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Chapter 1462 Why Not Press the Blade of Glory! 2
"The navy's transport capacity is limited. It can guarantee supplies to the Persian Gulf. But the situation at Enni Port is still unclear, and there is no decision on whether to expand its scale after the war. It is a bit difficult to do two things at once. If we add a third place that requires a lot of ships, I'm afraid it will be difficult to sustain."

Tan Buming knew perfectly well how much transport capacity the navy had, but he didn't know if it could concentrate all of that capacity in the Persian Gulf. Even though the General Staff hadn't conducted detailed calculations, the fact that the entire nation had been mobilized for the campaign in retaliation against the Ottomans meant they couldn't easily draw conclusions.

Actually, none of these are the most crucial factors. The real drain on naval transport capacity isn't in the west, but in the east. The court officials don't seem to consider distant America a priority, but the General Staff dares not ignore it, otherwise, the Emperor's authority would immediately be invoked.

"The third one... could it be America?"

The courtiers hadn't really paid much attention to the war in the Americas, and were somewhat at a loss. That place was too remote and insignificant, practically invisible compared to the threats posed by the European countries.

Only Grand Secretary Li Ruzhang, who was relatively familiar with military affairs, hadn't forgotten that there was an expeditionary force thousands of miles away. However, while he was facing Tan Buming when asking his question, his eyes were glancing at the emperor.

"Indeed, according to the battle report sent ten days ago, the expeditionary force has captured 11 cities, controlled about 70% of the Viceroyalty of Peru and more than 80% of the population, and has basically wiped out the remaining Spanish forces."

However, Governor Du also expressed his hope that the imperial court could dispatch reinforcements as soon as possible, and ideally initiate the immigration plan ahead of schedule. He urged them to build Taoist temples, clinics, and farms while the locals were still intimidated by the military might, and to plant large areas of corn, sweet potatoes, and cotton, so that they could see the benefits of submission and avoid any unforeseen complications.

Seeing that the emperor showed no sign of answering personally, Tan Mingbu had no choice but to take over the summary of the expeditionary fleet from the staff officer and pick out the easy-to-understand statements.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the Americas are too far away and have a small population and limited resources, making them far less important than the Western countries, Persia, and the Ottoman Empire. Du Wenhuan has 3 troops and dozens of warships. He can first consolidate his forces in a few major cities and wait for reinforcements, and then gradually make his move later."

"The western expedition cannot be delayed! This is His Majesty's battle for the Fengshan ceremony. Throughout history, even the mighty Tang and Han dynasties never achieved such a glorious feat. He will surely become a great emperor for all time, a model for future generations!"

An elderly minister with white hair stood up on the left, clearly stating his position on the question of whether to go east or west. Although his back was already noticeably hunched, he was still trying his best to straighten up and conceal his old age.

Unfortunately, time spares no one. No matter how much you refuse to admit you're getting old, your body doesn't lie. In just a few words, perhaps due to excessive emotional excitement or physical exhaustion, your body began to tremble slightly.

"No need for formalities, Mr. Zuo. Please sit down and let's talk." Seeing that it was this person who stood up to speak, and spoke so passionately, Hong Tao had no choice but to snap out of his daze, and smiled as he stood up and offered a gesture of support.

Why such preferential treatment? In two words: contribution! This person has been working in the imperial court for 33 years since he passed the imperial examination.

During this period, he served as a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat, worked on water conservancy projects, served as a provincial governor, and also served as the governor-general of the Southern Seas. He spent ten years as the Left Censor-in-Chief, starting from the bottom and doing a very good job in each position.

How many 33-year periods does one have in a lifetime? For an elderly man who has dedicated his entire life to the country, more respect is only natural. Moreover, he has repeatedly petitioned to resign, no longer wanting to occupy a high position without contributing anything. It is only because the position of Left Censor-in-Chief is rather special, requiring a highly respected person to oversee it, that he has reluctantly accepted the post. "Both west and east have their merits, and it is indeed a difficult choice. Since it is not easy to choose, we must carefully compare them to determine their merits."

Let's start with the west. In my eyes, the Kazakhs, Bukhara, Persia, the Ottomans, the many tribes on the Arabian Peninsula, and Egypt, all have two things in common: religion and environment.

These are all Islamic countries, with vast stretches of desert and barren land, and their inhabitants are mostly herders who live by following the water and pasture. Such regions are the most difficult to assimilate, and even if conquered, they are difficult to govern effectively in a relatively short period.

My beloved ministers, a large territory alone cannot guarantee the well-being of the people under your rule; if poorly chosen, it could even become a burden. I know that many people privately say I am mercenary, always judging matters of state with the mindset of a merchant.

They're right, I do love to calculate. Whether governing a country or waging war, I always do the math first. I'll only go all out if there's a profit to be made, and I'll definitely try my best to avoid losses if I know it will lead to a loss.

This is not because I am petty, lack magnanimity, or am incapable of achieving great things. Rather, it is because my position requires me to consider the well-being of millions of people. If I were to be extravagant and pursue personal fame like Emperor Wu of Han, the people would suffer greatly.

Even if I were to become the greatest emperor in the world, what a joke it would be if there were still many people under my rule who couldn't afford to eat or wear clothes! Am I supposed to hide in the palace all day listening to reports of peace and prosperity in order to find inner peace?
I cannot deceive myself. To this day, I have not come up with a way to feed the millions of people in the western countries, so heading west is not a good choice.

Now let's look to the east. The Americas are like a gourd, large at both ends and narrow in the middle. To make it easier to remember, I've taken the liberty of dividing it into three parts: upper, middle, and lower. The large area in the north is called North America, the narrow area in the middle is called Central America, and the bulging area in the south is called South America.

It has been almost twenty years since then. The General Staff has been relentlessly exploring the west coast and parts of the interior of the Americas, and has made some progress within a range of 300 kilometers.

Let's look at North America first. The northernmost part is too cold to live in, so we won't comment on that for now. South of 45 degrees north latitude, the climate is more temperate and the rainfall is moderate. As long as the irrigation system is well-developed, the potential for agricultural development is quite good.

Besides agriculture, the area also boasts abundant timber and mineral resources. For example, the gold, silver, copper, and lead mines here have very large reserves.

The mountains here are covered with very tall fir and oak trees, and the environment is so idyllic that it's commonplace for two or three people to work in the field. This provides a crucial foundation for the development of the shipbuilding industry. In less than twenty years, the local shipyards will be able to supply the country with a dozen or so large warships every year, while also meeting their own needs.

Next, let's talk about South America. The Viceroyalty of Peru, which was conquered by Governor Du's expeditionary force, is part of South America on the Pacific side.

Its area is almost twice the size of the two capitals and thirteen provinces of that time. The climate in the region near the equator is similar to that of Southeast Asia, with dense primeval forests and high temperatures and abundant rainfall all year round.

(End of this chapter)