Chapter 270: Invasion of Southeast Asia
Chapter 270: Invasion of Southeast Asia (Part 1)
"Master Xu, the navy of Jinghai Guard has now been fully equipped with purple thunder cannons, and its combat effectiveness has been significantly improved."
Meng Yuxuan, a contemporary master of military strategy, has the best insight and use of firearms in the Great Yu Dynasty.
In terms of martial arts, he may be far inferior to General Yu, but in the military field, personal strength has never been the key to measuring achievement.
Of course, a man as brilliant as Xiang Yu is another matter. In the Battle of Julu, Xiang Yu fought to the death, defeated a larger force with a smaller one, and shocked the world; in the Battle of Pengcheng, he led 30,000 cavalrymen to defeat the 560,000-strong Han army. Such a brilliant record is difficult to replicate for any military strategist.
However, military affairs are ultimately a continuation of politics. Even though Xiang Yu was invincible in bravery, he was far behind the seemingly gifted Pei Gong in political strategy, which doomed him to ultimate failure.
In terms of political talent, Liu Bang, the King of Pei, can be said to be at the pinnacle of history, and few can match him.
When Xu Qing was studying history books in his early years, he initially felt that "Records of the Grand Historian" was somewhat derogatory towards Liu Bang. The deeds recorded in it were mostly mythical, as if his success was entirely due to luck.
However, as his experience deepened, Xu Qing came to realize that Liu Bang's experience was actually a personal epic myth.
When Liu Bang started his army, he was nearly fifty years old and a commoner, but with the help of a three-foot-long sword, he pacified the world in just eight years.
Among the many founding emperors of later generations, only Emperor Gaozu of Tang could be compared with him in terms of the speed of pacifying the world. But the reason why Emperor Gaozu of Tang was so valuable as a founding emperor is well known to everyone.
Even most historical books assume that the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty was actually Emperor Taizong.
As recorded in the New Book of Tang: "How great was the life of Emperor Taizong! His elimination of the chaos of the Sui Dynasty was comparable to that of Emperor Tang and Emperor Wu."
Di Renjie, a loyal minister at the time, once said with emotion: "Emperor Taizong braved wind and rain, and personally braved arrows and stones, before he pacified the world and passed it on to his descendants."
From this, Xu Qing came to realize that whether it was to establish a dynasty or to start a business, one had to do it personally. If one just sat back and did nothing, it would often be difficult to succeed.
Although these words somewhat alluded to the old emperor's intention, Xu Qing himself was also a beneficiary of the old emperor's "hands-off" style. He could only ponder inwardly that the principles of the world are not absolute.
Today, Xu Qing has complicated feelings towards the old emperor.
From the perspective of the traditional relationship between the emperor and his subjects, he should repay the old emperor for his kindness and work hard for the court until his death. However, he is not only responsible for himself, but also for the people around him.
The biggest feeling Xu Qing got from reading history books was that even among ordinary people, there were many intelligent people. If they were given the right opportunities and training conditions, their achievements would not necessarily be inferior to those of many famous people in history.
Many of the founding heroes, if not for chance, might have been nothing more than local butchers, gang leaders, or minor clerks in the government throughout their lives.
Of course, those who shine in history are indeed far superior to ordinary people, but they are only a minority after all. Most people who hold high positions rely on their birth or outstanding appearance.
After all, whether male or female, outstanding appearance is an advantage in itself. Just like Gao Shenwu of the Northern Qi Dynasty, if he had not been born handsome and elegant and favored by a rich lady, how could he have obtained the capital to start his career?
It seems that opportunity is crucial to a person's development. The biggest opportunity for people around Xu Qing is to follow him and become extraordinary.
Once people have experienced an extraordinary life, how can they be willing to return to an ordinary life?
Therefore, once Xu Qing stagnates or encounters setbacks, those people around him who were once grateful to him may not necessarily remember his kindness, and may even become the people who hate him the most.
After Xu Qing's demon body was destroyed, they might actively throw dirty water on him. After all, as people around him, their words are more likely to be believed.
If Xu Qing writes his memoirs in the future and is asked about the happiest time of his life, he will answer without hesitation that it was the time when he and his aunt dug earthworms after recovering from a serious illness.
At that time, my body was gradually recovering and I was full of expectations for the future. The love and care given by my uncle and aunt was pure and warm.
But if someone was ignorant enough to ask him if he would like to go back to that time, Xu Qing would slap him in the face without mercy.
Because Xu Liushou cares about the world, he will seek well-being for the people of the world even if it means sacrificing his own happiness!
Therefore, when they were swearing in the oath of allegiance before going out to sea, Xu Qing shouted to everyone that this action would be a key battle to change the fate of the Great Yu Dynasty, and everyone must go all out to recover Jiugang. Jiugang was the location of the Jiugang Xuanwei Office established at the beginning of the founding of the Great Yu Dynasty. As an important hub in Nanyang, at that time, the Great Yu Dynasty relied on this place to exert a far-reaching influence on Nanyang.
Unfortunately, the Jiugang Xuanwei Office only existed for a short time. But this became the legal basis for the Dayu Dynasty to send troops this time, which can be said to be a legitimate reason.
After all, we can't tell everyone directly that this trip out to sea is for robbery, as that would sound unpleasant.
The people of the Dayu Dynasty have always been reserved and polite. Even if they want to obtain resources from other people's land, they must find a proper reason and always maintain an outward image of being gentle, respectful, frugal and modest.
Because the Dayu Dynasty was a great Chinese nation and a country of etiquette, it always acted in a decent manner.
After the oath-taking ceremony was successfully concluded, the bright sunshine was poured on the vast sea, the waves were sparkling, and the beauty was beyond words. The warships of the Dayu Dynasty Navy sailed out of the port in a mighty manner, with the flags on the ships fluttering in the wind, and the soldiers were all in high spirits and high spirits.
After two hundred years, the navy of the Dayu Dynasty once again demonstrated its powerful strength, like a huge dark cloud, covering the South China Sea.
Whether it was the overseas faction of Fang Xian Dao, the various pirate forces in the West, or the indigenous people of Southeast Asia, they all keenly sensed the tense atmosphere of impending storm.
The entire South Pacific Islands and Peninsula are filled with the strong smell of an impending war, as if the air is filled with a solemn atmosphere. Everyone is secretly speculating what kind of earth-shaking changes this impending storm will bring to the South Pacific.
...
...
Jiugang is the current headquarters of Fangxiandao.
After Gu Daoren and other members of the hometown faction returned to the Dayu Dynasty one after another, the overseas faction of Fang Xiandao gradually took over all of Fang Xiandao's overseas businesses. Without the constraints of Gu Daoren and others, the power of Fang Xiandao's overseas faction has even increased.
Today is also the day when the ancestor of Fangxiandao, Master Tianling, comes out of seclusion.
At this moment, the sky was covered with dark clouds and there was faint thunder.
If there were any powerful Taoist masters from the Dayu Dynasty nearby, they would definitely be shocked.
Thunder disaster!
(End of this chapter)