.Ten battles, 5,000 elite soldiers, plus crew members and servants, a total of seven, although they are not comparable to the huge fleet of more than 240 warships and more than 27,000 people when Zheng He went to the West in the early Ming Dynasty, but in terms of combat power, it is far more than that of the entire fleet. The total cannons and more than 1,200 muskets and more than 10,000 muskets. Even the chefs on the ship can be assigned a musket.

As for the purpose of this fleet sailing, except for Gu Sanyi, the rest of the fleet were confused and ignorant. Most people thought that this fleet sailed far and wide to promote national prestige to the vassal states of the Ming Dynasty and the Western countries.

"Governor, this time we are on a mission to Nanyang to promote the prestige of the Ming Dynasty. Can we leave our name in history like Zheng He?" A personal soldier couldn't help asking, with a hint of longing on his face.

"Of course the governor can do it. As for you, Liu Saner, I'm afraid no one remembers it." Another personal soldier laughed.

"Who said no one remembers that after I went back, can't I write down an experience and pass it on to my descendants?" The personal soldier named Liu San said gritting his teeth.

Liu San's words made his personal soldiers rush. Many people were very proud of the voyage of Yang Daming's military power this time. However, history always records those big figures. As for them, it would be a good idea to record their own experiences and leave them to their descendants.

Gu San smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, if the voyage goes smoothly, we will not only be famous in history, but also far better than Zheng He."

Although Gu San from the mainland of the Emperor's office had never heard of him, he had no doubt about the emperor's words. If the emperor was not sure, he would not make a joke. Zheng He voyages to the West seven times, although he promoted his national prestige, but did not add an inch of land to the Ming Dynasty. Even after Emperor Yongle, officials believed that this move was just to consume money and food and was of no use to national affairs. In order to prevent the emperor from repeating this move, the Minister of War at that time burned the shipbuilding information, which made the Ming shipbuilding technology a hundred years behind, and the Ming fleet could only exist in memory.

The Nanyang Fleet did not make the same operation this time and the court officials obstructed it. One reason was that the ministers focused on the upcoming Enko and the draft. The other reason was that the Ming Dynasty had sufficient financial resources to increase the taxes of customs in recent years. It was impossible for the important officials of the Ming Dynasty to see it. After all, the annual tax revenue of the customs can support such a dozen times. When the fleet sailed to promote its national prestige, it could also wipe out the pirates and merchant ships that were in the offshore seas.

The action of the South China Sea Fleet did not cause any turmoil in China, but it brought great shock to the countries in the South China Sea. In particular, the Spanish in Luzon were even more like a great enemy. If the Ming Dynasty wanted to attack Luzon, the fleet would be more than enough. Moreover, the Spanish slaughtered Chinese in Luzon several times, and they were guilty of being a thief. The Dutch had a lesson in expelled from Taiwan by the Ming fleet, and they were even more panicked.

On the contrary, although the indigenous countries in the South China Ocean were shocked, they did not have much worry. Many countries still have memories of visiting the Ming fleet more than 200 years ago. The inscriptions and buildings of these countries commemorate the arrival of the Ming fleet. Compared with the insatiable Westerners, the Ming Dynasty brought them more friendly. Many South China Ocean countries even hope that the arrival of the Ming fleet would drive away the greedy Westerners. This is a later story. The Ming fleet has just set off from Nanjing.

The Xia family in Songjiang Prefecture. Xia Wanchun's biological mother, Lu, walked into the backyard without getting close to the garden. A sound of golden swords came. Lu couldn't help but shake his head.

"Madam is so lucky. The lady is so good in the sword skills of the young lady. It is even better than the young master. Now the young master is a general. The dignified Viscount. If the young lady is not a daughter, I'm afraid there is an Earl Master in the Xia family. "I'm afraid there is an Earl Master in the Xia family." Seeing the unhesitant look on Lu's face, a close-fitting maid from Lu couldn't help but say.

"Sword technique. Sword technique. She is a girl. What's the use of learning such a good sword technique? Besides, I heard that the court now uses muskets to fight. No matter how powerful martial arts are, she will become a useless person if she is hit by a musket. Alas. I really shouldn't have listened to the master's words at the time. What kind of sword is she going to learn in the middle of the temple?" Lu said with great regret.

Several maids were quite dissatisfied when they heard that they were quite dissatisfied. The second lady in the Xia family was beautiful, had high martial arts skills, and could often go out alone. She was simply idols of all maids. She was just very envious and respectful to the Xia Lu family, whether they were relatives or servants. She dared not refute the Xia Lu family's words. She had to raise her mouth and express her dissatisfaction.

Although Lu was also from a scholarly family, he was well-educated and well-educated, but he was a concubine. He should have been bullied by the big house. However, the Xia family's big house Sheng also came from a scholarly family. He admired each other and was basically treated as a fair wife in the Xia family.

