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Chapter 941 Showdown
"Your Majesty, are you going to attack the Portuguese?"

After reading the battle report carefully again, Zhu Haiou still couldn't find the second one. The only one who was a little suspicious was the Portuguese. But the Portuguese had been relatively peaceful in recent years, and they had undertaken a lot of Ming Dynasty's commodity export tasks, so they should not be the main target of the navy.

"Even the Mughal Empire and the Portuguese, I only said that we had made plans against them. When did I say that we would attack them? We should not have the intention to harm others, but we must be on guard against them.

As the highest commander of the navy, any force around them that does not belong to the Ming Dynasty is a potential enemy. They must be prepared and collect intelligence, and not pierce their ears right before getting on the sedan chair.

Speaking of intelligence work, the Navy should learn from the lesson of Thanlyin Port and should not rely too much on the Statistics Department. It should have an independent intelligence agency dedicated to collecting port and hydrological information from various countries for use in military operations. "

Although the attack on Shalian Port was only a small-scale combat operation, Hong Tao discovered many shortcomings in the development of the navy.

For example, there was a lack of effective intelligence collection departments and too much reliance on the General Staff. Another example was that the fleet planning and focus were quite different from the actual situation, which seriously affected the efficiency of ship use and combat capability.

The East China Sea Fleet has 15 Qin-class and 5 Han-class warships, plus 15 Guangzhou-class armed cargo ships, by this year. However, apart from regular visits to the waters of North Korea and Japan to train sailors and conduct a few live-fire exercises, it has few opportunities to eliminate pirates throughout the year, and has almost become an existential fleet.

Although the South China Sea Fleet has 24 Qin-class, 8 Han-class and 20 Guangzhou-class ships, it has to face more than a dozen countries and forces in Southeast Asia, including the Dutch, the strongest maritime force. Once a conflict breaks out, the number of ships will be a bit stretched.

That’s right, the fleet division was determined by myself in the beginning, but times have changed and the surrounding environment is constantly changing, so of course the fleet planning must also change accordingly.

The Jurchens in Liaodong are gone, Korea has settled down, and Japan is still in a closed-door policy. The East China Sea Fleet has temporarily lost most of its tasks, so its size naturally needs to be adjusted.

This work should definitely not be done by the emperor, but by the admiral and the naval staff, including the establishment of a naval intelligence department. If you wait for the emperor's orders for everything, then you won't get anything done.

"..." The emperor said so much, Wang Mian stood with his hands behind his back, and Zhu Haiou took notes seriously with a very correct attitude.

"Transfer Huang Nanping to the Indian Ocean Fleet to continue to serve as the commander-in-chief. The ship personnel will be drawn from the East China Sea Fleet and the South China Sea Fleet. The specific number of personnel to be drawn will be determined based on the actual situation. One week, I will only give you one week, and I want to see the specific plan of the Indian Ocean Fleet and the Navy Intelligence Department!"

Unfortunately, Hong Tao wanted efficiency instead of attitude. Seeing that inspiration had no effect, he might as well give the order directly. It seems that he needs to devote more energy to the navy in the future. It is really not easy to meet a talented general. Currently, no one can take over the work of Wang Mian and Zhu Haiou.

In order to build the Indian Ocean Fleet, the navy was almost reorganized. Was it just to be on guard? Hong Tao was indeed cunning and liked to plan ahead, but there was no need to make such a big fuss just for the possible revenge of the Mughal Empire and the Portuguese.

This is not to defend against anyone, but to beat someone! The navy is not a defensive force. It is expensive to build and use. If it cannot gain benefits, it will be difficult to continue to grow. To put it bluntly, the navy must fight to support itself.

The Portuguese had been the Ming Empire's trading partner for more than 20 years, and had taken on most of the export trade before the Dutch. But no one had stipulated that trading partners could not be attacked. There was no trust between countries, only interests.

If the Ming Empire did not have a strong navy, the Portuguese would not have been so conscientious as middlemen. Similarly, it was not because they liked the Ming Empire that they cooperated well with it for so many years.

