Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 167: Careful preparation, but showing off one’s skills in front of an expert!

From the Jinling Yangtze River Port to the Yangtze River estuary, the total length is about 600 miles.

The warships led by Zhu Yunhuan this time were all new warships that had been redesigned and modified.

It has a deep draft, can adapt to sea sailing, and makes extensive use of fore-and-aft sails and triangular sails, so it can sail against the wind at will.

The Yangtze River waterway in later generations was shallower, and only after artificial dredging and constant maintenance could large ships pass through it unimpeded.

But the river sand deposited at the bottom of the river also accumulates slowly year by year.

In the Ming Dynasty at that time, at least the section of the Yangtze River from Nanjing to the sea was still quite deep, and large ships with a deep draft could pass through unimpeded.

There were a total of 41 large ships and more than 10,000 people on this expedition.

The Navy and Marines each account for 5,000.

Among them, there are 28 warships, two medical ships, two survey ships, one command ship, and eight transport ships.

If there was anything that Zhu Yunhuan was most worried about, it was undoubtedly infectious diseases.

The army went on a long expedition and was not used to the local climate and water.

Living conditions are poor and the climate is unpredictable.

Soldiers are very susceptible to disease.

Advanced firearms can easily defeat the enemy, but cannot defeat disease.

Although Zhu Yunhuan always wanted to develop a miracle drug like penicillin.

However, he lacked knowledge in this area in his previous life and was unable to provide any guidance at this time.

The doctors can only tinker with it.

I'm afraid that it will take a long time to produce penicillin.

Zhu Yunhuan could only order health education among the new army, encouraging them to drink boiled water, wash hands and take baths frequently, and ensure that the eating and living areas are clean and hygienic, so as to minimize the possibility of the spread of infectious diseases.

In addition, a lot of kimchi was brought to prevent scurvy caused by lack of vitamin C.

Needless to say, food.

They also brought a lot of other easy-to-preserve bacon, dried radishes, and melons.

Zhu Yunhuan was well aware that a rich variety of food was essential to keeping soldiers healthy.

On land, this is usually not a concern.

Because the food consumed at will is already rich enough.

But it’s different once you go out to sea.

Anyway, there are only more than 10,000 people. With the national strength of the Ming Dynasty at that time, it is easy to prepare staple food and other food for them according to the standards of tens of thousands of people.

Zhu Yunhuan was willing to pay any price for this.

It's just a matter of spending a little more money.

Bringing a medical ship with him is also a major measure.

This is probably the earliest dedicated medical ship in the world.

With it, the soldiers' health is further protected.

The survey ship is used to record the corresponding hydrological characteristics, weather conditions, course and channel... these will become valuable information in the future.

Relying solely on word-of-mouth experience transmission will result in a lot of repetitive and useless work.

Moreover, without scientific measurement, the accumulation of experience is very slow.

Many of the people on these survey ships were students of the Imperial Academy.

After Zhu Yunhuan’s popular science lectures on “science”, many students decided to embark on the path of scientific research.

Although there are many people in this world who like to be officials, there are also quite a few people who are tired of officialdom.

But before that, they had no other path to choose.

Now that they can embark on the path of "science", they are very excited about it.

In addition to these people, there are also translators who are proficient in the indigenous language of Dongyi and understand the writing and language of Wa.

It can be said that there are all kinds of professionals.

The same is true for various materials.

Zhu Yunhuan's command ship also carried hundreds of carrier pigeons.

Since the establishment of the Detective Department, it has been training homing pigeons.

After spending a lot of money, in a few months, the number of pigeons had become quite considerable.

It is not easy to transmit messages over the sea, and carrier pigeons are undoubtedly the best way.

Standing at the front of the command ship, Zhu Yunhuan's thoughts were flying.

The purpose of this expedition is not only to completely eradicate the Japanese pirates, recover the Dongyi, and make Japan surrender from now on.

More importantly, it also paves the way for subsequent reforms in the Ming Dynasty.

