Li Qing walked through the swirling snowflakes and entered the palace.
The maids around her hurriedly came over to help her beat the snowflakes off her body and wipe the water stains on her cheeks.
After cleaning up, Li Qing sat down on the recliner and put his hands on Su Lu to keep warm.
"I heard you say you were going to make dumplings just now. Isn't Da Ya here? Why don't you let people eat some delicacies from the mountains and seas and just eat them dumplings?"
The cotton robe was very warm. Although it was snowing heavily, Su Lu felt warm all over. Looking at the heavy snow, Su Lu smiled and said:
"I'm talking about dumplings, not this dumpling."
"On the sea to the east, the large British ships have been provoking for a month. We don't have fighting ships, but only some small sampans used for training naval forces. They are simply not big enough for the large British ships to collide with."
"Our ships are too short of the British. If we want to defeat the British's maritime hegemony, we must be like dropping dumplings, so that there are as many battleships on the sea as there are dumplings in the pot."
When Li Qing heard this, he rolled his eyes at Su Lu: "Then just say build more big ships and make dumplings. You can't come up with such a metaphor."
"Hey, let's discuss something."
Li Qing leaned against Su Lu, with a charming smile on his face, "I'm tired of going to court these days, why don't you go and preside over the government for me for a few days."
"no way"
Su Lu refused without hesitation, "It's the emperor's business to go to court. I'm just a prince. I can make do with fighting, but I won't go to court."
"Besides, those courtiers were all docile and obedient to me. They didn't even have a scratch on their heads. I really can't stand listening to them buzzing."
Li Qing was a little disappointed when he heard this. Going to court was indeed an irritating thing. He didn't think so much about it before. After Su Lu had presided over the government affairs for him for several months and had no burden on his shoulders, Li Qing disliked going to court even more.
There is no point in trying to gain power over the world.
The two discussed the government affairs for a while, and Li Qing got a lot of advice from Su Lu. Then he got up and went to the palace to see his daughter.
At court the next day, as soon as Li Qing sat firmly on the throne, Zhao Pu, the Minister of War, went out to announce something.
"Your Majesty, Wangjiang Navy Commander's Office has urgently reported that an Yingte battleship collided with a Han Dynasty ship that sailed from the inland river into Wangjiang Port, causing damage to the ship's hull in many places and almost sinking outside Wangjiang.
.”
"If we allow the Thai people to go unchecked, trouble will surely arise in the long run."
When Li Qing heard this, he thought of Su Lu's words. He still lacked a fighting ship. If he had the same big ship, he could just sail out and see if the Yingte people dared to ram his own big ship.
"If there are any casualties, please send a message to Su Ping. If the Yingte people dare to be arrogant again, don't hesitate. Pull out our newly built stern fighting ship and have a fight."
Zhou Ping, Minister of the Ministry of War, hurriedly went to work: "Your Majesty, no, this newly built fighting ship is the first large ship of our Han Dynasty, and there is still a gap between the large ships of the Yingte people. If there is a fight at sea,
I am the one who suffers the loss."
Several generals from the staff office also spoke to dissuade him.
Li Qing was a little irritated. He still had a small number of ships. If there were more than a dozen large ships, would there be any need to do so?
"The prince is right, we still have to make dumplings."
Li Qing sighed sincerely.
Under the imperial steps, all the courtiers were a little confused and asked what the prince meant by making dumplings.
Qian Qianyi left work and said tremblingly:
"Your Majesty, for such a big matter, I suggest you ask the prince for advice. The prince has commanded the army for many years and has quite a lot of experience in war. In this battle, whether we want to fight or make peace, this is a matter of proportion for a soldier like the prince.
Only God can grasp it.”
Everyone nodded when they heard the words, and several ministers and ministers seconded their opinions.
Zhou Yuan left for work, "Your Majesty, the autumn planting in all states and counties has been completed, and the grain production in various places has been summarized. Shazhou has ranked first in grain production for three consecutive years with three million catties, and the grain production of other states is here."
Chang Ning went down and presented the report. After Li Qing read it, he suddenly smiled. This year is another good harvest year, so there is no need to worry about anyone starving to death.
"Winter has entered now, and heavy snow has begun to hit the country in various places. I have ordered all prefectures and counties to conduct strict inspections to prevent our Han people from dying of cold and starvation."
Li Qing gave the order and waved his hand, signaling Zhou Yuan to step back.
Xiao Cong suddenly came out of the queue and asked:
"Your Majesty, this old minister is puzzled. What does the prince's sentence about "dumplings" have to do with the battle on the Wangjiang River? But the prince, a military god, never talks about useless flowers. What does this dumpling mean?
, please make it clear, Your Majesty."
Li Qing smiled. It seemed that it was not that he was too stupid, but that the prince's metaphor was too vague, but if one knew it, it would be vivid enough.
"When the dumplings float in the pot, do they look like a big boat floating on the water?"
Li Qing looked at Xiao Cong with a smile.
Xiao Cong slapped his thigh, his face full of a look of realization.
"That's it!"
"Our country of Han is not near the sea, and we have never paid much attention to shipbuilding. If the prince had not surrendered Wenjiang's navy, our country of Han would not even have ships that can travel on the inland river. Although when the Wangjiang Navy was established, the prince also issued a military order
It’s a pity that we in Han Dynasty don’t have such skilled craftsmen for shipbuilding.”
"So far, we have only built one fighting ship. If we can really build as many fighting ships as a pot of dumplings, we don't need to be afraid of the British fighting ships."
"The prince is a great talent. This metaphor is very appropriate."
Li Qing took advantage of the situation and said:
"The Ordnance Department has mastered the construction of fighting ships. What is lacking now is proficiency. I have ordered the Ordnance Department to dispatch skilled craftsmen to carry out the construction of multiple fighting ships at the same time. While accumulating experience, it can also speed up the formation of the Wangjiang navy.
, what do you all think?"
Dong Cheng was the first to jump out: "Your Majesty is unparalleled in his wisdom. This plan is brilliant. I second it."
Zhou Ping stood next to Dong Cheng without hesitation: "I second the proposal."
Everyone in the Ministry of War naturally applauded this move to increase the voice of the Ministry of War.
Zhou Yuan left work, glanced at everyone in the Ministry of War, and said in a helpless tone:
"I shouldn't object to the strengthening of the naval force, but Your Majesty knows clearly that any single battleship costs a lot of money. If anything can be improved during the construction, it can be improved in the next one and built
A better battleship."
"I think it's better to only build one ship. Firstly, it can skill the craftsmen, and secondly, it can leave opportunities for the improvement of the next ship. If two ships are built at the same time, the second one can only be exactly the same as the first one. What's so new about it?
The idea cannot be carried out anymore.”
The remaining ministers of the Ministry of Industry went out to work and said: "I agree, what Mr. Zhou said is true. Practice makes perfect in craftsmanship. If you build two ships at the same time, the income will not be as great as building only one."
Li Qing was a little dumbfounded. Dong Cheng's words were fine, but Zhou Yuan's words seemed quite right.
So the question is, is it better to build one ship or two ships?