Look at what happened to Thanlyin Port in the past. A few hundred Portuguese mercenaries could occupy the land and rule the island. In addition to doing maritime trade, the Portuguese adventurers active in Sundipu Island also worked part-time as human traffickers, capturing Bengalis for trafficking. The current situation in the Asian seas is about to change. The Ming Empire no longer needs the Portuguese to help sell goods, but needs the ports they occupy more. Now they have become competitors. Negotiating with warships and cannons is probably not unfamiliar to the Portuguese, nor should they complain.

Of course, if the Portuguese are willing to give up the ports and regional control that the Ming Empire needs, Hong Tao is also willing to continue cooperation. However, this possibility is not very high. Even if the Portuguese adventurers in Asia are willing, the Portuguese or Spanish governments will not turn a blind eye. There is no room for two tigers in one mountain, and the same is true in the sea.

As for whether the Mughal Empire would interfere with the westward expansion of the Ming Empire, and how likely it was, Hong Tao couldn't estimate it at the moment. The main reason was that he knew too little, which was why he sent Wang Datou to Colombo Port to carry out activities. Intelligence was first obtained before the troops moved.

In fact, the Mughal Empire did not seem to have a big attitude towards the ocean, as can be seen from the areas of activity of the Portuguese in the Indian peninsula.

On the western side of the Indian peninsula, the Portuguese established four trading posts: Damanuddi, Goa, Bombay and Cochin. Together with the Colombo Port on Ceylon Island, Hooghly and Sundipu Island on the east side of the Indian peninsula, they almost surrounded the Indian peninsula and occupied all the good ports.

If the Mughal Empire valued sea power or had a good sea force, it would not tolerate the infidels being so rampant on its land. Therefore, Hong Tao believes that the Portuguese are more likely to be the main opponent of the navy in the next stage. The Mughal Empire is like an inland country and can be put aside for the time being.

At the end of June, the Forbidden City welcomed two groups of guests at the same time, both of whom came from far away. But they came from different directions, one in the south and one in the west. The one from the south was Gabriel, the sheriff of Macau, and the one from the west was Bakhti from the Yarkand Khanate.

The two groups came to the capital of the Ming Dynasty for different purposes. Gabriel was ordered by the Governor-General of Portuguese India to inquire why the Ming Dynasty navy appeared in the Bay of Bengal and attacked Chittagong, capturing Portuguese merchant ships and sailors.

Bakhti represented Abdulqiyin Khan and Yusup Khoja of Yarkand State, and led an envoy carrying a large amount of gold, silver and treasures to come to the Ming Empire to pay tribute and request for a title.

"Even if I don't say it, you should know in your heart what the outcome will be when two maritime powers appear in the same ocean. I don't want the Ming Empire and the Kingdom of Portugal to become enemies, but reality is often not as expected. The fate of the Portuguese is not in their own hands, but at the mercy of the Spanish.

This puts the Portuguese in an awkward position as they cannot escape Spanish rule, and the Spaniards are the enemy of the Ming Empire. How could the Ming Navy allow the enemy to occupy key ports right at their doorstep?
Over the years, some generals have suggested to me that we expel the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in Malacca and Macau. I did not agree, because you and your companions have shown due goodwill to the Ming Empire over the years, and if possible, it should continue.

But you have to understand that delay cannot completely solve the problem. With the growth of the imperial navy, the South China Sea is no longer large enough to accommodate their warships, and entering the Indian Ocean is imperative.

As the emperor of the empire, I cannot ignore the interests of the country because of personal feelings. If possible, I hope that your Indian governor can come to the meeting in person to make a clear agreement on the division of maritime interests between the two countries in the future. "

Hong Tao first met with Gabriel, and went straight to the point to explain the current situation between Portugal, the Ming Empire and Spain, and then made their attitudes clear, hoping to resolve the dispute through negotiations.

"Your Majesty, I understand your meaning and will convey it to the Governor-General of India. However, the Portuguese merchants in Macau have lived here for decades. Many of them were even born here but have never been to Portugal.

If... I mean if the negotiations fail, will they be forcibly expelled? I beg His Majesty to show mercy and give them enough time to find a new place to stay, such as... one year..."

(End of this chapter)