I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 312 King of Johor, I heard that you were bullied?

The sea breeze blew from the north, blowing the triangular sail on the flagship's bowsprit into a ball.

On the three masts, the two cross sails on the mizzen mast were blown up like two big buns.

The stiff sails on the foremast and mainmast rustled loudly, and the dozens of ropes holding them were like a net. Each rope was pulled straight and crackled in the wind, as if it would break at any moment.

"What time is it?" Yu Dayou asked loudly while standing on the stern deck.

"General, 11:11 a.m." the surveyor answered loudly.

"Have you checked the time?"

"There was a class at midnight yesterday."

"I'll remember that."

"Yes!"

Yu Dayou could not help but turn around and say to a scholar next to him: "This thing made by the Imperial Observatory is indeed useful, but it is too troublesome and delicate. It has to be checked at noon and midnight every day. If you are careless, it will be a few minutes faster or slower.

A few minutes off, a few seconds off in longitude and latitude, it's so confusing, luckily I handed it over to the surveyor."

At this point, Yu Dayou paused for a moment, "Brother Siwen, are you feeling better? Are you not vomiting anymore?"

Song Yingchang smiled bitterly, "I'm used to vomiting. I won't vomit anymore."

At this time, his face was dark, and he wore a short-sleeved sweatshirt, a pair of tight-fitting trousers, a leather belt around his waist, a sailor's knife produced in Kaiping hanging on his head, and a hat on his head. He looked no different from an ordinary sailor, and it was impossible to tell that he was a Jinshi who had passed the imperial examinations twice.

His current official position is military advisor to the Nanhai Xuanwei Mission.

A military meeting was held in Xiangjiang Port last month. Hu Zongxian ordered Yu Dayou to lead the main force of the South China Sea Navy's left camp to Malacca, select a good port that controls the sea route, and station there to provide alert. Once the Spaniards sneak into the area, he will lead his troops to intercept and encircle them, and not let a single Spanish ship escape to the west.

Song Yingchang followed Yu Dayou south and was responsible for port construction and pacifying the local indigenous people.

"Siwen, has the matter on Anbuna Island been settled?"

"General Yu, rest assured, it's all settled. The county will be established and will be under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty. Eunuch Sanbao once named this place Wansheng Shitang Island, and Emperor Xuanzong later named it Anbuna Island. It has been isolated overseas for hundreds of years, and this time it can finally be under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty."

"That's good. That archipelago is located on the main route to the Malacca Strait in the south. Its main island, in particular, has towering mountains that can be seen at a glance on the boundless sea. That's why it's called Qitou Island."

“The general is wise. He set up a sentry tower and a beacon tower on the peak of Qitou Island. Once the Spanish or Mo ships are spotted, they will immediately light up the black smoke to warn.

Then it will be transmitted through the beacon tower on Tamsui Island (Anambas Island). Then we will occupy a place in the southeast corner of the Malacca Strait and set up a sentry tower and beacon tower, so that we can receive the warning and pass it on. "

"These are all minor matters. The Spaniards are all old pirates, very shrewd. They are definitely more difficult to deal with than Wang Zhi's pirates. We need to use more tricks.

By the way, Anbuna Island sounds ugly. If we want to set up a county, it’s better to change the name. Brother Siwen, have you thought of a name? "

"How is Wansheng County?"

"Good! Wansheng Shitangyu, Wansheng County, it sounds better than the name given by the eunuch Sanbao."

So what if Emperor Xuanzong named the island Anbuna? If it doesn't sound good, it has to be changed.

If this matter is reported to the Crown Prince, the name will definitely be changed. But as for the matter of changing the ancestral system, let us, as the subjects, bear the responsibility.

"Report!"

"What's the matter!"

"The outpost sent a flag signal saying that land was spotted ahead, and it's suspected to be a large island."

Yu Dayou frowned and asked, "Is it a big island?"

He lowered his head and thought for a while, then turned to Song Yingchang and said, "According to the captain of the sea-going ship, after passing Anbuna Island, with a favorable wind for one or two days, we will reach the southeast corner of the Strait of Malacca.

Calculating the journey, we should be there.”

"General, just send out a scout to check it out."

"Order! Send the vanguard ship to go ashore for reconnaissance. The main force lowers half sail, the left team is on alert, and the entire army is on standby!"

"Yes!"

After waiting for two hours, the vanguard commander, Wang Ruhai, approached the flagship on a speedboat.

"General, I have gone ashore to investigate and report to you."

"Say!"

"Yes! General, this place is called Longtou Port. There are several names for it in the local dialect. One is called Pu Luo Zhong, which means the southeast corner of the island. Another is called Singapore La, which seems to be Sanskrit, meaning Lion City. This is the Longya Gate where Wang Dayuan came to find the lion in the Yuan Dynasty. It is also called Temasek by the Guangzhou and Quanzhou seamen."

“Temasek?”

"It's another local dialect name, which means sea city."

