No matter which era, the navy is an extremely expensive military force, and it is still the same in this era. Take their current warships for example. Although they are all made by themselves, it still costs a lot of money from finding materials to craftsmen's construction.
The largest naval warship of the Tang Dynasty was powered by both sails and oars, but it was not very large, only about 30 meters long and only about 6 or 7 meters wide. It did not travel very fast and its ability to withstand wind and waves was very low.
To put it bluntly, it is an inland wooden boat. If it reaches the sea, it can only perform some transportation tasks. If it wants to perform combat missions, it can only rely on the collision of the ship, the catapult on the ship, or directly jumping off the ship to fight. In Li Xiang's eyes, these are the most backward methods.
Li Xiang's system already had sailboats and gunboats, so Li Xiang ordered the entire Dengzhou Navy to set sail. However, what surprised Li Xiang was that the Dengzhou Navy actually came from land. You are obviously all naval officers and soldiers, how could you come here by road?
"I am Li Zhilong, the Deputy Admiral of the Dengzhou Navy. I am honored to meet Your Highness."
When seeing the dark-skinned man in front of him, Li Xiang always felt that this person did not look like a naval general, but more like a land general. He was almost 180 feet tall, which was definitely an impressive height in that era.
Li Xiang had never heard of this name before, and because the Tang Dynasty's navy was not very powerful, this name appeared relatively rarely in history. Originally, the Dengzhou Navy had no commander-in-chief, but now Li Xiang became the commander-in-chief of the Dengzhou Navy, and they could be said to be looking forward to tomorrow.
The imperial court has always paid relatively little attention to the navy. After the failure of the last eastern expedition to Goguryeo, the imperial court allocated even less funds to the navy. These people just live their daily lives, and if they want to improve their lives, it can only be done in their dreams. Suddenly, all of them were transferred to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, which was equivalent to giving these people a way to survive.
Although they have always lived by the sea, they have some understanding of the affairs in Chang'an. Since the appearance of Li Xiang, the entire Tang Dynasty has become different. They once thought that the navy could get in touch with Li Xiang, but unfortunately Li Xiang has been in Tuyuhun and Tubo, and he can't install horseshoes on our ships.
This time our prayers have finally been heard, and the Emperor has appointed Your Highness as the Admiral of the Navy. We have finally made it.
"How many soldiers are there in the Dengzhou navy who are ready to fight?"
If these people had come by boat, Li Xiang would have felt a little happier. But since you all came from land, it means that your boats are not very useful, or you simply don't have the ability to sail on the sea. If that's the case, Li Xiang would probably have to disband the entire Dengzhou navy.
Li Xiang's dream is not limited to the areas around the Tang Dynasty. All the good places on the sea are still in Li Xiang's mind. If the navy is not good enough, then those good places can only be dreams. Li Xiang will never allow such a thing to happen. Even if you have made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty in the past, if you can't drive a warship now, you can't stay here.
"In reply to your Highness, the Dengzhou Navy has a total of 23,500 men. Currently, 11,900 have arrived in Liaodong. The remainder will arrive within a month. Only 3,000 men will remain to defend the Dengzhou Navy camp."
Li Zhilong said excitedly, but Li Xiang frowned. Maybe this guy didn't hear what he said clearly. He didn't ask you to report how many people there were in the Dengzhou navy, but how many people you had who could fight?
"General Li, did you hear what I asked?"
Li Xiang repeated it again.
"Your Highness, I have heard everything clearly. All members of the Dengzhou Navy are allowed to board ships and fight, but there are only fourteen ships in the Dengzhou Navy camp..."
Li Zhilong met Li Xiang's gaze without dodging at all. Many people in the court were impeaching him, saying that he did not discipline the army strictly in normal times. This guy had no one to speak for him in the court, so he had been very aggrieved over the years. His Highness asked this question as soon as he came up. This was also his favorite topic. Although there were only fourteen warships in the navy camp, he had not been idle in the past two years. He had trained all his men. I dare not say whether they were elite or not, but at least they had no problem boarding the ship to fight.
"Everyone can board the ship and fight. If I give you a large ship now, can you sail it out?"
Li Xiang said with some disbelief. After all, he had obtained the official document from the Ministry of War. The annual military expenditure of Dengzhou Navy was also 350,000 strings of cash. However, since the year before last, only one-third of the military expenditure had been paid out each year. These people were lucky enough to have enough to eat. How could they possibly go for training?
"Your Highness, please inspect it. If you cannot make it to sea and return intact, I will offer my life as a sacrifice."
Li Xiang was really surprised when Li Zhilong said this. Most people would just practice Tai Chi and wouldn't give a direct answer. Last time, Li Zhilong just confronted us. However, Li Xiang likes people like this the most.
"Go to the beach and fire up one hundred and fifty of your best men."
Li Xiang also became interested at this time. There were already two types of warships in the system. One was a third-level warship, one was a second-level warship, and the other was a first-level warship. However, it was still in a gray state and there was no way to exchange it. Li Xiang planned to exchange it for a third-level warship first.
Li Xiang also did some research on historical warships. The third-level warships were basically equivalent to the warships during the Kangxi period.
It is about sixty meters long and eight meters wide. There are two red cannons on the bow and fourteen cannons on each side. This is a way of fighting that is out of touch with the current era.
When everyone saw this warship, they all thought it was a little strange, because the warships of the Tang Dynasty were flat on both sides, but this strange warship actually had some holes left. What were these holes used for? And there were some black things sticking out of these holes.
Li Xiang does not require these people to be able to fire cannons now. He only requires them to be able to drive out for a spin and then drive back, which means that they have passed the test.
The warships of a thousand years from now were much better the moment they were brought into contact with him. Li Zhilong was also an expert in this field. Whether in terms of structure or materials, they were much better than the current warships. He immediately ordered his soldiers to board the ship...