My father is Jiajing

The super-giant ship "Jiajing," resembling a moving island, sailed in through the sea fog. From afar, it looked like a terrifying sea monster hidden in the deep sea, about to break free from the sea's shackles and descend upon the world!

In particular, on the giant ship "Jiajing", there is a black pillar that stretches straight to the sky. When it moves, this black pillar transforms into a mysterious black chain.

Although it is winding, it still connects the sea and sky endlessly, like a soul-binding chain from hell, which makes people feel fear and bewilderment.

When the Dutch sailors on the Orange outpost observed this scene from afar, their minds went completely blank!
It seems like the system has crashed!
They had never seen such a massive ship before, much less one that could move across the sea without sails, relying solely on a giant black chain connecting heaven and earth.

The Dutch sailor on the sentry post muttered in terror, "Oh God, is that Satan's moving castle?"

Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou, Yu Huatian, and others stood on the bridge of the giant warship Jiajing, their gazes fixed on the distant Dutch stronghold.

At this moment, a naval artilleryman came to report.

"Reporting to the commander, enemy ships ahead have entered the range of our cannons. Please give instructions!"

Qi Jiguang glanced in surprise at the artilleryman who had come to report, while he himself was using his binoculars to estimate the distance to the foreign ships.

Qi Jiguang felt that if his estimation was correct, their ships were still about seven or eight miles away from the Dutch ships docked at the pier next to Orange.

Can artillery reach such a distance?

At this moment, Yu Dayou grinned smugly and said, "This is a long-range naval artillery piece that His Majesty ordered to be secretly built. It is the main gun specially mounted on the giant ship Jiajing. It not only has a long range and high accuracy, but also has considerable power."

"If there's any drawback, it's that it's complicated to operate and requires specially trained artillerymen to coordinate in groups in order to fire a single shot."

Although Yu Dayou was talking about these so-called shortcomings, he was actually smiling smugly on the surface.

In Yu Dayou's view, these so-called shortcomings are not shortcomings at all.

Qi Jiguang couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "Such a weapon actually exists in the world? If we had had such a divine weapon when we wiped out the Japanese pirates at sea, wouldn't all those pirates have perished in the sea?"

Yu Dayou chuckled and said, "Yes, it can only be said that the Japanese pirates were lucky back then, they just didn't catch the right time."

Since being transferred to another post with Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou has been shuttling between Longjiang Shipyard and Tianjin Shipyard, where he has seen many national weapons that he had never seen before!
He couldn't believe that the Ministry of War could create such a divine weapon!
However, as Yu Dayou delved deeper, he learned that these magical artifacts were not made by the Ministry of War, but by a secret organization called the Ming Dynasty Armory.

It is said that it houses a large group of talented individuals and many foreign craftsmen. In addition, Yu Dayou also heard that there is a group of academicians who are skilled in mathematics.

Although he didn't know what these academicians were all about or what role they played, Yu Dayou knew that the weapons manufactured by the Ming Dynasty's military industry were superior to those originally produced by the Ministry of War!

Therefore, during the construction of the second Yongle-class treasure ship, many Ming Dynasty military engineers who frequented the Longjiang Shipyard and Tianjin Shipyard boarded the ship to compare and discuss the ship and put forward suggestions for improvement.

After these suggestions were repeatedly tested and finally put into practice, Yu Dayou could hardly believe that the giant ship he had supervised the construction of had turned into the terrifying sight it is today!
So when this giant ship was launched, the retired Emperor Jiajing, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but bypass the court and issue an edict naming the giant ship "Jiajing".

Moreover, it was euphemistically called following in the footsteps of the previous Yongle giant treasure ship, emulating the glorious military achievements of Emperor Chengzu, and making the Ming Dynasty once again awe-inspiring across the land!

His Majesty the Emperor had no objection to this and directly ordered the Cabinet and the Ministry of War to issue an imperial edict naming the ship "Jiajing" and proclaiming it to the world through the official gazette.

Now that this giant ship has been delivered to the Eastern Fleet, although it is nominally under the command of Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou has also been brought along on board.

Clearly, at this time, Zhu Zaiji intended to dismantle the Eastern Fleet and form a new Southern Fleet after defeating the Dutch, which would be responsible for controlling the security of the waters between the South China Sea islands.

