In the northeast corner of the courtyard where the Wuying Hall is located, there is a row of corridors, which were originally used to place utensils and miscellaneous items, but because of the establishment of the Navy Staff Headquarters, this corridor was cleared out and used as the Navy Staff Headquarters.

Compared with the east side hall occupied by the Army General Staff, this corridor looks a little shabby and shabby. However, since this is not the main building in the Wuying Palace, it is possible to allow the Navy Staff Headquarters to make drastic changes to the internal layout without worrying about violating any taboos.

After the prime minister's yamen provided reimbursement for the renovation funds, in just three months, the 11 rooms in this corridor have changed greatly. In addition to the original tissue paper panes replaced with glass windows, the walls, floors and furniture in the room have also been replaced, which makes the space in the corridor look much larger and the lighting is much better than before.

Standing in the triple room that functions as a map room and conference room, Yu Zhigao, the newly appointed head of the Navy Staff Headquarters, looked at the newly renovated room in front of him, and the forehead lines on his face were relaxed. Obviously, he is still extremely satisfied with the renovation and decoration effect of the corridor.

However, when he saw the writing hanging on the south wall, he twitched the corners of his mouth in disapproval, and then turned his gaze away, pretending that he could not see it.

The words that made Yu Zhigao blind were actually a sentence written by Chongzhen, "If you want the country to be rich and strong, you can't ignore the ocean." Wealth comes from the sea, and danger comes from the sea. ”

Yu Zhigao scoffed not that Chongzhen's calligraphy was unsatisfactory, but that the original owner was Zheng He at the end of this sentence. Although military ministers and eunuchs were looked down upon by civilian officials like eunuchs, and it was normal for military ministers of the Ming Dynasty to bow down to eunuchs, this does not mean that a eunuch's words can become the first proverb of the establishment of the Naval Staff Headquarters.

However, after all, the Navy and the Navy Staff Headquarters are in the initial stage, and the foundation of the Navy is much worse than that of the Army.

After all, the General Staff of the Army has always taken a disapproving attitude towards the establishment of the General Staff Headquarters of the Navy, believing that this is a system of excessive officials. Many army staff officers believe that the Army General Staff can handle the affairs of the navy at will, and there is no need to set up a separate department, which is a waste of money and food.

For a navy with no merits, the cost of a 4 or 5 hundred-ton warship is equivalent to an infantry regiment in a year, and it is said that this is still the lowest warship in the emperor's mind.

Therefore, Yu Zhigao has been working hard, hoping to leave a good impression on the emperor at the first meeting of the Naval Staff Headquarters, so as to show that they are not waste people who eat dry food.

As Zhang Xie, the principal of the Naval Officers Academy, walked into the room with a group of newly graduated cadets, the members of the Navy Staff Headquarters were finally all assembled. Yu Zhigao said hello to Zhang Xie, counted the number of people, and planned to go out to see if the emperor had arrived.

As soon as he walked to the door, he saw that Chongzhen had appeared at the end of the path in front of the door, Yu Zhigao turned around and beckoned his subordinates to go out to greet him, and he hurriedly trotted out and greeted the emperor from a distance.

Compared with Yu Zhigao, Zhang Xie's performance was much more reserved, even when he heard the news of the emperor's arrival, he just stood outside the door with the students and waited.

Nearly two years of teaching career at the Naval Academy have made a great change in Zhang Xie, who was originally a literati. In the past, it was probably difficult for him to sit down with a warrior like Yu Zhigao and talk about any affairs, after all, in the eyes of the literati, it was their responsibility to give advice, and the warrior only had to follow their plan.

Even Zhang Xie, who has a broader vision than the Ming literati, is not completely negative about such a view. However, during the two years he was teaching in Beijing, he was not only teaching those naval cadets, but he himself was constantly receiving new knowledge and increasing his understanding of overseas countries.

Because of the establishment of the Royal Academy of Sciences and the translation of the books brought by the Jesuit priests, Beijing has become one of the most knowledgeable cities in East Asia, and even in the whole of Asia, about Europe. The public system of weights and measures, new cartography and the study of natural sciences also made the new science, which called for a new understanding of the world from the material level, become a prominent school in the capital.

Zhang Xie, who has always been studious, finally began to abandon his view of the door and his contemptuous attitude towards martial artists after being exposed to these knowledges. And his teaching experience at the Naval Military Academy also made him realize that the future of the Navy was bright, and he began to use the Naval Military Academy as a base to promote his own doctrine, and he naturally changed his attitude towards martial artists.

Zhu Youzhen greeted Zhang Xie, and then beckoned everyone to enter together, preparing to formally convene the first plenary meeting after the establishment of the Navy General Staff Headquarters.

In the conference room of the Navy General Staff Headquarters, there is still a large long table, large enough to accommodate all the current members of the General Staff Headquarters to sit down, and there are still vacant seats. Due to the hasty establishment time, this table does not have a large sand table similar to the Army General Staff, so it looks a little empty.

