"Of course it's possible." I smiled and looked at the surprised expressions of the three of them and said, "It's up to you to realize this possibility. What, don't you have confidence?"
"Yes, I believe you, Master." Huang Daopo was the first to express his stance.
Shen Yiqiu and Quanjue also nodded and said: "Of course."
"Miss Huang, in addition to this new loom, for cotton-making tools, you can also choose from the cotton gin, the cotton slingshot, the spinning wheel, and the loom. Improvements should be made in four aspects.”
When Huang Daopo heard that I could say this, she was even more surprised and said: "Ah? Master, you actually know the art of weaving?"
Fang Ling smiled and said: "Sister Huang, what doesn't my brother understand?"
Li Beiyang also said: "Young Master is a scholar of heaven and man. He is unparalleled in this world. I have already learned from you."
Song Wuxin asked curiously: "Does the young master also know how to build ships?"
"What do you think?" everyone asked in unison.
On the afternoon of the second day after Wen Tianxiang's departure, I summoned Li Beiyang, Ye Mengding and Lu Xiufu in the Imperial Study Room to discuss the formation of the navy.
"Li Aiqing, then Song Wuxin has all the drawings of the giant ship. Is there any problem with the progress of the battleship now?"
"Your Majesty, with Mr. Song's help, it should be much easier."
"Well, Li Aiqing, I have read your memorial. As for the future plan of our navy, we have tentatively determined it to be the four main fleets in the East China Sea, the South China Sea, the North Sea, and the Coastal Fleet. Among them, the Coastal Fleet will be canceled after Wang Shi moves north to the Central Plains. The officers and soldiers of the four major fleets are composed of the original naval forces of each department, totaling 100,000 people. I initially plan to have Ye Aiqing serve as the naval commander and Li Aiqing as the deputy commander. Li Aiqing is still responsible for the specific affairs. "
Ye Mengding is also the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, so he naturally handles far more affairs in the court than Li Beiyang. Moreover, when it comes to water warfare alone, Li Beiyang is more proficient and professional.
"I obey your orders."
"Li Aiqing, all preparatory work needs to be completed before the end of the year. Lu Xiufu, the Minister of War, will cooperate with you."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Li Beiyang thought for a moment and continued to ask, "Your Majesty, will the reorganized Navy still be placed under the jurisdiction of the Privy Council?"
"Haha, Li Aiqing, the three of you are not outsiders today. I will tell you my plans and assumptions for the future of our military. First of all, the military and political divisions. You all know that I have recently established the Government Affairs Council. In the future, I will establish The Military Affairs Council, replacing the existing Privy Council and the Ministry of War, is responsible for all military affairs of our dynasty. Secondly, like the Government Affairs Council, the Military Affairs Council will be directly under the leadership of the royal family, which means it will be directly responsible to me. Is this what you are most concerned about? "
Li Beiyang and Jia Sidao have always been at odds with each other. Now I saw through his thoughts. He blushed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, I am scared."
"Third point, I will slowly replace the existing cold weapons with firearms. Even the navy will mainly use firearms. My dear friends, after I regain the mountains and rivers, the navy will highlight its importance even more It will even surpass the army. Therefore, when it comes to the construction of the navy, we must have a longer-term vision and gradually evolve from the current offshore operations to deep-sea operations, which is like ocean-going merchant ships that need to travel long distances in the sea."
"Your Majesty, why is this?"
I took out a map, spread it out on the table and said, "Come and take a look, this is a world map that I hand-drawn."
"World map?"
"Most of the world is covered by water. These areas account for about 60 to 70% of the entire world. They are mainly composed of the four oceans such as the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean." I pointed to the location of China and said, " Come and see, this is the land of our dynasty. In the whole world, our dynasty only occupies a small part of the land. Even the territory during the Han and Tang Dynasties was only a small part. The world is so big that it far exceeds yours. Imagine. Come here, this country is called Italy, which is where Mr. Jerry Polo’s hometown Venice is. To reach these places, we can only sail through it. In the future, after I conquer Mongolia, I will conquer the whole world. , at that time, it will be the time for me to truly make contributions to the navy. This is one of the reasons why I want to build the Shenzhou giant ship. Just imagine, a force with the Shenzhou giant ship as the flagship and a combination of various battleships. Such a large fleet is so majestic sailing on the sea."
