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"Boom!" A crimson fireball exploded on the beach more than 4,000 meters away, and although it did not hit the target, the huge power produced by the explosion still made the generals of the Flying Fish Army very satisfied. Considering that this was the first field gun produced, the gunners had not yet mastered the performance of the cannon and did not hit the target, which was also inevitable.

"Commander! This cannon is really powerful! This power is at least more powerful than the foreign devil's ten-pounder cannon! Niu Meng, the commander of the First Brigade, said excitedly. Making his own cannon, or such a powerful cannon, this is something he has never thought of in his life!

"A little more powerful than the Western ten-pounder cannon! The range is definitely much farther than theirs, though! However, the weight is also slightly heavier than their ten-pounder gun! Long Yufei said. The field gun he designed borrowed from the classic design of later generations, and in terms of performance, it can be regarded as an epoch-making improvement. In addition, if the barrel continues to be lengthened, it can also be used as a carrier-based version of the Navy, which further increases the firing range. In this way, the Exocet's navy will be able to have an overwhelming advantage in range and power when facing the Western navy!

"If the artillery is too heavy, this is a ** annoyance! This broken road in Mindanao simply can't pass through such a heavy cannon! Niu Meng said with a frown. There are many places on Mindanao that have no roads at all, especially when the indigenous people are exterminated in the forest. However, the weapons and equipment of the natives are extremely rudimentary, and they don't need this kind of cannon at all, and mortars are enough to ** them!

"This field artillery, I have not yet assigned it to the front-line troops. For a short period of time, it will be used as the defense power of Flying Fish City! I plan to build an artillery battalion armed with 24 field guns and place it in Flying Fish City, so that it can deal with the enemy from both the sea and the land! Long Yufei said. The indigenous people of Mindanao, he didn't pay attention to it at all, the real threat is the Western powers. And if the Western powers appear, they will definitely come from the sea.

Niu Meng nodded and recognized Long Yufei's plan. Although the power of the field artillery is great, it is too cumbersome and heavy for the current infantry units of the Exocet Army. There is a shortage of horses in Mindanao, and it is very troublesome to pull a cannon weighing 800 kilograms.

The officers of the Flying Fish Army were full of praise for the performance of the field artillery, but when they learned that they could not be equipped with the front-line troops, everyone was a little disappointed. However, they are also able to understand. After all, the greatest role of weapons and equipment is to increase the combat effectiveness of the troops. If it not only fails to improve combat power, but becomes a burden, then it loses its original meaning!

In addition, Long Yufei also made up his mind, the next time he bought some mules and horses through Antonio, to tow a field cannon, at least two horses were needed, and an artillery battalion with 24 cannons was formed, and 48 horses were needed to drag the cannons alone, plus transport ammunition and spare horses, without more than sixty horses, it would not be possible. Fortunately, the batch of gold recovered from the Mang'abong tribe has been smelted, and a total of more than 300 kilograms of gold has been obtained, which has effectively alleviated the financial crisis of the Flying Fish Company. In addition, gold mines in the Mang-Abang Mountains have already begun to be mined, and 20 kilograms of gold can be obtained every month. After the Flying Fish Army swept away other indigenous tribes, they would also recapture some gold and other treasures one after another, which strongly supported the development of the Flying Fish Company.

"Commander! Now the indigenous people of northern Mindanao, we have almost swept away! Many small indigenous tribes have fled to central Mindanao, in the heart of the forest. In the next step, can we continue to use troops against the natives in the south? Niu Meng asked. The indigenous tribes of northern Mindanao, with the exception of the Manga Bang tribe, are small and medium-sized tribes. After the Exocet exterminated the Manga Bang tribe, it was very easy to deal with those small and medium-sized tribes. In the past two months, there have been more than 20,000 young and strong slaves in Flying Fish City, which has completely solved the labor gap of Flying Fish Company!

"What about the casualties of the troops?" Long Yufei asked. After fighting in the forest for more than two months, although the six infantry battalions of the Exocet Army took turns to fight, the soldiers were also very tired and paid a lot of price.

"Commander, up to now, our casualties have reached more than four hundred, of which more than one hundred and thirty have been killed, more than forty have been seriously wounded, and the rest are lightly wounded. Of these casualties, not many actually died at the hands of the indigenous people, and most of them were bitten by the poisonous insects, snakes and ants in the forest. Niu Meng said. For the Flying Fish Army, the natives are not terrible, what is really terrible is the harsh environment in the forests of Mindanao!

