I really don't have money for the ship girls.

Ying Tian looked at the list of applicants in his hand. Some of the names sounded very reliable, such as Soviet Bellaros, Enterprise, Essex, Yorktown, Yatsen, Illustrious, Richelieu, Jeanbart, Veneto, Tirpitz, Frederick the Great, Duke of York, Hood, Akagi, Kaga, Amagi... He even felt that he could pick any one of these people to be a good secretary ship.

Although some of their names don't seem as reliable as the previous ones, they are still capable individuals, such as Royal Ark, London, Victory, Aurora, Chapaev, Dunkirk, Ying Rui, Shentong, Tosa, Kongo, Hiei, Baltimore, North Carolina, Dragon and Phoenix, Lexington... At least they appear stable, and Ying Tian remembers that they never said anything frivolous, whether in person or in group chats, so they are still reliable.

Some of the people who signed up, such as Santiago, Kaliyong, Changchun, Yukikaze, Taihou, Scharnhorst, Portland, Kumano... these names sound like they were just there to make up the numbers. It has been emphasized that it would be embarrassing for them if they were eliminated in the first round, but these people don't seem to care about losing face.

So the first step is to find a way to remove some people who signed up just to make up the numbers.

Chapter Fifty-Three: The World of the Strong

"Wales, Belfast, Zhenhai, come and help."

"Kalyong, don't you think you're capable of running for secretary ship? Here's a good opportunity to prove it. Add the applicants to the group one by one according to this list."

"OK, this is nothing at all."

Although there were many people who signed up, if several people worked together, they could quickly pull all the sign-ups into the [Secretary Ship Election Group].

Omaha: "Wow, is this the world of the strong?"

Yukikaze: "That's right. After you came in, you became a true powerhouse, just like Lord Yukikaze."

Alfredo: "I originally just wanted to cover the secretary ship election as a reporter, but I never expected to actually be dragged into it. So many big shots, being able to chat and laugh with them, my god, I can brag about this for the rest of my life."

Glory: "Calm down, I'm just here, I can't be called a big shot yet."

Alfredo: "Anyway, I'm just here to be part of the denominator."

Veneto: "Alfredo, I won't allow you to wallow in self-pity like this. None of us Sardinians are denominators."

Alfredo: "Actually, I think you're part of the denominator, Veneto."

Alfredo retracted a message.

Alfredo: "What I mean is, everyone is still intimidated by Lord Veneto's authority, and they will definitely unite against you. Good luck, Lord Veneto!"

Veneto: "..."

Littorio: "It's okay, I'm still here. The fact that so many people were runners-up also shows how valuable my election is."

Santiago: "Hey hey, I'm here! As long as I'm involved, it's a glorious victory!"

Suzuya: "To be honest, if you're going to be a secretary ship, you can't just be sacrificing everything, right? @Yingtian, even high-ranking officials in ancient times had allowances to support their integrity. A secretary ship can't have nothing, can it?"

Kumano: "Just by looking at Suzutani, you have no sense of responsibility. The secretary ship is a position that serves the entire naval base and the commander. What do you mean by 'integrity allowance'? Is it something that can be solved with integrity allowance? It's not like anyone is short of money."

Bremerton: "I think that makes sense. There's no such thing as giving without receiving anywhere. Even if being a secretary ship doesn't come with special privileges, there should at least be some kind of reward."

California: "Now I know why so many people signed up for the secretary ship. The real big shots don't speak; they rely on their henchmen to stir things up. It's insidious, so insidious."

Gneisenau: "What are you making sweeping generalizations about? Your White Eagle Enterprises and Essex also signed up. Are you one of their pawns?"

California: "Of course, I will always follow the lead of the corporate leader."

While recruiting people, Ying Tian saw the discussion in the group and then spoke up.

Ying Tian: "To be fair, the secretary ship should have some privileges. It's not sustainable to always talk about dedication. But it seems you don't lack money or material things. How about the secretary ship enjoys the privilege of a two-world travel vacation once a month?"

I think it's a good idea!

These words weren't spoken in the group chat, but rather by Longfeng directly beside Yingtian. She quickly explained, "What I mean is, the secretary ship needs to discuss matters with the commander frequently, and face-to-face meetings are always more convenient. The right to do so once a month is quite reasonable."

Soviet Russia: "I don't think it's appropriate to use the materials obtained by the entire naval base as a reward."

