Chapter 789 Sing and harmonize

Gu Kai's reasons for opposing the navy's fleet expansion are indeed the same old tune, and Wang Tom's explanation is also nothing new. The navy's training cycle is long and the investment is large, and there seems to be no obvious return when not fighting.

Everyone knows this truth. Every year, the military debates with anti-war people in the group to fight for a limited military budget. Over the past few years, even those who are not directly involved can already memorize seven of the arguments from both sides.

We are already seven or eight, and it is difficult to easily arouse our emotions by the speeches of both parties.

But even the opposition can hardly deny the importance of the navy controlling key sea lanes. One of the steps Haihan took to capture Qiongbei was to first cut off the waterway of the Qiongzhou Strait to prevent the Ming Dynasty from adding troops to Hainan Island from the sea.

.The control of the Pearl River Estuary allowed Haihan to successfully control the only channel for maritime trade in the richest areas of Guangdong and Guangxi. As for the importance of the Fujian Strait waterway, there is no doubt that Haihan invested troops thousands of miles away.

The Fujian operation is to control this important sea lane connecting the South China Sea and Northeast Asia.

Of course, the rapid expansion of the military's armed forces is bound to cause uneasiness among some people within Haihan, and the military's performance in the Fujian waters in the second half of this year has further aggravated this perception. As for the executive committee's plan to continue heading north

Instead of fully supporting the plan to expand the controlled area, the military insisted on taking over Taiwan first, and conducted "unauthorized" reconnaissance and survey operations on the local area. Later, it even advocated using Kaohsiung Port as a Haihan port.

Develop the next colony in the southeastern waters of the Ming Dynasty. However, this action also prevented the base camp from making relevant preparations in time, resulting in the early development process of Kaohsiung Port not being as smooth as usual. The base camp spent a full day

It took several months to basically coordinate various related matters so that the investment promotion and infrastructure construction of Kaohsiung Port could continue.

In the view of Gu Kai and others, this is actually a manifestation of the military's self-reliance. It is meaningless to argue whether the military's choice is right or wrong, because the Executive Committee has recognized the military's approach and has also provided corresponding support.

Even if the military chose Kaohsiung Port arbitrarily at the beginning, it is now a fact that cannot be changed. However, controlling the military's expansion speed and preventing its excessive self-expansion is still a necessary method in the eyes of the opposition.

If the military continues to be allowed to make its own decisions, the Executive Committee may be reorganized into a military government in a few years.

Although everyone is accustomed to this kind of debate and lacks the enthusiasm to participate, some people will still stand up to help set the pace. The reason why the military can win more and lose less in discussions at various meetings is because they do not fight alone. They are hardcore

There are still a few allies.

Schneider was the first to speak out for the military. After all, the Ministry of Commerce wants to expand the scope of trade, and it can be said that every step cannot be separated from the support of the military. The rise and fall of the military is closely related to the Ministry of Commerce.

Due to the conflict of interests, as the head of the Ministry of Commerce, Schneider must take the initiative to advocate for the military.

Schneider said: "Gentlemen, our Ministry of Commerce has planned trade routes to Jiangsu and Zhejiang as early as 1630, but today this plan still remains on paper. The reason is very simple, because we do not have enough.

Maritime armed forces can provide protection for our merchant ships in the East China Sea. If the navy's fleet cannot be effectively expanded as soon as possible, it will be difficult to implement the northern trade and immigration route that you have previously envisioned."

"But the Ming Dynasty merchant ships that are now transporting immigrants from the north do not have any armed protection." Someone immediately questioned Schneider's words.

Schneider nodded and said: "This is indeed true, but you only notice this situation, but do not pay attention to the risks and consequences it brings. In the past three months, a total of seven merchant ships transporting immigrants have been in Ningbo

Pirates were encountered in the waters of Zhoushan Islands off the coast of Fujian Province. Four of them failed to escape successfully, and even the crew members were kidnapped. In addition, there have always been small groups of pirate activities along the coasts of Taizhou and Wenzhou, and there are even some pirates who crossed the ocean from Japan.

