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Volume 2 Northern and Southern Empire Chapter 216 Expedition Fleet

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.    Chapter 216 Expedition Fleet

    While the navy personnel were busy making preparations, people from the Military Intelligence Department had already mingled with the merchant ships heading to Ceylon. For this expedition, they also selected several people who could speak Tamil and Sinhalese from the merchant ships traveling from various places.  Sailors of all nationalities speak the same language.

    Although the reliability of these people is questionable, under the current circumstances, they can be used to collect some necessary information faster.

    This expedition to Ceylon can no longer be benevolent. Zhu Ming knows very well that if he wants to use the assimilation method of the Central Plains King's Way, he can indeed achieve very good results. This is why the Black Water Ming Kingdom has maintained a good situation so far.  on the one hand.

    But in some cases, it is debatable whether the royal way still works. The Mongols were able to fight from east to west. In addition to their excellent military force, being able to grasp this speed well is also a key point.

    Those who leave the country have to occupy the land where they grew up. Moreover, Ceylon is too far away from the radiation area of ??the Central Plains culture, and there is no sense of identity with the Chinese civilization.

    In this case, it is natural to treat it differently from Southeast Asia, which has been greatly influenced by Chinese civilization.

    It is not entirely true to say that Zhu Ming is preparing to commit genocide, but it is naturally inevitable to imitate the Mongols. Those who obey me will prosper and those who rebel against me will perish.

    While preparing various materials, Zhu Ming went to the newly established Lan Lingwei training camp outside the city.

    At this moment, most of the Wuyi Guards are still on the northern border with Siam, so the camp seems very loose. Three thousand people have now changed into rush-made military uniforms.

    The military uniforms still adopt the style of short clothes, and the armor is still the standard of the Black Water Ming Dynasty, but the blue pheasant tail feathers on the helmet are really eye-catching.

    Zhu Ming did not disturb the normal training of this group of soldiers. He only made a brief inspection and then turned back into the camp and summoned the military chiefs.

    Tang Kai finally took charge of his own affairs and took the position of the commander of the Lan Ling Guard. His right-hand men were Li Liang and Chen Fanyuan. This was also considered. Tang Kai had relatively junior qualifications, and although Li Liang served as the captain of Zhu Ming's cavalry,  It has been many years, but now that he is just over 20, it is just right for him to be his deputy.

    The same is true for Chen Fanyuan. Although he is a little older, he has always served as a local garrison commander. He does not have much experience in leading an elite army, which Tang Kai can control.

    Although this is a favorable condition, it also increases the uncertainty of this army. How to integrate these three thousand people into a formidable legion is a big question.

    But fortunately, several of them are experienced in many battles, and they can still deal with Zhu Ming's problems.

    After chatting with a few people for a while, Zhu Ming began to talk to a few people about the attack on Ceylon.

    "After we invade Ceylon, what if the whole city resists fiercely?" Zhu Ming asked.

    As the commander-in-chief, Tang Kai was naturally the first to answer this. In the end, he will definitely punish some people severely, and then win over some people to properly manage those who disobey the king.  "

    Zhu Ming hummed and went down one by one.

    Li Liang smiled sheepishly. This siege was nothing more than to defeat the enemy's confidence. We have powerful cannons, so this siege would not be difficult. As for after the city is captured there will be a lot of patrols to maintain order.  "

    Although Li Liang is proficient in military affairs, he is still extremely lacking in experience in all other aspects.

    In the end, Chen Fanyuan finally understood the truth, but Zhu Ming has always been generous and kind. There are some words that he dare not say out loud, for fear of leaving a bad impression in the mind of the king, which would be bad.

    "Don't Commander Chen have any ideas?" Zhu Ming asked with a smile.

    Chen Fanyuan was deep in thought when Zhu Ming suddenly asked a question. He was immediately shocked and quickly raised his head and said, "Why don't we take advantage of the enemy's opportunity to resist and kill them in large numbers to minimize the number of people who have the opportunity to threaten us, and at the same time also  Intimidate the other party.  "

    After saying that, Chen Fanyuan looked at Zhu Ming with some anxiety.

