WI: Yongle Emperor and the Ming Dynasty annexed parts of Arabia and Africa?
Ming Dynasty Admiral Zheng He made a series of voyages on behalf of the Yongle Emperor. Two of these expeditions in particular lead the Chinese admiral to Hormuz and Aden in Arabia, Mogadishu and Malindi in Africa. My question is what if the Chinese decided to annex these areas? Zheng had with him 28,000 soldiers plus a large fleet of 300 ships would that be enough to establish themselves?
Source
The DK book "Explorers" by Sir Ranulph Fiennes
Ming Dynasty Admiral Zheng He made a series of voyages on behalf of the Yongle Emperor. Two of these expeditions in particular lead the Chinese admiral to Hormuz and Aden in Arabia, Mogadishu and Malindi in Africa. My question is what if the Chinese decided to annex these areas? Zheng had with him 28,000 soldiers plus a large fleet of 300 ships would that be enough to establish themselves?
Source
The DK book "Explorers" by Sir Ranulph Fiennes