"Oh my god, why are there so many dialects? We need to unify them. Yeah, how do you know so much?"

"Hehe, I'm lucky. I went ashore and met two brothers. They were originally from Chaozhou, Ming Dynasty. Their father came here during the Zhengde reign. They can speak Mandarin and told me that there were hundreds of Ming people in Longtou Port. Some were born here like them, and some moved here during the Jiajing reign."

Song Yingchang asked from the side: "Did he say who is in charge of this area?"

"In reply to General Song, this place belongs to a kingdom called Johor."

"The Kingdom of Johor?"

"Yes, the two brothers said that during the Zhengde period, this was the Malacca Kingdom, and the capital was in Malacca, more than a hundred miles to the north. The Portuguese came and forcibly occupied Malacca, so the king had to move to Johor, which is between Longtou Port and Malacca, so it was called the Johor Kingdom."

Yu Dayou chuckled: "I like this place. I'll just rob whatever I see. I have so many ships and soldiers, why don't I just rob them!"

Song Yingchang could not help but advise: "General, we are the imperial army of the Celestial Empire. We must have a legitimate reason and be dignified and behave properly."

"My General Song, you will be able to show your dignity and style only if you win the battle." Yu Dayou ordered, "Wang Ruhai!"

"The general is here!"

"You lead the front team to land, occupy Longtou Port, seize the commanding heights, control the key roads, and cover the main force landing. The left team will be on alert outside."

"Yes!"

"Wang Ruhai, after you take control of Longtou Port, ask the local officials to write a letter to the King of Johor.

Tell him that his ancestor Parameswara came to Beijing to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty during the Yongle period, and was canonized as the King of Malacca by Emperor Chengzu, and was given the royal seal and imperial edict, making him a vassal of the Ming Dynasty forever.

Now, the Crown Prince of Ming Dynasty heard that the descendants of Parameswara were bullied by the Portuguese, so he specially sent me with 300 warships and 15,000 soldiers to mediate.

He is currently residing in Longtou Port, and is called the King of Malacca. Who cares if he is the King of Johor? Hurry up and bring the royal seal and edict bestowed by the Ming Dynasty. I will represent the Ming Dynasty and uphold justice for him!"

"Yes!"

After Wang Ruhai left, Yu Dayou turned to Song Yingchang and said, "General Song, look, isn't this a legitimate reason for our attack?"

Song Yingchang shook his head: "General Yu is truly a man of both civil and military talents, well-read and with a strong memory."

"Haha, I am not a crude warrior. I have been reading since I was young, reading the Spring and Autumn Annals."

Song Yingchang laughed out loud, and Yu Dayou couldn't help laughing himself.

Two days later, Yu Dayou sent out a speedboat to explore the surrounding waters and invited Song Yingchang, who was expanding Longtou Port and building defensive fortifications.

"General Song," Yu Dayou pointed to a simple map on the table, "This is a newly drawn map. Look, to the north of Longtou Port is the Kingdom of Johor, and further north is Malacca, which is occupied by the Portuguese.

The big island in the south belonged to the Kingdom of Aceh, where most of the people were Hui people, who were brave and good at fighting, and they were not on good terms with the Portuguese and the Kingdom of Johor. The southern sea area was Bintan (Riau Islands) and Lingga Island, which are now under the control of the Portuguese.

Song Yingchang touched his chin and asked, "Has there been any reply from the Kingdom of Johor?"

"No. Instead, the Portuguese, who are farther away, have replied. I gave them the prince's order long ago. Their people came this morning and said that they are selecting their envoys for negotiation and it will take some time."

"What's General Yu's plan?"

"First, find out the Portuguese's position. Are they on the same side as the Spanish, or are they neutral? Then wait for the right opportunity to act."

"Before we set out, Hu Xiantai had already issued a clear order that General Yu would have full authority over matters related to the war. Song will be responsible for repairing Longtou Port and making it the main port of Zuoying, the South China Sea Navy."

"Okay. I'll ask Army Officer Song to repair the port. These days I'll send the teams from the left camp out in turn to conduct drills and surveys to familiarize themselves with this sea area. Whether it's with the Spanish or the Portuguese, once a fight breaks out, we can't be blind."

Yu Dayou slapped the map with his right hand and said, "I heard that the Spanish are the best at naval warfare among the Western barbarians. I'm waiting for them to come and test their quality!"

A dozen days later, a cloud of black smoke rose into the sky from the beacon tower on the hill southeast of Longtou Port.

The entire busy port came to a standstill for a moment, and everyone looked at the black smoke rising into the sky, feeling uncertain and with different expressions.

A military school student rushed into the command post and reported loudly: "General, soldiers, report! A warning came from Qitou Island via Tamsui Island. The Spanish fleet is coming this way!"

Yu Dayou said coldly, "You came so quickly! I've only been here for a few days, and you already smelled something and came! You want to catch me off guard, right?"

(End of this chapter)