Seeing the rising golden roc flag flying on the top of the ship's mast, and the golden roc bird with double wingspan soaring into the wind like it was soaring in the sky, Lei Cangpu's face was filled with pride and excitement. With an expression on his face, this was already the third large-scale warship delivered from the Royal Shipyard of Naples, Kingdom of Milan. He watched the fleur-de-lis of Milan's flag slowly descend and was replaced by the Golden Roc flag of the Tang Empire. He looked at each ship. The warships lined up neatly on the pier. This kind of joy is difficult for anyone to experience.
Ling Tianfang's trip to Milan and the upcoming establishment of the Tang Empire should be said to have greatly promoted the delivery progress of the Kingdom of Milan. Seeing that the powerful Tang Empire is about to stand in the east, although their naval fleet is still very weak, As a powerful empire with long coastlines in the southeast and two oceans, it is conceivable that the rise of their navy is also inevitable. What's more, this empire has super army strength. It is undoubtedly a good idea to be on good terms with it at this time. One of the wisest ways to invest in politics.
Lei Cangpu had to admit that the Milanese had an extraordinary level of skill in building large warships. Their attention to craftsmanship could be seen just from the fineness of the sail ropes. Different sails were made of fabrics of different materials, and even in The materials on the rigging also varied, and this alone was enough to give the shipyards of Eastern Samoa and Moro a lesson. The slightly pointed bow looks a little different from the slightly rounded style of the original large sailing ships of the Tang River Empire, but Lei Cangpu knows that although this kind of bow requires higher materials for the stability of the ship, it is slower in terms of speed. Able to do better.
The establishment of the Atlantic Fleet was affected by the establishment of the Atlantic Fleet, but Lei Cangpu still insisted that the Atlantic Fleet must establish a certain structure before considering allocating part of the large warships ordered from Milan to the Atlantic Fleet. After all, the Southern Ocean Fleet has spent too much time and energy preparing. The sailors have been eagerly waiting for the Southern Ocean Fleet to be able to demonstrate the style of the Tang Empire in their hands as soon as possible. The trainee officers at the Naval Academy are also eagerly waiting to get a real experience from the new naval ship.
There are three large military ships, plus two more that the Milanese will deliver next month. Coupled with the small and medium-sized ships produced by local shipyards, a Southern Ocean fleet can barely build a shelf. Although this shelf is still a little weak, it seems to be difficult to withstand big winds and waves. But without going through wind and rain, how can we forge a navy that can withstand storms? Time waits for no one, and Lei Cangpu is already impatient to let this newly minted naval fleet travel in the Southern Ocean. How can a country without a navy achieve its maritime power
After the simple handover ceremony, the Milan people politely expressed their congratulations. Lei Cangpu responded enthusiastically to the other party's sincere congratulations, but he really didn't have much time to waste on these formalities. The navy must use the best possible methods. Build up quickly. This is the task assigned to him by His Highness the King of Qin, and the Director of Military Affairs’ delegation from the southeast to Nanyang clearly brought His Highness the King of Qin’s instructions. The development of the navy should even be placed above the development of the army, and the development of new continent routes And how to protect the opened routes will become the top priority of the Southern Ocean Fleet that has not yet been fully established.
Lei Cangpu almost wanted to pay attention to every ship from leaving the factory to sea trials, then returning to the factory for debugging and improvement, and finally to delivery. He knew that this was not something that a naval commander should pay attention to. But now the recruited sailors have to do internship training on some rented civilian ships. How to replenish the naval ships as quickly as possible has almost become the biggest worry of his naval commander.
The establishment of the Naval Academy went quite smoothly, but the strict recruitment system for teachers blocked many instructors from the maritime powers of the Central and Western Continents. The harsh review system of the security department made a considerable number of teachers unable to do so. Being present at the Naval Academy as a temporary instructor not only affected the mood and motivation of the instructors. It also makes it impossible for many important courses to be carried out according to the set goals.
Compared with the southeastern part of the empire, Lei Cangpu believes that the environment in Nanyang is indeed more suitable for the existence of a naval headquarters. Not only will the future development trend of the empire be westward, but more importantly, in the coastal areas of this area, the people's attitude towards the naval headquarters will be greater. The enthusiasm for sailors on ships is much higher than that in the southeastern region of the empire, and as naval officers and soldiers whose political honors and economic treatment are far better than ordinary civilian sailors, they are even more attractive to these people. The quality of the naval seamen recruited here In every aspect, they are much better than the personnel recruited from the southeastern region of the empire. This is the main reason why Lei Cangpu strongly requested that the naval headquarters be built in Eastern Samoa.
