Diqin Designer

Chapter 283 The Beginning of the Qin Navy (Two in One)

The foreign students have not arrived yet, but another school in Daqin is about to start.

This school was also built inside the Qin Imperial Palace. In fact, the land where the school was built did not originally belong to the Qin Imperial Palace, but was now under the jurisdiction of the palace, and all the people of Xianyang who lived on this land had moved away.

Many people understood that this was done for the convenience of Li Nian who lived in the palace, but they still felt it was too outrageous.

The great Qin Naval Academy, even if it is not located in a coastal area, should find a place close to a river or a lake, otherwise how can it conduct training?
Your Majesty did not choose any of these places, but chose to set it up in the inland area of ​​Xianyang.

Although Xianyang also has rivers, how can they compare with the endless sea?

It would have been fine if it was located in Xianyang, but His Majesty eventually decided to locate the Naval Academy in the imperial palace, and all of this was for the convenience of Master Li Nian. Isn't this favor too much?

If His Majesty the Emperor had not stated that Li Nian was not his son and had not given Princess Shunying to him in marriage, no one would have doubted that Li Nian was not His Majesty the Emperor's son.

This couple is closer to their son-in-law than to their own son.

That’s right, the Great Qin Royal Naval Academy was built in the Great Qin Imperial Palace in Xianyang!

At the first court meeting of the Qin Dynasty, Li Nian first proposed to build a military academy and then a naval academy. However, the military academy has not yet opened, and the naval academy has taken the lead.

There is a reason for this!
The main reason is that the country is just beginning to settle down, and the demand for the army in various places is greater than that for the navy. The army generals have to garrison in various places and it is difficult to transfer them for the time being. The navy generals are relatively free, so a group of them can be selected to go to Xianyang to participate in the study.

Today is the opening day of the Naval Academy.

As the first naval school in Daqin, and the first opening of classes, it is of great significance. Moreover, I heard from Li Nian that 70% of the world is ocean. If we want to compete with other countries and nations for supremacy in the world, the navy is the top priority!

Naturally, the First Emperor took this very seriously and personally presided over the opening ceremony.

Those who participated in the ceremony included the First Emperor, Li Nian, the civil and military officials of the Qin Dynasty in Xianyang, and a group of students who were going to enter the academy.

Compared with the previous opening ceremony, there were much fewer people. For example, the princes of Daqin were not present, and the students' parents and relatives were not present either.

These students who are going to study in the academy are also somewhat special. Not only are there generals selected from the Qin Navy, but there is also a group of craftsmen who are familiar with shipbuilding skills.

Even if the quality of naval generals and soldiers is improved, if the shipbuilding technology cannot keep up, the effect that Li Nian wants cannot be achieved.

So he proposed to the First Emperor to recruit a group of top shipbuilding craftsmen to Xianyang and study together with the naval generals.

Only when craftsmen understand what the ocean is and what the ships they build will be used for can they better build suitable ships.

Moreover, if Li Nian wants to teach them the knowledge about marine ships for future generations, they must be literate and understand science and culture so that they can better understand what Li Nian is talking about.

Following the previous ceremony process, the national flag was raised and the national anthem was played, but the difference was that a flag belonging to the Daqin Navy was also raised next to the Daqin national flag.

The First Emperor began to give a speech at the beginning of the semester. He drew out the sword he was wearing and pointed to a huge world map behind him: "Look at this!"

Everyone looked at the map, and the First Emperor said, "Li Nian told me that this is the full picture of the world. Daqin is only a corner of the world. There is a wider world outside Daqin. And in this wider world, 70% is ocean, and the land is just an island floating on it."

Some people know that the outside world is huge and there is more than just the Qin Dynasty, but seeing this complete version of the world map still brought them a great shock. The outside world is too huge!

"From this map, you can see that some places that are difficult to reach by land can be reached by sea. Some people may be wondering why they should go to these places. Why not just stay in Daqin?"

No one answered his question, and the First Emperor didn't need anyone to answer it. He asked himself and answered: "There is not only the Qin Dynasty in this world, there are other countries and nations. If we don't occupy these places, they will occupy them!"

"When the time comes, they will become powerful through the grain and mineral resources in these places, even surpassing the Qin Dynasty, and will become a threat to the Qin Dynasty."

"I really appreciate what Li Nian said: all nations and ethnic groups are groups of animals trying to survive in this dense forest of the world."

