The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"Siyun, do you think that after Lin Feng failed to attack Manila, will he return to the Ming Dynasty or find another place to settle overseas, just like Zhang Lian?"

"Wei Gelao, it's hard to say. I will order them to track down Lin Feng."

"Lin Feng's whereabouts must be checked, but since there are Japanese pirates in Luzon, shouldn't the Ming Dynasty navy chase them and wipe them out?"

The two were talking in the house. When Wei Guangde mentioned that the Ming Dynasty's South China Sea navy should go to Luzon Island to encircle and suppress Lin Feng, Liu Shouyou couldn't help but dilate his pupils.

He had already realized Wei Guangde's plan.

He knew it, but the current situation of Luzon Island was special. Although it was once a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, as the commander of the Jinyiwei, he still knew some of the situation there after sending a large number of spies to the South China Sea.

There is no country on Luzon Island at all. The so-called king who came to the Ming Dynasty to pay tribute was just a few powerful tribal leaders on the island.

And now?

It seems that the place has been occupied by the barbarians.

They have established strongholds all over the island and can control all kinds of information on the entire island.

Although their number is not large and most of them are concentrated in Manila City, there are at least a dozen or even dozens of soldiers stationed in the surrounding areas where they need to be.

There are at least hundreds of barbarians left on Luzon Island.

If the Ming Navy goes there at this time, it is obvious that they want to land on Luzon Island in the name of encircling and suppressing the Lin Feng pirate group.

Perhaps, it will be like Dongfan Island, first going there in the name of suppressing the Japanese, then building a water fort, and moving the garrison to the island after landing for a few years, and turning it into the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty.

Although it takes a long time to develop these barren lands, it is indeed to expand the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and it can be regarded as a place that can be recorded in history.

However, it is not that there is no power that values ​​it. It is already the territory of the barbarians. Will the barbarians be willing to give the Ming Dynasty a piece of the territory they have obtained?

If things go wrong, the Ming Navy may have to fight a battle with the barbarians there.

Thinking of this, Liu Shouyou hurriedly said: "Wei Wei, let's take a long-term view. Luzon Island has been occupied by the barbarians. If my Ming navy goes there, I'm afraid there will be a conflict with the barbarians."

Liu Shouyou's reminder was naturally well-intentioned. He was worried that a war would break out.

The barbarians are very powerful, and he has a clear understanding of the intelligence he has received from the south.

They have seized many ports and established strongholds in various places, and there are a steady stream of barbarians coming by boat.

It is said that they have occupied a piece of land that is more vast and richer in resources than the Ming Dynasty in a farther place. Now most of the manpower is engaged in various developments there, and they have not yet freed up their hands to come to the Ming Dynasty. Only a small number of people come to reinforce each time.

If a conflict breaks out between the Ming Dynasty and the barbarians, I'm afraid that the other side will soon mobilize a large number of troops and horses to fight with the Ming Dynasty. At that time, it will not be a trivial matter.

The intelligence Liu Shouyou obtained is actually true. The Spanish are indeed very powerful at this time.

By participating in the Age of Discovery at the earliest, they have accumulated a huge amount of wealth.

Because Spain was originally a European power, yes, at this time Spain had a huge amount of wealth obtained from colonies, and a huge population at home, and was the real European hegemon.

It was far from becoming a second-rate country in Europe after losing its colonies in the future.

Therefore, the seemingly powerful Spain now was an opponent that Liu Shouyou needed to treat with caution.

Of course, Liu Shouyou did not know that their opponent was Spain, although he had roughly judged from the intelligence collected about the barbarians that the barbarians in the trench mirror did not seem to be in the same group as the barbarians on Luzon Island, and there was even some hostility between them.

Yes, now the Spaniards and Portuguese are actually in a state of hostility with each other, but they are temporarily following the rules of the European continent and paying attention to the first come first served for colonies, but the demarcation of borders between colonies has become the biggest dispute.

In the early 16th century, Spain and Portugal were both among the most powerful maritime empires in Europe.

Portugal was the first European country to successfully sail to India and Asia and established many colonies, while Spain occupied many areas of the American continent and became the hegemon of the New World.

In the mid-16th century, the competition between the two countries for colonies began.

