Chapter 566: Astrology

The Nanyang Navy temporarily has three major fleets, namely the Beihai Gulf Fleet stationed in Beihai City, the Yashan Fleet stationed in Yashan City, and the Jiaozhou Fleet stationed in Zhenhai City.

Among the three major fleets, the most powerful is the Yashan Fleet led by Cai Mao, which has expanded to three major fleets so far. Not to mention the ability to command troops in battle, Cai Mao's ability to train sailors was recognized by Ouyang Shuo. In a short period of time, the Yashan fleet has been built into the strongest fleet in the territory.

The Beihai Gulf Fleet is next, and also has two major formations, led by Pei Donglai.

As for the latest Jiaozhou Fleet, there is only one formation led by the Pyrotechnic Demon for the time being.

According to the establishment of the army, the formation of the navy is equivalent to the division of the army, the fleet is equivalent to the legion, and the navy is equivalent to the group army.

Today, the three major armies of the army have been in place one after another.

On the contrary, the Nanyang Navy, which was the first to obtain a designation, is still just a broken shelf. Together, the three major fleets have only six formations, which are slightly stronger than one army regiment of the army.

It is an indisputable fact that the territorial navy lags behind in development. There are three reasons for this.

First, the lack of naval generals.

This is the most deadly point, Cai Mao is the only navy general who can hold the territory.

As for Pei Donglai, the earliest naval general in the territory, with the blessing of the territory's characteristics, he has already broken through the bottleneck and was promoted to a senior naval general. If you want to take a step forward, it will be even more difficult.

On the contrary, he is a pyrotechnic evildoer with extraordinary potential. In time, he will surely become the star figure of the territorial navy.

In contrast, the Territorial Army can be described as a bright star.

Second, sailor training is not easy.

Unlike the army, the navy has to train a group of sailors in addition to the transferred sailors. Their long training period and high demand naturally limit the expansion of the navy.

In addition to ordinary sailors, senior crew members such as captain, first mate, and second mate are even more difficult to train. Every captain is hard-won.

For this reason, Ouyang Shuo has repeatedly arranged for the Military Affairs Department to go to Quanzhou to recruit. Even so, it still can't keep up with the needs of the Navy's expansion.

Third, lack of experience in ocean sailing.

Cai Mao is a typical general of the inland navy, and it is already reluctant to let him train the navy in Yashan City. If he were to lead his troops to sea, it would really be difficult for him.

However, if it is just to fight in the coastal waters and support a huge navy for a long time, it is not necessary for the territory at all, and it will cause a huge burden on the territory's finances.

Therefore, the rapid expansion of the navy is objectively limited.

Even Du Ruhui, the Director of Military Affairs, is conservative on the issue of the navy.

In addition, in the second year of Gaia, the tense situation around the territory, the threat of Chiyou City and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had to force Ouyang Shuo to focus on the construction of the army.

Now, internally, Ouyang Shuo has decided to recuperate.

The territory just took advantage of this rare time to vigorously develop the navy.

It is undoubtedly a great opportunity for the territorial navy to recruit Zheng He, the commander of the navy.

How else can I put it, Bing'er is a super invincible lucky star.

Whatever Ouyang Shuo wanted, the little girl recruited. Combined with the BUFF blessing obtained from [Praying Silver House], it was a perfect fit.

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Zheng He, born in the fourth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, was the second son of Ma Hazhi.

In the winter of the thirteenth year of Hongwu, the Ming army attacked Yunnan. Ma He was only ten years old. He was taken to Nanjing by Lan Yu, the deputy commander of the Ming army.

In the first year of Yongle, Monk Yao Daoyan accepted Ma He as a disciple of the Bodhisattva, whose Dharma name was Fujixiang.

In the second year of Yongle, Zheng He made great military exploits. Zhu Di, Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, was in Nanjing and bestowed the surname "Zheng" on Ma and Zheng in the imperial script to commemorate his military exploits. He was known as "Zheng He" in history. He was promoted to the eunuch of the internal official supervisor, and the official reached the fourth rank, second only to the supervisor of ceremonies. Zheng He had a wise strategy, knew soldiers and practiced war, Ming Chengzu trusted Zheng He very much.

From 1405 to 1433, Zheng He made seven voyages to the West, completing a great feat in human history. In April of the eighth year of Xuande, Zheng He died in Guli Kingdom on the west coast of India, and was buried in Niu Shou Mountain in Nanjing.

Not to mention Zheng He's ability to command the army, that is, his status as a master navigator and his rich experience in ocean sailing will bring about a transformation for the territorial navy.

Zheng He's great navigation technology comprehensively applied a variety of navigation methods such as astronomical navigation, compass navigation, landmark navigation, and measurement of water depth and bottom quality. As recorded in "Western Fan Guozhi": "Cut wood to make a plate, engrave the characters of stems and branches, and float the needle on the water, pointing to the boat."

Among them, the most famous one is the "Astrology".

Astrology is not witchcraft, but a scientific method of observing and positioning with a "star-holding board". By measuring the height of the sky, the position and direction of the ship can be judged, and the route can be determined.

This technology represented the world's advanced level of celestial navigation in that era.

At the same time, due to reasonable solutions to the problems of fresh water storage, ship stability, and anti-sinkability, Zheng He's fleet was able to sail "high clouds and sail high" under the dangerous conditions of "the flood meets the sky and the huge waves are like mountains". Zhang, star gallop day and night", and accidents rarely happen.

During the day, flag belts of various colors are hoisted and waved in an agreed manner to form corresponding semaphore.

At night, lanterns are used to reflect the situation during the voyage. In case of foggy and rainy days with poor visibility, gongs, horns and conch horns are also used for communication.

All in all, Zheng He is a living treasure of navigation. With the existence of Zheng He, from now on, the territorial navy finally has the confidence to set foot in the deep sea.

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In the afternoon of the same day, the Southern Border Protectorate issued an edict.

Zheng He, a god-level military general who had just joined the territory, was appointed as the commander of the Nanyang Navy, with the rank of general and commander of the same group army.

As soon as Zheng He came, he was in a high position before he was familiar with the situation in the territory.

Even Bai Qi and others have never won this kind of honor.

This shows how much Ouyang Shuo attaches importance to Zheng He.

As a legendary navigator, although Zheng He's personal force is not strong, and his ability to command battles is not comparable to that of Bai Qi and other generals, he also has advantages that other generals do not have.

That is, Zheng He was able to control a huge ocean-going fleet.

This is where Ouyang Shuo values ​​him.

Combat at sea, especially after the battleship is equipped with artillery, does not require personal bravery. On the contrary, being able to lead a fleet forward on rough seas is the most important thing.

Zheng He undoubtedly possessed such talents.

Ouyang Shuo had reason to believe that under the leadership of Zheng He, the Nanyang Navy could truly be established.