"When two or more groups of beasts meet, they usually don't become friends. Instead, they first wave their claws and expose their sharp teeth to test each other's strength. Once they find that the other party is weak during the test, they will seize its land, take its food, and even destroy its tribe."

"Even if a group of animals wants to keep to themselves and honestly guard their territory without causing trouble, other groups of animals may not let it go. They will still come to harass and test it. Once they see the weak nature of the honest group of animals, they will attack it and tear it apart."

"Because for a country and a nation, being weak is a crime, and being backward will lead to being beaten. If you are not beaten one day, it is just because others do not want to beat you!"

The First Emperor looked at the naval cadets who were about to enroll and asked: "Do you want to fight others in this dense forest, or be beaten by others?"

The artisans among the students were a little scared and didn't dare to answer, but the generals selected from the navy shouted back: "Your Majesty, of course we will beat others!"

Led by them, the craftsmen also began to answer, and finally formed a uniform voice.

"Hit someone else!"

"very good!"

The First Emperor nodded and said, "So, Daqin must do its best to become the king of beasts and not become prey in the eyes of other beasts. Only Daqin can fight others, and others cannot fight Daqin!"

"Outside of Daqin, there are many places that are treasured, and their fertility is even greater than that of Daqin. How can we easily give such treasures to others and turn them into a boost for their prosperity? Can you allow it?"

All the students said in unison: "Not allowed!"

"I will not allow it either. That is why the Qin Dynasty must seize the initiative before other nations and peoples react. Even if it fails now, we must pave the way for our descendants."

"Do you imagine that in the future, you will be attacked at the border, your parents will be killed, and your wife and daughter will be humiliated?"

Although Li Nian did not specifically talk about what happened in later generations, with Qin Shihuang's wisdom, how could he not have imagined that the country must have been invaded by foreign races and severely bullied.

The students said in unison again: "No!"

The First Emperor nodded again: "Very good! But many of these places are thousands of miles away from the Qin Dynasty. It is not easy to occupy them after we go there, and to defend them after we occupy them. What should we do?"

The First Emperor asked himself and answered himself: "The only way is to build a strong navy and expand the territory of Qin on the sea!"

"For a long time to come, whoever possesses a strong navy will have the power to dominate the entire world!"

"I hope that this power belongs to the Qin Dynasty, not to foreign nations!"

The Emperor's eyes fell on the students again: "You are the first batch of students in the Great Qin Naval Academy, and you will also be the founders of the Great Qin Navy. I hope you will study hard here and lay a solid foundation for the Great Qin Navy!" The Emperor glanced at the world map and said, "Li Nian once told me that there can be a country where the sun never sets in the world. I hope you will work with me to make Great Qin a country where the sun never sets!"

This statement made the students a little confused. What is the country on which the sun never sets?
The sun is the sun, and the sun never sets. Does that mean the sun never sets in that country? How can there be such a country?
Although they didn't quite understand, the Emperor told them to study hard and encourage each other. The students said in unison again: "We will live up to your expectations and study hard!"

After the First Emperor finished his speech, the other ministers left with him, while Li Nian, Meng Tian, ​​Wang Jian, Wang Ben, Wei Liao and others stayed.

Wang Jian, Wang Ben, Wei Liao and others stayed to see how Li Nian would turn the navy into a navy, and they also wanted to learn more.

They are all bigwigs in the Qin military, and they must be familiar with the Qin's military services. They cannot be unfamiliar with the future navy, so how can they command well?

Meng Tian wanted to become the first commander of the Qin Navy, so he wanted to study here with the students. Even his position as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was replaced by someone else so that he could devote himself to study and contribute to the construction of the Qin Navy after graduation.

Looking at the students in the audience, Li Nian stepped forward and said, "My name is Li Nian. You may have heard of my name."

One student said, "Your Excellency is famous all over the world. Who doesn't know him?"

As the student was about to salute Li Nian, the others were also eager to make a move.

This man looked younger than many of them, but no one dared to underestimate him.

Li Nian waved his hand to stop him, saying, "No need to be so polite! Let me say two things first: First, you must abide by the rules here. I will send them to you and explain them to you later;"

"Second, from today on, all matters concerning your studies here will be handled by General Meng and I. I will also be responsible for teaching you some courses. If you encounter or discover any problems, you can report to General Meng and me."

After talking about these two things, Li Nian glanced at the classroom behind him.

The opening ceremony was not held outside the Zhangtai Palace, but inside the Naval Academy.

Li Nian said: "In fact, the Naval Academy should not be set up here, but near the ocean. If it is not near the ocean, how can we get in touch with and understand the ocean?"

