Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

The sea breeze, with its salty, wet and bloody smell, swept across the turbulent sea.

The sunset was like blood, and the battle at sea had come to an end. The broken wreckage of the warships was scattered all over the ground, like the remains of a giant beast, swaying in the rolling waves.

The bodies of the Spanish soldiers were floating on the sea in all directions. Some of them were unrecognizable, some were missing limbs, and some were already swollen. This scene was really like floating corpses like fish.

This was just the cruelty of the war at sea, and it was a one-sided massacre. This fleet carrying nearly 10,000 Spanish soldiers was buried here.

Wang Wuqing looked at the results of the battle, and his face was already accustomed to it. In fact, he had done this kind of thing a lot in the Indian Ocean.

The Ming Dynasty now had huge ships and heavy artillery, and it was impossible for them to have opponents at sea. Not to mention destroying the Spanish navy, even if they immediately dominated the entire Mediterranean, there would definitely be no resistance.

Wang Wuqing naturally looked down on the so-called spoils of war. With a wave of his hand, the three three-masted gunboats left here immediately.

The sea breeze at this time brought bursts of wailing, the waves brought bursts of waves, and several seagulls pecking at the remains of the dead made sharp cries, as if telling the endless sadness after this naval battle.

In the main battlefield, the battle also came to an end.

After the Port of Cadiz was hit by rounds of fierce artillery bombardment by the Ming Dynasty, nearly a hundred sailing ships parked in the port were sunk, and the houses on the shore were blazing, and the wailing of being buried in the sea of ​​fire came from time to time.

This port, which was just one of the most prosperous ports in Europe, has now become a hell on earth, and the peninsula country of Spain is losing its maritime power.

It's just that this is the inevitability of the times. This vast ocean is destined to have and only one owner, and this owner is the Ming Empire, the powerful dragon going out to sea.

Wang Zhi, wearing a bullfighting suit, stood on the deck of the ship, looking at the destroyed port, his face was calm, and there was no joy in his heart.

The fleet built by the Ming Dynasty at a huge cost is naturally invincible in the world, and this time it is just a small test. The biggest problem now is how to completely conquer all the countries in Western Europe.

Wang Wuqing has led the fleet back and reported the results of their just-completed annihilation, and then asked seriously: "Godfather, what should we do next?"

"You lead your troops back to Tangier for a rest!" Wang Zhi already had a plan in his mind, but he made arrangements.

Tangier belongs to the African plate, located at the mouth of Tangier Bay in the Strait of Gibraltar, only 11 to 15 kilometers away from the Eurasian continent. Ships heading east to the Mediterranean and west to the Atlantic Ocean must pass or anchor here, and its strategic position is very important.

Historically, Tangier has been occupied by foreigners many times, and the flames of war have been lingering on this land.

Soon after the Phoenicians built the city, the Kelfakels drove the Phoenicians out of Tangier; soon, the Vandals occupied it again; after the Vandals, the Romans also came here and turned Tangier into the capital of the Dingitana Province of Mauritania; after the Romans came the Byzantines; after the Byzantines came the Visigoths; in the 7th century AD, the Arabs occupied Tangier and renamed it Tanger, which means "vast bay", and they stayed here until the 15th century.

In 1471, Portugal occupied the city, but Portugal encountered the Ming people. Now this ancient city has fallen into the hands of the Atlantic Governor's Office of the Ming Dynasty and has become the temporary location of the Atlantic Governor's Office of the Ming Dynasty.

When Wang Wuqing heard that he was going to arrange a return voyage, he immediately said anxiously: "Godfather, my fleet still has shells, let me follow you!"

"You go back and refill the shells, and you and Wang Wuxi will take Gibraltar together! If you think this arrangement is inappropriate, then Wang Wuchou and Wang Wuxi will carry out the mission together!" Wang Zhi knew that this godson was loyal to him, but he said lightly.

Tangier is located at the southern end of the Strait of Gibraltar, and Gibraltar is located at the northern end of the Strait of Gibraltar. The two can completely control the entrance to the Mediterranean and can also take care of each other.

"Godfather, I will go back to refill the ammunition and take Gibraltar!" Wang Wuqing was immediately excited, and then he said curiously: "Godfather, I am a little worried about you, I wonder where you are going?"

"Lisbon!"

Wang Zhi did not choose to march into the Mediterranean immediately, nor did he stop the pace of attack, so he ordered the fleet to go to Lisbon Port to completely destroy the Portuguese navy.

Unlike those civil servants who were full of benevolence and morality, he was a very pragmatic official in his bones, and he clearly felt what kind of situation the emperor needed.

Western Europe did not have the resources that the Ming Dynasty coveted at present, nor did it need to immigrate people here from afar. Now it only needed to prevent them from reaching America or the Indian Ocean.

