Kays Translations

Just another Isekai Lover~

Chapter 115: Trial Voyage

Military-civilian separation? Li Xian had long wanted to do this! However, the past affairs on land had almost become a law, and Li Xian did not dare to casually challenge this rule; if it provoked dissatisfaction among the military, it would lead to trouble. Reforms have always required caution.

Therefore, the newly established navy became Li Xian’s testing ground. He prepared to open a gap here and ultimately accomplish the grand plan of military-civilian separation in Anyang! After military-civilian separation, the next step would be financial separation.

Li Xian’s determination to build ironclad ships and establish a navy was also an important consideration!

At this moment, Wan Sheng faced this choice.

Becoming a naval commander would mean galloping across the endless seas, battling through countless waves. If he chose to be the director of the shipyard, he would have the hope of building the most powerful warships, with an equally glorious future.

After thinking for a moment, Wan Sheng suddenly felt a bit deflated. “Sir, I’d rather be the director. I’m clueless about warfare; it would be better to select from the current generals.”

“Good! Sign here.” All formal orders, documents, etc., needed a signature, with three copies made; Wan Sheng would keep one, one would be archived, and one would be given to Li Xian.

To test the voyage, the task was not simple and required multifaceted planning. On the ship, Xia Qingqing, Xu Ren, Beichen Yuqing, Yan Ze’an, and others convened the current generals: Who was willing to lead the navy?

Remove Ads for $1

The main generals at present were Liu Leigang, Wang Jian, Chang Lin, Cheng Jiming, and the recently joined Yan Zhengqing.

Liu Leigang had already begun overseeing the construction of the ground mechanized forces and naturally couldn’t leave; Cheng Jiming was busy building his own aerial combat team and did not have a high opinion of the navy. The remaining candidates were Wang Jian and Chang Lin, as well as Yan Zhengqing.

Yan Zhengqing remained silent; he knew that if Wang Jian and Chang Lin did not refuse, this opportunity would not fall to him; after all, he was a demoted general! Moreover, Yan Zhengqing was currently working with Beichen Yuqing to form a new security team, preparing to send troops to “help govern” Luliang County and Zhongshan County.

Wang Jian and Chang Lin then began a fierce debate about the ironclad ship! However, the argument took a dramatic turn when Wang Jian actually got seasick! Meanwhile, Chang Lin, focusing on mobile warfare, was more suitable for the navy. Thus, Chang Lin was appointed as the naval commander, responsible for training and forming the crew.

“I’m so furious; how could I get seasick!” Wang Jian’s face turned purple, feeling utterly humiliated.

“Haha, old Wang, you’re out of touch!” Chang Lin was delighted, “Look at us three; Cheng Jiming is forming the air force, I’m preparing to form the navy, and you’re the only one stuck in place.”

“Get lost!” Wang Jian looked incredibly displeased! When Li Xian presented forty war devices for everyone to choose from, Wang Jian had hesitated—thinking, what use were forty war devices? They consumed spirit stones and were practically worthless. But upon seeing the brand-new flying devices, Wang Jian regretted it!

Now, Wang Jian was eager to compete for the position of naval commander, yet he ended up getting seasick—truly disappointing!

Soon after, Chang Lin boldly approached Wang Jian, grinning widely: “I’ve already received authorization from the princess, Mr. Xu, and Yan Ze’an to hold a swimming competition for the entire army to select the best naval soldiers. Your subordinates must participate as well.”

“Understood!” Wang Jian left with a dark expression. Back at the military camp, he yelled at his subordinate officers, “Tomorrow’s swimming competition, you all better not be a bunch of land ducks!” Despite his fierce command, several “ducks” still managed to escape.

Apart from selecting the naval personnel, there were many other matters to address. First, they had to test the cannons, which required a designated location. The testing site was chosen to be in the northeastern part of Anyang, in a blank area bordering the territory of the demon tribe. This area was vast, covering several miles.

