Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

On the vast ocean, Zheng He's treasure fleet was like a giant dragon, sailing meanderingly.

The two-thousand-material flagship has a towering mast, full canvas, and the hull is inlaid with golden dragon patterns symbolizing the power of the Ming Dynasty, shining dazzlingly in the sun.

Wherever the entire fleet went, the waves seemed to be frightened and retreated slightly.

On this day, the lookout suddenly reported that a strange fleet appeared ahead.

Zheng He stood on the deck of the flagship and used his telescope for a while to see the increasingly clear fleet. Although the ships were not as majestic as the Ming Dynasty treasure ships, they were still quite large, with strange totems embroidered on the sails.

Soon, news came, confirming that it was the fleet of the Gambolo Kingdom on the island of Ceylon.

Zheng He frowned slightly. This country, located on an island to the west of the Strait of Malacca, had always had an ambiguous attitude toward Daming, which was not considered friendly. However, it happened to be a place that Jiang Xinghuo must control in his plan.

The island of Ceylon, later known as Sri Lanka, was first led by the leader of the Indo-Aryan tribe, the Sinhalas, to immigrate to the island. Therefore, their tribe is also called the Sinhalas and is the ethnic group with the largest population on the island of Ceylon.

Xuanzang transliterated the Sanskrit Kāī as "Sinkara" in "The Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty", and Yi Jing's "Biography of the Eminent Monk Seeking Dharma" transliterated it as "Senghale". Chinese historical records often call it "Lion Country" because of its specialty lion. .

Since the distribution of power among the kingdoms in South Tianzhu was really chaotic, Zheng He had always maintained a relatively cautious attitude towards the Kingdom of Ceylon and did not move troops rashly. However, through previous trade at the ports of several kingdoms such as Guli and Kochi, Zheng He finally figured out the situation in Nan Tianzhu.

Although there are dozens of states in South India, which seem very chaotic, these states are mainly composed of two people, one is Tamil and the other is Malayalam.

The Tamils ​​mainly believe in the "chastity sect" of Hinduism, in which individuals dedicate themselves to one god, while the Malayalam people believe in the "serpent god". The main characteristics are a matrilineal society and a large family system.

These two types of people are easy to distinguish based on their appearance, clothing and eating habits.

In appearance, the Tamils ​​have darker skin, small and flat noses, thick lips, and black, thick, and curly hair; the Rayalans originated from the Dravidians and merged with the Dravidians after the invasion of the Aryans. It was caused by large-scale intermarriage among the Tu people. Therefore, the current Rayalan people appear to have whiter skin, a moderate nose bridge, and thin lips.

In terms of eating habits, the Tamils ​​take rice as their staple food and like to eat hot and sour, coconut oil and meat dishes; the Rayalans use bamboo tubes to steam rice and coconut rice, or use coconut juice to cook rice, dried fruits, and bean rice. Poor people rely on fish and potatoes as their staple food.

But whether they are Tamils ​​or Malayalams, their clothes are similar. Men usually only wear a pair of two-meter-long trousers, and some also wear a small cloth sheet or a collarless long-sleeved silk shirt. Women like to wear gauze with gold and silver lace.

There are now two kingdoms on the island of Ceylon, one is the kingdom of the Tamils ​​and the other is the kingdom of the Sinhala people.

The Tamil Kingdom "Kingdom of Jaffna" occupies a small area on the northern coast of Ceylon Island, while the main body of Ceylon Island is occupied by the Sinhala people. The "Ceylon Kingdom" referred to by the Ming Dynasty is actually not accurate. , but generally speaking, in the concept of the Ming Dynasty, the Kingdom of Ceylon is the Kingdom of Gampolo, the kingdom of the Sinhala people.

And now the person who has the right to speak in the Kingdom of Ceylon or the Kingdom of Gampolo is the regent Ariel Kunel.

Ariel Kunel is the brother of the former regent. He failed in the coup before and fled to South Tianzhu through the Kingdom of Jaffna. Now that the former regent is dead, he came back to seize control of the Gambolo Kingdom.

