unclear

Chapter 775 A Long Way to Go 2
"How long have you taken over this ship?"

This was what Hong Tao had to do right now. In just one hour of sailing and leaving the port, he had already discovered many problems. The sailors in particular were obviously not very familiar with the new sailing equipment and were very cautious and restrained in their operation.

"Reporting to Your Majesty..." The emperor is an expert in naval navigation. This has been rumored in the navy, but almost no one believes it, including Huang Nanping.

Everyone agreed that the emperor was very skilled in designing and building an ingenious sextant, superior Qin-class and Han-class warships, and powerful muskets and artillery.

However, these artifacts are not necessarily directly related to navigation technology, just like a swordsmith can forge a magical weapon, but he is not necessarily good at using a sword to kill the enemy. What's more, many officers and soldiers even thought that the strange and lewd skills were also created by someone else, who just borrowed the emperor's reputation.

The reason is simple. The emperor grew up in the palace and had never seen a larger body of water except the Taiye Lake. He had no chance to learn navigation and shipbuilding. It is impossible that he was born with knowledge. Of course, the emperor attached great importance to the navy and was the founder of the navy. No one denies this.

But today Huang Nanping was a little unsure. As the saying goes, an expert can tell whether there is something with just one touch. Ever since the emperor climbed up the rope net from the boat, he realized that he might be wrong.

The emperor's foot wrapped around the rope was not only smooth but also natural. If one is not a person who walks on the sea all year round, even after a short period of training, it is difficult to do it so smoothly. Now the emperor suddenly asked about the South China Sea Fleet taking over the Han 001 ship, which seemed to be a bad omen.

"Stop! There is no emperor in the fleet. You can choose between the Grand Marshal, the Fleet Commander, or the Captain. I personally think Commander is more catchy and closer to the actual situation."

"Reporting... uh... Commander, the East China Sea Fleet received the order from the governor and the chief of staff and received this ship from the Songjiang Shipyard on the way north. We used the time on the way to conduct a short training for one month." Sure enough, nothing good happened. He was scolded as soon as he opened his mouth. I really don't know what the commander is, but I call him whatever the emperor wants.

"What's the response?" Hong Tao had only heard feedback from the shipyard craftsmen on the performance of the Han-class warships, and didn't know the actual situation. But shipbuilders and ship operators are often not on the same page, so if you want to know more, it's best to ask both sides.

"Well... the officers and soldiers all responded that the sails are more flexible to control and the artillery has a longer firing range. It is a rare good ship!"

This problem made Huang Nanping a little embarrassed, because the sailors were not used to the new sailing equipment in a short period of time, and there was even an incident where the lower crossbeam threw the sailor into the sea.

But I heard from the officers in the shipyard that these sails were designed by His Majesty the Emperor, and many craftsmen had seen the imperial drawings. So it was obviously not a good idea to tell the truth, so I had to use the clichés I had memorized for several days to deal with it.

"Wang Yuanjing, answer this commander's question!"

Unfortunately, Huang Nanping's expression was not well concealed, so Hong Tao saw that he was not sincere. He did not embarrass the naval commander who was a pirate, but changed the person to ask.

"Reporting to the commander, there are two main problems. First, the sailors are not very proficient in the use of new sails and winches; second, the gunners have not yet fully understood the performance of the new artillery. I think these two problems are not serious and can be quickly remedied with diligent training." At this time, it can be clearly seen the difference between people from different systems. The more traditional Huang Nanping's first reaction to the emperor is to be cautious and then submissive.

People who came out of the Haihu Division, because they had more contact with the emperor, were often criticized and taught, and were familiar with the emperor's likes and dislikes. They did not dare to play tricks and were more accustomed to being straightforward and telling the truth.

"You all see, this is the problem. The army is not a court, and we need to seek truth from facts. If you are afraid of being punished for your words and dare not speak the truth, then the problem will never be solved.

If one day this ship encounters a storm in the ocean and capsizes due to design flaws, in order to avoid holding me responsible, do I have to continue making up lies, only report good news and not bad news, or even find a scapegoat?
Many bad habits are developed from small things. You fool me with sweet words, and I use you in return. Isn't this just officials protecting each other? Big problems will arise over time.

This problem is with you. Remember, Huang Nanping is suspected of deceiving the emperor. All credit for this combat mission will be waived, and his honor will be stopped for one year. I only dealt with him this time, but you all must take this as a warning. Anyone who dares to be hypocritical with me again will be punished for deceiving the emperor!"

Hong Tao did not require to fly a larger Han-class battleship on this voyage. It just happened that the construction of this battleship was nearing completion, so he asked the Songjiang Shipyard to work overtime to rush it out.

If the ship is found to have major hidden dangers after sea trials, it will have to be returned to the factory for modification. I will replace the flagship and drive the already mature Qin-class warship to the Cape of Good Hope without any inconvenience.

But the ship can have hidden dangers, but the officers cannot. In particular, the habit of deceiving the superiors and hiding the truth from the subordinates, and reporting good news but not bad news, must not be tolerated. As long as the slightest sign is found, it must be eradicated immediately.

However, Hong Tao adopted the method of warning Huang Nanping and many other naval commanders first. They probably did not intend to destroy or cultivate anything, but the habitual thinking patterns brought from the old system could not be changed in a short time.

If you still don't repent after being warned, don't blame yourself for crossing the river and burning bridges. No matter how much contribution you have made to the navy and how many merits you have made, you must be cleared out without a moment's delay.

"I am guilty, I accept your order and thank you..." Huang Nanping's cold sweat has already flowed down to his chin. What a guy, he almost committed the crime of deceiving the emperor by flattering the emperor. Who can he go to for justice? If I had known that the emperor was so difficult to serve, I would have stayed in Da Nang to look after the house.

But in the next few days, he felt that it was a good thing to come here. Not only could he witness the emperor's ability to command the fleet to cut through the waves on the sea, but he could also learn a lot of techniques and tricks when sailing a large fleet.

The most valuable thing is that the emperor never kept these things for himself. He seemed to know what everyone wanted to learn. Every time the time came, he would explain them repeatedly and then arrange for officers from each ship to operate them in turn. He was really patient.

Then Huang Nanping knew why young officers like Wang Yuanjing and Miao Buzhun could stand out. It was because they had a good master! If a master taught them everything they knew since they were young, as long as they were not particularly stupid, they would gain something, and these gains would most likely benefit ordinary people for life.

(End of this chapter)