vrcanaries Chapter 716: Prepare the Navy
Chapter 716: Prepare the Navy
Everyone continued to discuss military affairs. At this moment, the guard at the door came in and said,
"Your Majesty, Pang Lei, the deputy commander of the Chu army, requests an audience."
Yan Fuyao nodded slightly and said,
"Let him in."
After a while, Pang Lei walked in, looked at the emperors and generals in the tent, knelt on one knee, and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner,
"Criminal General Pang Lei pays homage to the Emperor of Dayan and to all the princes and generals!"
"Flat body, give me a seat."
Pang Lei stood up, clasped his hands and said,
"I have come here to express my gratitude to Your Majesty for granting General Xiang a coffin so that he can rest in peace. I also thank you for giving us, the surrendered soldiers, the opportunity to see General Xiang off.
Thank you, Your Majesty. "
"It's just a small favor. No matter how hostile we were during life, the dead are the most important. We still need to bury them. General Xiang was a respectable man after all.
I believe General Pang has heard what General Gongyang said. He has promised us that he will serve Dayan and continue to lead the surrendered soldiers of the Qian army to form a new legion.
"Pang Shuai, are you willing to serve Dayan and continue to lead those Chu soldiers who surrendered?"
Pang Lei immediately knelt on one knee and said,
"Today, General Gongyang has persuaded the guilty general, and he has come to his senses. He has suddenly realized that the unification of the world by Great Yan is an inevitable trend, and that insisting on opposing it is like trying to stop a chariot with a mantis arm.
The Emperor of Dayan is magnanimous and treats us surrendered soldiers well.
You trust us not to run away, and I trust you too. We are willing to serve Dayan!"
Yan Fuyao put on a satisfied smile and said,
"Okay, get up quickly and sit down to talk."
"As ordered!"
Then, Yan Fuyao turned his head to look at Shen Changgong and said,
"You come and ask. I will take a closer look at the battle damage report and the number of surrendered soldiers."
"As ordered!"
Shen Changgong nodded to her, then looked at Pang Lei and said,
"Since General Pang has decided to join our army, we are now one family. I will speak frankly if you have anything to say.
I have long heard that the Chu navy is invincible in the world, with tall ships and deep draft, and all the naval officers and soldiers are capable and good at fighting.
As for us, the people of Great Yan are basically landlubbers. If we want to cross the Yangtze River to attack the capital of Ying, we must have a navy. I wonder if General Pang knows how to organize and fight a navy?"
Pang Lei clasped his hands and said,
"Your Highness, before heading north, I served as deputy commander of the Chu Navy. I have been in the navy for twenty years, and have been deputy commander for five years."
"Oh?"
Shen Changgong's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he looked interested and said,
"So, I have found a treasure. The Chu people are good at water warfare. If these 50,000 or 60,000 surrendered soldiers are handed over to General Pang, can we form a large naval force?"
"I have no choice but to do my duty."
Pang Lei said,
"The Chu navy is seriously short of money. Although they have fighting capacity, all the senior officers are from the Chu aristocracy. These people are all gilded but rotten inside. They appear smart and capable, but in reality they are empty-headed. It is impossible for them to be good at fighting, but they are very good at singing and dancing.
The Chu navy was strong because of its soldiers and commander Zhou Yun, not its officers.
Zhou Yun, a man who inherited the title of Duke Dingguo, was arrogant, conceited, and looked down on others. However, he had reason to be arrogant. He was indeed a capable man who had wiped out many river bandits and fought against the Japanese pirates in the nearby sea.
But he also has his shortcomings, that is, he has never fought in a large-scale naval army battle.
Because, in recent decades, no country has ever invaded the heartland of Chu."
Shen Changgong nodded deeply.
“Yes, there are both praise and criticism. This person has abilities but also character flaws. The evaluations are all fair.
But it seems that Pang Shuai has suffered a lot from Zhou Yun, right?"
Shen Changgong heard full of resentment and dissatisfaction in his tone.
Pang Lei sighed and said,
“To be frank, Your Highness, I don’t get along with Zhou Yun at all. He’s too arrogant. He treats his subordinates with either beatings or scolding, and his words are mostly contemptuous. It’s as if he’s the only one in the world who knows how to fight a water battle, and everyone else is a traitor.
I have suffered a lot under his command over the years.
But his title is higher than mine and he is the head coach, so I have to swallow my anger.
This time, the Chu army was heading north to form a corps and select a commander and deputy commander. I immediately submitted my application so that I wouldn't have to work with Zhou Yun."
Shen Changgong nodded and smiled.
"Then, General Pang, do you want to... personally lead the Great Yan Navy to severely defeat Zhou Yun and prove that you are more capable than him?"
Hearing this, Pang Lei was surprised.
"Your Highness, do you really want the future general to lead this navy?"
Just now, Shen Changgong only told him to set up the group, but did not tell him to lead it, and did not give him command authority.
Asking this question at this time means giving him the authority to command!
"That depends on whether Pang Shuai has the ability and confidence."
"I am willing to die for you, Your Majesty! If you cannot defeat the Chu navy, I will bring my head to you!"
At this moment, Pang Lei fully understood Gong Yangge's mood.
A gentleman will die for his friend. To have such an enlightened and trusting lord, he directly let the surrendered general take up such an important position, which shows his broad mind.
"I do not want you to die in my service. I want you to live and defeat the enemy. Get up! When you return, organize the surrendered Chu troops. I will also send you some troops to assist you in forming a navy."
"I will obey your orders!"
The navy is not as good as the army. Even if Gongyang Ge's army is not in trouble, Shen Changgong is not worried. Even if Gongyang Ge rebels, he is confident that he can put it down.
But the navy cannot do this. The naval warships must be equipped with cannons, and once on the river, Pang Lei will have the final say. If he rebels and takes the warships and soldiers to join the State of Chu, then the State of Yan will have no hope of crossing the river.
So we still have to insert the nails.
"General Pang, this navy is the first of its kind in Dayan, so we take it very seriously. We've also found a group of skilled shipbuilders. When the time comes, we'll provide them with both manpower and supplies. Don't worry about the money, food, and supplies. Just focus on cooperating with the craftsmen and building the best warships."
"I will obey my orders."
At this point, Shen Changgong suddenly smiled and said,
"After the army crosses the river, we will continue to build ships, but they will be large sea-going warships.
If we can build large warships directly this time, that would be great. If the geographical location is not suitable, we can also build them in Jinling downstream."
"Your Highness wants to build a sea-going ship? Is he planning to go to sea?"
"Don't worry about this for now, just go and do your work."
Shen Changgong's goal has always been the sea of stars, not the national forces on the ground.
After sending Pang Lei away and asking him to appease and recruit the surrendered Chu soldiers, Shen Changgong then discussed military affairs with everyone, calculating the number of food, weapons, new recruits, etc.