However, Ariel Kunel was far inferior to his younger brother in the governance of the country. He was an extremely warlike lord. He not only trained sailors at the coastal ports of the Gambolo Kingdom, but also took advantage of his geographical advantages to rob merchant ships heading to the Managa Strait. , and even repeatedly clashed with its northern neighbors, preparing to destroy the Kingdom of Jaffna and unify the island of Ceylon.

As the two fleets gradually approached, the commander of the Gambolo Kingdom fleet sent a small boat carrying several envoys to negotiate with the Ming fleet.

The envoy from the Gambolo Kingdom slowly approached the Ming Dynasty treasure ship in a small boat, with arrogance and disdain on the envoy's face.

They wore colorful collarless long-sleeved silk shirts and held golden scepters symbolizing authority, as if they were the masters of this sea area.

Zheng He stood on the deck, behind him was a row of majestic Ming soldiers.

Zheng He was a tall man, now wearing a bullfight uniform with a jade belt hanging from his waist. He looked majestic and dignified, without anger or authority.

"Who are you? Why did you trespass into our waters without permission?"

The envoy from Gambolo Kingdom spoke first, with an arrogant tone.

Zheng He stared at them for a while and then said: "We are following the orders of the Ming Emperor to lead the fleet to patrol overseas to promote peace and promote trade. We have no intention of offending, but we just hope to establish friendly relations with your country."

The envoy from Gambolo Kingdom sneered when he heard this and said, "Da Ming? Huh, if you want to establish friendly relations, you have to pay tribute and taxes to us, otherwise you will never get past here!"

Zheng He's voice became cold and firm: "What the envoy said is wrong. We, the Ming Dynasty, are a country with rich products and strong national power. We patrol overseas to promote peace and free trade, not to bow to others. If Qi State really wants to be an enemy of Ming Dynasty, please see clearly what kind of enemy you are facing."

The envoys from the Gambolo Kingdom followed Zheng He's gaze and saw two more huge fleets emerging on the sea in the distance.

This made them suffocate!

They had assembled all the navy. They thought that although there was a slight gap in size and ship size with the Ming Dynasty fleet, it was not so big that they could not fight. But who knew that the fleet in front of them turned out to be just the Ming Dynasty's forward fleet!

When Zheng He's fleet returned last time, they didn't see the scale at all, so this time there was inevitably an information gap.

The envoys from the Gambolo Kingdom were intimidated by Zheng He's momentum and the might of the Ming army, and were speechless for a moment.

They looked at each other with uneasiness and fear in their eyes.

You know, this negotiation did not yield any benefits, but made Daming see their pretentiousness.

After a while, probably feeling really embarrassed, the envoy from Gambolo Kingdom tried to be tough again to save face.

One of the messengers cleared his throat and said loudly: "If you don't follow our rules, don't blame us for being rude."

Zheng He couldn't help but sneered when he heard this.

He took a step forward, approached the envoy, and said sternly: "You're welcome? How do you want to be rude? Do you still want to start a war with me, the Ming Dynasty?"

The translator translated Zheng He's words, and the envoy's face turned blue and white.

When Zheng He saw this, he already had a plan in mind. He turned around and said to the soldiers behind him: "Send the order and prepare for battle. If the enemy persists, let them see the power of the Ming fleet!"

The soldiers agreed in unison, and their voices shook the heaven and the earth.

The envoy from Gambolo Kingdom was so frightened that he could not move for a long time.

Although they spoke tough, deep down they were already afraid of the strength of the Ming fleet.

They know that based on the current scale, once they really take action, their fleet is no match at all.

At this time, another envoy from the Gambolo Kingdom hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over: "Envoy of the Ming Dynasty, please calm down, we have no intention of starting a war with you."

After hearing this, Zheng He felt even more confident. The envoys from the Gambolo Kingdom had begun to show weakness, which showed that they did not really have the confidence to become enemies of the Ming Dynasty. At the beginning, they probably planned to use force and verbal intimidation.

Therefore, Zheng He decided to temporarily stabilize the Gambolo Kingdom and wait until preparations were made to unite Zonglianheng.

"Since you said so, Ming Dynasty is not unreasonable. As long as the Gambolo Kingdom maintains a friendly attitude towards Ming Dynasty and no longer provokes troubles, Ming Dynasty will naturally not make things difficult for you. However, if you are stubborn and insist on becoming our enemy If so, you will have to bear the consequences.”

