I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 770 God can no longer protect his lamb!

The morning sun rose from the east, and the golden light made the sea sparkle. A team of warships covered in golden clouds came from the northeast, taking advantage of the southeast crosswind, and passed by the Anyang.

The fleet of warships appeared in Marcelo's sight, divided into two columns.

Jose introduced the two ships at the side. The first two were 900-ton cruisers with three masts and full sails. From the gun ports on one side of the ship, Marcelo guessed that it was equipped with at least 36 guns.

The slender hull, like a scout in the team, rushed to the front and scouted the enemy situation.

Half a mile behind were four 1,200-ton frigates, which, judging from the gun ports, were equipped with 42 guns. Their hulls were slightly wider than those of the cruisers, but their speed was not slow either.

Once the cruiser discovers the enemy, the escort ship will rush forward to engage the enemy ship and use a mobile fighting method to entangle the enemy warships, making it impossible for them to form a battle formation and gain the upper hand.

Another half nautical mile away were four 1,800-ton Class B battleships, each of which was equipped with at least 74 guns and was the main force of this fleet.

Then came two warships, their tall hulls like castles on the sea, their high masts and densely packed white sails like towering snow-capped mountains of the Alps.

The three-story gun deck was densely packed with gun muzzles, and there should be a hundred naval guns.

Leon, who had witnessed the majesty of the Ming Dynasty's Class B battleships, was also shocked. He turned to look at Jose and asked, "The legendary Class A battleships of the Ming Dynasty are also in service?"

Jose nodded proudly. "Yes, these are the first batch of Class A battleships, Liaoxi and Liaodong, with a displacement of 2,400 tons. They are escorted by the Second Fleet of the Xuanwu Navy and are conducting seaworthiness and combat exercises around the East Wo Island."

Marcelo's hands were tightly gripping the Anyang's side railing, his veins were visibly exposed and his knuckles were white. He stared blankly at the scene in front of him, his straight body like the rock on the Cape of Gibraltar.

Marcelo was not only an outstanding army general, but also devoted himself to studying naval tactics, mastering both land and sea.

He summarized the combat experience of Portuguese warships defeating the Ottoman Red Sea Fleet, and found ways to obtain details of naval battles such as Lepanto, and conducted in-depth research on the tactical experience of the Spanish Navy in using sailing warships.

He had just seen the formation of the Xuanwu Navy's Second Fleet, and after a little thought, he roughly guessed the purpose of these warships.

If the four Class B battleships that just passed by were sharp knives that pierced Marcelo's confidence, then the two Class A battleships were like two giant hammers of Thor, smashing his remaining confidence and luck into pieces.

Such a fleet sailing into the Mediterranean could smash the Spanish invincible fleet that dominated Europe into pieces. And Jose Ming said that his country had twelve such fleets.

Marcelo felt as if his throat was being strangled by an invisible hand, and he couldn't breathe. A deep sense of powerlessness surged from the bottom of his heart. Europe is now prosperous and peaceful, but the vast ocean separates Ming Dynasty from the other side of the world.

But no matter how big the world is, it cannot stop the advance of the Ming Dynasty's naval fleet and army cavalry.

The people of the Ming Dynasty were very patient. They seemed to know how big the world was, and therefore had enough patience to move forward step by step.

Sooner or later, the red flags of the Ming army and navy will fly off the coast of Seville and Lisbon, and under the walls of Rome, Hamburg, Paris and Constantinople.

Where will Portugal go then?

Marcelo and Leon looked at each other, feeling confused!

The Liaodong and Liaoxi Class A battleships sailed past majestically, followed by four frigates and two communications ships. Like two yellow croakers, they quickly passed by the periphery and headed to the front of the fleet.

The Anyang continued to fly, and the Second Fleet of the Xuanwu Navy continued to move south. Marcelo and Leon looked up and saw the last frigate turn into a black dot and disappear into the sea and sky.

