"That's true. Although we adhere to the principle of saving when we can, we are not willing to let others lose money." Shen Zhonghe nodded, chuckled, and said, "So, we don't force it. It's okay, it's okay if you don't have it. The worst case scenario is that you can withhold some of the gold and silver seized from pirates and Japanese pirates to buy ships. Although these will be turned over, they will generally go into His Majesty's private treasury. Just make it clear to His Majesty. We don’t want the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs to keep nagging at us every time they approve money again.”
"It turns out that they are not only nagging at us, but they are also unwilling to ask for money." Shen Jiu blinked his eyes, snorted, and said, "But is a ship really so expensive? A thousand taels. Is it too exaggerated?"
"Of course it's not an exaggeration. Merchant ships and warships are very expensive. After all, they need to be used for a long time, and the quality requirements are very high." Jin Jing explained to him with her fingers, "The wood used in shipbuilding, tung paint, tung oil, and All the required materials inside must be the best. The cost is already very high, and this is still the most common kind of warship. If it is equipped with firearms, it will not only require a lot of labor, but also take a lot of time. A lot, and a ship costs tens of thousands of taels, because its fireproof function also needs to be considered. You can’t fire a cannon with your own firearm and burn your ship, right?”
"That's true." Shen Jiu nodded, "It is estimated that all warships must consider the fire prevention function. In this way, thousands or tens of thousands of taels will not seem so expensive."
"Gold." Shen Zhonghe added, "Large ships carrying firearms are settled in gold, and silver is completely unacceptable."
"Ah?" Shen Jiu was startled again, "Gold? Which shipyard is so black-hearted? I have never heard of using gold for settlement."
"That's a good question." Jin Jing raised her eyebrows slightly, "If my guess is correct, we should know the owner of this shipyard."
"Xiao Jing, that's not accurate. It's not that I know them, but I know someone from their family." Xue Ruitian saw Shen Zhonghe's expression of confusion and chuckled, "All ships in the navy should be found at the Wang family's shipyard in Songjiang Prefecture. Right? Liu Shuai should have discussed it with the Wang family in person, right?"
"Yes, do you know the Wang family?"
"I have dealt with people from their family." Xue Ruitian looked at Shen Jiu who suddenly realized, "It's not hard to guess that there is probably no one else in the entire Jiangnan who has the strength to take on a job like a water master, right?"
"Yes, not to mention the whole of Jiangnan, there is no other shipyard in the whole of Daxia. Their family owns the largest shipyard in Daxia, and the best craftsmen are also there. Only they have the ability and strength to take over. The navy's order." Shen Zhonghe sighed softly and said, "Although the cost is really expensive, the quality is very good. Some ships have been used for more than ten years and are still as good as new. Besides, they have The maintenance of our own boats is also very good. If the hull of the boat is damaged or destroyed during use, they can repair it and repaint it for free. We are still very satisfied with this."
"That's indeed kind. If their price includes all these, it's not particularly expensive." Shen Jiu touched his chin and looked at Shen Cha, "I didn't expect that the royal family is so profitable. No wonder I People are so confident.”
"Of course, otherwise, why do you think they were targeted by the Ning family? Isn't it also because of the shipyard? Having a shipyard means having a ship, so you can help them with things, right?" Shen Cha He chuckled lightly and patted Shen Jiu on the head, "And the Wang family has always been very attentive to the ships shipped out by their shipyard. Even if they are rented, they will take them seriously. This is the most important reason."
"This is why holding a treasure is a crime." Shen Jiu thought for a moment and looked at Shen Zhonghe, "So? What does the ship being expensive, not being easily sailed out have to do with whether there is a big battle? I don't quite understand."
"Because pirates and Japanese pirates don't have such ships, even if they come to invade, it's only on a small scale. Sometimes it's just three or four ships that look okay. Sometimes, they rob overseas countries to pay tribute. The merchant ship has been modified." Shen Zhonghe smiled, "So, unless they join forces, or we need to conduct large-scale drills, generally there will be no need for large ships, and there will be no large-scale drills.
Model war. "
Seeing that Shen Jiu still didn't understand, Jin Jing sighed, drank all the tea in her cup, and then spoke slowly.
"Xiaojiu, let me summarize for you. Small-scale frictions occur frequently in the southern border, but there are very few major ones because the opponents are not strong enough." He looked at Shen Zhonghe, "Master Shen, this is the case, right?"
"This gentleman summed it up very well, that's it." Shen Zhonghe smiled, "So, our methods and models for calculating military merit are also different."
"Specifically?"
"As I said just now, the accumulation of military merit at the border depends on the number of enemies killed, but we are more complicated." Shen Zhonghe stretched out a finger, "As for the Navy, there are many ways to accumulate military merit. Seizing The number of ships and the number of water bandits, pirates and Japanese pirates killed are the most basic. If we go to sea, we must also consider the factor of taking the lead in occupying the island. For example, if pirates invade and we kill them all, I will In this battle, fifty pirates were killed, one ship was captured, fifty swords and other weapons were seized, as well as a certain amount of gold and silver. These all need to be accumulated together. For another example, we are patrolling the sea area At that time, we found some sneaky figures appearing on a small island belonging to Daxia. If we catch or kill them, they will be counted as military merits and can be accumulated for promotion. And I am patrolling the edge of Daxia sea area. , I discovered that there were pirate activities on a small island very close to the Daxia Sea. If I led people to occupy this island, killed the pirates, and seized the treasures robbed by the pirates on the island, these would also be military achievements. .”
"So that's what it is!" This was the first time Shen Jiu heard news about the Navy. He looked at Shen Cha with a confused expression, "It's really different from us. After hearing this, your rules are really not bad."
"But there are limitations." Shen Cha chuckled, "Not everyone can do it. First of all, you must know how to swim and not get seasick. Otherwise, let alone killing pirates, you can't do it. It’s already very difficult to survive on your own.”
"That's right, that's right." Xue Ruitian said cheerfully, "Xiaojiu, you little guy who gets dizzy when you see a ship, don't think so much."