The envoys from the Kingdom of Gampolo nodded in agreement, saying that they would definitely convey Zheng He's words to the regent Ariel Kunel.

For these envoys, although this negotiation did not completely achieve the goal, at least it did not make the Ming Dynasty, whose fleet was far larger than they imagined, get angry and send troops. It was a blessing among misfortunes.

Upon seeing this, Zheng He stopped embarrassing them. After driving away the Gambolo Kingdom's fleet, Zheng He immediately summoned the fleet's senior officials and held an emergency meeting in the spacious conference hall of the flagship.

Everyone sat in front of a huge sea chart.

"Everyone."

Zheng He's voice was calm: "The Gambolo Kingdom is disrespectful to our Ming Dynasty and intends to provoke me. How should we respond?"

The commanders discussed one after another. Some advocated using tough measures to respond to the provocation of the Gambolo Kingdom and show the Ming Dynasty's military strength; others suggested solving the problem through diplomatic means and avoiding unnecessary conflicts.

Zheng He listened quietly to everyone's opinions and already had a plan for the next action in his mind.

Zheng He said calmly: "Although the Gambolo Kingdom has some fleets, they are nothing to us. However, the goal of this voyage to the West is to continue westward from Nantianzhu, the last destination, to meet Timur. The Khanate, Aries Dynasty, Mamluk Dynasty and other countries established diplomatic relations, carried out trade and supplies at the same time, and finally circled the entire continent in one go and arrived in Spain. Therefore, if the problem of the Gambolo Kingdom can be properly resolved, we must try to reduce our losses."

Unlike navigators from other countries who knew nothing, the Ming Dynasty's ocean-going fleet had complete globes and charts, as well as the most advanced positioning methods.

This is equivalent to Teacher Jiang telling you the standard answer. You just need to follow the steps. There are not too many unknown dangers.

Therefore, although the journey is far away, it is not difficult. It only requires walking along the edge of the continent. It just tests the logistics and the endurance of the sailors.

And now that a contract has been reached with the Timur Khanate, the supply problem is no longer a problem. After experiencing these several ocean voyages, the sailors of Zheng He's fleet are no longer inexperienced rookies. They have very clear goals and routes. On the premise that they can withstand the pain of long journeys, there are also sheep and cats on board.

It is precisely because Zheng He's fleet has a clear goal that he does not intend to invest too many resources in the Gambolo Kingdom, causing the entire fleet to suffer losses.

If there is a large-scale naval battle and the fleet suffers major losses, it will have to return to repair the ship. This will lead to the failure of the plan to reach Spain, which Zheng He cannot tolerate.

Of course, Daming was not a vegetarian either.

"We must not only demonstrate our national prestige, but also maintain rationality. I think a two-pronged strategy should be adopted."

Zheng He paused and continued: "On the one hand, let the fleet be ready for battle and respond to possible conflicts with the Gambolo Kingdom at any time. On the other hand, we must also send envoys to contact the Gambolo Kingdom. We must also contact the Kingdom of Jaffna established by the Tamils. Judging from the Tamil states in South India, the Tamils ​​are quite keen on trade and are willing to interact with the Ming Dynasty. If we can borrow a channel from the Kingdom of Jaffna, , but it can save a lot of trouble.”

Wang Jinghong then said: "We, the Ming Dynasty, are a country of etiquette, but we are not afraid of any provocation. Therefore, we must not only show our national power, but also avoid the abuse of force. This is to practice courtesy before fighting. But if the Gambolo Kingdom persists, then it must give it Lessons should be learned.”

Other fleet executives also expressed their agreement with the two opinions.

"Okay! Since everyone agrees, let's act according to this plan."

Everyone heard the words and agreed in unison.

Following Zheng He's order, the entire Ming Dynasty fleet was mobilized, and the soldiers were busy one after another. Some inspected weapons and equipment, some inspected watertight cabins, and some prepared emergency medicines. The entire fleet was filled with a tense and nervous atmosphere. sequence atmosphere.

At the same time, Zheng He also personally selected several shrewd and capable envoys to go to the Kingdom of Jaffna for diplomatic negotiations.

