eurekapd Chapter 525: Forming the Fengguo Navy
Chapter 525: Forming the Fengguo Navy
Li Sheng got off the carriage and looked at Chaoyang City in front of him with deep eyes, with his group of pirate brothers following behind him.
Born into a scholar family, he still maintained his reserve and elegance at this moment, but the group of pirates behind him had already shouted in surprise.
In the eyes of the pirates, the imperial capital was a huge city like the palace in heaven. However, they were tied up when they entered the imperial capital and had no interest in taking a closer look.
The Chaoyang City in front of them was not inferior to the imperial capital in any way. The pirates couldn't help but feel excited at the thought of living in this beautiful city in the future.
Of course, some people were in a different mood. Li Sheng's deputy, Zhang Jun, had a worried look on his face:
"Master, can His Royal Highness the Prince of Feng really tolerate us?"
Li Sheng withdrew his gaze and whispered soothingly, "Don't worry, Brother Zhang. King Feng is a man of his word and would never deceive you or me. Even if we take a step back, what profit can we gain from these bandits?"
Zhang Jun sighed slightly, took two steps back and stopped talking, just looking around with a vigilant look.
In Zhang Jun's eyes, once a pirate, he will be a pirate forever.
Having spent half his life fighting against officers and soldiers, he did not immediately offer his loyalty just because Li Che rescued them from the prison. Instead, he remained vigilant against the imperial court, and this vigilance naturally also included Li Che, the vassal king of the imperial court.
Many of these pirates have this mentality.
What kind of person is King Feng? Why did he save us and what does he want from us?
Before Zhang Jun had time to think about it, Li Che had already arrived outside the city gate, but he heard the voice before he saw the person.
"Hahaha!" Li Che laughed heartily, his laughter filled with genuine surprise, "I have been looking forward to it day and night, and finally Li Qing has arrived!"
Li Sheng was moved and bowed quickly: "Your Highness..."
"Hey!" Li Che rushed forward and supported Li Sheng to prevent him from bowing. "You are ill, so let's skip these formalities."
Li Che said so, but Li Sheng did not dare to be rude. Just as he was about to bow again, he found that Li Che's hand was too strong and was holding his body up, so he could not bow any further.
Li Sheng was helpless and could only say with deep fear, "How dare I trouble Your Highness? My old injury has healed, and I have received permission from the Royal Physician to come out and see you. I have made Your Highness wait for so long, and I am deeply ashamed..."
Li Che interrupted, "Don't mention these words again. If you rush here anxiously and develop a hidden illness, that would truly pain this king."
The skills that Li Che used to pick up girls in his previous life are now used to improve the favorability of famous ministers and generals. He starts with a set of "succubus" combos.
Not only did Li Sheng look touched, but even the pirates behind him looked at Li Che with softer eyes.
Li Che also looked at the group of burly men and asked Li Sheng, "Mr. Li, will you introduce these heroes to me?"
Li Sheng quickly stood up straight. "Your Highness, these are the brothers who fought with me in Poyang Lake. They are all good men who are good at water battles."
"This is my deputy general Zhang Jun, and these two are Li Bao and Li Jie, twin brothers who are also my right-hand men. This is..."
Li Che looked along the direction of Li Sheng's hand, his eyes full of eagerness.
Yes, yes, this group of the most outstanding pirates can become qualified naval officers with a little training.
Li Sheng, whom he met in the Heavenly Prison, was simply his great treasure. Not only did he accept him, but he also brought a group of talented people with him.
The pirates also saluted Li Che one after another, and their voices were scattered: "Greetings to His Majesty the Prince."
"Hahaha!" Li Che didn't care and looked at the pirates enthusiastically, "No need to be polite. Coming to Fengguo is like being at home. Everyone, follow me into the city to drink and eat meat!"
Upon hearing this, the pirates looked at each other in bewilderment.
They joined Fengguo as pardoned criminals, thinking that what awaited them was a punishment, or at least a warning.
However, no one expected that this Prince Feng would be so enthusiastic and easy-going, which caught everyone off guard. He was then taken into the Chaoyang City government office for a drink and a banquet.
After eating and drinking their fill and watching some Goryeo-style dances, everyone was asked to rest in a daze.
It was not until they woke up the next day and saw the sunlight shining into the clean room that they realized they were already in Fengguo.
After Li Sheng settled his brothers, he set off for the government office.
The guard at the door conducted a routine check and let him in without any difficulty.
Li Sheng came to the main hall and saw Li Che sitting on the throne with several civil servants reporting something below.
He walked into the hall quietly, trying his best not to disturb the proceedings in the hall.
But Li Che saw him, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he greeted him: "Tianhui (Li Sheng's name) come here, we were just talking about you."
Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Li Sheng had no choice but to humbly make a half circle and then walked to Li Che's side.
Li Che continued, "The Dalian port is almost finished, and the ships collected from Goryeo are already in place. I say we shouldn't delay any longer, and we should start recruiting sailors now to form Fengguo's first navy."
"Soldiers won't be trained on the Songhua River. A true navy can't be trained on a calm river. We will train our soldiers directly on the seashore."
Li Che looked at Li Sheng, who seemed to be thinking, and said, "The Radiant can select soldiers from the army who can swim. As for the number... let's set it at 10,000 for now. If it's not enough, we can add more soldiers later. How about that?"
After thinking for a moment, Li Sheng bowed to Li Che and asked, "May I ask, Your Highness, how many warships does our army have now?"
Li Che looked to the side, and a middle-aged civil official stepped forward and answered for him: "I am Qi Fang, trusted by His Highness, and I am honored to be the head of the Ship Department."
"At present, Fengguo has not yet begun shipbuilding. As for warships, we only have ships confiscated from Goryeo. Among them are 30 large ships, mostly plank-roofed boats, which can carry nearly 100 people. There are also 123 fast ships, mostly sword ships and fierce ships. There are also about 400 to 500 small boats, fishing boats, and sampans built in Dalian Port and collected from the public."
Li Sheng nodded slightly. Although he had never seen what the North Korean plank boat looked like, a boat that could carry nearly a hundred people was not considered small.
The main warships commonly used by Daqing were Fuzhou ships, which were usually equipped with 64 people (9 sailors and 55 soldiers). Only the larger Fuzhou ships could carry a hundred people.
As for other small boats and speedboats, they only play an auxiliary role and cannot be considered as serious combat forces.
Most of these plank-roofed ships were previously in the hands of the King of Goryeo. After the King of Goryeo was captured, Li Che specially sent a cavalry to occupy many ports. Most of the warships were seized by the Fengtian Army before they could set sail.
The Park family also had some warships, but after being frightened by Li Che, they handed them over obediently.
Today, the Goryeo Navy exists in name only and has become completely under the control of the Lee family.
"I have another question." Li Sheng looked at Qi Fang calmly, "Will our Fengguo navy be primarily composed of plank-roofed boats in the future?"
Li Che said, "Of course not. How can that broken ship of Goryeo carry my ambition? Huai'en, quickly take out the blueprint and show it to Tianhui."