Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 471 The Situation in Southeast Asia

Hearing that they had brought enough charcoal, Lu Jin nodded, then asked again, "What about weapons and armor?"

"We brought them too. There are four thousand sets of iron armor, ten thousand weapons such as swords, spears, maces, and bows and arrows, as well as five thousand loose spearheads that can be used by simply inserting them into the poles. They are all stored in the lowest ballast compartment, so even if someone boards the ship to search, they may not be able to find them," Wang Dayuan reported again.

Lu Jin nodded in satisfaction, then called over several officers who were on board. Among them were Zhao Yu and Liu Gang, who had participated in the Chongming naval battle and scuttled their warship after being surrounded by Fang Guozhen, as well as Li Bin, the former head of the Jiangbei Zhenzhou intelligence station of the intelligence bureau, and his subordinates. These men did not belong to the Yuanwang, but were special envoys that Lu Jin planned to send to Southeast Asia to seize territory.

After the group gathered around, Lu Jin took out the map and said, "Your mission this time is to find a way to control a territory in Southeast Asia, extract oil, and incidentally ask someone to find Gutako. There are three main target locations: Brunei Bay in Brunei (Kalimantan), Palembang in Srivijaya (Sumatra), or Jakarta, Semarang, and Sibu in Majapahit (Java).

"When you go, don't make a fuss or reveal your identities as Chinese officials. Just say you are merchants from China. All three of you are managers of the Hanlong Trading Company. Once you arrive, go ashore under the guise of doing business, buy and sell some goods, and then take the opportunity to find out how many Han Chinese there are, what industries they make a living in, and what religion they believe in."

"We also need to ask the locals about the recent situation in Southeast Asia. I heard that things aren't very peaceful there either, but that's our opportunity."

"When you go there, see where the situation is more suitable. On the way back, choose a place to stay. If the local native government is more powerful, then you should not take the initiative. Act in the name of the merchant guild and secretly gather local Han people."

"If the local government cannot govern effectively and there are many Han Chinese, you should recruit soldiers on a large scale and occupy the city. Also, do not rely on Han Chinese who believe in the Tianfang religion; be careful they might cause trouble. Do you understand?"

"Got it." The group nodded quickly. Then, Li Bin, who came from the intelligence agency, carefully glanced at the people around him, especially the two boat captains from the Shen family, and then leaned closer and whispered.

"Your Highness, I heard from the two ship captains of the Shen family who have been to Java that the Majapahit Kingdom in Java is at war with Srivijaya. Srivijaya is currently very weak and unable to resist. Moreover, there are many Han Chinese in Palembang, Srivijaya, but there is not much oil there."

"Your Highness has marked on the map that the best oil fields are in Brunei Bay in Brunei and near Tara Bay in Sulu, not Palembang, where the Han Chinese population is the largest. In that case, should we prioritize seizing territory or extracting oil?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin glanced at him and asked again, "What do you think?"

Li Bin immediately analyzed, "Currently, Srivijaya is under attack by the Majapahit, and its government is definitely the weakest. In addition, Palembang has the most Han Chinese. If Palembang is used as a base, the city can be directly occupied."

"We can simply sit back and watch the tigers fight, waiting for Majapahit and Srivijaya to fight to the death, and then we can reap the benefits. Whether we annex Srivijaya or fight the two together, we can occupy a large area of ​​land in Southeast Asia. However, this way we won't be able to extract too much oil."

“If oil extraction is the priority, then Brunei is naturally the more suitable choice. I heard that there are quite a few Han Chinese in Brunei Port, but Brunei is the capital of Brunei, the location of their royal city. We naturally cannot seize territory under the nose of their royal city. We can only act in the name of a trading company. In this way, we can extract oil, but we will have to give up the city and port of Palembang. That would be a great pity.”

"So your idea is to go to Palembang first, mainly to seize territory?" Lu Jin asked, frowning at him.

“Of course, His Highness said that the oil is thousands of feet underground, and those natives can’t take it away. We can go and mine it whenever we want, but we don’t have many opportunities to seize territory.” After Li Bin finished speaking, he looked at Lu Jin and waited for a reply.

Lu Jin thought for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "No, you've got it backwards. What are we doing occupying land in Southeast Asia? Isn't it still for oil? So we should prioritize oil extraction."

Li Bin was speechless for a moment, but then Lu Jin said, "But you're right, the opportunity to seize territory is even more precious. It's not too late to find a stable foothold in Southeast Asia first, and then slowly extract oil."

“You have great strategic vision. It’s a shame you’re just an intelligence station chief. Here’s what we’ll do: you can work in Southeast Asia for now. All the intelligence stations in Southeast Asia will be under your command. You can report directly to me from now on. This time, we’ll start by establishing a base in Palembang. You will be the first Governor of Palembang. Then, you’ll figure out the situation in Southeast Asia and write a report on the situation there. I’ll have Mr. Wang bring it to me on his return trip.”

