Jincheng ushered in the first Christmas and New Year's Day after the founding of the People's Republic of China. The Christmas party party is followed by a week of holidays. After months of intense work, there was finally a holiday for everyone to stop and adjust their physical and mental state.

After New Year's Day, the first meeting of the senators in 1643 was held, at which Chen Shouxu announced the plan for the adjustment of naval personnel.

As with all personnel adjustments, before Chen Shouxu's announcement, the gossip was already flying in the sky.

The result of the final post was similar to the news that everyone received, because Chen Shouxu and Marmont both had heavy administrative work. Stirling was promoted from Captain of the Nanhai to full-time Admiral of the Navy, responsible for the day-to-day management of the fleet.

Coutinho. Morality. Norania moved from Captain Melville to Chief of Education at the Naval Academy.

René. Allemand was transferred from the Long Wave to the captain of the Nanhai.

Grenville. Collingwood, Philip. Edward and Thomas Mello served as captains of the Long Mountain, Lima, and Long River respectively, and their military ranks were promoted by one level, except for Melo, who was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and everyone else was promoted to colonel.

Robert and Rhaegar remained captains of the Adventure and Excellence, with the rank of captain.

In this way, the captaincy of the five warships Changshui, Changbo, Raphael, Tempest, and Melville was vacated, and if you count the four notification ships on the slipway, there are now nine captains vacant in the fleet.

In addition to its on-board duties, the Navy also rebuilt the Marine Corps. Unlike the previous naval infantry, which the Germans had trained to resemble an army, the rebuilt Marine Corps was more pure, and the drill queue was British. The post of commander of the Marine Corps is now also vacant.

Just before Christmas, the first batch of students of the Naval Academy graduated and are awaiting assignment. During the initial period, the curriculum of the Shanghai School was very fast. The students of the first phase of the naval academy are all from the fleet, and many of them have been veterans who have served at sea for more than ten years, and the eight-month study only allows them to sum up their previous experience and theorize.

The first batch of students was divided into junior and senior classes, and most of the students in the junior class were assigned to serve as navigators and gunners on various ships. The advanced class is for students who have already graduated from the fleet course on transoceanic voyages.

Some of the students in this group of advanced classes originally held relatively high positions in the fleet and had deep qualifications. Former boatswain Fraser. Gail, two weapons officers, Ashley. Gardner, Harvey. Eliot, former captain of the Long Mountain, Kevin. Paley, former captain of the Raphael. Morality. Medina, Captain Jacques of the Long Wave. Rossilie, these 6 people are particularly eye-catching.

Chen Shouxu also had a headache when he got the list, the French were the second strongest faction in the fleet after the British, probably because the French studied better, their grades in the sea school were even better than the British.

Fraser. Gale was able to pass the advanced class, and his brotherly relationship with Chen Shouxu played a big role. Chen Shouxu knew about Fraser. Gale may not be fit to be the captain of the ship, so he gave Fraser a gift. Gale was assigned the position of Marine Corps Commander of the Naval Base with the rank of captain.

The remaining five originally had the rank of captain, and after graduating from the senior class, they were promoted to major.

Gardner served as first mate on the Long Water, Eliot as first mate on the Long Wave, Medina as first mate on the Raphael, and Rosickly as first mate on the Melville. Because the captain has not been appointed for the time being, the four of them are actually the supreme commanders of the battleship, and Chen Shouxu intends to give them a probationary period, and if there is no problem, they will be directly transferred to the captain when it expires. Kevin. Pelly served as captain of the Tempest.

Chen Shouxu sighed when he was assigned, personnel work has never been difficult to do. Now that there are more places, the cake is not easy to divide. Considering that his students were too young, neither Rhaegar nor Robert were promoted in this personnel change, except for the rank of captain.

Collingwood, as the most senior captain of the ship, received the rank of commodore and was given temporary command of the fleet.

As for the four notification ships that were about to be launched, the small boats were not very attractive to the mid-level officers on the cruisers. Chen Shouxu left the position of lieutenant to his second batch of students.

It took Chen Shouxu a long time to study this personnel adjustment plan. Only by expanding can the state have a position to feed the appetites of adventurers. The brothers came to Asia with him, it was to be a nobleman and a king, and if he couldn't lead them to get enough benefits, he wouldn't be able to rule for long.

After the Lima and the South Sea completed the conversion of the sail boom and regained their combat effectiveness. The three large notification ships of Tempest, Adventure, and Excellence were all withdrawn from the battle-column refit. The hulls of the three ships were large enough that the modification would have included the addition of a mast in the aft half of the ship, the bowmast and bow breaker had been strengthened, and the stern had all been removed in favour of a flat deck. After refit, the four ships will become brigs, each with 10 guns. 4 9-pounder guns, 6 4-pounder guns.

Now the navy has basically formed a set of unwritten regulations.

The captain of the notification ship shall be a lieutenant or captain, and the commander of the notification ship with less than 8 guns shall be a lieutenant, and the captain of a notification ship with 8 guns or more shall be a captain.