At the same time, he ordered Wang Zhi, who was secretly operating a natural bird guano fertilizer business, to separate the Eastern Ocean Fleet and establish the Great Ming Maritime Transport Bureau, which would be responsible for ocean exploration, diplomacy, and foreign trade and opening up.

However, to make these new moves work, we must first take over Taiwan, and then launch a few new Yongle-class battleships.

Then, only after streamlining the rules of the Maritime Trade Office under the Customs Department and orderly opening up private foreign trade can it proceed.

Otherwise, the situation at sea wouldn't even be clear. Furthermore, the various naval forces of the Ming Dynasty lacked the capability to protect freedom of navigation on the high seas.

If something goes wrong, the Japanese navy, which has only recently begun to grow in size, could suffer a great loss.

If the maritime smuggling that Zhu Zaiji had previously tried so hard to prevent and combat were to take the opportunity to infiltrate and undermine the customs rules established by the court, disregard the court's Maritime Trade Office, and smuggle goods at sea at will, thus damaging the interests of the court, then there would be a huge problem.

After all, governing a country is not a simple strategy game; there are far too many variables to consider.

Therefore, in some details, we must proceed cautiously, gradually increasing our control until anyone who wants to break the rules has to pay a heavy price. Only then can we establish a set of effective rules that everyone must abide by.

Otherwise, if you can't control anything and still try to manage everything, the end result will definitely be a complete mess!
Therefore, Zhu Zaiji would not easily open up private trade. Even if he were to relinquish some benefits now and allow some powerful households to monopolize some maritime interests, he would manage them to make everything controllable.

It will also prevent these newly established and fragile rules from bearing undue management pressure.

Therefore, Zhu Zaiji can only wait patiently to build up his strength and make the Ming Dynasty's navy truly powerful. Only after he has the hard power to conduct regular patrols at sea, crack down on smuggling, and combat pirates will Zhu Zaiji completely lift the ban on maritime trade.

Ordinary people with the ability and strength to make a name for themselves in the new world are allowed to enter and leave the Maritime Trade Office, spreading the civilization and goods of the Ming Dynasty, as well as the paper money (Gangdui banknotes) that represent the strength of the Ming Dynasty, to the whole world!

Looking at Qi Jiguang, who was still in shock, Yu Dayou couldn't help but smile and ask, "General Qi, would you like to fire a cannon to broaden your horizons?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Jiguang could not contain his excitement.

But at the same time, he couldn't help but think of Qi Jin, who was still being held captive by the Red-haired Barbarians. What if this shot angered the Red-haired Barbarians and put Qi Jin in danger?

This was also an outcome that Qi Jiguang did not want to see.

However, as the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Ocean Fleet, Qi Jiguang deeply appreciated the emperor's favor, and he naturally understood that personal interests could not be compared with the interests of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, after a brief moment of hesitation...

Qi Jiguang hardened his heart and said, "Go and prepare. Teach these red-haired barbarians a lesson, let them know that the might of the Great Ming Dynasty is inviolable!"

Yu Dayou was unaware of Qi Jiguang's thoughts, nor did he know that Qi Jiguang's nephew, Qi Jin, was currently inside the Red-haired Barbarian stronghold ahead.

Yu Dayou simply wanted to prove the power of the Jiajing warship through a real battle.

Therefore, Yu Dayou said to the artilleryman who came to report, "Pass down the order to aim at the enemy's ships in the port and fire! Remember, this is the moment for our Jiajing ship to make a name for itself. If you miss, don't blame me for being merciless in military law!"

"If you hit the target, you will be the ones who make the greatest contribution to this glorious battle. I will write down the names of all of your artillery crews in a victory report and send it to His Majesty with the utmost urgency!"

The artillerymen were also excited upon hearing Yu Dayou's military order; perhaps this was the moment they had been waiting for.

The artilleryman immediately replied, "Understood!"

The artillerymen immediately left the bridge and, following Yu Dayou's orders, aimed at the enemy's ships in the port, preparing to fire.

Meanwhile, the sentries who spotted the Ming fleet on the lookout post recovered from their shock and, looking panicked, hurriedly went to inform Johnson.

