Chapter 1490 Zhou Xu’s Thoughts
After reading the report sent back by Bai Tu, Zhou Xu had thought about whether he should just swallow up the Patton Empire!
After all, judging from the previous actions of the other side, those guys were also typical strong style of not caring about anything and just doing it first.
If we are neighbors, there is no guarantee that we can coexist peacefully.
Not to mention that in this wave they had already passively destroyed a small fleet on the opposite side.
Not to mention whether we can negotiate peace, it is even a question whether we can negotiate peace now.
Zhou Xu's current thinking is very simple. As long as the other side does not touch the tropical island, it doesn't matter whether he fights this battle or not. However, he cannot lose the battle!
Being unable to win and not fighting are two different things! The battlefield on Bai Tu's side has undoubtedly moved to the sea.
Ever since the first ship of their Great Zhou was built, the shipbuilding project has basically never stopped.
Because Zhou Xu knew that with such a vast expanse of sea in front of him, when the Age of Discovery came, finding more land and resources would be an inevitable trend.
Once at sea, the army is no longer effective. The key is how many warships you have and how many fleets you can form!
Their Great Zhou Navy has developed over the years and currently has two fleets. One is the South Sea Fleet, which is headed by Soros and is responsible for patrolling and stationing in the outer waters of the southern border. It consists of a large warship and eight speedboats.
Zhou Xu's requirement for this fleet is to be stationed for patrol and defense. Under normal circumstances, it will not be easily dispatched.
The other is the Volcano Island Fleet, led by Bai Tu. They are mainly responsible for the development mission, so their scale is larger, consisting of two large warships and twenty-four speedboats.
From this data, it can be seen that on the side of the Great Zhou, even if the South Sea Fleet and the Volcano Island Fleet are added together, in terms of the number of warships alone, it is only about the same as the North Sea Fleet of the Patton Empire.
Under this premise, the pioneering fleet was initially composed of a large warship and ten speedboats. After receiving the news, the volcanic island military port immediately dispatched six speedboats with logistical supplies to form a support fleet to provide support.
As for the South China Sea Fleet, the warships that set out with Bolevin and his men included only four speedboats, apart from the transport ships carrying supplies and equipment.
After all, according to Zhou Xu's thinking at the time, the most important reinforcement of this wave of combat power was Bolevin himself, a wizard who had entered the holy realm.
The point is not about a few warships, but about Bolevin!
After this round of mobilization, the only fleet currently stationed in their Great Zhou territory is the Volcano Island Fleet consisting of a large warship and eight speedboats.
and the South China Sea Fleet, consisting of a large warship and four speedboats.
At first glance, it seems that there are still warships that can be dispatched, but in fact the remaining warships cannot be easily mobilized.
There is no way to form a tight defense line at sea. If there is no fleet guarding the coastal areas, it will be a big trouble if the fleet of other countries breaks in directly.
They undoubtedly need more warships right now.
In fact, the shipyards located at the South China Sea Port and the Volcanic Island Port have never rested. The shipbuilders are so busy that their hammers are almost smoking. How can they have any leisure time?
But in this era, how fast can shipbuilding be?
Zhou Xu, who was aware of this, naturally couldn't urge him.
Their Great Zhou has been focusing on the development of the army for so many years. How many years have they established the navy? It is not easy for their Great Zhou navy to accumulate such a wealth now!
"Speaking of which, has any report been submitted recently on the steam battleship project?"
It has been a while since the project was launched. Today, because of Bai Tu's report, Zhou Xu remembered this matter.
In the Qinzheng Hall, Zhou Xu's question was heard.
Li Bowen thought for a moment.
"Yes, a regular report was delivered yesterday, but there was nothing important in it, so it was not shown to Your Majesty."
As Li Bowen spoke, he quickly took out a report from the filing cabinet and presented it to Zhou Xu.
Zhou Xu flipped it open and took a quick look. It was indeed a normal regular report.
Although with Qin Fen around, the problem of steam engines can basically be solved, but in this era, building the first steam ironclad ship is obviously not an easy task.
And even if it is built, it still needs a lot of testing. Otherwise, who would dare to sail on an ironclad ship? That's on the sea! According to the report from the shipyard, the results should be available this summer.
After closing the report, Zhou Xu threw it on the table. He could no longer rely on the steam ironclad ship in the short term.
This forced Zhou Xu to change his thinking first.
Their current goal is not to capture the Patton Empire, but to defend the tropical island that may contain mithril mines.
Be prepared for the worst. If they can't win at sea, they can just move to land!
At worst, we could withdraw from the beach area, let the other side land, and fight the land station with the other side! This time, Bo Levin happened to bring a lizardman army with him.
The current environment of the tropical island is just right for the Lizardmen to perform.
The worst case scenario is that the other party uses a fleet to surround the island and cut off their logistical supplies.
Zhou Xu made a rough estimate of this situation in his mind.
[From the time point of view, people from various departments should have landed on the island. If the people from the Ministry of Agriculture act quickly, then they should have started sowing in the spring, right? Harvest one wave in the summer and one wave in the fall, and add in the supplies they brought, there shouldn't be any problems in the next year. ]
After all, he is a diligent workaholic, and Zhou Xu is quite familiar with the working capabilities of various departments in their Great Zhou.
[Later, we should have built the follow-up warships, and we can form a fleet to provide support.]
Although steam ironclad ships were already being manufactured, the construction of sailing warships did not stop.
Even if the steam ironclad ship is built, it will still have to undergo a long period of testing. It is unknown how long it will take to form a fleet, let alone put it into civilian use.
And now, it is obvious that the territory of their Great Zhou is going to expand towards the sea.
With the development of maritime territory, the development of the volcanic island and the newly occupied tropical island will become increasingly important in the future.
If the islands want to develop, they need to have sufficient transportation capacity to connect them with the mainland.
Where does this transport capacity come from? By converting the obsolete sailing warships into civilian use!
At this moment, Zhou Xu had already figured out the account clearly in his mind.
Even thinking further ahead, in a few years, he might be able to defeat the Patton Empire.
When the whole archipelago is incorporated into the maritime territory of the Great Zhou, and it is operated and developed, more ships will be needed! These ships may not be enough by then! (End of this chapter)
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