The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 685 The Blessing of the Ming Dynasty
On the flagship, all the generals were drinking heartily.

They were completely relieved to hear that European colonial powers had gone to attack Portuguese colonies.

Portugal's colonies in South America were enormous.

Moreover, the Portuguese were not without any means of resistance; they also possessed firearms and cannons.

Under such circumstances, it was impossible for European colonial powers to quickly seize such a large colony as they would have done to natives armed with only cold weapons.

Who knows how long those guys will fight?

They still have enough time to establish a defensive line.

While Wanli appeared to be enjoying a hearty drink with everyone, he was actually already considering the issue of establishing a defensive line.

This area along the coastline is actually difficult to defend because the enemy can land anywhere.

The Japanese pirate raids during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty proved that even though the Ming army's strength on land far surpassed that of the Japanese pirates, it was still impossible to defend against them.

There was no other way; the Ming Dynasty's coastline was too long, and the Japanese pirates came from the sea. Dispersing the defensive forces was simply not enough, and if the defenses were concentrated, the pirates would land in other places.

Therefore, even if the strength of the Japanese pirates was less than one-tenth of that of the Ming army, they were still impossible to defend against.

The European colonial bandits were far more powerful than the Japanese pirates, and the coastline here was about the same length as that of the Ming Dynasty.

How exactly do we defend against this?

He thought about it carefully, then asked, "Yunqing, how many able-bodied men can we recruit from this vassal state at most?"

How do you say this?

Upon hearing this, Deng Zilong cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, it depends on how many you want to recruit. If you want to recruit tens of millions, that's no problem."

Does this mean you can't really hire tens of millions of young and strong men to work?
Since it's impossible to recruit tens of millions of able-bodied men to work, then we can recruit as many as we want.

Emperor Wanli knew there were many able-bodied men in the area, but he never expected to be able to recruit so many.

He asked with some surprise, "Don't these people have any work to do at home?"

you could put it that way.

Deng Zilong nodded slowly and said, "Their daily routine consists of herding sheep and hunting."

If the able-bodied men are not available, then meat consumption will be lower; basically, killing a few rams will be enough, and hunting can be avoided. The elderly, women, and children can stay home and herd sheep without any problems.

Oh, the nomadic tribes here are different from the nomadic tribes north of the Ming Dynasty.

The northern part of the Ming Dynasty is extremely cold in winter. Not to mention grazing, they need to prepare enough fodder before the world freezes over. Therefore, the nomadic tribes there are short of supplies and have little to hunt.

It's different here. Not only is it not very cold in winter, but there are also bison everywhere.

Therefore, the nomadic tribes here only need to raise some sheep and hunt some cattle to live a very good life.

These guys are really living a leisurely life.

However, this is good too; being relaxed and carefree will prevent any inappropriate thoughts from arising.

I also need to let them know that it is because of the protection of the Ming Dynasty that they can live such a leisurely life.

Without the protection of the Ming Dynasty, they would have been trampled underfoot by colonial bandits long ago, living a life worse than death.

After thinking about it carefully, Wanli asked, "Are most of the vassal states in North America connected by ships?"

Deng Zilong nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, they have always lived along the river, and the waterways of the main river can basically reach all the vassal states here."

Big river?

Emperor Wanli recalled, "Is the great river you mentioned the one in the middle of North America? Who named it?"

This name was chosen rather hastily.

Deng Zilong nodded, and then explained in detail: "Yes, Your Majesty, the great river is the great river in the middle of North America."

This name wasn't given by us; it was given by our vassal state. In their language, the river is called the Misspie River, which translates to "Great River" in Ming Dynasty official language.

Okay, then let's call it the Great River, not the Mississippi River.

Emperor Wanli thought for a moment, then asked, "What about that coal-producing mountain range? What are they called?"

I'm not sure about that.

Deng Zilong slowly shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, they usually only name mountains and rivers, and that mountain range passes through several vassal states, so they don't have a unified name for it."

No. After thinking carefully, Wanli decisively said, "That mountain range is full of coal mines, as if it were a gift from heaven. Let's call it the Heavenly Gift Mountain Range from now on."

Tianci Mountain Range?

That’s a good name.

Upon hearing this, Deng Zilong nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Wanli thought for a moment, then ordered, "Kemai, send the Flying Dragon Ship back to the capital to convey my decree, instructing all the major merchants of Wanshengtang to stock up on more goods in the capital."

