Zhao Longcheng explained: "Your Highness, the problem of crew quality I mentioned is not the problem of crew abilities, but the crew...."

When Li Junwei heard Zhao Longcheng say this, he understood that General Zhao had something in his words. The so-called problem of crew quality was not to pour dirty water on himself, but to lead to a certain problem or a plan. Li Junwei realized this and immediately raised his hand to stop him and said, "General, if you have any suggestions on the management and use of the expeditionary fleet, you can give me a report, which is very important."

Seeing that his little thoughts were seen through, Zhao Longcheng had to retreat and prepare for the report. According to the report submitted by Zhao Longcheng, there was no problem with the professional quality of the crew. The problem was on the Zhiyuan-class heavy cruiser. As a cruiser that could be transformed into a battleship, before the Peru Naval Battle, the entire fleet was modified and conducted a long training period. Judging from the combat performance, the crew's professional quality was very high. However, the problem was that before heading to Nangang, the battleships were changed back to the heavy cruiser, and they were traveling in a hasty way. The professional sailors had not changed from the habits of the battleships, so they were improperly operated in the tortuous and difficult Strait of Magellan and many accidents occurred.

Of course, this is just an excuse. According to the customs of the empire, after the end of the Peru Navy, the sailors recruited on the ship should be dismissed. Even if they want to come to Nangang, they will be dismissed when they arrive at Nangang. When the fleet moves to the Caribbean and North America, they will be recruited and supplemented. Of course, this is also a common method for navies around the world, which is to reduce military expenditures as much as possible.

In order to quickly form combat effectiveness, the Imperial Navy generally retains a team of elite sailors for these ships. This team of sailors is the basic use of the ship, usually only half of the standard personnel. Zhao Longcheng's suggestion is that all crew members of the Expeditionary Fleet should be professionalized and at least a long-term employment relationship must be established. Only in this way can there be no losses or reduced combat effectiveness due to crew replacement.

".........According to your plan, we will expedition to the Caribbean Sea next step. You know, it is the least populous area of ​​the empire, and it is difficult for us to recruit new sailors, and the people on the ship will always lose some time during the long voyage...... In the Caribbean and North America, we have no ports or even stable allies. In order to maintain combat effectiveness, I think......" Zhao Longcheng saw that Li Junwei read the report and emphasized the importance of professionalization of sailors.

But Li Junwei did not wait for him to finish his words, but directly reported and signed his name, saying: "General Zhao, don't say much. I'll approve your report. Go and get the money. Remember, you have to come up with a rule."

"It's so satisfying?" Zhao Longcheng didn't expect it would be like this.

"It's so satisfying!" Li Junwei said with a smile. He patted the report and said, "I don't know if the professionalization of sailors will produce so many benefits you said, but only one is enough. Because we are very rich now, we have robbed so much money and will not give up cubs in the vault. What do you need to do? Not only your Expedition First Fleet, but the Expedition Second Fleet planned in Cape Town can also operate this way."

"Yes, Your Highness." Zhao Longcheng was extremely happy.

Li Junwei sent Zhao Longcheng away, found the Chief Executive of Nangang, and asked about the local situation. He learned that the commander of the dispatch army, Gao Bicheng, had led a newly formed elite army to fight Potosi in the northern expedition. The news recently showed that everything went smoothly, but when Li Junwei asked the Chief Executive for Gao Bicheng's contact information, the other party was hesitant, but Li Junwei insisted on seeing it.

In the report, Li Junwei saw Gao Bicheng praising the Chief Executive named Liu Songxi several times. Of course, every time he praised, he would mention several friends whom Liu Songxi introduced to him. Gao Bicheng said with certainty that the surrender of several Spanish villages and towns along the way and fortresses had a great relationship with these friends.

"Who is your friend?" Li Junwei asked directly and thought of Liu Songxi.

"In fact, it was the person sent by my father. They were... several Jesuit priests from El Salvador and Recife." Liu Songxi said, and then explained: "This is General Gao's request. The lower officials really couldn't refuse it. The lower officials also reminded General Gao that it was illegal to cooperate with the Catholic Church without authorization, but the general...."

