"From Maluku to Nanzhou, you must not just look at the map and think that it is easy to reach just a few hundred miles. Because with hundreds of miles, it will be the most difficult journey. ”

In the conference hall, there were a large number of naval generals such as Zhu Zhanji and Zheng He, except for Zhu Zhanji, everyone's faces were filled with excited smiles.

In Bengkulu, he fought a great victory neatly, and the countries of the South Seas were shocked and did not dare to have any objections.

Even the Sinicization strategy that Zhu Zhanji thinks has been easily accepted by all countries.

In fact, this is Zhu Zhanji's preconceived preconception, and in later generations, Han culture was resisted by Nanyang countries, and he thought that the current Nanyang countries would also resist Han culture.

But he didn't expect that today's Ming Dynasty is the world's number one power, and Confucian culture is the culture that barbarians yearn for.

Even Dongying and North Korea are particularly yearning for Han culture, and the Jiaozhi people no longer rebel because the Ming Dynasty is now sending Confucian students to them, in fact, the Nanyang countries are simply some of the cultural aggression that yearns for the Ming Dynasty.

As long as it does not touch their religious beliefs, their attitude towards Han culture is very positive.

After winning the battle, the trade was very smooth, and now even the sports meeting was held very successfully, demonstrating the martial spirit of the Ming army.

After a few months of delay in the South Seas, the south wind is now blowing in the Strait of Malacca, and it is time for the fleet to move on.

The generals are excited because opening up territory is always the most lofty ideal of every general. Who wouldn't be excited about a borderland, not much smaller than the Ming Dynasty, waiting for them to conquer?

However, Zhu Zhanji knew very well that the difficulty of visiting Australia was not much less difficult than that of the Ming fleet crossing the Pacific Ocean to visit North and South America.

In its original history, it was not until 200 years later that Australia was discovered, and it was nearly 200 years before Britain began to immigrate to Australia in earnest.

The reason why so many small islands were developed in the 16th and 17th centuries, while Australia was only developed in the 18th century, is officially caused by Australia's special geographical features, special climatic characteristics.

Zheng He asked curiously, "Your Highness, why do you say that?" Is there a storm in Nanzhou all year round? ”

Zhu Zhanji shook his head and said, "Have you ever thought about why Nanzhou has not been discovered by the Javanese since Nanzhou is so close to Java? ”

Seeing that everyone was thoughtful, Zhu Zhanji said again: "According to Magellan's voyage diary, Gu noticed two problems, one is that from Java to Nanzhou, it happens to experience a wide range of windless areas and southerly wind areas, which makes it very difficult for ships to sail south. Secondly, in the northern part of the South Continent, there are large coral reefs, which make it difficult for ships to approach the mainland. ”

Jin Kuo and Li Liang Khan, others don't know, but the two of them know it very well. The so-called Magellan is actually a character arranged by Zhu Zhanji randomly, there is no Magellan at all, everything is a play written and directed by Zhu Zhanji.

The two of them didn't know where Zhu Zhanji got this knowledge, in their opinion, His Royal Highness the Taisun was born to know.

All their glory and wealth, all the destiny of life and death are tightly tied to Zhu Zhanji, and they will do whatever Zhu Zhanji says, and they will not expose this at all.

At the beginning, they risked being beheaded to deceive the emperor, and they had already gambled everything. Later, the discovery of the Hongji Coal Mine, the discovery of the Shilu Iron Mine, and the discovery of the Iwami Silver Mountain also made everyone believe in Zhu Zhanji's information.

At this point, the heads of the two of them settled down.

has been nurtured by Zhu Zhanji for a few years, and they sometimes think that all this is true. But now when I hear Zhu Zhanji open his eyes and talk nonsense, I can't help but be a little funny.

Zhu Zhanji didn't notice the faces of the two of them, and continued: "According to Gu's research on Magellan's logbook, it is found that in the northern part of Nanzhou, strong winds blow from the mainland to the surrounding waters every year, although I don't know what the reason for this is, but it is certain that the northern part of Nanzhou is full of deserts and the Gobi Desert, which is not suitable for human habitation.