Now he holds great power, and no one in the world dares to disobey his orders.

But reform cannot be driven forward by political tactics alone.

What is more important is the pressure from both inside and outside, interest groups willing to fight for it, and sufficient distributable benefits.

If he only relies on the Ming Dynasty, reform will be extremely difficult even if he uses imperial power to force it.

Only by introducing external forces can the Ming Dynasty enter the Age of Discovery as soon as possible and cultivate a new interest group.

The reforms he wants to promote can only be realized if they are responded to and supported by millions of people.

After Zhu Yunhuan's transformation, the battleship used a wave-breaking hull for the first time instead of the previous old-style bow, so it was able to travel at an extremely fast speed.

A few days later, it sailed away from the mouth of the Yangtze River and into the sea.

These days, Ma He has been serving by his side.

He has performed extremely well since entering the Ming Military Academy.

All students in the college are at the same level when they enter.

But soon they were evaluated and promoted based on their performance in school.

As one of the best students, Ma He has been promoted to captain.

Considering that he was originally a eunuch and knew how to serve people, he was arranged to be by Zhu Yunhuan's side and obey his orders during this voyage.

The other two people were Zhu Neng and Zhang Fu who were transferred here.

Until now, both of them still couldn't understand why they were favored by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and were transferred to his side to serve him.

But no matter what, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them.

The two were both nervous and ambitious, hoping to realize their aspirations.

How many people have dreamed of these four words, "Jane is in the emperor's heart", throughout their lives.

Although Zhu Yunhuan was still the crown prince, his actual power was almost the same as that of the emperor.

He made a note of it in his heart, and his future prospects are limitless.

Zhu Neng and Zhang Fu are still young, how can they not have dreams?

In the command room, Zhu Yunhuan unfolded the map and asked the three people with a smile: "In your opinion, where would the Japanese pirates along the coast of Jiangsu and Zhejiang hide?"

"Here!" Ma He spoke first, pointing to Wengshan County on the map, which is the Zhoushan Islands in later generations.

"There are many islands here, and it's not too far from the mainland, which makes it suitable for hiding and convenient for robbing on land."

Zhu Neng and Zhang Fu looked at each other and said, "We both have the same opinion."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded slightly. The three of them looked at each other in a surprisingly consistent manner: "Then let's go here first and wipe out the Japanese pirates."

Ma He frowned slightly, Zhang Fu was silent, Zhu Neng was the most impatient, he cupped his hands and said: "Your Highness, there are many islands in this area, scattered all over the place, although it looks small on the map, it is actually very vast."

"The Japanese pirates are hiding in there, and it's hard to find their traces."

"Our fleet is powerful, but how can we destroy the enemy if we can't find them?"

Zhang Fu followed suit and said, "In the past, I followed my father to fight against the Northern Yuan Dynasty and fought on the vast grasslands. The most important thing was to find the main force of the Northern Yuan Dynasty and fight a decisive battle with them."

"This is also the most troublesome place. The grassland is vast, and the Northern Yuan Tartars often try every means to hide away."

"We have traveled a long way, and it is not easy to supply food and grass."

"If time drags on and we still can't find the main force of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, we will be in a situation where our men and horses are exhausted and our food and grass are scarce."

"If the Northern Yuan Tartars come out to attack again at this time, there will be a risk of defeat."

"I think the same is true for naval warfare."

"The vast ocean is boundless and a hundred times more vast than the grassland."

"If we can't find the enemy, I'm afraid we'll return empty-handed."

This question has been lingering in the minds of several people since they stepped onto the warship.

Only now do I have the opportunity to say it.

Ma He looked at Zhu Yunhuan and said in a tone of great admiration and respect: "I believe that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince must be prepared."

Zhu Yunhuan laughed and waved his hand, and immediately a guard took out a new map.

Compared with the previous map, this map only shows the area around Wengshan County, but it is more detailed.

Moreover, the Japanese pirates' strongholds were marked with red dots.

The eyes of Ma He, Zhang Fu and Zhu Neng suddenly widened.

