Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 401 Obey
The Ming Dynasty was no longer limited to the country, but spanned the four seas and nine states, forming a vast empire with powerful political and military forces. Unlike Zheng Chenggong, Zhu Cilang not only had a more stable domestic situation, but also had more abundant resources and more abundant political means to fight for maritime hegemony.

For Zhu Cilang, fighting for maritime hegemony was not just about gaining short-term economic benefits, but also about consolidating the international status of the new Ming regime in the future and providing more favorable conditions for future strategic layout.

His vision wasn't limited to the current situation, but rather focused on the future. After he completed the restoration of the Northeast and Northwest regions, he would have more resources to devote to naval warfare. At that time, Zhu Cilang planned to declare war on the Dutch, initiating a trade war to enhance the new Ming's maritime influence.

Of course, Zhu Cilang did not intend to blindly initiate a conflict, but rather prioritized the recovery of Taiwan. He knew that if he could quickly capture Taiwan with the help of internal forces in Taiwan, he could quickly establish a strong deterrent against the Dutch and other hostile maritime forces.

The core of this strategy was to use Taiwan as a bridgehead. Without engaging in full-scale conflict, through clever strategic deployment, they would instill fear in the Dutch and other maritime powers, thereby gaining the upper hand in future maritime struggles. Only by possessing a strong military force could they gain sufficient bargaining chips on the international stage and ensure that the new Ming Dynasty was in a favorable position in the struggle for maritime supremacy.

Behind this series of strategic plans lies Zhu Cilang's understanding that the development of commerce and law often proceeds smoothly only under the deterrent of powerful military force. Especially in a struggle involving national interests and regional hegemony, relying solely on trade and diplomacy is far from enough; actual military force is essential to ensure dominance in international maritime trade.

Therefore, Zhu Cilang's struggle for maritime supremacy was actually a systematic strategic layout involving the overall coordination of land and sea. By using the time difference on land, he gradually stabilized the domestic situation and, when all conditions were ripe, launched a comprehensive crackdown on maritime forces.

The advantage of this approach is that the Xinming can win this seemingly smokeless war at a very low cost. The struggle for maritime hegemony will no longer rely solely on pure armed conflict, but through clever layout and strategy, gradually suppress the opponent and steadily expand the Xinming's maritime influence.

At the same time, as the Xinming gradually consolidated its internal and external political and military structures, the coastal industrial system would also undergo a qualitative change. Xinming began to vigorously develop industries such as processing imported materials and handicraft manufacturing in coastal areas, especially handicrafts specifically for export and domestic sales. These industries would flourish during this period.

Through this series of industrial layouts, not only can economic development be effectively promoted, but also Xinming's voice and competitiveness in international trade can be enhanced, laying a more solid foundation for future maritime hegemony.

In other words, this struggle for maritime hegemony is actually a big game involving the overall situation.

Zhu Cilang knew full well that the outcome of this game would directly impact the future of the New Ming Dynasty, and would also affect the entire East Asian and even global landscape. He was not in a rush, but rather planned to steadily advance this strategy over a period of three to five years. During this process, the promulgation of the Navigation Regulations was Zhu Cilang's first step in preparing for the New Ming Dynasty's maritime strategy.

The promulgation of the Navigation Regulations marked the first official step by the Xinming Kingdom in its struggle for maritime supremacy. It not only regulated and governed maritime trade but also declared to the world Xinming's resolve to achieve maritime supremacy. The implementation of these regulations would provide Xinming with more international trade opportunities and lay the foundation for its future struggle for maritime supremacy.

As the Lunar New Year approaches, ports in Jinling, Songjiang, and other areas remain bustling with activity, with a constant stream of ships entering and leaving. The vitality of this maritime region stems from the Nanyang entrepot trade, with merchants and ships from the Jiangnan region plying with a steady stream of goods. This is particularly true of goods from the Taihu Lake Basin and Hangzhou, such as porcelain, silk, sugar, tobacco, and cotton cloth. These goods were not only urgently needed throughout southern China but also played a crucial role in the Nanyang trade.

