The Third Fleet of the Navy's Third Army, consisting of ten warships, sailed out of the Shimoye Naval Port.
The capable man whom Fujiwara no Kiso was thinking about was now standing in the observation tower of the flagship Guanyun. He was looking at the vast ocean with a telescope. At this moment, he suddenly felt open-minded.
He put down the telescope and said to Bai Yulian and He Sandao beside him, "This time, Frankie's warships are out in full force. If the First Fleet can destroy this enemy ship in the Far East, we will reunite with the First and Second Fleets and head to Frankie... That place is called the European Continent. If we go and rob it, we will definitely return with a full load!"
This was something He Sandao had always dreamed of. He grinned and said, "Then are the twenty cargo ships we brought with us enough?"
"I'm afraid it's not enough, but it doesn't matter, we can grab the boat too!"
Bai Yulian was not so optimistic. He personally fought in his first naval battle and understood deeply the difference between naval battles and land battles.
If all the ships were equipped with breech-loading guns, he felt that Daxia's warships would be able to suppress the enemy ships in terms of military power.
But now time is too tight, and only this flagship has been fully equipped with breech-loading guns.
"Your Majesty, it would actually be better if we could travel next year!"
The defects of breech-loading guns have all been corrected. By this time next year, the Daxia Navy will have at least forty or fifty warships, all of which will be equipped with breech-loading guns. In this way, it can be truly invincible.
"Don't worry, our warships are still technologically advanced compared to those of the European continent. Furthermore... I believe our soldiers, after a couple of years of training, are no longer the naval novices they once were."
"Besides, if we give France more than a year, it will build many more warships. If France suffers a crushing defeat this time, it might unite with other countries on the European continent, and then we will face great pressure."
"We are going on an expedition now. Firstly, we want to catch Frankie off guard and cripple him! We want to scare other countries on the European continent! Only in this way can maritime trade proceed smoothly."
"Secondly, I want to see what other countries on this route are like. They are all our trading partners. If Daxia wants to make more money in the future, it depends on doing business with these countries."
He Sandao felt that doing business was really boring and bargaining was so troublesome, otherwise he would just rob it directly.
"Boss, I think we should come here once a year to rob them. The harvest will definitely be more substantial than doing business, and it will also bring in revenue to the national treasury. How great!"
Fu Xiaoguan laughed. This method of raising sheep is certainly good, but if this happens, wouldn’t the Daxia Navy become pirates?
"Making money is a long-term endeavor. If we were to fleece the country every year, the country would be very wealthy, but merchants would lose too many opportunities to make money. A rich country with a weak people is not a good thing. If I looked at the treasury overflowing with gold and silver, I would probably become complacent and only think about living a luxurious life."
“The true prosperity of a country lies in the prosperity of its people!”
"Only when the people of Daxia are prosperous can they have more money to spend, commerce can operate healthily, the country can have long-term tax revenue, and science and technology can develop further. The consequence of a prosperous country with a weak people...is a depressed market economy. With ordinary people unable to spend, commerce will collapse, and science and technology will stagnate. Without money to eat, who can concentrate on scientific research?"
"This becomes a vicious cycle, and the ultimate result is that the common people will rise up and overthrow this wealthy imperial court!"
"Remember, my boy, the country is based on the people. The country is built on the foundation of the people! When the people are prosperous, the foundation of the country is solid. When the people are poor, the country is in jeopardy."
He Sandao widened his eyes. It was obvious that he couldn't imagine that such a simple thing was related to the rise and fall of the country.
Bai Yulian understood clearly. He looked at Fu Xiaoguan silently, a relieved smile appeared on his face, and he looked at the vast ocean.
Since they first met in Xishan, he never thought that the young master of the landlord family next to him would be able to come this far!
That day, when the knife chopped down, Fu Xiaoguan only frowned slightly. He said he didn't feel the murderous intent of the knife. At that time, in Bai Yulian's heart, Fu Xiaoguan was just a little different from the young master.
And then he made that wine, and then it just stayed with him.
He came step by step, and there was actually not much he did for him. The most important thing was to establish the Divine Sword Army in Xishan.
The training method of the Divine Sword Army came from Fu Xiaoguan. At that time, I felt a little strange, thinking that the young master of this landlord family actually knew such a magical training method.
Then, watching him gain a foothold in the court and rise step by step, no one expected that he would become the emperor of the Wu Dynasty, let alone that he would be able to unify the five kingdoms and establish the prosperous and stable Great Xia today.
That's his ability.
Bai Yulian admired Fu Xiaoguan so much in her heart.
He was originally worried that Fu Xiaoguan would become proud of his achievements at such a young age.
Will this make you arrogant?
Will he lose his original intention and become a tyrant?
The result is naturally no.
He is still like the small landlord in Linjiang, concerned about the lives of the people and worried about their income.
He once said in Jinling that the people are the most important, the country is second, and the emperor is the least important. He said so, and he still does so today.
This was certainly something to be happy about. Bai Yulian smiled, feeling genuinely happy.
"Xiaobai, what are you laughing at?"
"Your Majesty, I laugh at what happened back in the day at Xishan."
"Did you feel particularly happy at that time?"
Bai Yulian was stunned, and after thinking about it carefully, it was true!
He has now become the marshal of Daxia, commanding the three armies, but if you ask about his inner happiness, he was indeed happier when he was in Xishan.
He always had a wine bag hanging around his waist and a big knife on his back. When he was bored, he would fly to the eaves of the West Mountain Villa, look at the moon and drink a pot of wine. How comfortable it was.
Now what?
Now I have to worry about the military, the success or failure of the First Fleet, and the possible risks of this expedition.
The carefree attitude I had back then disappeared without me noticing!
When was it lost?
Maybe it was after he came to Guanyun City, or maybe it was when he led the troops to suppress Gong Shenchang before, who knows.
"At that time... I was really happy!"
"I feel the same way, so I want to go back to the past."
Bai Yulian was startled and retracted her gaze. "The past is over. Now you shoulder the future of hundreds of millions of people in Daxia. Your Majesty, you can't go back, and don't even think about going back!"
Fu Xiaoguan smiled calmly and did not refute Bai Yulian's words. Instead, he raised his eyebrows and asked, "Did you say that the First Fleet and the enemy started fighting?"
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