"Really? So our navy has already taken initial shape?"
"Yes, sir, we now have a stockpile of three hundred warships, all equipped with the latest Hongyi cannons. Their range far exceeds that of any other nation's naval guns in the world today. This navy is enough to dominate the seas."
At this point, Field himself became somewhat emotional. Over the years, he had gone from a researcher forced into his work to a chief engineer leading hundreds of people. His mindset had also gradually begun to change.
In Spain, he was well-off, but aristocratic status was out of the question. Here, however, he already held an official position—a high-ranking one at that. The pay was so high it made him dream of wealth, and the status of a true high-ranking official was undeniable. This allowed Field to gradually accept life here and begin to enjoy it immensely.
By now, Field already considers himself a Liaoyang native. That's right, he now considers himself a Liaoyang native. If anyone calls him Spanish again, he'll immediately turn on them. In Spain, he doesn't have a private villa with a garden, hundreds of subordinates, or that kind of respected status.
If he went back to Spain, all of this would be gone. So now, even if they tried to force him to leave, he wouldn't. Not only would he not leave, he hasn't even returned to Spain once in all these years. Because Liaoyang is still constantly attracting various European and American talents, he's afraid that if he leaves, someone will take advantage of the situation and replace him.
At this moment, Lu Xuan had already put the revolver back into its case.
"Now that the navy is fully formed, it's time to give them some serious training. Bai Ying, gather intelligence from Japan and get the navy ready."
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Chapter 164 The Han People, The Soul of the Han People (Please Subscribe)
In later generations, most people believed that Japan had repeatedly submitted to China as a vassal state. However, this is quite interesting because Korea did indeed submit to China. The Japanese, on the other hand, always preferred to use ambiguity in their official documents, never explicitly stating this. They even later denied ever submitting to China.
This shows that the Japanese harbored deep-seated covetousness towards China, even when China was suppressing them. Not to mention their true character in later generations.
A fleet of two hundred men isn't a large force in a national war. However, the soldiers' faces showed no hesitation or fear. They even displayed a strong sense of excitement, knowing the extent of their military power. More clearly, they understood that only through war could they achieve promotion.
When the fleet set sail, tens of thousands of people lined the harbor to see them off. This was the result of Lu Xuan's ten years of accumulated prestige and ideological education. The people of Liaoyangwei were not afraid of war; they even regarded conquest as an honor.
On the one hand, the Liaoyang Guard's army consistently achieved resounding victories in every campaign. This fostered a widespread sense of honor, a feeling felt by all the people. Another reason was that in every war, the army not only refrained from confiscating their grain and property for military rations, but also brought back substantial supplies, creating a commercial boom for the surrounding cities of Liaoyang.
It brings both honor and benefits; who wouldn't like that?
The Japanese intelligence system was incredibly strong. For many years, Japan had been gathering information about the Central Plains through various caravans and spies. In fact, after gaining power, Tokugawa Yasuie once harbored ambitions to covet the Central Plains. However, these ambitions were quickly thwarted by Lu Xuan's various maneuvers.
They realized that while other Ming Dynasty armies might have rotted away, this army in Liaodong had become an invincible force. In recent years, the Japanese navy had engaged Lu Xuan's patrol fleet in a few sporadic battles.
The Japanese felt that with each engagement, the enemy's artillery range increased, their musket rate of fire increased, and their ships became faster—it was as if they were constantly upgrading their fleet. The Japanese couldn't fathom the resources required to maintain such frequent modernization.
It wasn't until they realized their fleet was no longer a match for the cruiser fleet in Liaodong that they understood the gravity of the situation. But by then, developing new warships was too late. Left with no other option, they had to purchase warships and artillery from the West.
However, this operation only lasted a few times before the trade ceased. The Western merchants were unwilling to continue trading with the Japanese. The reason was that another, larger customer of theirs was dissatisfied and even resorted to force.
Japan was actually an excellent trading partner. They had a large amount of silver, which they could exchange for what they wanted. Although Western colonizers preferred gold, they wouldn't refuse silver either.
However, upon learning of this, Lu Xuan immediately dispatched a fleet, expanding its patrol routes to specifically target Western merchant convoys. Regardless of any protests, any merchant ships bound for Japan were sunk.
This incident caused a great uproar among the Western colonists. They even formed a multinational fleet to jointly pressure Lu Xuan. However, the combined fleet disintegrated in less than a week. The reason was that a British representative was secretly met with Lu Xuan and stated that he possessed a batch of imperial tribute-grade porcelain and wanted to conduct a private transaction with the British.
When Lu Xuan took out a top-grade Jingdezhen blue-and-white porcelain vase, the British representative almost held his breath. Over the years, they had acquired a considerable amount of porcelain from Lu Xuan, making a fortune by shipping it back home. However, as time went on, they began to realize that the porcelain they obtained from Lu Xuan was mostly mid-to-low-grade quality. Lu Xuan rarely sold the truly top-tier, high-end pieces.
