The training of the officers and soldiers of the Longcheng Navy is still ongoing.
Twenty warships constantly changed formations and moved in turns on the sea, simulating a real battle scenario after encountering enemy warships.
There were even drills for maritime rescue projects.
The exercise simulated an emergency rescue drill where officers and soldiers fell into the water after our warship was sunk in actual combat.
The entire naval exercise of the Longcheng Navy lasted for two full hours.
After observing the scene, Chen Huai'an's admiration for Naval Commander Qi Jiguang deepened even further.
He smiled and said to Qi Jiguang, "General Qi, after watching the training of the naval officers and soldiers in Longcheng, I couldn't help but feel excited. I want to go out to sea with the naval officers and soldiers to fight, expand the territory and conquer new lands for the Han people!"
"General Qi, you and the naval commanders have worked hard for more than a month!"
After saying this, Chen Huai'an patted Qi Jiguang on the shoulder meaningfully to show his encouragement.
Qi Jiguang replied calmly and without arrogance: "Your Highness, it is an honor for me and the officers and soldiers of the Longcheng Navy to serve you and the Han people."
"only--"
After saying this, Qi Jiguang hesitated, as if he wanted to say something more.
Um?
Chen Huai'an frowned slightly and asked with concern, "General Qi, what's wrong? Is there some difficulty?"
Qi Jiguang hesitated for a moment before finally speaking his mind.
He said with a sincere expression, "Your Highness, as for other difficulties, this humble general and the officers and soldiers of the navy can overcome them by gritting our teeth."
"However, I am truly helpless regarding the lack of warships in the Dragon City Navy!"
"Currently, even at full capacity, these twenty warships can only carry 20,000 men, while my Dragon City navy has over 108,000 soldiers. Even if they take turns training on board day and night, it will still be a stretch."
After a pause, Qi Jiguang continued, "This humble general and the naval commanders have considered building our own warships, but after searching the surrounding area for craftsmen, we have found no one capable of building naval warships."
"Especially the cannons on the warships, not a single blacksmith or craftsman in the entire Yingzhou territory could forge them!"
"Therefore, even today, of the vast Dragon City Navy, with over 108,000 soldiers, only about 20,000 are actually able to board ships and go out to sea to fight!"
After saying this, Qi Jiguang lowered his head in shame.
Upon hearing this news, Chen Huai'an couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
In essence, this matter cannot be blamed on Qi Jiguang's lack of effort, because it was completely beyond his capabilities.
Fortunately, during this period, Deputy Marshal Chen Qingzhi subdued the Tubo, Chang Yuchun conquered Jinan Prefecture, and Liu Ziyu conquered Kaifeng Prefecture, which allowed Chen Huai'an to accumulate hundreds of millions of points in the [Born to be an Emperor] system again.
Currently, with the Longcheng army occupying more and more cities and the Silk Road reopening, it is basically able to achieve self-sufficiency in food, supplies, and weapons.
Chen Huai'an no longer needs to exchange for additional food and supplies from the system shop to replenish the army.
This means that all the points he has accumulated can be used to replenish the navy's warships.
Chen Huai'an patted Qi Jiguang on the shoulder again and said, "General Qi, the reason I came to the naval camp is to solve the problem of the shortage of naval warships for you."
"Don't worry, if nothing unexpected happens, the warships that you and the naval officers and soldiers have been waiting for should be anchored in the harbor of the barbican by tomorrow morning!"
"Let's go back to the main camp first!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
......
That night, Chen Huai'an settled down in the naval camp in the barracks of Wengcheng.
Midway through, he also received urgent intelligence from Luo Yucheng, the former deputy commander of the Longcheng Inner Guard and now the special envoy of the Prince of Jin, who had come from Jiangnan.
Intelligence indicates that Wu Sanjia, the mighty general of the Great Xin Dynasty, will dispatch a naval force to launch a surprise attack on Jiangyin in three days. His aim is to welcome back Emperor Lingwu and rally troops across the land to overthrow Emperor Hongxi.
This news surprised Chen Huai'an somewhat.
At the same time, it also made Chen Huai'an determined to send the Longcheng Navy to Jiangyin, hoping to take control of Emperor Lingwu before Wu Sanjia and Fang Tianyao were fighting each other.
The purpose, of course, was the Imperial Seal of the State, which was inscribed with the eight characters "By the Mandate of Heaven, May Your Reign Be Long and Prosperous!"
It was late at night.
Chen Huai'an's tent was brightly lit, and he finally had time to activate the [Born to be an Emperor] system once again.
[Ding!]
[The Innate Emperor System is Activating...]
As the cold yet familiar synthesized mechanical voice rang in his ears, the system screen once again appeared in Chen Huai'an's mind.
The balance of points that can be used to redeem military supplies has been fixed at 130 million.
This time, Chen Huai'an focused his attention on the [Army Exchange] section and quickly found the "treasure ship" he had been longing for, a super warship comparable to the treasure ship Zheng He used during his voyages to the West.
Last time, the super warship, which required a full ten million points to redeem, made Chen Huai'an, who was short of funds at the time, hesitate.
Now, I can finally exchange my currency with complete peace of mind!
Chen Huai'an said, "System, exchange for 1 super warship, 10 medium warships, and 20 ordinary warships!"
[Born to be an Emperor] System: Respected host Chen Huai'an, would you like to spend 120 million points to exchange for 31 warships?
"confirm!"
Chen Huai'an confirmed without hesitation.
[31 warships available for exchange... Exchange successful!]
[Ding!]
[31 warships have been moored at the Wengcheng dock as requested by the host. Please check them!]
Upon hearing the news that all the warships had been exchanged, Chen Huai'an finally showed a long-lost smile.
The next day.
As the rising sun just leaped over the horizon, Chen Huai'an and Qi Jiguang rode their horses to the port where their warships were moored, bathed in the first rays of dawn.
Looking at the 31 warships neatly moored in the harbor, both men showed an indescribable excitement.
Their gazes fell simultaneously on the super warship.
On the shimmering sea, a super warship rested quietly, a masterpiece of ancient shipbuilding technology.
The super warship was 44 zhang long (about 145 meters) and 15 zhang wide (about 50 meters). The hull was constructed using a multi-layered wooden plank "stacked beam" structure, with the outer layer covered with iron and copper sheets. It was equipped with nine tall masts that could hoist giant sails.
In terms of weaponry, this super warship was equipped with 24 cannons; it also carried a large number of bows and crossbows for close combat, in case of emergency.
This super warship has a load capacity of over 7,000 tons and can accommodate up to 2,000 naval officers and soldiers.
In the same period, this super warship was equivalent to the "aircraft carrier" of the era, and was undoubtedly the overlord of the sea.
Chen Huai'an had even come up with a name for this super warship: "Destroy the Japanese"!
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