    "You can't say that, but have you ever thought about staying away from homeland? Even if you are in danger and ask for help from your home country, you will have to wait for a month, two or even months before there is a response. This time, as long as you go out, you will only  I can rely on it.¡±

    Zhu Ming paused and said: So the biggest problem this time is to both preserve and win the war. This requires us to nip all dangers in the bud. A city that dares to resist fiercely is not safe. You dare to  Is it safe to sleep in such a city?  So the Mongolian massacre was justified.  "

    When Zhu Ming said these words, everyone took a breath of cold air. Is this the leader who usually has a generous face?

    "Of course, sinceAfter annihilating the whole city, there will naturally be a lot of people who can fall into the pocket. Those who cannot be taken away will be given generously to those who are willing to join. With these people able to promote our vast Chinese culture, we will naturally get twice the result with half the effort.  "

    Zhu Ming thought about it again. Unless we find a suitable religion, it would be difficult to assimilate these foreign barbarians. Taoism has long declined and is not very popular on a large scale. The key is that Taoism always requires people to practice inner alchemy.  The external elixir is used to practice immortality, but as a result, no one has achieved immortality from ancient times to the present. This is too deceptive.

    But Buddhism is different. It always teaches people to cultivate the afterlife, and in the afterlife, everyone is full of hope that they will do good deeds and accumulate virtue in this life, and they will be like this in the next life. They are geniuses, but everyone goes there with beautiful longings, so  It has fascinated generations of people.

    Moreover, Buddhism originally originated in India, and it has a strong ability to anesthetize people. It is a religion suitable for enslaving people. Of course, certain improvements must be made in the process of dissemination to adapt to the local environment. These are casually used in Heishui  Finding an abbot in the Ming Dynasty should be better than Zhu Ming, so he wouldn't worry about it.

    These generals of the Blue Ling Guard have understood Zhu Ming's spirit one by one. As for what happens next, Zhu Ming is not particularly worried, because he is also prepared to personally participate in this landing in Ceylon.

    Thinking of this personal participation, Zhu Ming felt that it was necessary to go to Sanfu Island to take a closer look. The biggest basis for daring to run around is a powerful fleet. It may be frustrated, but with a huge fleet, at least in this island country,  No one can sleep to death.

    As the cradle of the Black Water Ming Kingdom Navy, Sanfukushima is now home to most of the main ships for modification and repair before the expedition.

    On the second day, Zhu Ming rushed to Sanfu Island after a long journey.

    The island that was once visited by Chen Sanfu is now full of vitality. Although it is not convenient for the shipbuilding industry to transport materials and survive for a large number of craftsmen because it is isolated on the sea, the shipbuilding industry has not developed too much.  Being an excellent port of call overseas, it is perfect as a naval port far away from the prosperous area of ??Funamura Port.

    There are often thousands of people on Sanfu Island, and there are hundreds of permanent residents, and craftsmen account for the majority. Therefore, armed merchant ships carry needed supplies to and from Sanfu Island every day, and a half-day ship is not too far away.

    Zhu Ming took an armed merchant ship to Sanfu Island.

    "It's a pity that the leader of a country doesn't have a special boat. Zhu Ming thought that when he got rich, he would have to get two, one for sitting on, and one for watching at the port.

    Soon we arrived at Sanfu Island, and this ring-shaped island was even busier now.

    News of the expedition has spread internally. Although most people are not sure where the expedition is taking place, judging from the information more or less disclosed by the generals, it is an ocean-going battle.

    Both craftsmen and soldiers have made preparations more carefully. Ocean adventure is not an easy task, let alone an expedition. Therefore, the population of Sanfu Island now reaches more than 2,000, and most of them are anchored.  Sailors on board a ship undergoing repairs on Sanfuku Island.

    These sailors are not idle either. The ship is docked for repairs, and the sailors, under the leadership of the captain and mate, practice artillery cleaning, stabbing, and even simple strength training on the shore.

    What Zhu Ming saw when he landed on Sanfu Island was such a busy scene.

    Chen Sanfu, who had to go to the docking point of the armed merchant ship every day to inspect and check supplies, saw that it was Zhu Ming who got off the ship. His mouth widened in surprise, and then his mouth widened into a hearty laugh.

    "Master, come and take a good look at our military port to see if it lives up to your expectations." Chen Sanfu took Zhu Ming to look at the facilities on the island.

