Chapter 267: Mi Wen's Choice

"His Highness has no grudge against this Five Peaks Island Master; why would he attack the Shipbuilding Department?"

Council Hall.

Liu Fu and Chang Wei both rushed over upon hearing the news.

Chang Wei's expression was grim; those guarding the Shipbuilding Department were all soldiers of the Prince's Personal Army.

This single battle resulted in over three hundred deaths and more than five hundred injuries.

He was not angry about the defeat, but heartbroken over the loss of so many soldiers.

"These sea bandits don't care about grudges; they plunder every place they reach. Your Highness, this debt must be repaid." Chang Wei slapped the sword at his waist. "We haven't suffered such a heavy loss even at the hands of the Northern Di."

Zhao Xu's thoughts were still lingering on the issue of the matchlock.

In the Age of Discovery, the equipment of sea bandits was actually the most advanced.

Because they drifted on the sea, they were the first to come into contact with things from all over the world.

It is said that even in the contemporary Ming Dynasty, firearms were brought to Japan by sea bandits and subsequently copied by them.

Therefore, he was not actually surprised that these sea bandits possessed matchlocks.

After all, there were already matchlocks in Jinling City.

"The debt must be repaid, of course, but these sea bandits come and go like the wind on the sea; they plunder one place and move to the next. Without a Navy, it is difficult to surround and annihilate them," Chen Shou said cautiously.

The anger in Zhao Xu's heart had not yet dissipated; two months of hard work had gone to waste—how could he not feel the pain?

Yet even so, the shipbuilding plan had to continue, and more had to be invested.

He said, "Several million taels of Silver, this Prince can afford to lose; the matter of shipbuilding cannot stop."

"But Your Highness, what if the Shipbuilding Department is attacked again?" Liu Fu asked.

Zhao Xu pondered for a moment and said, "We cannot build ships on the coast anymore; go to Fanyang."

When the Shipbuilding Department was first established, the Yuan Family had not yet fallen, so he had no choice but to build ships on the coast.

After all, the rivers within Yan Commandery were too narrow and shallow, unsuitable for large ships to sail.

But the Canal in Fanyang connects with the Jin River, which is effectively the connection to the contemporary Yellow River.

It is also suitable for shipbuilding here, and because it is located within Yanzhou.

No matter how capable the sea bandits are, they would not dare to slaughter their way to the walls of Fanyang City.

"Fanyang?" Chen Shou thought for a moment and nodded. "Your Highness is wise."

Zhao Xu said, "Correct, you will relocate the Shipbuilding Department to Fanyang."

Then he asked, "How many casualties were there among the carpenters of the Shipbuilding Department this time?"

Chen Shou's eyes dimmed. "Over three hundred."

"After you return, you must issue pensions to the families of these craftsmen," Zhao Xu said, then looked at Chang Wei. "You are responsible for the matter of the wounded and fallen soldiers."

Chang Wei nodded.

Having given these orders, Zhao Xu's expression turned serious as he looked at Chen Shou. He said, "If you fall, you must climb back up. This matter cannot just end here. The ships in Jinghai County were destroyed, so you will build them for this Prince in Fanyang, and they must be built even better."

"Your Highness, rest assured. Even if I am worked to death, I will certainly present the Warship to Your Highness," Chen Shou stood up and said through gritted teeth.

Zhao Xu nodded slightly.

Although he was very angry now, without ships, he had no way to act at all.

He could only record this debt for now.

"These warships must be operated by someone once they are built, otherwise, wouldn't they be useless?" When the air grew quiet, Mi Wen suddenly spoke up.

While Zhao Xu and the others were discussing, he had learned from Feng'er about the warship Chen Shou was building and immediately showed great interest.

Moreover, Zhao Xu was his cousin; if he suffered a loss, it was as if he had suffered a loss himself. Seizing the opportunity, he spoke out immediately.

Everyone turned their gaze toward him, and Mi Wen smiled sheepishly.