Li Junwei said: "From the effect, your friends are pretty good. As for whether they violate the law or not, they will not accept the orders of the king outside. The soldiers are all pragmatists. General Gao will not care, and I will not hold them accountable, so you don't have to worry."

The Liu family is a big family in South Africa and was one of the first immigrants to Cape Town. Liu Songxi's grandfather made wine in his hometown. Later, after he arrived in Cape Town, the empire supported the local wine industry. Because it targeted the European market in the early stages of the industry development, Europeans participated in the participation from grape planting to brewing. Liu Songxi's grandfather met the Portuguese merchants in Lisbon. During his father's time, he used his relationship with the Portuguese to devote himself to the more promising textile industry. He used the funds he had accumulated over the years to buy advanced textile machinery from Shenjing, imported cotton from the Portuguese colony Brazil, and then exported textiles to the Americas and Africa.

Because of the Portuguese relationship, the Liu family always had a stable source of cotton and market, so they quickly rose in their father's era. His father became a tycoon in the textile industry in Cape Town. Even if the Liu family's Liuhe Textiles are ranked among the top five. Liu Songxi's resume is not so legendary. He received a good education since childhood and went to the Empire Shenjing to study at the age of 17. After graduation, he worked in Hangzhou and Guangzhou for many years and worked diligently.

However, because of his special identity, he was able to make great achievements. When appointing colonial officials, the imperial government had to make a weighing consideration, considering the interests of overseas provinces, and ensuring that the colonial chiefs were in the same mind as Shen Jing. Therefore, the empire generally chose local officials who had served in overseas provinces for many years and had good official reputations, or officials who had graduated from overseas provinces and served for many years. In the end, Liu Songxi was transferred to the post.

However, Liu Songxi was not a rank-level official like Pei Yuanqi. He was an ordinary civil servant. The military and political power in South America was in the hands of Gao Bicheng. When Gao Bicheng was in Nangang, Liu Songxi was more like his administrative assistant. After Gao Bicheng went to the expedition, Liu Songxi was his logistics chief supervisor. Because of this, Liu Songxi had no intention of disobeying Gao Bicheng. Therefore, after Gao Bicheng proposed the religious factors of the Northern Expedition of Potosi, Liu Songxi took the initiative to introduce several Brazilian Jesuit priests to help.

But obviously, privately cooperating with Catholic churches like the Jesuits not only violates the law, but also damages the political rules of the empire. Fortunately, this is a pioneering era and a new land. If Li Junwei does not pursue it, Liu Songxi will not be at fault.

"It seems that your family does have a lot of background in Brazil. Let's do this. You can also introduce a few Jesuit friends to me." Li Junwei said calmly.

"Xiaguan...Xiaguan is afraid. Xiaguan will never dare again in the future, nor will it dare again." Liu Songxi thought this was Li Junwei's sarcasm, so he knelt on the ground. Li Junwei helped him up and said, "Don't panic. What I said is true, not a joke, nor a hit on you, but a real need."

Liu Songxi stood up carefully and wiped the sweat from his forehead, but the beans of sweat kept flowing down and fell to the ground and broke into eight petals. He felt unbelievable. Liu Songxi studied in Shenjing for six years and knew the imperial family very well. The royal family did not believe in any religion. It is said that the Empress Dowager once worshiped Buddha for a while, but wanted to give him a child Guanyin. As for King Yu, he was the least superstitious person in the royal family. When he was five or six years old, he fooled Tibetan Buddhist monks standing in the lightning and thunder with iron spears. What religious beliefs do they have? What's more, the relationship between the empire and the Catholic Church can be said to be immortal.

The empire's biggest enemy in the West was not Spain, but the Catholic Church. The Spanish Kingdom had at least recognized the empire's occupation of Luzon and accused the empire's pioneering in North America. Until now, the Catholic Church has also pursued the property of the Philippine church decades ago.

"You... Are there any important things you have to look for Jesuit priests?" Liu Songxi thought about it and thought that the only possibility was that His Highness might be in a bad mood and would like to find a few priests to clean up. If this is the case, the few who are more involved with the family cannot be sent.

Li Junwei spread his hands: "Of course I'm helping you solve the problem. You're also worried about the Chilean region."