While the fleet was preparing intensively for war and the envoys were busy preparing, Zheng He was not idle. Zheng He was not the kind of careless person. Although he believed that the strength of the Gambolo Kingdom was not strong, the preparations should be the same. He must not leave anything behind. He always pays attention to the dynamics of the Gambolo Kingdom fleet, collects intelligence through various channels, and repeatedly discusses response plans with the fleet commanders to ensure that he can respond quickly when encountering emergencies.

But Zheng He's preparations actually didn't come in handy. The only fleet that the Gambolo Kingdom could use didn't actually have the consciousness to "take a bite out of the Ming Dynasty fleet even if it's all it takes", and didn't even dare to monitor it. Seeing that the Ming Dynasty fleet was heading west, I thought it was going to South Tianzhu to do business like last time, so I returned to my home port in despair, breaking away from contact with the Ming Dynasty fleet.

The envoys sent by Zheng He also embarked on a journey to the Kingdom of Jaffna. They crossed the rough seas and sailed for more than ten days before finally arriving at the northern part of Ceylon Island.

Based on a long historical tradition, the Tamil people distributed in northern Sri Lanka and southern India can be called an ancient maritime people. Long before the Age of Discovery, they had sailed to the Red Sea in the west and Java in the east. the vast sea area.

As an important part of current maritime trade, the Kingdom of Jaffna established by the Tamils ​​mainly exports cinnamon and other spices, as well as betel nut, gems, elephants and other commodities, while importing rice, sugar, textiles and other commodities .

The main cities of the Kingdom of Jaffna are Jaffna City across the sea from South Tianzhu in the north, and Trincomalee City in the east. Both cities are port cities.

The task of the Ming army envoys was to clarify the Ming Dynasty's friendly wishes to the King of Jaffna, to express the desire to maintain peace and promote free trade, and to tentatively propose the possibility of jointly dealing with the Gambolo Kingdom.

Officials of the Kingdom of Jaffna warmly received the Ming envoys and led them to the palace to meet the king.

In the palace, the King of the Kingdom of Jaffna hit it off with the arrival of the Ming envoy, and the two sides quickly agreed on terms.

The Tamils ​​are completely different from the Sinhala people. They know very well what kind of existence the Ming Dynasty is.

The envoy reported the good news to Zheng He, and Zheng He was very excited after hearing it.

But the news that came later directly made Zheng He determined to eliminate the Ariel Kunel regime.

——Ariel Kunel killed the envoy sent by Zheng He!

Therefore, Zheng He once again sent an envoy to contact the Kingdom of Jaffna, and the Kingdom of Jaffna agreed to the request to borrow the road.

However, the cautious Tamils ​​only opened the eastern port of Trincomalee for the landing of the Ming army. They did not dare to give their capital Jaffna to the Ming army, and clearly told the Ming army that they would not send troops to assist.

The meaning is also very obvious. While waiting for the Ming army to go to war with the Gambolo Kingdom, they also gather their troops to prevent the Ming army from destroying Guo by "false means" and swallowing themselves up.

After successfully forming an alliance with the Kingdom of Jaffna, the next plan of the Ming fleet became clear - they planned to use the infantry accompanying the ship to land in Trincomalee City controlled by the Kingdom of Jaffna, and then march south to take Gampolo The capital of the kingdom, thereby avoiding the loss of the fleet and changing the leader of the Gambolo Kingdom.

This plan is quite reasonable, because even if the Ming fleet defeats the Gambolo Kingdom fleet, the final result is to land in order to physically eliminate Ariel Kunel, so it is better to do it in one step and land directly through the passage.

During Zheng He's voyage to the West, the fleet had a total of 800 officers and generals, 20,000 sailors and oarsmen, and 7,000 soldiers.

Therefore, Zheng He planned to send one Qianhu heavy armored infantry, two Qianhu light armored infantry, a Qianhu firearms unit, and hundreds of cavalry. In his eyes, these forces were enough to sweep through these small countries. .

After all, only the fleet of the Gambolo Kingdom looks decent, and its land combat effectiveness can be described as "unbearable".

This is also the case. After landing in Trincomalee City, the Ming army infantry did not stop, but immediately marched southward and went straight to the capital of the Gampolo Kingdom.

After hearing the news of the Ming army's incoming attack, the regent of the Gambolo Kingdom, Ariel Kunel, hurriedly mobilized his troops to prepare for the battle.

