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Chapter 1139 The veteran takes action
"…So, Your Majesty is sure that we can defeat the Ottoman Sultan? I asked the Chief of the General Staff. The Ottoman Empire has a population of nearly 2000 million, and its army uses muskets and artillery. It also has the advantage of time, place, and people. I'm afraid it won't be that easy to deal with!"

At this point, Gulandam suddenly thought of the upcoming war from the barrel business. She had seen how the Ming Empire army fought when she was a child. It was indeed powerful, and the army of the Yarkand Khanate had no power to fight back.

But this time the opponent is much stronger, larger, and farther away than the army of the Yarkand Khanate. In addition, the locals all believe in Islam, which seems to be unfavorable to them. It is worrying whether they can still win smoothly.

Even if they won in the end, the result was still not optimistic because it took too long and consumed too much national strength. But the emperor was already preparing to produce barrels to sell to oil wells and refineries, and it was obvious that he was absolutely sure of success.

"Fighting is a man's job. We just make money and count it. Forget about fighting and think more about oil wells and refineries.

I have already made an appointment with Minister Bi to borrow two master craftsmen who are well versed in this field from the Ministry of Chemical Industry to go to the Port of Hormuz to wait on call, and by the way, ask the Persians about the source of the oil.

If you can get enough data, calculate the cost first, so you don't have to cram at the last minute. This is your responsibility, so get the work done and get going as soon as possible.

Don't take the bank's boat, find an excuse to board a navy ship, stop at Da Nang, Manila and Thanlyin Port as much as possible, and learn the specific combat plans from the officers through casual conversation. "

The ancients were right, old ginger is indeed more spicy. Compared with Oyani, Gulandam seemed a little immature, caring about the emperor but ignoring the other.

In addition to her talent, the main reason was that she had too little experience. In the years since she started working, the empire and the outside world had been stable, and the Sun-Moon Bank followed suit, without any major accidents, let alone the dangers of the early days.

But it doesn't matter, as the emperor's foreign policy changes, major events will come one after another. The Ottoman side is just an expected surprise, and bigger ones are still to come.

When the Hawaiian naval base is completed and the Ming navy attacks the Spaniards on the west coast of America, that will be the most exciting moment. Oyani only needs to use her brain to estimate how European countries will react.

They can temporarily abandon the interests of Asia, but they will never give up the New World. They will fight back and maybe even unite to face the outside world. After all, in terms of faith, European countries belong to one family, and they should understand the principle of meat rotten in the pot.

The emperor was about to lead the army in person again. Starting from the day the first battle report was delivered to the palace, it took the court only five days to draw up a detailed battle plan and enter the implementation stage step by step. The efficiency was very high.

However, the emperor was more efficient and quietly persuaded the three cabinet ministers and the two chiefs and deputy chiefs of staff. With the support and acquiescence of these officials, when the emperor proposed to lead the army in person at the imperial meeting, the opponents could not make much waves.

In fact, the reason given by the emperor was not unreasonable. He said that this was the first large-scale joint operation of the imperial army and navy. If there was no commander-in-chief who could calm the situation and coordinate, the two armies that had been dissatisfied with each other for a long time would not fight each other, but might waste their energy.

As for who can completely control the situation and make the army and navy bow down, the current Chief of Staff is not qualified, and the Minister of War is useless. Unless Yuan Keli is resurrected and the old Li Ruzhang is added, only the emperor can do it. The Grand Marshal is not called for nothing. In name, the emperor is indeed the supreme commander of the Imperial Army and the Imperial Navy, and he has the right to command. At this time, the officials realized that when the honors were formulated, they might have been fooled by the emperor again. This Grand Marshal, who is usually useless, is not just an honorary title.

The military order was given and the troops came in droves. Since the end of December, the naval port of Weihaiwei has been surrounded by soldiers in camouflage uniforms. Army units drawn from the north have set up temporary camps outside the port. Looking around, the tents are connected in a row, with no end in sight.

The sea was even busier, with Guangzhou-class and Huangshan-class armed cargo ships belonging to the Navy and the Maritime Command coming one after another. Because the dock was too small, they had to temporarily anchor in the anchorage and wait to enter the port.

The dock was bustling with noise. There were army soldiers queuing up to board the ship, dock workers shouting while loading and unloading cargo, and naval officers commanding the ships to leave and dock. Unless you shouted at the top of your lungs, you couldn't hear what the other person was saying even if you were face to face.

"Toot, toot, toot... toot, toot..." As if it were not chaotic enough, a team of gendarmes with red bands on their arms suddenly ran in from outside the port area. Each of them held a copper whistle in his mouth and blew it as he ran with his cheeks puffed out.

Everyone passing by, including soldiers and porters boarding the ship, stopped everything they did and stood at attention when they heard the whistle. The noise disappeared completely, leaving only the sound of waves hitting the hull and the sea breeze blowing the canvas.

Compared to the army standing like wooden stakes on the dock, the navy on the ship seemed much more relaxed. Only the officers lined up on one side of the ship, most of the sailors were resting in the cabin, and the few on duty were doing what they were supposed to do, all busy with their work, at most looking up a few times.

At the berth closest to the middle of the dock was a Huangshan-class armed cargo ship, and several officers dressed as officers were talking in low voices near the steering platform. After hearing the whistle and seeing the military police, they all straightened their uniforms and stood in a row.

Among them was a captain with a sturdy build, a square head and a blue epaulette with a six-pointed silver star. He was none other than Settle, the captain of the Indian Ocean Fleet squadron, who had returned to Beijing on vacation and was preparing to ask the emperor for mercy through his brother's connections.

My brother agreed, but before he could enter the palace to meet the emperor before the festival, the emperor had to lead the army in person. When such a big event was approaching, not to mention the Marquis of Korchin, even the queen could not see the emperor a few times, so the request for mercy could only be postponed.

As the captain of the main battleship of the Indian Ocean Fleet, Settle's vacation was also ruined. After receiving the order, all officers and soldiers on leave had to assemble at the nearby naval port as quickly as possible and take the cargo ship of the Maritime Transport Command to return to the headquarters to prepare for battle.

He arrived three days ago, and after the military police in charge of receiving him verified his identity, they told him that he would have to wait about five days for the warship from Manila to arrive. Settle didn't want to wait that long, so he used his identity as a naval captain to gain some connections before he boarded the armed cargo ship heading to Xiaoliuqiu Naval Base.

As long as he reaches the naval base, he will be able to find a ship to Colombo Port. At the very least, he can take a trip with the communications ship. It doesn't matter if it's a little uncomfortable. If he returns late after such a war, he will regret it for the rest of his life.

(End of this chapter)