 15th year of the Hongzhi reign, the war between France and Spain broke out again. At first, the French army achieved some success by virtue of its military advantage, and Gonzalo retreated to Barletta.

In the 16th year of Hongzhi, the first batch of Spanish reinforcements arrived from the Mediterranean. Commander Gonzalo began to counterattack and won at Cerignola. The French army retreated to Gaeta.

Judging from the current war situation, as long as Spain successfully captures Gaeta, the entire Italian peninsula will fall into Spain's hands, which will also declare France's complete defeat.

A familiarity with history shows that the Italian War did not end there. It eventually evolved into a war between France and Spain for European hegemony. Later, European countries also became involved, and the war lasted for 65 years.

Of course, history has quietly changed today. The original wheel of history was indeed internal friction among European countries, but an army with the Ming flag came here.

At the end of the 16th year of the Hongzhi reign, a war-torn year, a mighty fleet arrived from the neighboring Indian Ocean.

Just when everyone was still not able to react, Wang Zhi, Governor of the Atlantic and Mediterranean, led his fleet like a flash of lightning across the sky and rushed towards the port of Cadiz.

Time flies and everyone will grow old.

Wang Zhi was once the youngest factory supervisor, but he is no longer young and is now middle-aged.

It's just that he has delicate features and a fair and beardless face. He has always lived a pampered life, and his mentality is much stronger than that of ordinary people. He still has the image of a handsome middle-aged man.

During the Chenghua Dynasty, as soon as he came of age, he acted as the Emperor Chenghua's sword and became the notorious Director of the Western Factory, imprisoning and punishing all the corrupt and criminal civil servants.

During the Hongzhi reign, the emperor, who was capable and ambitious, did not need the Western Factory. After dealing with the corrupt officials within the Ming Dynasty, the emperor turned his sword, which belonged exclusively to the royal family, towards external forces.

From commanding all countries in the South China Sea, to dominating the Indian Ocean, and now to the new journey of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean.

He has become the sharpest sword of Emperor Hongzhi against the outside world. Now that the emperor wants to use this sword to attack the Western European continent, there will be rivers of blood here.

But unlike those commanders who were always hesitant, the soldiers under his command were fearless and would even massacre the city to achieve their established goal of dominating the country.

The sea breeze was howling, the waves were surging, the flags of the Ming fleet's sailboats were fluttering, and the shiny heavy artillery adjusted its direction, demonstrating the majesty and power of the Ming Empire.

"They dare to touch our Ming merchant ships flying the dragon flag. It's time to let them experience the threat of our invincible fleet!" Wang Zhi looked out at the busy port of Cadiz ahead, his eyes sharp and his brows revealing determination and courage.

The destruction of the two Ming merchant ships was caused by Spain. Now he has led his troops here and is the new master of this sea area. Naturally, he will make Spain pay a bloody price for his offense against the Ming Dynasty.

The Port of Cadiz is a prosperous port in Spain with a permanent population of over 10,000. It is also the starting point for the adventurer Columbus.

Boom!

With the orders from the captains, shells poured down like heavy rain.

boom!
The shells landed accurately in the port of Cadiz, followed by explosions, and the ships docked in the port and the houses on the shore caught fire.

“God, what is this?”

"Oh my god, why is the Ming fleet here?"

"It's over. The Eastern devil must be taking revenge on us for sinking their ship!"

……

The Spaniards in the port of Cadiz saw the shells flying from the sky and looked at the buildings and ships being bombed around them, and were instantly thrown into chaos and panic.

boom! boom! boom!
The Ming fleet's artillery shells seemed to be free of charge. One shell after another drew a blazing trail above the port and then exploded among the city walls, ships and the crowd.

The explosions were deafening.

A castle was crumbling under the bombardment of artillery fire, bricks and stones were flying everywhere. Ships in the harbor were overturned by the blast, and the wreckage and debris of the ships were scattered everywhere, and flames shot up into the sky.

It was the most prosperous port in Europe just now, but in the blink of an eye it had become a living hell.

Under the ravages of the artillery shells, the terrified Spaniards fled in all directions, with screams and shouts rising one after another.

However, their figures seemed so small and fragile. Many people were engulfed by the flames of the explosion before they could escape, becoming the background of the Port of Cadiz under the bombardment.

"Don't let that fleet get away, chase it and sink it!"

Wang Zhi discovered the Spanish fleet that had just left the port through a telescope. Although this Spanish fleet could not sail on the ocean, it carried a large number of soldiers, so he gave the order to sink it.

"Run, let's run quickly!" The Spanish captain knew that the Ming fleet had discovered him, and immediately gave urgent orders.

With a burst of orderly drum beats, the three three-masted gunboats led by Wang Wuqing left the Ming fleet and rushed towards the Spanish fleet like an arrow.

After closing the distance, shells were fired at the Spanish fleet, stirring up layers of waves on the sea, and the warships of the Spanish fleet began to shake under the baptism of artillery fire.

Wang Wuqing’s favorite way of naval warfare is not bombardment, but relying on the extremely sturdy bow of the Ming Dynasty, direct collisions often bring pleasing effects.

So he commanded three three-masted gunboats to form a triangular formation, and rushed straight towards the core area of ​​the Spanish fleet, relying on the strength of his own warships to sink these paper-like inland sea ships.

boom!
When three three-masted gunboats collided heavily with a dilapidated Spanish fleet ship, a huge wave instantly rose on the sea.

The Spanish fleet's ships began to capsize and break apart under the impact, and the sailors on board screamed in terror and tried to escape from the sinking ship.

But it was too late. All of them fell into the sea like dumplings.

Countless pieces of hull and wreckage were floating on the sea, and the surviving sailors were struggling in despair. They wanted to survive, but the reality was very cruel. A wave came and took them to the bottom of the sea.

The battle lasted for about half an hour. When the gunfire on the sea gradually subsided, the entire sea surface was already filled with floating corpses. These corpses rose and fell with the waves, like fish that had lost their lives. (End of this chapter)