East Palace

Li Chengqian had just finished breakfast when Heng Lian came in to report that Prince Hejian and Prince Rencheng had arrived. When he heard that the two brothers had arrived together, Li Chengqian asked Heng Lian to lead them to the study first, and he would freshen up before going over.

Seeing Li Chengqian come in, the two of them quickly stood up and saluted. "No, please sit down. Why are my brothers so polite? Since I became the prince, you two haven't even come to the door. It's really not interesting."

Hearing what Li Chengqian said, the two coughed a few times, then looked at each other and sat down.

"Your Highness, you don't know. Ever since my old man was impeached over the Shitou City incident, except for errands at the Yamen, I have not rushed anywhere, for fear of causing trouble to my father."

"You are just timid and fearful of wolves and tigers. What's the matter? Didn't my second uncle say anything? But it's better for you than me. Ever since my father married that goblin, we haven't lived a good life.

", Li Jinghuan was chattering on the side.

Li Chengqian knew about his affairs. His mother-in-law left early, and King Rencheng took another wife. Who knew that the mother-in-law was really up to the task and gave birth to a third son for Li Daozong, named Li Jingtang.

From then on, Li Jinghuan and his three brothers and sisters were not treated very well. People often say that one room is smelly and the other is sweet. Later, it went too far. Li Jinghuan, the stepmother, actually encouraged Li Daozong to go to the emperor and ask for the birth of a younger son.

When the prince.

This made Li Shimin very angry. Everyone knew that he took the throne from his father and brother, so they were naturally very disgusted with his brother taking the throne.

Not only did he scold Li Daozong, but he also issued an order to Zongzheng Temple not to allow Li Jinghuan, the stepmother, to serve as the princess, and effectively demoted Li Jingtang from a legitimate son to a concubine.

"Brothers, those are just small things. I don't know if the two brothers want to come out and do something practical."

"Your Highness, brothers are really envious of you for being able to unleash your power on the battlefield. Do you think we should transfer our brothers to six rates?"

Li Jinghuan asked excitedly, who doesn't know that Li Chengqian's six rate didn't look like a sentry, it was a real field trip.

The soldiers are all strong young men selected from a hundred, well equipped and well disciplined. Many people privately say that this is the second Xuanjia Army.

Li Chongyi shook his head and said: "I'm afraid you guessed wrong. My father told me that His Highness wanted some good sailors, so he asked me to come to the East Palace to listen."

Bang bang... Li Chengqian drummed a few times and then said: "Chongyi is right. I asked the two brothers to come here today just to ask how much you know about the Navy."

Li Xiaogong was one of the few masters of water fighting in the Tang Dynasty, and Li Jinghuan had always been disciplined by the King of Hejian, so he was familiar with water fighting. Seeing Li Chengqian getting down to business, Li Jinghuan immediately stopped laughing.

After pondering for a while, he said: "The most important thing in water warfare is ships. Good ships are the first prerequisite for victory. Take the former Sui Dynasty when Yang Su defeated Chen. The Northern Army has never been good at water warfare, but the ships built under the supervision of Yang Su

The Five-Toothed Ship makes up for this shortcoming. But our Tang Dynasty does not pay much attention to the navy, and we still use the old wheel ships. The reason is that the Five-Toothed Ship is too expensive and we cannot afford it."

Li Chongyi nodded: "Yes, during the Wude period, when my father was fighting against Gonghu, he also used wheeled ships. The methods of water warfare were ramming warfare and boarding warfare. Bows and arrows were mainly used, and the water force on the ship was divided into swords and shields.

Soldiers, archers, boatmen.

The sword and shield soldiers are responsible for defense and "jumping gang" fighting after the ship approaches. The archers are equipped with bows and arrows, daggers and cover sailors. The stern guards are in charge of the advancement and retreat of the ships."

Li Chengqian nodded after hearing this. It seemed that his two cousins ​​had really received the true inheritance of Li Xiaogong. As for why he always looked cowardly in front of others, it was just because he was born into a royal family and could not help himself.

"We know that the Tang Dynasty Navy has ruined this palace. Especially in recent years, the military focus has been on the north, so the brothers of the Navy have suffered a lot of grievances."

"Last year, the locust plague spread all over the 27 prefectures in Guanzhong. If it weren't for Du He's temporary private fleet, I don't know when the food would be transported back."

Hearing what Li Chengqian said, Li Chongyi and his brother looked bitter. It seems that the prince wants to use the navy as a food transport team. The Tang Dynasty has been continuously launching troops in the north in recent years. It seems that those brothers in the navy have no future.

.

Of course, Li Chengqian could see the expressions on the two men's faces, and he also knew that the two brothers had been in the navy for a long time, and it was hard to imagine that they would be sad if they died.

"Don't worry, two brothers, I will not let those warriors who have fought many battles to do the work of porters in vain. It is indeed outrageous that such a large country does not have a decent navy. In addition, the cost of land transportation is too high.

It is also necessary to establish a water-based military supply line."

"At the same time, we can also destroy those pirates who can rob in our Datang waters and open up trade routes on the sea. This is better than rowing in the inland sea."

Hearing what Li Chengqian said, the two brothers' expressions changed. It's better to fight than to be idle, and they can also earn some military merit. Although they can't compare with the Sixteenth Guards, but grasshoppers are still meat no matter how small they are.

"Your Highness, as far as I know, Du He and the others all shipped it from Linyi. If they go by sea, our current broken ships cannot do it in the open sea."

Li Chengqian waved and said: "I know that if you let the brothers sail such a ship to the sea, it is not asking the brothers to die. I want to choose a suitable deep-water port and build a fleet that can adapt to ocean operations. Find me today

That’s why brother came here.”

"Is Your Highness going to build a five-toothed ship?" When he heard about building a new fleet, Li Jinghuan couldn't sit still. He originally thought that all the skills he learned from his uncle were in vain, and he didn't know anything else. In this life,

It’s just a matter of getting through the day.

But what Li Chengqian said was too tempting. If he could command this fleet of five-toothed ships, he would laugh out of his dreams.

"Is the Wuya big ship suitable for operating in the open sea?" Li Chengqian asked this question. Since the advent of the Wuya big ship, it has not fought in the open sea. It has been wandering in the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. Although Li Chengqian has not

He had been in the navy, but he still knew that there were differences between inland rivers and open seas.

Li Chongyi thought for a moment: "Your Highness, there are many differences between inland rivers and open seas. For example, the waves in inland rivers are far less powerful than those in the open seas. In this way, it would be easier for a ship as tall as a five-toothed ship to capsize.

.

This is also the reason why ships in the outer seas do not have very high shipbuildings. Therefore, I think that if new ships are to be built, this point is of paramount importance."

Li Chengqian touched the bottom of the ink bar, and then asked: "Do you have a sample of the warship of the Five Tooth Fleet? Our brothers can't tell whether it is true even if we talk about it here."

After hearing this, Li Jinghuan immediately said: "The Ministry of Industry has it, just send someone to come."
Chapter completed!