4332 (the eighth year of Chongzhen), September 9th.
Guangzhou, Southeast Dudufu.
Su Xiong called a meeting with all senior military officers.
He slammed the revolver onto the table.
Li Fengming went too far to deceive others, because when he came to inspect the Southeast Governor's Mansion, Su Shi's wife and brother reported false military exploits.
As a result, most of the officers of the Second Division were taken away by the military police. He temporarily dispatched officers to the Second Division to clean up the mess.
He forgot to send someone to assist him in his inspection. During the inspection, he encountered obstacles at every turn, thinking that he was deliberately making things difficult for him.
Now there are some flaws in the Southeast Governor's Mansion, and Li Fengming took them out immediately.
The little chieftains in Guangxi are in rebellion and Qiongzhou has not been recovered. Everything in Guangdong and Guangxi is normal.
Why is it that only the northern battlefield is opened and there is no battle plan in the Guangdong and Guangxi areas?
"Everyone, take a look, this is the battle plan sent by the staff department.
Our Guangdong and Guangxi have no military merit at all.
We can definitely go north to Huguang, Jiangxi, and Fujian.
But the General Staff ignored our hundreds of thousands of troops from Guangdong and Guangxi.
The king has so many troops, and the general staff uses us as decoration."
Zhang Yuliang complained: "Did we make too many meritorious deeds and offend others?
I think there is still a garrison in charge of the Guangdong and Guangxi areas. One army is left to guard the two areas, and the remaining two armies are fully capable of action.
In one month, King Qin will launch the battle to unify the world.
It’s really frustrating for us to wait for others to make great contributions here in Guangdong and Guangxi.”
Li Qingmu stayed out of the matter and saw it most clearly, saying: "I think the real reason is that we are still unable to support multiple battlefields.
The firearms unit is responsible for logistics.
Nowadays, military operations have very high logistics requirements.
There are three major arsenals: Hanzhong arsenal, Chongqing arsenal, and Guangzhou arsenal.
They work three shifts every day, manufacturing weapons and ammunition.
It cannot support a high-intensity war on multiple fronts.
The king's intention is very clear: control the location of the attack and keep logistics supplies flowing.
Looking at the general staff's combat plan, it was developed around the Yellow River Basin and the Yangtze River Basin, two important areas.
Wherever the war began, there were rivers with huge flows that served as arteries for transporting supplies.
If the war goes well, we may get orders to send troops in the future.
If the war goes badly, we will be the general reserve force.
We are all generals, and we know that when fighting a war, we must keep a reserve force to deal with emergencies."
Lu Xiaoqiu said with emotion: "A reserve team of more than 100,000 people, this is really a luxury."
They captured the Guangdong and Guangxi provinces in the Southeast Governor's Office. They were killed in battle and discharged due to injuries, plus they were discharged because they were too old.
Especially his Ninth Army, except for the old subordinates he brought over, they are all new soldiers.
Recruits account for more than half, but there are also 50,000 veterans.
Using 50,000 elite soldiers as a reserve force was too much for King Qin.
Su Xiong was extremely angry when he saw these people. He knew that the military spirit could be used.
"My first army is all elite soldiers, how could they be left as a reserve force?
The strategic planning of the Staff Department and Logistics Department has now been completed.
We will definitely not be able to get support from the central governor's office.
But as long as we complete two things, and I personally write to the king, we will still have a chance to go to the battlefield."
Zhang Yuliang and Lu Xiaoqiu, when they heard what Su Xiong said, their eyes widened and they both looked at Su Xiong.
Su Xiong didn't try to keep it secret, and said directly: "The first thing is to suppress the chieftains in Guangxi as soon as possible.
The Ninth Army's burden was too heavy and its treatment of the chieftains was too light. They did not let these chieftains realize the consequences of resisting us.
The conflicts between locals and guests in Guangdong and Guangxi are resolved by the civil servants of the governor's office and have nothing to do with our governor's office.
No matter how much trouble these people make, the most it will be is a fight between two counties. With patrols and security forces suppressing it, they won't make much trouble.
But we can't let the chieftains unite and make things worse.
The second thing is that the navy seizes Qiongzhou Prefecture as soon as possible and eliminates all pirates around Guangdong.
It proves that the navy is capable of protecting the waters surrounding Guangdong.
We must convince the king that as long as some troops remain in the Guangdong and Guangxi areas, the security of the two areas can be guaranteed.
I personally invite everyone to fight, and we cannot allow our Southeast Governor's Office to stay out of this huge war."
Lu Xiaoqiu immediately promised: "When I get back, I will organize the army to launch a campaign against the chieftains. Give me two months, and I will definitely cooperate with the government to complete the restoration of native land."
Most of the soldiers under the Ninth Army were soldiers from Yunnan and Guizhou, and many natives also joined the army.
