"Ping said that his voice is loud, and his legs will be weak when he reaches the sea? Even the Dutch plywood can't catch up, so I think you'd better go back to the river and run the boat! I heard that the shipyard is now soliciting the bow of the ship, and although twenty taels of silver a month is not much, it is better than working hard at sea! ”

On Nanao Island, the original Yamen of the South Australian General Army was changed to the General Consulate General of the South Australian Detachment of the Anglo-Chinese Navy, which was the territory of Hu Hanshan, the commander of the South Australian Detachment and the left captain. It's just that today, Hu Hanshan, the master, was driven out of the main seat, and was reprimanded by Xiao Sheng, the general of the Military Command Department, and the general Xiao Sheng in the main hall of the government office.

"At that time, the wind and the current, the helmsman and the sail cable chief were not long in their posts, and they were not skilled enough to catch up with the Dutchman's ship."

"The Dutch seem to know the hydrology of this area, and they turn into the middle stream in a few clicks, and they know it better than our navigators."

The two navy uniforms, looking at the epaulettes, were all lieutenant left, and the officer defended aggrievedly.

"Of course, the Dutch are familiar with the hydrology of Guangdong and Fujian! More than 80 years ago, he beat the Nanao Island under our feet, and then he was beaten by our ancestors in Liuluo Bay, Kinmen! Now if you want to fight the Dutch again, it's up to you, I think it's hanging. ”

Xiao Sheng glared at the two captains who were still unconvinced, these two were the captains of the sea carp-class warships, and when they were patrolling the sea route a few days ago, they encountered two Dutch warships. I wanted to stop and investigate, but the other party's navigation skills were superb, and he actually threw off the two sea carp-class clippers and headed in the direction of Jinxia.

After Wu Ya went down to Nanyang, the Anglo-Chinese army was commanded by Xiao Sheng in Zhangpu and commanded both the sea and land divisions. I heard that there was a Dutch warship, so I hurriedly came to South Australia to arrange a response, and the first thing was to train the two captains who were not skilled. The biggest advantage of the Sea Carp class is the word "fast", which actually made the Dutchman's stupid Galen ship throw off, which is too much to lose.

"Boss Xiao, most of the people in Macao have withdrawn, and now almost all the helmsmen and sail cable captains in our army are rushing ducks to the shelves, and this is not to blame the captain."

Hu Hanshan also spoke out to persuade him, Xiao Sheng sighed, pressed the green tendons on his forehead, and said in his heart that he still couldn't withstand the pressure, which made the anxiety burst out.

Governor Ma Yu issued a persuasion order to the Portuguese who served the British and Chinese abroad, not daring to say bluntly that they were no longer allowed to serve the British and Chinese, but very euphemistically said that the British and Chinese policies towards Macao were not yet clear, and hoped that the Portuguese abroad would pay attention to their own safety.

This hand was naturally putting pressure on Yinghua, and the influence in other areas had not yet appeared, and the Anglo-Chinese Navy suffered first. Most of their new warships relied on Portuguese seamen, and when they heard that Macao's relations with the British and Chinese had deteriorated, most of them resigned and left, forcing the Anglo-Chinese navy to rely on local sailors to fight on their ships. But the technical requirements of positions such as helm captain, sail and sailor are extraordinary, and those local sailors who have only studied for more than a year can hardly cope with it.

Wu Ya went to the South Seas and took away the entire Hong Kong detachment, and the Nanao detachment only had two Sea Shark class, four Haiao-class and eight Sea Carp-class, plus the lack of technical personnel, the originally rapidly expanding Anglo-Chinese Navy suddenly fell in strength at this moment. For this reason, Xiao Sheng urgently terminated the attack on Jiangnan, planning to nest at home for a while to breathe, but he didn't want the Dutch to intervene. The Heaven and Earth Society sent news to the Military Intelligence Department, saying that the two Dutch ships had entered the port of Xiamen, and there were still six ships on the way, and the situation of the Qing court and the Dutch joining forces was already clear, and the war situation in Fujian was suddenly changing.

"Many of the sail rudder masters recruited from Nanyang have already arrived in Guangzhou......"

Liang Deguang, who led the co-organizer of the Navy Department and helped Xiao Sheng with the details, reminded him.

"Those Portuguese crews were built together in Siam, and the newly recruited ones could not be used in three and a half months.