Another reason stems from the good personal relationship established between Lei Cangpu and Nanhai Governor Zhong Wenjing. It should be said that Zhong Wenjing has achieved great success in Nanhai, a land that did not originally belong to the empire or the Tang people. Not only did he win The Tang people here, who have a large number of people, have unanimously welcomed him, and the most rare thing is that he has won the full support of all local ethnic groups. This is of course closely related to the various policies Zhong Wenjing has adopted here to support industry and commerce and encourage trade.
In Lei Cangpu's eyes, Zhong Wenjing should be a guy who is very good at using all the resources at his disposal. His close relationship with the local garrison gives him a strong backing. His smooth tactics and shrewd scheming have attracted the attention of the business class in the four prefectures of Nanhai. There is also a bit of fear in admiration for this governor. Although some of the governor's actions have exceeded the authority of a local official, it cannot but be said that this guy uses threats and intimidation to force the neutral countries and city-states in the west to trade with the South China Sea. The fleet's method of reducing transit taxes and port entry fees was successful, which also laid a solid foundation for him in the industrial and commercial circles of the four provinces of the South China Sea. His iron-blooded methods in dealing with those merchants who flirted with pirates in the South China Sea also made the South China Sea People have seen his iron fist, and the use of implicated tactics has not only won him praise, but also earned him some notoriety. But in his own words, he doesn't care. He doesn't need to be responsible to the people, he only needs to be responsible to the central government. , responsible for His Highness the King of Qin.
Zhong Wenjing gave great support to the navy's establishment in the South China Sea. Lei Cangpu knew that this was not just for personal reasons. It should be said that a strong navy could gain a firm foothold in the South China Sea. For the Nanyang Alliance in the east and the Nanyang Alliance in the west, The neutral areas and the Eastern Peninsula Alliance have great intimidation power, so that the situation in the South China Sea can gain a more stable development space.
Zhong Wenjing looked at Lei Canpu, who was a little excited, with a calm face. This naval commander has still not been able to get rid of his style as a naval general. Zhong Wenjing does not think there is anything wrong with this style. Maybe soldiers should be like this. If you move swiftly and resolutely, your sword will be within reach.
Zhong Wenjing does not think that the shipbuilding craftsmanship of the Milan people is much better than that of the Nanhai people, but there are still some shortcomings in the Nanhai shipyards, which are manufacturers of large warships. Zhong Wenjing hopes that the next batch of navy ships can be built from the Nanhai The shipyards built it, and the wealth did not flow to outsiders. Under the same circumstances, why did the empire's gold coins have to be earned by outsiders? Of course, the premise is that the level of naval ships must not be affected, Zhong Wenjing can still distinguish between major issues of right and wrong.
Zhong Wenjing is quite satisfied with the current situation in the South China Sea, although he still has some regrets that the westward trade in the South China Sea is still firmly blocked by Sikkim Island. In his opinion, if the empire can control Sikkim Island, it will be perfect. , controlling Sikkim Island is almost holding the key to the Eastern Continent leading to the Central and Western Continent. If any fleet from the Eastern Continent wants to enter the Central and Western Continent, it has to accept imperial restrictions, and once this restriction is invalid for the South China Sea area , then the trade volume of your territory with the Central and Western Continent will increase geometrically. It’s just that even the military commanders stationed in the South China Sea do not have the ability or power to solve these problems. The naval commander in front of him is also unable to solve them. When the Director of Military Affairs arrived last time, I specifically mentioned this in my conversation with him. question, but the director of military affairs was vague, which made Zhong Wenjing a little disappointed.
However, relying on her good personal relationship with the naval commander, Zhong Wenjing vaguely realized that the situation was not as she imagined. His Highness King Qin seemed to have an inexplicable attachment to the Central and Western Continent, especially the news of the discovery of the New World. After hearing the news, this situation has changed a lot. Even the naval commander bluntly stated that the future goal of the navy is to point directly to the Latin Ocean, not just the Southern Ocean. If you want to enter the Latin Ocean, Sikkim The island, that is, the City Republic of Sikkim, is undoubtedly the best springboard and bridgehead, and Sikkim, which is in a neutral position, should also be the empire's first priority in the next step. The crazy expansion of the navy seemed to confirm this. Seeing the warships coming from Milan, and the shipyards in the South China Sea being flooded with large orders from the navy, Zhong Wenjing had to wonder whether the new empire's primary goal would be What about pointing to China
But this may just be a good idea of the Governor of the South China Sea. Thinking of this, Zhong Wenjing couldn't help but laugh at herself. She seemed to be overstepping her boundaries. She always wanted to think more about issues that she shouldn't consider, but If you want to bring the economy of your territory to a higher level, then as the governor, it seems that you have to think more and further.