The Rise of the European Emperor

phone-reading

This time Columbus went to Daming, in fact, it was not difficult. There are only two risks - one is pirates in the Strait of Malacca; the other is a typhoon in the South China Sea.

The piracy problem was easy to solve, and Marin equipped three ships with two hundred musketeers and one hundred gunners. Moreover, the use of clockwork muskets without matches. No matter how good your martial arts are, you can knock it down with one shot. Even when encountering ruthless pirates, two hundred musketeers and one hundred gunners to control artillery bombardment, I can't believe those pirates. After all, there are no pirate kings like Chen Zuyi and Zheng Zhilong. Ordinary pirates, three ships are enough to settle them.

It's a typhoon. This thing is very scary and cannot be resisted by human beings. If you encounter it, you can only GG... Fortunately, Columbus's fleet is walking along the land coast. As long as you don't encounter a typhoon in the middle of the sea, it's a big deal to stay ashore to avoid...

This time Columbus went to Ming Dynasty, although it was to open up trade routes, but it must not be said at the beginning. So, Marin wrote a letter of credentials in Chinese, ready to give it to the Emperor Daming...

Of course, this is not the kind of credentials written by the king of Spain as an equal greeting, but a kind of credentials similar to "worship the boss". To put it bluntly, it is to ask to become a vassal of the Ming Dynasty.

However, Marin's plan was not to make the Grand Duchy of Beihai a vassal state of Daming, but to occupy Taiwan Island, establish a small regime on Taiwan Island, and then ask Daming to surrender.

In this way, it was not the Grand Duchy of Beihai who took refuge in Daming, but the small, empty country on Taiwan Island who took refuge in Daming.

Anyway, the people living on the island of Taiwan now are all indigenous Fan people, and if Marin occupies a piece of land, he can build a small country. For example, there is a big belly kingdom on Taiwan Island. The land area is not large, but it is a small country.

The Ming Dynasty is not a fool. If you want to surrender, the court will send messengers to check the specific situation. This is because, in the Song Dynasty in history, there have been cases of Arab merchants pretending to be messengers to pay tribute. At that time, an Arab businessman pretended to be a Seljuk envoy to pay tribute and defrauded a rich reward. However, the real Arab businessman told the Song Dynasty court that the Seljuk Empire had perished... Then, it was embarrassing...

Therefore, the Ming Dynasty was very strict in the screening of tributary qualifications to prevent such embarrassing things. However, the embarrassing incident of envoys from the Northern and Southern Dynasties in Japan came together to pay tribute, and people were killed.

The Ming Dynasty treated vassals very strictly, and it was first necessary to determine whether their country really existed. After it is determined, it will also be issued, and the time and place of the tribute will be strictly stipulated. When paying tribute, you also need to check the proof of compatibility, otherwise, the tribute is not allowed.

Marin's plan was to occupy the area and build a castle on the Keelung Port in the later generations of Taiwan Island. Then, ask the officials of the Ming Dynasty to verify. Then, request to "enclose" Daming.

Therefore, when Columbus went to Daming for the first time, he had a very important task, which was to find Keelung Port on Taiwan Island. Determine the location of Sheliao Island outside Keelung Harbor. Then, learn from the Spaniards and build a small castle on the island first. Then, based on this, gradually encroach on the Keelung area, and build a small city and port in Keelung Port.

Why establish a base in Keelung? Because, there is the Jinguashi gold mine near Keelung. Marin not only wants to obtain a stable supply base on Taiwan Island, but also plans to send people to mine this rich gold mine with reserves of several hundred tons. In this way, the cost of building Keelung City will be fully recovered, and there will be big profits.

Of course, the Ming Empire also needs to get in touch. For example, go to Guangyizhou to try your luck to see if you can get the tributary qualification, and submit the credentials for requesting attachment.

However, Marin did not hold out hope for this. With the cautious character of the Ming Dynasty, I am afraid that Columbus will be rejected. Because the people of the Ming Dynasty could not be sure of the existence of the Grand Duchy of Beihai. After all, the Ming Dynasty generally used the method of directly sending people to verify or inquiring about other vassals to determine.

However, other European countries have not been to the Ming Dynasty and are unlikely to be willing to become vassal of the Ming Dynasty. The existing vassalages of the Ming Dynasty were all from Southeast Asia.

Certainly do not know European countries ah. So, no one can testify against Columbus.

Therefore, Marin is not optimistic about the first contact between Columbus and the gangsters of the Ming Dynasty.