Brigs were called frigates, and the captain was a major.

Three-masted cruisers, with more than 30 guns, are cruisers of the first class, with the captain of the colonel, and cruisers with less than 30 guns, with the captain of the lieutenant colonel.

After the personnel adjustment was completed, the fleet redistributed firepower and tried to unify the same type of artillery among the warships. Originally, the guns on the battleships were from Britain, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal, and the pounds were different in each country, and it was troublesome to match the shells. After the redistribution of firepower, the cruisers used Spanish 4-pounder, Dutch 9-pounder, Spanish 12-pounder, British 18-pounder.

The schooners used Spanish 4-pounder guns and Dutch 9-pounder guns.

The British 4-pounder guns and the Spanish 3-pounder guns were all handed over to the Army Field Artillery, and the Dutch 4-pounder guns were handed over to the Marines. The British 8-pounder gun and the Dutch 12-pounder gun were handed over to the forts as city defense guns.

Six Dutch 24-pounder cannons, the largest of the fleet, were intended to be placed on naval forts to guard the harbor. With the 24-pounder gun unloaded, the Changshui will be even better at sea conditions than ever before in high sea conditions.

Everyone in the Navy knows that the personnel adjustment and the redistribution of firepower are for the upcoming battle.

In the anticipation of everyone's eagerness, in early March 1643, Chen Shouxu chose three large ships, the Lima, the South Sea, and the Raphael, and the three brigs of Tempest, Excellence, and Adventure, plus the whaling ship Melville to form a fleet.

The flagship Nanhai fired a 21st salute to welcome the fleet admiral to board the ship, and the blue sailing flag fluttered over the fleet again.

Marmont, Sterling, and Holren came to see Chen off on his way.

Marmont smiled and said, "You are about to go on an expedition, and the Senate, in recognition of your achievements since the founding of the country, intends to name the newly built naval fortress 'Lawful' Fort." ”

Sterling: "It's Fort Order, named after you." ”

Chen Shouxu didn't want to be so public, "I know about this, and I have persuaded them to change their names." ”

"It's up to you to decide what the Senate wants." Marmont smiled a little narrowly, "You've also been dismissed by the Senate." ”

"In the Chinese name, I prefer the transliteration of Chinese businessmen to Sterling, Tiger Castle." Chen Shouxu shook his head, "I want to ride the northeast monsoon to the south, I can't wait any longer." There will be only one cruiser available for the Long River for a while, so I'll leave it to you. ”

Marmont, who will be in charge of the administration of Jincheng after Chen Shouxu's departure, said: "I will definitely supervise the plants of the research institute, as well as the sanitary service regulations and steel industry plans that you have approved." ”

Holren: "The army is very strong, and there is no one around us who is our opponent, don't worry." ”

Sterling: "The Navy's window period is only a dozen days, Changshui will soon be in service, and the Changshan and Changbo will be repaired this month." At that time, there are 4 long-class old ships, plus 4 notification ships, only we go out to beat people, and no one dares to provoke us. ”

Marmont: "Actually, we're all a little worried about you, there are a lot of new recruits and newly promoted officers in the expedition fleet, so you have to be careful about everything. ”

Chen Shouxu laughed, "I'm better at leading students. The army and navy have to train in battle, and it is time for the boys on the ship to see blood. ”

Marmont's expression was very serious, and he said to the flagship captain Allemand: "René, you are the most senior captain in the fleet, and you must assist the admiral well." ”

Allemand: "Definitely, sir. ”

Chen Shouxuan raised the flag on the mainmast, and he shook hands with everyone one by one, "I have to walk for a long time this time, everyone take care." ”

"Take care."

The farewell people disembarked, and the Nanhai fired three cannons and was pulled out of the dock by the oarboat. The flagpole of the nose mast and stern of the Nanhai are hung with the Republican Star Bird flag, the foremast is hung with the red Navy Chief's flag, and on the mainmast is Chen Shouxu's unique orca admiral flag.

The weather was clear, and the fleet sailed into the open sea with a thin wave. The flagship Nanhai led the way, followed by the Rafael, Lima, Tempest, Excellence, and Adventure, and a convoy sailed on the inside of the cruising fleet.

The fleet was followed by 10 junk ships, all of which could carry more than 400 people, and 6 of them were no problem with 500 people. Originally, these ships were responsible for transporting grain and other materials between Siam, Quang Nam and Kim Thanh. Nanyang Bank needs to keep a certain amount of cash in case of unforeseen needs. Jincheng has recently suspended the purchase of bulk supplies after spending money in a surprise some time ago. The transports were also idle, this time with the expeditionary fleet.

In addition to the navy, Chen Shouxu also recruited part of the army to participate in the expedition. One infantry company was drawn from each of the three field battalions of the Army, and most of the field artillery companies were drawn from the field, with four four-pounder guns. The engineer company, the baggage company, and the sanitation company were also transferred.

