The Rise of the European Emperor

In fact, for the sake of secrecy, Kong Tai did not take out the eight most powerful 32-pound Karen naval guns on board, but only showed the 18-pound Hongyi cannon. Moreover, the Hongyi cannons are all painted with gold paint, which looks like copper cannons.

This is what Malinte specifically requested-the Karen naval gun must not be displayed to European counterparts, so as not to be imitated. As for the Hongyi cannon, it was also painted with gold paint, pretending to be a bronze cannon.

Then, on the warships of the North Sea State, the 12-pound Napoleon gun is just the most common firepower, and it is generally arranged on the upper deck. This luxurious firepower configuration made Da Gama extremely envious. However, he also knew that with Portugal's supply of saltpeter, it was difficult to afford so many heavy artillery. Unless...the Ming Kingdom can be forced to soften and agree to sell them saltpeter in large quantities...

But Da Gama underestimated the strength of the Ming Dynasty. Although the coasts of Guangdong and Hujian provinces were turned upside down by Portugal, the Ming court did not want to seek peace, but how to defeat their opponents, no matter how much they paid.

This is the difference between the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty. Until the late Ming Dynasty, when the Ming army's combat effectiveness deteriorated, the Ming court never thought of compromising with the outside world, but tried its best to resist to the end. For example, the Japanese pirates ravaged the southeast coast, and the Ming court never compromised with the pirate group. Faced with the rise of Hou Jin, despite the unfavorable war, he never compromised. It's just that the peasant uprising army and the Manchu Qing internally and externally attacked, and it was finally over. Moreover, it was mainly breached by the peasant army from the inside, not by foreign enemies.

In the last years of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, whoever came would surrender. Belgium, which has a bigger fart, dares to take it off. The country's century-old disgrace began in various summaries. Therefore, Marin did not understand why some people in later generations still miss the Qing Dynasty. It's fine if it's full of people, after all, it was the time when they were masters. The Han people also miss it...it's sick...

Comparing the two dynasties of Ming and Qing Dynasties, there is nothing comparable in the early stage, both are very strong. However, in the later period of the two dynasties, the gap was too big. In the late Ming Dynasty, chaos was mainly in the northern and northeast borders, mainly in drought-stricken areas. At that time, the Jiangnan area was still prosperous, which was the envy of foreign missionaries. In the last years of the Qing Dynasty, even the wealthy south was in dire straits.

Of course, the Ming Dynasty was doomed not to be too strong because of the poor fiscal and taxation system left by Zhu Yuanzhang. It can only be said that when compared with the Qing Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty won. Among them, the Ming Dynasty was stronger than the Qing Dynasty because the situation in the late Ming Dynasty was much better than that in the late Qing Dynasty.

Moreover, it is not the end of the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty is still in the middle stage, and its strength is still relatively strong. Moreover, the current emperor Zhengde is still a warlike emperor. Therefore, whether it is Marin or Kong Tai, the Huaxia expert, it is very clear that the Portuguese will never get what they want.

However, Conte will not remind the Portuguese that he is also happy to see Da Gama hit a wall...

Seeing Da Gama's surprised eyes, Conte added a fire and ordered:

"Come on, fire a few shots to open Lord Da Gama's eyes..."

Then, a rumbling cannon sounded, and the warship began to sway due to the recoil...

Seeing the gunpowder barrels piled up in the cabin, Da Gama enviously said:

"Governor Kong Tai, we won't mention the maintenance of warships. However, can you sell us a batch of gunpowder? We have come from afar, and the reserves of gunpowder may not be enough."

Kong Tai shook his head again and again:

"This is not acceptable. This violates the principle of 'neutrality in wartime'. It is known by our Grand Duke,

I will be removed from my post. "

"I'll pay double the price!" Da Gama was also furious. Anyway, he grabbed a lot of money in the fleet along the coast of Fujian and Guangdong.

Kong Tai still shook his head, he didn't dare to offend Ming Dynasty. Da Gama wanted to persuade him, but Kong Tai just ignored him. Before Da Gama left, Conte pretended to send some gifts to Da Gama as "personal gifts". However, they are all luxuries. As for the gunpowder and the wood for repairing ships that Da Gama wanted most, Conteti didn't mention it...

