Zweig once said: Although we are in an era of peace, a time of peace comes at the cost of war. The common people avoid war, but the strategists have a desire for it, driven by the desire of the heart.
Conquest of other countries was a common tactic used by strategists in past wars to expand their territory and open up new opportunities. This is the cause of the war between nations. The land of China is rich and rich, and it is also coveted by strategists.
In the early years, Spain aimed at the Ming Dynasty.
The prosperity of the Ming Dynasty attracted the covetousness of Spain, and a dynasty that prospered with rapid economic development and the Maritime Silk Road also became a piece of fat in the eyes of the Western powers.
As one of them, although Spain's overall strength was not outstanding among the Western powers, its advanced navigation technology and strong military strength made them increasingly ambitious for territorial expansion against the Ming Dynasty.
In its economic exchanges with the Ming Dynasty, Spain was deeply shocked by the strong economic power of the Ming Dynasty. They realized that the conquest of the Ming Dynasty would not only meet the needs of their own economic development, but also further expand their territory and influence.
As a result, Spain began to conceive a strategic plan to conquer the Ming Dynasty.
Based on their ideas, the Spaniards began to discuss plans to conquer the Ming dynasty. Convinced of the strength of their country's naval fleet, it was initially proposed that only a hundred men would be needed to capture the Ming Dynasty, but this proposal was rejected by the king of Spain.
He believed that even with confidence in the state, a few hundred people would not be enough to fight the entire Ming Dynasty. After discussion, they finally settled on a figure that they thought was quite impressive: at least 5,000 people would be needed to contend with the Ming Dynasty and then take it.
Spain had the courage to challenge the Ming Dynasty because of their seafaring prowess. At a time when the seafaring industry in other countries was still in its infancy, Spain had already completed many explorations in the maritime field, and its maritime fleet had a significant advantage in the European countries.
Francisco was a Spanish governor who proposed that at least 5,000 soldiers would be needed to capture the Ming dynasty. He put forward a detailed plan for the attack on the Ming Dynasty, advocating Fujian as the first target, taking advantage of Spain's superior naval fleet, and at the same time sending army combat teams to carry out fierce attacks with artillery.
Francisco was confident in the capture of the Ming Dynasty, and he believed that it was only a matter of time before the Ming Dynasty was captured.
Although the Spanish had carefully planned to conquer the Ming Dynasty, they had lost to the British, who also had an excellent seafaring fleet, before they could show their military prowess to the Ming Dynasty.
Although Spain's seafaring fleet was powerful, it was insignificant in the face of the British. Spain's population was inferior to that of England, and the strength of the British fleet was not inferior to that of Spain, so Spain's defeat was not unreasonable.
For the British, Spain was also an important step in their territorial expansion, much like Spain's plan for the Ming dynasty. However, they did not expect to be defeated by the British before attacking the Ming Dynasty, and their plans were aborted.
Spain had strong confidence in conquering the Ming Dynasty. They believed that the military strength of the Ming Dynasty was far inferior to theirs, and that they themselves had a wealth of combat and naval experience.
Although their knowledge of the Ming Dynasty is not yet complete, from the point of view of what they know, the Ming army was not good at naval warfare and was more inclined to defensive. However, this does not mean that the Ming army was not good at fighting.
The Spanish were expecting a quick conquest of the Ming Dynasty that, if successful, they would gain access to the rich land and thus enhance their economic and cultural power.
However, this was only an assumption before they succeeded.
Although Spain did not blindly attack the Ming Dynasty, its perception of the strength of the Ming Dynasty was not accurate, and there was still a misunderstanding of underestimating the enemy. The Ming Dynasty had a large population, while Spain was only a small country, and although the strength of the naval fleet was different, it was not easy to capture the Ming Dynasty, which had towering walls and was good at defense, and its combat effectiveness should not be underestimated.
Spain's plan to conquer the Ming Dynasty was blocked by the British fleet before it began, but even without Britain, Spain could not easily succeed in conquering the Ming Dynasty, and underestimating the enemy was its greatest weakness.
As an opponent, the enemy should not be underestimated, although Spain believes that the Ming Dynasty is strong, but the real strength of the Ming Dynasty is far beyond its imagination, and underestimating the enemy is Spain's first step to defeat.