Outside the capital, the plains were covered with nearly ten thousand troops. Gambolo's soldiers were wearing colorful uniforms and holding various weapons. Their faces were painted with war patterns, and the sounds of war drums and shouts were intertwined. Together, the ground was shaking.

The Ming army's infantry and cavalry were clearly outnumbered, but they were ready to charge.

The heavy armored infantry formed a tight formation, wearing heavy armor. Some held shields and others held spears. The cavalry rode on tall horses, holding spears and swords.

Following the order, the Ming army began to attack.

The Ming army's footsteps were uniform. The infantry protected their bodies with shields and stabbed the enemy with spears like a forest. The cavalry used the speed and impact of their horses to disrupt the enemy's formation on the flanks and cut the enemy's formation into pieces. Eight falls.

The firearms of the Ming army also played a huge role. Amidst the roar of artillery, explosive shells exploded in the enemy's formation, blowing the enemy's flesh and blood everywhere.

The fire gunmen started shooting after roughly aiming at the enemy. As the sound of "bang bang bang" sounded, their bullets were like the scythe of death, harvesting the lives of the enemies.

Gambolo's soldiers were retreating steadily under the charge of the Ming army.

These enemies, who had never fought a tough battle, were quickly dispersed. Losing a complete formation was equivalent to losing their organization, and their morale quickly dropped.

Although some warriors who were not afraid of death fought hard, they soon fell into a desperate situation under the powerful offensive of the Ming army.

Gambolo's army was retreating steadily. Seeing that the situation was over, Ariel Kunel wanted to organize a final counterattack, but it was already too late. Subsequently, the Ming army poured into the capital of the Gambolo Kingdom like a tide, completely defeating the remaining enemy forces in the city.

Ariel Kunel tried to escape in the chaos, but was eventually captured by the Ming army.

When he was brought to Zheng He, his previous rebelliousness had disappeared without a trace. Seeing his dejected look, Zheng He just said to the translator calmly: "Translate for him, translate 'South Vietnam Killing The Han envoys were slaughtered into nine counties; the king of Wan killed the Han envoys, and their heads were hung on the North Tower; the Koreans killed the Han envoys, and they were immediately killed." What does it mean?"

Ariel Kunel was speechless. He could only lower his head silently and accept his fate, which was to become a prisoner of the Ming army and be sent to Nanjing to be paraded as prisoners.

As the capital of the Gambolo Kingdom was breached, the local royal sage Xieban Naye, who advocated remaining moderate towards the Ming Dynasty, was established as king. The prestige of the Ming Dynasty fleet near South Tianzhu also reached its peak.

At the same time, Zheng He also obtained a treasure, the tooth relic of the Buddha.

The tooth of the Buddha is the tooth of Sakyamuni. After the body of Sakyamuni was cremated, the tooth remained intact and is called the tooth relic of the Buddha. It is of very important significance in Buddhism.

After writing the "Stele of Giving to the Buddhist Temple in Mount Ceylon", Zheng He solemnly took out the tooth relic of the Buddha.

Bringing the Buddha's Tooth Relic back to the Ming Dynasty will undoubtedly make Zhu Di's rule more legitimate in the hearts of Buddhists.

Next, Zheng He successfully conducted trade with southern Tianzhu states such as Jiale, Xiaogelan, Kochi, and Guli, and established trading strongholds (called "official factories" in the Ming Dynasty) and taxation strongholds (called "official factories" in the Ming Dynasty). as a 'point draw').

Because in addition to the gifts for rewards, Zheng He's fleet also carried the Ming Dynasty's flagship products, such as silk, porcelain, tea, cotton textiles, etc. Before the Ming Dynasty completed its currency reform, barter was still used.

Both parties use a high-five pricing method that is very contractual.

Take the Guri Kingdom as an example. After the Ming Dynasty fleet arrived, the Ming army was responsible for bringing the goods to the trading place. The two parties negotiated and set the price face to face under the auspices of their respective senior officials. In the end, the two parties high-fived each other to sign the deal. Once they made a decision, they would never regret it.

