New Shun 1730

After the imperial edict reached Tianjin, the seventh prince Li Hu held the imperial edict in his hands and did not feel the slightest pleasure of finally assuming power.

The decree was a bit vague. It only said that Liu Yu's hard work had made him great achievements. Liu Yu was asked to return to Beijing to rest and participate in the military affairs. Li Hu was temporarily in charge of naval affairs and returned to Weihai as soon as possible.

It's just that I can't tell whether this sentence is good or bad, but there is another sentence in the imperial edict: "On all naval matters, those who follow Xiao Gui Cao can do it." It doesn't sound like a bad thing.

The navy's military talisman was also handed over to him, along with the imperial edict, and there was nothing more.

The naval officers who received the imperial edict with him did not make any noise. As early as after Li Han left for Weihai, Liu Yu had hinted more than once that the person who would take over the navy in the future would probably be the seventh prince. In fact, even if he did not say this, many people You can see it too.

There is nothing to be dissatisfied with. They were born well, had a good father and good ancestors, and were born with a much higher status than them. Such things are really common in Dashun. No matter how capable I am, is it possible that I can still be the emperor?

Officers may compete with each other for the first list of captains, but no one has even the slightest illusion of a future as a naval commander.

Just the sudden change still made these officers a little confused.

Surprisingly, no one asked Li Han what happened here, and no one rushed over to question him.

After listening to the imperial edict quietly, they dispersed quietly.

But the more this happened, the more Li Han knew in his heart Liu Yu's influence among these officers and that he was quite popular. He, the prince who suddenly parachuted over... wasn't that he didn't trust him, or that he didn't obey, but he didn't take him seriously. own people.

If you thought you were one of your own, you would definitely come around and ask what happened.

Li Han, who was holding the imperial edict, knew that this was a test for himself.

No matter what happened in the capital, his father's eyes must be fixed on him now to see if he could handle this unexpected situation.

It’s just that this test was a bit unexpected.

According to his opinion, it was a matter of course for him to take over the navy, and it would be a smooth transition. Liu Yu also followed this idea and kept cultivating him, and even let him start to have regular contact with the officers.

But it's still far from being prestigious in the military.

What he has is power, not prestige. If you believe in power, you will have it, if you don't believe it, you will not have it. The fact that the military is listening to him now is just the inertia of the imperial centralization system. If it is not handled well...

After rubbing his hands to calm down his nervousness, he returned to the ship and first called over all the officers above the rank of trainee captain who had accompanied him to Weihai.

Now that things have happened, the specific situation in the capital is not yet known. It is difficult for Li Han to express any opinions on Liu Yu's matter, and it is even better not to mention it.

If you mention it, there may be rumors.

Rumors, as long as you don't hear them with your own ears, you can pretend they don't exist. But if someone asks you directly, how should you answer?

Are you using your status as a prince to pressure them all into shutting up?

Or as a navy, remembering the former navy commander and complaining a little?

None of them work.

The officers were sitting there in a row, with all the proper etiquette and discipline. However, Li Huan just felt that something was not right. Compared with when Liu Yu was here, he seemed to be a little less angry.

"Gentlemen, when Ying Suobo was in charge of the navy in the past, he either went to the capital, stayed on Liugong Island to teach, or went to Songjiang. How did the navy operate in the past?"

He didn't mention the current matter at all, but directly talked about work.

A captain stood up and said: "Back to the Seventh Prince, there are training staff, supply staff, and logistics staff. Detailed plans have been made before, including how to train and how much gunpowder to supply. After Ying Suobo signs, the navy can It operates on its own. Generally speaking, the staff department formulates things like training, navigation, and surveying, and then each department executes them."

Li Han knew something about these situations, so he deliberately asked about it at this time, which corresponded to the four words "Xiao Gui Cao Sui" in the imperial edict.

Although mahjong is small, it has all the organs.

