The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 623 Where is the End?

Louis dared not say a word in order to save his life.

Emperor Wanli was too lazy to argue with this guy.

He only needed someone to relay the message. After saying what he needed to say, he ordered his men to take the man to Malacca.

The Spanish fleet will definitely pass through Malacca if it wants to enter Southeast Asia. That will be a good opportunity to persuade the fleet to turn back.

They had many things to deal with at the moment, and didn't have time to travel tens of thousands of miles to the West to chase after the Spanish fleet.

Moreover, there's no benefit in going to the West to fight; there's no uninhabited land to scavenge and no resources there.

After sending the man away, he ordered someone to bring him a map, and then he stared at the map, frowning in deep thought.

Seeing that he had been frowning and silent for a long time, Xiao Zhu Changxun asked curiously, "Father, what's wrong? Didn't we take Luzon? We won this battle."

This battle has only just begun.

Emperor Wanli shook his head slightly, then pointed to the map and said, "The world is so big. Taking Luzon is just a starting point. Father is considering where our destination is."

Uh, at this point, should we consider the destination?

Xiao Zhu Changxun stared at the map for a while, still somewhat puzzled, and said, "Father, aren't we just fighting wherever we can get to?"

Spain is such a small country, yet they fight all over the world. Why should we worry about the finish line?

That's a bad idea.

Your father needs to correct you.

Emperor Wanli slowly shook his head and said, "There's a saying: 'Don't bite off more than you can chew.'"

We must take complete control of the territory we've captured, develop it, continuously generate profits, and allow ourselves to grow and expand. Only then will it be meaningful.

Do you think playing like Spain has any advantages?

To put it bluntly, they just rob everywhere, without engaging in production or development. This is meaningless; they haven't developed themselves despite all the robbing.

Doing things this way will only breed hatred, and the benefits they gain will only be temporary; their decline is only a matter of time.

We must learn from the lessons of Spain and even Portugal; we cannot be greedy. Their hasty approach will eventually lead to their downfall.

In fact, this wasn't just the case with Spain and Portugal; historically, the Netherlands, and even England and France, had all experienced the same thing.

These guys initially relied on their firearms and cannons to rob everywhere, and they did enjoy a period of glory with the wealth they plundered, but in the end, they all lost everything.

What they swallow so hastily will eventually have to be vomited out. Once they can no longer get rich by robbing, they will gradually decline.

Therefore, this global plundering is only a temporary solution. Once the countries they colonize awaken to the dangers, they will be driven out.

Xiao Zhu Changxun didn't understand this principle, and he couldn't see that far ahead; he could only see what was in front of him.

He stared at the map and thought carefully for a while, then cautiously said, "Father, they probably burst their bellies because their territory was too small and their population too small."
Our Great Ming is different. Our Great Ming is large and has a large population, so how could our stomachs burst?

Do you think the current population of the Ming Dynasty is considered large?

Emperor Wanli shook his head slightly, then pointed to the map and explained in detail: "You think that with the current population of the Ming Dynasty, we can control a very large territory, but that is actually a misconception."

Father, let's not talk about other places, let's just talk about Southeast Asia. We've only taken Luzon. How many troops would it take to completely control this area? Have you considered that?

We've already sent 50,000 troops to Malacca to take it over, but 50,000 troops are far from enough to block this gateway to Southeast Asia.

If we want to prevent the colonial bandits' ships from entering, we'll have to send a lot more naval warships over.

There are so many islands south of Luzon, including Penglai Island and Fangzhang Island. Just think how many people would be needed to completely control these places?
This is just a matter of control; we also need to consider development and even shipping. Let's leave development aside for now and talk about shipping.

If we control these places, we should be able to transport troops, supplies, and provisions back and forth. If we can't even do that, then it's not true control.

Look at how big the area we control now is. Even from Yuan Jing's current battlefield to Luzon, it's more than 30,000 li.

In other words, even if we have shuttle communication, we won't be able to get news about how the battle is going on Yuan Jing's side for at least a month.

This is just sending a message. If it were sending reinforcements, how many ships would be needed to transport troops, supplies, and provisions?

If we cannot send troops, supplies, and reinforcements in time, what if we are short of troops in some areas and are invaded by a powerful enemy? Should we just abandon them?
What is the point of all the hard work we put into conquering and developing these areas?
As you can see, even with so many ships, it's not enough to transport a million troops from the Ming Dynasty to Luzon, let alone provisions and supplies.

With such a vast territory, how many ships do you think we would need to build to meet our needs?

Furthermore, ships require human operators. A single Weiyuan warship would require at least four hundred naval officers and soldiers. How many would a hundred ships require? How many would a thousand ships require? How many would ten thousand ships require?

This is just the Weiyuan warship; we also have Fujian warships, flying shuttle ships, and centipede ships. There are already tens of thousands of these ships.

