When Li Jiusi, the Duke of Eguo, arrived in Weihai, it was already mid-October.

After the welcoming ceremony, Li Jiusi, the Duke of Eguo, and his entourage first watched a salvo of the sailboat's artillery.

The rumbling sound of cannons and the thick smoke of gunpowder, accompanied by the towering masts of the two warships, made Li Jiusi intuitively see the threat of Western ships for the first time.

The scattered gravel and loud noises on the mountain frightened the two noble sons of Jingying who followed Li Jiusi to their horses.

Li Jiusi stabilized his horse, stared at the two warships on the sea, and asked for a while, "What is this big ship in Xiyi?" ”

Liu Yu shook his head.

"Returning to China, this small ship is also."

Li Jiusi didn't ask any more, just nodded silently.

Liugong Island is not far from the capital, bypassing Weihaiwei, is the Bohai Sea.

If the Westerners had such a powerful fleet in the Bohai Sea, although he didn't know what Liu Yu and Li Gan were talking about, he could also think of another threat.

Few people in the DPRK and China knew about the construction of the navy, but they thought that the Jinghai Palace official school was just a school.

Many people didn't care much about it after they got the emperor's report that the Jinghai Palace was not in harmony with the imperial examination and grabbed the official quota.

The household government did not pay for it, and the emperor paid for it. As long as there is no rush for official quotas, this matter is not a big deal, and there is no point in even discussing it.

Li Jiusi didn't care much about it, but now that he looks at it, his heart is still sullen, like a hammer hanging in his heart.

Supporting the people beside him, Li Jiusi called Liu Yu to one place alone.

"Shouchang, Your Majesty has sent me here this time, and I have something to tell you. Since you have hired a craftsman from France, you need to hurry up in this shipbuilding business. I've heard that such a warship is extremely expensive? ”

Before Li Jiusi came, the emperor told him about the situation in Weihai, and he knew that Liu Yu spent seventy or eighty thousand taels of silver on such a battleship.

The sheer number is staggering.

However, Liu Yu said that this is not a Westerner's big ship, which inevitably worries him.

Liu Yu didn't know how much the emperor and Li Jiusi had said, so he could only say at this time: "This matter is a long story. A warship, seventy or eighty thousand taels of silver, the Westerners must have asked for more. The merchant said that he couldn't send it at a loss, so he asked for half of the extra money. ”

"Now I have hired some craftsmen from France, and in the future there will be some better craftsmen, which are French officials. If it is self-made, it should not be too expensive. It's just that shipbuilding is a thing, it doesn't happen overnight, and even if you have money, it's useless. ”

"If the timber is not dried first, a ship will rot in seven or eight years at most. If it is dry, it may be used for fifty or sixty years. Shipbuilding is expensive, and there is really no way to rush to build it now, so you can only wait a few more days. It also happened that the craftsmen practiced their hands and learned, and now there are two more ships being built, which are also the wood accumulated several years ago. ”

Hearing Liu Yu say this, Li Jiusi's expression was a little relaxed.

The emperor had long known the price of buying two ships, but he was a little frightened by this price. If it was someone else, he would definitely think that it was gone, but the emperor did not send the silver from the treasury, and he only invested that bit of silver, and the emperor still believed in Liu Yu's offer.

This terrible price made the emperor agree after seeing Liu Yu's attempt to make his own performance.

It was not clear that the problem of self-creation was not clear, so before coming, the emperor talked to the Duke of E about the navy and asked the Duke of E to check it out.

Hearing that Liu Yu was already trying to build two of his own, he was finally a little relieved, and Li Jiusi asked again: "How much wood has been accumulated?" I don't know it, but I know that this wood doesn't have to be any wood. ”

"Returning to China, this matter is really urgent. The navy is not an overnight matter, and I ask the prince to be sure to explain it to His Majesty when he returns. In order to build ships, the British planted oak decades in advance, and used it a hundred years later. If it weren't for the control of America over the years, the trees would have been unharvested for thousands of years, and it would not have been easy for the British to build ships. Even though our dynasty could not learn from the British in planting a big tree decades earlier, the navy did not happen overnight. ”

Speaking of this, Liu Yu arched his hand in the direction of the capital and said: "Relying on Your Majesty's Hongfu Great Wisdom, the Northern Expedition to the Rakshasa has recovered the land of the former Nuer Gandusi. It is wooded, and there are some oaks that cannot be hugged by a few people, suitable for shipbuilding. If there is no slave to do it and Liaodong, it is not easy to build a big ship. ”

"I've been saving up wood for the last few years. Now these craftsmen have just learned from Western shipwrights, and the two warships have been trained first. As long as the wood is enough and the craftsmen are sufficient, there is no problem in building a ship. It's just that the court needs to invest money......"

Li Jiusi didn't know what Liu Yu was doing in Japan, thinking that it was just the emperor who gave some internal money.

Thinking about the cost of tens of thousands of taels, I also understood that without the support of the treasury of the household government, it was indeed impossible to form a fleet that was enough to defend the Bohai Sea and protect the Beijing Division.

At this time, there were some things that were inconvenient to say, so Li Jiusi said: "Let's talk about this matter." Now let's go to the island and take a look. Where did you build a fleet, on the island? ”

"Nope. There is a shortage of water on the island. Moreover, some of the Western craftsmen hired this time mostly sawed wood with water. Therefore, the place of shipbuilding is not on the island. Is Guogong going to see it? ”

"Nope. If it's not on the island, we'll see it later. Let's go to the island first. ”

"Yes."

agreed, hurriedly arranged a boat, and picked up Li Jiusi on the island.

As soon as I got to the island, I saw a group of soldiers waiting in two columns.

