The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 303 United Fleet
In October of the first year of the Tianqi reign, Captain Barbasa, a representative of the Portuguese East India Company, came to Weihai with five ships to meet with the Marquis of Ping Liao.

The Barcelona captain hopes to work closely with "upright and friendly gentlemen" and travel to Japan together to promote the development of Catholicism.

On this trip, Captain Basa brought five warships, sixty cannons, two thousand flintlock rifles, five hundred Portuguese soldiers, and ten black girls.

In the lobby of Wendeng County Government Office, the "upright and friendly gentleman" chose to accept the cannons and muskets, and declined the offers of several black girls who kept flirting with him.

As soon as the Barcelona captain sat down, he began to talk about their battle with the Spaniards last year:
Last year we fought the Spanish at Cabales, where two hundred of our men were killed and the survivors were driven into hiding by the Spanish cavalry sent from Badajoz. We retreated to Olivenza with the spoils we had plundered at Barcaro, but we were not particularly excited about it.

In the 1620s, Portugal was losing ground in the global colonial struggle.

They were either beaten by the newly rising England, or bullied by the old empire Spain, and were expelled by the Japanese shogunate in Asia, and their situation was quite embarrassing.

Liu Zhaosun looked at the dejected old captain in front of him, suddenly felt sympathy for him, and waved his hand to interrupt his nagging.

"Mr. Basa, please stop talking. I know nothing about European geography, and I don't know much about your country's war with Spain. We are now in Ming Dynasty, so let's talk about the current situation."

The immediate issue was how to conquer Japan, how to land and occupy Kyushu Island, and how to make the pagan Tokugawa Hidetada return to the right path of believing in God.

The Portuguese rubbed his big nose, whispered an apology to Ping Liaohou, and began to discuss the combat operation of landing in Kyushu.

"Your Excellency, the Respected Marquis of Ping Liao, the Portuguese Empire will provide you with five warships to cut off the Dutch reinforcements to the shogunate and help you blockade Japan."

Want to blockade Japan with just five battleships?

This is too far-fetched.

Liu Zhaosun expressed doubts about Portugal's current strength, after all, they have been in decline for a long time.

However, it was always good to have a European ally, especially when besieging a maritime nation like Japan, as having one more warship meant a better chance of victory.

"Your Excellency Ping Liaohou, I heard that the Shogun has issued a proclamation to the entire world, intending to come to Ming to punish you. Japan has advanced weapons, and the Shogunate's samurai are more numerous than grains of sand. I wonder if you can defeat these infidels?"

Liu Zhaosun looked at Barcelona in surprise. He didn't expect that he could receive the Shogun's manifesto while he was far away in Macau.

This is no wonder. During this era, Japanese red seal ships traveled throughout East Asian waters, making them the dominant power in this region. Historically, if the Tokugawa shogunate had not implemented a policy of isolation, the Japanese colonization of Southeast Asia would have been inevitable by the 17th and 18th centuries.

Liu Zhaosun had already read the manifesto that Tokugawa Hidetada wrote to King Yi Hui of Joseon, but he just treated it as a joke:

"The Japanese Shogun, I hereby reply to the King of Korea. Our country's various provinces have long been divided, their laws and regulations abandoned, and they have obstructed the Emperor's orders. Angered by this, the Shogun, armed to the teeth, conquered the west and the east, and within a few years, conquered more than 120 countries. When Hidetada was in his mother's womb, she dreamed of the sun entering her arms. The diviner predicted, 'Wherever the sun shines, everything will be bright. In your prime, you will display your might in all directions.' Therefore, following his father in battle, you will always win and capture. Now the country is well-governed, the people are prosperous and wealthy, and the Imperial Capital is unparalleled in history. Your majesty has never lived to be less than a hundred years old. How can you remain here in melancholy for so long? I wish to pass through your country, transcending the mountains and seas, and directly into the Ming Dynasty. I will have its four hundred states assimilated to our customs, and so that the royal government can be practiced for millions of years. This has been Hidetada's long-cherished wish. All the overseas vassal states will be subject to our levies. Your country has already begun to pay envoys, and the Emperor is very pleased..."