Not only that, since Sheng only has one daughter, Lu has both children, and his son has been known as a child prodigy since childhood. He was a young man and was promoted to the juren at a young age. After Xia Wanchun changed from literary to military affairs, many people regretted Lu. But a few years later, Xia Wanchun actually won the title of son for his military achievements.

The clan was also named a third-rank imperial edict by the court, which is a huge honor.

It was not bad to let Xia Yunzhen learn swords at the beginning. Xia Yunyi traveled around the world. The strong people in the Ming Dynasty were shocking to exploit the tenants. However, there were frequent natural disasters. There were strong enemies outside the Ming Dynasty. How could there be such a reason for the world to be unchaos? Xia Yunyi asked her daughter to learn swords simply to give her the ability to protect herself in troubled times. However, when the Holy Lord of the Ming Dynasty came out, the world was pacified so quickly, and the development of muskets made the swordsmanship less and less effective. After her daughter learned swordsmanship, she became independent. Even if her parents were not willing to listen to everything, she would have been reluctant to get married. The marriage was decided that the former old friend, the Hou family of Jiading and the Xia family, almost turned against each other. I believe Xia Yunyi was regretting it now. If she had known this, it would be great to let her daughter be at home quietly.

"Mom, you are here." Seeing Lu appearing at the gate of his courtyard, Xia Yunzhen, who was practicing swords with her junior sister Huang Wanqiu, stopped quickly and put the sword in the sheath.

Several years have passed, Xia Yunzhen's appearance remains unchanged, and she is still dressed in white and has a clear and beautiful face. However, Huang Wanqiu has grown from a yellow-haired girl to a graceful girl. The two of them stand side by side, one white and one yellow, like two peonies blooming together. The long swords around their waists make them look heroic and heroic.

But Xia Lu's eyes swept through the courtyard and saw the branches flying together in chaos, he couldn't help but shake his head again and said, "Zheng'er, this is at home, let alone such a hot day, can't you be quiet for a while?"

"Mom, I've been used to the practices over the years, and if I don't practice for a day, I feel uncomfortable all over my body." Xia Yunzhen said with a headache.

"But if you continue like this, who dares you?" When talking about this, Lu couldn't help but feel sad. His daughter was twenty-two years old and her age was over. She had already made a marriage with the Hou family. In any case, the Hou family was all good matches for her daughter. A few years ago, the Hou family kept urging her, but unfortunately the child died prematurely. She died two years ago. Her daughter had not yet passed away, and she had a reputation as a husband. Unless she married her daughter to someone else's concubine, it would be difficult to marry. But she was already a concubine at the beginning. Could it be that her daughter would become someone else's concubine? What's more, she was willing to be a concubine with her daughter's temperament.

Sure enough, as soon as Xia Lu finished speaking, Xia Yunzhen replied: "Mom, if no one dares to marry her, what's wrong with her daughter being alone?"

"What nonsense? Women will get married after all. The children of the family are good. My mother has asked Zhuan'er to pay attention. If you have suitable children, don't postpone it this time. Zhuan'er respects you very much. The candidate she recommends will definitely not insult you." Xia Lu said.

Zhuaner refers to Xia Wanchun's son Qian Zhuan. Several Jinshi from the Qian family taught her daughter, and her daughter was also full of bookish spirit. However, Qian Zhuan, who was full of bookish spirit, also admired Xia Yunzhen. Perhaps women are like this. They yearn for life outside and know that they cannot do it. They naturally cannot avoid worshipping those who can do this.

Xia Yunzhen felt helpless on her face. She was about to die, but she saw the sad face on Lu's face and had to remain silent.

Seeing that his daughter did not object, Xia Lu just agreed to the girl, and looked at Huang Wanqiu and said, "Wanqiu, you and Zhen'er are like sisters, and I have always treated you as a daughter. Zhen'er has been delayed for several years, so you can't delay any more. Your mother became a monk and practice cultivation, and no one in the family is in charge. This time I simply act as an elder, take charge of you, and find a marriage for you, how about it?"

"I..." Huang Wanqiu was stunned for a moment. Unexpectedly, Xia Lu's spearhead was aimed at her. From the moment she saw Xia Yunzhen in the nunnery, Huang Wanqiu became dependent on Xia Yunzhen. In addition, she has been following her senior sister in the past few years. Once her senior sister gets married, she really doesn't know where she will go unless she returns to the nunnery. At this time, she can only say quietly: "It depends on my aunt."

"That's right. You don't want to practice swords these days. Mei'er and Lan'er, you two are with the two ladies these days, so they can make their daughters popular."

"Yes, madam." The two maids responded frivolously.

After several more words, Xia Lu left with satisfaction, but left her two close maids in the yard. Seeing Xia Lu leave, Xia Yunzhen couldn't help but pull out the long sword from her waist. The maid who called Mei'er hurriedly said, "Miss Second Miss Wanqiu, Madam Instructed me to teach the two maids, the lady."

Xia Yunzhen had no choice but to put down her long sword, and as the two maids entered the house, they picked up the needle and thread. That night, two black shadows flashed on the wall of Xia's mansion and disappeared into the night.
Chapter completed!