At the same time, after two voyages, coupled with the information traded from foreign merchants, Zheng He's fleet also completely figured out the route from Ming Dynasty to South Tianzhu, and mapped out the "Sail from Bao Shipyard, Depart from Longjiang Pass and Directly Di" "Southern Tianzhu Map", this chart includes dozens of countries, accurately records the course, voyage, the distribution of anchor ports, reefs, and shoals. There are more than ten sailing places and dozens of routes.

Next, after a long voyage, the fleet arrived at the port controlled by the Timur Khanate.

The port here is busy and orderly, with merchants gathering, and people of all colors trading and communicating here, and there are even Europeans inside.

The arrival of Zheng He's fleet also attracted great attention from the Timur Khanate.

Under Khalil's clear instructions, the officials of the Timur Khanate warmly received the Ming envoys and provided them with sufficient supplies.

The Ming Dynasty fleet also sold its inventory of antique firearms and weapons seized from the Mongols to the Timur Khanate as agreed, in exchange for a large amount of gold.

As for the food at the back, naturally the fleets of Annan and Champa came to take care of it.

Ming Dynasty did not want Khalil to gain an overwhelming advantage in the civil war to reunify the Timurid Khanate, nor did he want Khalil to be physically visited by his fourth uncle carrying a machete, so he could only use this method to transfuse Khalil's blood.

After replenishing supplies, Zheng He's fleet continued to sail westward, and soon arrived at the Persian Gulf area controlled by the Aries Dynasty (located in today's eastern Iraq and western Iran).

The Aries Dynasty was established by the Turkmen people. "Aries" is a free translation of the Turkic language and is transliterated as "Aker Yonglu". It was named because the white sheep pattern was painted on its flag as a symbol. It was originally a loose alliance of the Turkmen nomadic tribes. Alliance, East and Black Sheep Dynasty are neighbors, and the two have long been hostile to each other.

Later, Kara Osman was supported by various Turkmen nomadic tribes. As the leader of the alliance, he founded the Aries Dynasty, which was a tributary of the Timur Empire. He also accepted the conscription and participated in the Battle of Ankara as part of the Timurid Khanate. Because of his military exploits , Timur granted the Diyarbakir region in eastern Turkey to Kara Osman. The current capital of the Aries Dynasty is the city of Diyarbakır.

As a vassal state of the Timur Khanate, the Aries Dynasty had the ambition to completely get rid of the Timur Khanate at this time, but it was still greatly influenced by the other party and needed to wait and see the situation of the civil war in the Timur Khanate. Therefore, Kara... When Osman heard about the arrival of the Ming Dynasty fleet, he was very cooperative and personally led his troops to greet them. The two parties had a pleasant conversation and signed a trade contract.

After leaving the territory of the Aries Dynasty, starting from the Persian Gulf, Zheng He's fleet headed non-stop to the Red Sea occupied by the Mamluk Dynasty.

This dynasty in Egypt and Syria had the same attitude as the Aries Dynasty. It had long received a message from the new Khan Khalil, and also expressed a warm welcome to the arrival of the Ming Dynasty fleet.

Great conversation +1

Trade Contract +1

However, the Sultan of the Mamluk Dynasty also specially sent an envoy to the Ming Dynasty to meet Zhu Di along with some of the returning ships of Zheng He's fleet, in order to further strengthen the friendly relations between the two countries.

The Mamluk dynasty was brilliant. They had defeated the Mongolian expedition, and they also understood how powerful the Ming Empire in the east of the world had just defeated the Timur Khanate.

The influence of the Timur Khanate on the Aries Dynasty and the Mamluk Dynasty is different. The Aries Dynasty is a subsidiary state of the Timur Khanate and is obliged to fight with the Timur Khanate, while the Mamluk Dynasty The Kremlin Dynasty was just a vassal state of the Timur Khanate. It didn't listen to the tune or the propaganda. At most, it paid tribute and appeared to surrender.

Therefore, the Mamluk dynasty wanted to "struggle far away and attack closely", establish a good relationship with the Ming Dynasty, and use the Ming Dynasty to completely get rid of the influence of the Timur Khanate.

It's almost like shouting to Khalil: "Look, I pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty. I am a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. If you have anything to do, go to the Ming Dynasty."

It was not that Zheng He failed to see the intention of the Mamluk sultan, but he did not reject it either.