This is only natural. Good things must be produced in limited quantities to maintain their prestige. While Lu Xuan could acquire top-tier imperial porcelain, he wouldn't easily sell it to foreigners. Instead, he would occasionally show it off, whetting their appetites. It's important to understand that this was an era when Europe was obsessed with Chinese porcelain. This finest piece of blue-and-white porcelain could be exchanged for a small castle in Europe. Calling it priceless is no exaggeration.
The British representative agreed without a second's hesitation. He stated that our group of British representatives would immediately withdraw from the Combined Fleet, but he wanted three of these vases, plus a whole ship's worth of porcelain.
After some haggling, the price dropped from three to two. Then, the entire Combined Fleet stared in disbelief as the British suddenly announced their withdrawal. They then happily fled with a whole ship full of porcelain... The morale was broken; the fleet was difficult to manage!
Then the Spanish, also taking a shipload of tea and silk they'd acquired at half price, ran off. Their combined pressure was all about getting benefits. "I've got my share, why should I risk my life for you?" they thought. After all, that governor commanded hundreds of modern warships. If a real fight broke out, how could their own ocean-going merchant fleet, despite its armament, possibly outlast this local tyrant?
The combined fleet collapsed. Most merchants tacitly agreed to stop trading with Japan. They could always get enough goods from Lu Xuan anyway; there was no need to risk their lives in Japan.
Of course, for these adventurers, the idea that fortune favors the bold is a common one. Therefore, some merchants would still attempt to break through Lu Xuan's blockade and head to Japan to make a fortune. However, that would mean facing pursuit by Lu Xuan's fleet.
Through this intermittent trade, the Japanese managed to assemble a fleet equipped with firearms. Therefore, upon noticing Lu Xuan's movements, they immediately mobilized for war.
This alone demonstrates the Japanese people's belligerence and skill in warfare, far surpassing that of Korea in that era. Unfortunately, they failed to grasp that Lu Xuan had already transcended that time.
In this battle, Lu Xuan didn't even personally lead the troops. He simply sent a group of children to sea with the fleet. Twelve children, or rather, young men, aged eighteen to twenty, twelve of those children who had received ten years of education in the backyard of the General's Mansion.
This was the first real action for these children, or rather, for the young people who had received Lu Xuan's political education. They had only one goal: after the fleet had crushed the Japanese resistance, to rule and civilize the land. It would be a difficult and lengthy task. But as the first pioneers to step forward, this was something they inevitably had to go through.
Whether they succeed or not, they will lay the foundation for those who come after them. Until one day, the entire island will speak Chinese, eat Han food, and always identify themselves as Han people.
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py trading
Over the years, I've hardly recommended any books. I only recommended one once for a friend, but he later abandoned the project...
I haven't recommended any other authors since then. But I still want to recommend this author today. This is a very, very special author.
Author's name: Come on.
Title: Between Dimensions. There are also older books, short and fragmented pieces, and softer works. These are all novels with very, very unique styles, collections of short stories.
Don't think this style won't last; this author is a level 5 expert. As far as I know, they've probably already secretly secured a long-term contract. The new book's performance was mediocre because they took a two-year break from writing, and lost all their fans. The style is still unique, and the writing is worse than mine. However, the story isn't as enjoyable as mine (haha).
A couple of days ago, I went to his book review section to urge him to update, and that's how we got to know each other. After that, we quickly made a deal. Those interested can bookmark and subscribe. The advantage of this kind of short film collection is that you can subscribe to whichever story you like. You don't need to worry about broken links. Although, according to him, there are some hidden links, it doesn't have a significant impact.
Furthermore, this author once arrogantly stated, "Don't rush me to update; with his style, you can't force him to." So, everyone, go ahead and rush him to update...
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Chapter 165 I Need to Become Stronger (Please Subscribe)
Without a declaration of war, the conflict hinged on Lu Xuan's single decision. Over two hundred warships clashed with the Japanese fleet at sea. The following day, Lu Xuan's fleet arrived at port. The Japanese fleet, however, had already been reduced to fragments and swallowed by the ocean.
Countless cannons bombarded the harbor relentlessly until there were no more defenders left. Only then did the soldiers disembark and take over the ravaged port. They did not advance quickly but instead set up camp on the spot. They then made some simple repairs to the port and awaited the arrival of follow-up troops.
All the Japanese nobles were forming an economic alliance, preparing to jointly resist the Celestial Empire's army. However, Lu Xuan's army didn't care; this was also part of their plan. Because conquering in all directions was too troublesome, they were given time to gather together, and then the problem would be resolved in one fell swoop.