Chapter 789 Sing and Harmony
Gu Kai's reasons for opposing the navy's fleet expansion are indeed the same old tune, and Wang Tom's explanation for this is also nothing new. The training cycle of the navy is long and the investment is high. When there is no war, there seems to be no obvious return at all. This is known to everyone. The military has to debate with anti-war people in the group every year to fight for the limited military budget. Over the past few years, even those who are not directly involved have memorized the arguments of both sides by heart, and it is difficult to easily inflame emotions by the speeches of both sides.
But even the opposition can hardly deny the importance of the navy controlling key sea lanes. One of Haihan's initial steps to capture Qiongbei was to cut off the waterway of the Qiongzhou Strait to eliminate the possibility of Ming Dynasty sending more troops to Hainan Island from the sea. The control of the waters 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 sent troops to fight in Fujian, thousands of miles away, just to control this important sea waterway connecting the South China Sea and Northeast Asia.
Of course, the rapid expansion of the military's armed forces will inevitably cause uneasiness among some people within Haihan, and the military's performance in Fujian waters in the second half of this year has further aggravated this perception. Regarding the Executive Committee's plan to continue to expand its control area to the north, the military not only failed to comply with the arrangement and fully support it, but insisted on taking Taiwan first and conducted "unauthorized" reconnaissance and survey operations on the local area. Later, he strongly advocated the development of Kaohsiung Port as Haihan's 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. It took a full month at the base camp to basically coordinate various related matters so that the investment promotion and infrastructure construction of Kaohsiung Port could continue.
In the eyes of Gu Kai and others, this is actually a manifestation of the military's self-reliance. It is meaningless to debate whether the military's choice was right or wrong, because the Executive Committee has recognized the military's approach and provided corresponding support. Even if the military chose Kaohsiung Port arbitrarily at the beginning, it is now a certainty that it cannot The fact has changed. However, controlling the military's expansion speed and preventing its excessive self-expansion are still necessary measures 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 such debates and lacks enthusiasm for participating, some people will still stand up to help set the pace. The military is able to win more than it loses in discussions at various meetings because it does not fight alone and has several hardcore 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 is inseparable from the support of the military. The rise and fall of the military is closely related to the interests of the Ministry of Commerce. 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 Zhoushan Islands off the coast, and four of them failed to escape, and even the crew members were kidnapped. In addition, there have always been small groups of pirates operating along the coasts of Taizhou and Wenzhou, and some even crossed the ocean from Japan. Japanese pirates are coming. Transporting immigrants to us from the north is indeed a profitable business, but the risk is also very high. There are not many Daming merchants involved at present, otherwise our current speed of importing immigrants would be several times faster."
"Perhaps 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 encounter pirates, the armed personnel on the ship can also rely on our Weapons superiority for 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 responded: "First of all, if the armed personnel escorting the ship are only equipped with light weapons, the effect will not be effective in maritime operations. Obviously. On undulating seas, it depends on luck to hit an enemy ten meters away with a rifle. If we are 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 war. The deployment of military artillery also requires the modification of the deck and sides of the merchant ship. The time and expense required are also costs that cannot be ignored. The armed personnel escorted by the Golden Shield have also received the task of escorting the ship, 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 enough, then why do 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 power is the foundation for our future in this era. It is the prerequisite for us to enjoy glory and wealth in the future! , 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. Questions have been raised about the Navy's military budget.
Wang Tom responded: "The budget increase is mainly because the next generation of warships will generally add steam propulsion systems on board, so that they can have stronger combat capabilities." "Military steam engines don't have such a high cost, right?" Ning Qi Continue 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 supply. For this reason, we will probably need to increase the number of supply ships in the fleet. 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." Tom Wang patiently said. 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 want to do now is to install all combat ships with the latest propulsion system, so that the entire fleet can speed up at sea. Don't think that this is just a matter for the military. In fact, the civilianization of military technology is the focus 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." Bai Kesi took over Yue Zhiyun's words and continued: "In the past, when we built steam engines for ships, one batch would often If we only build one or two units, the production cost will be high, and it will be 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 be possible. 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 science and engineering backgrounds account for at least more than 70% of the time-traveling 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 the boss they can't afford to mess with. Of course, fortunately, this uncle will speak on the side of the military most of the time. After all, interests come first. The military's orders have always been an important part of the industrial sector's revenue, and the industrial sector will not be vague when it is time to support the military. .
At critical moments, the industrial sector would come out to join the military, and with the Ministry of Commerce playing a supporting role, the opposition was basically powerless against this combination, and could only verbally veto it. There was no exception at this 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 adopt hybrid structures, and purely sail-powered warships manufactured in the past few years will be gradually phased out for use by other departments such as justice, commerce, and shipping. The newly built steam fleet will adopt a separate organization and will not be allocated to the existing four fleets. However, the specific deployment position needs to continue to be observed as the situation changes. After all, it will take more than three to five months to build an entire steam fleet. It may take one or two years to truly form 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 the cost of the entire fleet will increase by about 20% to 30%. However, senior military officials believe that the 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 price is acceptable, because after this fleet is put into service, Haihan will have the spare capacity to expand commercial routes to the north and provide sufficient armed protection, and will soon be able to open the way to the rich areas in the central and eastern parts of the Ming Dynasty. It can completely control the sea areas around Hangzhou Bay and the Yangtze River estuary in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions according to the previous operation model at the Pearl River Estuary, and use this to control the majority of the local maritime trade. The huge amount of money invested in naval construction can soon be earned back through a huge trade surplus after Haihan officially enters the local trading system.
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 too simple and crude and has no technical content. Through trade penetration, it gradually controls the economic lifeline of these areas while spreading culture and values, and uses this to increase Haihan's local influence. Influence, this is what Schneider believes is a civilized and 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 probably pure talk. Therefore, 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 election, 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 will just be mentioned during a private meal, everyone will nod together, and it will be tacitly understood. Seeking some benefits for oneself and the department without affecting the larger political situation is also a normal move for time travelers who have been in the officialdom for several years.
(End of chapter)