That was why his goal of coming here was very clear. He wanted to dominate this sea area with his indestructible cannons, and also to cripple the maritime countries led by Spain and Portugal.

With the intervention of the Atlantic Governor's Office, the war in Italy quietly changed.

"If our reinforcements don't come, how can I take Gaeta?" The Spanish commander Gonzalo was dumbfounded when he got the latest military information.

People familiar with geography know that France borders Italy, but Spain is separated from the Italian peninsula by France, and Spain's reinforcements can only be delivered by sea in the Mediterranean.

Spain had already gained an absolute advantage. It only needed reinforcements to reach the Italian peninsula, and then the French army there would become a group of lambs to be slaughtered.

It's just that the reinforcements couldn't arrive on time, and the real situation was worse than he thought, so the messenger hesitated.

"Our reinforcements were wiped out?"

"How could those broken ships of the French Navy compare with us?"

"It was... the Ming fleet in the East, they wiped out our reinforcements at sea and bombed our Port of Cadiz!"

Gonzalo was immediately dizzy after learning the real situation.

If the country didn't send reinforcements, it would be fine, but now they were wiped out by the suddenly appearing Ming fleet, then they Spain not only lost a powerful army, but also lost most of their fleet.

After suffering such a big loss this time, even if they really took Gaeta and seized the Italian peninsula, what could they use to defend this territory?

You know, King Charles VIII of France led the army to capture this place, but he had just left, and the place was snatched by several forces.

The situation in Western Europe is quietly changing, but the internal contradictions will only become more and more intensified, and the struggle around the Italian peninsula may no longer be 56 years, but will last for a hundred years, or even longer.

The next morning, the prosperous Lisbon turned into a hell on earth.

The roar of the naval guns broke the tranquility of the early morning, and the shells streaked across the sky like meteors, accurately hitting every corner of Lisbon Port.

The ships in the port were instantly reduced to ashes under the baptism of artillery fire, and the raging fire spread to the houses on the coast, reflecting the sky here red.

The screams, cries, and shouts of the people in Portugal were mixed together, and they were in chaos, with collapsed walls and burning flames everywhere. They fled everywhere, looking for a place to hide from the artillery fire, but under this sky of artillery fire, where is the real safe place?

Atlantic Governor Wang Zhi looked at all this with cold eyes, without any pity or sympathy in his heart, only firm determination and cold killing intent.

He knew that his behavior was not accepted by the world, but this was the only way for the Ming Dynasty to dominate the ocean, and Lisbon became a small roadblock that blocked the Ming Dynasty's path.

As for himself, he no longer cared about the world's evaluation. Whether it was the former Emperor Chenghua or the current Emperor Hongzhi, he was the sharpest knife of the emperor.

The artillery fire lasted for an incense stick of time, and the port of Lisbon gradually turned into a hell on earth.

The streets were full of collapsed houses and burning flames, and the air was filled with the smell of burnt and blood. The cries and groans of the people came one after another, intertwined with the roar of artillery fire, forming a tragic symphony.

For ordinary people, the time of an incense stick may be just a short moment, but for the port of Lisbon at this moment, it is an eternal nightmare.

As the bombardment stopped, there was only a ruin of a destroyed port and houses reduced to ashes.

The Atlantic destroyed the ports of the two countries one after another, and this news exploded throughout Europe like a heavy bomb.

"Oh, my God, are the Eastern countries so strong?"

"I didn't believe it before when they said Columbus was wiped out, but it turned out to be true!"

"Spain and Portugal have the strongest fleets in Europe, and they are gone just like that?"

...

After learning that Spain and Portugal, the European maritime hegemons, were wiped out, Western European countries had to re-examine the mysterious Eastern countries and realized that their strength was a hundred times worse than that of the Ming Dynasty.

Although more and more Ming merchant ships have come here to engage in commodity trade in recent years, for various reasons, they have never believed that the Ming fleet has surpassed them.

It's just that the Ming fleet appeared and quickly annihilated the maritime forces of Spain and Portugal, which made the European nobles begin to realize that the maritime power of the Ming Empire was far beyond their imagination.

The ships of the Ming Dynasty were larger, faster, stronger, and equipped with more advanced artillery. Anyone who dared to offend the Ming Dynasty would die.

It's just that the heavy news spread one by one, Gibraltar was occupied by the Atlantic Governor's Office of the Ming Dynasty, and the Strait of Gibraltar was controlled by the Atlantic Governor's Office.