Marcelo's face turned pale and his hands and feet were cold.

Previously, Leon and other returnees talked about how powerful the Ming Navy was. Even Satan's Hell Legion had to bow down before them.

Marcelo, like King Sebastião I of Portugal and most of the nobles, believed that it was just an exaggeration by León and the returnees to shirk responsibility.

The most powerful navy in the world is the Spanish Navy, and the second most powerful navy is the Portuguese Navy.

The Portuguese navy was defeated in the far east, mainly because the journey was too long and Portugal was unable to concentrate and quickly deploy its main naval forces.

In addition, Portugal occupied too many territories, and its powerful navy was spread everywhere like pepper, which gave the Ming Dynasty an opportunity to take advantage.

What kind of navy could the pagans of the East develop? At best, it would be slightly stronger than the Ottoman Navy, but it could never compare with the main forces of the Spanish and Portuguese navies.

Marcelo, who held this mentality, gradually lost confidence since he entered the South China Sea and saw the First Fleet of the White Tiger Navy.

What he saw today dealt him the final and heaviest blow.

Marcelo finally faced reality.

Leon did not exaggerate. He might have avoided scaring everyone, or making it too real so that people would be even less convinced. Instead, he doubled the actual strength of the Ming Navy and weakened it.

Marcelo saw with his own eyes that the Ming navy was incredibly powerful!
The navies of Spain, Portugal, Venice, Genoa, Britain, the Ottoman Empire, Sweden, all the countries except the Ming Dynasty gathered together, united as one, and fought to the death, but they could not defeat this desperate navy.

Marcelo murmured: "May God bless his people."

Leon heard this prayer and shook his head in frustration. "Mr. Marquis, God cannot protect his lambs because he does not have the Ming Dynasty's battleships and thousands of large-caliber naval guns."

On the afternoon of April 30, the Anyang docked at Dagu Port. Marcelo and his companions stayed at the "Port Authority Guest House" for one night, then took the Centipede Express and continued along the Wei River and the North Canal. They arrived in Tongzhou at noon on May 2, and then took a horse-drawn carriage directly to the capital.

Beijing!

Marcelo stood in front of Chaoyang Gate, looking at the majestic city wall, and felt like he was standing in front of Habsburg Castle.

Shu Youliang introduced: "This is Chaoyang Gate, which is 32 meters high. The arrow tower is seven bays wide, 32.5 meters wide, and three bays deep, 25 meters deep."

The eaves of the arrow tower were decorated with lights and there was a banner on each side of the "Chaoyang Gate" plaque. On the left side was inscribed "Good weather and peace and prosperity for the country and the people"; on the right side was inscribed "May your holy king be mighty and live long!" The main gate and the left and right side gates of the city were opened, and pedestrians and carriages were coming in and out in an endless stream, going left and right, busy but orderly.

In front of the city gate is a commercial area with neatly arranged buildings and fluttering flags displaying the names of various shops. The sounds of hawking and bargaining are bustling.

In Marcelo's eyes, it was like a wheat field during an autumn harvest, noisy and full of vitality.

After Shu Youliang finished his introduction, he ran off to chat with the guard officer at the gate and soon came back.

Jose and Komuman asked quickly, "Master Shu, did you find out?"

"I found out that the new train station is being built south of Zuoanmen and is called Beijing South Railway Station."

"Repair it at Zuoanmen? Why not at Chaoyangmen?"

"I don't know. I heard that when the Ministry of War and Shuntian Prefecture drafted the plan, they decided to locate it near Chaoyang Gate, but the emperor rejected it, so it was finally changed to Zuoan Gate."

Leon and Marcelo keenly heard a very new word, "Train station!"

I couldn't help but think of the words railway and train that Jose, Komuman and Shu Youliang mentioned more than once. The two words have different meanings, but they seem to be combined into one.

"What does the train station have to do with the railways and trains you mentioned earlier?"