"However, intelligence stations in other places should also be established, and trading posts should be opened in the local area under the name of Hanlong Trading Company, especially in Manila on Luzon Island, which is where Mr. Wang and his group will return in two years. We must make preparations for resupply and reception there."

"I'll give you 20,000 taels of silver as capital for your business. You can use it to buy houses and land locally and recruit people. But you must keep good records of all the money you handle."

Upon hearing this, Li Bin was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.

Lu Jin continued to instruct, "You will be the Governor of Palembang, responsible for the civil administration of Palembang, and at the same time, you will serve as the head of the South China Sea Intelligence Division of the General Staff Intelligence Bureau. Liu Gang will be the Palembang Commander, responsible for training and commanding the army, and Zhao Yu will be the Navy Commander, responsible for establishing the South China Sea Navy."

"After you arrive this year, buy a ship locally to use and set up the naval framework. Next year, I will send someone with a fleet to replenish your ships. The three of you must work together to manage Southeast Asia well. If you can bring Southeast Asia into China's territory, all three of you will be rewarded with titles. As for whether they will be earls, marquises, or dukes, it will depend on how much land you can bring back. Do you understand?"

Upon hearing this, the three men immediately perked up and clasped their hands in gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your high regard, Your Highness. We will certainly live up to your expectations."

Lu Jin nodded and said, "We definitely won't be able to use all that armor. Be careful not to take it all out at once. Also, be very careful when selecting officers; don't choose those who are not trustworthy."

"And you, Zhao Yu, are in charge of the South Seas Navy. After we replenish your fleet, you can try to plunder the merchant ships of the Semu people passing through the South Seas. The ultimate goal is to drive the Semu merchants out of the South Seas, so that they will never dare to do business in the South Seas again. Only Chinese merchants are allowed to go out of the South Seas, and Semu merchants are not allowed to come in from the South Seas."

"In addition, of the spoils from plundering foreign merchant ships, 30% will be given to the soldiers and sailors on board, 30% will be handed over to the Governor-General's Office for financial expenditures, and the remaining 40% will be saved for later. When you are escorted to the capital, I will make other arrangements for your rewards. You will definitely receive your share. Do you understand?"

"Understood! Your Highness, rest assured, I will build the navy as soon as possible." Zhao Yu immediately agreed excitedly. Allowing the plundering of foreign merchant ships was excellent; it would be perfect for training troops, and there would certainly be plenty of rewards.

After instructing the three men, Lu Jincai said to Wang Dayuan, "Mr. Huanzhang's mission this time is to test the new ship's trial voyage, to test all kinds of equipment on board, and to keep a daily log of the voyage. Weather permitting, you must measure the latitude and longitude every day, as well as the lunar distance at different times, and the precise coordinates of each port, and compare them with the nautical chart I gave you to see if they are accurate. This way, you will be more confident when you go to Lizhou next year."

Wang Dayuan smiled and said, "This is a matter of life and death, how could I not take it to heart? Your Highness, rest assured, I have been to Nanyang several times, and I will definitely return safely this time as well." "Yes, I have confidence in you." Lu Jin immediately patted his shoulder.

Just then, Lu Jin's personal guard, Li Dingbang, suddenly ran up carrying a wooden box and a small sundial, saying, "Your Highness, noon is almost here."

"Check the time."

Upon hearing this, Wang Dayuan immediately ordered two marine chronometers to be brought from the ship, and Lu Jin also left one. The three marine chronometers were then aligned with the sundial and set to noon, thus obtaining the precise coordinates of Nanjing. Wang Dayuan's two chronometers remained on the ship to measure the accuracy, while Lu Jin could also calculate how many days Wang Dayuan had been at sea.

After checking the time, Lu Jin handed his sunglasses to Wang Dayuan, saying, "Keep these for the sunrise."

"Thank you, Your Highness. Everything is almost ready on the ship. I will now board."

Lu Jin nodded. “Go ahead. Before you go to Lizhou after you return from Java, I will take you to perform the sacrificial ceremony.”

"Yes, Your Highness, please take care."

"Take care, sir."

Everyone bowed and said goodbye to Lu Jin before boarding the ship. Wang Dayuan was the last to board. Once on board, he immediately ordered the anchor to be raised and the sails to be hoisted. With the help of several small boats towing it, it took a lot of effort to finally drag the nearly 4,000-ton behemoth into the main channel of the Yangtze River.

The Yuanwang was a four-masted sailing ship. The first three mainmasts used Western-style soft sails, while only the fourth mast near the stern used a Chinese-style hard sail. Although it only had one hard sail, it was very useful. For example, in narrow waterways like the Yangtze River, when the ship was entering a port, or when passing through the Aleutian Islands and in rough seas, raising only one hard sail allowed for better control of the ship.