The format and content of this manifesto issued by the shogunate were exactly copied from the one that Toyotomi Hideyoshi wrote to Korea more than 20 years ago when he launched the Imjin War. Even the punctuation marks were not changed.

It seems that the Shogun was also very guilty and knew that he was no match for the Kaiyuan army.

"I will also send a letter to the Japanese Emperor, ordering him to kill the Lord of Kaga Domain, kill the Shogun, cede Kyushu Island, and apologize to the Ming Dynasty. Of course, I also want the Shogunate to allow you Portuguese to preach in Japan in the future. If so, perhaps I can spare his life."

Seeing that Ping Liaohou was murderous and spoke arrogantly, Captain Barcelona prayed to God, hoping that the Lord would forgive this fanatical warmonger.

"Captain Barcelona, putting aside commercial interests, do you like the Japanese?"

The Portuguese were stunned for a moment. They didn't expect Liu Zhaosun to ask this question.

"I don't like them. They are a combination of thieves and liars, and they are very cruel. When I was doing business in Nagasaki before, I was often deceived by their superficial courtesy."

Liu Zhaosun explained to the Portuguese:
"They (the Yamato people) live in a land prone to frequent volcanoes and earthquakes, and with a dense population, the pressure of survival is immense. This has led to perverted thinking and extreme behavior. The actions of the shogunate are beyond the comprehension of civilized people like you and me. I am in Kyushu and will help them completely reform their inherent bad habits. I hope Captain Basa will understand the Kaihara Army's upcoming actions."

"We are not seeking to invade, but only to rescue Japan."

After saying this, Liu Zhaosun raised his blood-red wine and clinked glasses with the Portuguese, setting the tone for the joint military operation to rescue the enemy.

"After this is accomplished, you can continue to preach and do business in Japan. There will be no more infidels like Tokugawa Hidetada to stop you, and no Dutch or British to trouble you. We will also redistribute the commercial interests. The Dutch and British must stay away from East Asia. I only want the Kyushu territory, which is an inseparable part of the Ming Dynasty."

When Captain Basa heard that "Edo also belongs to the Ming Dynasty", he began to sympathize with the Shogun living in Edo Castle.

"The Japanese people live like pigs and dogs, eating bran and vegetables. The rice is eaten by the samurai and daimyo. The lives of the lower-class people are similar to those of beggars in Lisbon. They need God and the Kaihara Army."

In the past few years, the Portuguese church's influence in Japan has been continuously squeezed, and thousands of Portuguese priests have been massacred. At its peak, there were 600,000 Catholic believers, but in the end, only less than 10,000 were left.

"Marquis Ping Liao embodies the spirit of chivalry. Please allow me to express my gratitude to you on behalf of the King of Portugal. You are Portugal's most loyal and best friend."

Liu Zhaosun laughed and ended the meeting.

"On November 6th, the war officially begins. I hope you can demonstrate your European chivalry and help me teach those barbaric Japanese monkeys a lesson."

Over the next few days, Ping Liaohou brought his Portuguese allies on a tour of his new fleet. Captain Basa was horrified after witnessing a Spirit of Tsushima exercise. Captain Basa had always been impressed by the fact that neither the Ming navy nor the southeastern pirates used artillery much.

Their fighting style was simply to gather together, approach the enemy ship, throw a lot of lime to blind the enemy's eyes, and then throw spears made of various hardwoods with burning heads from the bow tower, which were used as javelins. Some Ming soldiers also used a lot of stones.

In short, once they get close enough to the enemy ship, the battle immediately reaches its climax as they can engage in boarding battle.

However, the combat power demonstrated by the landing exercise before his eyes far exceeded his cognition.

In the opinion of this senior naval warfare expert, the military proficiency displayed by this fleet is first-class even in contemporary Europe.

