“Naval warfare is outside the scope of this book,” in which there are huge lake battles, sailing up and down the Yangtze to control the country, during the same period Chinese ships make it to Africa. IS there a good general interest book on Yuan-Ming navies?
@Leucrotta Asked a naval history buff friend of mine, and he had a lot to say.
"If it is the voyages of Zheng He (early Ming Dynasty, active exploration 1404 est to 1431 again est) the best Western language book would probably be Dreyer's Zheng He, China and the oceans in the early Ming Period. Gavin Manzie's books I personally wouldn't touch with someone else's fifteen foot pole, they're poorly researched and don't include a lot of primary sources."
(cont.)
@Leucrotta " I also suggest the Nanjung ilgi, the War Diary of Admiral Yi-Sun-Sin. If [they] can find a direct translation that would be the best because some of the western translated versions omit some of what people consider the 'boring' bits the logistical and clerical stuff and the like. It is surprisingly the most critical period work on the Admiral, most other stuff praises him left right and center. It also gives a peak inside Josen-era Korea during the Imjoen War"
@Leucrotta Happy to ask around for a friend! 💙