The Japanese pirates are coming. Transporting immigrants to us from the north is indeed a very profitable business, but the risk is also very high. There are not many Ming Dynasty merchants involved at present, otherwise our current speed of importing immigrants would be several times faster."

"Maybe we can change the model and send armed personnel to escort merchant ships. This can not only save the cost of building warships, but also reduce the operating costs of the entire navy. If we really encounter pirates, then the armed personnel on the ship can rely on our

We can use the superiority in weapons to carry out effective defense." Someone put forward another idea.

"The method you mentioned sounds okay, but it is unlikely to be realized in actual operation." Wang Tom shook his head and replied: "First of all, if the armed personnel escorting the ship are only equipped with light weapons, the effect in maritime operations will not be effective.

Obviously. In the undulating sea, if you want to hit an enemy ten meters away with a rifle, it depends on luck. If equipped with military artillery, we do not have so many idle artillery to complete the deployment, and the structural strength of merchant ships is not as strong as that of combat ships.

The deployment of military artillery on the ship also requires the modification of the deck and sides of the merchant ship, and the time and funds required are costs that cannot be ignored. The armed personnel escorted by the Golden Shield have also received the task of escorting the ship before, but

To be honest, the effect is not ideal. It can only deal with sporadic small groups of pirates, and it cannot have the same deterrent effect as a naval fleet."

"Everyone, if armed bodyguards are all that is needed, why should we spend huge sums of money to build an army? Even if there is no war, the role of the navy is irreplaceable!" Yan Chujie waved his fist excitedly: "Have you forgotten?

How did our code name Haihan come from? Sea power! Sea power! Sea control is the foundation for our foothold in this era, the basis for our future conquest of the world, and the prerequisite for everyone to enjoy glory and wealth in the future! With a powerful navy

, only then can we achieve the sea control we want!”

"But the shipbuilding budget previously submitted by the military has more than doubled compared to the budget proposals of previous years. Although what you just said makes sense, is it too much?" Ning Qi asked the military.

The Navy's military budget has been questioned.

Tom Wang responded: "The budget increase is mainly because the next generation of warships will generally add steam propulsion systems on board, allowing them to have stronger combat capabilities."

"Military steam engines don't cost that much, right?" Ning Qi continued to ask.

"The increased military expenditure is not just the manufacturing cost of the steam engine, it also includes the improvement of the hull structure and the increase in operation and maintenance costs. After all, the sail power used in the past did not have much operating cost, at most it only had depreciation expenses and labor costs.

.But after using steam propulsion, coal and fresh water must be added to the supplies. For this reason, we will probably need to increase the number of supply ships in the fleet. Calculated in this way, military expenditure will definitely increase compared with previous years.

But I can assure you that building a steam fleet will be a very worthwhile investment. When our fleet crushes our opponents at sea in the future, you will definitely agree with me without hesitation." Wang Tom patiently

explained.

"I also want to say a few words about the new generation of battleships proposed by the military." Yue Zhiyun raised his hand and said: "Everyone knows that the emergence of steam battleships is of epoch-making significance for the navy. Although our navy is

Several 'Dignity-class' hybrid warships have been installed before, but what we are going to do now is to install all combat ships with the latest propulsion system, so that the entire fleet can speed up at sea. Everyone

Don't think that this is just a matter of the military. In fact, the civilian application of military technology is the focus worthy of our attention. Perhaps in a year or two, we can begin to install small steam engines on civilian ships on a large scale to allow our maritime trade to enter

to a period of real rapid development.”

"This is not just a gain for shipyards. For the industrial sector, achieving mass production of steam engines is also a leap in productivity." Baikes took over Yue Zhiyun's words and continued: "In the past, when we built steam engines for ships, one batch would often

Just making one or two units will not only cost high production, but also make it difficult to standardize the production process. But if we can increase the number of units manufactured in each batch to ten, twenty, or even more, then mass production will

The cost will be effectively reduced, and we can also cultivate a group of industrial workers and technicians who truly master engine manufacturing technology. I don’t need to say more about how much this will promote the development of our industrial system.

