1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 415 Test Content
"Brother, don't panic, the two chiefs just want to see how you are capable, and they won't embarrass you." Luo Shengdong greeted Wu Sen with a complacent expression.

As for how to evaluate the professional skill level of Wu Sen, the surrendered general, the military has still used some brains.Taking the warships currently installed by the Navy as an example, all operations on board are carried out in accordance with the standardized operating procedures formulated by a group of old sea dogs in the Navy Command. Foreign personnel like Wu Sen have no way to start after boarding the ship, let alone I'm afraid it would be difficult for him to be a deckhand if the ship was temporarily handed over to him—although the rigging system on this ship seems to have a simple structure, getting familiar with its operation is not something that can be done in a short while.

As for the combat system and the steering wheel system that need to be linked with the lower deck, it takes a period of training on the warship to master the operating rules, and Wu Sen, a layman, can't figure it out.In short, if you want to test Wusen's sailing and command skills, the navy's warships are definitely not suitable, and Wang Tom thinks that even if Wusen can be absorbed into the navy, it is impossible to hand over a certain warship to him in a short time to command.

Therefore, the focus of the assessment was placed on Wu Sen's other navigation skills, such as the intuitive judgment of external conditions such as sea conditions, wind speed, wind direction, course, and sailing speed. These are the basic qualities that a naval command post must possess. However, most of the grassroots soldiers in the navy do not have such abilities. It is precisely because of this that Wu Sen's former status as a naval officer has received enough attention from relevant departments.

In this process, Luo Shengdong undoubtedly became a good reference standard.In terms of professional skills, Luo Shengdong is quite a competent naval officer, and he is also worthy of the position of admiral under his ass.Since taking over the smuggling of salt from Haihan the year before last, the ship Luo Shengdong is in charge of has never had any problems during the voyage, and his navigation skills are even better than those of some half-way traveler captains under the Ministry of Shipping. out a lot.

After the warship sailed out of Victory Port, it headed south all the way. Wang Tom personally commanded the warship, and constantly issued instructions to correct the course on the way. Luo Shengdong and Wu Sen had to judge the speed and course by themselves during the journey. And draw a rough route map.Although this assessment method does not involve the operation and command of the ship, the degree of difficulty is quite high. Even an experienced sea dog like Tom Wang dare not 100% guarantee that he can map out the route completely and accurately.

With Luo Shengdong as a reference, it is easier to judge Wu Sen's actual level.Luo Shengdong's actual performance is indeed slightly better, and his judgment accuracy of various external conditions is better than that of Wu Sen, but Wang Tom and Sun Changmi both think that this is an advantage at home, after all, he is in this sea area. He has been around for many years, and Luo Shengdong has been on the Haihan warship many times, so he has a certain understanding of the operation of the ship.If the assessment location is changed to near the coast of Annan, and the boat is replaced with an ordinary sailing boat, then the results obtained will probably be reversed.And if the average level of the current navy commanders is used as a benchmark, Wu Sen's performance has surpassed most of the junior officers in active service in the navy, and it is basically enough to be the second-in-command first officer.

By noon that day, the ship had sailed into the open sea, and the cliffs of Hutouling outside Victory Harbor could not be seen with the naked eye.Wu Sen has noticed since leaving the port that the speed of the Haihan warship is far from being comparable to that of traditional sailing ships. The average speed is at least twice as slow, which must have something to do with the strange rigging system and the long and narrow shape of the ship.Moreover, in addition to the fast speed of this ship, the steering is also very flexible. Often, Wu Sen can feel the tilt change of the ship's hull just after Wang Tom's order is issued.Wu Sen noticed that the direction of the ship seemed to be controlled by a wooden wheel with a diameter of more than two feet.

But Tom Wang's instructions made Wu Sen feel confused and completely unable to understand. Wu Sen didn't know the meaning of ten left rudder and ten right rudder.And in this link, Luo Shengdong has a clear advantage. He became interested in it when he was on the Haihan warship before, and he also consulted Wang Tom and others to understand the command direction. What exactly does it mean? In this way, he can assist in judging the ship's sailing route according to the order given by Wang Tom.

The evaluation of the first stage came to an end at noon, and Wang Tom ordered to slow down the speed and put a meal on the table. He took advantage of this time to summarize the test results in the morning alone with Sun Changmi.

Wu Sen also witnessed the "extravagant" side of the Haihan Legion here, because the food on this ship was much better than what he had eaten in the past few days.Everyone's rice bowl has seafood-based meat, and Wu Sen can tell that one or several kinds of spices are obviously added to it, as well as stir-fried fresh vegetables, and each person has a piece of fruit after the meal.Wu Sen felt that if this meal was placed on the landscape avenue of Shengli Port, it would be too much to say, and the two-yuan circulation coupon must be required.There are at least 70 or [-] sailors and soldiers on this ship, and they have to eat dozens of taels of silver for a daily meal. It’s not like the South Vietnam navy he led back then. The average monthly food expenses for each person is less than five taels Compared with the silver and food level of the Haihan Navy, it is no wonder that their performance in battle is so much worse.

