The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 28 The Encounter of the Ming Dynasty's Australian Exploration Fleet

When John Adams returned to North America, the Ming Navy's Australian exploration fleet also set off.

There are a total of four Xianning-Type 13 military exploration ships, with each ship displacing about 600 tons.

This is a military auxiliary ship that combines the characteristics of Eastern and Western sea ships.

The vessel itself has the ability to sail on the ocean, but is more suitable for near-shore activities with complex wind directions.

Since the Chongzhen period, the Ming Dynasty fought wars with the Portuguese, Spanish, and Dutch and then cooperated with them, learning their shipbuilding technology.

In the early days, a number of ocean-going galleons were built by directly copying the Spanish designs.

However, the Ming navy soon discovered that since these European ships had no watertight compartments, they would be basically hopeless if an accident occurred at sea.

So the Ming Navy began to try to design a completely new sea ship independently.

Because both the Ming Dynasty’s navy and the vast majority of Ming Dynasty’s private merchants basically operated around the homeland.

From the Jiangnan region to the South Pacific Islands, the water and land environment in this area is extremely complex.

The characteristics of the Ming-style sea vessels that were eventually formed were usually that they were capable of sailing on the ocean, but were more suitable for sailing in the near sea.

Four exploration ships set out from the Java Naval Base and sailed eastward as quickly as possible before the winter coastal drift completely disappeared.

After arriving near Darwin Port in Australia, the place where Zhu Jianxuan lived in his previous life, the four exploration ships were divided into two groups and began exploring from the east and west directions.

The Eastern Fleet sailed eastward against the South Equatorial Current, entered the large bay north of Australia, made a circle and then came out.

After sailing around the peninsula in the northeast of Australia, we officially entered the east coast of Australia and finally got rid of the pain of sailing against the current.

At this time, you can follow the East Australian Current all the way south.

But we still can't take it lightly, because this place is the famous Great Barrier Reef. There are coral reefs everywhere near the coast, so we need to pay special attention to the underwater situation.

The Western Fleet sailed southwest along the coastline, heading south against the cold current of Western Australia.

After arriving in southern Australia, we finally got rid of the pain of the upstream current and could drift eastward along the southern coast of Australia.

The two exploration teams moved along the coastline bit by bit, making detailed observations and drawing detailed coastal maps, and finally met at the southeast corner of Australia.

The two fleets then headed south together to explore and map the coastline of the large island south of Australia.

That is the Tasmania Island in Zhu Jianxuan’s previous life.

This was already a routine job, and the four exploration ships started work after a simple division of labor.

But the lookout on one of the ships, while observing the surrounding situation, discovered two unidentified ships appearing in the southwest.

Although the Ming Dynasty was in a state of peace at that time, there was no country that was directly at war with the Ming Dynasty.

But the open seas in this era were not safe, and merchant ships all carried cannons when they went out, so the lookout immediately sounded the alarm.

The four ships communicated with each other through flag signals and notified Admiral Cao Zhendong of the Ming Dynasty's Australian Exploration Fleet.

Cao Zhendong also directly ordered the entire fleet to enter a state of alert.

The lookout continued to watch from the mast.

The unidentified ship in the southwest was getting closer and closer, and the lookout finally saw the British naval flag on the other side's mast.

Then, based on the number and size of the opponent's sails, it was judged that the tonnage of the two ships should be around 500 tons, and they should both be exploration fleets.

Ming Dynasty and Britain are not currently in a state of war, and there is some private trade between them.

When Cao Zhendong heard that the other party was a British ship, he remembered that there were additional instructions from His Royal Highness the King of Wu in his mission description.

If we encounter a British exploration fleet, we will stop them and announce some news.

So Cao Zhendong asked the flag bearer to greet the other party and invite them to send someone to talk on his ship.

The commander of these two British ships was named James Cook, also known as "Captain Cook" in history.

This was Cook's third exploration into the Pacific Ocean and also his last exploration in history.

His mission this time was to find a route from the northern Pacific Ocean into the Atlantic Ocean, and to send the Tahitian natives who were visiting Britain back home along the way.

Cook's fleet set out from Britain and headed south along the Canary Current along the west coast of Africa.