However, due to the impact of the war in recent years, the frequency of ships sailing out of Jiangnan region decreased sharply, and trade with Southeast Asia and Japan was also significantly affected. In particular, with the outbreak of the Fujian Campaign in the first half of the year, merchant shipping from Jiangnan and other coastal areas almost came to a standstill, causing a sharp decline in Ming Dynasty trade with these regions.

The situation did not improve until the dust settled on the war and the martial law was gradually lifted, but by then it was already approaching August and September, and the best season for going out to sea in Guangdong, Fujian and other places had long passed.

As the Lunar New Year approached, commercial activity gradually picked up along the coast of the Ming Dynasty. The victory in the war not only brought political stability but also allowed the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty to accumulate a large amount of spoils and silver. This silver quickly converted into spending power, stimulating market demand. Just as at the end of each year, merchants' goods began to flow into the market.

As more and more workshops are built across Daming, especially with the commissioning of new production facilities, the market will see an even greater flow of goods from all over. These workshops not only produce traditional handicrafts, but also involve advanced manufacturing and more efficient production, meaning Daming's commodity production capacity will increase significantly in the coming year.

Zhu Cilang knew very well that relying solely on trade was not enough to build a strong economic system for the new Ming Dynasty. It was necessary to strengthen productivity and enhance the country's endogenous economic growth capacity.

The current goal is not only to strengthen naval control, but also to build a strong commodity production capacity based on this. The combination of these two can truly provide sustained momentum for the rise of the new Ming Dynasty, enabling the country to have stronger financial control and more efficient resource allocation capabilities.

The new Ming's control of the sea was undoubtedly part of the nation's economic lifeline. Imagine, without the annual trade surplus of millions of taels of silver, many of the new Ming's military and political reforms would simply not have been able to proceed smoothly.

The strong production capacity and advanced management system will enable Xinming to occupy a dominant position in the global commodity market, not only controlling the circulation of commodities, but also gaining the upper hand in trade, thus playing a vital role in controlling the flow of silver.

Based on this strategic concept, Zhu Cilang’s goal was not limited to traditional maritime trade advantages, but to combine strong commodity production capabilities with sea power to create a globally competitive commodity export empire.

This empire would not only rely on naval power to profit when rivals were weaker, but would also establish itself by building strong production capacity, military might, and financial strength, enabling the new Ming to occupy a formidable position in the international market. Ultimately, this combined advantage would enable the new Ming to launch a "dimensionality reduction attack" against global powers, including the Netherlands, Spain, and even Britain, completely overturning the established global trade landscape.

Guided by this strategic blueprint, Li Xiaolin's work became crucial. Upon returning to the Maritime Customs Office from Nanjing, Li Xiaolin immediately assembled his officials and began intensively drafting the "Navigation Regulations." These regulations would become the legal cornerstone of the new Ming Dynasty's maritime trade and a crucial step in ensuring Ming control of the seas.

Zhu Cilang took this opportunity to explain to Li Xiaolin in detail the process of drafting and revising the Navigation Acts thousands of miles away in England, and their ultimate effects. These acts were the product of competition among Europe's major maritime powers, and they contained countless political games and economic interests.

The complex relationships of cooperation and competition among European maritime powers like England, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain also became a crucial international political landscape for Zhu Cilang and Li Xiaolin to grasp. The various attempts and revisions made by these nations behind the Acts of Navigation reflected their profound thinking in the struggle for maritime supremacy.

By learning from these historical experiences, Zhu Cilang planned to design a more sophisticated navigational code for the New Ming Dynasty, aiming not only to facilitate unimpeded domestic maritime trade but also to secure a competitive edge in international competition. This would also serve as a crucial foundation for the New Ming Dynasty's future expansion of overseas trade and the construction of a global economic chain.

Zhu Cilang knew full well that global maritime trade was no longer an isolated issue. Its dimensions went far beyond the simple exchange of goods, becoming deeply intertwined with international politics, military affairs, culture, and other factors. How to stand out in this complex international system became his greatest challenge in establishing naval supremacy for the new Ming.

