Volume 2: Soaring! The Overlord of the Region Chapter 333: Battleships are about to be built
"First of all, I want to say that the Grand Marshal's suggestion of daring to fight is correct. And what the Prime Minister said is that it is best to crush the enemy with a grand battle formation, which is also correct."
After calming down the two parties who had just argued, Zhu Youdong continued, "Just now, when I heard Mr. Xu talk about the process of building a warship, I thought of a question. Since there are so many apprentices in the two shipyards, why not make full use of them?"
"What does your highness mean?"
"It's simple. This is wartime, and the warships we build might sink soon after they are put into battle, so there's no need to be so meticulous. As I said, the wood doesn't need to be shaped or dried, and can be used to build warships right after it's shipped to the shipyard. When building a warship, there's no need to have so many craftsmen and skilled artisans to serve a warship. These people can be split up and assigned to more slipways, and the remaining positions can be filled by apprentices."
"Your Highness! If a ship is built this way, it will fall apart in three months at most if it is not sunk by the enemy after it is launched."
"Hahaha, let them fall apart so be it! After we defeat the navies of these two villains, we will build better warships!"
Wang Xiangqian, Xu Honggang and others were thinking of sailing warships with larger displacement and better manufacturing. Xu Guangqi naturally thought: Maybe in one or two years, the power of Ming warships will no longer be sails - that's right, since sails will no longer be used as power in the future, why keep so many sailing warships? If they rot, they rot.
After figuring this out, Xu Guangqi naturally felt relieved. He buried his head in the estimation and then looked up and said, "If we follow the method Your Highness said, everything is based on shortening the construction period, and nothing else is considered, a second-level battleship can be completed in two to three months, and a first-level battleship can be completed in three to five months."
"Okay, I will give your Ministry of Industry one month to expand the two shipyards, and let the two shipyards step up the training of apprentices during this period. During this period, the two shipyards will try their best to complete the semi-finished products on the slipway. After one month, they will rush to complete the warships at the same time. After five months, I want to see at least thirty Beizhili-class ships!"
Xu Guangqi hesitated for a moment, but still accepted the order: "Your Highness, the shipyard can build the ship like this, but after the ship is built, the artillery..."
"It's okay. The Ministry of Industry, Fangshan, Honghe, and the Firearms Bureau of Da Nei have all stopped forging coastal defense guns, and all production capacity has been used to produce naval guns."
"Well, with this arrangement, the artillery capacity is sufficient. But what about this sailor?"
"Recruitment and deployment. For the former, use the war fund to recruit merchant sailors and fishermen along the coast of Ming Dynasty. For the latter, Grand Marshal, does your Ministry of War have any questions?"
"Your Highness, no problem. I will arrange this after the meeting. Uh, to build 30 new large ships, we need at least 10,000 sailors, right? The Ministry of War will first transfer 5,000 people from the coastal garrisons. If the recruitment is not enough, I will make a second transfer."
"Okay, I'll add one more thing. The officers and soldiers of Funing Town don't want those Fu ships anymore. They should all accept the new ships. Hmm? Grand Master, do you have any questions?"
"Your Highness, what I want to ask is, is the money for this crudely made warship also paid from the war fund?"
"Hahaha, of course. It's more than 20 million yuan. I don't need to spend it. I feel uncomfortable."
"Oh, then I feel relieved."
"Okay, the navy's matter is settled. In five to six months, we will launch a full-scale counterattack and actively seek a decisive battle!"
"Your Highness's strategy is exquisite. We are in awe of it."
After gently waving his hands to show that he was not interested in such flattery, Zhu Youdong continued, "In this battle, the naval battle is the key, but it is the army that determines the final outcome of the war. So, now that we have finished talking about the navy, let's talk about the army. Cao Wenzhao, how is the training of the seven newly formed regiments going?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, the new seven regiments have been training for four months. According to the training outline we compiled when we rebuilt Henghai Guard on Jingjiang Island, the first phase of training will be completed in two months."
"Hmm..." After thinking for a while, Zhu Youdong said, "I remember that after Henghaiwei was rebuilt, it was only a year later that I took you north to Liaodong, right?"
"Yes, in the first month of the 38th year of the Wanli reign, Henghaiwei officially opened its camp. In November of that year, it headed north to Liaodong. In the second month of the 39th year, Henghaiwei completed its first actual battle in Sarhu."
"I'm afraid the officers of Henghaiwei back then were not as good as the officers of the seven newly formed towns today, right?"
"Your Highness is right. When the Henghai Guard was rebuilt, even a captain like me could only recognize a few hundred characters. But now, all officers in the newly formed seven regiments can read. More than 50% of the officers have served in the Royal Military Academy, and all soldiers are learning to read in night school. Many smarter soldiers can already try to read the Yanjing Daily after only four months in the camp."
"Okay, now that you put it like that, I've made up my mind."
He stood up, walked to the sand table , and raised his baton: "Everyone, the navy plans to launch a counterattack in five to six months. But before that, the army will take action first."