After crossing the equator, it turns into the South Equatorial Current and sails southwest to the east coast of South America.

The reason why we don't continue south along the west coast of Africa is that the Benguela Current on the southwest coast of Africa flows from south to north. If we insist on going south, it will be as uncomfortable as Dias' expedition.

The Brazilian warm current on the east coast of South America flows from north to south, and you can continue to move south along the ocean current.

Then in the southeast of South America, it turns into the westerly drift area, which circles the entire Southern Ocean.

So we headed east from here, first around the Cape of Good Hope, then across the Indian Ocean, and finally to southeastern Australia.

This was the fastest route from Europe to Australia in the Age of Sail.

It is faster than crossing the Drake Passage in South America into the Pacific Ocean and then drifting against the westerly winds to Australia.

On this basis, turning north from western Australia and following the cold current of Western Australia into the South Seas is the fastest route to Ming Dynasty.

The lookout of Cook's fleet also discovered the Ming Dynasty's ships and flags and immediately reported them to Cook.

Cook immediately began to worry.

During Cook's first two expeditions to the Pacific, he established the terrain of Australia's eastern coastline.

The British did not know that the land in Australia was barren. They just discovered the virgin forest near the southeast coast and thought the land looked good.

So we are already preparing to find an opportunity to send a group of immigrants over to occupy this large piece of land.

Now that the Ming fleet has appeared here, it means that the Ming has already learned about the situation in southeastern Australia and may have begun to take an interest in it.

The Ming Dynasty might be the first to occupy this land.

Cook's exploration ship planned to pass by the Ming Dynasty, so there was a translator who understood Chinese on board, and the lookout could also understand the Ming Dynasty's flag signals.

When Captain Cook found out that the Ming people invited them to come over for a talk, he immediately replied and agreed.

When the fleets of both sides were within a few dozen meters of each other, Cook arranged for two sailors to row a small boat and escort the translator onto the Ming ship.

The British translator met the fleet's admiral Cao Zhendong on the deck of the Ming Dynasty's Australian Exploration Fleet's flagship.

The translator bowed and greeted Cao Zhendong in accordance with Ming Dynasty etiquette, and explained his identity.

Cao Zhendong didn't listen carefully to what the other party said and said directly:
"Now, on behalf of the Ming Navy, I would like to inform you, Britain, that our northern continent and all the surrounding islands belong to His Royal Highness the King of Wu of the Ming Dynasty.

"Your ship should not go any further. From now on, without the permission of His Majesty the King of Wu, you are not allowed to approach this continent or the surrounding islands without permission.

"Otherwise the Ming Dynasty will see this as a provocation against the Ming Dynasty, or even a direct act of war."

The translator was shocked:
“I’m very sorry, but your claims are useless.

“We discovered this continent and island a few years ago.

"We have publicly declared that this place belongs to the King of England."

Cao Zhendong's eyes widened immediately:

"What's the point of you discovering this place a few years ago? We Ming people discovered this land hundreds of years ago.

"You said that what belongs to you belongs to your king, and what belongs to your king belongs to your king?

"I can now declare that you, Britain, also belong to His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Do you agree?"

The translator opened his mouth and took a deep breath, feeling that this Ming officer was too overbearing.

But I was just a translator after all, so there was no need for me to argue with the other party. If I got beaten, it would probably be in vain:

"You - I will convey your meaning, but I cannot give any guarantee as to how the British court and navy will decide and respond."

Cao Zhendong waved his hand indifferently:
"I know you are just a translator, so all you have to do is help me pass the message.

"I am only telling you this. This is the attitude of His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court, and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu.

"Go back and tell your admiral. Even if you have any objections, you don't have to come to me specifically. It's useless to say anything to me."

The officers and merchants of the Ming Dynasty had been dealing intensively with Europeans for more than a hundred years and knew very well the strengths and weaknesses of these Europeans.

Their hometown was on the other side of the earth, and they were completely powerless against the Ming Dynasty on this side of the earth.

They came to Ming Dynasty to seek wealth and to trade with Ming Dynasty.

There is no need to be nice to them.

(End of this chapter)