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Chapter 488 Laying out Chicken Coop Island

"Let the officers and men get familiar with the new ship as soon as possible. Are there enough people now?" After changing clothes and getting off the ship, he listened to the compliments of the accompanying officials again. After they also boarded the ship to visit, they finally found an opportunity to talk to Yuan Keli alone.

"The keels of the second batch of six [Qin]-class warships have been laid, and the hull materials have also been prepared. They will be launched in about four or five months. With the big wood provided by the Annan Ruan family, I feel If we build a shipyard in Quanzhou or Guangzhou, we can launch five or six more warships every year.

Thanks to His Majesty's blessing, with the establishment of the Maritime Yamen and the Patrol Guards, there are three more guards. The minister selected more than 3,000 of them to train according to naval standards, and ten more warships can be replenished at any time. "

Yuan Keli answered easily. With the addition of the staff, he no longer had to worry about most of the daily chores. The addition of the Maritime Yamen and the Coast Guard made the navy increasingly abundant. The energy saved can be devoted to development planning. Although the stall is getting bigger and bigger, the work intensity is getting smaller and smaller.

"I am sure about building a shipyard, but not in Guangzhou and Quanzhou. I think Jilong Island is surrounded by the sea and there should be no shortage of good harbors. You first send people to the island to explore and find a suitable location. Not only do you want to build a shipyard , a naval base must be established. In a few years, it will be difficult to change the strategic direction of the navy.

But don't be too relaxed. Before the army can come forward, I can only rely on the navy. Whether there is a big problem at sea or on land, it is up to you to sort it out. There is a long way to go. "

It is certainly a good thing that the navy can develop and grow smoothly, but it is necessary to put more weight on Yuan Keli's shoulders. There is no way. The Ming Dynasty's foundation is too fashionable, there are troubles both internally and externally, and nothing can go wrong.

As for the direction of development, it is right to go south, but putting the military port and the commercial port together will not cause any problems in the short term, but in the long run they will definitely interfere with each other. The location of Xiaoliuqiu Island in the southeastern sea is extremely critical. Instead of letting the Dutch covet it, it is better to strike first.

It does not need to be developed on a large scale, but it must be tenable and stable. The most suitable option is to set up a naval base. As for the cost being much higher, this is not a problem. The Navy’s current revenue can fully cover it.

By the way, you can also communicate with the young people on the island. No matter whether you are willing or not, if you talk nicely, you will be hired. If you are shameless, then you will catch slaves. As long as you put an iron ring around your neck, the work will be better than the money. Work hard.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. In addition to the original warships and armed cargo ships, the navy can dispatch 20 warships at any time, which can carry 3,000 marines. If a war breaks out at Shanhaiguan and the northern border wall, it will not be a problem to mobilize another 3,000 marines to assist.

Commander Shen has considerable experience in both land and naval warfare, and the navy officers are all loyal to the emperor. No matter where His Majesty directs, the navy will attack without any complaints. "

But Yuan Keli was a little mistaken, thinking that the emperor was worried because he could not use the army to deal with internal issues, and quickly stated his position. The voice-over is that the navy has no worries and whoever it wants to fight is worthy of trust.

"Pay more attention to the changes in Liaodong. Last year, the border troops suffered a lot of losses and have withdrawn their troops from Shanhaiguan. I think that in addition to dealing with other Jurchen tribes, they are likely to strengthen their offensive to the south.

The North Koreans cannot be trusted. When sending marines ashore to harass, be sure to make it clear to the generals and not be too frank with them. You must be on guard against both Jurchens and North Korea. If something unusual happens, don't hesitate to retreat to the beach immediately, and don't fight.

Now is not the time to fight a tough battle. I have to keep a low profile for a few more years. When I am ready, there will be a big war to fight. I will save your life, and it will not be too late to serve the country again. "Although Hong Tao also saw that there was a misunderstanding, he did not explain much. Yuan Keli led the navy independently, his combat effectiveness became stronger and stronger, and the suspicion he received also increased. It can be said that there were almost no civil and military officials in the court who did not expect him to be unlucky, no matter how tenacious he was. It is also inevitable for a person's character to overthink things, such as the convention of saying that one's achievements will overwhelm one's master.

Whatever he said at this time would not be very effective, but would instead increase his psychological burden. Only by continuing to put the burden on his shoulders can he feel that the respect and trust from the emperor have not disappeared.

"Since His Majesty mentioned North Korea, I have something to report. According to reports from armed cargo ships heading to Japan, the North Koreans may be secretly trading with the Japanese. Since no conclusive evidence has been found, there is no official report."

"Did the General Staff know what happened?" This was the first time Hong Tao heard about this situation.

“It’s hard to say the exact time. Our people only heard a few Japanese making drunken remarks in Nagasaki Port, and then discovered two ships of coke during local exploration, which aroused suspicion.

The General Staff is trying to bribe Japanese people who are familiar with Tsushima to search for further evidence. If North Korea and Japan really have secret exchanges, the trading port will most likely be on Tsushima Island, where no Ming smuggler ships have docked. "

Yuan Keli was not sure when it came to this matter. Nowadays, the Japanese shogunate and local daimyo have tighter and tighter control over foreign smuggling ships and personnel. Except for the dock, they are not allowed to move around, which is very detrimental to gathering intelligence.

"Killing the enemy by one thousand will result in eight hundred losses. I already knew that the Koreans were unreliable, but I didn't expect to collude with the Japanese. There is no need to rush into this matter. Let the staff figure it out slowly. It is best not to suffer any casualties."

The discovery of a ship transporting coke in Nagasaki Port basically confirms the speculation that someone is smuggling banned materials. It also proves that the Japanese have noticed the breakthroughs in the output and quality of refined steel produced by North Korea and plan to follow suit. .

But they could not get technical support from either the Ming Dynasty officials or the North Korean iron smelting plants, so they had to secretly find ways to use materials. The easiest thing to discover and obtain was coke.

The North Korean ironmaking plant is indeed equipped with a small coke kiln, but the coking technical workers are all from the Yongdinghe Ironmaking Plant. Although the personnel are rotated regularly, it cannot be foolproof. There is indeed the possibility of technology leakage.

There is also a possibility that coke was smuggled from the Ming Dynasty. As long as the profit is high enough, some people would even dare to smuggle artillery, let alone coke. This thing itself is not worth much money, but after taking into account the technical bonus, it is probably more profitable than the artillery.

However, technology leakage is not a big deal. Coke is a consumable product and is used in large quantities. Private traders alone are definitely not enough. There is still a long way to go from knowing how to use it to being able to make it. Don't be too anxious to find the answer, just pay close attention.

(End of this chapter)