Looking at the 10 tall warships waiting in full force in Danshui Port, Da Gama shook his head and could only leave regretfully. After all, although there are more Portuguese warships, their firepower cannot be compared with others. The most important thing is that once the warship is damaged, there is no dock to repair the ship. However, the 10 warships of Kong Tai can return to the dock for repair at any time. After a long time, the ten warships from the Beihai Kingdom must win.

However, he still doesn't know that these ten warships have reinforced keels and thickened sides, so they are not afraid of the Portuguese small-caliber artillery at all. Moreover, the sides and parts below the waterline are covered with nickel-iron sheets, which not only have high strength, but also are corrosion-resistant. It's just that the nickel-iron skin on the side was covered by thin wood boards, and Da Gama didn't see it. The nickel-iron skin under the waterline is also painted with black paint, so it can't be seen that it is a metal skin.

With regret, Da Gama left Danshui Port and returned to his ship "Prince Enrique". He decided to grab another wave, and then go back to the Deep Water Bay base on Xiangjiang Island to repair. In particular, the three injured ships needed to be repaired before they could continue to be used.

But da Gama didn't know that his base on Xiangjiang Island had long been targeted by Wang Hong, the deputy envoy of Liangguang Haidao...

During the period when da Gama led the fleet to harass the coast of Fujian and Guangdong, Wang Hung sent spies to the north shore of Xiangjiang Island, established a temporary base, and built a hidden pier on the north shore of Xiangjiang Island to facilitate landing.

After learning that the fleet of Franc Robotics was not at home, Wang Hong did not immediately order the capture of the Portuguese temporary base in Deep Water Bay.

Wang Hung thought that even if the base was captured, it would be meaningless if Frangji's warships were not there. The Fulang Robot raided and harassed the coast of Fujian and Guangdong, relying on warships, not this temporary base. Therefore, if you want to eliminate banditry, the most important thing is to destroy the enemy's warships, not destroy the opponent's temporary base.

Therefore, Wang Hung did not send troops to attack this base while the enemy was not at home, but sent spies to monitor it day and night. At the same time, the family is also actively training the shipbuilding water ghosts, preparing to pierce the enemy's warships in the future.

...

While Wang Hung was actively preparing for the battle, a middle-aged scholar who claimed to be a traveling scholar suddenly came outside Nantou Shuizhai, asked to see him, and offered to offer advice.

Scholars in the Ming Dynasty were distinguished, and even Wang Hung, a member of the fourth rank, would not easily be offended. Because, who knows when this scholar will become a Jinshi and become an important bureaucrat. If you neglect the other party, and the other party is a vengeful person, it will be equivalent to making a political enemy in the future. What's more, this scholar claims to be here to offer advice, so it deserves his attention.

However, Wang Hung didn't know that the scholar who came to offer advice was actually specially arranged by Kong Tai under the instruction of Ma Lin...

The scholar's name is Lu Feng, and he was originally a down-and-out scholar in the Xinghua Mansion of Hu Jian. At the age of 23, Lu Feng passed the examination as a scholar, and he was originally proud of himself. However, in the next 20 years, he failed repeatedly. Even in middle age, he is still a scholar. Then, he began to doubt himself, and gave up the Juren examination, and changed to teaching social studies in the countryside, barely earning a living. Sociology is equivalent to the local elementary schools in the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. It teaches children under the age of 15 to start enlightenment. Generally, scholars with average levels serve as teachers (high-level scholars generally continue to study in prefectural or county schools, and concentrate on preparing for the exam. .Only poor talents who have little hope of taking the exam, or whose families are in difficulties, and who hope to be a teacher so that they can earn some "beauty" to subsidize their families, will become social studies teachers).

After Kong Tai became the governor of Dongfan Island, he sent people around to recruit talents. It just so happened that Lu Feng's father was seriously ill and needed a lot of money for treatment. And his salary as a sociology teacher is not enough. Then, Kong Tai poached Lu Feng away with several big silver ingots. Of course, Lu Feng went to Dongfan Island in the name of "study tour". Now that two years have passed, Lu Feng is still on a "study tour". It just so happened that Kong Tai needed someone to help offer advice to the chief officer of the Guangdong Navy, and he could not expose himself. So, he simply sent Lu Feng to do this...