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Chapter 1382 Red Sea 4
"It's alright, Sister Dusi has nine sons. I heard that the fourth one is quite clever, but unfortunately he went to the army, so he can't help out much!"

The staff officers all knew what Gao Lie was talking about and chimed in to join the discussion. "The enemy outside the city is nothing. Let them charge first; the closer they get, the faster they'll die!"

"It's all hearsay, you don't know anything. The one who's truly successful is Third Sister Fu! The Warriors Battalion guards His Majesty's side all day long, with top-notch food, drink, and supplies, top-notch equipment and weapons, and Jian is the most favored by the Emperor."

"My sister is so smart! Why didn't I think of having my child participate in the Imperial Horse Stables selection? One step behind means one step behind! My second son is the same age as my sister and is still a captain, and he missed the competition this time. Ugh, what bad luck!"

The topic of descendants really struck a nerve with Gao Lie. He felt nothing but envy and jealousy; it seemed he didn't harbor any hatred, or perhaps he couldn't even muster the strength to hate.

"Becoming a captain after only three years of service is already quite impressive. How many people can compare to me in terms of wealth? An 18-year-old looks like he's 38. I can carry one in each hand and walk across the springboard like it's nothing. It's only because His Majesty is so carefree. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't dare to keep him by my side. I'd be terrified if I woke up in the middle of the night!"

The staff officers naturally knew better than anyone what kind of person their superior's child was. They originally wanted to say a few words of praise, but when they thought of that boy who was taller, stronger, and more powerful than an adult, they immediately forgot all the words of praise.

Jefu was a Black child from Colombo, who was a slave brought from West Africa by the Portuguese.

They caught him as an adult, but after asking him carefully on the boat, they found out he was a child in his early teens. Although he was stronger and taller than an adult, he was still a child and not very mature. No one would want to buy him and raise him for several years.

Nine years ago, when Jieji led her fleet to a resupply stop in Colombo, she discovered someone swimming close to the flagship in the middle of the night. To find out who dared to do such a thing, Jieji ordered that no shots be fired and the person be captured alive.

A fierce struggle ensued during the capture, resulting in injuries to three sailors before the assailant was finally apprehended. Upon closer questioning, it was discovered that he was a young Black man. He claimed that he had swum 5 kilometers to the anchorage because he was hungry and had heard that the Ming Dynasty ship had plenty of food, intending to board and feast.

This was originally a minor matter; if Sister Ji hadn't intervened, it would have been handled by the officer on duty. She might have been given a beating and released, or she might have simply disappeared. However, trespassing on a warship and being shot on the spot would have been justified.

But since Sister Ji had nothing else to do, she personally organized the interrogation. Looking at the little guy in front of her who could speak Portuguese, Dutch, the local indigenous language, and a few words of Chinese, and who was at least a head and a half taller and twice as heavy as herself, she immediately became interested.

After learning about his background and current situation, Jieji was delighted. This was an orphan who didn't even know where his hometown was and had no one to rely on! He perfectly met her adoption criteria, and she didn't need to consider whether his skin color was black or white.

Many years ago, His Majesty the Emperor selected Black children from Enbird Port and sent them to the Haihusi for training. The best were then chosen for use in the Imperial Guard. Even the Emperor's personal guard includes Black soldiers; who could be more particular or more precious than the Emperor?

"Alright, stop badmouthing your superior behind his back. Notify the fleet that they can begin shelling, and it would be best to increase the range by 500 meters. This piece of meat is quite large; let's try to take a bigger bite!"

Gossiping on the battlefield is just for amusement when you're bored; it shouldn't affect combat. Gao Lie, however, balances entertainment and work very well, indulging his gossip without affecting his control of the battlefield, and seemingly even gaining some extra benefits. In the 17th century, the end of the Red Sea had no canals, only a small bay with a dock of decent depth. The port of Suez developed thanks to this dock, gradually developing into a residential area and city.

Before the Ming Dynasty's influence spread here, the port's cargo throughput was not large, so the city was also small. Its east-west width was basically the length of the wharf, a little over one kilometer, and its north-south span was even smaller, less than one kilometer.

The navy's decision to station only one guard here was not an overestimation of their capabilities, but rather the optimal solution calculated based on the terrain. After the emperor's personal expedition, the naval staff conducted an on-site survey and ultimately concluded that this location was unsuitable for constructing a large-scale defense system.

The main problem is geology. The soil in Suez Harbor is mainly gravel, and even the nearby mountains are sandstone, making the structure very loose and unsuitable for building materials. In addition, the area is short of water and lacks the conditions for quarrying and firing bricks.

If large-scale defensive fortifications were to be built, the vast majority of building materials would have to be transported from the port of Colombo, 6000 kilometers away. In addition, craftsmen would have to be brought along, as the local craftsmen only knew how to build cities with rammed earth and had little opportunity to practice brick and stone construction.

Besides Suez, the situation is similar with Fao Port. It's not that the Navy can't afford the money; as long as the construction plan is submitted, given the strategic value of the two ports, the General Staff will most likely approve it.

Even if military funds are insufficient, applications can be submitted to the Ministry of Taxation and the Ministry of Revenue to use special funds, or loans can be obtained directly from the Sun and Moon Bank. As long as the emperor approves, millions of silver coins can be obtained in no time.

However, the Naval Staff did not do that because all military facilities have an accountability period. If any dereliction of duty is found within this period, everyone in the Naval Staff who was involved in the matter will be held accountable, regardless of whether they are on duty or not, and even if the person dies, their family will still be held responsible.

This was not just military law, but a written provision in the new Ming Dynasty Code. The greatest achievement of the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Hanlin Academy in recent years has been the revision of the new Ming Dynasty Code. Almost every year, new articles were added, and outdated articles were removed.

Without constructing complete fortifications, can the same effect be achieved by increasing troop deployments? Theoretically, yes. If the Marine Corps Command is short-staffed, the defense of the two ports can be transferred to the Army, which will only be responsible for logistical support.

However, the same problem persisted: the costs were too high. Both ports were quite wealthy, but they lacked one thing: food! The local area produced virtually no grain and had few herders; everyone relied on trade for food and drink.

Deploying too many troops would ensure security, but it would create problems with food, lodging, and transportation. Local supplies wouldn't be enough, so they'd have to be shipped from Colombo. And this shipping would be continuous, regardless of the length of the deployment, rain or shine.

For a time, the garrison at Port-e-Ngok relied entirely on supplies from the rear to survive. However, the area has the potential for self-sufficiency, and things will improve once the difficult period is over. But the ports of Suez and Fao do not have the capacity for self-sufficiency, at least not at present.

Since large-scale construction and a large military presence are both impossible, does that mean these two tiny port cities are incapable of effective defense? The Naval Staff gave a negative answer: the key lies in the phrase "tiny."

(End of this chapter)