Zhu Yunhuan had a smile on his face.

He never does anything without preparation.

Long before the expedition, Yao Guangxiao's reconnaissance department had already found out all the strongholds of the Japanese pirates along the coastal areas.

In fact, this is not that difficult to find out.

The pirates along the coast, the gangsters in the underworld, and even some gentry and landlords who did evil in private, all knew where the main base of the Japanese pirates was. After all, the Japanese pirates were not just one person.

So many people need food, water and clothing, which requires a large amount of material supplies.

With a large number of people coming in and out every day to transport supplies, how could it be kept secret?
There were also many thieves who colluded with the Japanese pirates, or simply acted in the name of the Japanese pirates.

They are well-informed and will naturally be able to find out.

But the government really didn’t know.

In other words, the officials sent by the imperial court did not know.

In this era, officials and clerks were two completely different classes.

Officials come and go, but clerks remain forever.

Officials are often transferred from other places and will be transferred away after working for a few years.

Officials are the people who are rooted in the local area and actually exercise ruling power.

The chief constable of the yamen must know all the outlaws, bandits, and robbers in a county.

But the county magistrate may not know.

The same thing happened with the Japanese pirates.

It is definitely impossible to say that no one in the yamen knew about it.

After all, there are many figures like Song Jiang, the timely rain, in government offices everywhere.

He is a man of great righteousness, making friends with heroes from all over the country and enjoying a high reputation in the martial arts world.

They are also extremely well-informed.

But they valued brotherhood and kept many things secret from the officials sent by the court.

If the officials don't know, they won't report it to the court.

Naturally, the imperial court was not clear about the position of the Japanese pirates.

Although Zhu's Jinyiwei spies and inspectors were omnipresent, their numbers were limited after all, and their main forces were concentrated in Nanjing City and its surroundings.

Although there are a small number of dispatches outside, they are basically concentrated in big cities.

The purpose is to monitor important officials of the court.

They also couldn't find out much specific information about the Japanese pirates.

But the Investigation Department is different.

As the Ming Daily opened branches in various places, the influence of the Intelligence Bureau also penetrated into wider areas.

The people recruited by the Intelligence Department come from all walks of life.

More importantly, the spy department is rich!

The annual revenue of more than two million taels of silver from the Ming Daily was all spent on the Investigation Department and the Intelligence Bureau.

In comparison, the money Zhu's Jinyiwei spies and inspectors could invest in a year was not even a fraction of theirs.

Money can make the world go round.

If you have money, you can recruit more extraordinary people, and if you have money, you can buy a lot of information.

Moreover, although the Investigation Department at that time was doing things entrusted by the Crown Prince Zhu Yunhuan, it itself was not an official agency.

Except for Yao Guangxiao, who is in charge of the Investigation Department, everyone else in the Investigation Department has no official rank.

Although there are different levels of hierarchy within the company, it operates more like a business.

Without official ranks and grades, there is no distinction between officials and clerks.

Messages will not be blocked up and down.

At the same time, people from the Intelligence Department were transferred all over the country to prevent them from being controlled by local forces.

Such an investigative department knows everything about the heroes, brave men, and gangs in the underworld.

Of course, we can also find out where the Japanese pirates' strongholds are.

On the other hand, although the Investigation Department was not an official agency, it was after all under the jurisdiction of the Da Ming Daily.

Although the various branches of the Ming Daily did not have any official ranks, everyone knew that the Ming Daily was sponsored by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince himself, and everyone knew how great the influence of an article in the Ming Daily was!

Therefore, when necessary, the Investigation Department could also ask the head of the Ming Daily branch to ask the government for cooperation.

The government will definitely give this face.

After all, no one can afford to offend the Ming Daily and the owner behind it.

The same was true of the Ming Bank, which was headed by Yang Shiqi.

It is operated in a corporate manner and there is no official rank or grade.

But local governments will cooperate.

In fact, the Ming Bank also has another responsibility, which is to crack down on counterfeit banknotes.

