In Baisha Bay, Nanao Island, local residents are working hard to clean the wharf. The officers and soldiers on the island ran away, and a gang of bandits came, but compared with these bandits, those officers and soldiers were the real bandits. Fishermen no longer have to pay "fish money" to sailors and patrol boats when they go to sea, merchants and peddlers no longer have to go to the "camp" to provide "assistance"; bandits who are much more glamorous than the officers and soldiers go to the island, so they spend a lot of money to buy goods and hire people to help them do chores.

The shipwrights were the happiest, for they used to be carried out by sailors at any time to repair the ships, and sometimes had to bring their own materials. Before, Shi Shibiao retreated to Penghu with the South Australian army, and they were afraid that they would also be taken to Penghu, so most of them hid, and now they feel that this decision is extremely wise. The thieves were in a hurry to repair the ship, and although the leader of the bandits came to them, he did not force them with knives and guns, but negotiated with them in a merchant's tone, and talked very seriously, so that all the shipwrights were given a full share of the business, and this order was enough for them to eat for half a year.

The shipwrights sighed while repairing, originally thinking that this soft-sailed fast boat was a foreigner's boat, but as soon as they touched the ship, they knew that this was a man-made boat in Fujian. The tenon riveting is used very exquisitely, and the hull under the gun deck is still the common sandwich with two plates and three cabins. With its elongated hull, tall soft sails and runner rudder discs, the boatwrights were so agile and swift that these boatwrights were amazed.

At this time, the people of Nanao Island no longer regarded these people as bandits in their hearts, and after the civil officials wearing the former Ming official uniforms visited the local villagers, they no longer even used the word "bandits" in private.

On the side of Baisha Bay, dozens of shipwrights were busy on the blackened Silver Carp, chatting while busy. Some people sighed and said that they really hope that the officers and soldiers will not come back, this court is much more benevolent and righteous than the court in the north. Some people also say that it is difficult for these Cantonese people to ensure that they are not pretending to be posturing, and if they stay for a long time, they may turn their faces, just like officers and soldiers. Some people say that it's good to pretend to be a gesture, there is always real money to take, and who knows what will happen in the future. In the end, the old boatsmith got angry, scolded the juniors for still having the leisure to talk about the wind and cold, and hurriedly finished repairing those boats, and the "bandits" disposed of the captured big green head and the lucky boat that they damaged at a low price to the people on the island, and the price was so low that the buyers had to take a closer look to see if the boat sank when they stepped on it.

Removing the burnt planks and replacing them with new ones, this is basically what the shipwrights did, and they were busy with all their hearts, when someone flashed into the bay, and the whole person froze.

"Oh my God! Good...... What a big ship! ”

The shipwrights looked over one after another, and they were all dumbfounded.

For a long time, the old shipwright drooled and said, "Why is this ship not broken?" Let us repair it, then it should be able to eat for three years! ”

The slender and elegant sailboat sailed into the bay, pulling the heartstrings of all the spectators, outside the General Soldier's Mansion, Xiao Sheng and others, who stepped on the hill overlooking Baisha Bay, were even more red, and their excitement was overflowing, the new ship is coming!

"With my big ship, not to mention Shi Shibiu, all the Qing soldiers and sailors will be added, and they will all be finished!"

On the Golden Shark, after returning from Siam, Meng Songhai, who was so tanned that his mouth was about to burst with laughter.

"What your ship, is my ship! From now on, this is the flagship of the Navy! ”

Xiao Sheng's eyes erupted with fire, Meng Songhai suddenly wilted, and looked at Xiao Sheng aggrievedly, but he didn't dare to protest, he, a little captain, was separated by several layers from the General Office of the Navy Administration.

"Twelve hundred? Bigger than the Jinyinao, the Siam shipyard can build such a big ship now? ”

Xiao Sheng was rubbing around on the deck, and the heart of the white swallow who followed behind was beating wildly, the new ship arrived so soon!? Will he get a piece of the pie too?

"The Siam shipyard built four ships, and then using the large mold and pool method, it is natural to build the Gold and Silver Shark."

