In a sense, the Song Dynasty should be the most developed dynasty in this era, so the court's desire to expand the sea was not strong. Coupled with the interests of maritime trade, the coastal forces did not want the court to intervene.
If Lu Huiqing's report had not revealed the contribution of maritime merchants to pirates, the imperial court might have encountered setbacks even in planning to build a navy.
As for the fourth prince Tuohai, most of the court officials seemed to be planning a partial army in the Northern Liao Dynasty.
The reason why the imperial court can successfully promote the establishment of the navy and regard it as an important matter for the imperial court is because the imperial court has no intention to intervene in maritime trade. Instead, it will provide armed escort for navigation.
Imperial navigation was more of an exchange of so-called diplomatic significance... This is a common understanding. Zhao Xi did not think about any colonial policy before completing the recovery of Yanyun.
Zhao Xi thought about other things. He hoped that there would be accidents in navigation in this era, so that he could see the species that were introduced to the local area in later generations...
When the navy planned by the imperial court was able to use firearms on sea ships and had a certain degree of design accuracy, it was already winter again, nearly a year after the fourth prince's retreat eastward to Takumi.
This year, the Water Supervisor of the Workshop City cooperated to create a warship in the true sense, not a modified version of a merchant ship, nor a gorgeous official ship to show off its craftsmanship, but a warship with real combat capabilities.
The warship was not only equipped with trebuchets that could launch gunpowder bombs, but also equipped with artillery. The cabin was also modified to make the cabin a place for combat and rest. At the same time, it also solved the problem of water avoidance for guns to a certain extent.
The navy soldiers are mainly soldiers selected by the new army who have experience of going to sea on ships, and they are matched with recruited sailors. After training on land and offshore, they have basically mastered the essentials of naval warfare.
Not only did they understand the use of muskets, artillery, and gunpowder bombs, but they also conducted adaptive training for hand-to-hand combat in close combat at sea.
The rest depends on actual combat.
Similarly, after receiving the official edict, the fourth prince also organized a team to go eastward to Takumi again... Even if the mainstream of the country is moderate, there are also violent people.
Everyone knows that once the Kingdom of China prepares to build a navy to go on an expedition, the Navy of the Kingdom of China will have the final say on the entire ocean. And the team organized by the fourth prince at this time is bound to do something in the navy, or something that the officialdom is embarrassed to do.
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Looting is the best way to accumulate wealth. Merchants engaged in maritime trade know the wealth of pirates best. It seems that the fourth prince will be no different from pirates after he goes to sea, just like the second prince in Annan.
Therefore, there are indeed many masters in the Fourth Prince's team.
"This is no longer a mob, this is a group of desperadoes!" Wang Anshi sighed with emotion.
Maritime trade has made a large number of coastal merchants rich, and the risks of maritime trade have also caused groups of people to go bankrupt. Either because of accidents, or because of pirates, in general, these people are quite familiar with and understand navigation, but they are
I also lost a lot because of navigation.
There are restrictions on the number of naval soldiers in the imperial court. Unless you have absolutely rich experience at sea and have special skills, there are requirements and standards for the naval soldiers in the imperial court.
Therefore, those who originally came to the capital to find a job in the navy, but failed to do so due to various reasons, got involved in the ranks of the fourth prince through various channels.
Maritime merchants are all familiar with each other. After the fourth prince organized his team, all kinds of information were gathered to the court. The court has been paying attention to the fourth prince's team, and many courtiers continued to add people to the fourth prince's team.
·····
"What does officialdom mean?"
Wang Anshi knew how to be flexible and was not in a hurry to go to the sage to ask for an answer. He first brought it up during cabinet discussions.
On the one hand, the navy is preparing to go out to establish and maintain maritime order, and on the other hand, it organizes such a nondescript team, somewhere between merchants, pirates, and the navy. It is really hard to guess.
The key is that the training of this team basically follows the training regulations of the navy of the country. Even the equipment is eliminated by the navy of the workshop city. From the warships to the configuration, although it is eliminated for the navy
Yes, but once it goes to sea, only the navy of China and North Korea can restrict it.
"Prince Xiang, the ocean is so vast that we are not aware of it, and the number of islands is beyond the number of records. Now just talking about Liuqiu, there are various forces present, and the country also needs such forces."
"Besides, the navy is an army of benevolence. The purpose of the expedition is to escort and to demonstrate the royal rule of the country. However, officials once said that if the sea is not dry, pirates will continue. The navy's mission is to escort, so it has no time to go there.
Even if the pirates are annihilated, they will not occupy the island. This team of the fourth prince is, to put it bluntly, a supplement to the navy of the country..."
Lu Gongzhu's statement is from an aboveboard position.
"The navy of China and North Korea can be said to be armed to the teeth, and it is likely to make pirates flee. Therefore, it is difficult to know the strength of naval warfare in various countries today. Official records left in the martial arts hall mentioned that maritime security depends on a certain level.
The degree of security is comparable to the security of land borders. Sending such a team to fight at sea will be beneficial to the imperial court in formulating maritime strategies."
Zhang Dun replied casually. He didn't understand why Wang Anshi was so entangled in this.
"The presence of Northern Liao forces in Liuqiu, no matter what the reasons are for the appearance of Northern Liao forces in Liuqiu, should arouse vigilance. Once the imperial court and the Northern Liao fight, the islands in the East China Sea must be cleaned up by the imperial court to ensure that the Northern Liao
It will not disturb the coastal state capitals by sea."
Wang Shao supplemented Zhang Dun's statement, or elaborated Zhang Dun's meaning. From a military perspective, this is indeed possible.
"Sigh... These are all desperadoes. Once they occupy the islands in the outer sea, I am afraid that not only will they not be able to supplement the country, but they will even become harmful."
Wang Anshi clearly expressed his concerns.
"The Prime Minister is overly worried. The second prince is like Annan, and the fourth prince is going to sea. If he wants to survive for a long time, or to gain a certain living space, he must rely on the imperial court for his existence."
After Su Song reminded him, Wang Anshi understood instantly.
It’s not that Wang Anshi doesn’t have such wisdom and can’t take into account such facts. But, Wang Anshi’s emphasis is different, and he doesn’t have the experience of Workshop City, or even the understanding of firearms.
Relatively few.
Moreover, after seeing the comparison between the combat power of the navy and that of the Fourth Prince's team, I couldn't understand why the officials allowed the Fourth Prince to do this.
This is different from the second prince in Annan. Annan is a stable dynasty. To put it bluntly, the second prince lives in the cracks and relies on the country and dynasty in many places.
When going to sea, Wang Anshi always felt a little out of reach, and was always worried about the threat to the stability of the country once the fourth prince became successful.
Now it seems that the officials have planned two strategies for expanding the sea.