Seeing Luo Shengdong sitting next to him with a big bowl and eating vigorously, Wu Sen couldn't help asking: "Brother Luo, is the Haihan Navy's meal like this every day, or is it because of the presence of the two chiefs today? Just a special extra meal?"

Luo Shengdong wiped his mouth and said: "How can it be like this every day, Brother Wu, don't think too much."

As soon as Wu Sen breathed a sigh of relief, Luo Shengdong continued: "This is just the usual training meal. It is said that the meal is better than usual during the war. It's a pity that I have a special status and I can't go to war with the navy. I haven't seen how the navy's wartime food is like."

Wu Sen looked in disbelief: "Brother Luo, don't be fooled. I'm new here and I'm not familiar with the situation of the navy. I also understand that the navy consumes a lot. I heard that a Haihan warship costs tens of thousands of yuan in circulation coupons. Usually If you don’t fight wars, you have to support these sailors and crew, how can you not control the cost of food and drink?”

"Control?" Luo Shengdong tapped the side of the bowl lightly with his chopsticks and said, "This is already the result of control. The Haihan militia is so rich, your brother doesn't know him at all now, if it wasn't for the fact that he was still wearing This official skin, I can't escape for the time being, maybe I, Luo Shengdong, have already voted for Hai Han!"

The two were chatting, when a sailor on the boat came over with a glass jar about a foot high: "Master Luo, Master Wu, this is a new kimchi from the logistics department. Our President Sun also asked you to comment on it." !"

Wu Sen was so frightened that he almost dropped the rice bowl in his hand—it wasn’t because of the special care given by Sun Changmi, after all, kimchi was not worth much, and what surprised him was that the Haihan people were so extravagant to use glass jars A worthless thing.

Luo Shengdong didn't take it seriously, thanked him for taking it, opened the lid and poured a few yuan into Wu Sen's bowl, and then gave himself a few more.

Wu Sen couldn't help asking: "It's just kimchi, but it's packed in such a precious vessel. Wouldn't it be a pity if the boat was bumped and broken?"

Luo Shengdong smiled and said: "In your Annan country, this kind of glass must be very expensive, right?"

"Although the workmanship of this glass jar is a bit rough, it costs at least 50 taels of silver for this size!" Wu Sen didn't seem to hear the teasing in Luo Shengdong's tone, and replied seriously: "In the next month's salary , it’s only enough to buy a glass bowl produced by Haihan, and it’s definitely not enough to buy such a big jar.”

"This thing is only considered a treasure by outsiders!" Luo Shengdong commented proudly.He is quite familiar with Haihan's production of glassware, and he also knows that it is not difficult to produce this thing, and the cost is frighteningly low.There is a glass workshop not far from the Shengli Port military camp. Luo Shengdong was lucky enough to visit it once, and he was very impressed by the glass slag piled up like a hill outside the workshop.Schneider once proudly told him that Haihan has two products that can expand its production capacity almost infinitely, one is table salt, and the other is glass products.And these two products have also become invincible knocking hammers. Merchants anywhere will not refuse their entry, even the South Vietnam area, which has been at war with Haihan, is no exception.

Of course, Wu Sen also felt Luo Shengdong's eyes looking like a countryman at this time, and immediately argued: "I just don't think it's worthwhile to do this. This kimchi can be packed in an earthen jar!"

"In Haihan, this glass jar is not more valuable than an earthen jar, and the advantage of using a glass jar is that you can see whether the kimchi inside has any signs of damage without opening it." Luo Shengdong pointed to the nailboard and said : "The light in the cabin below is not strong. If you use an earthen jar, it is difficult to see the situation in the jar. It is much more convenient to use this glass jar."

"The Haihan people use glass jars to pack kimchi for this reason?" Although Luo Shengdong's explanation sounds a bit unbelievable, it seems to be reasonable to a certain extent.

"Yeah, that's why it sounds so fucked up. It's not just kimchi. You may have a chance to visit the kitchen on the ship in the future. There are a lot of things in glassware." Luo Shengdong smiled and said: "On this ship The glass altars and jars in it are worth at least a thousand taels of silver according to the market price, but what can I do? Mr. Shi, who manages the money, said that if you have money, you will be willful, and if you have money, you will be willful!"

Wu Sen can only feel speechless for such an argument, and he can't even give birth to dissatisfaction.The wealth of the Haihan people is not only reflected in the fact that they can equip their army with the best weapons, even the things used in these invisible corners of the ship, the Haihan people are not stingy with using the best kind.This is no longer the luxury he thought at the beginning, but the meticulous work done by the Haihan people to improve the combat effectiveness of the crew on board.These altars and pots hidden in the cabin will never appear in the course of the war, but they are indeed part of the Haihan Navy's combat power. Even in these most basic details, the former Nanyue Navy is far behind its opponents.

On the one hand, Wu Sen feels sad for his old master. Even if the Nanyue Navy is several times stronger, it may be difficult to take advantage of opponents like the Haihan Navy.On the other hand, as his new employer, Wu Sen feels that his future seems to be a little brighter. After all, such a powerful water force is almost invincible in Wu Sen's cognition—except A certain branch is said to be far away from the pirate forces in Fujian, but such a distance is not enough to pose a substantial threat to the current Haihan forces.