With the location decided, the Anyang government issued an order: no one was allowed to enter this area for the next month; any violators would bear the consequences. A warning line was set up, but no soldiers were stationed to guard it—there was no need.

Naturally, Anyang’s actions attracted the attention of the keen-eyed. Many individuals secretly infiltrated the restricted zone.

Three days passed, and when Chang Lin finally selected enough naval personnel, Xu Ren suddenly asked Wu Peng, who was in charge of the watch, “How many people have entered the restricted area now?”

Wu Peng, the soldier who had once driven for Liu Leigang, replied, “Sir, we’ve observed 311 individuals enter the restricted zone, and none have come back out. I sent people to patrol a few times, but we didn’t find anyone; instead, we discovered traces of hidden formations.”

“Hehe, very good, very good!” Xu Ren smiled, though his smile was somewhat cold. “I originally wanted to test the cannon fire with a few pigs and sheep, but it seems someone is eager to volunteer. Since we have willing participants, we need to put on a show.

“Therefore, starting tomorrow night, send people to measure the land and create the appearance of a secret here. We need to attract more individuals to come over. Make sure to conduct these activities at night or even in the early morning; it must be done quietly.”

Wu Peng immediately chuckled, “I understand, sir. Haha…”

The next night, as Chang Lin began to intensively train the selected thousand naval personnel, Wu Peng took a hundred or so men and “stealthily” slipped into the restricted area to start measuring the ground—essentially marking distances to facilitate cannon fire testing.

However, Wu Peng’s nighttime surveying was a classic case of “not having three hundred taels of silver hidden here.” Xu Ren’s small scheme made some individuals believe that “there’s something secretive going on here,” leading more people to infiltrate. Furthermore, while measuring the land, Wu Peng inadvertently provided coordinates for these “volunteers”—everyone was now converging on this location.

After about half a month, Chang Lin reported that the basic training had reached a satisfactory level. Xu Ren finally decided to proceed with the cannon fire testing. On this day, Anyang remained as usual, but a weapon that would soon change the landscape of warfare was about to reveal its fangs.

At the predetermined cannon testing site, there were already over a thousand “volunteers” gathered. Upon receiving this news, even Chang Lin couldn’t help but smirk!

However, Chang Lin was currently in a bind, as a curious blue dragon kept asking questions non-stop:

“Hey, Chang Lin, is this the big ship that Li Xian mentioned?”

“Hey, big guy, I want to go check out the cabin!”

“Hey, are you selling this ship? I can generously buy a few hundred of them!”

“Wow, the hull is made entirely of iron? You actually have this much steel. When will our sea tribe’s 360 tridents be finished?”

“Hey, hey, answer me! I’m asking you a question!”

Listening to the incessant chatter of the Dragon Third Prince, Chang Lin felt dizzy. If possible, he would have loved to slap this slippery eel! According to the agreement between the sea tribe and the land, Golden Core experts couldn’t easily cross boundaries. To facilitate this trial voyage, he had to contact Wei Zhe, which resulted in Ao Han tagging along.

But he couldn’t take it anymore. Finally, with a dark expression, he said, “Your Highness the Third Prince, I’m sorry to inform you that I have no authority over these matters. It would be better for you to discuss them with Young Master Li Xian.”

“What about Li Xian? I haven’t seen him recently!”

“He’s off repairing the royal tombs, and he won’t be back for an estimated two years. It’s only been a little over three months so far.”

Only three months? Ao Han, the Dragon Third Prince, immediately protested, “No way, that’s too long! You need to write to Li Xian right now and tell him I want ten ships—no, make it a hundred of these big ships! I’m willing to pay in spirit stones!”

“Ah… spirit stones?!”

“Yes, spirit stones! So, what do you think?”

Chang Lin’s mind raced. “Your Highness, since we’re about to set sail for the trial, why don’t you first see how this ship performs?”