Moreover, we will definitely need to develop larger and more advanced warships in the future. Just think how many soldiers and officers will be needed to operate the naval vessels alone?

Uh, this is a complicated problem.

Xiao Zhu Changxun thought for a long time but still couldn't figure it out. He simply asked, "Father, where do you think our destination is?"

If Father Emperor knew about this problem, he wouldn't have considered it for so long.

Wanli slowly shook his head, then pointed to the map and patiently explained, "Now we can determine the southern endpoint."

The ocean ends roughly at Fangzhang Island to the south, and this is where we've reached our destination.

It seems that even taking over the entire Nurgan Regional Military Commission in the north is not enough, because there are still the Oirats, the Siberian Khanate, and even the Russian Empire to the north.

We don't know how things will turn out in the Americas to the east. We're only currently focusing on the western part of the Americas; we haven't even bothered with the eastern part.

The situation to the west is even more troublesome. We still don't know what the situation is in the Western Regions, and the Toungoo Dynasty in the southwest is still confronting us. We also have to send people to block the Strait of Malacca.”

Little Zhu Changxun finally understood why he needed to consider the destination.

The Ming Dynasty's territory is already frighteningly large; after this battle, its territory will become even more frightening.

So, where exactly are the endpoints in the east, west, and north?
He couldn't help but stare at the map, frowning and deep in thought.

The little guy seems to have understood.

Seeing this, Wanli stared at the map for a while and then asked, "Yuansheng, how many people and how much arable land does Luzon Island have?"

I'm not really sure about that either.

Li Yuansheng thought for a moment, then cautiously said, "Your Majesty, I have only heard about the situation around Manila."

This is a vast plain with a population of approximately one million and arable land of only a few million mu.

Because they had few oxen and farming tools, they couldn't plow the land. A family of three or four could only manage to cultivate about ten mu (approximately 0.67 hectares) of land at best.

Is this still a vast plain?

Emperor Wanli thought for a moment and then asked, "How big is this plain?"

I haven't measured this.

Li Yuansheng estimated, "Your Majesty, all I know is that the plain stretches roughly four hundred li from south to north, because I have traveled from Manila in the south to Dagupan in the north."

As for the goods, I haven't traveled much, but I estimate they are over two hundred li in mileage.

So big?
Four hundred li is two hundred kilometers, two hundred li is one hundred kilometers, two hundred multiplied by one hundred is twenty thousand.

In other words, this plain covers at least 300 million mu!
If this vast plain can be developed, then there will be no need to consider transporting grain from Liaodong Commandery and Nurgan Commandery.

Moreover, it was impractical to transport grain from Liaodong Commandery and Nurgan Commandery, as the distance was too far.

The reason he has only brought such a small force to Southeast Asia is because of the food problem.

The food consumption of several million troops is terrifying; it's several million shi (a unit of dry measure) a month, which is almost equivalent to the annual land tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty in the past.

At this moment, only the grain produced by the Liaodong Regional Military Commission and the Nurgan Regional Military Commission can support the consumption of so many troops; other parts of the Ming Dynasty cannot spare so much grain.

The problem was that the Liaodong and Nurgan Regional Military Commissions were too far from the South Seas; they simply didn't have enough ships to transport grain.
It seems that to completely control Southeast Asia, we must first develop Luzon, at the very least ensuring that it can produce a large amount of food.

Wanli nodded slowly, then decisively said, "Kemai, send a hundred flying shuttles to quickly bring Zixian, Zijin, and Zhenzhi here."

Upon hearing this, Yu Zigao repeatedly cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "This humble general obeys the order."

After thinking for a moment, Wanli asked again, "Yuansheng, can the Fujian warships return to Dongfan now?"

Uh, this is a bit troublesome.

Li Yuansheng explained in detail: "Your Majesty, if the Fujian warships remain in the northeast of Luzon Island, it will be very convenient for the Fujian warships to go to Japan to catch the Kuroshio Current and then go south with the north wind and ocean currents."

Now that the Fujian-style warships have all sailed to the west of Luzon, it would probably take several days to tow them back northeast against the wind and current.

You figure out a way to handle these things. Let it drag on for a few days if you want; I won't interfere.

Wanli nodded slightly and said, "You have people unload all the grain you brought, and then go to Dongfan to transfer the personnel and grain."

"I entrust these nearly one thousand Fujian warships and the five thousand centipede ships that are rushing over from Dongfan to you. Quickly bring over the five hundred thousand garrison troops and the grain stockpiled there."

Doesn't that mean we'll have to build another granary?

Upon hearing this, Li Yuansheng cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, this humble general dares to be bold, but this place is even more humid and hotter than Dongfan. Without building granaries, the grain simply cannot be stored for long."

Then let's build it.

Wanli nodded slightly and said, "Once the garrison soldiers are brought here, they can start building granaries. You will be in charge of building these granaries, and you can decide how many to build."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuansheng nodded repeatedly and said, "I understand."

(End of this chapter)