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Chapter 938 The secret is exposed

"...Well...I can only express my own opinion. It has nothing to do with His Majesty." Hearing that it was a private matter, Jie Ji felt relieved, but did not answer immediately. Instead, she put forward a point of view.

"Yes, yes, that's what I mean." Huang Nanping understood and quickly changed his words, no longer mentioning the emperor.

"What Wang Datou said about the westward advance is very likely true. If nothing else, the Navy has invested a lot of manpower and material resources in Enniao Port over the years and will never let it go easily.

But Enniao Port is isolated overseas, and it is not easy to get support and supplies. If we want to make a radical change, we must add a naval base along the way. Shalian Port is likely to be one of them. Starting from here... Do you have a sea chart?"

With a consensus, Sister Ji no longer had to worry about being suspected of guessing the emperor's intentions, and began to count on her fingers to analyze the future development trend of the navy. When it came to the key point, two hands were no longer enough.

"Captain... bring us the nautical charts, a complete set, quickly!"

Huang Nanping was listening intently, and his fingers were not idle, as he used his fingernails to carve several key port locations on the side of the ship. When he heard about the sea chart, he remembered that there was no need to waste effort, so he shouted at the top of his voice.

"This is Thalín Port... This is Enniao Port. If you take the northern route, this is a must-go place. The Arabs call it Kalamba, the locals call it Colombo, and the Portuguese call it Columbus. It is currently occupied by the Portuguese.

In theory, the location of Thanlyin Port is far inferior to that of Colombo Port. His Majesty chose this place mainly to distract the energy of the Kingdom of Toungoo. But His Majesty never makes hasty moves. Thanlyin Port should have other uses. I think it is to replace Colombo Port one day and take it into his pocket. "

The sea chart was brought, and Jie Ji spread it on the deck. She and Huang Nanping squatted head to head and began to deduce. It was said that we should not try to guess the emperor's thoughts, but every step was to imitate the emperor's usual style.

"That makes sense! Your Majesty mentioned this place when he led the fleet to the Cape of Good Hope. If we occupy it, we can go directly to the Arabs' hometown, or we can retreat to guard the throat of Malacca. If we add this place, we can control the entire Indian Ocean!" Hearing this, Huang Nanping slapped his knees heavily.

These old navy men who came from pirates and fishermen could tell from the sea charts where important ports were, but they could not come up with a complete theory, let alone make a comprehensive analysis of the overall situation. Jie Ji's inference reminded him of what the emperor said a few years ago, and the meaning was surprisingly similar.

"Yes, this is the Chagos Archipelago. His Majesty said that the island where a naval port can be built is called Diego Garcia Island. There is a large lagoon in the middle with deep water and calm waves. The entire South China Sea Fleet can be parked there without being crowded. It is indeed a good place.

However, there is a lack of fresh water there, and it all depends on rain for storage, which is a bit troublesome to build. The easiest way is to find a suitable port on the mainland to occupy. In addition to Colombo, there should be one or two bases on the coast of Africa, so that Enniao Port can be connected.

If your health still allows, please submit a petition in advance and serve in the navy for a few more years. Right now, His Majesty is busy opening up trade routes to the Western Regions and rectifying the chieftains in the southwestern provinces, and has no time to look south.

But in a few years, we will have to focus on the navy. By then, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea will all become targets of attack by the Ming navy. There will definitely be no shortage of major battles. It would be a pity to miss them!"

Jie Ji pointed at a few points on the map and connected them with lines, which intuitively showed the future development trend of the navy. These strategic layouts were not military secrets, but were really his own thinking, and he didn't know whether they were correct or not.

The reason why he was willing to tell Huang Nanping was not because of their good personal relationship, but because he did not want to see this most senior naval commander miss the most glorious moment of the navy, which would be a lifelong regret. "Write it! Write it now... Write it to Chief of Staff Yuan first. It was he who dragged me into the navy back then, and I can't just leave him alone!"

Huang Nanping became more and more scared the more he listened. He had originally wanted to find a better way out for retirement, but he almost made a wrong move. Regardless of whether Sister Ji's analysis was right or not, there should be a general trend, so staying in the navy became the best choice.

"Don't do that! If you want to write, write directly to His Majesty. It's best not to involve Chief of Staff Yuan. Do your job and listen to me!" Jie Ji did not object to Huang Nanping writing a memorial immediately to apply for a delay in retirement, but she cared about who he was writing to and immediately corrected him.

"...Okay, I'll listen to you. Thank you here. If it really comes true, I will always remember your kindness!"

Huang Nanping thought for a long time with his mouth open, but he still couldn't figure out why he couldn't write to Yuan Keli. But considering Jie Ji's background, he decided to believe him and submit a petition to the emperor directly.

If the normal process had been followed, Huang Nanping's memorial would not have been eligible to enter the Navy's express channel. After arriving at the Da Nang Naval Base, it would have been sent to the Navy General Staff Headquarters on a communication ship that is sent once a month and then presented to the palace.

It would take at least three months for the memorial to appear on the emperor's desk, and it was uncertain when it would be reviewed. After all, the memorial was not an official document, and if there were a large number of memorials, it would normally take ten days or half a month.

But Huang Nanping was lucky, or took advantage of a loophole. After he finished writing the memorial, he put it together with the war report on the active attack on the port of the Kingdom of Arakan. The naval staff who was responsible for delivering the message had no right to look at it, so it was packed and sent directly to the transport ship, which traveled day and night and delivered it to Dagukou in one breath.

Then, the documents would be relayed from station to station by express horses. No matter whether it was day or night, as soon as an official document of this level was received, the Tongzhengshi on duty had to enter the palace as soon as possible, open the seal and check it with the emperor in the Yangxin Hall, and record the contents.

"Don't record this letter. I know Huang Nanping, the commander of the South China Sea Fleet. He is a rough man and not very familiar with the rules of official document circulation. He has made great contributions in the West this time, so please make an exception for him!"

When the emperor saw Huang Nanping's application for delayed retirement, he instinctively turned his eyes to the Right Minister of Public Administration Xiong Wencan. He found that the other party was also embarrassed, and knew that he had made a mistake, so he did not pursue it, and even pleaded for Huang Nanping.

"Your Majesty, when did the navy go to the West? Why did they achieve such merit?"

Xiong Wencan was a little annoyed, and cursed the naval commander Huang Nanping for eight generations in his heart. Then he changed the subject and asked about the navy's movements. In his impression, the navy had no combat mission to the West, and the emperor had never mentioned it in the imperial meeting.

"Oh, it was a small-scale anti-bandit operation by the navy, which destroyed a large pirate den in the West. That's so confusing. Do you know what the navy is used for?"

Facing Xiong Wencan's questioning, Hong Tao could no longer conceal it. As long as the battle report was opened, the Tongzhengshi could not only read it, but also transcribe it word for word into the file. This was a rule, and a good rule that should not be broken.

However, he can lie with his eyes open, and at the same time, he can make vague and confusing statements, saying that some illegal actions of the navy are justified, and anyone who disagrees is a traitor!

(End of this chapter)