Li Jiusi also trained the Beijing camp, and he couldn't see anything just by looking at the spirit and height of this group of soldiers.

There are many tall men and strong men in Jingying, and there are also spirits and spirits to go to that station, as for whether they can fight, these are two words.

There were bursts of gunfire and rumbling artillery in the distance, and Liu Yu explained: "If the prince wants to review, he can do so at any time." Now they are training, and they are not avoiding the cold and heat. As long as the prince gives the order, I will assemble the team. ”

"Oh? Ready to go? Hearing Liu Yu say this, Li Jiusi suddenly became interested, but he knew what a military order could mean at any time.

Dashun has several armies that can fight, but if you want to say that 10,000 people can be quickly assembled and formed as long as they are ordered, maybe the entire Dashun can also come up with 20,000 or 30,000 such elites.

He saw that the guns of the soldiers on Liu Yu's side were different from those in Beijing, and he also knew a little about the pamphlets written by Liu Yu about new firearms and new tactics, but he felt that an army did not necessarily lie in one or two weapons, but in orders and prohibitions.

Since Liu Yu said so confidently, he was also interested, so he said: "Since this is the case, then assemble with the open space in front of you." ”

"Yes."

Liu Yu received the order, Li Jiusi thought that Liu Yu had to raise the account, but he didn't expect Liu Yu to just call a few staff officers around him and say: "An hour later, all the departments will assemble here." It is necessary to be able to board the ship at any time to attack, distribute ammunition in each part, and receive a ten-year fried mein. ”

After speaking, he took out his pocket watch and looked at it, "It's ten o'clock in the morning." ”

Several staff officers also bowed their heads to their watches, and then dispersed, and a moment later a sharp bell rang in the distance.

"Don't you keep the usual account?"

"Not necessarily. Guogong, there is a hill on this island that can be condescending. Guogong may wish to climb high and wait. ”

"Hmm. You said that the various departments should be assembled, and they should be able to do it although they are boarding the ship to attack? ”

"Exactly."

Li Jiusi nodded, secretly surprised in his heart.

An hour of time, not amazing. What is amazing is that Liu Yu said that he can board the ship at any time to attack, and he must also make sure that the ammunition is complete and the food is enough to support it for ten years.

If this is the case, even if the rest is unbearable, it shows that this is already a strong army.

It's just that......

"Didn't you know I was coming, so I prepared in advance?"

"Soldiers, the great affairs of the country. Naturally, you have to be ready at all times. The staff officers had already drawn up various plans in order to be ready for battle. The fried noodles can be stored for a long time, and they can be cleaned up every three months, but although they are guaranteed to be used by the whole army for ten years. If according to what Guogong said, in fact, it is not bad, I did prepare in advance, but it was not that Zhiguogong was coming, but I prepared in advance since the time of training. ”

Li Jiusi snorted, looked up at the small mountain in the north, and said, "You can go up the mountain to see the formation, but you can't see how the soldiers prepare." Let's not go up the mountain for a while, but follow me to the camp to have a look. ”

"Okay."

Liu Yu led in front, and several people rode to the barracks.

Just by glancing at it, Li Jiusi felt unusual.

Naturally, there are many people, each busy, but they are busy but not chaotic.

The soldiers, who had been exercising, heard the bell of the assembly and quickly assembled in formation under the orders of the various officers.

Like a tight machine, after the points were cleared, they did not rush to their respective barracks, but returned to the barracks in an orderly manner.

Li Jiusi also took out a pocket watch and looked at the time, but in twenty minutes, there was already a queue outside the barracks.

These soldiers were different from the soldiers of the Beijing camp, and they all carried a boxy package behind them.

After the formation, the number was reported again, and the various companies quickly assembled at the position where they had practiced all day and gathered into a battalion.

The battalion drew a company and marched in four columns into the distance, and the rest of the team stood there silently.

Li Jiusi found that there were a few half-old children in each battalion, beating the waist drum or playing the flute, playing a piece of music that was not melodious and a little jerky, and the soldiers in the line followed the rhythm of the waist drum and flute, singing the song of the vanguard, or the rest of the strange songs.

"What's in the backpacks of these soldiers?"

Pointing behind the standing soldier, he asked.

"A quilt, a pair of shoes, all kinds of washing."

"Where have the companies drawn from the various battalions gone?"

"Go get the powder bag."

"Lead me to see."

Following Liu Yu, to a barracks at the back, the companies that came to receive the gunpowder bags were lined up outside.

At the front gate, the names of the various companies were shouted, and the men in the company marched forward, each receiving seven or eight large gunpowder packages, and quickly returned to the position where the battalion was located.

Li Jiusi walked to the front, and did not prevent these people from receiving gunpowder and lead bullets, but walked inside and opened a package casually.

Looking at the rolls of buckshot inside, I took out one and twisted it, and found that it was a paper roll. In front of the roll of paper was a lead pellet containing a certain amount of gunpowder.

There are about sixty pieces in one cloth bag, enough for a big war. Li Jiusi knew the subtlety of this thing at a glance, and there was no need for the soldiers to measure it themselves, and each package of gunpowder was quantitative.

"Gunpowder should not be left for a long time, and it will be damp for a long time."

Liu Yu smiled: "Guogong is too worried. Sixty rounds of buckshot, but three or five days of training. It's expensive, but it's worth it. The gunpowder consumed every day is also a large amount of money, and it is not enough to eat empty salaries, only relying on the silver issued by the imperial court. ”

Li Jiusi smiled and said, "It's still rich to keep normal." If someone else is replaced, this gunpowder training can be saved. More than 10,000 people, ten buckshot a day, this is not a small number. ”