I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 870: My Ming Dynasty has no respect for its reputation!
Messages from the Xiquan communications ship continued to arrive.

"Four Spanish ships, carracks of three to four hundred tons. They stopped our ship and demanded inspection."

After listening to the communications officer's report, the escort fleet commander Wu Guanhai turned to look at Shen Wanxiang and Wang Yongji.

"My Lords, how should we deal with this?"

His duty was to safely escort the two men to the Portuguese. Now they had arrived at Duizhou, which was what the Western barbarians themselves called the doorstep to Europe. He had to listen to the opinions of Shen Wanxiang and Wang Yongji on how to deal with the incident.

Who to go to war with and who not to go to war with may affect the diplomatic mission of the delegation.

Before Shen Wanxiang could speak, Marcelo said, "Mr. Shen, why don't we send our ship forward to negotiate with them?"

Wars and diplomacy at this time were all handled by the nobles. The key was that no matter how fiercely the two sides fought, they had to maintain manners and grace, and not lose the nobility's place!
Before going to war, you must negotiate gracefully.

It’s an old tradition.

Shen Wanxiang did not comment, but turned to ask Wu Guanhai, "Commander Wu, are we confident that we can destroy the Spanish ships ahead?"

Wu Guanhai smiled faintly. Four broken Carrick sailing ships of three or four hundred tons, who are they looking down on?
In the Ming Dynasty Navy, Class A battleships of more than 2,000 tons and equipped with 100 guns are national treasures, and there are only about 20 of them at present.

The Prince's Galleon, weighing 1,600 to 2,000 tons and equipped with 68 to 80 guns, is a Class B battleship.

The 1,600-ton, 74-gun Class B battleships are the main force of the four major fleets, with more than 120 ships.

The Prince's Galleon, which weighs 1,200 to 1,600 tons and is equipped with 48 to 60 guns, is a Class C battleship.

The 1,200-ton, 60-gun Class C battleships are the main force of the East, South, North, and Gyeonggi Patrol Maritime Commands. Together with the four major fleets, the total number of ships is about 160.

Next are the prince's sailing ships of one thousand to one thousand two hundred tons and equipped with forty-six guns, which are frigates; the prince's sailing ships of six hundred to one thousand tons and equipped with thirty-two to forty-four guns are cruisers.

The Ming Navy had thousands of these two types of ships.

It’s scary, right? The strength of our Ming Dynasty is here.

It is rich in resources and has a developed industry. The four major shipyards directly under the Ministry of the Navy, namely Qinhuangdao in the capital, Wusong in Shanghai, Xin'an in Guangzhou, and Jinzhou in western Liaoning, have developed shipbuilding capabilities that are truly astonishing after years of development.

There was no need to worry about artillery, as Luanzhou Iron and Steel Plant could provide as much steel as needed. The Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau made artillery, and the barrels had already evolved from casting to forging.

The current frigates include one B-class battleship, the Yunyang, one C-class battleship, the Longde, two frigates, the Koi and the Hibiscus, and two cruisers, the Bailizhou and the Tanghu.

How many guns did the Spanish three or four hundred carracks have?
At most ten.

The smallest ship in the escort fleet, the communications ship HMS HMS Little Dog, was 420 tons and equipped with 20 guns.

There are four sailing ships of three to four hundred tons, each with only ten guns, in front of us. Are you blocking the road for inspection or are you trying to scam me?
Wu Guanhai's smile was deafening in silence, and everyone understood it.

Shen Wanxiang said decisively: "Commander Wu, send the ships forward to drive away these clowns, and sink any who dare to fight back."

"Yes!" Wu Guanhai replied.

Soon, receiving the flag signal, the Lund and Koi sailed out of the formation and headed quickly towards the sea ahead.

Marcelo and Leon looked at each other and said, "Mr. Shen, after passing the Canary Islands, we are very close to the Spanish mainland.

Their invincible fleet is gathered in the area of ​​Seville, Cadiz, Malaga and Valencia. Once the alarm is received, they can quickly assemble and block our way to the west. "

Shen Wanxiang looked at Marcelo and said solemnly: "I am the imperial envoy of the Ming Emperor, representing the emperor's face and the dignity of the Ming Dynasty.