A clear voice sounded, Xiao Sheng was stunned, like a surprise, and as if he was a little nervous.

"Fourth brother? No...... King! ”

He hesitated for a moment, and awkwardly changed his name.

"Your fourth brother is here, and your Heavenly King is on temporary vacation."

Li Xian said with a slight smile, Xiao Sheng grinned slowly, the embarrassment on his face completely subsided, and a hearty smile floated.

"The Silver Shark is still waiting for guns in Guangzhou, and it will arrive a little later. Come, this boat still has a little bit of my hard work, I will be a tour guide, and I will introduce it to you. ”

Then Li Shi beckoned Xiao Sheng and Bai Yanzi, as well as Hu Hanshan, Lu Hanshan, Lao Jin and others who hurried over, to inspect the new ship together.

The Jinyinao is a multi-purpose warship, in addition to artillery combat capabilities, it also takes into account the needs of troop-carrying land warfare, cargo transportation and reconnaissance, so the hull is wider, and eight small boats are also built on the deck. The Gold and Silver Shark is a pure sea-dominating warship, which is basically an enlarged version of the Gold and Silver Carp, with a slender hull and a side that looks larger than the Gold and Silver Ao.

These two ships are called "Sea Shark class", and they have learned many lessons from the Golden and Silver Carp, and the problems such as troublesome and inflexible steering have been solved, and the speed is only one line worse than that of the Golden and Silver Carp, but the surname of the Fish is as good as that of the Golden and Silver Carp. The original plan was to replace it with an improved 20-pound gun, but now the Foshan Manufacturing Bureau is busy supplying army artillery, so it can only use a 12-pound gun to make up the number.

"I'm just saying, against the Qing Soldiers and Sailors, this ship is really a bit wasteful, and ten ships like the Gold and Silver Ao are enough!"

Zheng Yong came with the ship, and he was so obsessed with the navy that he sprinkled a lot of money to build this big ship. The ship was still built in Siam, and it cost 60,000 taels of silver, plus artillery, for a total price of nearly 80,000 taels!

"What is waste? Raising an army battalion costs 100,000 taels a year, how can this ship reach an army! ”

Xiao Sheng also felt the same way, but he didn't feel pain, although the navy budget that Li Shi gave him was far less than that of the army, he could still afford 80,000 taels.

"Lao Xiao, this South Australia is your territory, seeing that the New Year is coming, hurry up and set up a table!"

After introducing the Golden Shark, Li Xian said unceremoniously, Xiao Sheng was stunned, and his heart floated back to the situation when Li Xian carried the mountain treasures a few years ago and slipped into his flood guard room.

"No problem! It's just that the fourth brother, you haven't decided my salary yet? You have to pay for this meal for me first. ”

Xiao Sheng smiled, and then was slapped by Li Xian, hooked his shoulders and left, and taught him why he hadn't found his brother and daughter-in-law as he walked...... Behind him, Zheng Yong and Bai Yanzi glanced at each other, and said in their hearts that the brotherhood between Li Tianwang and Xiao Sheng is indeed very deep, but he always feels a little weird, Li Tianwang is a young man in his early twenties, and he arrogantly regards Xiao Sheng, who is in his thirties, as his younger brother, but Xiao Sheng is willing. I thought it was Xiao Shengzun and Li Xian, the "Heavenly King", who were the younger brothers, but now it seems that this relationship has been around for a long time.

"Fourth brother, you're worrying too much......"

At the dinner table, in front of Zheng Yong and Bai Yanzi, Xiao Sheng unceremoniously said that Li Xian was timid.

"Originally, I didn't have a lot of confidence in my heart, but now that I have the Gold and Silver Shark, I don't dare to say anything about taking Penghu, but I can still do it if I want to seal Shi Shibi in Penghu and make him unable to help Taiwan."

Li Shi talked about his worries, but Xiao Sheng didn't think so, he proposed this strategy, Li Shi didn't think about it, but he always felt a little difficult to do.

