On February 22, 1665, the Netherlands officially declared war on England, and the Second Anglo-Dutch War began

In fact, it doesn't matter which side declares war. Because the war between the Netherlands and England had already begun.

After the defeat in the First Anglo-Dutch War, the Netherlands had been looking for an opportunity to regain control of the sea. Admiral de Knight succeeded him as commander of the Dutch navy after the death of veteran Troppe, and he worked hard to reorganize the navy. and reorganized the strategic thinking of the navy: that is, the realization that the British could not be defeated by escorting merchant ships alone. Only by changing this passive strategy, putting aside the merchant ships, and seeking the opportunity of a decisive battle with the British fleet with the main naval force, and seizing sea supremacy, can we win the war.

Guided by this strategic thinking, the Netherlands stepped up the construction of large warships. By 1664, the navy had 103 large warships, 4,869 guns, and 21,631 officers and men. However, Britain's naval power was no longer what it used to be: Cromwell's military dictatorship suppressed opposition at home, and foreign expeditions to Ireland and Scotland, as well as wars with Spain, left the country with a debt of £2 million. By 1660, due to corruption in the political and military circles, a foreign debt amounted to 1 million pounds. The annual allocation of the Navy was only two-thirds of the Navy's budget, resulting in dilapidated ships, lack of salaries and low morale among soldiers and soldiers, and a serious weakening of the Navy's combat effectiveness.

Because of this, in 1664, an English naval expedition captured the Dutch New Amsterdam in North America and renamed it New York. The British provocation gave the Netherlands an opportunity for revenge.

Declaring war is inevitable.

It's just that no one thought that the Ming Empire, far away on the other side of the world, was coldly watching this war tens of thousands of miles away - although until today, until the third year of Xingqian, there has not been a single Ming ship sailing to Europe, but it does not prevent the Ming Dynasty from observing Europe and the world with strange eyes.

It was also from the first year of Xingqian that Daming really looked at the world for the first time!

Although most of the areas of the Ming Dynasty in the first month of the New Year are icy and snowy, in Nanyang, it is still a summer day, and the weather is hot and humid. In Nantianmen, the southernmost city of the Ming Dynasty, the harbor is full of ships from all over the world, since five years ago, the Ming sailors passed through this time, in the hands of the Turen leased this desolate island, in less than five years, this once desolate island, has become the most important stronghold of the Ming Dynasty in the South Seas, and even became the most important city in the South Seas.

This is a city of 100,000 people, trade brought unprecedented prosperity to the city, at this time Nantianmen, is gradually replacing the status of Guangzhou, and as the center of Ming rule in Nanyang, to Nanyang to declare the majesty of the Ming Dynasty.

However, what really proclaimed the solemnity was not the indoctrination of the Ming Dynasty, not the "holy temple" in the Nantianmen City, but the fleet moored in the harbor, the warships, showing the Ming Dynasty's force to the merchants of various countries who came here, at least showing the Ming Dynasty's maritime force to people.

As a naval admiral, Pan Xuezhong, who is the admiral of the Western Fleet, did not sit on his flagship, and now his flagship is being maintained in the dock, and he is sitting in the study of the Yamen of the Western Fleet, reading the documents sent from all over the country.

As the admiral of the fleet, Pan Xuezhong does not only need to manage the fleet, the chief officer of many port strongholds in Nanyang is a naval officer, so as the admiral of the fleet, he also needs to be responsible for the civil affairs of these areas, at least need to ask about some things, and finally finished the work at hand.

With a sigh of relief, he put down the brush in his hand. Just as he was about to stretch, there was a stiff knock at the door. So he quickly straightened his appearance, coughed lightly, and nodded to the door.

"Come in."

The door to the study creaked open. Coming in was a young official in a blue robe. He bowed his head and respectfully handed the official document he brought in his hand to Pan Xuezhongdao opposite.

"Governor Pan, below is Li Long, the host guest of Honglu Temple, who has been ordered to visit Europe with the fleet this time."

"Master Li has worked hard. This voyage to Europe is really something that has never been done in China forever, and Master Li can get His Majesty's grace as a righteous envoy at such a young age, and he is really a hero and a young man. ”

Pan Xuezhong took the official document and praised it with satisfaction.

Send a fleet to Europe!

This is His Majesty's decision a year ago, and the reason why this decision was made is because the time is ripe, in the past two years, after a long voyage, the Ming Navy has gained quite a wealth of experience in long-distance sailing, and the same is true for the merchant fleet.

To Europe!

Open up routes!

Although it is normal for Europeans to travel to and from Asia, for the Ming Dynasty, this is the first time, in order to make sure that everything goes smoothly. His Majesty was extremely cautious in the matter of the voyage, and had been waiting for the time to come.