He said to Zhao Xu, "Your Highness, I have decided what I want to do. I want to capture Wang Zhi for Your Highness."

"Talking big! Do you understand naval warfare?" Zhao Xu rebuked. "Go back and copy your books."

Mi Wen said anxiously, "Where there is a will, there is a way. If Your Highness doesn't let me do it, how do you know I can't do it well? Isn't this the first time Your Highness has been Yan Wang?"

"His Highness is a dragon among men, naturally different from ordinary people," Liu Fu cleverly flattered Zhao Xu.

Upon hearing this, Mi Wen glared at Liu Fu and said, "Then I will go to the Government Office and follow behind you all day long."

Liu Fu shivered in fear. "This subordinate feels that Young Master Mi's words are not without reason. Perhaps Your Highness could let him try. In any case, no one is doing this right now; shipbuilding should go hand in hand with training ship crews."

Zhao Xu nodded slowly. He was in no mood to mess around with Mi Wen now. Since he had promised him, that was an order, so he said, "In that case, this Prince grants your request. The Government Office will allocate Silver to you; you will recruit the crew yourself. If you mess it up, just go straight back to Jinling; there is no need to come see this Prince again."

Mi Wen puffed out his chest. "Your Highness can just wait and see; I am not someone who only knows how to copy books."

Zhao Xu shook his head helplessly.

Having settled this matter, Zhao Xu ordered everyone to disperse, keeping only Chang Wei behind.

"You are to immediately dispatch five thousand soldiers carrying Field Artillery to patrol the coast of Jinghai County. If you discover sea bandits, annihilate them immediately. After that, these five thousand men will be permanently stationed in Jinghai to guard against sea bandits," Zhao Xu said.

Now that the sea bandits had discovered a good landing spot, he feared they would come to plunder every few days.

He could only divert a portion of his troops to deal with it.

"Yes, Your Highness," Chang Wei replied, while inwardly feeling some sympathy for Yan Wang.

The threat of the Northern Di remained, Xiliang was causing trouble, and now even sea bandits had come to join the fray.

Added to the Han Family and Wang Family in the south, this meant Yanzhou was surrounded by enemies on all sides.

It was only thanks to Yan Wang's endless stream of novel ideas that he hadn't died countless times over.

Then he noticed the object in Yan Wang's hand and said, "Your Highness, is this the thing that defeated the Wangfu Army soldiers?"

"Yes, this thing is called a matchlock," Zhao Xu said.

This was one of the reasons why he could not blame Chen Shou and the soldiers.

They were facing this kind of Weapon for the first time, just as the Northern Di had faced Artillery for the first time.

If one does not understand its characteristics, one will naturally suffer losses.

"Matchlock? Then what is the difference between this and Your Highness's flintlock?" Chang Wei asked.

Zhao Xu was silent for a moment, then he said, "Actually, there is not much difference in power; the difference lies in the method of ignition."

This incident with the sea bandits and the matter of the Jinling Divine Machine Battalion made him realize that the era of mixing cold and hot weapons was arriving faster than he had imagined.

Chang Wei and other generals would sooner or later have to fight against enemies armed with this kind of firearm.

So when Chang Wei asked, he simply explained it in detail to avoid him being muddled, "In the same amount of time, a flintlock can fire more shots than a matchlock, and because the match cord is flammable, soldiers cannot stand too close when firing, otherwise sparks will ignite the other person's match cord, but this makes it impossible to form a tight formation."

"Moreover, the match cord must be kept lit at all times, and it is impossible to fight in rainy weather, but the flintlock is much stronger than the matchlock in this regard."

The more Chang Wei listened, the happier he became, "In short, the flintlock is better than the matchlock."

Having listened in detail to Chen Shou's account of the sea bandits' attack, he had been slightly worried at the time.

But now, he suddenly felt relaxed; it seemed there was nothing to fear.

Yanzhou has better things.

Now, he only wants to train this batch of new recruits as quickly as possible.