"There are forts in Penghu, and we have few ships, so we have to change shifts back and forth, which is not a problem. The problem is that the Qing army ship is slow, as long as we intercept his team and clean it up ruthlessly, Shi Shibiao will never dare to risk moving again! The sea is not as good as the land, there is no absolute certainty, he would rather shrink in Penghu than stretch his head out easily. ”

Xiao Sheng said this resolutely, Li Xian pondered for a moment, and suddenly realized that he was really timid! Thinking about his own difficulties, he regarded Shi Shibiao as a fearless hero, and was worried that Taiwan would lose its strategic value. Now it seems that as long as the navy of its own six ships dares to let go of its hands and feet, the situation is far better than expected.

"The family business is a little bigger, and it's a little timid, and people's hearts are like this......"

Li Xi reflected on it like this, and then thought about Kangxi, the owner of the bigger family business, and the courage was even less, so he didn't dare to raise the strength of the whole country and use decisive means such as moving the border to deal with him, which is a common problem of the rich and noble, and it can't be changed. The family business that has been earned for many years naturally does not want to rush into a gambling that will determine life and death. It's just that Kangxi definitely didn't expect that he, Li Shi, would also start to suffer from wealth and nobility on this little family business.

But there is a difference, Kangxi at this time, he only felt that he was sitting in the position of "Emperor of the Ages", and it was difficult to hear the advice, and it was estimated that no one dared to say this advice, and he Li Shi could still listen to it, and some people dared to say it.

Xiao Sheng's words to disperse Taiwan's predicament also made Zheng Yong, who is responsible for the Taiwan strategy, high-spirited, and he even suggested that he should directly capture Penghu, so that Taiwan would be in his pocket.

"Taiwan is a place with many connections, and it is still too early to become a usable place, and the value now is to hold the Qing soldiers. If Penghu is occupied, the Qing soldiers will no longer pay attention to Taiwan, but go all out to attack Guangdong, but the gains will outweigh the losses. ”

Xiao Sheng's words made everyone nod, which is exactly what Li Shi expects from Taiwan at this stage.

"Lao Zheng's goal is to pull people to Dagana in Zhuluo County, where they will set up camp, and you can come out of the Longxiang army......" [1]

Li Shi said casually, Zheng Yong took a deep breath, knowing that he was about to be promoted.

"Under the navy, there is a Fubo army, all sailors are under the establishment of the Fubo army, Lao Zheng is in charge of the Fubo army, and when the battle of Wuzhou is over, some of the first batch of officers in the Longxiang army who have stayed in the Lantau training camp will be drawn to you, and they are trained according to the standard of ship-based warfare. Except for some of the Fubo army on the ship, the rest were concentrated and used in the same way as the army. ”

At this time, the "Marine Corps" that Li Xi had planned earlier had finally taken shape.

"Fourth brother, the Sea Shark class can be built less, the Haiao should be built more, only as a warship, and the Qing soldiers and sailors have no power to fight back, how about another seven or eight?"

Seeing that Bai Yanzi's fists were clenched uncertainly, Xiao Sheng knew that this former Nanyang thief couldn't sit still, and wanted to fight for his status, especially to get a few new ships, so he opened his mouth to bargain with Li Xian for the price.

"Don't let me think that the silver allocated to you is the one who keeps the ship, and the silver of the Fubo army is also in it......"

Hearing Li Yan's words, Zheng Yongzheng's eyebrows collapsed halfway, and he still thought that he could also have four battalions of people, but now it seems that there is no hope. Even if you post the account just now, raising a battalion will cost at least 100,000 taels of silver a year, and it will only cost 80,000 taels to build a boat, and even fewer gold and silver Ao, which one will Xiao Sheng choose?

It seems that he has to have a good fight with Xiao Sheng, and Zheng Yong's first impression of his new position is this.

"Besides, the Siam shipyard is not a hen, and the shipwrights who know how to build this new ship are those people, and there are not so many docks, only two for one batch, and the next one will have to wait for three months. And I'm not a cash cow, there is only so much silver, not to mention a big ship like the Gold and Silver Shark, and the Gold and Silver Ao are not casually made. ”

Li Xi also regretted that the Siam Shipyard was a layout that he built very well, and now it has fully functioned, but it still has some needs to keep up with the situation.