?”

People with backgrounds in science and engineering account for at least more than 70% of the Time Travel Group. Industrialists have always been one of the most influential voices in this group, and most of the time they are even above the military - after all, the military's armaments are

They all come from the industrial sector. For the military, the industrial sector is an uncle that cannot be messed with. Of course, fortunately, this uncle will speak on the side of the military most of the time. After all, interests come first, and the military's orders have always been

It is an important part of the industrial sector's income, and the industrial sector will not be vague when it comes to supporting the military.

At critical moments, the industrial sector will come out to sing along with the military, and with the Ministry of Commerce playing a supporting role, the opposition is basically powerless against this combination, and can only verbally veto it. This time

There were no exceptions at the meeting. In the end, the military's military budget was passed by the Executive Committee's vote amidst a lot of noise.

According to the military's proposal, all military combat ships built since 1633 will use hybrid power structures. The purely sail-powered warships manufactured in the past few years will be gradually phased out and used by other departments such as justice, commerce, and shipping. The newly built steam fleet

It will be organized separately and will not be allocated to the four existing fleets. However, the specific deployment position needs to continue to be observed as the situation changes. After all, it takes more than three or five times to build an entire steam fleet.

Month, maybe it will take a year or two before we can truly achieve combat effectiveness.

It is also worth mentioning that the Navy's steam fleet adopts a dual-flagship organization, that is, two "Dignity-class" battleships will be included in this special fleet with epoch-making significance. Of course, this also means that

This will increase the cost of the entire fleet by about 20 to 30%. However, senior military officials believe that this price is worth it. A fleet with two "Dignity-class" warships is enough to deal with any competitor in the Far East at this time.

However, the financial burden this will bring is not small. The Navy's military budget for the coming year alone is almost equivalent to half of Haihan's annual income from the entire Hainan Island. However, Schneider, who is in charge of the financial budget, believes that this

This price is acceptable, because after this fleet is put into service, Haihan will have enough energy to expand commercial routes to the north and provide sufficient armed protection. He will soon be able to open sea routes to the prosperous areas in the central and eastern parts of the Ming Dynasty, and he can completely follow the instructions

The previous operating model at the Pearl River Estuary controlled the waters around Hangzhou Bay and the Yangtze River estuary in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, and used this to control most of the local maritime trade. The huge amount of money invested in naval construction officially entered the local market in Haihan.

After the trade system is established, you can quickly earn back through huge trade surpluses.

Regarding the dispute between the military and the opposition, Schneider has no idea who is right and wrong. His purpose is to expand the territory of his Haihan business empire as much as possible. In his opinion, the military's method of establishing influence is

It is too simple and crude with no technical content. Through trade penetration, while spreading culture and values, it gradually controls the economic lifeline of these areas and uses this to increase Haihan's local influence. This is what Schneider believes is civilized and valuable.

Efficient approach.

Of course, Schneider is also very clear that on the road of external expansion, it is not enough to rely solely on "incentives" to obtain the obedience of the outside world. The military's "coercion" is also a necessary weapon. And the most useless weapon is

It's probably just talk. So Schneider is quite supportive of the military's insistence on building a new fleet.

The military will also reciprocate this, such as continuing to support Schneider in the next executive committee reelection, and disposing of old military ships that will be phased out and replaced in the future at low prices to the Ministry of Commerce for use as special service ships, etc. Of course.

These transaction conditions will not be mentioned on the table. They are just mentioned during a private meal. Everyone nods together and it is tacitly understood at ordinary times. Seek some benefits for yourself and the department without affecting the larger political situation.

This is also a normal move for time-travelers who have been in the officialdom for several years.
Chapter completed!