In addition to the annual winds and thunder and lightning, there are also all kinds of the world's most poisonous poisons, and an inconspicuous spider can die in a quarter of an hour with a single bite. At the beginning of Magellan, many people died in the northern part of the southern continent. ”

Zhu Zhanji said that he didn't know, but he knew better than everyone what the reason for the climatic characteristics of Nanzhou.

Among the world's continents, Australia receives only a little more rainfall than Antarctica, and the entire continent is located in the ocean, close to the equator, although the continent is small, but has complex climatic characteristics.

As a result, Australia and the surrounding ocean have formed a different pressure zone, which is headwinds and difficult for ships to approach.

Coupled with the different monsoons in two seasons a year, if you don't follow the season, you can't get close to Australia at all in many cases.

Zheng He asked, "Your Highness, is there no one on Nanzhou?" ”

"Of course, there are natives, they are strong, dark-skinned, they live by hunting and gathering, they don't farm, they don't form large tribes and nations, and they live a very primitive life."

The Australian natives are known as the Negritan race, and they are not actually native. At the time of the European migration to the Australian continent, the total population was about 750,000.

With a population of 750,000, compared to a continent of more than 7 million square kilometers, an average of 10 square kilometers is only one person, which can be described as sparsely populated.

Zhu Zhanji did not think about committing genocide because it was a great waste of resources.

In today's world, there are few people and there is no development everywhere, and it is very slow to develop these areas by relying only on the Chinese.

Zhu Zhanji said: "The population of Nanzhou is very sparse, only my Daming county has about the same population, so we don't need to occupy the land of these natives, but should integrate them into our Han ethnic group like the southwest Shanyi." ”

Xue Lu said with a smile: "Those natives are like pigs and dogs, I'm afraid my big man can't do it." ”

Everyone burst into laughter, but Zhu Zhanji smiled and said: "I have been a soldier for three years, and the sow is a sable cicada." These men are thousands of miles away from home, and there are no other female dependents, I am afraid that as long as it is a woman, they will be moved. Nanzhou is a remote and barren land, with only fertile land along the southeast coast, and the initial development is of course based on gold development. We have to formulate a detailed strategy and use 20 years to naturalize these natives into the sons and daughters of our Han family. ”

But no one answered this question, because this kind of thing knew that it was to endure hardship, and no one could make up this determination to leave home and settle here for a while.

It is also for this reason that Zhu Zhanji did not think about developing it himself at all, and here it is the most appropriate means to let Zhuang Jing take the Japanese people to the front station, and then divide the seals, and let those clans develop themselves.

As long as there is the imperial court to guide and give up most of the interests, there is still room for maneuver in this matter.

Even if half of the profits from the gold mines here are given to them, most of the profits can be earned back into the pockets of the imperial court through trade.

When some generals heard Zhu Zhanji say this, they couldn't help but think of the human population trade that Ji Gang is doing now.

Although the imperial court did not directly participate in the sale of Dongying girls, this was just a little more face-saving for the imperial court. Today's Ji Gang is in Dongying, and the population trade is in full swing, if there is no support from the imperial court, no one will believe it.

The profit of human trade trafficking to Daming is not too high, but if Nanzhou is vigorously developed in the future and those female dependents are sold to Nanzhou, it must be huge profits.

However, it is still too early to find a large gold mine in Nanzhou.

The foundation of the development of Nanzhou lies in the gold mines, without which no one would be willing to cross the ocean to live in Nanzhou.

Not to mention Nanzhou, even the rice in the Nanyang area is harvested three times a year, and no one is willing to move to Nanyang.

If you want to get to Nanzhou, this is not a long distance, and it will be a long journey. Fresh water reserves during the journey are very important supplies.

Zhu Zhanji instructed Zheng He and Zhu Zhen to fill all the water carriers with fresh water, as well as coconut and various fruits, which are special products of the South Seas, and have also become important reserve materials.