Now there are villains blocking the way. If I take a step back, it means the emperor takes a step back, and the Ming Dynasty takes a step back. How can I face the emperor when I return?"

Marcelo continued: “But.”

Shen Wanxiang decisively interrupted him, "I appreciate Lord Ma's kindness. But for me, the face of the Holy Emperor and the dignity of the Ming Dynasty are above all else."

Leon pulled Marcelo's clothes and gave him a look.

Don’t you understand the Ming people yet?
Especially for this kind of scholar who has attended university, passed the provincial and imperial examinations, and thinks he shoulders the heavy responsibility of the world, he will fight you to the death if he is humiliated a little!

In fact, just like the Ming navy and army soldiers, these Ming scholars also have a strong sense of honor. Especially now that the Ming Dynasty is so powerful and powerful that it has no enemies anywhere in the world, how can you ask them to be a little polite in front of the Spaniards?
There are no doors.

My Lord Marquis, please don’t try to persuade me.

Besides, the escort fleet of the Ming Dynasty's envoys was so powerful that even if the Spanish Invincible Armada was dispatched, it would not be able to completely destroy them.

They are fearless!

Marcelo understood what Leon said in his eyes and stopped trying to persuade him.

The battleship Lund and the frigate Koi rushed to the four Spanish sailing ships with great momentum, scaring Commander Flamingo to death on the spot.

Pirates have been rampant recently, especially those Protestant privateers, who are not only seeking wealth but also harming civilians.

So the Spanish Navy Minister sent a fleet to Las Palmas, which was these four sailing ships.

Because the Canary Islands, the Azores and Madeira are located on the road from the New World to Western Europe, privateers may hide in these islands, waiting for an opportunity to ambush on the route and attack Spanish silver sailing ships.

Peru and Bolivia were occupied by the Ming Dynasty, and the Mexican region was also in danger. The silver on every silver-carrying ship in the New World was extremely valuable and was urgently needed by His Highness Felipe II, and no mistakes could be allowed.

Flamingo's mission with these four sailing ships was to patrol the Canary Islands, eliminate and drive away the privateering ships here, and protect the safety of the route from the New World to Spain.

That day he suddenly received a signal from the lighthouse saying that several ships were coming from the south.

As soon as Flamingo heard it, he knew that it was a Portuguese ship fully loaded with goods from Africa and India. He called together his men and went out to sea excitedly, ready to bully its little Spanish brother by taking advantage of the power of others.

Life on the island is too boring.

But I never expected that the sky would fall down when I went out to sea!

These incoming ships were so large, with so many gun muzzles, that looking at them was like looking at a hornet's nest. I was worried that countless poisonous bees would fly towards me in the next second.

Damn lighthouse!
Why don't you tell us clearly the type and strength of the incoming ship!
Seeing the Lund and Koi rushing towards him aggressively, Flamingo was so scared that his legs went weak.

A ship this big can fight four of its own on its own.

"Commander, what should we do? They are getting closer." The captain of the ship asked. "Tell the Gray Fox to go forward and ask which country's ship they are from." Flamingo said in a trembling voice.

There were no such warships in Portugal, and Flamingo swore to God that there were none in all of Europe.

After a while, the Gray Fox sailed out of the queue and tremblingly moved forward.

As they got closer, Flamingo saw that the Gray Fox was approaching the two ships like a fox approaching two lions.

Suddenly, Flamingo saw the largest ship in the distance suddenly turn sideways, with flashing flames and thick smoke. Then the Gray Fox was like a leaf in a storm, shaking constantly.

The big ship left in the thick smoke, and another big ship followed closely, passing by the Gray Fox. Not far away, four black lines suddenly flew out from its side and instantly connected to the Gray Fox, which immediately burst into four flames.

In the blink of an eye, the Gray Fox turned into a torch, and dozens of black spots on the ship jumped onto the sea. They were sailors running for their lives.

Flamingo's legs went limp and his body fell forward. He held on to the railing of the forecastle with his right hand, so that he did not collapse on the deck.

Poor Gray Fox!