After receiving the message from the sentry, Johnson realized the seriousness of the situation. He had been waiting for the arrival of the Ming fleet for years.

To this end, he prepared countless battle plans and thought that through a brilliant naval battle, he could let this behemoth called the Ming Dynasty know who the absolute overlord of the sea was!
Therefore, Johnson was not afraid at this moment; he was excited.

He immediately summoned all the captains and first mates in Orange, assigned them tasks, and organized a battle plan against the Ming navy.

The captains and first mates listened to Johnson's battle plan with great excitement. They were all desperate men who risked their lives and were key members of the glorious Dutch East India Company.

They were born for the sea, so in their minds, the sea is their home. In their home, they can come and go freely, robbing and plundering the maritime wealth that belongs to them!
Therefore, they never took any enemies that appeared on the sea seriously, assuming that these enemies were just bringing them gold and silver treasures.

After receiving Johnson's battle plan, the captains and first mates couldn't help but file out one by one towards their respective ships.

Johnson, in high spirits, headed towards the highest point of Orange City, eager to witness firsthand how his elite troops had perfectly and beautifully defeated and captured these arrogant Ming soldiers and their ships.

Just as Johnson was happily walking to the highest point of Orange, a dazzling flash of fire, like a shooting star in broad daylight, streaked across the sky and landed in the harbor docks near Orange. A galleon that had not yet raised its sails instantly exploded and burst into flames!
This sudden turn of events not only stunned Johnson, but also the red-haired sailors who were eager to raise their sails and set sail to meet the Ming Dynasty navy.

They never dreamed that something like this would happen.

Upon hearing the explosion, the unsuspecting sailors couldn't help but curse, "Which idiot detonated the gunpowder on the galleon?"

But the only response he got was a terrified scream, "Oh no! Another meteor is hurtling towards us!"

These red-haired sailors still believe that a meteor from outer space struck their port and ships.

But Johnson, who was at the highest point in Orange City, could clearly see that the so-called meteor was actually the firelight of a huge object, like a small island, emerging from the sea fog in the distance!

"Oh God! What is this? Has Satan come out of hell?"

Johnson's mind went blank for a moment. He couldn't believe that the "island" hidden in the sea fog and emitting flames was a Ming Dynasty ship!

Because that goes against common sense so much that it's simply unbelievable that it's true!
Hearing the explosion outside while in the dungeon, Qi Jin couldn't help but get excited. To be able to hear such a clear explosion here, it must be the sound of cannons fired by the Ming Dynasty navy!

Qi Jin chuckled and noticed the key on the waist of the Dutch soldier guarding him; he knew it was the key to open the dungeon.

Upon seeing this, Qi Jin immediately came up with a plan.

"Hey!"

Qi Jin used the Dutch he had learned from the foreigners at the martial arts academy in the capital to say, "Your captain abandoned you here to die, while he went to escape."

The guard looked at Qi Jin in surprise and said incredulously, "You can speak our language?"

Qi Jin chuckled, “Of course, the strength of our Great Ming far exceeds your imagination, and we also have a saying in our Great Ming: Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated! Your language was translated and mastered by us a long time ago.”

"Now the Ming navy has arrived, and their cannons are already at your doorstep. Your little castle won't last half a day."

The guard turned pale with fright upon hearing Qi Jin's words. Normally, he would never have believed it, but the sounds outside were too eerie, including the explosions and the terrified screams of his companions.

So at this moment, the guard watching over Qi Jin was completely at a loss.

Qi Jin pressed his advantage, saying, "If you release me now, I can guarantee your safety. Otherwise, when the Ming army invades, all those who resist will be killed without exception."

"Moreover, our Great Ming has always been open to recruiting talents without being bound by convention. In our capital, there are many foreigners like you who have been given important positions by the court and are living happy and carefree lives. Think it over carefully, because time waits for no one."

Qi Jin stared into the guard's eyes, and he could see with his own eyes that the guard's eyes were filled with panic, clearly in a moment of fear where life and death were unknown.

Moreover, Qi Jin's words were incredibly convincing, after all, he was a Han Chinese who could speak Dutch, which showed that there were indeed many foreigners in the Ming Dynasty, otherwise Qi Jin's language ability would not be explained!

------

Please vote with monthly tickets! (End of this chapter)