It was at this time that the Atlantic Governor's Office issued the imperial edict of the Ming Emperor to ban sea trade: "I have received the mandate from heaven, and I have been entrusted with the task of ruling the world. My power is spread across the four seas and has benefited all. Now, looking at the Western countries, merchant ships are constantly coming and going, but the management of the waterways is not clear. I think that the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean is a gift from heaven and a product of the earth, and it should belong to our Ming Dynasty. From today on, all ships entering the Atlantic Ocean from the Strait of Gibraltar must register with the Atlantic Governor's Office... Waiting for the permission of the Governor's Office, they can sail freely and without restrictions. If anyone enters the Atlantic Ocean without authorization, all those belonging to our Ming Dynasty will be attacked... I hope that Western European countries will obey my orders, jointly maintain the peace of the sea routes, and share the prosperity of trade. This is my decree!"

This sacred message was conveyed, and the countries adjacent to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea knew that their seaports were blocked.

However, most countries were not affected. After all, their maritime trade was mainly concentrated in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, and they hardly set foot in the Atlantic Ocean.

Even if they set foot in the Atlantic Ocean, they still had to pay shipping fees to Spain or Portugal. After all, there had always been a force controlling the port of Gibraltar, and now it was just a new owner.

The Ming Dynasty's Atlantic Governor's Office controlling the Strait of Gibraltar did not have much impact. They were more interested in fighting for territory and did not care about the so-called ownership of the Atlantic Ocean.

France was called "Gaul" in ancient times. In the 5th century, the Franks moved here and established the Frankish Kingdom. From the 10th to the 14th century, during the reign of the Capetian dynasty, it was renamed the Kingdom of France.

Located in the western part of the European continent, it has an advantageous geographical location, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. It is a land-sea composite country and is considered one of the best locations in Europe.

The terrain of France is high in the southeast and low in the northwest, with plains accounting for two-thirds of the total area. It has many rivers and lakes, such as the Seine, Rhone, Loire, etc. These rivers provide important water resources for French agriculture.

France is different from Spain and Portugal in their reliance on overseas countries. They have fertile land at home, so they have no worries about food, and there is no urgency to risk going overseas to pan for gold.

Seine river, city of Paris.

During the Hundred Years' War between England and France that began in 1337, the city of Paris was severely damaged, but French King Francois I once again made Paris the capital after the war and rebuilt it.

The Louvre had not yet been built during this period, but the French king's castle was already quite spectacular.

But today, the castle looked very grand, with the ground covered with precious carpets, and it was welcoming the Atlantic Governor Wang Zhi who controlled the Strait of Gibraltar.

"Governor Wang is here in person. I am very grateful!" French King Louis XII personally came to the castle to greet him and expressed his great honor for Wang Zhi's arrival.

He was originally just a small duke. Because the last French king, Charles VIII, died without an heir, he gave up his original engagement with his niece Jeanne de France and married Charles VIII's widow Anne of Brittany and inherited it. throne.

In this matter, he received financial support from Wang Zhi, who was the then Governor-General of India. Otherwise, he might not have had a chance to sit on the French throne, or it might not have been so smooth.

This time he also begged Wang Zhi to take action, otherwise his strategy on the Italian Peninsula would have failed and the entire Italian Peninsula would surely fall into Spanish hands.

Wang Zhi, who was wearing a bullfight uniform, looked elegant. He still held a white paper fan in his hand as he had for ten years: "Your Majesty the King, you are so polite!" As he said that, his eyes lit up slightly and he dressed up behind him. The woman greeted her and said: "This beautiful lady, you are Her Majesty the Queen, right? I have always heard that Her Majesty the Queen is the most beautiful woman in Europe. When I see her today, I am really ashamed of myself!"

Although Anne has been married for the second time, she is only twenty-six years old this year, which is the age when women are most beautiful and moving. When she received such praise, the corners of her mouth raised: "Governor Wang, thank you for the compliment. You also have the charm of an oriental man. "

Her life was either fortunate or unfortunate. Fortunately, she was the only daughter of Duke Francis II and became the owner of the Duchy of Brittany.

But this kind of luck also brought her misfortune. Her marriage would determine the future of the Principality of Brittany. At a young age, Anne had many suitors from all over the world. As a result, King Charles VIII of France sent troops to Brittany to seize the bride. .

After the death of King Charles VIII of France, because her throne was more closely related to the king of France, she was forced to marry Louis XII. This political marriage ensured that the territory of France would not change and Louis XII became a noble. a new spokesperson for our interests.

King Louis XII of France looked at the two men eye-to-eye. If he hadn't known that Wang Zhi was a eunuch, he would have been extremely jealous: "Governor Wang, please come in!"

Wang Zhi nodded gently and walked towards the palace.

Whether he was in Nanyang or the Indian Ocean, he was very arrogant when facing the kings of various countries. This is not because of his arrogance, but because their Ming fleet naturally has the capital to become the guests of various countries. (End of chapter)