knife

Chapter 532 Your Great Chu is Not My Great Chu
The ship shook slightly, and Chen Yan knew that it had docked at the pier.

The soldiers' cheerful voices and hurried footsteps could be heard outside. This training trip had lasted for more than ten days, and now they were finally back. Thinking of their wives, children, and warm beds tonight, it's no wonder the soldiers were so excited.

His gaze fell once again on the design drawings on the table, and his worry deepened.

All the performance requirements were clearly marked on the design drawings, but this time, Chen Yan proved that his warships could not meet these performance requirements no matter what.

You should know that his warship has always been in excellent condition, and the soldiers on board are all handpicked by him. Whether it is the helmsman, the sailor, or even the oarsman, each of them is an elite among the Great Chu Navy. There are no sailors stronger than them.

However, in every experiment, they all failed. Several extreme experiments even nearly caused the ship to capsize. This was no longer a technical problem, but purely because the ship's performance was insufficient.

Naval warfare is a technical skill.
But no matter how good the technology is, if your tools are inadequate, you won't be able to accomplish complex tasks.

The proverb "Even a clever housewife can't cook without rice" means this.

Of course, there is also the possibility that the blueprints Zhu Chi brought back were a setup by those people outside the Great Wall, with the aim of deceiving their side.

However, this possibility is not high, because the warship built according to this blueprint is about to be launched in the shipyard. Once it is tested, we will know the truth.

Chen Yan didn't think those people outside the Great Wall would waste their time and effort on such a futile effort.

This is a matter of great importance, and whoever gets hold of these blueprints must verify them.

Moreover, based on my own experience, this drawing is indeed genuine.

In fact, the commander was well aware that his experience on the water and his knowledge of ship construction and performance were far superior to his own.

Thinking of Wang Pu made Chen Yan feel even more troubled.

A soft knocking sound came from outside the cabin. His second-in-command, who was also the ship's captain, Lu Fu's voice rang out: "Commander, everything outside is ready. Everyone is waiting for your orders!"

Chen Yan raised his head and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, disperse. We'll have a three-day holiday. Lü Fu, give everyone five taels of silver as a reward. You've all worked hard these past few days, so relax and have some fun."

"Yes, sir!" came Lü Fu's excited voice from outside. Five taels of silver was quite a sum. Even for his ship, the monthly pay was only five taels. Of course, officers of his rank didn't really live off their pay, but his soldiers didn't have many other sources of income. Five taels was enough for them to go home and be treated like royalty. He figured his wife would be extra gentle with him tonight.

Cheers erupted outside, and a smile appeared on Chen Yan's face. Ordinary soldiers always have such simple thoughts: they serve in the army, receive food and pay, and are overjoyed when they receive extra income.

The outside gradually quieted down, and Chen Yan knew that the soldiers had gradually left the ship. This was a military port with strict security. Ships without missions usually only had soldiers on duty to guard them, and each warship had no more than five people.

There was another knock on the door. Chen Yan said, "Lu Fu, you should go back too. I want to be alone for a while longer!"

There was no response from outside. Instead, the door creaked open. Chen Yan was slightly annoyed and looked up at the door. But the next moment, his pupils contracted, and he stared at the person standing in the doorway in astonishment.

That's not Lü Fu.

But he recognized him. However, he absolutely did not want to get involved with that person.

The man standing at the door was surnamed Xiang and named Zhuang.

The nephew of Xiang Ying, a former general of the Great Chu.

General Chen, how have you been?

Chen Yan looked at Xiang Zhuang, who walked in on his own, and sneered, "You've got some skills, managing to bribe even Lü Fu. But Brother Xiang, what's the point of you coming to see me? We're not on the same side. I have no intention of cooperating with you."

Xiang Zhuang shook his head, walked up to Chen Yan, pulled over a chair, and said calmly, "Chen Yan, why aren't we on the same path? I know that everything you've done lately has been for the Great Chu, and everything I've done has also been for the Great Chu."

Chen Yan shook his head: "My Great Chu and your Great Chu are not the same Great Chu."

Xiang Zhuang raised his hand and pushed open the window beside him. A cool river breeze blew in, and before his eyes appeared a dazzling world of twinkling stars. Danyang was built against the mountain, rising layer by layer from the foot of the mountain to the top, and the military port was naturally at the bottom. From their angle, Danyang in the distance looked like a cluster of stars in the sky.

"It's all for the sake of keeping this peaceful and harmonious place, so how can it not be part of the Great Chu?" Xiang Zhuang stared at Chen Yan and said. "Or do you really think that the Empress Dowager can make our Great Chu stronger and stronger, even to the point of unifying the world?"

"If it weren't for the Empress Dowager, we would have already lost the battle of Xiangcheng!" Chen Yan said. "Brother Xiang, you stayed behind to guard Danyang, while I was fighting in Xiangcheng. Heh heh, you can't imagine that when I was commanding the warships against He Qiku's naval fleet on the river outside Xiangcheng, I could see the Empress Dowager drumming and cheering from the high platform on the shore. Such a delicate woman, with her decisiveness to personally go to the front lines at a time when the Great Chu was in danger, I admired her to the point of prostration. I really can't understand why you would abandon such a wise and intelligent Empress Dowager and instead think about overthrowing her to support a half-grown child who doesn't even know a fart. Are you doing this for the Great Chu, or for yourselves?"

Xiang Zhuang angrily said, "Chen Yan, put your hand on your heart and think about it. What kind of people is my Xiang family? Yes, I did not go to Xiangcheng to fight, but in that battle, twelve people with the surname Xiang died in Xiangcheng. After the battle, my uncle also withdrew from the court for the sake of the greater good and did not want to compete with the Empress Dowager. Do you say that my Xiang family is only after our own wealth and glory?"

“Since you have already retired, why come out of seclusion again to stir up trouble? Wouldn’t it be better to just leave it as it is? I believe the Empress Dowager will not mistreat your Xiang family!” Chen Yan said.

Xiang Zhuang laughed in anger, "A delicate, frail woman!"

You said Jiang Qian is a delicate and frail woman?

Do you know that she could kill you with just one finger?

How does the Empress Dowager treat you?

"You have placed great trust in me!" Chen Yan said. "During the Battle of Xiangcheng, I was merely the captain of a warship, but now I am the deputy commander of the Great Chu Navy."

Xiang Zhuang nodded: "Of course, including you, your Chen family has served the Great Chu Navy for three consecutive generations. Your Chen family can be considered the representative of the past navy. Promoting you can balance the smooth transition between the old and new generations of the navy, and also make the backlash from the traditional navy weaker."

Chen Yan sneered: "I, Chen, have climbed up the ranks step by step based on my merits. Of course, if it were in the past, no matter how many merits I had, I wouldn't have reached this position, would I? Without the Empress Dowager, there would be no Chen Yan as we know him today. So, Brother Xiang, why are you wasting your time here?"

"Do you think you can rise any higher?" Xiang Zhuang smiled slightly. "Do you have a chance to replace Wang Pu?"

Chen Yan was taken aback upon hearing this.

(End of this chapter)