GBP Chapter 173 Naval Showdown
Chapter 173 Naval Showdown
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The Wuxiang-class destroyer has a displacement of 280 tons, roughly half that of the Wuyi-class, but requires two-thirds fewer sailors. After the first ship was launched, Gao Jie fulfilled his wish and appointed Li Fei as the trainee captain of the "Bofu".
Standing on the "Bofu", Li Fei looked at the sea in front of him and unconsciously recalled the past. He was filled with emotion. Despite his many years of hard work, he and his colleagues had failed to achieve their goals. Now, they could only realize their ambitions by relying on others.
A middle-aged man approached Li Fei and said, "Master, this ship is much slower than that 'Voyage' ship, but it's still much faster than our old Guang ship."
Li Fei smiled faintly: "Boerhu, from now on, don't call me master, whether on the ship or on land. I am the captain of this ship now, just call me captain."
The middle-aged man, known as Borchu, placed his right hand on his chest, bowed slightly, and respectfully replied, "As you command."
"Although this ship is slower than a clipper ship, it is indeed much faster than the large and small sea lords' ships from Guangdong and Fujian, not to mention the dilapidated ships of the Ming Dynasty's navy. Moreover, this is only the smallest warship of the Qiongzhou Camp Navy—or, as they call it, the navy—so the strength and ambition of this adjutant are evident," Li Fei said leisurely.
Borhu asked in a low voice, "So you are willing to serve him at his beck and call, like a dog or a horse?"
Li Fei gazed at the horizon where the sea and sky met, and said calmly, “Boerhu, since I was old enough to understand, we have been traveling around for years. Although we have earned some money by doing maritime trade, it is extremely difficult to achieve our goals. Although the Ming Dynasty is corrupt and rotten, even a broken ship has three pounds of nails; it cannot collapse just like that. Although the Jianzhou Jurchens in Liaodong have risen and are the Ming Dynasty’s biggest rival, their chances of taking over the Central Plains are slim. Even if they had the strength, how could I be willing to be a subordinate of these barbarians? But this General Liu is quite interesting.”
Li Fei smiled and said, "I'd love to see how this lowly military commander will manage to dethrone the Ming emperor. Since he can't do it on his own, he can at least fulfill his wish by having someone else do it, which will be a relief to our ancestors. Compared to those Jurchen barbarians, this military commander seems much more pleasing to the eye."
Li Fei's mission was to take Lin Yishan, the deputy manager of the shipyard, to receive ten Guangdong-style ships delivered by Chengji Shipping Company to the Qiongzhou Camp. Chengji Shipping Company was not capable of building so many ships in a short time, but its owner, Cheng Youde, took advantage of his role as a messenger for Liu Ye to subcontract the order to other shipping companies, lowering the cost while quoting Liu Ye the market price and profiting from the difference. Because Liu Ye used his official power as governor to burn down Dingfeng Shipping Company, owned by the imperial censor, other shipping companies remained silent, daring not to question the price, which allowed Cheng Youde to profit.
Upon arriving in Guangzhou, Lin Yishan, who was accompanying the group, boarded the ship with several experienced shipwrights to inspect it. After confirming that the delivered vessel was of acceptable quality, half the payment was made, and Cheng's men were responsible for navigating the ship to Lingao. The remaining payment was to be made upon delivery. Because Cheng's company did not have enough manpower to sail the ship, they also borrowed many people from other shipping companies.