Most of them are related to the chieftains in Guangxi and marry each other, usually to persuade them to surrender.
This time, we directly asked the grassroots to issue military orders. If the orders were not fulfilled, they would be replaced. We must suppress the chieftain's arrogance.
After Lu Xiaoqiu finished speaking, everyone looked at Li Qingmu.
Li Qingmu looked at Liu Guangsheng. Their navy had long wanted to fight, but they saw the battleships that were constantly taking shape.
How long it takes for the Navy to send troops depends on how soon the battleships are launched and sea trials are completed.
Liu Guangsheng looked at everyone and said: "Today is September 9th, the day when King Qin became king.
Other ships have been launched and completed sea trials, and our battleship was officially launched today.
After the sea trials are completed, it can be commissioned into the navy normally."
Su Xiong looked at Liu Guangsheng and said: "As a battleship designer, do you have the confidence to directly put the battleship into the battlefield?
War is the best place for sea trials, and we don’t have time to wait for the battleship to slowly undergo sea trials."
Liu Guangsheng argued rationally: "Sea trials must be conducted, otherwise what if there is something wrong with the ship's design and it sinks in the sea?"
I will try to shorten the time as much as possible, and as long as the ship has no structural problems, the battleship will be put into the queue immediately."
Su Xiong calculated the time, especially the time he spent on the road writing a letter to King Su He of Qin.
Within a year of the start of the war, the troops from the Southeast Governor's Palace must enter the battlefield, otherwise they will not even be able to drink soup.
"Within a month, I hope the navy will send troops."
After the meeting, everyone left.
Li Qingmu asked Liu Guangsheng: "Are you confident?
We would rather wait a little longer and ensure that there are no problems with the quality of the battleships.
Their army is anxious, but our navy doesn't need to be anxious at all.
In this war of unification, the role of the navy was extremely weak."
Liu Guangsheng said with a smile: "The third-level cruiser and the fourth-level cruiser have been verified.
Through the mechanical knowledge I learned, the warship I designed has no structural problems.
The battleship is also designed according to the same theory. According to normal theory, it will not have structural problems.
We have completed high-intensity sea trials in a short period of time and can basically determine whether the battleship is safe.
As long as the battleship does not sink after being launched, it can set sail normally.
There are basically no problems with the battleship's structural design, so it can go into battle.
Other improvements are to better serve naval warfare."
Li Qingmu saw that Liu Guangsheng was extremely confident, and he chose to believe in Liu Guangsheng.
Liu Guangsheng personally designed the battleship, and he must know it better than anyone else.
Li Qingmu returned to the Navy Department first. He led all the officers of the South China Sea Fleet to the Guangzhou Shipyard.
Liu Guangsheng went to the Guangzhou Shipyard first to prepare for the launch and sea trials of the battleship.
He holds two positions: he is the commander of the South China Sea Fleet and the chief engineer of the Guangzhou Shipyard.
Next to the battleship's dock, Li Qingmu led people to see Liu Guangsheng who was ready.
Liu Guangsheng said happily: "I expected the shipbuilding to take one to two years, but now it takes less than a year to build all the battleships.
The shipbuilding machines produced by the machinery factory greatly improve work efficiency."
Liu Guangsheng shouted: "Get into the water."
The battleship in the dock, pulled by the steam engine, followed the road paved in advance and crashed directly into the water.
The battleship launched into the water and caused a huge splash. It swayed left and right a few times and stood firmly in the water.
Liu Guangsheng felt relieved when he saw that the battleship had not sunk.
The battleship uses a steel keel, which only affects its speed. The buoyancy of the battleship is still much greater than the battleship's own weight.
The battleship's center of gravity was also relatively stable, and it did not sink or capsize.
Soon the other two battleships were launched safely.
Workers began to install sails, steam engines, cannons and other accessories on the battleship.
There are not many things on the battleship, and it can be installed in just a few days.
"Governor Li, the warships have been built, but they haven't been named yet.
Your Majesty, it’s time to reply. Have the naming rules for warships been finalized?”
Li Qingmu nodded and said: "The king has passed on the naming rules for warships.
The first-class battleships are named after the emperors enshrined in the ancestral temple, and the second-class battleships are named after famous ministers and generals.
Cruisers are named after cities.
The three battleships of our navy have been named by His Majesty. They are Qin Shihuang, Huo Qubing, and Yue Fei.
Cruisers are named by the Navy, just report them."
Liu Guangsheng heard the way the warships were named, and it was pretty much what he expected.
Celebrities, mountains, lakes or famous cities, Qin Wang Suhe used celebrities and famous cities.
"Governor Li, have the names of the ten cruisers been decided?"
Li Qingmu said with a smile: "It hasn't been decided yet. We just got the naming rules. Let's discuss the naming of these warships."
After discussion, they decided that the three-class cruisers were named Hanzhong, Chongqing, Xi'an, Guilin and Guangzhou respectively.
