"So powerful? But what's in it for me to build this railway? "Xiahou Min is as insensitive to business as ever. Fang Xiaoyu said with a smile: "I plan to build a direct railway from Tongjiang Mansion to Port Arthur, so that the things produced in my territory can go to sea directly from here, and the profits of this shipping will be greatly increased, not to mention that the train can also carry passengers at the same time, we can charge fares, do you think there is any money to be made?" ”

Xiahou Min was not stupid, he finally heard the business opportunities, and nodded again and again: "There must be money to be made, this Port Arthur is the same as Quanzhou Port, but our navy is solely responsible, as long as you can transport all the goods in the territory to us, the navy will naturally make a lot of money." ”

Just kidding, even if Xiahou Min doesn't understand economics anymore, he can think that Fang Xiaoyu could earn so much money in such a small place as Lanting Villa back then, and now Fang Xiaoyu has a county territory, and when it develops, the money is not like flowing water, as long as he can take a small part of the port, it will be enough for the navy to eat, but Xiahou Min still has one thing to worry about.

Seeing the complacent Fang Xiaoyu frowning and explaining to him the benefits of the train after it opened, Xiahou Min couldn't help but ask: "Xiaoyu, I have made a lot of money here, but I can't spend it." Fang Xiaoyu said: "How can you not spend it?" ”

Xiahou Min said: "Recently, the Sahr Empire has a tendency to support the Wa State against us, and they have received orders from the Wa State for several ironclad ships, but they have shirked our orders in every possible way and refused to accept them, not to mention that the Saar Empire has been in tense relations with our country recently, so it is even more impossible to build us ships." And now although the Nantes Empire and the Yaman Empire have also begun to build ironclad ships, I have examined their design drawings, and these two countries have little experience, and the ironclad ships built are far inferior to the Saar Empire, and I am worried about this matter. ”

"The Saar Empire has a tense relationship with us? For what? "Fang Xiaoyu has recently patronized the development of his own territory construction, and he knows very little about the outside intelligence. Xiahou Min said: "Many years ago, the Saar Empire sent an ocean-going fleet to invade the Zhanxi Kingdom with the southern continent as a fulcrum, because it was far away from us, and I didn't care too much, but now the colonial army of the Saar Empire has gained a firm foothold and has turned most of the coastline of the Zhanxi Kingdom into their colony. ”

Fang Xiaoyu nodded, he knew the news, and when he came back from the Western Continent, he had also filled up coal and water at the colonial port of the Saar Empire in the Zhanxi Kingdom. Xiahou Min said again: "Two months ago, the fleets of the Saar Empire and the Nantes Empire suddenly attacked the Siamese Kingdom. Siam and we are friendly neighbors, I was going to send a fleet to warn the Saar Empire and the Nantes Empire, so that they could withdraw their troops, but the Japanese navy suddenly began military exercises, I was afraid that they would raid the coast of the empire, so I could only bring the strongest First Fleet here, and the remaining two fleets could not compete with the existence of the Saar Empire's ironclad ships, so I did not send them, but I received news a few days ago that Siam was defeated. They ceded the port of Tamsui to the Saar Empire and the island of Suman to the Nantes Empire. ”

"Strait of Malacca?" Fang Xiaoyu exclaimed. Xiahou Min nodded and said: "Yes, they are just to block the Strait of Malacca, as long as they blockade there, they can slowly encroach on the Central Continent, we can't intervene at all, at the moment we only have such an ironclad ship, let alone break through the blockade, after a few years, I am afraid it will be very difficult to deal with the Japanese navy." ”

Fang Xiaoyu smiled: "You don't have to worry about this, I came here this time for this matter." After speaking, Fang Xiaoyu took out a roll of drawings and said: "This is the blueprint of the ironclad ship I designed, as long as the marshal looks good, I will start work immediately." ”

Xiahou Min took the drawings and just looked at them and exclaimed: "Great, it's better than the warships in service in the Thar Empire, but our shipyard has never built an ironclad ship, can we build it." Fang Xiaoyu said: "I have been renovating the shipyard, and it is estimated that it is almost completed now, not to mention that I also have two shipbuilding experts from the Western Continent, which is enough to deal with." ”

Xiahou Min said: "Great, then I'll order two, not three of these ironclad ships." Fang Xiaoyu said with a smile: "Marshal, rest assured, the shipyard will start construction soon, and I believe that it will be launched in two years at most." ”