"The environment in Mindanao is too harsh, and fighting in the forest, we don't have an advantage! Try your best to get the soldiers used to the harsh environment during training! Next, let the troops rest for a month to replenish the recruits. In addition, the newly formed troops should also step up their training! The number of troops we have now is still too small! Long Yufei said. As more and more Chinese join the Flying Fish Company, the successive victories of the Flying Fish Army have also stimulated the majority of Chinese children. The recruitment of the Flying Fish Army also went smoothly, and almost every time the recruitment began, there would be long queues at various registration points. Once chosen, it's something to celebrate. Not only will the family get an extra ten acres of land, but the Flying Fish Company will also give away two slaves for free. Even if they die in battle, Flying Fish will provide additional subsidies to ensure that the family's life can continue. This also made the soldiers of the Flying Fish Army have no worries and performed very bravely in battle. Of course, Long Yufei, the commander-in-chief of the Flying Fish Army, is also very much loved by the majority of officers and soldiers!

"Commander! The Exocet have now expanded to 8 infantry battalions! Do we need to expand further? Niu Meng asked. Each infantry battalion has more than 750 people, and the eight battalions are 6,000 people, plus the artillery battalion that Long Yufei also planned to form, so that the total strength of the Flying Fish Army is close to 7,000 people. Now, the total number of Chinese in Flying Fish City is only more than 50,000. The number of military personnel has already accounted for one-seventh. In Western countries, this is absolutely a reckless use of militarism. If it weren't for the fact that the Flying Fish Company had now obtained a large number of slaves and transferred so many strong men to join the army, the Flying Fish Company would have already experienced a labor shortage.

"Not enough! The number of infantry battalions should be expanded to at least 12 or so! In the future, we will build more troops! There are not so many Chinese in Mindanao, so we will go to Luzon, Borneo and even China to recruit! My goal is to build at least a strong army with a total number of more than 100,000 people! Long Yufei said. He made a calculation, in order to achieve the goal of occupying the South Seas, the army strength of the Flying Fish Army must be at least 100,000. Of course, in addition to the army, more important is the navy. If there is no sea supremacy, the empty army will not play any role!

"100,000?" Niu Meng's eyes widened, but then he became excited, as the number two person in the Flying Fish Army, if the army of the Flying Fish Army is expanded to 100,000 people, then he must not be a big general!

"Don't worry, Commander, I'll train those boys hard! After a month, you can definitely pull out the Lu to fight against the natives! Niu Meng promised!

The field gun designed by Long Yufei was named the Thor 75mm field gun, and on this basis, the arsenal of the Flying Fish Army will also develop a ship-based 75mm naval gun. In addition, the development of a larger-caliber heavy artillery is also in full swing. At the same time, Long Yufei's main focus has been on the navy. Flying Fish Island was originally born as a pirate, but now the Flying Fish Army's army strength is barely among the top in the entire South Seas. But in terms of the navy, apart from a couple of merchant ships and a sixth-rank cruiser snatched from the British Navy, it can almost be said to be a blank slate. If the Flying Fish Company wants to gain a foothold in the South Seas and dominate the South Seas, it must develop the army and navy at the same time. Even the importance of the navy is greater than that of the army, otherwise, the Exocet will not be able to resist the counter-compensation of the Western maritime powers. Now any Western maritime power can easily destroy the Flying Fish Army's maritime strength. Without sea supremacy, the Exocet would not have been able to win in future wars!

Mindanao at night is very hot. Several oil lamps illuminated Long Yufei's study. At this moment, Long Yufei was sitting at the desk and drawing. On the white paper on the bookcase, simple lines form a beautiful warship with a smooth hull.

"Yufei, don't you rest so late?" Luo Sangu entered the study and urged with a frown. Long Yufei's work of forgetting sleep and food made her very dissatisfied.

"Right away!" Long Yufei replied and continued to draw.

Luo Sangu walked to the bookcase, and after seeing the warship painted by Long Yufei, her eyes widened.

"Yufei, is this a warship you designed?" Luo Sangu said with admiration on her face. In her mind, Long Yufei has completely become an omnipotent person! From designing guns to battleships, there's simply nothing he can't!

After Long Yufei finished painting the last few strokes, he raised his head, looked at Luo Sangu and said, "Yuhua, how is it?" Pretty, right? This is the ship I designed! ”

The blueprint shows a slender warship, which is more slender and single-deck than the multi-story warships now owned by mainstream Western navies. However, compared with the bloated Western warships, the battleships shot by Long Yufei are undoubtedly much more beautiful. On three thick masts, a huge amount of rice is tied. There are gun emplacements in the front, rear and sides of the battleship, but there are not as many as Western battleships!