My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 388 The Person Who Should Not Appear

Compared to directly attacking Chen Zuyi, it is much more difficult to wipe out the pirates scattered across various small Western countries.

It was not for any other reason, but because the pirates were too scattered. Although there was a distribution map of pirate forces provided by the strange man Li Han, Xu Da still needed more detailed information.

It's like the organizational structure between pirates, the hierarchical relationship between them, who the leader is, the specific number of people, etc. Fortunately, Chen Zuyi himself is on the ship, so if there is anything I don't understand, I can just ask him directly.

At first, Chen Zuyi was still very stubborn, but after the full set of memory recovery surgery, he almost explained in detail how many concubines he had and how many mistresses he had.

Although Chen Zuyi was usually gloomy and cruel, and often acted as if he was not afraid of life or death, he was still in a high position at that time. At this moment, now that he had become a prisoner, he no longer had his usual arrogant attitude.

In Xu Da's opinion, Chen Zuyi is not as brave as the Luzon man named Lu Mingda.

After obtaining detailed intelligence on the pirates, Xu Da and others were in a dilemma. Apart from the fact that the pirates were too scattered and had three burrows like a cunning rabbit, it was really troublesome to wipe them out. There was also a bigger problem facing everyone.

That is, there were not enough supplies to support the fleet to wipe out all the pirates.

Fresh water and food are easy to get, as they can be replenished in various vassal states along the route. Bullets are also sufficient, with each soldier getting a few hundred rounds on average. However, there is a shortage of artillery shells and coal.

After two rounds of artillery battles, the Dingyuan ship consumed more than 200 shells, and now its ammunition magazine is empty. As for coal, if it does not run at full speed and only uses cruising speed, it can almost reach Yingtian Prefecture with some left over.

It doesn’t matter if the shells are used up, there are still bullets. Besides, after Chen Zuyi was destroyed, no force in the Malacca area is qualified to use the artillery shells.

But if the coal runs out, then we’re really doomed. We can’t just let the soldiers paddle back, right?

Besides, it is not realistic to replenish coal along the route. Not to mention where the coal mine is, even if the coal mine is found, we can't let the soldiers dig it themselves, right?
Therefore, after repeatedly studying and comparing the nautical charts and the information provided by Chen Zuyi, Xu Da decided to target Temasek, the center of the pirates' activities.

From a strategic perspective, Temasek, as the core area of ​​the Strait of Malacca, together with Srivijaya across the sea, forms the Strait of Malacca. If the island of Sumatra where Srivijaya is located is the neck of the Strait of Malacca, then Temasek is the throat on the neck.

To contain Temasek is to strangle the throat of the Strait of Malacca. Chen Zuyi, a big pirate, naturally understands this truth very well. Therefore, in addition to his old nest in Palembang, he also has a lot of forces stationed in Temasek.

Although the Ming army eliminated most of the pirates in the Battle of Palembang, there are still many pirates stationed in Temasek.

Of course, there is another important reason for choosing Temasek as a target. From a geographical point of view, Temasek is actually a part of Srivijaya, because Parameswara is not only the ruler of Srivijaya, but also the ruler of Temasek.

By eliminating the pirates on Temasek, Parameswara will be able to legitimately bring Temasek under his rule, and at least politically eliminate the possibility of pirates controlling this important transportation route again.

As for the Ming Dynasty, of course they will station troops here, but not now. As for how to station troops specifically, Xu Da still has to go back and discuss it with Zhu Yuanzhang.

After the pirates in Temasek were eliminated, the last main force of the Chen clan's remnants was wiped out. The remaining pirates were no longer a threat, so they were left to Srivijaya and the various vassal states to deal with.

There is no need to go into details about the battle process. Temasek is not big. After landing at the port on the east side of Temasek, the Ming army swept across the entire Temasek within a day, and also took care of the pirates in Johor.

Afterwards, Xu Da ordered the entire army to rest in Temasek for five days, so that the soldiers could relax before leaving Malacca. After all, there were still dozens of boring days at sea waiting for them.

Secondly, it was to announce to the world that the Ming Dynasty recognized Temasek as Parameswara's territory. However, during these few days, Zhu Di, Xu Huizu and Li Jinglong encountered a group of strange people.

There were about several hundred people in this group, with hair of various colors, some blond, some brown, but more had curly black hair.

Their faces were also unique, with green or brown eyes, high noses, and facial features that seemed more profound. They looked very similar to the Semites who once lived in the Central Plains.

This group of people were wearing strange clothes, chain mail over their clothes, and wearing strange helmets.

The leaders were dressed even more strangely, wearing strange hats and gorgeous double-breasted clothes, but their trousers were tightly attached to their thighs, wrapping their legs tightly, revealing the muscle lines of their legs, making them look extremely exaggerated.

In addition, the weapons of this group of people were also somewhat strange. The matchlock guns in their hands were longer than the muskets used by the Ming Dynasty before, and more people were holding double-edged broadswords and strangely shaped scimitars.

But this is not the strangest thing. What attracted everyone's attention was that among this group of people, there was a most peculiar old man.

If you say he is not a monk, you will see that he has a bald spot on the top of his head. If you say he is a monk, there is a circle of hair around his head, which looks both funny and ridiculous.

The old man's dress was obviously different from the others. He was wearing a dark robe, leaning on a long cane, and had a strange ornament around his neck, which seemed to be a cross.

The old man was also drawing something on his chest with his right finger from time to time. Zhu Di found it very funny and couldn't help but say:
"What is that old man doing? Is he having a seizure?"

"Don't talk nonsense. They are Gatli monks. They are making marks on their chests. They are making the sign of the cross, just like our monks putting their hands together and chanting Amitabha."

Li Jinglong explained.

"Gatli religion?" Zhu Di and Xu Huizu looked at Li Jinglong together. They didn't expect that this kid knew so much.

"The Gatli religion, we also call it the public religion, was very common in the previous dynasty, and many Semites believed in it."

While Li Jinglong was explaining, he did not forget to give his two bad friends a blow.

"You don't read books and don't know folk history. If my father were here, he would recognize it at a glance. In the previous dynasty, many sects from the Western Regions took root in the Central Plains, especially in Quanzhou. But after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, these guys refused to listen to teachings, so my uncle drove them all out."

Xu Huizu suddenly realized and said, "Jiujiang, when you talk about Catholicism, I understand. This sect was first introduced to the Central Plains during the Tang Dynasty. It was only during the Yuan Dynasty that they were allowed to preach, and they spread in the Central Plains. After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Your Majesty did drive them all away."

"No, this Gatli religion, was it introduced here during the Tang Dynasty?"

Zhu Di stared at the foreign monk with eyes wide open, full of disbelief.

Li Jinglong and Xu Huizu looked at him at the same time, and said in unison: "You are ignorant and incompetent!"

(End of this chapter)