The legend of the king of crossing

Chapter 94

Under the leadership of examiners Fan Wenhuan and Ma Tingluan, the candidates who won the top ten in the martial arts examination in the first year of Xianchun knelt down on the ground of Jiying Hall and shouted loudly: "See the emperor, long live the emperor, long live the emperor."

"Retire without courtesy."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Except for Ouyang Jianqing, I recognized Shi Yuqi, Lu Mengshan and others who were skilled at the time at a glance.

Fan Wenhuan said: "Your Majesty, please announce the decree."

"Okay, now I announce that I have won the list of the top three candidates in this martial arts examination, Shi Yuqi."

"The grass people are here."

"I ordered you to explore the talents for this martial arts competition, to serve in the infantry of the Forbidden Army, to be named a military cavalry captain, to be awarded the title of Xuan Fenglang, and to receive the rank of seventh rank."

"My minister Shi Yuqi, thank you for your kindness."

"Su Bingyi, I nominate you to be the second place in this martial arts examination, to serve in the Ministry of War, to be named Yunqi Lieutenant, to be named Xuan Delang, and to receive the rank of Seventh Rank."

"My minister Su Bingyi thanks the emperor for his kindness."

"Su Bingyi, are you a descendant of Su Shi?"

"Go back to the emperor, that's right."

"Then why did you abandon literature and martial arts?"

"Your Majesty, Northern Mongolia is eyeing me covetously. I am willing to be Huo Qubing in the Han Dynasty, to protect my family and the country, and to return my rivers and mountains."

"Okay, go to the Ministry of War and work hard, Ouyang Jianqing."

"The grass people are here."

"I nominate you to be the No. [-] scholar in this martial arts examination. You will serve in the Forbidden Army and Navy. You will be awarded the title of Xiaoqi Lieutenant, Chao Fenglang, and you will receive the rank of sixth rank."

"My minister Ouyang Jianqing thanks the emperor for his kindness."

After the announcement of the top three, I said to the remaining seven people: "Lu Mengshan, the seven of you are assigned by the official department, and you will temporarily receive the title of the eighth rank."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"I am very pleased to have young people like you who are determined to join the army and serve the country. I hope to see you serve the country in future wars."

"The ministers must live up to the emperor's kindness and love."

The military generals in the Song Dynasty had a variety of official positions, which can be called the most chaotic and elusive official system in all dynasties. I didn't understand what it was like.On the contrary, the organization of the Mongolian army is simple, and it is clear at a glance from the head of ten thousand to the head of a thousand households to the head of a centurion.

"Master, Fan Aiqing, Wen Aiqing, Lu Aiqing, the four of you will follow me to the Ministry of War."

The six ministries, the Privy Council, the Ministry of Education and other important institutions of the imperial court are all in the south of the palace.

Among the six ministries, the Ministry of War is the least valued department. Since Taizu, the Song Dynasty used literature to control military affairs, and the Ministry of War has always been ranked at the end of the six ministries, not to mention the Privy Council above it.The Navy Division is located in a corner of the Ministry of War, which makes it even more inferior.

Anyone who knows the history of the last years of the Southern Song Dynasty knows that it was precisely because of the superiority of the navy in the Southern Song Dynasty that the fate of the country's subjugation was delayed, and the son emperor who followed him survived for several years.It's just that no one paid attention to it at the end of the Song Dynasty, even the famous general Li Tingzhi. This situation lasted until the end of the Qing Dynasty hundreds of years later, when foreigners' warships and artillery bombarded the country, and then they woke up.

I looked at the few naval divisions in front of the palace, the main generals of the Privy Council's naval division, and frowned slightly: "Which love can tell me about the status of my navy?"

The gazes of these people looked at the veteran on the far left in unison.

Jia Sidao introduced: "Your Majesty, this is Li Beiyang, the Minister of the Ministry of War and the Commander of the Navy Commander in front of the Palace. He is the descendant of the famous navy general Li Bao a hundred years ago in our dynasty, and he is also the oldest general in the navy. Li Dutong, come and tell His Majesty."

Li Bao, although not well known, led more than 31 sailors in Shaoxing for 3000 years and wiped out the [-] sailors of the Kingdom of Jin. dare not.After this battle alone, some people in later generations listed Li Bao as one of the top ten famous naval generals in ancient times.

Li Beiyang is nearly sixty years old, and has joined the navy with his father since he was in his twenties, and he knows the navy of the Song Dynasty like the back of his hand.Seeing Jia Sidao, Li Beiyang went out and said, "Your Majesty, my navy is divided into three divisions, the front of the palace is in charge of the navy, the coastal system is in charge of the navy, and the local navy is in charge of the navy. There are a total of 10 soldiers in the ranks , There are tens of thousands of warships. Your Majesty wants to know about the situation of the navy, so I will answer them one by one."