But Marin didn't expect Columbus to succeed once, but finding a foothold on the island of Taiwan was a must. As for why she chose Sheliao Island (now called Heping Island), a small island outside Keelung Port, the reason is the same as that of the Spaniards - the locals are too ferocious and land rashly, and they may be killed by the local indigenous people like Magellan...

So, start by establishing a foothold on a small island outside the port. Then, send the army over, and then try to land on the shore to defeat the natives...

Columbus's task was to first find Taiwan Island, and then, according to the general map given by Marin, find Keelung in the north of Taiwan Island and Heping Island on the edge of Keelung, and record the detailed latitude and longitude coordinates.

Then, the next time Amerigo leads the fleet to Taiwan Island on the Pacific route, it will go straight to Heping Island according to this coordinate. Moreover, cement will be brought to build a fort directly on Peace Island.

Next time, because all the routes have been explored, Marin will send a large fleet to the Peace Island of Keelung and station them there. In particular, this time, a team of trained Black Forest hunters will be sent to attack the local indigenous people, control the land, and then establish a city on the land of Keelung.

The reason why he chose to build a city in Keelung is not only because of the nearby Jinguashi gold mine, but also because of the coal mine near Keelung, which is also a coveted target of Marin.

After all, the steam engine has been developed now, and it will be put into use in the future to become the power of ships. Only when the coal mines near Keelung are developed can coal be supplied to the sailboats powered by steam engines.

Therefore, Marin gave up the idea of ​​going to the Great Plains in the southwest of Taiwan Island first, and was ready to gain a firm foothold in Keelung now. Then, go to plot the southwest plain area.

In any case, Taiwan Island is actually a trade transit point for Marin. The local gold and coal mines also caught Marin's eyes. As for farmland, Marin doesn't really care. He already has American colonies, and he still cares about the arable land in Taiwan? Here, the trade with Daming is the most important...

...

In addition to contacting the Ming Empire and finding the coordinates of Taiwan Island, Columbus actually has a very important task, which is to contact the Kingdom of Malacca, which controls the Strait of Malacca...

Of course, Marin wasn't trying to conquer the country. His intention was actually to dig a big hole for the Portuguese...

Marin, who has studied world history, knew that after the Portuguese had gained a firm foothold in India, he would turn his attention to Southeast Asia and the Ming Empire. So, they will be based in Goa, India, and head to Southeast Asia. Then, he directly set his sights on the kingdom of Malacca, a small country with a major traffic channel that controlled the Straits of Malacca, and captured the capital of the Kingdom of Malacca in 1511, destroying the country.

At that time, the Portuguese sent only 1,200 Portuguese soldiers and 200 Indian mercenaries, as well as 18 ships and a large number of artillery pieces. The Kingdom of Malacca dispatched an indigenous army of 30,000 Malays and Javanese.

Unable to withstand the guns and artillery of the Portuguese, the Sultan of Malacca had to abandon the city of Malacca and flee to the inland to continue to resist.

This time, Columbus's fleet just needed to pass through the Strait of Malacca. Although he will not stay in the local area for a long time, he can dig a hole for the future Portuguese by the way.

How to dig a pit for the Portuguese? it's actually really easy. It is to let Columbus find a way to provide the kingdom of Malacca with a batch of muskets and artillery, and teach them how to operate.

When the Portuguese sent more than 1,000 troops to attack, and the Malacca people also took out muskets and artillery, the Portuguese would be dumbfounded...

Although, the Malaccans are certainly not as proficient in using muskets and artillery as the Portuguese. However, the people of Malacca are the defenders of the city, and naturally have an advantage. As long as you have enough guns and artillery, you won't have to worry about defeating the Portuguese invaders.

In this way, Portugal's eastward plan will be blocked. Even if you win the Malacca Royal Palace Kingdom, your vitality will be greatly damaged. And Marin, while the Portuguese were struggling, was enjoying the benefits of the Ming trade alone...

To this end, Marin asked Columbus to bring an Arabic interpreter to communicate with the Kingdom of Malacca. The Kingdom of Malacca has a Green Religion background, so naturally there will be people who understand Arabic. Then, as long as the contact is made, Columbus will find a way to sell or simply give the Malaccans a batch of arquebuses and artillery. At the same time, they will be taught how to use, as well as how to collect and brew soil nitrate, as well as gunpowder recipes.

When the Portuguese rushed to conquer a few years later, they would be directly beaten by the guns of the Malacca people. If you want to conquer this country, you can't do it without paying a heavy price.

Moreover, the Portuguese have not been able to accuse Marin. After all, in order to befriend the Malacca Kingdom a few years ago, Marin sent a batch of guns to others. Is there anything wrong with it? No! After all, according to common sense, no one knows that Portugal will attack the Kingdom of Malacca in a few years...

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