King Philip II of Spain was an ambitious monarch who was eager to expand his territory and power. Under his rule, the Spanish Empire continued to grow stronger and became the most powerful country in the world at that time.

And the country that Spain was competing for world hegemony was the small country called Portugal next to it.

In 1542, after the death of King John III of Portugal, his grandson Sebastian I ascended the throne.

But he was still very young, only three years old, and could not take control of the country. The Portuguese nobles chose Regent Pedro, Sebastian I's uncle, to take charge of state affairs on his behalf.

During Pedro's reign, he paid little attention to the country's military and maritime affairs, which gradually stagnated Portugal's territorial expansion and even regressed.

King Philip II of Spain also secretly coveted Portugal's colonies and wealth. At that time, Spain and Portugal were both among the most powerful countries in Europe, and the competition and struggle between the two countries never stopped.

Philip II constantly tried to gain control of Portugal through diplomatic means, but all ended in failure.

Until 1556, Philip II's brother Don Juan became the King of Portugal, but he died after only two years of reign.

Don Juan's death gave Philip II the opportunity to seize Portugal. He claimed to be Don Juan's heir, but the Portuguese nobles did not recognize his rights.

Philip II turned his attention to Sebastian I, claiming that he was also his heir and had received support from some Portuguese nobles.

The Portuguese, especially the top Portuguese nobles, would not be willing to be coveted.

In their view, even if the Portuguese royal family was cut off, they should choose from the nobles who had blood ties with the royal family among the Portuguese nobles, and definitely not the neighbors next door with bad intentions.

Of course, a few years later, due to some unrest in Portugal, Spain finally had the opportunity to seize Portugal.

In 1578, King Sebastian I of Portugal died without leaving any heirs, and the throne of Portugal became vacant.

Since Sebastian I's sister Gabriela died before 1578, her son Antonio did not receive support from Portugal, so he was exiled to France in 1579.

In 1580, King Philip II of Spain proposed to Portugal to inherit the throne, but the people and nobles in Portugal did not accept this request because they believed that it would lead to the loss of Portugal's independence and autonomy.

Countries such as Britain and the Netherlands also did not support Spain's move because they were worried that Spain would use this opportunity to expand its territory and power.

Against this background, Philip II officially declared himself the heir to the Portuguese throne in 1580 and led an army into Portugal. He won the battle in Portugal and became the King of Portugal on December 31 of the same year.

After Philip II became the King of Portugal, he began to plunder and manage Portugal's wealth and colonies. He merged the Portuguese and Spanish empires to form a larger and more powerful empire.

Philip II was the King of Spain. He was the son and successor of Charles V, a powerful ruler who ruled Spain and the Holy Roman Empire and became one of the most powerful monarchs in Europe.

Charles V abdicated in 1556 and was succeeded by his son Philip II.

Philip II not only inherited the thrones of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, but also inherited the territories of the Netherlands, southern Italy and the southern Mediterranean.

Of course, Spain's invasion of Portugal was still a few years away, but even if he became the King of Portugal, in fact, many Portuguese nobles and overseas colonies did not accept Spain's orders.

A few decades later, around 1640, the Portuguese people overthrew the Spanish rule through an uprising under the joint efforts of Portuguese princes, nobles and people. The Duke of Braganza, a descendant of the Portuguese royal family, was elected King of Portugal and called John IV, thus completely ending Spain's sixty-year "colonization" in Portugal.

If the time was three hundred years later, Wei Guangde would naturally have many concerns.

But now, what is he afraid of?

The development of navigation technology and Spain's seemingly overbearing power in Europe have made Spain have many opponents in Europe, who are always trying to weaken Spain.

Therefore, although Spain at this time has a large number of troops, especially the most powerful naval fleet in Europe, it dare not leave Europe easily.

As for the colonial fleet, although it is also very powerful, Wei Guangde believes that the Spaniards dare not transfer all their troops to the East Asian waters.

Did they abandon their colonies in other places for Luzon Island?

Unless there is so much gold on the edge of Luzon Island that it can't be picked up, maybe they will give up other places for this.

But in fact, the resources of Luzon Island are far less than the holy land that the King of Spain is paying close attention to at this time, that is, Mexico.

The huge gold and silver mine resources in Mexico and South America are the foundation for the prosperity of the Spanish Empire.

