Because the Chinese hard sail can take advantage of wind coming from almost any direction, it is best used as a mainsail. The use of Western-style soft sails for spinnakers and other jibs has a multiplier effect on hard sails. As for ships, Liu Haojia is confident in building a new hull with watertight compartments.
This is not to say that he is sure, but that he believes that the wisdom of Chinese craftsmen will never be inferior to anyone else, and may even exceed it! Just give them enough motivation and ideas and they will surprise everyone in the world!
After walking around the ship carefully, the two returned to the cabin and sat down. Before starting, they talked about the strange things in the fleet. But the topic naturally slowly shifted to the navy.
The first thing they talked about was the naval drill code issued by Liu Haojia. When this topic was mentioned, Li Wenliang was so excited that he couldn't stop talking! He was full of praise for Caodian, but he also put forward some targeted modification suggestions. So the two of them simply took the manual and made corrections while talking about it. They didn't stop until someone brought food.
At this time, Li Wenliang was surprised to find that Liu Haojia showed no signs of seasickness at all, but was still in high spirits after a long conversation! So he said with admiration: "Young Marshal, you are indeed a natural born navy material. You didn't get seasick the first time you got on a ship!"
Liu Haojia said with a smile: "It's not that I won't get seasick, it's just that the wind and waves are not big today. If it were big waves, I might have started to vomit by now!"
Li Wenliang said: "If you can avoid seasickness now, it means that the big storms in the future will not be difficult for you, Marshal!"
Liu Haojia waved his hand and said, "We don't need to flatter each other here. Let's eat first and chat while eating."
The meal for the two of them was very simple, including a piece of sea fish, a pot of vegetables, four large cakes, and a bowl of tea for each person. The simple meal was eaten by two people with gusto. The two chatted while eating, and then talked about the staffing of Denglai.
Liu Haojia asked casually: "Last time, I asked you to contact those who can obey the command. How was the contact?"
Hearing this, Li Wenliang slapped his head and put down his chopsticks, took out two lists from his pocket and handed them to Liu Haojia and said: "Young Marshal, you also know that everywhere there are the most weeds, and they will fall wherever the wind is strong! So the list with my name on it are all people who are willing to take refuge with you, and the people on the other list are people who we don’t deal with on weekdays, and most of them were inserted by civil servants."
Liu Haojia browsed through the list of results and said: "Fortunately, there are not too many people appointed by the civil servants. So except for the people you are familiar with, most of the remaining people are neutral?"
Li Wenliang said: "Yes, this is because the civil servants started to take action on us relatively late, and they did not attach as much importance to the navy as the southerners did, so they did not put many people in. But if it takes a long time, I am afraid that we, Denglai, will also follow suit." The navy in the south is almost done!”
Liu Haojia raised his eyebrows and said, "Do you know the navy in the south very well?"
Li Wenliang smiled bitterly and said: "My subordinates used to be from the Fujian Navy. Naturally, I know the situation there. Now, almost all the Fujian and Guangdong naval forces have been controlled by the big families in the south. The few people who are willing to do things can only be Go with the flow. If my subordinates hadn’t had the opportunity to be transferred to Denglai later, I’m afraid they would have been disarmed and returned to their fields, or they might have joined the sea as bandits!”
Liu Haojia said: "Is the situation so serious?"
Li Wenliang said seriously: "Young Marshal, the situation of the male navy is more serious than you think! The navy in the south is not so much the navy of the imperial court, but actually closer to the private fleets of the local big families! What are they? I’ve done everything, but I don’t do the right thing!”
Hearing this, Liu Haojia sneered and said, "Don't worry, this kind of thing won't last long!"
Li Wenliang said in surprise: "Then what are you going to do, young marshal? It's too far from the north, and there are local snakes protecting them, so it's difficult to touch them!"
Liu Haojia opened his mouth and said two words lightly: "Switch defense!"
After hearing this, Li Wenliang pondered for a long time before saying: "This is a good idea, but I'm just afraid that they won't obey the order!"
Liu Haojia sneered and said: "If you don't obey orders, that's rebellion! Kill them on the spot!"
Li Wenliang said: "I'm afraid it will be very difficult to do this. Marshal, can you withstand it?"
Liu Haojia said proudly: "Don't forget who is behind it, it's His Majesty! With his support, nothing can't be done? And I only need to tell those soldiers that they will be paid two taels of silver per month when they come to the north. Deduction! Do you think those soldiers will still be of the same mind as their superiors?"
Li Wenliang immediately gave a thumbs up and said: "Young Marshal is brilliant! Now is the time to pull the trigger! I will write to my old brothers in the south when I get back and ask them to spread the news!"
Liu Haojia said: "Okay! But don't worry about changing defenses yet! We have other things to do, let them be envious first! By the way, does the court need to allocate them in the past few months?"
Li Wenliang smiled bitterly and said: "Young Marshal, as you said, the court has not allocated a penny of food and salary! If you hadn't sent me the money, my brothers would have been out of food!"
Liu Haojia continued to ask: "Has the need for two taels of silver per month been fulfilled?"
Li Wenliang said seriously: "They are all distributed in full, with no discounts or withdrawals! The brothers are very happy and say that they finally met a good commander and their morale is very high!"
Liu Haojia smiled happily when he heard this and said: "As long as the morale is high, I'm afraid they will be needed soon. Also, how are the arrangements for the ships and personnel going?"
Li Wenliang said with confidence: "Young Marshal, all the ships have been repaired! The money is sufficient, and the shipyard is working efficiently! Moreover, the soldiers have been fully replenished and have begun daily drills! It is not possible to fight a big battle. It’s easy to destroy some pirates!”
Liu Haojia nodded and said, "Okay, well done! I'll ask you again..."
Afterwards, the two of them stayed in the cabin all afternoon and did not leave. Li Wenliang gave Liu Haojia a thorough understanding of Denglai's navy. The only thing left was to wait until he arrived in Denglai and compare it with reality. In short, Liu Haojia has gained a lot along the way!
When Liu Haojia's ship arrived at the outskirts of Dengzhou, Li Wenliang had someone hang a handsome flag on the mast! Seeing the handsome flag, the ships passing around gave way. Except for the ships with patrol duties, all other ships followed Liu Haojia's ship and rushed to the water village.
And because a clipper rushed back to report the news, Liu Haojia was greeted by a crowd of people when he landed! From the eyes of those soldiers, Liu Haojia could see that they sincerely welcomed him, and he couldn't help but feel certain in his heart. It seemed that giving the soldiers the full needs that far exceeded other armies could win over the hearts of these low-level soldiers!