"Trains run on railways, and train stations are where trains stop, load and unload goods, and transport passengers," Shu Youliang explained.

"What about railways and trains?"

Shu Youliang waved his hand. "On the eighth day of the fifth month, an auspicious day, the Beijing-Tianjin Railway and the Beijing-Luanzhou Railway were officially opened. You will know it at a glance, so I don't have to waste my breath. It's too complicated to explain it clearly in a short time."

The group entered Chaoyang Gate, boarded a carriage, and headed straight for the foreign guesthouse where the foreign envoys were staying.

Marcelo, Leon, José, Komuman and Shu Youliang sat in the carriage and didn't feel crowded at all.

Ke Muman asked, "Master Shu, where is Lord Hai?"

"Those local officials have already boarded the carriages of the Ministry of Public Administration and lived in Yanju Pavilion."

"Yanju Pavilion?"

"It was the former Sifang Pavilion, which was taken over by the Ministry of Public Administration and renovated according to the model of Changyi Pavilion to serve as the residence for local officials when they came to Beijing."

Seeing the three of them talking animatedly, Marcelo couldn't help but ask Leon, "What's going on?"

"I don't know either. Let me ask first. Mr. Shu, Mr. Hai and his family live in Yanju Pavilion. What is the rule?"

Shu Youliang replied, "This is the rule of our dynasty. The three provincial envoys and governors-general of each province must live in Yanju Pavilion after being summoned to the capital, waiting for the emperor to summon them. Before being summoned, they are not allowed to see anyone else, including their relatives."

After listening to Leon's translation, Marcelo felt incredible, and he deeply realized the control of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty over the local area, which was so strong that it was unbelievable.

In Europe, whether it is Portugal, Spain, France, Germany or Britain, the king can only govern the nobles and his direct territories, the nobles govern his territories, and the territories of these countries are divided up among nobles of all sizes.

The nobles are the king of their own territories and dominate everything, so even the king’s words are of no use!

He collected taxes himself and used the taxes to support his army. A great noble had a bunch of small nobles under him, and their combined strength was not necessarily weaker than that of the king.

Why is the Spanish royal family so powerful?
That's because they led the Christian believers in the Iberian Peninsula in a desperate battle with the Moors for hundreds of years, fighting their way out on bloody battlefields.

The King of Spain had the most resources and could afford a strong army and navy, so the nobles were all obedient. The situation in neighboring France was completely different, with the great nobles and the king fighting for their lives in the form of religious conflict.

However, no matter how obedient the local nobles in Spain are, they can never compare with the Ming Dynasty!
Marcelo couldn't help but sigh in his heart. The political system nurtured by thousands of years of unification was indeed different. Such a huge empire, hundreds of millions of people, millions of troops, and endless resources were all controlled by one person.

This is the most powerful monarch in the world. The Holy Roman Emperor and the King of Spain are nothing but a nobody compared to the Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Marcelo and others were sitting in a carriage, driving along at a leisurely pace. The whole capital was filled with joy and a festive atmosphere.

"The country is peaceful and the people are safe!"

"The great Ming Dynasty shines brightly like the sun and the moon!"

"Long live the Holy Son of Heaven!"

Such slogans and banners were the most common, covering both sides of the streets.

The foreign guesthouse was near the Censorate. The carriage entered the city from Chaoyang Gate and headed west along Chaoyang Street. Two or three miles away from Chang'an East Street, it was blocked and asked to turn south and take Zhengyang East Street.

Through the car windows, everyone saw that Chang'an East Street was filled with troops, with military caps and helmets gathered in groups, and thousands of bayonets lined up like a forest, flashing a cold light.

What's going on here?
Everyone looked at Shu Youliang.

He spread his hands and said, "Everyone, I just arrived too, I don't know. I'll take you to the hotel later and I'll go ask around."

Marcelo, Leon and others looked at Chang'an East Street in the distance through the car window, speculating in their hearts.

What on earth is doing this!

(End of this chapter)