Chapter 1536: The World Has More Than One Great Power

Normally, such records would be kept by each side themselves and sent directly to the Military Council after the battle, but the Crown Prince demanded they also make an extra copy, compile it into a volume, and send it to Goryeo for his review.

Although the Crown Prince did not know much about military affairs, he would certainly have a large group of staff officers at his side by then, people who could help him understand them. And after obtaining these records, he would of course not merely study them; he would undoubtedly compare and review them to see whether the two sides had cooperated fully during the fighting.

If there were cases of shirking responsibility before battle, or looking only after one's own service branch's interests while disregarding the safety of friendly forces, a glance at the orders and copies from both sides would make everything perfectly clear, leaving no room for quibbling.

So this demand of the Crown Prince's was tantamount to saying that he was not merely a logistics officer overseeing provisions and ammunition, but a commander who, while not interfering in specific operations, truly held the authority of oversight — a commander neither of them could overstep.

The Crown Prince's manner was very gentle, his tone quite mild, but they knew this was a decision they could not contest. His Majesty must have arranged it this way long ago.

"We understand." With varied emotions, they both assented.

"Then I must trouble you both with everything." Seeing the two generals so obediently agree to his demands, the Crown Prince felt considerably relieved. To be honest, facing these army commanders alone for the first time, he had been somewhat uneasy at the start. Only after seeing how deferentially they treated him did he slowly gather his courage and state his demands without reservation.

And so, the Crown Prince of Great Han stepped out from his study, learning bit by bit how to be a true heir apparent.

"Marquis of Langya, at the last state affairs conference, the Earl of Xingyang and the others completed the army's plan. At that time, you said the navy would promptly produce a corresponding cooperation plan..." Having secured his oversight authority, the Crown Prince still wore a solemn expression. "The navy has been planning for so long now; surely you have already worked out a proposal?"

"Since receiving His Majesty's command, we have not dared to be remiss. After many days of deliberation and planning by the staff officers within the Military Administration, we now have a plan that can coordinate with the army. May I beg Your Highness to allow me to explain it in detail." Because he had long been prepared, Cai De was unruffled. From the small case he carried with him, he took out a stack of ink-filled pages, then suddenly stood and walked to a corner of the room.

This was, after all, a VIP cabin on a warship, so aside from the lavish furnishings, it had everything one would expect at sea. Cai De opened a cabinet and found the sea chart he was looking for; inside were also a globe, a telescope, and other items, even an exquisitely crafted wooden model of a warship.

Cai De brought the chart back before the Crown Prince, spread it across the table, and then placed the pages of the plan, compiled into a booklet, on the table as well.

"Your Highness, this is the plan we have drawn up. Please allow me to demonstrate it for you." As he spoke, he placed his hand on the chart and slowly moved it to indicate.

"First, both our northern and southern fleets of Great Han have received orders to concentrate their elite warships for battle. The newest and sharpest warships and the finest officers and men have already been assembled. The Northern Fleet, under my command, will set sail from Tianjin; the Southern Fleet is massing at Songjiang and will then sail directly north to Busan Port. At the same time, we have altered the patrol duties of most cruisers, shifting them from primarily surveying their respective sea zones to safeguarding army and navy supply lines. Additionally, some personnel have been disguised as pirates to harass the merchant ships of other nations and cover our own troop movements and concentration."

Then his finger slowly moved. "The navy's majority of transport ships have also finished assembling and will concentrate at three points: Jinzhou, Weihai, and Songjiang. Each of these three locations will embark one regiment of army troops, which will then depart from their respective ports and sail for Busan Port. The regiment assembling at Jinzhou Port is the unit under Brigadier Zhao's direct command, so this time it will accompany the Brigadier and Your Highness to Goryeo."

The Crown Prince nodded slightly, indicating he understood. According to the predetermined plan, after disembarking at Jinzhou Port, he would meet with the key court officials in Liaodong, review the troops, and then lead that regiment onward to Goryeo.

"These three regiments are all light troops. Apart from firearms, pikes, and similar weapons, other equipment and horses must be transported separately." Cai De continued his explanation. "After all three regiments' officers and men have been transported to Busan Port, the Crown Prince will need to direct the Goryeo people to construct warehouses at Busan Port. The transport ships will then disperse to the ports of Tianjin and Songjiang to transport the cannons, horses, and provisions required for this expedition. The various transport plans, after many days of study, are now essentially complete. I beg Your Highness to review them."

The Crown Prince picked up the thick volume and began to read. It was densely packed with figures, all concerning the logistical details of naval transport — from firearms and cannons to provisions and horses, everything had been sorted into categories.

