"Minister, should I be the captain of the new ship?"
Shang Kexi was inexplicably surprised and showed a face full of scars, which was really scary.
"Why... you don't want to?"
Zuo Hua's rhetorical question made him shake his head into a wavy drum.
"No, no, no, how could you not want to? I just didn't expect such a good thing to be my turn."
The joy that is still gratifying comes purely from the heart.
He has experienced both the old army and the new army. It is precisely because of this contrast that his mood becomes even more exciting.
Although he was also a senior general in the old army and lived a relatively prosperous life. But when it comes to happiness, it is more comfortable to be in Xia Jun.
Although you can't get involved in Xia Jun, you can't take advantage of it, but it is more pure here. As a soldier, you just have to fight with your heart.
There is no need to worry about encountering calculations, no need to guard against one's own people, and no need to destroy humanity for such a pitiful amount of money.
Shang Kexi has completely fallen in love with this place.
He is only in his early thirties. Compared with his personal future, the bloody courage in his heart has not dissipated. He is more eager to make achievements and leave a name in history.
Besides, Xia Jun's treatment is really good, and there is no need for him to worry about his personal future.
According to Xia Army's regulations, his military rank is lieutenant colonel, so his monthly military pay is five taels of silver. With various subsidies, it can exceed eight taels.
In other words, you can earn almost one hundred taels of silver in one year.
This treatment is real, and definitely not comparable to the discounts offered by the Ming Army.
The most important thing is that apart from monetary benefits, as a Xia Jun soldier, you don't need to worry about or pay for many issues such as housing and food.
The money saved in these aspects can make his family live a very prosperous life.
Not to mention, because he is a soldier, his family members can enjoy various preferential treatment.
His son Shang Zhixin was born last year, and as a result, he had to pay one tael of silver in child support every month.
How can a child spend one tael of silver a month?
So this income is purely earned.
Shang Kexi once calculated in private that compared with what he had been in the Ming army, his income had risen instead of falling.
It's fun to be a soldier and you don't have to worry about life. Where in the world can you find such a good place?
Therefore, he has long been loyal and regarded this place as his home. This was the scene of a desperate fight to stop Shimazu Hisakei.
"You have made great achievements this time, and you will be rewarded for your merits. In accordance with His Highness's orders, this time you will be promoted to colonel and will also serve as the captain of the new ship."
When he learned that he had been promoted again, Shang Ke was so happy that he opened his mouth and smiled completely.
This became a colonel, which was just one step away from being a general. As long as you work hard in the future, it is definitely not a luxury to have an official position higher than that of the Ming army.
"Don't worry, Minister, I will definitely adapt to the new ship, bring it out of combat effectiveness as soon as possible, and become our trump card."
Zuo Hua has regarded Shang Kexi as his favorite general, and Yin Yin urged: "You will return with His Highness this time. If there is anything you don't understand, feel free to ask His Highness. He is the founder of our navy. He is also a military master in this world, so don’t miss such a good opportunity.”
Shang Kexi's heart was beating even harder when he heard that he could go with Zuo Mengeng.
He is a veteran in officialdom, and of course he knows what it means to be close to his boss.
Not to mention that he was the King of Xia, the leader of a country.
As long as you perform well, you will definitely have a bright future.
"Did your face get burned by a rocket launcher?"
Zuo Mengeng was happy to see Shang Ke for the second time.
The first time, it was Shang Kexi who followed Huang Long and others to seek refuge.
It's just that there were so many people at that time, Shang Kexi was not conspicuous among them. Therefore, he only gave a few words of encouragement and did not have a long conversation.
This time they set off back to Shandong, and the two of them took the same boat. Only then did Zuo Menggeng have the time to get to know this historical celebrity in depth.
In front of him, Shang Kexi seemed at a loss.
"At that time, I was only thinking about killing the enemy, so I didn't pay too much attention to it. We are ugly anyway, and it doesn't matter whether we have scars or not."
Zuo Mengeng laughed loudly, and suddenly realized that this guy was also a wonderful person. When we really get along in person, his personality is quite likable.
If we didn't know what this man had done in history, it would be really difficult to connect him with the traitor.
But think about it, Shang Kexi's surrender is just like Zu Dashou's, somewhat helpless.
When he was in the Ming army, he fought bravely and was definitely worthy of the Ming Dynasty's trust.
After the Wuqiao mutiny, if he had not fought bravely in the Bohai Sea, Kong Youde and others would have brought more things to Liaodong.
Now, because history has changed, Shang Kexi did not surrender to the Manchus or become a traitor, and the glorious side of human nature has been revealed.
Three days later, Zuo Mengeng arrived in Qingdao.
This side has long been prepared.
The entire shipyard was under martial law inside and outside, and all the bosses who could come rushed over.
The new ship, which was about to be launched, was currently lying in the dock. All the outfitting had been completed, exuding an eye-catching brilliance.
In addition to Shang Kexi, three hundred and thirty rigorously trained navy sailors have gathered on the dock. They looked at the new ship with eager eyes.
"This ship is somewhat different from the traditional Galen ship. In particular, we don't have many guns on the ship, so we can save a lot of people and space. After our calculations, three hundred and thirty crew members are enough."
A traditional third-level battleship requires more than four hundred people.
However, in addition to the hull and structure of the third-level battleship built by Xia Guo, it remains the same as that of the steamship, and many of its functions have been improved.
As a result, the number of crew members required dropped significantly.
Don't underestimate this.
The absence of these dozens of crew members means that the ship can carry more supplies and can sail at sea longer.
At the same time, the saving of manpower also means that the facilities on the ship are more advanced and more convenient to operate.
"Your Highness, the launch of a new ship is a great joy. According to tradition, I would like to ask Your Highness to name the ship."
Fu Yusun deliberately set aside this opportunity to let his boss shine.
Zuo Mengeng understood his intentions and did his best to do so.
He stopped and thought for a long time, then slowly said: "We started in Linqing, and then conquered Shandong. Now we occupy half of the country, and we begin to have ambitions for the world. This ship is the first new warship we built independently, just like us The beginning of a business. Why not just name it Linqinghao."
Everyone was surprised when they heard that Zuo Mengeng named the new ship after the place where he started.
Shang Kexi was even more nervous.
This naming represents the far-reaching significance of this ship. As a captain, he must work hard and make no mistakes.