The Ruan brothers came out of the cabin in a hurry, their faces couldn't hide their joy, they walked up to Wu Sen and cupped their hands and said, "Congratulations, Brother Wu!"

Wu Sen quickly got up and responded, "Where does my joy come from?"

Ruan Jinggui said: "Just now, General Wang and President Sun asked us two brothers to go in, carefully asked about Brother Wu's family background, and General Wang even made a record in his own hand...Brother Wu, it seems that General Wang intends to reuse you! "

Ruan Jingwen also continued excitedly: "My little brother was listening to the two chief executives talking about your performance in the morning. The evaluation was very good. It seems that you have passed the test without any problem!"

"It's too early to discuss the results at this time. Don't let the chiefs know that it will make you unhappy." Wu Sen was naturally very happy after hearing these words, but he still tried his best to control his emotions and responded calmly.

"It's not so fast." Luo Shengdong next to him put down his empty bowl, wiped his mouth, and poured cold water on the three Annan surrenders in a calm manner: "Even if you pass the skill test and political review, you can still do it." It won’t be so soon to get an appointment, at least you have to go to the Shengli Port Military Academy to receive military training for two or three months before you have the possibility of entering the job.”

Wu Sen didn't quite understand what "political censorship" was, but the meaning of Luo Shengdong's words was very clear—he wanted to directly enter the navy, and it was not something that could be achieved right now, it had to go through a period of time Training will do.

Wu Sen immediately bowed to Luo Shengdong and said, "It seems that Brother Luo knows a lot about this, please give me some advice."

Luo Shengdong said: "I can't give advice, but I can roughly talk about the situation I know. The rules of the Haihan militia are not the same as those of Daming, and they are definitely worse than your Annan. I heard that the soldiers on your side They are all civilian husbands who were temporarily arrested from the local government before the war... I am digressing, and I am talking about business..."

In the past two years, Luo Shengdong has spent more and more time in Shengli Port, and his understanding of various aspects of Haihan's social system has become more and more in-depth. Although he has no hope of joining the Haihan militia so far, but This does not prevent him from collecting information about the Haihan militia through various channels in private.It's not that Luo Shengdong intends to engage in espionage activities, he is now determined to follow Haihan to the end, the position of military officer of the Ming Dynasty, if the Executive Committee needs him to do it, he will continue to do it, if the Executive Committee notifies one day If he gets down from this seat, then he will probably send the application report to the imperial court immediately.The reason why he collected information about the militia was because of his military status, he would always be more concerned about these things, and secondly, he thought that if he really changed his family one day, he could make some preparations earlier.

After a match with Wu Sen in the morning, Luo Shengdong also found that this guy actually has some real skills, and he is also a person who can read the atmosphere with knowledge and interest, so he will not be offensive.As a result, Luo Shengdong became less hostile towards him. Of course, the condescending mentality of city people looking at country people is still unavoidable. The very boastful tone is a bit like Wang Po selling melons and boasting - although he himself still has the official status of Ming Dynasty, he is not even a Haihan Guihuamin.

With the separation of the land and sea armies of the Haihan Militia, the original military academy also took advantage of the trend to separate different professional subjects.Of course, part of the training content is the same, such as military discipline, obedience training to military orders, and some physical training content, that is, land and sea are the same, and it is the first compulsory subject.After completing this kind of training content, you will enter the training of professional subjects.

Luo Shengdong himself was born in the navy, so he was more interested in the training content of the navy and knew more details. Based on what he saw on the ship, he briefly introduced to Wu Sen how the training of the Haihan Navy started from scrubbing the deck. , Starting from tidying up the sails, step by step to train the crew's combat skills at sea.After mastering the professional skills of the crew, more detailed and high-end command personnel training courses will be carried out.This part involves some sailing techniques exclusively mastered by the Haihan people. Even if Luo Shengdong has a good relationship with the Haihan people, he has never entered a military school classroom to systematically learn related knowledge. After all, these advanced knowledge can only be passed on to future generations. A naturalized civilian officer who fought in Haihan.

"I have heard from General Wang that he has sailed on five continents and four oceans, and has been to almost all continental coasts in the world. All the places have become the territory managed by the Executive Committee!" Luo Shengdong said here, and there was a trace of longing in his eyes: "What a magnificent undertaking this will be!"

"Then the executive committee will definitely establish a country by then!" Wu Sen heard Luo Shengdong say this, and his first reaction was to think of the way the executive committee will manage overseas territories in the future.

"Establish a state?" Luo Shengdong smiled and said, "There are no outsiders here, and I'm not afraid to speak plainly. If the executive committee wants to establish a state, it can establish it last year. Yazhou is a place where the emperor is far away from the mountains. No one can control it. The Executive Committee really wants to establish a Haihan Kingdom. It will take at least a year and a half before the court hears about it. When there is a response, it will probably be another year and a half. When the time comes, it will be hard to say whether Qiongzhou Island will belong to Daming or Haihan!"

(End of this chapter)