Liu Songxi nodded seriously. King Yu's order in Chile has not been implemented in the Nangang area, but it is obvious that it is a matter of time. The original army in the Nangang area supported Peru on a large scale, and the rest were scattered everywhere. A group of troops following Gao Bicheng's Northern Expedition Potosi were also dispatched. Once the order was implemented in the Nangang area, the result would definitely be unimaginable. The rest are not a good idea. After all, the empire's economic interests in the Nangang area were not large and the population was relatively concentrated. However, Gao Bicheng's expeditionary force was still outside. Once the supply and contact were interrupted, what happened?

"So, I'll solve it for you." Li Junwei said.

Liu Songxi asked: "How do you plan to solve the problem?"

Li Junwei said: "Isn't it over to get the messy people here to Brazil? But we can't do it alone, so it's better to find some people they trust, such as the Jesuits."

Liu Songxi immediately understood that the orders issued by King Yu in Chile were more like religious persecution in Europe, persecuting Puritans in Britain, persecuting Huguenots in France, and the Spanish Inquisition, etc., all persecuting people from different sects. Many of these people were forced to move to the New World or to other countries. Where can Catholics in the Americas who are not tolerated by the empire go? It is best to go to Brazil.

"Okay, please go and make arrangements immediately." Liu Songxi responded quickly.

But in the end he did not make the arrangements properly, because he invited not Jesuit priests. There was an archdiocese and four bishops in the Portuguese colony of Brazil. None of them was willing to come. However, the Brazilian Governor of Portugal, Lavradia, who received the news, took the initiative to come to Nangang.

"On behalf of His Majesty Pedro II, I would like to pay the highest respect to you." In front of Li Junwei, Lavradia showed great respect, and he also said: "I do not know your arrival. If I knew, I would definitely lead the Brazilian nobles to welcome you, and if you go to El Salvador, the Arc de Triomphe will greet you..."

Lavradia looks like she is in her thirties, and she is a noble marquis. Of course, Li Junwei has known for a long time that he is the illegitimate son of the King of Portugal. After the signing of the Treaty of Lisbon, Lavradia came to Brazil to serve as governor.

Li Junwei invited the Jesuit priests, but the final person was the governor of Brazil. The reason was that the Portuguese colonies were not exactly the same as the Spanish colonies. As early as more than a hundred years ago, the Pope issued a decree to the Portuguese king, allowing the Portuguese king and his heirs to take the highest authority of the Brazilian church. The Portuguese king had the right to assign the highest head of the church and impose tithes. Although the Portuguese kingdom changed its dynasty, the decree was still valid.

Because the suzerain did not have strong support, the Jesus Church was not in high status in Brazil, nor did it own so much land and property like the Spanish colonies. Although there was also an Inquisition, people from other religions were also allowed to enter. In fact, not only was the power of the Jesus Church not only was not strong, but was not popular in Brazil.

The reason is that the Jesus regarded the indigenous people as God's people and did not allow the Portuguese colonists to enslave them. However, the colonists needed labor and had to capture slaves. In order to obtain asylum, the Indians fled to the land controlled by the church. The result was that the Brazilian squire, who were mainly planters, had great opinions about the Jesus, and it was not relieved until the black Africans imported them.

The Empire had long experienced this. After the signing of the Treaty of Lisbon, the Empire went north to southern Brazil to expel the Jesuits. The local white people did not stand up and talked to him. Instead, they took the opportunity to attack the Jesuit villages and captured Indians as slaves.

"Governor General, please sit down." Li Junwei signaled that Lavradia could sit down and talk.

After thanking him, Lavradia sat down, picked up the tea cup, and tasted the tea served. When Li Junwei looked at him, he seemed to see an old-fashioned scholar-official, but this was no wonder. Portugal was the country with the deepest connections with the empire and the closest contacts, especially the nobles, who were greatly influenced by the imperial culture.

"Great Your Highness, I heard that you are interested in expelling Catholics from the Nangang area. It seems that we, Brazil, can do a little favor." Lavradia said carefully.

"It also includes the Chile area, where there are 300,000, maybe 400,000, or more." Li Junwei told the truth.
Chapter completed!