The meeting lasted until the evening, and Zhu Zhanji sent everyone back to the small building where he lived.

The weather in Star City is too hot, except for Liu Chenghui, who lived in Huizhou in the early years, the other concubines who came with him all spent some summer and lost a lot of weight.

Especially Shen Dai'er, she has been seriously ill again in the past few days, and now she has not recovered.

Zhu Zhanji went to the small building of several concubines to greet him, and then asked the waiter to set the meal and have dinner with Ma Xin.

Before he could sit down, Li Liang came to report, and Mogoi, the prince of Maluku, asked to see him.

Ma Xin rarely got along alone with Zhu Zhanji, and when he heard Li Liang's report, he pouted a little unhappily. "These barbarians really don't know a little bit of the rules, and they know that it's time for dinner, but they come to ask for a meeting."

Zhu Zhanji pinched her little face and said with a smile: "Since you ask to see, there must be something." I'm going to send him away, and I'll come back to dine with you. ”

Although he complained, Ma Xin's movements were not slow. took a robe to help Zhu Zhanji put it on, and also helped him comb his hair and send him out of the door.

The Maluku Kingdom is also a rather tragic country, having been ruled by the great overlords of the South Seas since the formation of a large indigenous power in the eighth century.

From the kingdom of Waiyiri, to the kingdom of New Koshari, and to the current kingdom of Majapahit, it has taken turns to become the suzerainty of Maluku.

Until the twentieth century, the kingdom of Maluku sought independence, but without success.

When Zhu Zhanji decided to vigorously develop the Spice Islands, he decided to support the independence of the Maluku Kingdom. The spices that are abundant here will become an inexhaustible gold mine for at least the next few hundred years.

As a result, the Malugu Kingdom also became the loyal dogleg of the Ming Dynasty, relying on the Ming Dynasty to deter the Majapahit who were eyeing them.

In this Bengkulu Campaign, most of the countries in Nanyang were terrified, but the envoys of the Maluku Kingdom were pleasantly surprised.

For them, the greater the power of the Ming Dynasty, the safer their country will be.

When he came to the conference hall, Mogoyi, who was standing outside the door, saw Zhu Zhanji coming in a hurry, so he knelt down to greet Zhu Zhanji.

Zhu Zhanji showed a hint of a smile, helped him up with his own hand and said, "Even in my Daming, except for important occasions, there is no need to kneel to greet him. Aiqing doesn't have to be polite......"

This Mogoi stood up and said: "Xiao Wang came to meet this time to ask His Highness for permission to allow my royal family to go to the kingdom of Daming and learn Daming culture. ”

Zhu Zhanji didn't directly agree to him, took him into the main hall, and then asked: "Didn't you say that you would return to Ambon with me, why did you change your mind?" ”

Originally, the Maluku Kingdom had always been a vassal of the Majapahit Kingdom, but because of their weakness, they simply did not have the ability to build large ships.

This Star City gathering, just like Zhu Zhanji, the leader of the alliance, issued a convening order for the rivers and lakes, and held a gathering meeting.

The largest ship in the Malugu Kingdom was only 400 stones, and when it came to Star City, it was the Ming fleet that sent warships to pick it up.

When they arrived in Star City, Zhu Zhanji saw that they were pitiful and gave them a merchant ship of 2,000 stones.

Zhu Zhanji does not have the idea of focusing on supporting this country, mainly because of their small population and abundant resources.

The Maluku Kingdom covers the northern and southern Maluku archipelago, as well as the eastern part of Sulawesi, which is a small area of natives and a good place for immigrants.

Zhu Zhanji also wants to vigorously develop immigration in the future, so that in a few decades or hundreds of years, the number of local Chinese will soon occupy the mainstream.

And now the spice trade in the Ming Dynasty is a huge profit, when the spices are collected in the Spice Islands, they are purchased at the price of cabbage, and they can be sold at the price of meat in the Ming Dynasty, and when they arrive in Europe, they can be sold at the price of gold.

Therefore, in order to monopolize trade for a long time and not let them know the profits of the Ming Dynasty, for a long time, Zhu Zhanji did not allow the Malugu people to go to the Ming Dynasty.

