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Chapter 1129 Big Ideals and Small Calculations

Jieji frowned, wanting to criticize, but in the end she only gave a kind reminder and a lecture. Although the captain was young, he had a great background. His name was Borjigin Setel, the second son of the former Horqin Marquis Obada Taiji and the younger brother of the current Horqin Marquis Bazada.

Although he had no title and was only a thousand households, he still had to be careful about his words and deeds, otherwise some of his words would really reach his brother's ears and might even reach the emperor. The emperor would most likely not punish him for his words, but it was not a good thing to cause trouble for His Majesty.

"I would like to chase you, but you stopped me!" Even though Settle had been a sailor for many years, he still had the obvious signs of a prairie man. He spoke very directly and did not look at anyone's face. He would just talk back as soon as he opened his mouth.

"I'm doing this for your own good... An expedition to the Hawaiian Islands sounds exciting and would certainly be a great achievement, but in reality, you won't get any military credit. Think about it carefully. Once they have built their base, will they need a rotation? If they report you to them then, wouldn't it be like picking up a ready-made opportunity?"

Even though Sister Ji had a good personality, she couldn't stand hearing that. She had good intentions, but in the end, she was treated as a donkey's liver and lungs. No, she had to make things clear.

"Is it really that good?" Settle felt that it made some sense, but he was not sure.

"It couldn't be more true. I'm not exaggerating. Angelo calls me Master whenever he sees me. When he first joined the navy, he always failed the navigation class. It was all because of me tutoring him in geometry privately. Without my help, he wouldn't even have the chance to get on board, let alone command the ship."

Jie Ji was not just talking nonsense to please her subordinates. She immediately mentioned a person, Angelo, the commander-in-chief of the Maritime Transport Command, who was currently serving as the deputy commander-in-chief of the expedition fleet and had great influence.

"Come on, tell me what the rules are in America, what the Spanish warships look like, how fast they can run, and how many guns they have?"

Settle really didn't know whether Angelo and Jieji had a deep personal relationship. When the two met, he was not even as tall as a sheep on the grassland. However, given Jieji's seniority in the navy, it must be normal for her to know Angelo, and she might be able to hear something useful.

"The Spanish galleons are very large, two times larger than your Han-class ships. They also have many guns, with 40 to 50 being the standard configuration, and I heard there are also 70 to 80. As for the number... I haven't figured it out yet.

You have seen the world map before. The Spanish mainland is on the European side. If you want to go to Lima Port, you can only take a detour through the Drake Passage. I heard from the Emperor that there are westerly winds all year round, and the sea conditions are worse than those at the Cape of Good Hope, so it is unlikely that there are many large ships.

Even if there is, it doesn’t matter. Back then, outside Manila Harbor, we used the earliest model of the Qin-class to fight the Spaniards. As long as we controlled the distance, it was just like an adult beating a child. Now the Qin-class has been updated twice, and we have the Han-class. We don’t need to fight with more people against fewer people. They are no match for us in a one-on-one fight.”

Does Jieji know the details of the west coast of America? Not only does he know, even the Navy General Staff does not know. In addition to occupying the islands and building dock bases, the Navy Expeditionary Fleet heading to Hawaii also has a mission to conduct a field survey of the west coast, including sea conditions, geographical features, and urban ports.

But it would not be objective to say that he knew nothing about it. He participated in the battles to capture the Montanes and the capture of Manila Harbor, and had a very intuitive understanding of the Spanish naval and land warfare styles. It was enough to fool the younger generation at this time.

"What a long time ago, we are making progress, the Spanish won't stay where they are, right? If His Majesty heard this, he would definitely say you are conservative and unwilling to make progress." But the young man was not someone who could be fooled. Although Setel had never fought against the Spanish army, he had received a more systematic education. With the existence of intelligence agencies and ambassadors at all levels, European countries were no longer unfamiliar. Even if he had never been there, he could find information about them in the materials.

"Hey, don't be unconvinced. I can't guarantee the performance of other countries, but the Spanish have indeed made no progress over the years. From ships to naval guns, they are still using old models from 20 years ago...

This country is quite interesting. It occupied a large territory in America early on and had several large silver mines. Its monthly output was more than that of the Ming Dynasty in a year.

But after hundreds of years of struggle, they were unable to defeat even the small countries around them, and allowed Britain and the Netherlands to grow bigger and stronger right under their noses. How cowardly it could be.

Take these two countries for example. They are really tiny countries with nothing. Look at how His Majesty dealt with Korea and Japan. Not to mention the backlash, even those who were not active enough in paying tribute would be punished. Forget about the navy. If they dare to build big ships, they will be destroyed together with the ships and shipyards. They won’t be given any chance at all.”

Being squeezed in the face by the younger generation, Jie Ji had to throw out some hard facts to maintain his prestige. Fortunately, he had not completely lost his mind and casually revealed the high-level intelligence he got from the General Staff. He only mentioned it in one sentence and immediately changed the subject.

"Dusi, why do I feel like you're more interested in the West Coast of America than I am? To be honest, do you have any ideas?"

Anyone who says Settle is simple and honest is really blind. He just looks simple and honest, but he is full of tricks. In fact, this is inevitable. People who can graduate from Haihu Division may not be very smart, but they are definitely not very honest and innocent. Even if their nature is like this, they will change after a few years of influence.

It's not that anyone deliberately makes things difficult for the students, but the style follows that of the founder. The children educated by Hong Tao may not be proficient in anything, but they will never be simple and honest.

"Those who don't want to are fools! Since the establishment of the navy, we have won successive victories in Annan, Luzon, Thanlyin, and Cape of Good Hope. It is precisely because of these achievements that we can be on par with the army.

But compared with America, all the previous battles would pale in comparison. This time, His Majesty no longer wanted a port or an island, but half of an entire continent.

Use your not-too-stupid brain and think carefully about how many troops are needed to occupy such a large territory. Moreover, there are not only indigenous people but also many European countries such as Spain.

I am a useless person, and I was fortunate enough to join the navy because of your majesty's favor. However, I am getting old, and the day of retirement is not far away. If I miss this opportunity, I will never be able to participate in such a war again in my life.

On a larger scale, I want to repay His Majesty for his kindness and expand the empire's territory; on a smaller scale, I also want to be remembered by the world for my achievements, preferably engraved on the monument outside the Meridian Gate. As a navy officer, what could be a more glorious moment than an expedition to the New World! "

(End of this chapter)