Departing from the Red Sea, Zheng He's fleet soon arrived in East Africa's Mugudushu, Brawa, Malin and other countries.

The kings of these countries, no, to be precise, the chiefs, were surprised and excited by the arrival of the Ming fleet. They sent envoys to welcome Zheng He and led Zheng He and his party to visit the local simple palaces, markets and religious sites. .

Zheng He introduced them to the Ming Dynasty, and they also showed Zheng He the local customs and unique culture.

But after leaving East Africa and continuing southward, traces of civilization gradually disappeared.

At the intersection of the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, Zheng He finally saw the Cape of Good Hope that Jiang Xinghuo mentioned.

Of course, Jiang Xinghuo's geographical knowledge was not that sophisticated here. What Zheng He saw was actually Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of the African continent, also known as "Angle of Needle."

But none of this matters anymore.

Zheng He's fleet faced great difficulties. This is the confluence of the warm ocean currents from the Indian Ocean and the cold ocean currents from the Antarctic. The strong westerly jet currents set off constant stormy waves, and strong winds and huge waves rage here all year round.

There is even the most terrifying "murder wave"!

The front part of this kind of wave is like a cliff, and the back part is like a gentle hillside. The wave height is generally 15-20 meters. It occurs frequently in winter. Here, "killer waves" are sometimes added to "rotating waves" caused by polar winds. "When these two waves are superimposed, the entire sea rolls like a boiling pot, forming one of the most dangerous navigation areas in the world.

As the largest ocean-going fleet in the world today, Zheng He's fleet can be said to be invincible in the world. The only thing that can be called an "enemy" is nature.

When the fleet slowly sailed into this sea area, the sky suddenly became gloomy, and the dense dark clouds seemed to swallow the entire sea surface.

Then, the howling wind whipped up layers of huge waves, slamming hard on the hull of the fleet. Even the treasure ships with 1,500 or even 2,000 materials were already equivalent to later frigates or light destroyers in terms of tonnage. But in the face of this terrifying natural power, it is still as small as a fallen leaf floating on the sea.

Although the ships of the Ming fleet were strong, they had to stagger and move forward in the face of such a storm.

The sailors on the ship clung to the ropes in their hands and tried to maintain their balance.

Many people's eyes revealed fear of the unknown. This was a terrifying sea condition they had never encountered before.

Zheng He stared at the turbulent sea ahead and began to order to adjust the course and stay as far away from the coastal currents near the land as possible.

The visible land seems to make people feel safe and will not lose their way, but in this complicated situation, staying away from the longshore current is the most correct choice.

Following Zheng He's orders, the fleet began to slowly adjust its course. They tried to avoid the center of the storm, but the strong winds and huge waves seemed not to let them go.

Every time the ship rocked, it was really frightening.

In the storm, some smaller ships were overturned by huge waves, some sails were destroyed by strong winds, and many people were injured due to the bumping back and forth. Even if they fell, they would have bruises on their noses and faces, and there were even cases of internal bleeding that could not be saved. Back. But after a long period of suffering, Zheng He's fleet finally sailed away from the storm.

Everyone couldn't help but cheer when they saw the clear sky and calm sea again.

The next journey was much smoother, and Zheng He's fleet soon arrived at the Spanish Kingdom of Castile.

In this era, the Kingdom of Castile was basically equivalent to Spain. The kingdom was named after its founder, Castile. Castile unified the Leon region 180 years ago and then successively conquered it. Lower Córdoba, Murcia and Seville pushed the southern frontier to the Atlantic coast, and his son Alfonso X compiled the famous "Charter of Castile" (also known as the "Code of Seven Chapters"). 》), so at this time, European countries generally regarded the Castilian court and Spain as one.

The king of the Kingdom of Castile in Spain at this time was Henry III, the same one who sent Claviyo as an envoy to the Tamerlane Khanate.

In fact, even though there were losses when passing through the southern tip of Africa, Zheng He's fleet was the largest in the world in terms of size, ships, personnel, and equipment.

The local people were shocked by this huge fleet, and they rushed to the streets to watch this rare spectacle.

The treasure ship was like a moving castle, with flags flying on the deck and cargo piled up in the cabin. People of all kinds shuttled through it, busy and orderly. Zheng He ordered the hatch to be opened to display rare treasures from the East, such as silk, porcelain, and tea. , spices, cotton textiles. These items, which are extremely rare in the West, dazzled the nobles and merchants of Castile.