But it was impossible for the First Emperor to do so, because he could not let Li Nian leave Xianyang and teach in the coastal areas. He could only choose Xianyang, but after this group of students graduated, he could build a new naval school in the coastal areas.

"So after you study here, you will have to go to the offshore area for practical exercises."

"The Navy is a military service that values ​​both academic knowledge and practice. Without practice, many things can only be learned from books and teachers, and we cannot gain a deeper understanding and experience."

"The ocean is very different from rivers and lakes. The ocean is much larger than rivers on land."

"When sailing on a river, it is easier to survive if an accident occurs. But on the sea, all you can see is endless water. Once an accident occurs, it is difficult to survive."

"The marine environment is more complex and changeable than that of rivers. For example, strong winds in coastal areas are generated at sea and may be encountered when sailing on the sea."

"Some of you should know how powerful a strong wind is. It can bring down heavy rain, uproot trees, and destroy houses..."

"On land, you can find a place to hide, but if you encounter them while sailing on the sea, where can you hide?"

"The speed of a strong wind can reach hundreds of miles per hour, and the area of ​​influence can also reach hundreds of miles. When a ship encounters this on the sea, do you think it can survive?"

No one answered, and there was no need for an answer. Li Nian continued, "There are dangers such as reefs and icebergs on the sea. Even if you can see them during the day, what about at night?"

“Sailing on the sea does not mean sailing during the day and stopping at a port to rest at night. Instead, you have to drift on the sea at night. If you fail to find reefs or icebergs and hit them, your ship may be destroyed and people may die.”

"If we encounter both icebergs and extreme weather at night, it will be even more difficult to escape destruction!"

"Besides these, it's not easy to tell where you are at sea. There's water everywhere, and everything looks the same. How do you know where you are and which direction to go?"

"If you sail in the wrong direction, you will also die, because the sea is too vast. If you sail in the wrong direction, you may not find land for months."

Looking at the students, Li Nian said, "I am not trying to scare you. I am just telling you some facts. I hope you will study hard and master the knowledge about the sea so that you can survive on the sea and not die."

The students replied: "We know what you mean, sir. We will study hard!"

Li Nian nodded and continued, "Maybe some people are wondering why a craftsman would enter the Naval Academy as a student?"

Some people have indeed been thinking about this question: these shipbuilders also came to the Naval Academy to study, so aren’t they just responsible for shipbuilding?
Li Nian said: "The navy is a technical branch of the military, which requires the mastery of a lot of knowledge and technology, including technology related to ships."

"When sailing on the sea, the only 'land' you can live on is the ship you are on. If you don't understand it, how can you protect this 'land' when you find danger?"

"I don't need to explain the consequences of not protecting well..."

Needless to say, if the ship is not protected well, there will be only one result on the sea: the ship will sink and they will die!
"This is one of the main reasons why we allow craftsmen to enter the Naval Academy as students. This is so that you can learn from them and better understand ships. When you encounter danger, you will be better able to deal with it."

"Another major reason is that the navy is not just about the officers and soldiers who sail on the sea in ships, but also about the craftsmen who build the ships."

"If the shipbuilders do not understand the ocean environment and do not know how to build better ships based on the ocean environment, would you feel safe going out to sea on the ships they built?"

"Therefore, all craftsmen should also learn from this and understand the knowledge related to the sea and the navy so that they can improve their skills and build safer and more reliable ships to sail on the sea."

The students from the Daqin Navy looked at the students who were obviously craftsmen, and their eyes seemed to say: "Study hard, and build ships well after you learn well. The lives of the brothers in the future are in your hands!"

Li Nian continued, "If you want to truly sail the sea, you will probably have to wait a long time, but this period of time is also the time for you to learn and lay a solid foundation."

Although a naval academy has been established, it is still a long way from building a strong navy immediately, and Li Nian does not want Daqin to spend too much energy on naval construction right away.

The world was unified not long ago, and the Qin Dynasty still needs to recuperate.

But a naval academy can be established, and some talents can be trained first, and some preparatory work can be done in advance, so that we don’t have to rush to do it when the time comes.

To compare it with the development of science and technology, we should first lay a solid theoretical foundation and then find ways to apply it in practice. We cannot wait until we need to apply it before studying the theory.

This is really the case with Daqin’s first naval academy. This group of people first learn various theoretical knowledge here, and then conduct practical exercises.

As for officially sailing on the sea, we will have to wait even longer.

(End of this chapter)