Mogoi said softly: "My father has the support of the Ming Dynasty and has secured the throne. The whole Maluku has admired the Ming Dynasty for a long time, in addition to envying the prosperity of the Ming Kingdom, he has also admired the Ming culture for a long time. That's why my father will let us worship Zhongguan Yang of Shangguo as a teacher and learn the learning of Shangguo. However, Master Yang is only a rough understanding of literature and ink, and he tells us that if we want to learn the true essence of the Shangguo literature, we must go to Yingtianfu to learn it. ”

The Master Yang in his mouth is actually Yang Shuangcheng, the eunuch in charge of purchasing spices, although this person can teach Chinese and some basic etiquette, but when it comes to literary talent, of course, it is not worth mentioning.

Zhu Zhanji nodded, stared into his eyes and asked, "I'm asking, why did you suddenly change your mind?" ”

He didn't dare to look at Zhu Zhanji, and bowed his head and said: "His Royal Highness the Taisun is very kind, and he gave me a 2,000-stone giant boat." With the giant boat, Xiao Wang had the idea of going to Daming to study. ”

It turned out that the problem was still with himself, Zhu Zhanji smiled and said: "Daming, you don't have to go for the time being, with this ship, you can come directly from Maluku to Star City to trade in the future." If you lack something, report it to the inner prison here, and then they will provide you with all kinds of goods, including books.

This time, you will accompany me back to China, and when I come back from the West, I will take you to Daming at that time, and at that time, you don't have to be afraid of the wind and waves at sea, and you don't need to worry about other countries snatching ships. ”

Zhu Zhanji's words came to this point, and of course Mogoyi didn't dare to make his own assertions anymore, so he agreed.

After sending him away, Zhu Zhanji asked Sun Lin to be summoned and instructed him: "Help me investigate the dynamics of the Malugu people, check whether they are dissatisfied with the current purchase price, and if there is really a reason for this, let people properly mention the purchase price of spices." ”

Zhu Zhanji is not a person who fishes all the time, and has always advocated going hand in hand.

The money is made by the family, which is not beneficial to the development of business, only when everyone has money in their hands, the business environment can be better.

On the second day, the Ming fleet began to assemble in the early hours of the morning, and by dawn, Zhu Zhanji led the crowd to board his flagship.

On the flagship, the royal dragon flag, the four-clawed golden dragon flag, the navy flag, and the army flag were raised in turn. About one-third of the ships and half of the entire fleet will follow Zhu Zhanji all the way south.

The third of the ships were all warships, and there was not a single cargo ship except for the logistics transport ships.

Their main fleet will pass through Majapahit, Maluku, and then head to Turtle Island.

Turtle Island is the second largest island in the world, New Guinea, where the environment is harsh, except for a few cannibals, the island is uncivilized.

But Zhu Zhanji knew that there was a Glasberg gold mine, one of the largest gold mines in the world, and that Daming wanted to establish an important base on the way to Nanzhou, and this mine was very important.

In addition to the Ming fleet, nearly a hundred ships from the Majapahit Kingdom will also accompany it, and the fleet will also make a short stop on the island of Java.

There were many people who came to see him off, and almost all the envoys from various countries in Nanyang came to the wharf to see him off in person, and they would only leave for China after seeing off Zhu Zhanji.

In addition, some countries in the West will start preparations from now on to build new palaces to welcome Zhu Zhanji's arrival.

The most excited one is Shi Jinqing, he can only be regarded as an alliance leader, with the Ming Dynasty and the Manjapahit under him, and the tribes below are all yang and yin against him.

But after the Ming fleet simply killed the Bengkulu tribe and authorized him to manage the entire island of Sumatra, he can now be said to be in power.

The Majapahit Kingdom was afraid of the firearms of the Ming Dynasty, and did not dare to persecute the old port too much, and those small tribes were even more afraid of the Ming Dynasty, and they did not dare to disobey him anymore.