Soon, Zheng He met with King Henry III of Castile, and they expressed their respect for each other by giving each other gifts.

Henry III expressed a warm welcome to Zheng He's visit and agreed to establish long-term trade relations with the Ming Dynasty.

News of the arrival of the Armada from the far East quickly spread from Spain to all corners of Europe.

Europe at this time was actually still in quite a state of chaos.

King Joao I of Portugal in the south of Spain was busy competing for trade with the Moors in North Africa at this time. The fleet led by his son Prince Henry would rob the Moors in the southern Mediterranean from time to time. Oh, by the way, this Prince Henry can also do it It is said that he is the person who started the Western Age of Discovery, but in this time and space, he obviously does not have this opportunity.

The United Kingdom and France in the north of Spain are in the twenty-year truce period of the famous "Hundred Years' War between England and France". Both sides are in a state of domestic exhaustion and it is impossible to fight anymore. In another seven years, when the British return With full blood, Britain and France will resume war.

If the historical line had not changed, King Henry V of England would have defeated the powerful in the Battle of Agincourt, killing more than half of the French nobles, extinguishing many French families, and forcing France to sign the Treaty of Troyes. .

Further to the northeast, in the German region of Central Europe, although it was not in a state of large-scale war, it was not peaceful either. The emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was not as powerful as Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, and the tendency of separation among the princes and free cities in various places was very obvious.

Continuing to look eastward, in the Bohemian region of Central Europe close to Eastern Europe, an anti-traditional priest named "Huss" is preaching in various places. Just understand this person as "Bohemian Zhangjiao", and ten years later Years later, his followers and supporters would start the famous Hussite War.

As for other forces such as the Kingdom of Hungary, the Knights Hospitaller, and the Republic of Venice, they have not fully recovered from the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Nicopolis in the last Crusade. The Swiss Confederation has also begun to gradually transform from the Holy Roman Empire. become independent from control.

Further to the southeast is the Ottoman Turkish Empire, which Bayezid I has just returned to.

The change in the historical line can best be described by the butterfly effect. The impact of the Ming Dynasty's expedition to defeat the Timur Khanate is gradually spreading around the world. By defeating the Timur Khanate and establishing diplomatic relations with Khalil, the Ming Dynasty gained the Middle East and West Asia. With the respect of this important country, Zheng He's fleet was able to supply supplies and complete the feat of circumnavigating Africa and reaching Western Europe.

Facing the Ming Dynasty fleet, not all countries behaved very friendly.

The first one to take the thorn was the United Kingdom.

At this time, Britain was under the rule of Henry IV. The first English king of the Lancastrian dynasty had to endure leprosy amid protests from Parliament while organizing nobles to recruit a fleet to defend Britain's maritime interests. .

In fact, Henry IV did not want to be an enemy of the Ming Dynasty fleet at all. The reason was very simple. Just last year, Henry IV, who was in the wrong position, had just put down the rebellion started by the Earl of Marshall, the Earl of Northumberland and the Archbishop of York, Richard Scrup. After the rebellion and the civil war, the British army was quite exhausted.

But Henry IV had no choice. He was the grandson of Edward III and the son of the Duke of Lancaster. Logically speaking, he had nothing to do with the British throne. In fact, he came to the throne because he was supported by the British Parliament.

From the time Henry IV ascended the throne to the present, in order to maintain his unjustly obtained throne, the civil war has almost never stopped. Every year Henry IV has to engage in fierce bargaining with Parliament to obtain taxes, and Parliament also pays for it. Every cent of tax money was used to criticize Henry's various policies. This time, it was because Parliament asked the king to defend their maritime interests that Henry IV had to be tough on the Ming Dynasty's fleet.

Because an obvious fact is that as an island country, Britain has maritime trade as an important source of income. The sudden intrusion of the behemoth of the Ming Dynasty fleet will inevitably greatly affect its interests, while other major countries in Europe are less dependent on maritime trade.

Therefore, after making a "careful" estimate, the British Parliament agreed that Britain should teach the Ming Dynasty fleet a small lesson to let these Easterners from afar know who is the master here.