Chief of Staff Cao Zhengyuan put down his sextant and marked it on the chart.
He looked at Su Shu who was using a sextant to observe the coordinates of the fleet.
When Su Shu learned about the function of the sextant, he asked Lu Yuanqi, his staff, to teach him how to use the sextant.
After a long period of practice, Su Shu has become proficient in using the sextant.
When Chief of Staff Cao Zhengyuan saw Su Shu finishing his observation, he asked: "Xiao Su, can you determine the current location of the fleet?"
Su Shu arranged the precious sextant. He took out the chart and found a point on the slender peninsula below North America.
"This peninsula is called Yingsheng Island on the map, and it is already the territory of Xiang Kingdom.
We sail for just over an hour and we can see the peninsula with a telescope.
Beyond this area, ahead is Hongyan Port, the largest port in Xiangguo.
Fengjing, the capital of Xiang Kingdom, is inland. Should we go there? "
Chief of Staff Cao Zhengyuan saw that the location pointed out by Su Shu was correct, and he praised: "Xiao Su's use of the sextant is almost as good as that of a skilled navigation staff officer.
We will go to Hongyan Port for supplies. As for whether to go inland, it depends on whether there is anything worth seeing in Xiangguo. "
When Su Shu listened to Chief of Staff Cao Zhengyuan's words, he understood the meaning contained in them.
The Imperial Navy fleet sent ironclad ships to the oceans with a clear purpose.
In addition to training and deterrence, the most important purpose is to examine the national strength of the countries along the way.
A powerful country like Zhao had the potential to grow and become a potential threat to the empire.
You have to stay in such a country for a long time to understand it deeply.
Xiang Guozhen told Wang Dahai that he would stay in a corner. He only needed to learn some customs and customs at the port, and after replenishing goods, he would set off for the next location.
Xiang State is very close to Cao State. As long as there are no problems with the warships, there is no problem at all in going to Cao State's port for maintenance.
Su Shu stared at the clock next to him. This kind of precise navigation is a necessary instrument for the fleet to sail across the ocean.
Calculating the fleet's position and direction requires precise time.
More than an hour passed quickly. Su Shu raised his telescope and vaguely saw the coastline of the peninsula in the west.
His calculation just now was indeed correct. Hongyan Port, an important port in Xiangguo, was not far away from them.
It was already dusk, and they finally saw a busy port ahead, which was Hongyan Port.
Admiral Zhan Tie ordered: "Send someone to take a small boat and go to Hongyan Port to contact us.
When we approached the Golden City some time ago, some turmoil occurred in the Golden City because we were not very skilled.
The purpose of the Imperial Royal Navy this time was to intimidate, not intimidate.
Deterrence and intimidation are completely different. Once turmoil occurs in the port, the victims are civilians. "
Soon a small ship, under the banner of the Great China Empire and the Royal Navy, went to Hongyan Port to report the arrival of the Empire's Royal Navy fleet.
The sun has completely set, and the sky in the west is red.
At this time, Hongyan Port sent someone to contact the army.
A wooden warship docked not far from the Imperial Navy fleet, and he communicated with the fleet using a common semaphore.
“I am the Navy of Xiangguo, and I welcome the Imperial Royal Navy to Hongyan Port.
Please allow the Imperial Navy warships to enter the military port and berth under my guidance. "
Admiral Zhan Tie had someone send out a flag. The Imperial Royal Navy had received the message and would act in accordance with the requirements of the Xiang Kingdom Navy.
The Imperial Royal Navy followed the guidance of the Xiangguo Navy and entered the military port to berth.
There is no clear dividing line between military ports and civilian ports.
Su Shu used a telescope to observe the situation in Minggang nearby.
He saw a dozen 10,000-ton armed cargo ships docked at the civilian port.
Next to the freighter, there were also warships from the Xiang Kingdom escorting it.
The freighters are about to leave the port. Looking at the draft of these freighters, they are already loaded with cargo, most likely heavy cargo such as ores.
Su Shu asked curiously: "Is Xiangguo rich in all kinds of minerals?"
Staff officer Lu Yuanqi said from the side: "Xiao Su, I may have heard something about Xiangguo.
Zhao State is called the land of gold by the people, and Xiang State is called the land of silver.
The empire was a country short of silver. During the Ming Dynasty, the silver circulating in the country was mainly imported from outside.
Among them, the Mexican silver brought by Spain must account for at least 30% to 40%.
King Xiang expelled the Spanish from Mexico, and they also took over a large number of silver mines here.
Every six months, Xiangguo would transport a large amount of silver to the empire and purchase massive supplies from the empire.
Although there were only a dozen cargo ships when they returned, there will be nearly a hundred cargo ships returning to Xiangguo when they return.
The empire's economy was developing rapidly and more silver coins were needed.
