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Chapter 1085 First Exploration of America 4
“The total number of Spanish settlers in the Americas did not exceed 30, but they did rule a very large territory and at least tens of millions of indigenous people.

On the one hand, the weapons and equipment were relatively advanced, and a few hundred mercenaries were able to defeat thousands or even tens of thousands of indigenous troops, which allowed them to gain a foothold in the New World.

But the subsequent rule was not entirely based on force, but religion and cultural influence were important means. Just like in Manila, no matter where the Spanish and Portuguese went, there would always be missionaries among the first group of people.

Their governorate was a complex organization, including the royal government represented by the governor, the procuratorate, the church, the town council, and the army led by the governor. Each institution had executive, legislative, and judicial powers.

But in addition to the viceroyalties, there were more than a dozen kingdoms, large and small. Some of the kingdoms had autonomy, while others were governed by viceroys. The subordinate relationships among them were so complicated that even the King of Spain and his officials could not figure it out.

The Silvas don't know why it turned out like this, but the professors said it was Spanish culture.

The so-called Kingdom of Spain is nothing more than a collection of a large number of small kingdoms. Castile, Leon, Toledo, Seville, Cordoba, Jaén, Murcia, and Granada are all kingdoms and have kings.

To put it in a more vivid way, Spain and many other European countries are very similar to the Zhou Dynasty in history. The king is the king, but the land and population he directly rules are not large, and more land and population are in the hands of the princes. The princes have a high degree of autonomy, and they are small kingdoms. "

When it comes to the history of the Kingdom of Spain, not only is Hong Tao confused, but even the Puyol brothers who have studied it for most of their lives can't explain it clearly. This is still in Spain. In America, it is even more difficult to explain, and various forms coexist.

"Don't be confused. I'm not telling you this for the sake of combat, but for the future. It's easy to defeat the Spanish fleet stationed on the west coast of America, and it's not difficult to attack Mexico City and Lima.

But have you ever thought about this: the local people have been ruled by the Spaniards for hundreds of years. Would they be able to accept our sudden arrival?

Don't underestimate the role of religion. Manila was only ruled by the Spanish for 30 or 40 years, and there are still people who believe in Catholicism. It is unlikely to completely convert them in this lifetime, so we can only start with the next generation.

I don't want to travel thousands of miles and have soldiers risk their lives to take back cities, land, and people, only to end up with them becoming a cancer on the empire because they can't be properly managed, which is neither good nor worthwhile to abandon."

Since Hong Tao, a monster who has lived many lives, couldn't figure it out, there was no need to ask the generals present to understand the mess with just a few words. In the end, he was not giving a history lesson, but preparing for a rainy day.

If the military and officials do not attach importance to this issue ideologically, the plan to enter America will have to continue to be shelved. The reason why the Spanish were able to gain a foothold in America was due to the magic of time.

Back then, the North American Indians and South American Incas knew nothing about the outside world, which was like a blank sheet of paper. Whoever painted first would decide how to paint. But now it is different. They know the outside world and have been exposed to more confusing religions and cultures. It is very difficult to force them to change.

"Your Majesty, are you really planning to attack America?"

After listening to the emperor's nagging, the astronauts finally believed that the war was imminent and rubbed their hands in excitement. But they were still unsure and wanted to hear something definite, preferably with specific requirements, so that the General Staff could formulate a combat plan.

Take these materials back and have a careful look at them, think them through, and then discuss whether to start, when to start, and what to do after starting. Once you have roughly finished your work, call all the confidential ministers to hold a royal meeting to discuss everything, come up with all the plans, and finally make a decision. "Seeing the expressions of the astronauts and others, Hong Tao knew that what he had just said was in vain. These guys who were educated as soldiers since childhood and have been in the army since they grew up, their minds are filled with how to fight and how to win, and they are not very interested in civil administration.

But no matter whether they want to or not, they can't just let it go. They must be forced to think. If they don't want to, there will be no war. If they don't think too much, there will still be no war. Because America is too far away, as an overseas territory, a governor must be appointed to manage it. And the governor must be selected from these officers, at least in the early stage.

"Jin Gui, you go down and have a rest first. It won't be too late to report to Wang Datou in a few days." The generals took the folders and walked faster than each other. They couldn't wait to finish reading the plan overnight and submit it tomorrow. Only Jin Gui did not move.

"Your Majesty, I still have something to report..."

"Do we have to tell you now?" In fact, Hong Tao also had to make some preparations. If he just asked the generals to hand in their plans, how could an emperor not have a general plan?

“…It’s about America.”

"Okay, I'm not in a hurry, just take your time."

"When the students returned, they divided the fleet into two groups, and all the data was also divided into two groups. The Surveying and Mapping Department led one group to return along the original route, and I led the other group to Manila directly. This move was intended to be safe. Even if one of the fleets was completely wiped out, the data could still be safely sent back to the empire.

However, the students saw thick smoke on the sea about 5000 kilometers from the west coast of America, and when they got closer, they found that it was a bunch of islands. The location is here. The easternmost large island is at 20 degrees north latitude and 155 degrees east longitude, and it spreads hundreds of kilometers to the northwest.

The largest of them is similar in size to Mindoro Island. There is a volcanic eruption in the middle of the island. It is larger and more ferocious than the volcano on Luzon Island. The thick smoke spreads for dozens of kilometers around and the smell is extremely pungent.

Several other smaller islands were inhabited. Due to their duties, the students did not dare to get too close or stay too long. After observing for two days, they returned home.

After sailing westward for more than 2000 kilometers, they found another small island more than kilometers away from Guam. This island is surrounded by a huge lagoon and is uninhabited. The students used a small boat to survey the island, but found no fresh water.

If His Majesty intends to use military force on the west coast of America, I think these two places should be occupied first. Especially this group of large islands, which are more than 5000 kilometers away from America and more than 6000 kilometers away from Guam, are indeed the key points of maritime transportation.

Since there are people living on it and there are lush forests, there should be no shortage of fresh water. We can use it as a naval base to store supplies and ammunition, and we can attack or defend it. "

With permission, Jin Gui walked to the map again. This time he did not take any information. He relied entirely on the data in his memory. He drew two small black dots between the Mexican waters and the Manila waters, and then gave a detailed explanation.

(End of this chapter)