Although he was an emperor, he did not have the powerful military force and solid resource base of the era of great power competition. This required sophisticated legal and institutional design, combined with strong production capacity, to ensure that Xinming occupied a favorable position in the global economic system.

As the executor of this plan, Li Xiaolin was fully aware of the weight of his responsibility. Through this series of measures, he hoped that the New Ming would quickly establish a strong naval capability, while simultaneously taking a leading position in commodity production and trade, ultimately providing a solid foundation for the Ming Dynasty's rise to power.

Zhu Cilang detailed his grand plan for maritime trade, shocking Li Xiaolin. Especially when Zhu Cilang mentioned the naval battles between England and the Netherlands in recent years, Li Xiaolin was overwhelmed by indescribable emotions.

The naval conflicts between England and the Netherlands required the mobilization of 20,000 to 30,000 naval forces, with warships equipped with thousands of cannons. These figures struck Li Xiaolin as unbelievable. Although these words sounded incredible, Li Xiaolin still did not dare to question them easily.

Li Xiaolin struggled to suppress his inner turmoil, trying to sort things out, but he knew the information he had was far from enough. He took a deep breath, calculating. Although a seasoned officer with years of experience in maritime trade, this naval battle data, new to him, acted like an invisible barrier, obscuring his vision.

Li Xiaolin realized that his understanding of the world was still too limited. Zhu Cilang was no foolish emperor; his vision was far greater than Li Xiaolin could imagine. If, as Zhu Cilang claimed, the naval battle between England and the Netherlands had reached such a scale, then if the New Ming Dynasty rashly engaged in war with the Netherlands, it would likely not only fail to gain anything, but would also incur a heavy price.

Therefore, Li Xiaolin gradually realized that the "Taiwan Island Campaign" seemed more urgent and feasible than the confrontation with the Netherlands. Another question that puzzled Li Xiaolin was how Zhu Cilang obtained such detailed intelligence?

Li Xiaolin was almost certain that his spies and the secret agents of the Jinyiwei did not have such precise intelligence gathering capabilities. So, where did this information come from?

Could it be that the Emperor already has deep connections with certain foreign powers? Did the Imperial Guards have spies in England, the Netherlands, and even Portugal, able to accurately track these secret developments?
Li Xiaolin couldn't help but fall into deep thought, pondering every detail. He knew that countries like England and the Netherlands possessing such a vast maritime power not only meant that their national resources were extremely abundant and their people lived a prosperous life, but also meant that they had a strong voice in global trade.

With such a powerful nation, the Li family naturally wouldn't sit idly by. They must have been prepared to compete with these countries, seize market share, and earn more profits. However, although Li Xiaolin was excited by such a beautiful vision, faced with such a huge and complex situation, he was at a loss as to where to start.

How should he act to maximize the Ming Dynasty's maritime advantage? Li Xiaolin asked himself this question several times before finally making a decision: He decided to trust Zhu Cilang's words unconditionally, temporarily putting aside the doubts he couldn't fully understand and accepting these unclear facts as facts.

He knew very well that since Zhu Cilang, as the emperor, was able to control this information, there must be profound reasons and purposes behind it.

At the same time, Zhu Cilang revealed to Li Xiaolin Xinming's grand plan to establish workshops across the country. This plan wasn't limited to simple production expansion; rather, it aimed to leverage Ming's production advantages in commodities like silk and porcelain to gradually control the entire Eastern trade landscape and achieve absolute control over the flow of silver and commodities.

These plans not only involved the production and circulation of goods, but also involved economic cooperation within the Ming Dynasty and with neighboring countries. This was especially true for Jiangnan, Taiwan, Siam, and Annan, which would become important nodes for the new Ming Dynasty's foreign trade.

The handicraft production base of Daming, with the help of advanced productivity and management methods, will effectively connect with the production areas of raw materials, cash crops and grain crops, and promote the formation of a complete industrial chain.

(End of this chapter)