"The admiral laughed, this voyage to Europe, in the eyes of many people, tens of thousands of miles on the sea, not to mention nine deaths, but to go to Europe, it takes several years to go back and forth, and tens of thousands of miles away from the country, how can ordinary people want to go?"

Li Long still hung his head slightly, he did not hide the reason why he was appointed as a righteous envoy for His Majesty - because no one wanted to go, although according to His Majesty's wishes, Honglu Temple trained a group of "diplomats", but those "diplomats" preferred to go to Korea, Quang Nam, such a state, rather than to Europe.

What does Europe look like?

Although when I was in school, through European missionaries and books, I had a certain understanding of it, but for the hosts and guests of Honglu Temple, it was still too far away, tens of thousands of miles by sea, not to mention extremely dangerous, that is, tens of thousands of miles away Fanbang as an envoy, maybe when it was forgotten by the imperial court, and finally died in a foreign land.

However, Li Long did not have any more choices.

Wealth and danger are sought!

For this reason, he is naturally very clear, as the envoy to Europe, he is a civil official from the fifth grade, but if he graduates step by step, and then serves in the Honglu Temple, he will need at least ten years to be promoted from the seventh rank to the fifth grade, and he may not even have this opportunity.

But when I went to Europe, I had this opportunity.

Facing his answer, Pan Xuezhong just smiled slightly, and then said.

"Don't listen to other people's nonsense, what sea route nine deaths, we have been to the Cape of Good Hope more than once, don't you also answer karma well, just last year......"

Pan Xuezhong got up and came to the big map behind him, pointed to the map and said.

"Well, last year, a merchant ship of the Western Merchant not only sailed past the Cape of Good Hope, but also sailed north along the coast of Africa all the way north to the slave coast, and when it got there, it was treated unfairly, and the Europeans ......"

Looking back at Li Long, Pan Xuezhong said.

"Many people in Europe, don't know the Ming Dynasty, after our merchant ships arrived there, not only were they heavily taxed, but also almost expelled, the captain considered that continuing to the north, there may be a great risk, so they chose to return, therefore, His Majesty decided to send a naval envoy, the Europeans rely on strength to speak, only if we show more strength than them, they will respect us!"

Although all Europeans knew the "Golden Country" in Marco Polo's mouth, when the merchant ship sailed into the slave coast, it was still treated unfairly, but nevertheless, the voyage expedition of the merchant ship of only more than 400 tons still made the navy realize that the time was ripe for the voyage, and it is for this reason that His Majesty agreed to the navy's proposal to sail to Europe and show Europe the existence of the Ming Dynasty. Of course, such a presence must be backed up by force. It is for this reason that the Navy sends a medium-sized fleet for a show of force.

"Of course, the strength we want to show is not just a simple show of force, and we have to show our strength to Westerners in another way before we go to Europe."

"The Admiral is referring to the Dutch?"

Li Long thought for a moment, and then asked rhetorically.

"Dutch?"

The corners of Pan Xuezhong's mouth suddenly showed a touch of disdain, and then he asked directly.

"You should have heard about what happened on the Tianzhu Sea, right?"

The so-called Tianzhu Sea, in fact, is the Indian Ocean, but the Ming Dynasty chose another name, although the Tianzhu has disappeared, but it does not prevent the Ming Dynasty from using it to call the Indian Ocean, rename the world in the way of the Ming Dynasty, which is also the power and responsibility of the Ming in the age of navigation.

"Is the Admiral talking about the incident in which the merchant ships of the Western Chamber of Commerce were attacked by the Dutch in the Tianzhu Sea?"

Li Long's brow furrowed, the Western Chamber of Commerce had been expanding in all directions, setting up trading bases in India and Africa to trade with the locals. An inevitable consequence of ocean trade was that merchant ships were attacked, not only by pirates, but also by the English and the Dutch.

"And what do you think about it?"

Pan Xuezhong sat on the bench as he spoke, and then looked at Li Long with a smile.

"As far as we know about the maritime trade of the Western countries, it seems that such an attack is always inevitable. And it seems that it was not necessarily the Dutch who attacked. ”

Li Long replied directly.

"Oh, how so?"

Pan Xuezhong asked with interest.

"First of all, since the founding of the dynasty, the Dutch have repeatedly made overtures to the imperial court, hoping to ease the tensions caused by Taiwan and other issues, after all, the power of the Dutch East India Company is far inferior to that of the Ming Dynasty. The Dutch would never have risked attacking us at this time. Secondly, the Dutch could not leave the silk, porcelain and other goods of the Ming Dynasty, and with their merchant nature, they would never provoke the Ming Dynasty for a little profit, as for robbing a few cargo ships...... In my opinion, it may be that someone is deliberately blaming the Dutch. ”

"Your analysis is indeed wonderful, maybe it may be true, but ......"

In the face of Li Long's analysis, Pan Xuezhong asked rhetorically.

"Does it matter?"

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