To be honest, the navy itself was an extremely expensive force. Whether it was in ancient times or modern times, it was not easy to build a warship. It was almost impossible for a small country without rich resources to have a strong navy. Even if they used all the resources of the country to build a navy, as long as they lost a battle and lost their main force, the navy would not be able to rise for more than ten years. It could not be compared to the army, which could be reborn with the spring breeze.
For example, after Yi Sun-sin's navy was defeated by Yuan Jun, they could no longer stop the Japanese army's attack. For Japan, after their navy was wiped out by the Daming, they could not even perform basic defense on the sea. Not only did a navy need time to build, but the navy also needed time to train. It was not like the army, which rushed to the battlefield to be cannon fodder. There was no such thing as a warship being used as cannon fodder.
Therefore, when the Siamese saw the huge fleet of more than seven warships under the Daming, they finally understood what fear was. They finally remembered the surprise and fear they had felt more than a hundred years ago.
Shangguan was still Shangguan, and the Celestial Empire was still the Celestial Empire. They had not changed at all, and they still had extremely powerful strength.
Narexuan's little thought of showing off in front of Shangguan disappeared completely, because just such a fleet was enough to make all of his confidence collapse. The Daming was too powerful. He could mobilize so many warships in one expedition to the south. Who knew how many warships the Daming had?
In fact, even the Daming could not mobilize too many warships of such a scale. Their thoughts were completely redundant. After handing over this navy to Xiao Ruxun, the Daming's entire country could mobilize no more than three hundred warships. It could be said that 70% of the Daming's navy was under the command of Xiao Ruxun. It was only because the Ming court did not care much about the navy that they were reassured to hand over these ships to Xiao Ruxun.
The reason why the Portuguese and Spanish were so worried was that they did not know the exact details of the Daming. They did not know how many warships Daming could mobilize. Anyway, this scale was simply the invincible fleet of the East. It could be compared to the invincible fleet of Spain. Even in the eyes of some insightful Portuguese, the performance of the Ming Army's ships and the number of cannons could not be compared to the European navy. However, the Ming Army had more ships, and it was in the coastal waters.
That General Xiao Ruxun didn't seem to be an expert in naval warfare, but that General Chen Lin was. It was said that under his leadership, the Japanese Navy was completely annihilated. Although the Chinese Navy's equipment wasn't that great, and many of them were still at the level of Europe 20 years ago, their tactical level didn't seem to be bad.
Even if the invincible fleet came, it was estimated that it would be a hard battle. With the current strength of Spain in the Philippines, it could not be compared to the huge Chinese navy.
Fortunately, they did not come to find trouble with Spain.
Many Spaniards secretly rejoiced. This sea area was now regarded as the Spanish's sphere of influence, and the only one who had the ability to threaten the Spanish was Daming. Fortunately, Daming did not intend to have a conflict with Spain. If Daming had such a plan, the Spanish would really have a headache.
The war with the British continued. They had sent a fleet to attack the British for the fourth time. They had consumed a lot of strength. They really did not have the spare power to have a conflict with a traditional power in the East, let alone such a huge fleet.
The Spanish mercenaries who saw the arrival of the Ming Army fleet with King Narexuan were all shocked. Among them were not only adventurers who fought purely for survival and money, but also spies placed by the colonial government of the Philippines to inquire about the internal affairs of Southeast Asian countries. These spies worked for the Spanish government and passed on information. Now that they suddenly saw such a huge fleet, they did not know how to describe their feelings for a while.
Cannon salutes and war drums sounded as the Great Ming Army began their disembarkation ceremony. A group of elite soldiers with solemn expressions and various weapons in their hands disembarked majestically with the Great Ming Army's flag in their hands. Behind them, the main generals of the Ming Southern Punitive Expedition led by Xiao Ruxun disembarked as well. Matteo Ricci followed beside Xiao Ruxun and received the special honor of disembarking together with them.
King Narexuan had been waiting for a long time. Xiao Ruxun had only walked a few steps before he saw King Narexuan's appearance clearly.
His skin was slightly dark, and his eyes were extremely spirited. He wasn't too tall, but he was full of vigor. He wore a crown, armor, and a cloak, giving him a majestic appearance. His expression was solemn, and there was a slight smile on his face. He was neither servile nor overbearing.
In terms of rank, Xiao Ruxun was a general of Shangguo, and King Narexuan was on the same level as the vassal of the Daming. They were both nobles. According to the rules, Xiao Ruxun should salute King Narexuan first, but the generals and officials of the Daming rarely followed such rules. At most, they would salute him and give him some face. If they were provoked, they would even dare to beat their officials in front of the king. The Daming was so capricious.
Xiao Ruxun came with sincerity, hoping to cooperate sincerely with Siam. Therefore, when he saw King Narexuan take a few steps forward as if he was going to salute first, Xiao Ruxun quickened his pace. Before he could do so, he cupped his fists and leaned forward. He said with a smile, "Commander of the Daming Army, Marquis of Peace, Xiao Ruxun, greets the King of Siam, Wang Wanan."
With Xiao Ruxun taking the lead, the generals behind him also followed and saluted, giving King Narexuan enough face.
As long as he was a king, he would care about his face. King Narexuan originally planned to salute the Daming Commander-in-Chief according to Lin Yuanshan's words. Although it was a little humiliating, the Daming was so powerful that he had to lower his head and do this. However, he didn't expect the Commander-in-Chief of the Daming to be so considerate. He saluted him first, giving him face in front of his officials and foreigners. He couldn't help but be very happy, so he immediately saluted back.
What Xiao Ruxun didn't expect was that King Narexuan's Chinese was quite good. It seemed that he had practiced Chinese with his Han officials a lot.
"Commander Xiao, you don't have to be so polite. I have been waiting here for the Daming Heavenly Army for a long time. I have already prepared a welcome banquet. It will definitely satisfy Commander Xiao, the generals, and the army. The army is tired, so please come ashore as soon as possible so that we can be the host."
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