The silver coins produced here in America solved the urgent needs of the empire. "
When Su Shu heard what Lu Yuanqi said, he also confirmed it with what he had seen before.
My father was very worried about the shortage of silver.
It was precisely because of the lack of silver that private transactions were hindered.
The imperial court would vigorously promote paper money, but only businessmen were accustomed to using paper money.
Folks have a relatively high acceptance rate for small-denomination banknotes such as one cent, ten cents, and one hundred cents.
But for large-denomination banknotes such as one-tael silver coins and one-hundred-tael silver coins, the acceptance level is very low.
Once people receive such large-denomination banknotes, they will find ways to exchange them for silver coins.
The empire's thirst for silver also caused the price of silver to be very stable.
A small country like Xiang State can acquire a large amount of wealth just by mining, which is really enviable.
The warship soon entered the port. It was getting late, but they could not rest yet.
Admiral Zhan Tie and Chief of Staff Cao Zhengyuan went to Hongyan Port to contact Xiangguo officials.
Su Shu accompanied Lu Yuanqi's staff and met with Lu Yuanqi's classmates on the battleship Taishan.
Lu Yuanqi greeted Su Shu in advance.
"Your Highness, I know you want to know the situation here in Xiangguo.
When outsiders talk about the situation in Xiangguo, there are mostly rumors.
Some of my elementary school classmates are officials at Hongyan Port in Xiangguo.
I invite him to visit the battleship on a personal basis. His Highness had better not reveal his identity, otherwise he will not be able to find out the reason. "
Su Shu was very curious about Xiangguo, and he agreed with the approach of consultant Lu Yuanqi.
…………………………
Gou Qiuju boarded the battleship Taishan. He looked at the battleship with its metallic luster illuminated by bright lights.
He widened his eyes and said in disbelief: "The empire is too powerful. The empire is still powerful. The empire is far more powerful than I imagined."
Gou Qiuju accepted the invitation to be a child because he had an unsatisfactory life in Xiang State and did not want to cut off his relationship with the empire.
When Staff Officer Lu Yuanqi saw Gou Qiuju, he immediately stepped forward to hold Gou Qiuju's hand and said happily: "Old Gou, we haven't seen each other for several years. You went overseas. I thought I would never see you again in this life."
Gou Qiuju said with emotion: "At that time, I pursued my own future at all costs, and I was thousands of miles away from my former partners.
Thinking about it now, this is really sad. "
The two of them briefly recalled the events of their youth and came to the single room in the fleet's saloon.
Tea, juice and dried fruits are laid out on the table.
Staff officer Lu Yuanqi picked up the tea cup and said sheepishly: "Lao Gou, I must be an imperial officer. It is not good to meet foreign officials alone.
This is my colleague Xiao Su. He has a very strict tone. "
Gou Qiuju glanced at Su Shu. The title marked on his military uniform showed that he was obviously a subordinate of his good friend.
He raised his tea cup and offered tea, saying: "I understand the rules, what does Lao Lu want from me?
If you want to reminisce about the past, you will never call me on the warship as soon as you arrive at Hongyan Port. "
Staff officer Lu Yuanqi sighed and said helplessly: "The official level is overwhelming, and the chief of staff asked me to collect information on the situation in Xiangguo.
I have never been to Xiangguo and know nothing about how to collect intelligence here.
Fortunately, when I was at my wits end, I thought that Lao Gou would be an official in Hongyan Port. "
When Gou Qiuju heard Lu Yuanqi's words, he didn't answer and thought about the scope of the conversation for a while.
Staff Officer Lu Yuanqi took out five bundles of sealed silver coins from his suitcase.
In front of Gou Qiuju, he broke open the silver coins wrapped in paper.
The silver coins were immediately scattered on the table, making a clattering sound as they collided with each other.
Gou Qiuju stared at the silver coins on the table, which were almost five hundred taels of silver coins.
His monthly salary is only twenty taels.
Xiangguo was rich in silver, which led to a flood of silver in the country and extremely high prices, making it difficult to live in Hongyan.
When working as an official in Hongyangang, it is impossible to survive without extra money.
When powerful officials see tens of thousands of taels of silver, they don't even blink.
For a small official as big as a sesame seed, five hundred taels of silver coins was his income for several years.
Gou Qiuju gritted her teeth and refused: "With our relationship, this is something we can't bear to do."
Staff Officer Lu Yuanqi pushed the silver coins on the table towards Gou Qiuju.
"Lao Gou, this is the fund given to me by my superiors.
If you take the money, I can take it. If you don’t take it, you can only let others take it. "
Gou Qiuju showed a relaxed smile on her face and said: "Lao Lu, if you have anything to do, just ask! I will tell you what I know."
He quickly figured out that he, a humble official, had no access to important secrets, so the money would be free of charge.
Staff officer Lu Yuanqi asked: "Lao Gou, I learned the news from other places. Why don't you expel the Spanish forces here and develop outward?"
