Uncle Lai in the Red Chamber

Chapter 407 Arrangement
After dinner, Lai Shangrong arranged for someone to go to Rong Mansion and Jia Jun's house to summon them, asking them to come early tomorrow morning before rushing to the old house.

When he met his father Lai Da, he told Qin Zhong his idea of ​​forming a navy and the arrangement of his personnel.

Lai Dali hesitated slightly and said: "The money is not a problem, but can Liu Xianglian be trusted? According to what Zhong Er said in the letter, he gathered those sailors together. If the tail is too big to fall off..."

Since the impeachment crisis, the father and son have always focused on their escape route. They can build up a maritime force. If something unexpected happens, they only need to arrive at Jinmen Harbor to escape by boat.

Regarding the rise and fall of the family, Lai Da didn't care too much about this little money.

It's just that he still has doubts about Liu Xianglian.

"That's why the son asked his father to send a batch of adopted orphans there. This way, he won't know anything about the situation of this navy."

He only had a two-way relationship with Liu Xianglian, and his understanding of him was limited to a few words in the original work and Qin Zhong's narration.

However, he is not without checks and balances.

As the saying goes, before the soldiers and horses are moved, food and grass go first. There is no difference between the navy and the army. Since new artillery is to be installed, ammunition supply and maintenance are inseparable from him.

As long as the supply is well controlled, after a few years, once the ironclad ships come out, even if people's minds change, it won't be a big problem.

"Okay! Then I will try my best to pick some loyal and reliable ones and send them to him."

"Yes!" Lai Shangrong nodded and said, "However, if you don't trust the people you employ, just observe them secretly, and don't limit yourself."

After discussing some specific details such as ship purchase payment, personnel arrangements, etc., Lai Shangrong returned to his new home.

When Qin Zhong wrote, Qin Keqing must have something to say to him, so he stayed at Tianxiang Tower.

"When can Zhong'er come back?"

"After three years, the imperial court should send another envoy!"

While listening to Qin Keqing in her arms narrating the contents of Qin Zhong's letter, she was stroking her delicate body that was getting plumper after giving birth.

When Qin Keqing turned red, shy and panting, Lai Shangrong smiled and said, "We have to work harder to give Zhong Er another niece before he comes back."

"Uncle...Uncle!~"

Hearing this long-lost address, Lai Shangrong couldn't hold back anymore, turned over and pressed the beautiful woman in his arms under him.

…………

The next day, early in the morning.

Lai Shangrong felt refreshed and neatly dressed. He exercised in Huifang Garden for a while before moving to the backyard.

"Master! Brother Lan and Brother Jun are here, waiting for you in the front hall!"

"Move breakfast to the front room!"

Lai Shangrong gave an order and moved to the front hall.

"This is a letter from your senior brother. You two will read it after breakfast. After reading it, stay here and write a reflection. I will read it when I come back in the afternoon."

After breakfast, the two went to the outer study room. Lai Shangrong also got in the car and rushed to the court.

It was early morning, but Lai Shangrong did not leave the palace. Instead, he found the eunuch on duty and informed the emperor.

Come to the imperial study room and finish the ceremony. "What did Lai Aiqing do?"

"Back to the Emperor! The shipbuilding craftsmen recruited from the Western Yi have arrived. The war between Japan and Japan has been going on for more than a year. It is time to start building ships to transport women and children."

Although he would not tell the emperor about forming a private army, the transportation of women and children had already been discussed.

After all, future supplies and acceptance of personnel will require official cooperation.

"Why didn't you report this to the court this morning?"

"Back to the Emperor! Xian and Japan are our vassal vassal of Great Xia, and they also have good friends in the court. I think it is not convenient to go through official channels to avoid any changes in the minds of the two countries.

As long as the imperial court does not take the lead and instead allows the people to act voluntarily, then it will be said that God has the virtue of a good life, and it will be unbearable to see the ordinary people of other countries displaced..."

Lai Shangrong paused and then continued: "Besides, acting in the name of the imperial court requires cooperation in the construction of sea-going ships. Now that the iron-clad ships developed by Chen have made progress, they will replace the existing sea-going ships sooner or later. It is better to let the private sector invest in shipbuilding. The factory will save the court from unnecessary expenses."

His words are actually seriously misleading. Even if the armored ship is successfully developed, it will not be widely used by civilians for the time being due to production capacity constraints.

Therefore, the construction of wooden seagoing ships will not only be eliminated for a while, but also profitable.

However, the private army formed by Liu Xianglian cannot be without losses. If you want to replenish it in the future, once the shipbuilding factory is state-owned, maintenance and team expansion will inevitably leave traces.

It is better to take the entire industry into one's own hands.

If it were about other matters, Emperor Zhenglong might not be so easy to fool, but Daxia focused on agriculture and neglected commerce, and his knowledge of the ocean was insufficient.

In Emperor Zhenglong's thinking, with the indestructible armored ship, this wooden ship was indeed worthless.

He nodded and said: "Ai Qing is an old man and has thought carefully about the country. I will do it according to your wishes. When the personnel are transported back, we will make arrangements for the reception!"

"Wei Chen accepts the order!" Lai Shangrong saluted: "It's just that Korea and Japan are still at war with the Netherlands and Gaulji. It is difficult to judge the reactions of the two countries. Wei Chen suggested that new artillery be installed at Jinmen Port first. ,in case for need."

Although Lai Shangrong has started smelting pig iron at the rubber estate where he was addicted and transported it to Changshan Island in the south and north of the Bohai Sea for storage, the amount required to build artillery is not small and is still insufficient.

In addition, he did not expect that Liu Xianglian would be able to form a private army when he came back. He planned to wait for these shipbuilders to come over and build ships to transport construction facilities to the island before starting the plan.

Therefore, if you want to obtain firearms immediately, the only way is to go to the Firearms Factory.

As long as the emperor agreed to this suggestion, with his control over the firearms factory, it would not be difficult to play some numbers games, appropriate some firearms, and transport them to the island to add to the fleet.

The South and North Changshan Islands will also be used as a supply point for the fleet in the future. After all, once firearms are installed, ports such as Jinmen will not be so easy to enter.

The distance between Jinmen and the capital is only a hundred kilometers, and the sea is not as good as the land, so it is difficult to detect ships coming and going.

Therefore, threats from the sea are also what the emperor is most concerned about.

"My beloved, please contact the Ministry of War on this matter. I will arrange for them to handle it as soon as possible."

"Your Majesty, the new artillery installed this time is a new type of artillery. Whether it is maintenance or installation, the Ministry of War has no relevant experience, so I am afraid that it cannot be done independently. It is better to ask the ministers to send people to transport it to Tianjin, and then the Ministry of War and the local guards will Accept it and help with the installation!"

Although the two places are only more than a hundred miles apart, transporting artillery is not a simple matter. Of course, it was delivered with the help of the imperial court.

"What Ai Qing said is absolutely true. I was negligent. I will leave this matter to you. I will issue an order to the military officers and order them to cooperate with you."

New muskets require guided training before use, and artillery is naturally indispensable for this procedure. Emperor Zhenglong agreed almost without thinking.

(End of this chapter)