In order to maintain his authority, Zhu Zhanji reloaded the two fleets stationed in Nanyang with 1,000 muskets, which he could borrow from this force, although this fleet was not under his control.

Moreover, in addition to the fleet stationed in Malaka and the old port led by Daniel Zhang, Zhu Zhanji also left a fleet in Star City to build a new transshipment site.

Led by Admiral Xu Shaoguang of the Second Fleet, his mission was to build Star City into a transshipment port larger than Malaga's within two years.

In addition to these three water villages, Zhu Zhanji also appointed Zhang Qian as the local trade governor, in charge of commerce and civil affairs, and supported Zhou Hang to establish a complete intelligence network in Nanyang.

Although Zhu Zhanji left Nanyang temporarily, there will be no change in the Sinicization policy that he has already launched in Nanyang.

And after their ships set sail, Wang Jinghong also led the rest of the fleet and went to the Western Ocean with the envoys of Western countries.

Their fleet now has a large number of cargo ships, and the fleet has only 5,500 men in the young army and less than 30,000 in the navy. Although this force is also invincible in the South Seas, they still focus on safety, only trading in familiar countries, waiting for the return of the main fleet.

At this time, it was the middle of May of the fifteenth year of Yongle, and the south wind was blowing.

This is beneficial to the fleet going to the Western Ocean or returning to the Ming Dynasty, but it is very unfavorable to Zhu Zhanji and their voyage to the south.

But Zhu Zhanji had no choice, because they had to avoid the typhoon period in Nanzhou, and in this era, for a fleet, there was nothing more terrible than a typhoon.

Sailing against the wind is nothing more than slower, but if there is a typhoon, half of the fleet will probably be doomed.

On 24 May, the flotilla arrived at the western tip of the island of Java. In order to avoid the southwest monsoon of Nanzhou during this season, the fleet will not go directly to Nanzhou from the river, but will continue eastward along the coastline.

On May 26, the fleet arrived at Majapahit, the capital of the Majapahit Kingdom, which was actually the later Surabaya and was also known locally as Surabaya.

The trade between the Ming Dynasty and the Majapahit has been completed in Xinggang, and this time nearly a hundred ships of the Majapahit Kingdom are loaded with all kinds of goods from the Ming Dynasty.

There were several ships, loaded with copper and silver coins that had been transported from Daming.

Although Majapahit is a powerful country in the South Seas, it is only relative. Their smelting technology is very backward, and they have not been able to forge qualified copper coins by themselves until now.

Therefore, the commodity trading in the Nanyang region, including the Majapahit Kingdom, has always used the copper coins of the Ming Dynasty.

Those civil officials of the Ming Dynasty not only did not realize the strength of this economic control, but from time to time clamored to put an end to the outflow of copper coins from the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, this is due to the low copper production of Daming, but through the Nanyang trade, the number of copper ingots recovered by Daming every year is far more than the output of copper coins.

Also because the trade between the two sides has ended, Zhu Zhanji did not have the idea of staying in Majapahit this time.

But since you're here, if you don't stay here, you can't talk about it.

Under the warm welcome of the Manjapahit subjects, Zhu Zhanji landed in Surabaya, and the officials of the Ministry of Rites also used the most solemn etiquette to show the Ming Dynasty's etiquette and civilization to the subjects of the Majapahit Kingdom.

Zhu Zhanji's dragon chariot like a palace, Daming's neat guard of honor, and all kinds of cumbersome exquisiteness made everyone feel dumbfounded.

This country is a country that Zhu Zhanji does not want to intervene too deeply at present, because there are too many people here, because the land is fertile, and this small island has more than half of the population of Nanyang.

And this country has become the number one power because of these populations.

But at the same time, the people here believe in Hinduism, Buddhism, and green religion, and the flood of religious beliefs has led to disunity of people.

It can be said that if it is given to Zhu Zhanji here, Zhu Zhanji will not ask for it.

When the layout of Nanyang is completed, the slave trade here is developed, and the people here are sold to other regions to mine, which is what Zhu Zhanji wants to do.