The people on the boat waved the sign of the cross in fear and looked at Flamingo at the same time.

"Go, go quickly, return to Cadiz and report to the navy."

Such a brutal and powerful enemy is not something that their minions can deal with. They have to go back quickly and report to the Minister of the Navy and His Majesty the King.

The captain was relieved and shouted at the top of his voice: "Full sail, turn the rudder, and sail north. Quick! You bastards, raise the sail quickly."

Without his urging, the sailors unleashed tremendous potential, hoisting sails and turning rudders at an unprecedented speed.

The bow of the ship drew an arc on the sea and turned north.

The other two sailboats followed closely behind.

Marcelo's face turned pale.

Why do you start firing as soon as you meet?
He knew the Lund very well. It was a C-class battleship with nearly thirty guns on one side of the ship. All of them were large-caliber 160-ton and 115-ton guns. How could the Spanish sailing ship of only more than 300 tons withstand a round of salvos?
You Ming people are arrogant and domineering in the South China Sea, in the South Pacific, and at your own doorstep, so it's fine, but why are you so arrogant and domineering at the doorstep of the Spaniards?

Glancing at him, Leon could see the anger in his heart, and said to Wu Guanhai: “Commander Wu, can I ask why the Lund and Koi fired?”

"it is good."

After the Yunyang signalman and the Longde signalman exchanged flag signals, they got the information Leon wanted.

"The other side fired first."

The other side fired first?
Marcelo and Leon didn't react for a moment.

How dare the Spaniards on the opposite side to fire at your ship, the Lund, if they are not brave enough?
its not right!
I understand, cultural differences are killing people!

Marcelo and Leon looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

"Mr. Shen, Mr. Wang, Commander Wu, I think the Lund has misunderstood. It is the tradition of the Spanish Navy that when encountering an unidentified ship, they will fire cannons from a distance, similar to greeting."

The Spanish Navy had this tradition, and that was because they were used to being tyrannical. When they saw an unknown ship, they would first fire a cannon to scare the other party so that they could go forward and investigate.

Over time, the Spanish Navy developed this habit, whether it was interrogation or welcoming, and other European countries also got used to this Spanish tradition.

There is no way. The Spanish navy is powerful, the best in Europe. You have to respect their traditions.

The Grey Fox also followed traditional rules, but happened to encounter the Ming Dynasty escort fleet.

Shen Wanxiang and Wang Yongji did not comment, Wu Guanhai laughed, "Spain has its own rules, and we in the Ming Dynasty also have our own rules.

When two ships meet, whoever dares to fire will start a war."

Marcelo and Leon were speechless.

One of Marcelo's companions, Baron Viseu, spoke up, "We are in Spanish territory, we should respect their traditions and rules."

Wu Guanhai glanced at him and said, "When did Spain defeat us? Then we respected its traditions and rules."

So awesome and arrogant?

Baron Viseu turned his gaze to Marcelo and asked silently.

He was a senior official in Mombasa and was returning to Portugal on the Prince Henry to report on his work.

Baron Viseu had been in East Africa and had only heard about the "arrogance and domineering" of the Ming Navy but had never experienced it personally.

Marcelo glanced back.

I have always said that the Ming Dynasty’s navy is very arrogant. You didn’t believe me, but now you realize it.

Wu Guanhai turned around and asked Shen Wanxiang: "Envoy Shen, do you want to chase after the three Spanish ships ahead and sink them?"

"No need to compete. We have already made our point. Let them go back and report. We will wait and see what the Spaniards have in store for us!"

"Yes!"

After staying off the coast of Las Palmas for three nights and two days and replenishing fresh water and food, Shen Wanxiang and Wang Yongji went to the island with great interest. Unfortunately, they did not find the legendary giant dog.

On the fourth day, the fleet continued to sail north for three days, passing the east of Madeira Island, and the southwest waters of the Iberian Peninsula were ahead.

The sea breeze was refreshing, but Marcelo, León, Viseu and other Portuguese people were very nervous.

How would the Spaniards react when they received the news?
"Report!"

The Yunyang's lookout reports.

"There is a fleet array ahead, about twenty nautical miles away!"

(End of this chapter)