Chapter 301: The Spirit of the Navy (3rd update, please subscribe)

Don’t understand them!

In fact, when Major Douglas first came here, he didn't understand them, didn't understand these Chinese people.

But soon, he understood them.

"Every year, they pass the exams and the most outstanding young people are selected to enter the Naval Academy. They learn not only about navigation, mechanics, guns and other aspects of the navy. According to your majesty's idea, they will also receive the most severe and arduous training in the world. Their bodies and minds will be tempered in the process. If God wants to give a man a great responsibility, he must first make his heart and mind suffer and his muscles and bones work hard..."

In fact, in the process of establishing the naval school, Zhu Xianhai deliberately learned from the tragedy of the Fujian Naval Academy in the late Qing Dynasty. The teaching policy of the school was entirely based on the subjective conjecture of the Qing ministers. They did not consider how to cultivate the "military spirit" at all. They were only satisfied that the students could be "capable of driving". Rather than training naval officers, it was more like training "scholars" who could drive ships.

The British naval officers who visited the Naval Academy at that time pointed out scathingly: "They are all physically weak, without any ambition or spirit, and have a feminine flavor. After class, they either sit in the sun or do homework, and never exercise. ... For them, perhaps staying in the shrine is more suitable than being at sea." When they were on board for internship, they were unwilling to exercise, fearing that their hands would get dirty, and they especially hated the mast climbing that still exists in various naval academies..."

Among the first batch of 12 selected students sent to study in the UK, two had to drop out because they were too weak to complete their studies.

It was this group of students who lacked the spirit of a soldier that became the officers of the Qing Dynasty Navy. Not only did they quickly become infected with the "vain and extravagant" style of the Qing Dynasty literati, they also engaged in smuggling on warships, kept prostitutes and concubines, engaged in corruption, neglected training, and formed cliques for personal gain...

In the end, this navy, which was no different from the Green Camp, was defeated in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895.

What about the Etajima Naval Academy, which started at almost the same time?

The purpose of Etajima is not only to train students' physical fitness, but also to instill a so-called "naval spirit" and combine it with the traditional Japanese Bushido. The Japanese Naval Academy wants to instill perseverance, bravery, tenacity, unity and mutual assistance, loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, and the idea of ​​"dying for the emperor" into the deep spirit of every marine.

In the end, the two completely different choices made it conceivable that the naval academies of the two countries, which started almost at the same time, eventually developed into something almost like heaven and earth apart.

On the one hand, we train "scholars who can sail", and on the other hand, we train "soldiers with naval spirit".

It is for this reason that whether in establishing the military academy or the naval academy, Zhu Xianhai drew on Etajima's experience - focusing on the shaping of the military spirit!

There are always things worth learning from successful experiences. The Japanese were able to build Etajima into one of the world's three largest naval schools from scratch in just a few decades. They certainly had their own strengths, so of course we should learn from their good experiences!

However, Zhu Xianhai doesn’t know whether there will be any “Jiangtian Island Spirit” in the future, but there will definitely be a “Panshi Island Spirit”.

As for Jiang Tiandao’s famous “Five Reflections a Day” which was directly copied by the Annapolis Naval Academy in the United States, it was also taken over by Zhu Xianhai.

Scholars... uh, no, can naval affairs be called plagiarism?

"Rosen, you just arrived here. Next month, the "Four Seas" training ship will take the trainees out to sea, from Nanhua through the Drake Passage into the Pacific Ocean, and sail all the way to Alaska..."

Before Major Douglas could finish, Rosen spoke excitedly.

"What! Major, from the Drake Passage? The Four Seas weighs less than a thousand tons. The Drake Passage is the worst strait in the world for sailing! And now it's winter in the southern hemisphere. The strait is full of floating ice. They are simply courting death!"

Rosen's reaction was understandable. The Drake Passage has never been a good shipping route. Due to the influence of polar cyclones, there are often strong winds and huge waves in the strait. Waves of 10 to 20 meters are simply child's play.

As for the so-called "Four Seas", it was a sailing training ship of more than 1,000 tons. In Rosen's opinion, driving such a ship into the Drake Passage was simply seeking death!

"Seeking death? I used to think so, but now I don't think so!"

Douglas said seriously.

"Only extremely tenacious people can withstand these hardships, whether it is swordplay, boxing or such sea voyages, he ultimately wants to train them to become naval officers with strong character. This is what I said before, "When God wants to give a man a great responsibility, he must first make his heart and mind suffer and his muscles and bones work hard." This is the Chinese tradition. Only after these hardships, young people who graduate from the Naval Academy have a body that can withstand all hardships and an indomitable spirit. On the battlefield, such officers will not hesitate to die for the emperor and the country."

As if in response, the students who were practicing confrontation with bamboo swords in the fencing field shouted while attacking.

“Kill, kill…”

At this moment, the sword arena seemed to be filled with murderous aura...

…

A few days later, Liu Tiannian received a transfer order from the Coast Guard Command. The order was very simple. As an instructor, he left the school and joined the front-line troops.

"Could it be that a new warship has been commissioned?"

Liu Tiannian pondered secretly in his mind. Although he had always longed to become a captain, he knew very well that in the Coast Guard, which had an extremely strict promotion system, he would never become a captain as he had just returned from studying abroad and had been in the navy for only three years. So what if his father Liu Renhu was one of the Marshal's "Eighteen Arhats"?

You can't command a warship with a piece of paper.

Perhaps Liu Tiannian had interned in the Royal Navy and served on a ship, but because the school needed instructors, he had been an instructor in the school for the past few years, and he became a captain when he got on board. This was simply a dream, and there was no such thing in the world.

"But as long as I can get on a ship, I'll be the captain one day!"

Liu Tiannian pondered in his heart.

Become a Captain!

It has always been his dream to become the captain of a battleship. Even when he was interning on the British Royal Navy's "Warrior", he longed to become the captain of a battleship like the "Warrior" one day.

Just when he reported to the Coast Guard Headquarters, someone took him to another place.

Company headquarters!

Standing in front of the company's headquarters building, Liu Tiannian was a little dazed.

He had been here before, but that was three years ago. Three years ago, he had just returned from studying in the UK, and it was in the banquet hall of this building that he said some things he shouldn't have said.

Then what?

He was left sitting on the bench. When the international students of the same period entered the fleet, he was thrown into the Naval Academy. Although he was only an instructor, it was not considered a waste of talent.

But one thing is certain: as an instructor at a naval academy, he will never be able to realize his dream of becoming a captain.

Why are you here?

Liu Tiannian's heart was filled with doubts. He looked up at the building in front of him with puzzled eyes. He couldn't help but speculate secretly.

"What on earth is going on?"

(End of this chapter)