Xiahou Min suddenly said solemnly: "Xiaoyu, are you planning to build a navy?" Xiahou Min's words startled Fang Xiaoyu as soon as he spoke. Fang Xiaoyu exclaimed: "Marshal, why do you think so? Xiahou Min said: "A few months ago, you sent Sun Xiaohu and dozens of half-grown children to me, and I know your thoughts, although you said that you want them to adapt to the sea environment, but you yourself have a merchant fleet and still need to come to me?" ”

Fang Xiaoyu was secretly frightened when he heard this, in order to keep a low profile, he sent a group of half-grown children such as Sun Xiaohu and Zhang Si to the navy to study, hoping that they would be able to help them create a navy after they finished their studies, but he didn't expect to be noticed by Xiahou Min.

Seeing that Fang Xiaoyu didn't speak with a shocked expression, Xiahou Min comforted: "Actually, I support you lords to have a navy. The reason why the lord was not allowed to have a navy back then was because he did not want to have another powerful force to stand side by side with the Imperial Navy at sea, and on the other hand, it was also because he could not use it. Back then, the Imperial Navy was rampant on the sea, and there were no navy around us that could compete with us, so there was no need to add a navy. ”

Xiahou Min continued with a bitter face: "You see that some warships in our navy have been used for more than forty years, just because there is no strong external enemy, and there is no need to replace them with new ships. But now it's different, the naval strength of the Shilu realm has changed a lot, especially the appearance of ironclad ships has made the imperial navy lag behind, but the imperial court only stares at land power and ignores sea power, so I found you in the first place. ”

Fang Xiaoyu said: "In fact, the sea and land are like two legs of a person, and one is indispensable." Listening to Fang Xiaoyu's words, Xiahou Min felt like a confidant, and he said: "It would be good if the emperor could think like you, but it's a pity that now although we are desperately trying to accumulate money and build ships, we also have limited financial resources, so I think if you can build a fleet, it can be used as a supplement to the empire." ”

Fang Xiaoyu didn't dare to say anything about building a harbor on the territory of the goblins, so he had to say with a slight embarrassment: "But marshal, my territory is inland, and I haven't even built a navy in the harbor?" ”

Xiahou Min nodded, he was also a little impatient, after all, Fang Xiaoyu's territory was not close to the sea at all. Fang Xiaoyu said again: "Even if I can expand to the northern subcontinent in the future and occupy the coastal areas, there is no ice-free port there at all. ”

Xiahou Min pondered for a long time and said, "If I give you a port in private, will you build a navy?" Fang Xiaoyu was stunned when he heard this, it seemed that Marshal Xiahou was really forced to be in a hurry, otherwise he would not have wanted to pull himself, a rich man, into the ranks of building ships, but Fang Xiaoyu knew that he still had limited financial resources, and most of the funds had to be used for the construction of the territory, so it was impossible to spend too much money on the money-burning thing of the navy, although the harbor was very tempting, but he had to thank him.

Fang Xiaoyu said: "Marshal, you also know that I just got the territory, the situation there is still very chaotic, and everything needs to be built from scratch, how can I have the funds to build ships, even if I want to build a navy, it will be several years later." Fang Xiaoyu can only tell the truth now.

Xiahou Min gritted his teeth and said: "If I give you Yingkou Port and let the Naval Academy train fifty naval talents for you every year, would you be willing to build ships." ”

Xiahou Min's words made Fang Xiaoyu startled, such a generous treatment was simply giving himself a big gift package for nothing, which shows that the pressure on Marshal Xiahou Min recently is indeed not light. Fang Xiaoyu pondered for a moment and said, "There are one hundred places a year, and I need to share intelligence with the navy, I want to know the development and basic trends of the navies of the countries in the Dao world." ”

Fang Xiaoyu's most eye-catching thing is the only two major schools in the empire, one is the Imperial Army Academy in the capital, and the other is the Imperial Naval Academy in Quanzhou Port, which is dedicated to training officers for the two branches of the military.

Although there was no universal education in the empire, the education level among the nobility was still very high, and most of the two colleges were designated to train noble students, and they were not open to others. The Fang family only has five places a year at the Army Academy, and it is possible to study there if they are not self-reliant early. So with the opportunity to enter the Naval Academy, of course, I can't let it go.