Scumbag Chapter 160 The Reformed White-Eyed Wolf General (26)

Although Emperor Chang had allocated military funds, the standard army rations were insufficient for soldiers with such high physical demand

Although Emperor Chang had allocated military funds, the standard army rations were insufficient for soldiers with such high physical demands.

Even though everyone had endured such conditions before, Mingting racked his brains to find solutions.

Qi Ming acquired some ships, and combined with the ten ships seized from the Eastern Sea pirates earlier, Mingting had the 30,000 soldiers take turns training at sea.

Some truly couldn’t overcome seasickness, no matter how much they trained or what medicine they took.

There were quite a few people in this group, so Mingting reassigned them to form a logistics unit, the ‘cooking squad’.

Mingting assigned the logistics squad to learn pig farming, as well as raising chickens, ducks, and geese. By the time these animals matured, they could supply the army.

As for vegetables, the soldiers took turns reclaiming wasteland and farming.

This was self-sufficiency, ‘reap a bumper harvest and have ample food and clothing’.

When the soldiers in the cooking squad caught piglets and raised them in pens, Mingting even performed minor surgeries on them to ensure they would grow into fat, healthy pigs.

Many people were amazed, saying the Count was a jack-of-all-trades who could do anything.

The men who had first followed Mingting to Yaozhou were now fully trained. Now, they are dispersed to train new recruits, ensuring the entire military operation ran smoothly.

Now that he’s finally free, Mingting turned his attention to ship research.

Many people in Yaozhou are engaged in maritime trade. Since the previous dynasty, merchants had sailed south to the Southern Islands and Eastern Islands, selling Yaozhou goods overseas.

Therefore, regarding shipbuilding, there are many old craftsmen in Yaozhou, all of whom are experts.

When Qi Ming learned Mingting wanted to build ships, he arranged for veteran craftsmen to assist him.

At first, everyone assumed the Count was an amateur.

But to their surprise, whether it was drafting blueprints or discussing ship mechanics, Mingting spoke with authority. He even combined the strengths of different ship designs to propose improvements.

He wanted to build a military ship.

Besides storing food, the ship needed ample space for ammunition, so it needed a considerable storage capacity and it had to be strong and sturdy.

The most important thing was that, the hull had to have cannon, and not just one.

Cannon itself was heavy, and an 18-pound cannon alone weighed two tons, so the ship's load-bearing capacity was critical.

"My lord, what exactly are these cannon barrels?"

An old craftsman asked.

"That's classified. But with these cannons, we can drive those pirates away, restore peace to the seas, and let the people of Yaozhou sail freely again."

Mingting smiled and instructed the craftsmen to first build a scaled-down model based on his blueprints while he discussed the rest with Qi Ming.

…

"Cannons?!"

Upon hearing Mingting's plan, Qi Ming was stunned.

The rebel army had used cannons before, but those were clumsy, heavy things… So he wondered if they could really be mounted on ships.

Moreover, the sea surface is turbulent, so even if the ship is equipped with cannons, the accuracy would be a problem.

"Brother Qi, you’re thinking about this the wrong way."

Mingting began to brainwash Qi Ming.

"You should be thinking… if our ships have cannons, we can attack those pirates’ ships from a distance, blasting them straight into the sea to feed the fish."

"First, this prevents pirates from landing and harming civilians. Second, it reduces close-quarters combat, minimizing casualties."

"Moreover, these cannons won’t just be on one layer. The cannons on both sides of the ship can be built directly in two layers, and even three layers can be built in the future. Think about it, with heavy firepower, our ships guarding our waters, who would dare challenge us?"

Qi Ming was confused by the scene described by Mingting.

He hated the Eastern Sea pirates to begin with, and now when he thought of the scene of fighting at sea that Mingting described, his blood immediately boiled.

When he saw the blueprint drawn by Mingting, which was different from the cannons on land, he couldn't help but be curious.

"I made some improvements."

Mingting said. Since Qi Ming’s help was essential for cannon production, he didn’t hide anything.

"My idea is to have two decks, with 12-pound cannons on the upper deck and 24-pound cannons on the lower deck, for a total of 60. Just imagine, if so many cannons are concentrated on the ships of the Eastern Sea pirates and Southern Sea pirates, they’d be blown to smithereens!"

"What? Sixty?!"

Qi Ming was stunned.

After calculating the weight of these cannons together, not even counting ammunition, Qi Ming felt dizzy.

"Do you have any idea how much this would cost?" Qi Ming stared at Mingting.

"The court may not allocate the money! Moreover, shipbuilding and cannon production require approval from the Ministry of War. Who will approve your exorbitant request?!"

Sixty cannons? Sure, you’d have a blast, but the Emperor would never agree!

The country has just been established, and money is needed everywhere!

Mingting thought about it and felt Qi Ming had a point.

He wanted to build the sailing warships that were once popular in the maritime history of a small world in one go, but it was unrealistic given the nation’s current resources.

"Then… how about just one layer? Twenty cannons? That’s the bare minimum… any fewer won’t work."

Mingting insisted.

"Let me think, let me think…" Qi Ming rubbed his temples.

Right now, he felt that Count of Dingyuan was good in every way, but his ambitions were too grand, and he’s taking steps too fast. It was a sure way to overextend and fail.

What worried Qi Ming more was whether Mingting’s actions would draw censure from the censors.

After all, those officials could turn a molehill into a mountain, not to mention Mingting was going to do such a big thing.

However, Mingting did not take Qi Ming's worries seriously. He wrote a letter to Emperor Chang as usual, and stuffed his letter with detailed blueprints of warships and cannon designs.

[Boss, Emperor Chang isn’t like Emperor Li. He won’t be so easily persuaded, right?]

Fengtian watched as Mingting sealed the envelope with wax and stamped it with his personal seal.

If it were Emperor Li, he would’ve already firmly supported Mingting without hesitation. But now that the higher-ups had changed, wouldn’t Emperor Chang just scold him for sending such a letter?

"You forget, I am the Luck Spirit."

Mingting smiled slightly, "As long as I sincerely want to do something, there’s nothing that won’t succeed. Just wait and see!"

Mingting repeatedly emphasized to Old Wu that this letter was top secret and must be delivered directly into the Emperor’s hands. Old Wu nodded solemnly, then changed into plain clothes and set off for the capital.

Since it was a private letter from Mingting, Emperor Chang didn’t file it with the official memorials after receiving it.

As long as Count of Dingyuan did not submit a memorial, the letter would be considered an informal communication to Emperor Chang.

When he opened the thick letter, the first thing Emperor Chang saw was Mingting’s drawing of a ship.

Or rather, it wasn’t just a ship…

It looked more like a warship, a military vessel.