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Chapter 1210 The right time, right place and right people
"Your Majesty, you have misunderstood. I know the rules and dare not speak nonsense. I just want to follow Your Majesty on an expedition and experience the vastness of the sea and the fierce naval battles. This is enough for my life."

After being rejected, So Yoshiakiko was not so nervous, her voice became louder, and she finished her unfinished wish again, and she smiled. However, her upper lip was blocked by her canine teeth, and the smile immediately turned into a weird grin.

"...Well... well, in that case, you will be in charge of the logistics and material allocation of the expeditionary fleet, and you will be included in the expedition. Deputy Chief of Staff Tan will stay at home and continue to make plans, so that I won't cause any more problems and demote your honor.

In addition, you and Deputy Chief of Staff Tan should go to Batavia in person to meet with Governor Cohen, explain the interests involved, and borrow 20 ocean-going cargo ships including sailors from the Dutch East India Company.

Remember, this is not a lease but a loan. The Ming court only pays the sailors' wages, not a copper coin more. Come back to me after you have completed your mission. If you fail, your merits and demerits will be offset, and there will be no reward or punishment."

Hong Tao did not refuse this request outright. He touched his chin and thought about it, then gave a reply with a grin. To be honest, his sneer was not much better than So Yoshiaki's fangs. He was sinister to the core, and his identity as the emperor made people feel even colder.

In mid-May, the expeditionary fleet was finally ready, with the main fleet consisting of 5 Qin-class warships and 7 Han-class warships. The supply fleet was relatively large, with a total of 5 armed cargo ships, plus 31 Qin-class warships as escorts.

Captain Settle commanded his Han-class battleship and a Qin-class battleship of the South China Sea Fleet, which set out 8 days ahead of the main fleet. They first stopped at Pearl Harbor to replenish fresh water, and then sailed to Lima on the coast of Peru.

The plan drawn up by the General Staff set the Galapagos Islands as an ambush area, and Lima, as the capital of the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru, was one of the targets of the decoy fleet.

The General Staff and the Navy Staff did not argue too much about why this was done, and they persuaded the emperor to agree in just one afternoon. The reasons were quite comprehensive, and can be summarized into three main points: the right time, the right place, and the right people.

Crossing the Pacific Ocean from east to west, and traveling tens of thousands of kilometers to fight in the enemy's territory, the weather may be just right, but the terrain and people seem to be out of the question. Faced with such a ridiculous reason, how could Hong Tao agree?
To be honest, it was not a conspiracy between the General Staff and the Naval Staff to fabricate and deceive. After so many years of continuous exploration, the Ming Navy probably understood the geography and climate of the west coast of America better than the locals. They were only a little weak in the humanities, but they also had some knowledge of the main situation.

Let’s talk about the weather first; the Galapagos Islands are located right on the equator, nearly 1000 kilometers east of the west coast of the South American continent. They are a group of islands and reefs formed by volcanic eruptions.

The equatorial region has high temperatures and high rainfall all year round, with a small pressure gradient and mild winds, which is prone to calm weather, also known as the equatorial doldrums. This kind of climate is what sailboats fear the most. No wind or weak wind means no power and nothing can be done.

But the earth is so big that there are always some places that stand out from the crowd, and the Galapagos Islands is one of them.

Although it is located on the equator and in the center of the doldrums, there shouldn't be any wind. However, the generation of wind does not depend entirely on air convection, but also on ground or ocean conditions, especially the ocean.

As a large basin of salt water, the temperature of the seawater sometimes has a greater impact on the microclimate of the sea surface than air convection. To the south of the Galapagos Islands is the Peruvian cold current, and to the north is the equatorial warm current.

These two ocean currents are both extremely powerful, and they collided head-on near the Galapagos Islands. The energy they bring should not be underestimated.

It is because of this energy that the archipelago has formed a unique microclimate. Specifically, the temperature is much lower, the rainfall is much less, and the wind is much stronger than other equatorial regions. As for the geographical advantages, the Galapagos Islands are composed of 13 islands of different sizes and many reefs, with a distribution area of ​​more than 60000 square kilometers. It is roughly a rectangle, 300 kilometers from east to west and 200 kilometers from north to south.

Most of the islands have towering mountains, rugged rocks, and many strange animals and plants, which are completely different from the scenery in other places on the earth. They were called Devil's Island by the Spaniards who first discovered and recorded them.

Galapagos is Latin for Giant Tortoise Island. Several islands are breeding grounds for giant tortoises, and in a certain season, the entire beach is covered with small round table-like tortoises, which is a scary sight.

It may be that the archipelago is mostly made of volcanic rocks and the terrain is relatively steep. Even though the temperature is pleasant, it is difficult to cultivate, so there is no sign of human gathering. Even though the Spanish discovered it in the 16th century, they did not try to occupy it. They just gave it a name and marked it on the nautical chart.

The vast area, complex underwater terrain, uninhabited area, notoriety and remoteness from shipping routes make this archipelago a prime choice for naval ambush. The main fleet can ambush in the waters inside the archipelago and wait for the target to approach, and then suddenly appear to catch the target by surprise.

But this is only one aspect. The more crucial thing is that it is located between Lima, the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru, and Guayaquil, the largest port city. As long as the Spaniards intend to assemble a fleet, they will have to choose one of the two.

This is very important for the operation of the decoy fleet. It can create an illusion for the Spanish, making them think that the two ships' base is within the archipelago and that they pose a great threat to the shipping routes and must be eliminated, thus increasing the chances of being deceived.

Finally, let’s talk about human beings. As mentioned before, no signs of human settlement have been found on the Galapagos Islands, which minimizes the trouble of leaking traces in advance.

Another problem is that the security situation in the Viceroyalty of Peru is relatively poor. The local Inca natives have an extreme lack of trust in the Spanish colonists, and various riots have occurred one after another, and have never stopped for nearly a hundred years.

And there were signs that the situation was getting worse. Even some Spanish and European immigrants were forced to rise up and join the ranks of armed resistance because of excessive exploitation by the local governor.

In this way, it would be more advantageous to use the Viceroyalty of Peru as the first foothold in the Americas. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and this principle is applicable all over the world.

When the Ming Empire attacked the Spaniards, it naturally became an ally of the Inca natives. As long as it can be used properly, it may gain unexpected gains and help a lot to gain a firm foothold in the future.

In comparison, the Viceroyalty of New Spain, which is closer to the Hawaiian Islands, is more difficult to deal with. The Mexicans did not hate the Spanish invaders as much as the Inca natives of South America, but instead became lambs who worked hard without complaint, and the proportion of Christians was very high.

Between the Ming Dynasty and Spain, the Mexican natives would most likely choose the latter. Even if the Ming army defeated the Spaniards, it would be difficult for them to change in a short period of time. If they want to change completely, there is no other way but to import a large number of immigrants for deep assimilation.

Obviously, the Ming Empire does not have such a large transportation capacity at present. In order to cross the Pacific Ocean thousands of miles away to fight while carrying out infrastructure construction and cultural output, it can only give up the near and seek the far, focusing on the west coast of South America.

(End of this chapter)