As a group of naval staff officers sat down in order of rank, Yu Zhigao first introduced the names and backgrounds of the members present to the emperor, and then began to report on the long-term planning and development of the navy formulated by the naval staff headquarters. Yu Zhigao seemed very relaxed when he reported, after all, this was the first meeting, and the report was just some goals and plans, and he didn't feel that his report would encounter any trouble.

But obviously, Chongzhen doesn't see it that way. After listening carefully to Yu Zhigao's report, he asked a little strangely: "Is this the long-term plan and goal of the Navy General Staff Headquarters for the Navy?" Isn't the construction of forts in major ports and the raising of the three main fleets in the Bohai, East China Sea, and South China Sea? Didn't the establishment of the Navy General Staff Headquarters bring you a little new idea? Principal Zhang, don't you have anything to add? ”

Zhang Xie glanced at Yu Zhigao with some embarrassment, after all, most of the other party's report was from his own hands, he just paused for a moment, and then replied stubbornly: "Back to Your Majesty, the minister is dull, the content of this report, General Yu has discussed it with the minister, and the minister's views have been included in the content of the report." ”

Zhu Youzhen glanced at him, and then asked the naval staff officers present, "So, what about you?" What do you think about the Navy, just talk about it, you don't have to be too restrictive, even if you say it wrong, it's nothing. After all, this is the first time we have formed a navy, and there are no rules and tricks to follow, so everyone will say it according to their own ideas and discuss the feasibility, I think it is still very beneficial. ”

Although there was the emperor's encouragement, the young staff officers present also muttered for a long time before someone timidly said: "Your Majesty, I think that the tasks of the navy should also include protecting the trade interests of our merchants overseas..."

With the opening of the first person, the others opened their mouths one after another. Zhu Youzhen listened with a smile on his face, and commented a few words from time to time, and the atmosphere in the room gradually became lively.

It is estimated that after almost everyone in the room has expressed their opinions, and the content has begun to be repeated gradually, Zhu Youzhen finally clapped his hands and stopped this free discussion.

He looked at the naval staff officers who had quieted down, restrained his smile and said, "I think what you just said about the navy is not bad, and many of the proposals can be tentatively set up as a naval code for testing.

However, after listening for a long time, I realized that the starting point of your opinions was to start safely based on the coastline of your country and the trade routes between the east and the west. Your use of the future naval fleet is no more than Japan in the east and no more than the Strait of Malacca in the south. This kind of naval planning is too petty. ”

The staff officers, who were still in a bit of a mood just now, suddenly looked at the emperor with some disbelief, wanting to hear what is called the atmospheric long-term plan of the navy.

Under the gaze of everyone, Zhu Youzhen suddenly stood up, his hands pressed on the table, leaning forward, like a tiger about to pounce.

"I think that if you want to make a long-term plan for the navy, then you must first understand what a navy is. In the eyes of the kings, the navy is an army on the sea. But in my view, the navy is a very different kind of army from the army.

What's the difference? I think that the way the army is organized, the combat environment of the army, the way the army fights, and so on. The army pays attention to uniformity, and the subordinates are absolutely subordinate to the superiors. But the navy can't do it, on the vast sea, every ship is an independent combat unit, and if it is released, it may not be able to gather again.

Moreover, as long as the current communication conditions have not changed, it will be difficult for ships to communicate and attack each other in a battle at sea. Therefore, every ship of the Navy must have a certain discretion. And when different ships meet, they must have a certain spirit of cooperation to assist their colleagues in completing their tasks.

Compared with the vastness of the ocean, no matter how many warships we build, it is impossible to control the entire ocean in our own hands. No matter how powerful the fleet is, it can be declared defeated by a sudden storm at sea, and this is also the lesson that the Spanish Armada has taught us.

Therefore, I believe that the purpose of building a navy is not to pursue victory after victory and to occupy as many ports and overseas territories as there are, but to establish order..."

Chongzhen's words not only made the young staff officers scratch their heads, but even Zhang Xie and Yu Zhigao were full of doubts. Because they didn't know what the emperor meant by order.

Zhu Youzhen pulled back the chair behind him and walked from the conference table to the north wall, where hung a world map contributed by the Jesuit priests, which had been revised with the help of Chongzhen, which already had the existence of the major continents.

Zhu Youzhen pointed to the map on the wall and said: "This map is hanging here, not as an ornament, but to tell you how vast the real world is.

In the past, China called itself a central country, regarded China as a barbarian, and established a system of heaven that has been used to this day, which is a kind of order.

It is precisely because my ancestors in China conquered all the peoples of the known world that they expelled those who did not obey the king to the end of the known world, and let them be in the company of savages. That's why the ancestors had the confidence to say: Under the whole world, it is not the king's land; On the shore of the land, it is not the king's minister..."