The fourth-class cruisers were named Foshan, Huizhou, Nanning, Wuzhou, and Baoji.
Li Qingmu and others named the warship together. In the process.
He began to allocate warships to the three squadrons of the South China Sea Fleet.
Lu Yuanshan, the admiral of the First Fleet in the South China Sea, was the former deputy admiral of the Yangtze River Navy.
The flagship of the First Fleet, the Qin Shihuang, was captained by Lu Yuanshan.
Allocate Hanzhong, Chongqing, Wuzhou, Baoji, and four cruisers.
The First Fleet is stationed at the Kowloon Naval Port.
Feng Sanqiu, the admiral of the Second South China Sea Fleet, was the former admiral of the Han Dynasty Navy.
The second fleet flagship Yue Fei, captain Feng Sanqiu.
Allocate three cruisers: Guangzhou, Guilin, Foshan.
The Haikou Military Port where it is stationed has not been captured yet. It is stationed at the Kowloon Military Port together with the First Fleet.
Zhang Wanfeng, the admiral of the Third South China Sea Fleet, was the former staff officer of the Yangtze River Navy.
The third fleet flagship Huo Qubing, captain Zhang Wanfeng.
Allocate three cruisers: Xi'an, Huizhou, and Nanning.
Stationed at Fangchenggang Military Port.
After Li Qingmu finished the distribution, Lu Yuanshan was very happy. He got the biggest piece of cake.
The only first-class battleship was assigned to their fleet, and there were four cruisers, half of which were third-class cruisers and fourth-class cruisers.
Zhang Wanfeng's expression was as usual. His third fleet was the weakest, with the same battleships as the second fleet, but only one third-level cruiser.
There's nothing you can do about it, he has the lowest status.
If he hadn't been given the opportunity to go to the military academy for further studies due to his meritorious service, and there were too few naval talents, he would not have had the opportunity to serve as the admiral of the Third Fleet.
The battleships were quickly equipped with sails, and the captains of the three fleets, together with part of the navy, began to operate the warships for sea trials in the sea near Guangzhou.
Lu Yuanshan accompanied Li Qingmu, Wei Jingtao, and Liu Guangsheng on board the battleship Qin Shihuang.
Li Qingmu ordered: "Lu Yuanshan, you and the soldiers learn about the battleship Qin Shihuang together and become familiar with the operation of the battleship as soon as possible."
Lu Yuanshan said with some worry: "Governor, you all come to the Qin Shihuang. If something goes wrong with this warship, our South China Sea Fleet will be completely wiped out."
Liu Guangsheng listened to Lu Yuanshan's half-joking suggestion.
He said confidently: "Don't worry, the Qin Shihuang really sank, and the watertight cabin on it can guarantee that the ship will not sink too fast.
We had enough time to escape via the boat at the stern."
When Lu Yuanshan heard Liu Guangsheng's words, he smiled, led the soldiers of the First Fleet, and began to operate the battleship.
The operation of a battleship is similar to that of a cruiser.
During this time, they have already gone through cruiser training to understand the operation methods of this new type of warship.
The steam engine was started, and the battleship's sails rose very quickly.
The speed of a steam engine to raise a sail is more than ten times that of a human being.
Li Qingmu and others came to the bow of the battleship. There was a statue of Mazu on the bow.
Liu Guangsheng said: "This bow statue was originally a bust of King Qin.
The King of Qin learned that most of our navy soldiers were descendants of Danhu households and they believed in Mazu, so he changed the prow images of warships to Mazu.
After making this change, I found that the soldiers' emotions were much more stable."
The battleship Qin Shihuang continued to cruise on the sea.
They have been undergoing sea trials for half a month, and have gone through multiple rounds of tests such as no-load tests, assembling artillery for gunfire tests, full-load tests, and more.
Liu Guangsheng looked at the South China Sea Fleet. All warships were docked at the Kowloon Naval Port.
He announced loudly: "All sea trials of the three battleships have been completed, and all tests have passed."
As soon as Liu Guangsheng finished speaking, all the officers of the South China Sea Fleet immediately applauded.
The battleship passed the sea trials, and the flagships of each fleet officially entered the naval combat sequence.
The South China Sea Fleet will become the strongest maritime force in Asia.
Li Qingmu looked at the three fleet admirals and said loudly: "I don't have time to familiarize you with battleships. I just ask you if battleships can go to the battlefield now."
Lu Yuanshan, Feng Sanqiu, and Zhang Wanfeng said in unison: "If you can go to the battlefield, you have the confidence to defeat any enemy."
They have been through cruiser training for several months. After a few days of familiarization, the officers and soldiers already understand the performance of the battleship.
It is not yet possible to use the full strength of the battleship.
But to deal with the Ming Navy warships, this is completely overkill.