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Chapter 1140: Advancing by Sea
"Captain, these military police seem to be different than usual. Is there another important person here? It's better not to be from the army. It's useless to stand there for a long time without recognizing any of them. Even if I recognize them, it's useless."

He was accompanied by several naval officers who were forced to stop their leave, including colleagues from the Indian Ocean Fleet. He was a young sailing captain, with a short military service and little experience, but he had a lot of strange words.

During the days of waiting to board the ship, middle and high-level army officials continued to arrive. Every time they came, they had to stand on the slope according to the military salute. Sometimes they had to go through this several times a day, which was really annoying.

But as a naval officer, he still had basic etiquette. He was dissatisfied that the army was the main force in this war, and the navy was only responsible for transportation and blockade. It can't be said that they were doing odd jobs, but they didn't get much military merit.

Not only him, many naval officers couldn't figure it out. In the past, similar ocean-going combat missions were led by the Marine Corps. Although this time the Marine Corps was mainly engaged in land warfare, it had also fought many landing battles and sieges, so it had more experience than the Army.

"Stop talking nonsense, button your clothes and stand up straight. If you don't change your bad habit of talking nonsense, you will be in trouble sooner or later!" Settle was certainly not satisfied with the arrangement that focused on the army, but an order was an order. Even if the emperor was going to lead the army in person, he had to endure his thoughts.

"...Could it be the Army Governor and the Chief of Staff? They are really putting in a lot of effort. I counted and there are five commanders alone!" It's a pity that it's hard to change the bad habit of talking too much. Captain Cao Fan was still muttering while tidying up his troops.

"Have you met the Grand Marshal?" Settle did not continue to accuse his colleague of being too talkative. Since he had mentioned who was coming, he might as well give him some advice to avoid him making mistakes and blaming himself for not explaining it clearly in advance.

"…I saw you at graduation."

"Listen carefully, it's the Grand Marshal, not His Majesty the Emperor. It's amazing that you can graduate with your comprehension ability!"

"…I haven't seen that before, have you?"

Captain Cao was very dissatisfied. All officers who graduated from the Royal Academy would receive medals from the emperor on the graduation day. However, as the Grand Marshal of the Imperial Army and Navy, he seemed to have never appeared in public. He had never seen him, and Settle should have never seen him either.

"I haven't seen it either, but I will see it today. Think about it quickly. What should you say if the Grand Marshal asks you questions? If you talk nonsense and embarrass the Navy in front of so many soldiers, you may never leave the mast again in your life."

Captain Cao Fan guessed correctly. Even though Setel was the younger brother of the Marquis of Korchin and had more opportunities to see the emperor than ordinary people, he had never seen the Grand Marshal in military uniform. However, Setel was not trying to show off, but to remind him.

"Go ahead and brag, I'll let you know the Marshal's itinerary!" Captain Cao not only did not appreciate it, but also laughed contemptuously.

It was no longer a secret that the emperor would lead the army in person, but when and where he would go and which ship he would take were all top secret. Not to mention a captain of a thousand ships, even the commander-in-chief of the three fleets could not know in advance.

"You ignorant frog in a well, I will teach you a lesson today. Look carefully, do you find anything different about those military police?"

Settle was not very good at speaking, and when he met the chattering and argumentative Captain Cao, he got really angry after just a few words and blurted out the truth that he didn't want to say.

"...Don't bluff me. Military police are military police. What's the difference?"

The military police is a special branch of the military. It is neither under the army nor the navy, but directly under the General Staff. It is small in size, with only one guard. They usually work in the garrisons and bases of various armies, specializing in supervising military discipline. The officers and soldiers of the army and navy hate the military police. They can recognize them even if they are skinned and burned to ashes. As long as they are within the range of vision, they must be spotted at a glance. Captain Cao Fan stared hard and looked hard, but did not find anything unusual.

"Don't just stare at the clothes, look behind the belt, there are saddle bags!" If he wasn't standing on a slope and couldn't avoid it, Settle would definitely not want to pay attention to this guy. He was too stupid and a coward.

"...When did the military police get new weapons? Do you know what models those two guns are?"

This time the sailing captain saw clearly that each gendarme had two half-leather holsters hanging on the back of his belt, with two short guns inserted in them. There was also a holster in front of the saddle, with a long gun inserted in it.

Although the intensity of the navy's gun training was lower than that of the army, there were almost land warfare commanders stationed in every base and port, and their knowledge of firearms was not much different, at most they were not very proficient in their use. However, these two pistols and a long gun puzzled him, as he had never seen them before.

"They are not military police, they are just wearing military police uniforms. If you see soldiers with such weapons next time, it is best to stay away from them. If you can't avoid them, just be quiet and don't talk too much. Have you heard of the Warrior Battalion and the Four Guards Battalion of the Imperial Horse Guard? You can see them with your own eyes today.

The Grand Marshal might also be on this ship. Remember what I just said and think about how to answer if you are asked. If you know something, just say you don't know. Don't lie."

Whether in ancient times or modern times, one's birth plays a big role in one's life. If Settle had not been born into a marquis family, even if he had been lucky enough to enter the Royal Academy, it would have been difficult for him to see the emperor's guards.

Similarly, there is a fundamental difference between those who have seen big scenes and those who have not. It is not visible at ordinary times, but only at critical moments. However, there are only a few critical moments in life, and sometimes if you fail to grasp them once, your whole life will be delayed.

"Captain Sai, help me check if there are any wrinkles on the back... Is my hat straight? It's broken. I haven't washed my face since I got up. How about you guys move your seats evenly so I can go back to the cabin and wipe my face?"

The captain of the sail had never seen such a big scene. When he heard that the emperor was coming and might be on the same ship with him, his mind immediately became a mess. He didn't know what to pay attention to. He always felt that nothing was right with him, and then he wanted to avoid him.

"The Grand Marshal has arrived...Everyone stand at attention!"

The gendarmes set up a post every ten steps and a sentry every five steps, and soon formed two human walls between the port entrance and the dock. Then someone shouted loudly, and the call was passed on like a relay so that everyone on the dock could hear it clearly.

"Pah...Long live the Empire! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Grand Marshal!"

At this time, everyone on the dock, including the docked ships, stood at attention, clenched their fists across their chests, and shouted slogans. At first, they were not in unison, but as they shouted, they became more and more unified.

The person who came was indeed the Emperor Jingyang of the Ming Dynasty and the Grand Marshal of the Navy and Army, Hong Tao. Besides the guards of the Cuju team led by Flathead Brother and the warriors of the Imperial Stables, there were also the Army Governor Du Wenhuan, the Governor's Chief of Staff Ding Shun and the Navy Governor's Chief of Staff Zhu Haiou.

(End of this chapter)