He did not fully understand these specific details, but he could see from them the dedication of the navy from top to bottom, and his heart was deeply gratified.

"You have all worked hard." He nodded approvingly at Cai De. "I ask that you ensure the plan is fully implemented going forward, so that the army's supplies suffer no disruption. The mistakes of the Sui dynasty must absolutely not be repeated."

"We shall of course exhaust our minds and energies to maintain the army's rear supply lines. Fortunately, the number of troops for this expedition is not large, so supplying them is not particularly taxing..." As if in jest, Cai De suddenly laughed. "If we truly had to launch an expedition with the entire nation's strength like the Sui dynasty, the navy would collapse before even fighting..."

Emperor Yang of Sui was greedy for scale and grandiose, fond of grand achievements. In his day, he thrice attacked Goryeo with the entire nation's strength, each time amassing an enormous number of troops. As a result, these great armies, hampered by logistical supply problems, could not bring their proper combat power to bear, and instead drained the national strength of Great Sui, stirring widespread popular resentment and turning Emperor Yang's farce into an object of ridicule for a thousand ages.

The sovereign and ministers of the new dynasty had all fought wars for many years. They were highly experienced and understood the importance of logistics to an army, so they had no intention of emulating the grandiose Emperor Yang of Sui. Instead, they decided to select a picked force of elite troops for the campaign, thus reducing the drain on China's manpower and material resources to the absolute minimum.

"The use of troops is a matter of national importance; not the slightest negligence can be permitted." The Crown Prince did not relax because of Cai De's jest; his expression remained solemn. "The Marquis of Langya must be diligent in this, but after all, you can only manage the maritime transport side. The procurement and transport of supplies on land still require serious attention. After we reach Goryeo, if local officials in Songjiang and Tianjin fail to cooperate or are remiss in procurement, delaying the navy's transport, do not conceal it. Report everything to me, and I can petition Father Emperor for punishment."

When he spoke of punishment, the Crown Prince's manner grew even more severe, his expression carrying an innate authority that made both great generals inwardly quail.

"Yes, Your Highness." Cai De hastily accepted the order. "Should local officials prove inadequate in supply, I shall certainly report it to Your Highness and the court!"

Having given his command, the Crown Prince fell silent, his gaze resting on the sea chart spread across the table.

What he saw first was Liaodong, then Goryeo, then Japan. Then his gaze slowly moved, finally extending along the ocean into the boundless distance.

They would go first to Jinzhou Port in Liaodong. There he would inspect the Great Han troops stationed in Liaodong and meet with the commander of the Liaodong garrison, Marshal Chen Sheng, the Duke of Ji. And Zhao Song would receive one of his regiments there, then be transported by the navy to Goryeo, awaiting concentration and rendezvous with the other army and navy units.

And this journey, though spoken of as far, very far, appeared on the chart to be only a short stretch. How many such stretches would it take to traverse the entire world?

The ocean was too vast, so vast it daunted the beholder. Lands of greater or lesser size were wrapped within this boundless expanse of sea, like cages.

The ancients had fought for a thousand years over "All Under Heaven," believing that to be the entire world. Only after opening their eyes did they discover the world was actually this immense.

After the edification of the Westerners and the knowledge they brought, the Chinese people came to understand that China was not the world's sole great power — was not even, at this very moment, the world's largest nation.

An empire with vast territory, spanning Europe, the Americas, and Asia; an empire that traversed every region of the globe, occupying a great swath of area on the chart, and had even extended its tentacles to China's very doorstep.

"This Spain... its national territory is actually even more expansive than our own..." the Crown Prince murmured to himself. "Truly hard to believe."

Though he did not know why the Crown Prince had suddenly digressed, Cai De still reported what he knew. "Spain is a great power in Europe. Early on, by funding exploratory voyages, they discovered the Americas and very quickly sent troops to conquer and occupy them. Later, they entered into a marriage alliance and union with another great European power, Austria, thereby acquiring vast territories in Europe as well. And afterward, they also expanded in Asia, conquering Luzon and a large swath of other areas."

The Crown Prince's gaze slowly moved, finally resting on Luzon.

These clusters of islands were clearly right at China's doorstep, so close. Why had no one ever brought them into China's hands before? The Spanish could travel ten thousand miles to conquer the Americas; why could a tiny Luzon not be incorporated into the Chinese map? His thoughts suddenly strayed to these strange questions.

"Are there many descendants of Chinese in Luzon?" After looking for a while, he suddenly asked.

"Yes, Your Highness," Cai De answered at once.

Although the Crown Prince's question seemed somewhat disjointed, Cai De noticed that he appeared to have a keen interest in overseas matters. This could not help but fill him with particular delight.