There is no Admiralty in the DPRK, but the Admiralty's framework has actually been set up, and it is operating step by step.

So Liu Yu can run around, he just needs to grasp the general direction.

Li Han asked again: "What does Ying Suobo do?"

"Returning to the Seventh Prince, we only make rough decisions."

"Oh, then, if Uncle Ying Sao decides on the general strategy in the capital, can the people in the staff implement it well? Uncle Ying Sao is quite prestigious in the military, regardless of land and sea. But if he only cares about the navy, and this time he crosses the sea to attack the Japanese, But it's not easy to take care of the army. I'm new to the navy and don't know the basics. The people in the staff are just studying how to do it, but they don't care about anything. From this point of view, I am just a mouthpiece for Ying Subo's wedding. , guarding my lovely wife and beautiful family in the Earl's Mansion, the message came to me... Only when you said this did I understand the meaning of 'Xiao Gui Cao Sui' in the imperial edict."

After that, he stood up and said: "Everyone, listen to your order. I am young and don't know the general strategy of the navy. If there is no order from the capital, I will not change a thing and everything will be as before. If there is no order from the capital, I will make my own decision. I will refuse. It is beyond my power. If there is no military order from the capital, I will go back to the capital to inquire in person. Now the first order of the imperial decree is to order us to return to Weihai. Please prepare to return as soon as possible. "

He didn't say anything to win over, nor did he say that the navy should be the navy of the imperial court, and that the imperial court had orders that must be carried out. Instead, he told these officers that everything should be at ease.

He would not give blind orders, nor would he let the tactical staff become the strategic staff to give him advice. Instead, he would tell everyone clearly that he would do nothing if there was no general guidance from the court.

The only person in the court who understood naval affairs at this time was Liu Yu. The naval officers could tell at a glance whether the order was issued by someone who understood the navy.

What was needed at this time was waiting, and he had to wait in Weihai. Li Xi believed that new news would soon come from the court.

He did not want Liu Yu to get into trouble. For him, the navy was his only chance, otherwise he, a defective prince, would have nothing.

If Liu Yu did not get into trouble, he could still take over the navy, and nothing would go wrong. If Liu Yu got into trouble, Li Xi knew very well that he could not control it; and if he changed to another noble general who did not understand the navy at all, the navy would be useless.

If Liu Yu got into trouble, it meant that the court's overseas expansion strategy was stillborn.

What was the use of him becoming the commander of the navy if there was no overseas expansion of the navy? What was the difference between staying in Weihai for a lifetime and being kept as a pig here?

…………

At the Weihai naval base camp, before Li Xi returned, the same imperial edict was delivered by express horse along the post station.

When it was delivered, Mantou was carrying his sailing diary and talking about his trip to Sweden according to the task assigned by Liu Yu before he left.

After the imperial edict was issued, once the messenger left, the officers here were not like those in Tianjin. Tianjin did not regard Li Xi as their own, but the officers in Weihai were all their own, and they immediately exploded.

"What happened?"

"Didn't Ying Suo Bo manage it well?"

"But what happened?"

In the midst of the chaos, the rest of the people were also numb, not knowing what to do. Only Mantou remained sober. He had been a slave in the Duke's Mansion for many years. It can be said that he had seen pigs run even though he had never eaten pork. In addition, he had been with Liu Yu for so long and had been taught for a long time. He knew that it was not okay to continue like this.

There were many people and many things to say, and it was possible that someone would say something like "the bow is hidden when the bird is gone", which would be a taboo.

Seeing that the officers were getting more and more noisy, Mantou threw the glass on the table to the ground, and the scene suddenly became quiet.

Everyone knew that Mantou was Liu Yu's confidant, and the noisy people seemed to have found their backbone all of a sudden.

"Brother Ziming! This... did the master say anything to you before he left?"