Because Chinese hard sails can be used in all directions, including crosswinds and even headwinds, while Western soft sails have a larger surface area and can be fully deployed when the wind is down to achieve maximum speed.

So everyone saw the Yuanwang ship sail away from Longwan Wharf with only a hard sail hoisted, gradually disappearing from sight. Only after the Yuanwang ship was out of sight did Lu Jin lead everyone back.

Despite all the instructions Lu Jin gave them earlier, he didn't actually expect Li Bin and his team to make any significant achievements in Southeast Asia, except for the trial voyage of the Yuanwang ship. This was mainly because he was not clear about the situation in Southeast Asia and therefore couldn't provide the right solutions.

Actually, the best places to occupy in Southeast Asia right now are Palembang and Brunei.

Southeast Asia, excluding the Indochina Peninsula and Luzon, and only including Sumatra, Java, and Kalimantan, comprised four countries at the end of the Yuan Dynasty.

Srivijaya's territory originally encompassed present-day Malaysia, Sumatra, and Java, almost completely controlling the Strait of Malacca. Later, the Majapahit Kingdom emerged on Java Island, defeating Srivijaya and driving it out of Java. Now, Srivijaya has been completely driven out of Java. Both of these countries are Hindu and Buddhist, and have not yet undergone large-scale "greening" (pro-independence) movements.

Srivijaya was weakened and, around 1390, less than forty years after Lu Jin's time, it was completely crippled by the Majapahit Kingdom and almost destroyed. Soon after, Sumatra fell into chaos, and the Majapahit Kingdom was unable to immediately control the situation in Sumatra.

So around 1390, in order to protect themselves, the Han Chinese community in Palembang elected Liang Daoming, a Cantonese from the Ming Dynasty, as the lord of Palembang to resist the attack of the Majapahit Kingdom. Liang Daoming also gained great prestige in the local area during the military resistance. However, some say that he was elected as the new king of Srivijaya, but that is not important.

In 1405, Zhu Di sent envoys to pacify Liang Daoming. Liang Daoming was very pleased and went to the Ming Dynasty to pay homage. He then entrusted the defense of Palembang to Shi Jinqing, who was also from Guangdong and later became the first Palembang Pacification Commissioner of the Ming Dynasty.

At the time, Shi Jinqing was just Liang Daoming's deputy. However, after Liang Daoming returned to his hometown in Guangdong for a period of time, the power in Palembang gradually fell into Shi Jinqing's hands. This guy was a follower of Islam and had a fellow believer relationship with Zheng He. The two later joined forces to defeat the "pirate" Chen Zuyi who was entrenched in Malacca. However, it is hard to say whether this story is true or not.

It's hard to say whether it was because of the relationship between the two that Shi Jinqing deliberately sidelined Chen Zuyi's power. Moreover, after Chen Zuyi was captured and executed by the Ming Dynasty, Shi Jinqing took sole control of Palembang, which also accelerated the greening of Sumatra.

In other words, Palembang is now almost in a state of anarchy. If we intervene in advance, send officials and troops to the area, and resist the attack of Majapahit, we can easily bring Sumatra into our territory. After all, Srivijaya itself is already half dead and won't last more than a few years.

On the northern island of Borneo, there are also two countries. Centered around present-day Brunei, the one occupying the southwestern part of the island is Brunei. Brunei is a Buddhist country that has been a tributary state of China since the Song Dynasty. However, it is not doing well now and is being invaded by the Sulu Sultanate in the northwestern part of the island.

The Sulu Sultanate is a Muslim country and is irreconcilably opposed to Brunei. It has been forcibly promoting greening on the island, causing great suffering to Brunei.

However, Brunei was unlucky. It happened to be the time when the Mongols of the Yuan Dynasty were in power in China. The Mongols were close to the Semu people, and Quanzhou Port was full of Semu merchants with the surname Pu. When these Semu merchants went to Southeast Asia, they mainly went to Sulu, where they shared the same faith, to do business. Brunei, on the other hand, had almost no merchants.

Without merchants, there are no taxes; without taxes, there is no money; and without money, we cannot defeat the Sulu Kingdom.

In contrast, the Sulu Kingdom, relying on the merchants from Quanzhou under the rule of the Yuan Dynasty, amassed a large fortune through commercial taxes, which enabled it to launch continuous attacks on Brunei.

However, this situation may soon be reversed. Once Lu Jin has dealt with the Semu merchants in Fujian and encouraged Han Chinese maritime merchants to trade in Brunei, the national strength of Brunei and Sulu will be reversed.

China's influence over Southeast Asia is so enormous that even the slightest domestic changes can affect the rise and fall of small Southeast Asian countries. Once the relationships between them are understood, it is quite easy to deal with them.

(End of this chapter)