Wei Guangde remembers the Holy War in Europe, Spain's single-handed challenge to European powers, and the "Invincible Fleet" sent twice against Britain, but they all failed in the end, which completely knocked Spain off the altar.

The long distance and the clear distinction of interests made Wei Guangde believe that the Spaniards would not start a war with the Ming Dynasty for the small island of Luzon.

Yes, if Spain really dropped its fleet here in the Ming Dynasty, it would be really troublesome to deal with it.

Moreover, because the Spaniards seized Manila first, the Ming Dynasty could not directly send troops to capture it.

However, landing in Luzon and dividing part of the territory is still possible.

In fact, Europeans are still very talented in dividing territory.

If you look carefully at the world map, you will find that the borders of former colonies are often a straight line, clearly divided according to the longitude and latitude lines.

This habit continued until the end of World War II in the Korean Peninsula, when the two warring parties finally divided the territory in this way.

The Ming Dynasty needed the Spanish to send American silver, so it really couldn't offend Spain to death.

With this awareness, Wei Guangde would naturally not be afraid of anything, and it would not be too much to divide half of Luzon Island.

I believe that the Governor of Manila appointed by Spain should be clear about it.

"You go back first. I'll send someone to notify you if anything happens."

After Liu Shouyou left, Wei Guangde took the intelligence from the Jinyiwei and went to Zhang Juzheng.

As the chief minister, Wei Guangde's military adventure must be supported by Zhang Juzheng, otherwise it cannot be carried out.

He can privately ask Yu Dayou to do this and that, but there is no legal basis. Even if he gets the territory from Luzon, some people in the Ming Dynasty will not want it. They will also despise it because it is a barren land and the Ming Dynasty will lose money if it spends money to operate it.

Well, although scholars say that they hate yellow and white things and will not bow down for five pecks of rice, that is just talk. In fact, they love that thing more than anyone else, and their enthusiasm is no less than that of the eunuchs they look down on.

Otherwise, there would not be such a scandal of collective corruption among officials in the Ming Dynasty that will be passed down through the ages.

There are really few clean officials who live strictly on the salary stipulated by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Even Hai Rui took the benefits of the government. If it were placed in the Hongwu Dynasty, it would still be a capital crime of skinning and stuffing.

Of course, these benefits were obtained by officials from the emperor. Although they were not fair, they did solve many problems.

Whether it was corruption or not was hard to say, although it was indeed the private wealth collected by heavy taxes.

"Shan Dai, what can I say about you? Dongfan Island has not been completely incorporated into the administration, why are you setting your sights on Luzon?

I have received some memorials from Fujian, saying that the South China Sea Navy has been stationed on Dongfan Island for a long time and has had some conflicts with the people on the island, which seems to be a tribe called Gaoshan people. They asked to be transferred back to the navy.

At this time, you still want to extend your tentacles to Luzon. If the news spreads, aren't you afraid of being impeached by the officials?"

Zhang Juzheng, the cabinet, was in the room. After reading the Jinyiwei intelligence brought by Wei Guangde and listening to Wei Guangde's plan, Zhang Juzheng frowned and didn't look good to Wei Guangde.

Opening up the territory is a great achievement, but Wei Guangde seems to be addicted and wants to get involved in everything.

This won't do.

Zhu Di, the Emperor Chengzu, had done the same thing before, and he would not give up Annan in the end.

With the lessons learned from the past, Zhang Juzheng naturally had to think twice before acting.

Wei Guangde certainly knew that the Nanhai Navy had a conflict with the Gaoshan people on Dongfan Island, but the news had been suppressed in the cabinet and the Ministry of War and had not been spread.

Now Zhang Juzheng's attitude has naturally shown that he does not support Wei Guangde's radical strategy.

The risk is too great.

The risk here is not a military risk, but a political risk.

If he does this, he may be collectively impeached by all the ministers in the court.

In any case, Wei Guangde is young and supports his work of reforming the internal affairs of the Ming Dynasty, so he does not want to replace the second assistant.

In fact, in Zhang Juzheng's view, Wei Guangde is the best candidate to succeed him.

Of course, the replacement of the first assistant will have to wait until he realizes his ambitions.

Through observation over the years, Zhang Juzheng has seen that although Wei Guangde is not an official like Hai Rui, he is very measured in doing things. He takes what he should take and does not think about what he should not take.

Because he has money.