"Your Highness, please give us your instructions."
"I mean that the 1st, 4th and 7th regiments should be organized into the 1st Army Group, heading north to Liaodong and deploying along the Yalu River. This will force Japan to send more ground forces to Korea.
The fifth and eighth regiments will go south and form the second army with the second regiment. The mission of this army is to enter Annan from Guangxi. If we enter Annan, the Nguyen family will definitely welcome us. As for the Zheng family? Humph, if they honestly supply food to our army and protect the food route, I will let them continue to be powerful officials in northern Annan. Otherwise, hey, the people in Annan have always been difficult to manage, and I am too lazy to worry about them, so let's change someone to be a powerful official."
"Hahaha~" Among the ministers present at the meeting, not many knew much about military affairs, but when it came to playing political games, they were all better than the other. Wen Tiren smiled and said, "Your Highness, leave this matter to me. I will make the Zheng family obedient."
"Okay, I'll leave this matter to Mr. Wen."
Zhu Youdong did not think about directly governing Annan or controlling the Annan government at this time, and controlling the country behind the scenes. However, while the war is going on, my army will go in first. After the war, hehehe...
"I went on to say that the 6th, 9th and 13th regiments were organized into the 3rd Army. The mission of this army is to garrison in Fujian, and once we have control of the sea near Penghu, we will first land on Taiwan Island. After this battle, I think you all know how important Taiwan Island is. In the future, I plan to build a new governor's office on Taiwan Island."
"Well, Your Highness, Taiwan is so small and has such a small population. Should we just build a governorate?"
"Hahaha, Grand Chancellor, it's still too early to talk about this. In any case, our navy will have to gain control of the sea before we can proceed. But speaking of this, the Ministry of Personnel can do the work in advance and seriously consider what level of organization is suitable for Taiwan at this time."
"Yes, I've made note of it."
"Your Highness! Where is our Third Town?"
"Chunzhong, the Third Town is my personal army. Unless I want to lead the army in person, you should just stay in Beijing."
"Your Highness! The title of the Third Town is the Imperial Guard. It is natural for them to be there to protect Your Highness at all times. However, Beijing is one of the most prosperous places in the world. This army has been in such a place for a long time..."
"Don't worry about that. After this battle is over, the officers from the other nine towns will come to exchange with your men."
"Oh, so Your Highness has already thought of this. I have no objection."
"Okay." After pacifying Li Chunzhong, Zhu Youdong turned around and said, "The First Army will be led by Cao Wenzhao, commanding the three regiments. The Second Army will be led by Liu Zhaosun. The Third Army will be led by Zhao Lujiao. Does the Ministry of War have any objection to this arrangement ?"
"I have no objection. I will prepare the relevant documents after the meeting."
"Okay, Grand Marshal, in addition to the new army, the rest of the Ming army must also be mobilized."
"I also have this idea. Your Highness, please tell me how to mobilize them specifically?"
"Well, in the southwest, in addition to Sichuan Town, Yunnan, Guizhou and Chongqing Guard each sent out about 3,000 troops. Together with Sichuan Town, there are 20,000 troops. These 20,000 people will be led by Ma Chengzhao and will join forces with Myanmar to launch a tentative attack on Siam.
In addition, Beijing, the Jingying, Tengxiang and Four Guards, all need to send out troops to fight in rotation. Ten thousand troops should be drawn first. Follow the two garrisons of the Second Army to the south, and then transfer to Yunnan. Reinforce Ma Chengzhao.
The nine important border towns must also each draw troops to form a 20,000-man force to reinforce Liaodong."
"Yes, I understand. We will handle it immediately after the meeting. All the above-mentioned troops will arrive at the location designated by Your Highness within four months. They will first familiarize themselves with the local environment. After the victory or defeat at sea is decided, our army will immediately launch a full-scale counterattack!"
"Yes." After nodding to Wang Xiangqian, Zhu Youdong walked back to his main seat: "My lords, the Siamese and Japanese pirates overestimated their own strength and used their smallness to offend the big. Such behavior will sooner or later lead to their defeat. But after all, these two thieves have been planning for a long time, so our dynasty had some setbacks in the early stage of dealing with them. Although we all know that as long as we persist a little, victory will definitely belong to us. However, this time cannot be too long! After all, the impact of the severance of maritime trade on our Ming Dynasty is extremely great. The people and wealthy merchants can now temporarily endure it because of their loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. However, this patience, in my opinion, is at most two or three years. Therefore, we must launch a counterattack as soon as possible and achieve a decisive victory! This time, I will set it in half a year. Therefore, everyone should take this as a goal, work together, and work hard. I firmly believe that as long as my Ming Dynasty gets serious, these two tiny countries will be wiped out in a short time!"
"We will obey your highness' orders and serve you wholeheartedly, so that the power of our great Ming Dynasty will spread to the four seas and shock all directions!"