Xiao Sheng said as he glanced at the more than ten captains present, but the captains' eyes all fell on their shoes and they didn't dare to look at him. The meaning is very clear, of course, it is not worth it...... Many of Yinghua's new warships are brand new, especially the complex set of sail cables. If you are proficient, you can move your own fingers, and the boat is also very dexterous. But to that extent, it would take three or five years for local sailors who were accustomed to hard sails to become teachers, and they had to rely on foreigners who had dealt with soft sails all their lives.

"Did we mention the matter of Macao to the Heavenly King?"

After issuing the military order of emergency alert, strengthening inspections, and strengthening the training of ships, Xiao Sheng held a small meeting with Hu Hanshan and others in the back hall, at which Lu Hanshan, the director of artillery of the Navy Administration, said Zuo Du Lieutenant Lu Hanshan.

"Macau is a chess piece in the big chess game of Nanyang and even all foreigners for the king of heaven, and now it has not moved, but I don't want that big chess game to come alive first, we are in trouble......"

Hu Hanshan understood the whole situation very thoroughly, and felt that there was no need to make Li Xian sad about it, but Xiao Sheng shook his head.

"It's annoying to him, he has to continue, this matter must be made clear to him, the navy, now we still need Macau people."

Just as he said this, his subordinates sent a document, seeing that the cover was Li Shi's handwriting that was as thin as a golden hook and iron bones, Xiao Sheng's eyes widened, his fourth brother, could it be really a fairy? Knowing the current problem, the first time you sent a clever plan?

Unfolding the letter and looking at it, Xiao Shengleng paused for a moment, and suddenly looked up and laughed.

"Two hundred thousand taels! Wowhaha...... This year our Navy sent it! With these 200,000 taels, how can you get rid of the Dutch! ”

The navy's budget this year has doubled from last year's to 800,000 taels, but it still looks tight because of the expansion of its scale. Shipbuilding costs more than 300,000 yuan, more than 300,000 personnel, and 100,000 yuan for ship maintenance, bases, and temporary expenses. Operational expenses are also charged separately to special wartime expenses in the possession of the Military Command Office. Counting the total number of five or six thousand people, the cost of the navy is more than twice that of the army with the same number of people. But in Xiao Sheng's eyes, the navy is still very poor, and the Hong Kong Naval Academy he is preparing has not yet landed the silver, so he can only rely on the two training ships of the Golden and Silver Carp.

Seeing that the Dutch had joined the battle, Xiao Shengzheng was extremely worried, and Li Shi sent this extra 200,000 taels, which just relieved his urgency.

"What is the use of silver? It's too late to build a ship, right? ”

Hu Hanshan and others were puzzled.

Xiao Sheng's face twisted, it was the pleasure of going to kill.

"Who said you want to build ships? White Swallow changed ships before, left dozens of big ships in Hong Kong, we fought from Guangdong to Fujian, and also paid a lot of Qing soldiers' ships along the way, and there are still several big green heads on Nanao Island that have not been sold. ”

Everyone looked disdainful, what can those boats do?

"Carefully investigate the hydrology and wind direction of Guleikou, and then report to the Military Command Department, and ask for the full assistance of the Heaven and Earth Society and the Military Intelligence Department, and learn about the movements of the Dutch!"

Xiao Sheng didn't elaborate, and said in his heart while giving the order, these young people have really forgotten the traditions of the old generation.

"The fourth brother is really an immortal, although he didn't solve the problem directly, but 200,000 taels...... Two hundred thousand taels! Grass, damn the Dutch! Without them to disturb the situation, with these 200,000 taels, I can build the Naval Academy! ”

Xiao Sheng smiled and smiled, but his face gradually collapsed.

Xilong Prefecture, Sicheng Prefecture, Guangxi, was under the command of the Longxiang Army, and Zhang Hanwan, the commander of the left capital, stepped on the Nanpan River, his face was as gloomy as the river. After the first battle of Yizhang, Long Xiang's army returned to Guangxi, marched all the way west, and seized the prefecture and occupied the county, which was extremely smooth. If it wasn't for the step-by-step approach to build a smooth support line, he would have rushed into Yunnan a long time ago. At this moment, Xilong Prefecture is already the junction of the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Guizhou, and it will go west along the Nanpan River, and it will be possible to enter Kunming in half a month at most, and if it is to the north and the Beipan River, it will be possible to reach Guiyang in half a month, and which way to go, this is Li Shi's problem, not that he Zhang Hanwan should worry about.