Lu Xiufu was relatively good. How did Li Beiyang and Ye Mengding know that the world was so big? They were even more surprised that I knew it. They were stunned for a moment and realized that the "god man" Lu Xiufu once said in the rumors was absolutely true.
I continued: "There is countless wealth in the ocean. Even if it is a small island or a reef, the resources around it are very considerable. The simplest one is fishery resources. Others, let's not mention the others.
All of this must be achieved by our navy. Now you understand what I mean by the importance of the navy. Regardless of whether it is more important than the army, at least it will not be less important than the army."
The ancients often said that every inch of land must be fought for. This only refers to territory on land. The emperors in the past did not pay enough attention to the ocean, so that in later generations, they clamored for each island every day, and even started wars.
Li Beiyang said excitedly: "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead our fleet overseas to open up new territories for Your Majesty."
As a soldier, defending the homeland is the most basic task, but what really allows soldiers to make contributions is to expand the territory. However, the ancient navy did not have such an opportunity at all. It was not until the rise of European iron ships hundreds of years later that
Only then did people realize the importance of the navy.
Opportunity seemed to be beckoning to Li Beiyang. If the fleet went overseas, wouldn't it be equivalent to Marshal Yue regaining his lost territory?
I smiled and said, "Li Aiqing, I will definitely let you lead the team personally."
"I would like to thank your Majesty in advance."
Lu Xiufu had been following me for a long time and was very convinced of my "prophecy". After listening to it, he asked: "Your Majesty, I just heard that your Majesty said that the only way to reach overseas lands is by sailing. In the future,
Is there any other way?"
"Haha, Junshi, you listened really carefully. Yes, think about it, there is land in this world, where you can travel by horse, and there is also the ocean, where you can travel by boat, and there is the sky.
What about in the sky? Of course in the future there will also be things that can travel in the sky."
How could Ye Mengding believe it and said: "Your Majesty, this, this is too unbelievable, isn't it?"
"Ye Aiqing, this is not impossible, but certain. Human potential is infinite. For example, Aiqing, if you go back to the Yao and Shun era, would you have thought that today's battleships are so huge and today's cities are so prosperous? I have said,
Man can conquer nature, so we must have a future-oriented thinking. As important ministers of our dynasty, you must emancipate your minds so that you can break the inherent shackles of mankind and make society continue to progress."
"Emancipate the mind?" Ye Mengding pondered for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty, I have an idea, but I don't know whether to talk about it or not?"
"My dear, if you have anything to say, just say it."
"Your Majesty, I have been listening to your Majesty's teachings recently, and the more I think about them, the more insightful and insightful I am. Your Majesty's remarks are unprecedented. Therefore, I propose that your Majesty's remarks be collected into a book and edited into a record, so that our officials can read and study. For example, in the future,
The navy has a very important strategic position, and our government will definitely increase investment. If it can be publicized in advance, all officials and even the people will know in advance, and when it is officially implemented, it will get twice the result with half the effort."
“If you want to take action, you must first build momentum?”
"Your Majesty, this is exactly what I mean."
"Ye Aiqing, these words are very kind." I burst out laughing.
Public opinion, building momentum, and even cheering and shouting for me can all be achieved by publishing newspapers and periodicals. Why didn't I think of it? I can also produce a book of emperor's quotations. People in this era are simple-minded and do not have the Internet.
It is better to brainwash.
Next, I want to change the corruption in the officialdom. Of course, I can spread the word first before taking action. I can also publicize the fact that Fujian Road was the first to establish the Procuratorate and Nanya through the media, so that everyone knows that after the reform, the government office on Fujian Road
How incorruptible is he? With the supervision of this media, haha, let’s see if Chen Xinshu still dares to commit corruption.
"Xiaoqi."
Xiaoqi came in from the door and said, "Here you are."
"To pass on my decree, after we retire from the court tomorrow, we will announce to all ministers, Jia Sidao, Weng Yinglong, Liao Yingzhong, Chen Yizhong, Lu Xiufu, and Zhao Shunsun, that they will hold a meeting in the back hall. Also, please invite He Ji and He Aiqing to be present."