"If the nation desires to become prosperous and strong, it must not neglect the ocean. Wealth can be derived from the sea, but dangers also come from the sea... If another country's leader takes control of the South Seas, China will be in peril." In the year 1421 AD, Zheng He, following the decree of Emperor Yongle, embarked on his sixth voyage southward into the Indian Ocean. At the moment when the fleet reached its destination and was preparing to return, he suddenly made a decision that shocked the twenty thousand officers and soldiers under his command. "If the sky is round and the earth is square, then the sea should have an edge, and the Ming Dynasty's fleet should sail there." ... 160 years later,
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