"...Your Majesty, we didn't see any more sharks, but we encountered a storm."
Speaking of the storm, Liu Jin's face changed. He was still frightened. "That storm was terrible. The dark clouds that covered the sky felt like they were pressing down on my head. The rain was so heavy that I couldn't see anything more than three feet in front of me."
"Thanks to the incredible strength of our Liu Jin and the blessing of Your Majesty, we managed to survive that apocalyptic storm. But those three supply ships weren't so lucky... Your Majesty, I deserve to lose those three ships!"
Fu Xiaoguan listened carefully. In future voyages, all ships must be required to keep a logbook!
"Come, I'll toast you a glass!"
Liu Jin opened his mouth in astonishment, "This servant, this servant, being able to sit at the same table with Your Majesty is already beyond the rules. This servant dare not!"
"You, straighten up for me!"
Liu Jin straightened his back nervously, and then heard Fu Xiaoguan say very seriously: "I have told you long ago, what's wrong with being a eunuch? Eunuchs who can achieve such an unprecedented feat can also be made marquises and prime ministers! Of course, your contribution is not enough to be made marquises or prime ministers, but it is already greater than the contributions made by most officials. I have decided..."
Fu Xiaoguan was in a dilemma. He should reward this guy, but he couldn't give him too much. The name was offensive, and it would be troublesome if he really raised a troublemaker. After all, he would have to run away sooner or later.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this is what I should do. To receive such praise from Your Majesty, I would die with no regrets. How could I dare to ask for any reward!"
Hey, this guy is quite smart.
Fu Xiaoguan was about to back down when he heard Liu Jin say, "If the emperor doesn't mind, I'm willing to go to the sea and expand the territory for him!"
This is possible!
Fu Xiaoguan laughed and thought to himself, then I will help you and let you become a legend like Eunuch Sanbao.
"Alright, the ocean is vast, and the four seas are connected. You should rest well. Next year, I will give you a fleet, and you will command it yourself. Then you can expand my territory!"
Liu Jin stood up, took three steps back, and knelt down. "Your Majesty, your Majesty, I am willing to spend my entire life to open up a vast territory on the other side of the sea for you!"
"Okay, get up. You will always stay by my side while I am in the palace."
"Slave, thank you, Your Majesty!"
Afterwards, Liu Jin and Su Mo recounted their journey in detail, and Fu Xiaoguan roughly determined that this world was not much different from his previous life.
He felt a little relieved after knowing that Su Jue and Gao Yuanyuan had crossed the Bering Strait. If his guess was correct, the route they took was within the former territory of the Bear Country.
Now it is almost winter, and no one knows where the two of them have gone.
"All of you should get a good night's rest in Jiangcheng tonight. Tomorrow, Eighth Senior Brother will lead the troops to escort these treasures to Guanyun City. We need to make the journey back lively and write some slogans..."
"Just write: 'The Liu Jin has returned from a long ocean voyage, bearing abundant fruits. The sea is vast, the treasures are limitless...' Something like that, and return with drums and gongs!"
Su Mo was stunned. "Junior brother, what are you doing? Can't we just do it quietly? We can go and plunder again next spring!"
Fu Xiaoguan laughed. "Of course we have to plunder. It will take at least one or two years for private capital to enter the great voyages. During these years, our fleet will sweep through all the countries within the route."
"But we must let everyone in the Wu Dynasty know that there are inexhaustible treasures on the other side of the sea. When that time comes, the participation of private capital will no longer be plundering, but trade."
Bai Yulian frowned slightly, took a sip of wine, and asked, "So... our goal isn't to occupy or destroy those countries?"
Fu Xiaoguan shook his head. "That's not entirely true. We have to occupy a part of it, like this line..."
He spread out the map and traced the route. "From our seaport to the Kingdom of Ryukyu, we can use force to force the three countries along this line to submit, and then station troops there. We need to use their ports, and for the safety of future caravans."
"But the route from the Ryukyu Kingdom to the Bering Strait hasn't been explored yet. We don't know which countries are along the route, so next year..."
Fu Xiaoguan looked at Liu Jin and said, "Next year, you will continue to explore this route. What I want to know is how many countries are there in this route, and whether they are powerful."
"I obey your order!"
"My goal is to have our own ports in all coastal countries, which means we need to station troops there. So the Navy will have to expand, and the same goes for the Marine Corps."
"This is to ensure our country's absolute superiority in maritime force and to make the entry and exit of merchant ships more convenient and safer in the future."
Bai Yulian nodded. He now understood the huge benefits of plundering.
Those who are not of my race must have different hearts. He has no burden in his heart when robbing other countries.
"The world is vast, but the Wu Dynasty's population is small. Therefore, even if we ultimately discover all shipping routes, we won't be able to conquer them all. The only path forward is to develop ocean trade with absolute military might. By then, foreign goods will enter our country, and our goods will be exported to foreign countries. It will be a vibrant era."
…
…
The only way to maintain strategic advantage at sea is to have a strong navy.
For the Wu Dynasty, the navy was a brand new military branch. Even though Bai Yulian had spent more than a year training meticulously according to Fu Xiaoguan's methods, they were still not very skilled when they first boarded the dreadnought-class battleship.
On the second day, Fu Xiaoguan bid farewell to Su Mo and Liu Jin. He took Bai Yulian, Jia Nanxing and Bei Wangchuan on board the experimental ship.
The experimental ship set sail again, went down the Yangtze River, and arrived at the near sea two days later.
Fu Xiaoguan didn't know how fast it was going. According to the captain of the ship, Jiang Song, it was at least four times faster than a three-masted sailing ship!
The navy soldiers were familiarizing themselves with the operation of the cannons. They had trained countless times on shore, but it was different at sea.
A ship in the sea cannot stand as steadily as one on land.
They needed to readjust to reloading, aiming, and firing while moving.
The sound of cannons rumbled at sea. Fu Xiaoguan sat on the deck on the third floor, enjoying the sea breeze and watching happily.
He was not thinking about how to train these soldiers. What he was thinking about now was that he would build a big yacht after the internal combustion engine was invented!
When everything is back on track, I will take my wife and children on a yacht, bask in the sun on the sea and fish for sharks.
Fu Xiaoguan was thinking comfortably here. No one knew that the indigenous people of the place called Alaska had now been completely colonized by a fleet from Europe.
The dragon flag that Liu Jin had planted in the center of the town had also been cut off by the pirates.
They obtained silk and porcelain from the natives, and they turned their eyes to the farther East.
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