Six companies were transferred from the second guard battalion to form a mixed guard battalion. The First Guard Battalion also provided two Chechitan companies. Together, there are more than 1,100 people in the entire army.

After the occupation of the garrison, half of the army's 12 guard battalions were put into production. Each battalion has only three companies left in its capacity, which still need to retain the necessary garrison and security forces. Chen Shouxu transferred eight full-fledged companies, of which the Yala Provincial Garrison, which was under less combat pressure, provided three second-class and two first-class guard companies. Kelantan and the North together make up the remaining 3 companies. In fact, this has drained most of the mobile forces of the guard battalion.

The three field companies were from each of the three field battalions and did not reach the theoretical level. The vacancies after their departure will be replaced by the 4th Reserve Battalion.

In the expansion of the army, Chen Shouxu's ruling guard was also expanded to 120 people. The guard consists of 4 platoons, the black platoon led by Tiqi, the Indian platoon of Gushan, the Chinese platoon led by Cai Yuanding, and the newly incorporated Chezhidan platoon. Chen Shouxu was originally very hesitant about whether to add the Japanese to the guards, but in addition to fighting, the ceremonial functions of the ruling guards were also more obvious. Now that Che Chi Dan has become an indispensable part of the army, in order to strengthen the atmosphere of domestic unity, Chen Shou Xuan still added a Che Chi Dan Guard. In this operation, the black platoon and the Indian platoon stayed in the country, and Chen Shouxu only brought the Chinese and Chezhidan guards to the battle.

The voyage was planned by Chief Staff Officer Harris. Acton compilation. There was no chief of staff in the fleet, and Harris temporarily led the work of the staff with the rank of captain and chief of staff. Chen Shouxu relieved himself to hand over the work to him, and only after the final review, he sent it to each warship for execution without making any changes.

The Nanhai is a typical Spanish galleon with a tall stern. Chen Shouxu occupied the stern cabin of the best gun deck on the ship, the original Nanhai commander's cabin was really a waste of space, the stern across the entire deck was the commander's office, and in front of the office was the bedroom. Chen Shouxu merged the office and bedroom into one, and the original bedroom space was reserved for the members of the fleet command. Captain Allemand and his officers lived upstairs in the aft cabin.

Chen Shouxu flipped through the recently collected information on the South China Sea in the stern. The Portuguese and Dutch have accumulated many valuable records in colonization, exploration, and trade, but these are their secrets, and not much has flowed out. Jincheng collected some from various sources, which was not enough, so it was necessary to refer to the records of the Chinese.

Some of the emotional, abstract, and literary demonization propaganda on the Internet in later generations is not real. The Ming Dynasty's voyage records, navigation experience and shipbuilding technology have never been lost, and there is a very complete historical inheritance. First of all, Zheng He's Xingcha fleet was mythologized in rumors, but it was actually not as powerful as many people thought, and its navigation technology was relatively backward, and it could only use offshore navigation throughout the whole process. The navigation techniques of Zheng He's time may have been inferior to those of the Arabs. Then the Western Ocean under the Star Cha Fleet, that is, the Western Ocean route that Chen Shouxu occupied Jincheng and tried to control, and the whole voyage process was seriously lost. Wooden sailboats are a relatively durable means of transportation, and large fleets of seagoing vessels are extremely expensive to maintain. The cost is huge but it can't be profitable, and this kind of voyage will be banned in any country, and the decision of the Ming Dynasty is very reasonable. Europe was no exception, and the Dutch later abandoned Brazilian territory that had fought hard for decades because of the West India Company's heavy losses. Expansionary behavior without the support of money and trade cannot be sustained for a long time.

In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, when Europeans came to Asia and the Japanese learned to use mercury to refine silver ore, the maritime trade in East Asia was no longer a low-value consumable product, but a highly profitable trade behavior, which stimulated great progress in Chinese shipbuilding and navigation technology compared with the Zheng He era in the early Ming Dynasty. It's just that compared with the Clark ship and the Galen ship, the Junk ship is congenitally unsuitable for long-sea sailing, and its influence in foreign competition has decreased compared with the Zheng He period.

In terms of sea route exploration, the Europeans have at least helped China open up direct shipping routes to the Philippines, making the migration routes from the Jinxia region to Taiwan safer and more practical. In terms of shipbuilding technology, some progressive Chinese craftsmen began to realize the backwardness of the traditional swinging rudder and the so-called "watertight cabin" partition to support the transverse structure, and were trying to improve it. Some junk ships also have fore and rear struts, which increase the stability of the mast. The Dutch hired junk ships in large numbers for trade, and they also taught Chinese sailors to use European sails. The progress of China's shipbuilding technology is evident in the old lock ships.

Since China's maritime technology has never been lost and has been improving, the records of needle paths and the summary of sailing experience have never been interrupted. Materials from China are an excellent complement to the course materials at the Jincheng Naval Academy.