Gou Qiuju shook her head and said with emotion: "The king is seriously ill and his body is thin.
Now the prince oversees the country, and his relative Hou Pingyu is the prime minister.
Now the king does not want to delegate power, the prince wants to take over power, and Prime Minister Hou Pingyu wants to fight for power.
Things were a mess internally, and the generals outside the country were also unsettled, clamoring for external expansion and achievements.
The three forces jointly suppressed the generals and weakened the power of the leading generals.
The three of them were afraid that the young master would be suspicious and that a certain general had second thoughts and would wear a yellow robe.
While the imperial court used a large amount of silver to support the army and protect the interests of the lower-level soldiers, it also weakened the power of the leading generals.
The reputation struggle between the parties is so fierce that it is impossible to expand outward. "
Staff officer Lu Yuanqi's eyes lit up. There was no way for the outside world to know the news that Prince Xiang Su Li was seriously ill.
"Lao Gou, King Xiang Su Li is not even forty yet and is in his prime.
He had just arrived in America and was able to defeat the Spaniards here in a short time. How could he be seriously ill now? "
Gou Qiuju shook her head and said: "How can we little people know the specific reason?
News circulated in the palace that the Spaniards were asking soldiers infected with the plague to surrender.
King Xiang Su Li was also in the army, and he was infected with the plague.
A serious illness hurts the body, causing hidden injuries in the body, which leads to illness.
I don’t know whether this news is true or not, but King Xiang did order that no Spanish prisoners should be kept. "
After hearing Gou Qiuju's introduction, Staff Officer Lu Yuanqi already understood the reason why Xiangguo was so peaceful.
Xiangguo had to stay in a corner. If it used troops externally, its military power would increase.
Once King Su Li of Xiang dies, no one in Xiang State can suppress the military power.
By then, the Xiang Kingdom will definitely be torn apart, and it is very likely that the royal family will not end well either.
It would be better to slow down now and let the heirs take real power.
Su Shu listened on the side, his face tense all the time.
I read in books that the Western colonists used people infected with smallpox to wipe out the Inca Empire.
The news that is mentioned briefly in the book cannot make people relate to it at all.
King Xiang Su Li was knocked down by the Spaniards using this method. Su Shu really understood the horror of the plague.
Once the plague is exploited by the enemy, it can cause too much damage.
The plague also treats everyone equally, even high-ranking officials and dignitaries, once they contract the plague, they will still die.
Staff officer Lu Yuanqi asked again: "Lao Gou, is your country of Xiang recruiting doctors with huge sums of money from the empire just to treat Prince Su Li of Xiang?"
Gou Qiuju blurted out: "How is this possible? To treat the king, three or five imperial doctors are enough.
There are at least thousands of doctors imported into our country.
If they train an apprentice, the country will reward them with one hundred taels of silver coins.
The first reason is that Xiangguo is rich, and as the only two richest countries, Zhao and Xiangguo.
The environment in Zhao is better than ours. There are four distinct seasons and plague is not prevalent.
It is very hot here all year round, and various plagues are prevalent.
In villages without doctors, the death rate for immigrants can reach 23 out of 10.
Women often have miscarriages due to various reasons.
If this situation is allowed to develop, the country of Xiang will be destroyed within a few years.
Only then were a large number of doctors brought in, and from then on the immigration casualty rate returned to normal.
Women can also give birth normally, and the survival rate of young children is much higher than before.
It is precisely because of doctors' contributions that famous doctors are awarded online titles.
The people's attitude towards doctors is also very good. "
Gou Qiuju was very excited. He told about what he experienced when he first came to the American continent.
As Su Shu listened to Gou Qiuju's story, he realized that the biggest enemy in opening up a strange area was not the enemy on the surface, but the invisible and intangible disease.
The number of doctors is extremely important. As long as there are enough doctors, the epidemic of plague will definitely be curbed.
After Staff Officer Lu Yuanqi finished asking questions, the sky had completely darkened.
He bid farewell to his friend Gou Qiuju and looked at Su Shu, who was bowing his head in deep thought.
Lu Yuanqi asked: "Your Highness, what do you think of Xiangguo? Should we go to the inland of Xiangguo?"
Su Shu looked towards Hongyan Port and said: "Xiang State committed a crime other than war. When the situation has developed to this extent, they do not have the strength to expand externally in a short period of time.
One step behind, every step behind.
If Xiang State wants to survive in the future, it must rely on the support of the empire. "
After saying this, he returned to his room.
You definitely can’t go to the inland area of Xiang State, and Su Shu doesn’t even want to go to Hongyan Port.
A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. He must avoid Xiangguo where the plague is prevalent.
Those who disembarked to Hongyan Port and boarded the ship again must be examined by a doctor when they returned. They must not be allowed to bring the plague to the warship. (End of chapter)