Liu Zhaosun ignored the dumbfounded blond Portuguese captain and pointed casually at the densely packed crowd on the deck. He called over a new recruit and began to interrogate him in front of his chief officer:
"What should be done if a warship sails slowly for no reason, delaying the fleet's arrival at its combat position?"

The sunburned recruit immediately replied:

"If a ship is late and arrives late, its captain and helmsman will be beheaded!"

Liu Zhaosun asked again, "What should we do if the warships run aground before the battle begins?"

The soldier replied, "If we meet someone shallow, we will cut down their hand that is waving!"

"The warship arrived first and crossed paths with the enemy ship. What should we do if we don't fire a shot?"

"If a ship arrives first but doesn't fire directly at the pirate ship, but instead passes by, we'll kill its captain and helmsman! Hands off!"

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Liu Zhaosun nodded with satisfaction at the new recruit.

The Kaiyuan Navy's military law was formed with reference to Qi Jiguang's naval camp drill manual.

All officers and soldiers on the ship are required to memorize it. If they fail to do so during regular inspections, their superiors will beat them with a military stick, and their future military achievements and promotions will be affected.

Meng Jinbao, who was standing next to him, wiped the sweat from his forehead and took a long breath.

The contributions of the military genius Qi Jiguang go far beyond the mandarin duck formation and chariot formation on land.

He also had insights into sailing naval warfare that were ahead of his time.

Thanks to the harsh military law, Qi Jiguang's new naval warfare tactics were able to succeed. His tactics were similar to those of the British Navy in the 17th century.

They followed the same offensive warfare principle: seeking to gain the upper hand in battle and then attacking the enemy downwind.

When fighting the enemy at sea, all warships must obey the orders of the central ship. The order to start battle is issued through trumpets, and then each ship beats drums and sounds gongs, and the soldiers shout loudly and rush towards the enemy ships. For any warship that is afraid of the enemy and does not advance, the captain and helmsman will be beheaded on the spot as a public example.

When firing, gunpowder must be properly stored to prevent it from being ignited by enemy artillery fire. If there is any mistake, the gunner and the soldier managing the gunpowder will be severely punished.

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However, the good times did not last long. With the rise of Zhang Juzheng, the chief minister of the Wanli Emperor, Qi Jiguang lost his staunch supporters in the court and was soon dismissed from office. The new naval warfare tactics he supported also ended with the death of the leader and the collapse of his political power.

Even though he worked hard to train a modern army for the Ming Dynasty, he became a victim of the struggle between civil servants after his death.

The advanced military ideas of this military genius were ruthlessly rejected by the conservatives.

After Qi Jiguang's death, the Ming navy returned to the barbaric era of light firearms and boarding battles.

Every time he thought of this, Liu Zhaosun felt deep despair.

Ping Liaohou withdrew his thoughts and looked at the dark-skinned recruit in front of him, saying with a pleasant face:

"What's your name? Where are you from? What's your position in the fleet?"

"My name is Huang Sanduo, and I'm from Taizhou, Zhejiang. I'm currently serving as a sword and shield soldier on the No. 2 flat-armored ship."

"Taizhou? They must have encountered Japanese pirates there."

Huang Sanduo was silent for a moment, his eyes red, trying hard not to cry.

"Reporting to the Marshal, in the 22nd year of the Wanli reign, our Huangjia Village was massacred by a group of Japanese pirates. My grandfather told me that the Japanese pirates killed everyone they saw, regardless of age. The canal east of the village was full of human heads... My grandfather was lucky and survived by hiding in a dry well."

Liu Zhaosun sighed.

He stepped forward, patted the musketeer's shoulder, took out the goose-feather knife from his waist, and handed it to the sword and shield soldier.

"The Japanese pirates are burning, killing, and looting. I will chop off their heads! Huang Sanduo, this knife is for you. Tomorrow you will use it to kill your enemies. Chop off as many heads as possible to avenge the deaths of your fellow villagers!"

(End of this chapter)