You'll have to work hard. Tomorrow, lead all the Weiyuan warships and shuttles back to pick up the remaining elderly, women, children, cattle, sheep, and horses from Xuanfu Town. When you come back, also bring the goods prepared by Wanshengtang.

"Also, leave three hundred flying dragon ships here; take the rest with you for communication along the way."

Upon hearing this, Yu Zigao nodded repeatedly and said, "This subordinate understands."

Wanli then instructed in detail: "Yunqing, send the Flying Dragon Ship to pick up all the kings of the vassal states in North America and tell them to come over as soon as possible. I have important matters to discuss with them."

Deng Zilong heard this and nodded repeatedly, saying, "I understand."

Wanli thought for a moment and then asked, "Zhenzhi, your ship-measuring equipment seems to be usable on the Flying Dragon Ship as well, right?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhizao nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, I have improved that system. It can be installed on the Flying Dragon Ship to measure the accurate distance."

Wanli nodded slightly and then instructed, "Then tomorrow you will take ten flying dragon ships and five hundred naval soldiers to carefully measure the distance from the southern peninsula to the northern extreme cold of the North American Eastern Commandery."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhizao nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

After thinking for a moment, Wanli said solemnly, "Yi Kui, you should know very well why the Japanese pirate raids during the Jiajing era were so fierce."

Let's leave aside the reasons why the Japanese pirates caused trouble for now, and just talk about why such a small number of Japanese pirates could cause such a huge disturbance.

In fact, the reason why the Japanese pirates were able to cause such trouble was that they could land anywhere along the coast, while our troops could not be densely distributed along the entire coastline.

The situation was similar in the East Coast of North America, and the European colonial bandits were fully equipped with muskets, cannons, and warships, making their strength far superior to that of the Japanese pirates.

If we go to war with the European colonial powers, they might just harass us along the coastline like the Japanese pirates, making it impossible for us to defend ourselves.

Therefore, we must establish a defense system similar to that of border towns. All ports, docks, and river mouths must be protected by fortified cities, and every ten miles along the coastline, we must build a lighthouse similar to a beacon tower.

Furthermore, we should build a naval base approximately every 500 li, based on the distribution of harbors here, to facilitate naval ships providing support to various regions at any time.

In addition, we must build fortifications and fortifications on all the thousand-household garrisons and even the hundred-household garrisons, just like the border towns of the past.

Even if the colonial invaders managed to slip through the gaps in the coastal defenses, they would find it impossible to advance.

The Japanese pirate raids during the Jiajing era!

If European colonial bandits were to actually raid and plunder like Japanese pirates, it would be very difficult to defend against them.

Even if their forces were ten times that of the European colonial bandits, they would still be difficult to defend against, because there are more than a hundred places to land along the thousands of miles of coastline.

Moreover, the military strength of their Xuanfu Town might not even be as great as that of the European colonial bandits.

Upon hearing this, Dong Yikui nodded solemnly and said, "This subordinate understands."

Wanli nodded slightly and then instructed in detail: "In the next few days, you should take ten flying dragon ships and five hundred naval soldiers to thoroughly inspect the coastline and see how many cities and fortresses need to be built here."

We need to prepare quickly. This year, we must at least build up the defense system along the coast. You should also estimate how many able-bodied men from our vassal states we need to recruit to help.

You don't need to worry about money. I'll conscript as many able-bodied men as you need.

As for the able-bodied men and women we brought with us, let them rest here for a few days. Once we've planned out the coastal defense system, we'll use flying dragon ships to tow them out and spread them out.”

The coastal defense system must be built this year.

How many able-bodied men from vassal states would need to be conscripted?

He wasn't really sure about that, because they didn't know the specific situation along the coast.

Yes, he should go and check it out right away.

Upon hearing this, Dong Yikui nodded repeatedly and said, "This subordinate understands."

Wanli thought for a moment, then instructed, "Zixian, Zijin, you two should go and figure out what crops, fruits and vegetables are suitable to be planted here."

The Eastern Metropolitan Commandery in North America is arguably the most important overseas commandery of our Great Ming Dynasty. We must develop this area comprehensively. You all need to pay close attention to it, including carefully considering fertilizer production.

Upon hearing this, Xu Guangqi and Wang Xiangjin nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, we understand."

(End of this chapter)