"Then build a boat first! Fourth brother, the navy not only wants big ships, but also the role of small ships cannot be ignored. Fighting against the Qing soldiers, sometimes it is more convenient to have a small boat! On the basis of the gold and silver carp, let Guangdong and even Taiwan can make it! ”

Xiao Sheng really threw himself into the naval cause, and Li Xian gave him a budget of 400,000 taels of silver for next year, and in addition to the silver of the Fubo army and the existing naval personnel, he could at least have 200,000 taels of silver to build new ships.

"That's your business, just make a plan for me to see."

Li Shi shrugged his shoulders, there is only so much silver, what kind of ship should be built, how many should be built, it is Xiao Sheng's matter of scratching his head. He is equal to an investor, so he reviews his preparation plan and sets targets for his navy.

Zheng Yong and Bai Yanzi glanced at each other again, only when Li Shi trusted Xiao Sheng to the extreme, but when the two of them took over their responsibilities, they found that Li Shi let his subordinates do things like this.

Throwing away the shelf of the king, this night, Li Shi had a drunken conversation with everyone, and discussed the affairs of the navy and Taiwan thoroughly.

Xiao Sheng had a big plan at the dinner table, and Li Shi also agreed on the spot. The navy warships will be divided into three classes, the Sea Shark class, and the gold and silver sharks will be two in the next year, which will be used as the main force for sea control. Haiao-level, can be used in naval battles to transport troops, the most suitable, and cheap, one is only 20,000 taels of silver, and four more are built. After the improvement of the sea carp class, at least ten more boats will be built, although it is only a small boat of 400 materials, but it is also a big ship compared to the Qing Soldiers and Sailors. It can assist in naval warfare, and can also patrol, communicate and transport ordnance materials, and has a wide range of uses.

In addition to opening the ship, Xiao Sheng still generously gave Zheng Yong's Fubo army 2,000 people. Unlike the army, the Fubo army did not fight much land warfare, and in addition to being scattered on each ship separately with sentry heads, it also set up two separate small battalions for centralized use, and the eye, sentry, and wing were organized according to the three-three system, and each battalion had 600 men.

Bai Yanzi faced a choice at the dinner table, whether to stand on his own or abandon his generals and completely integrate into the Anglo-Chinese Navy. He didn't hesitate for too long, with such a huge ship, why was he still guarding his little bit of rags? As a result, he was given the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Hong Kong Detachment, and was joined by Hu Hanshan, who was also the Commander-in-Chief of the South Australian Detachment, with a strategic focus on Nanyang.

The navy matter was settled, and the Taiwan affair also had a countermeasure, and Li Xian was relieved a lot, but then he was faced with another problem.

He really wanted to rush to Wuzhou immediately and throw everything in the east, including the Eagle Yang Army, which was being transferred to the "clean-up" operation, to Xiao Sheng for moderation, but Xiao Sheng didn't dare to accept it.

Li Xian trusts Xiao Sheng, Yingyangjun Wu Ya is also familiar with Xiao Sheng, listening to the words of "Boss Xiao" There is not much psychological barrier, but Xiao Sheng feels that he can't afford to take over, just taking over the navy in its entirety makes him honestly afraid, and then stretching out his hand to take care of the affairs of the army, Xiao Sheng does not have such a good psychological quality, and the officers and soldiers of Yingyang under Wu Ya will have a knot.

This is the reality, and Li Xi has to admit that Xiao Sheng is indeed not suitable to control the Eagle Yang Army, but he is still not at ease when he lets Wu Ya toss alone. This guy is a person who has hung a bead curtain on his head, and he has to go through the training again, and if he wants to move the Fujian soldiers on the other side, they are all veterans who have done battles, and Wu Ya may not be able to withstand it.

At this time, Li Xian had to sigh that he lacked skills, and his foundation was too shallow, except for Xiao Sheng, there was no talent in the military that he could rest assured.

(To be continued)