    Indeed, although many places are still crude, in the natural circular embrace of the island, the port with sufficient water depth is full of twenty ships of various sizes, and the houses and warehouses on the shore are in order.  A fort controls the exit of this harbor, making it difficult for anyone with any intentions to get in or out.

    "Master, if we want to go out this time, we still need to get more firearms." Chen Sanfu said.

    Luo Minxi immediately said to the side, yes, we are General Han Xin, the more soldiers the better, Lord, it is not easy to go out for supplies, it is better to have more firearms.  "

    "Don't worry." Zhu Ming has already thought about this. It is indeed not easy to go out to resupply. Recently, the export of weapons has stopped. Even Siam cannot get the weapons supply from the Black Water Ming Kingdom. All  The production capacity is fully utilized to produce the materials needed for this expedition.

    Afterwards, several people accompanied Zhu Ming around the military port, and all the ships carefully inspected the watertight cabins. This Ceylonese was afraid thatThere is no decent ship that can threaten the fleet of the Black Water Ming Kingdom, but they are also afraid that they will send those guys who are not afraid of death to build the ships.

    Reinforcing the bottom of the ship is one thing, and on the other hand, once the watertight cabin is completed, even if there are some minor problems on the bottom of the ship, it will not matter to such a large ship.

    Although the size of the Sea Shark-type ship has not changed, it is still about twenty feet long, but the cannons mounted on it have changed. There are ten cannons on each side, which is not much more than before, but these ten guns are all  It was a six-pounder that had been improved by craftsmen. It would be difficult for even the Ming Dynasty to produce such a level of artillery, let alone Ceylon.

    In addition to a sufficient number of artillery, the ship also carried some modified artillery with built-in racks for siege purposes. There were nearly a thousand muskets and muskets of various colors on board. It was necessary to ensure that there would be no insurrection when arriving in Ceylon.  The embarrassment of weapons availability.

    It is also true that the current war is still in the cold weapon stage, otherwise there would be no need to reserve much supplies for such logistical preparations. Now it is still a little simpler, but it is still worse than the Mongols who can run around the world with a few horses and a water bag.  point.

    Zhu Ming was very satisfied with what he saw on the island. Among them, he randomly selected a few sailors and asked them whether they were willing or not to go on an expedition to other countries.

    The sailors' faces were flushed with excitement, and they were all a little awkward. In short, if they were afraid of suffering and homesickness, they would not join the navy of the Black Water Ming Kingdom. They could make a living by working in any workshop. They were all  The first people in this era to start looking at the world.

    Encouraged by the heavy military awards, these sailors now have the opportunity to expand their territories. Who can't get a small title? Although they can't compare with those students who are smart enough to enter the school, they can still rely on  Work hard to become a master.

    Back in Liberty City, Zhu Ming was still not idle.

    Seeing that the army and navy were making complete preparations for the expedition, and that the government-run workshops were working day and night to make weapons, Zhu Ming felt embarrassed to take time off.

    To put it bluntly, what we are doing now is to lay a solid foundation for our nation to stand firm in this world in the future.

    Zhu Dacheng, the commander-in-chief of the Ministry of Commerce, was called. Zhu Ming was going to call some big merchants with good reputations in Chuancun Port first.

    ?? These merchants were all flattered to be summoned by Zhu Ming. Soon, if the head of the family was not around, people like big shopkeepers who could speak out were also sent.

    Zhu Ming first blew the wind and asked everyone to stop doing things like hoarding and doing business. Earning real money in a down-to-earth manner is the best thing for everyone.

    Those businessmen, of course, nodded in agreement like chickens pecking at rice.

    Piaotian Literature Network has noticed that there have been fewer and fewer ships going to the Western Region recently. Is there any difficulty on this route?

    Those businessmen were all staring at each other. Everyone was doing business in the same way. I didn¡¯t see anyone doing less business with the Western Regions. The king suddenly mentioned the business trip to the Western Regions.

    At that moment, the businessman had the courage to say that although Ceylon was convenient for supplies, it was too backward. Although there were many specialties, the goods could not be sold there much. The circulation of goods was slow, and the income was  Naturally there is less.  "

    ??Everyone also nodded in agreement. Generally, the first place for ocean-going business going west after leaving the Blackwater Kingdom was Ceylon, so the businessman mentioned Ceylon first.