Although the new version of Ming Dynasty treasure notes has strong anti-counterfeiting capabilities, it is very difficult to forge.

But a shoddy forgery is still a forgery.

Not all ordinary people have a strong ability to distinguish authenticity.

Professionals can tell fake banknotes at a glance, but ordinary people may not be able to tell them apart.

At this time, the role of Ming Bank was reflected.

Because after receiving the money, there are always people who deposit it into the bank.

Once a bank discovers counterfeit banknotes, it will immediately initiate the reporting and tracing procedures.

This way, it is easy to find out where the counterfeit money comes from and crack down on it.

Before the establishment of the Ming Bank, by the time the government discovered counterfeit banknotes on the market, they had already flooded the market and caused great damage.

But since Ming banks were opened in various places, counterfeit banknotes would be discovered immediately.

The advantage of operating in an enterprise style is flexibility.

There was no concept of compilation in this era.

But when people find a job, they hope to be able to do it for a long time.

Because capital is still in its infancy, the term "jumping to the boss" has not yet appeared, and employees will do their best to be responsible in order to keep their jobs.

What's more, the salaries of employees at all levels of Da Ming Daily are very considerable.

Of course, as time goes by, bureaucracy will certainly appear in the Ming Daily and the Ming Bank, but that is a matter for the future.

At least at this time, the Ming Daily and the Ming Bank, as newly established institutions, were thriving and had not been tainted by any official vices.

The Intelligence Department is extending its tentacles into various places to transmit and summarize countless pieces of information.

The Intelligence Bureau is also working hard.

They have even sent people to Japan.

Perhaps, before Zhu Yunhuan officially set out on the expedition to Japan, he would be able to receive information sent back by the secret agents of the Intelligence Bureau.

"It is true!" Ma He said excitedly, "Your Highness the Crown Prince has long known where the Japanese pirates are."

He has absolute trust in the idol he admires.

Once it's confirmed, I'll be even happier.

Zhu Neng and Zhang Fu looked at each other and said at the same time, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince has great ambitions. I admire you."

Right.

This legendary crown prince was said to have unparalleled talent and wisdom.

How is it possible that you can't even think of such a simple thing?

We two were a little too worried.

Mainly because I visited the Crown Prince in person and found that he was too young.

It is easy to unconsciously regard him as a young boy who is naive about the world.

It was only at this moment that I suddenly realized that the boy in front of me was not an ordinary boy.

Instead, he is extremely intelligent, able to foresee things like a god, and decisive in killing. People all say that he is the Crown Prince, who is a god who has come to the world and a real dragon.

It was only at this moment, looking at the drawings he took out and thinking of his deeds, that I realized the extraordinary person in front of me.

The two of us said a lot of things in a self-righteous manner, which was a bit like showing off our knowledge in front of experts.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled faintly and said, "Then go and pass the order to march to where the Japanese pirates gather and wipe out the Japanese pirates in Wengshan County first."

Ma He immediately went out and asked the herald on the deck to send orders to other ships through flag signals.

Flag signals had already existed before, and Zhu Yunhuan ordered their improvement.

Through the efforts of all the students of the Imperial College, they fully utilized their intelligence and talents, and finally added more complex instructions to the flag signals and formulated a complete set of coding rules.

This is actually not difficult.

No one had done this before because everyone felt that simple flag instructions were enough and there was no need to make it too complicated.

Zhu Yunhuan, however, believed that with the development of the navy, the importance of flag signals would inevitably increase.

Especially in naval battles, more and more complex information needs to be transmitted, which requires complete coding rules.

This has also become a necessary skill for every new army student at the Ming Military Academy.

When fighting at sea, it is very important to use flag signals to communicate and keep in touch at all times.

Soon, all the warships received the order, turned around, and headed towards the Japanese pirates' stronghold near the coast.

Two days later.

As the dawn broke, a Japanese pirate stronghold slowly emerged in front of the Ming Navy fleet on a distant island.

……

(End of this chapter)