I thought for a while and said, "Let me first understand the type of warships of our navy and the status of the weapons and personnel they are equipped with."

Li Beiyang said: "Your Majesty, there are many types of warships in our navy. At present, there are seventeen types of warships in service, including Chima, White Harrier, Sea Falcon, Sea Loach, Walking Ke, and Mengchong. The size and equipment of soldiers are different. For example, the largest warship has five or six hundred men, while the small warship has several men. The weapons are equipped with crossbows, artillery (equivalent to trebuchets), fireballs, and rackets. , long scythes, etc. The arms include archers, card players, gunners, swordsmen, crossbowmen, gunners, etc., as well as auxiliary personnel such as gunmen and gunners. The newly added warships are also equipped with some guns. If your majesty wants to If you want to know the root, you can go to our shipyard or visit the navy station in person."

I nodded and continued to ask: "What is the power of the warship I am facing?"

"Your Majesty, the power of our warships is divided into three categories. One is powered by rowing oars, the other is powered by pedaling wheels, and the third is powered by propellers."

"propeller?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, this is composed of several small wheels, which can also be called large wheels."

"So that's it." I thought to myself, thinking it was some kind of advanced power source.

"Li Aiqing, what is the main purpose of the navy?"

"Your Majesty, there are three main points. One is to prevent the waterway attack from northern Mongolia, the other is to arrest pirates, and the third is to suppress smuggling."

I successively asked about the sources of the naval personnel and warships, as well as the combat strategy of the navy, etc., and Li Beiyang answered them one by one in an orderly manner.

"Well, very good. How about the naval forces of the Coastal Manufacturing Division?"

Li Beiyang said: "It's the same, but the minister is not very clear about the specific affairs."

Fan Wenhuan pointed to one of the generals and said, "Your Majesty, this is Li Zengbo, envoy of the coastal regime, Mr. Li, come and tell Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, there are [-] coastal naval forces, mainly in the area from Dinghai to Guangnan East Road. Their warships are equipped with the same equipment as other naval forces in our dynasty. The only difference is that the warships are mainly large ships. You can’t use wheels for power, so it’s all paddle drive.”

"The navy of the local division is also the same, right?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I'm here to ask you, if you go to the ocean, where can you go?"

Li Beiyang said: "Return to Your Majesty, I once traveled with my father to the area of ​​Luzon (now Luzon Island in the Philippines)."

Li Zengbo also said: "Your Majesty, I have been to Ryukyu, but I have never thought about how far I can go. Is Your Majesty planning to attack Mongolia by sea?"

"Hehe, not exactly, it's not far enough there, but I want to visit Venice overseas."

"Where is Venice?"

"Let's not talk about this first." I changed the subject and said, "I'm here to ask you, what is the biggest weakness of my court navy?"

Li Beiyang said without even thinking about it: "Your Majesty, the biggest drawback of our court navy is that there are too many systems, fragmented, and chaotic organization, which is not conducive to large-scale operations."

"That's true." I stood up suddenly and said, "Li Beiyang, Li Zengbo, I ordered you two to make a plan for the merger of the three naval divisions within one month, and I plan to merge the various naval forces at the end of Xianchunyuan. "

Li Beiyang was stunned for a moment and said, "I obey the order."

Li Zengbo glanced at Jia Sidao, seeing that he had no reaction, he could only respond, "I obey the order."

Jia Sidao had no expression on his face, but he was shocked in his heart. Has Zhao Xuan started to reach out to the army?

I looked at Jia Sidao and said with a smile: "In the second half of the year, I will discuss with the Privy Council and the Ministry of War, and strive to complete the merger of all naval divisions before the end of the year, and hand them over to the Privy Council for direct command."

Jia Sidao heaved a sigh of relief after listening to my words: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Seeing Jia Sidao expressing his attitude, Fan Wenhuan hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of War will definitely cooperate."

Although Jia Sidao didn't value the navy, it was the first time for me to directly interfere with military affairs. Fortunately, I was able to relax when I said that the merged navy would be handed over to the Privy Council.

I have a panoramic view of all this. As a sales engineer, I still have the simplest ability to observe. Besides, after half a year of training, I have gradually matured. Now I am more and more able to grasp Jia Sidao's mentality, and Jia Sidao Sidao is getting more and more unable to understand me, Zhao Xuan.

I did not deceive Jia Sidao in that the merged naval forces were handed over to the Privy Council, but the Privy Council was in my hands.