What made Zhang Hanwan's heart heavy was another thing, he missed joining the army Yang Junli very much, not because he had any friendship with the guy who was as deep as an old man in his thirties, but because Yang Junli left, many miscellaneous things were pressed on his head.

Long Xiangjun is now regarded as the wing of the Yulin Army, with Xiang Shanxuan joining the Yulin Army, Zhang Hanwan doesn't have to worry about any local government affairs, but after all, there are some small things thrown on him. For example, Li Xi asked him to recruit servants who could sing and dance[1], the men should be pleasing to the eye and strong, and the women should be young and beautiful, which always feels a little awkward...... "Our new army has arrived!" ”

Long Xiang's army has been stopped in Xilong Prefecture for more than ten days, and is waiting for the next military order, but waiting for a new recruit, hearing the report from his subordinates, Zhang Hanwan is in good spirits, and his heart says that those dog skin plasters can finally be lost.

"Heavenly King's Order, expand the army!"

Cheng Yingde, the new member of the Long Xiang Army, said this to Zhang Hanwan, who rushed to usher in the army, and then saw that the young commander's face was like a flower blooming, and a bright smile bloomed.

Guilin, Guangxi, Yulin Army Command Office, Jia Hao also has a bright smile, he knows that Zhang Hanwan in the west, Meng Kui in Hunan, and Xiao Sheng in Fujian are all like him, just smiling happily, and the capital in his hand has doubled, so he will naturally raise his eyebrows.

Li Shi's pockets bulged, and the army was naturally the first to benefit.

The Navy's budget has doubled this year, and there are 200,000 additional funds, and although the army has not increased so much, it is still full of money. Last year, the army's maintenance expenses were 3 million taels, including four corps, three training camps, and the Whampoa Martial Arts Academy, but this year it will rise to 5 million taels.

What is the extra money for, of course, is to expand the army.

There is already a foundation for the expansion of the armed forces, and there is no need to start from scratch. After the Battle of Yizhang, Li Xi asked each army to form two reserve battalions, and the personnel were recruited locally in each army, and the salary was calculated as an internal guard, and there was no artillery, so they were prepared to supplement battle losses and assist operations. In other words, the actual number of soldiers in the four armies of the Anglo-Chinese Army now is more than 30,000.

By converting the reserve battalion into a regular army, half of the task of expanding the army will be completed, and the task of replenishing battle losses will be handed over to the training camp and training camp under the direct control of the Military Command Department. To this end, the training camp system was also adjusted, and the Hong Kong training camp was transferred to the Fubo Army under the Navy, and three new training camps were set up in Hunan, Fujian, and Guangxi.

Li Shi explained the general strategy, and Fan Jin drew up a detailed plan for the expansion of the army, first, to double the number of troops of the four armies, so that each army would have more than 12,000 men, which was enough to serve as a strategic offensive launched by the Qing army in any direction. And the more than 2,000 people in each battalion under his jurisdiction also have the ability to read and fight all the way. In addition, a new Youyi Army was also built, which was a cavalry detachment, which temporarily only had two battalions of the old system, with a strength of only 3,000 troops, and was ready to be used on the plain battlefield to contain the Qing army's horse corps.

"Heavenly King Order, Long Xiang Army's Target: Kunming ......"

Cheng Yingde, who joined the army, said this again, Zhang Hanwan was so happy that he wanted to hug him and kiss him, the soldiers are strong and the horses are strong, the goal is ahead, what are you waiting for!

At the same time, Jia Hao also received a military order, compared with the route of the Long Xiang Army, the route to be taken by the Yulin Army was extraordinary, Jia Hao was both excited and awe-inspiring.

"The king of heaven is going to dig a big pit for the Tartars again......"

He sighed.

"Li Thief never imagined that there would be some catastrophe waiting for him."

"Look at the chickens and dogs jumping under his rule, the more I think about it, the happier I become......"

"I'm afraid that the first nine sides are not far away, and the sons are gearing up, and their hearts are boundlessly high!"

Changchun Garden Ningju, Hou in front of the main hall waiting for the summoned Yinxi and others are talking and laughing, a happy scene.

(To be continued)