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Chapter 931 Shalian Port 2
It sounds like the navy didn't suffer much loss, but in fact it was much more than 300 million taels of silver. The honor of being victorious in every battle was gone, and someone in the navy's top brass must be held responsible, from the smallest rank to the largest commander-in-chief and chief of staff, no one was willing to lose their job.

It was not difficult for the navy to raid and occupy the port of Thanlyin, especially after mastering its basic situation, and the scale of the battle was not even comparable to that of Manila. However, the navy had no confidence in how to occupy and effectively manage it, mainly because the local people did not understand it well.

For this purpose, the Navy specially commissioned more familiar maritime merchants to go to Ayutthaya to find interpreters. After a long time of effort, they found three interpreters, but they only knew Mon and Burmese languages ​​and knew nothing about the Rakhine people and the many small ethnic groups in Lower Burma.

Just when the Naval Staff was worried about this matter and it even affected the formulation of the combat plan, the emperor's grace came as a timely relief, and a guy with a small body and a big head brought good news according to the emperor's order.

He met the Mon people in Lower Burma and reached a preliminary agreement. As long as the navy could capture the port of Thanlyin and demonstrate strong strength, some local Mon people would be willing to cooperate in exchange for military protection.

This news was like timely rain. Even though the top naval officials were dissatisfied with Wang Datou, they had to accept it and include him in the command team for occupying Shalian Port.

At this moment, the fleet slowed down and waited in the middle of the journey, that is, to meet with Wang Datou at the pre-agreed coordinate point, and finally listen to the Meng leader's introduction to the overall situation of Shalian Port.

"Commander Huang, have we arrived yet?" Soon, a small boat slowly approached the huge body of the flagship, and two men in Marine uniforms climbed up onto the deck along the rope net.

The first one was the Marine Commander Li Rumei, who was in his early 50s but didn't look old, except that he had been in the tropics for many years and his skin was a little dark. When he saw Huang Nanping, he didn't hesitate to go to the lounge chair next to the rudder and took over the main position.

"We've arrived at the last meeting point, a little early for an hour or so. Manager Ji, there aren't that many rules on the boat, just find a place to sit. Do you want to smoke?"

Huang Nanping didn't care that his seat was taken away by someone else. He leaned against the side of the boat with one leg hanging out, swaying leisurely with the ups and downs of the boat. It was not until the sailor pulled the second person onto the deck that he tried to force a smile on his face and took out two cigars from his arms, but he didn't let Li Rumei have them.

"Don't dare, two generals, try this!"

The man called Ji Zhanggui was about 30 years old, with a pointed face and no flesh on his body. The military uniform didn't fit him well. Judging from the way he climbed the rope net, he didn't look like a navy man.

But his smile was sincere and his words were very clear. While rejecting Huang Nanping's courtesy, he took out a bronze wooden box from his shoulder bag. After opening it, there were neatly stacked cigars inside, which were thinner than the ones Huang Nanping smoked and had darker wrappers.

"Oh, it's from the Nanhaizi Tobacco Factory! Brother Li, this is something new, not very common. Come on, take it!"

Huang Nanping was a heavy smoker, and when he saw the cigars in the box, his eyes immediately flashed with greed, he leaned in and took a deep breath, then picked up a cigar and looked at it carefully. After seeing the manufacturer on the label, he could no longer hold back, not only did he pick up a cigar and put it in his mouth, he also threw one to Li Rumei.

"Manager Ji, could this cigarette be something Prime Minister Ao got from the palace?" Li Rumei was not a heavy smoker. She took the cigar, looked at it for a moment, and suddenly asked an irrelevant question.

"No, no, don't worry, Generals. This is a new product from the cigarette factory, sent to the bank for trial. It is said that His Majesty does not like it, because it is too thin. One cigarette is not enough, and two cigarettes are too cumbersome." The manager of the Manila branch of Sun Moon Bank, who represented the bank to follow the navy fleet to Shalian, had nothing to do with the war, but only to pave the way for post-war reconstruction and investment attraction. To put it bluntly, he came to see what can be bought and sold, and how much should be invested, and then report back to Oyani.

But it would be unconscionable to say that it had nothing to do with the war. Apart from what was needed for the battle, everything that could be destroyed and what could not be destroyed, including confiscated real estate, property, and land, also belonged to the Sun Moon Bank.

Therefore, this operation is not only about conquering cities, but also a brand new attempt. The army and the bank will fully communicate and cooperate to strive to obtain the greatest benefits at the lowest cost.

"Your Majesty is right. Men should smoke thicker cigarettes. This cigarette is suitable for women."

Huang Nanping was quick, he had already lit the cigar and took a deep puff, smacked his lips after exhaling, and recognized the emperor's evaluation. Then he reached out and took the wooden box, turned around and threw it to the boatswain, his movements and expressions were all smooth and flowing.

"You still can't change your habit of stealing things after all these years. You won't achieve anything great."

Although it was not the emperor's cigar, it had been sent to the emperor after all, so it must be 100% good stuff. Seeing that Huang Nanping had taken the initiative and did not leave any extra cigars for her, Li Rumei could only make up for it.

"Don't you feel guilty saying that? When has the navy robbed less than the land warfare commander? When we robbed passing ships, we didn't kill people easily, but kept them for ransom. But you guys are so good, you took away the villages and land in one fell swoop, leaving nothing behind. It's obvious who the pirates are!"

When the navy was first established, it was strictly forbidden to attack each other based on their background, because many sailors were pirates, and calling a monk bald in front of him would not be conducive to unity.

After so many years, many sailors who were originally pirates have become officers, and this topic is no longer a taboo, but has become a joke among acquaintances.

"Hey, what you said is really treasonous. The Marine Command has always acted in accordance with His Majesty's will. How dare you slander His Majesty? Chief of Staff Wang, you testify that this matter cannot be solved with two boxes of cigars!"

Unfortunately, Huang Nanping, who came from a pirate family, was good at fighting, but he was not as good as Li Rumei, who had been in the officialdom, in fighting. His words and deeds were full of traps, just waiting for people to fall into them.

"Come on, boatswain, give the cigar to Commander Li. There's no point in grabbing this thing. Not only does it choke you, but it also makes you stink."

Also accompanying the fleet on this expedition was Wang Yuanjing, Chief of Staff of the South China Sea Fleet. He did not smoke, and seeing that Huang Nanping was about to be defeated, he quickly tried to smooth things over. Although the emperor was magnanimous and did not care about these minor issues, he could not be too lenient in front of outsiders.

"Hey, Wang Yuanjing, cigars were invented by His Majesty, so it doesn't seem appropriate for you to say that!" As a result, Huang Nanping's kindness was not rewarded, and he started to find fault with everything again.

(End of this chapter)