    Zhu Ming took advantage of the situation and said that the Ministry of Commerce will organize government merchants to go to Ceylon in the near future to discuss with the people in power in Ceylon about the convenience of transactions, so everyone please prepare more fleets to prepare for Ceylon. I can guarantee it.  Then Ceylon will have big business to do soon.  "

    Those businessmen's eyes lit up. They had already understood Zhu Ming's magic. The leader of the country would not target it without aim. The leader of a country is so busy, who has time to fool you, a group of businessmen who smell like copper?

    This is the inside information that future generations cannot buy with money. Those businessmen nodded one after another and secretly made up their minds. They studied the most lacking goods in Ceylon recently, gathered people to prepare ships, and identified business opportunities.  Go to Ceylon more often.

    The preparations from top to bottom have been completed. It is already two months later, and Jin Zhu has not had her period for a month. Since Zhu Ming's wedding, she has never done anything about husband and wife.  Protective measures, so it is very normal for Jinzhu to be pregnant again.

    Although Zelia followed Zhu Mingzao, Zhu Ming had already calculated the date before, and modern people know a lot about protection against such things, so he never let Zelia get pregnant. After getting married, she actually let Zelia get pregnant.  Jinzhu took the lead, which made Zelia feel bad, so she always asked for more in the last few days.

    This time, they had to go out for a long time. Of course, Zhu Ming also worked hard, and both of them were pregnant with that baby.?Best.  While feeling the joy of possibly becoming a father, he recruited famous doctors from all over the country to ensure Jinzhu's fetus, while coordinating and arranging the final preparations for the expedition fleet to sail, Zhu Ming never took any time off.

    News came from the previous paragraph that while collecting intelligence, the spies who entered Ceylon continued to provoke disputes between businessmen from various places and the Sinhala Tamils ??of Ceylon. Many armed conflicts broke out, and even the Tianfang people also  It has been affected a lot, and businessmen from all over the world are suffering terribly. At this time, if it is said that the time is right to go to war.

    Finally, in April of the seventh year of Zehan, nine ships of the Sea Shark type and five ships of the Flying Bird type successively pulled anchor from Sanfu Port. They briefly stopped at Funancun Port to receive a batch of firearms and gunpowder, and then headed for Sumatra Island.  Final supplies are made there.

    Ten armed merchant ships and five No. 2 Fortune Ships allocated from the Free Trade Association were mobilized to serve as the main force for transporting soldiers this time.

    And Zhu Ming also told those merchants who had already seen signs of something different from the large number of ship movements and were eager to give it a try. Of course, it was limited to the merchants of the Blackwater Ming Kingdom: the fleet dispatched this time was  Expedition to Ceylon.

    The expressions of those businessmen were a mixture of shock and ecstasy. What a crazy move. Crossing the ocean to attack another country, and capturing the island of Ceylon was another challenge for the merchants of the Blackwater Kingdom.  What a great achievement, all this cannot be described in words.

    Immediately, businessmen expressed their willingness to transport grain, grass and medicine to Ceylon for free to supply the Blackwater Ming army.

    It¡¯s not that Zhu Ming doubts the sincerity of these businessmen. Many of them are still old partners when Funancun made his fortune. However, cooperation without a combination of interests will not last long. Just letting them do money-losing business may be out of passion.  It will help you for a while, but in the long run it will definitely lead to procrastination and laziness.

    Therefore, Zhu Ming very smartly said that the payment for the goods will be calculated in the same way, but the payment must be received after the goods are delivered to Ceylon and the merchant ship returns to Chuancun Port. This is also an extraordinary move in a special period. I hope all businessmen will understand.

    Those businessmen naturally agreed with their chests high, and they all understood how beneficial capturing Ceylon would be to their business in the Western Regions.

    Now that everything is ready, Zhu Ming is not afraid that something will happen after the news of the merchants' expedition. Everything that needs to be prepared has been prepared. Even the main force of the fleet has set off. Now any changes will not stop the pace of the expedition.

    Chapter 216 Expedition Fleet

    Chapter 216 Expedition Fleet
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