Mantou pressed his hand to ask people to be quiet, knowing that he had to calm everyone down at this time, and smiled: "What are you shouting about? Have you heard a saying? It's easier to be an official if you have someone in the court. Our navy has no one in the court. Isn't it a good thing that the master returns to the court? No one in the court, no one will take care of the shipbuilding funds and speeches in the court."

"But..." Someone in the crowd stood up and just said a but, Chen Qinghai on the side shouted directly: "But what? How can there be so many buts? Brother Ziming is right, there is no one in the court, our navy is like a child without parents."

After speaking, he blinked at Mantou, stood in front and said: "We have also seen the Seventh Prince, he is very smart, but after all, he is young and not familiar with the navy. People in the staff department must assist with all their heart. You must do well whatever the Seventh Prince tells you. Remember your duties."

A sentence that couldn't be more correct, and a few smarter ones have already understood what it meant.

Theoretically, these naval staff officers only do one thing on weekdays: formulate implementation rules for Liu Yu's orders.

What are their duties?

Of course, their duties are to do whatever Li Xi says, and no one can find fault with them.

Not only do they have to do it, but they have to do it well.

However, Li Xi is a little brat who has only studied in Jinghai Palace for a few months. What does he know about the navy?

If he doesn't say it, he won't do it.

It's not that we don't cooperate, but if you, the commander, don't say it, we can't act beyond our authority. This is the rule. You say you don't understand? You don't know anything, what do you care about the navy?

Before Liu Yu left, he had already issued various training, supply, ship repair and other tasks during his return to Beijing. Even if Li Xi did nothing, there would be no problems in the short term.

If he does it randomly, let him do it, officers obey orders.

The navy is not Liu Yu's private army, but some things can't be done without Liu Yu's orders, because the navy is not only funded by the military.

Not much is known about this, but Chen Qinghai and Mantou are both aware of it. For example, if the gunpowder used in the exercise is reported according to the normal amount, the court will be scared to death and think that it costs too much.

Maybe there will be people who are eager to change their allegiance, thinking that changing someone to follow is also a merit of loyalty.

But at least now, no one will think so, the situation is still unclear. What if this side thinks that Liu Yu has lost power, and Li Li rushes to stick to him as soon as he comes, and Liu Yu does not lose power but is promoted in the court a few days later, that would be interesting.

Mantou thinks that it is better to stabilize the situation now, while Chen Qinghai believes that not only should the situation be stabilized, but also "strive to cooperate with the new commander's work", and the new commander should be welcomed with the most full attitude, the most efficient official duties, and the most obedient performance.

Besides, Liu Yu is the backbone of the navy.

Not only the backbone, but also the vane of the court's strategy, and the only direct and visible vane of the court for these naval officers.

The strategy of the court determines the fate, prospects, and future of all the navy members.

If he really loses power, all the officers will understand that the navy is finished, or at least has no future. If he really loses power, it proves that the court has no intention to continue to develop the navy and continue the southward attack.

Without a future and a goal, what else is there to talk about?

No matter how well you do, you can't become a navy commander; if the navy loses power, the future southward strategy will be frustrated, and even if you become a captain, you will just sit in the port and slowly grow old with the warships...

The navy was really embarrassed at this time. There was no position in the court, and there was no squadron. Liu Yu took charge of everything, and the officer rank was the highest, that is, the captain.

The navy also had no naval department, and there was no fixed position in the court that needed to be promoted from the navy. After Li Li came to Weihai, everyone knew that it would be impossible for him to become a navy commander in this life.

Many people thought that if Ying Suobo lost power, he would still be a hammer navy, with no future, and he should go to a trading company to become a merchant ship captain as soon as possible.

Or some people thought that if Ying Suobo really lost power, they should go to the capital and persuade him to go to sea together. With our abilities, how could we not make a big thing overseas?

Hun Jianglong became the ruler of Siam, so why can't we do it? Why bother being under someone else's command for so long, arguing with those old folks in the court who don't understand the world today all day long over building a few warships?