Frederick the Great: "I think it's appropriate. The secretary ship is still a member of the naval base. It doesn't mean that being a secretary ship means you can't go into battle."

Mikasa: "Can you see me talking?"

Mikasa: "Is the selection of the secretary ship all conducted in the group chat?"

Mikasa: "I type very slowly!"

Kirov: "It's alright, it's already quite good that you can type, you old man."

Mainz: "Mikasa isn't even going to refute this?"

Kirov: "Probably still typing."

Dunkirk: "Really? I could have written a 2,000-word year-end summary in that time."

Mikasa: "You childish juniors!"

Hu De: "Friendly reminder, Hong Kong chat software can send voice messages and also use voice recognition to read text."

Mikasa: "I can't."

Mikasa: "Amagi, teach me!"

Soon, everyone on the list was added to the secretary ship's campaign group.

"Okay, my task is complete. Can I keep my administrator account...?"

"Oh, Kariyong, you're done? I'll remove you from the administrator list."

Ying Tian showed no mercy. You are no longer of any use. Useless Kaliyong can be discarded without hesitation.

"I!"

Kariyong raised her long but fleshy right leg. She had an impulse to crush Yingtian's head with her invincible scissor kick and see if his head was harder than her thigh bone. However, Kariyong quickly gave up the idea because she still had her brain. If she really dared to kick, she would probably be knocked to the ground by Sister Essex before she even touched the commander's head.

Before starting, as the commander, it was only natural to give a speech. Having been influenced by a series of social elites such as the secretary of the Youth League Committee, the vice governor, and the diplomatic ambassador, Ying Tian had become quite experienced in giving speeches.

Ying Tian: "First of all, thank you all for signing up to participate in the selection of the secretary ship. No matter what your original intention was, signing up means that you have the courage to dedicate your time to the heavy daily work of the naval base, and the confidence that you can handle all kinds of daily and complicated affairs. With such efforts and confidence, you have already broken through yourselves and stood at a higher level. On behalf of everyone in the naval base, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to all those who signed up."

"Commander, that's a very skillful way to put it." St. Louis hadn't signed up, but that didn't stop her from joining in the fun in the living room. She said with a smile, "My assessment is that she's no less capable than the vice governor of the coastal province."

Ying Tian cleared his throat and said, "What kind of platitudes are these? These are clearly my heartfelt words."

Hehehehe—

St. Louis fell silent, leaning back on the sofa with a radiant smile.

Omaha: "Actually, I didn't think that much about it."

Omaha: "Can I quit now...?"

Ying Tian: "No, but it's okay. The first round of selection is very brutal, and many people probably won't make it through."

Ying Tian: "Although I am very happy that so many people have signed up, there are indeed too many people. So in the first round, I will try my best to eliminate some of the less qualified applicants. I hope everyone will not be discouraged."

Ying Tian: "The selection process for the first round is very simple. I will open a voting mini-program in the group. Each of the 132 people in the group will have five votes. You can vote for five secretary ship candidates that you approve of, or you can vote for yourself. All five votes must be cast. If you do not cast all your votes, you will be considered to have given up competing for the secretary ship. I will also announce everyone's final choice. So I hope everyone will think carefully before making a decision."

Ying Tian: "The voting period is 24 hours. Does anyone have any questions? If not, we can begin."

Chapter Fifty-Four: The Dragon and Phoenix That Need More Thought and the Terrifying Hood

Of course, there were bound to be problems, and soon the group chat was flooded with all sorts of questions.

However, most of the ship girls who ask questions are impatient. The real experts either have excellent comprehension skills and are trying to figure out the commander's intentions immediately, or they are observing in secret. Perhaps the selection of the secretary ship has already started at this time. What if you ask questions directly and get the commander's evaluation of poor comprehension? Of course, the best course of action is to remain calm and wait for the right opportunity.

Ying Tian doesn't need to answer the questions in the group. He has already informed the Prince of Wales and Zhen Hai of his intentions. With the two of them sharing the burden, Ying Tian doesn't need to worry about the strange questions in the group.

However, while some people can only ask questions in the group, others can get the benefits of being close to the source.

Longfeng, standing to the side, asked, "Commander, are you sure this is the selection method for the first round?"

Ying Tian said, "I'm sure. I think I've made myself very clear."

Longfeng gently rested her chin on her hand and said, "But the secretary ship assessment should be based on ability, right? This seems to be testing more on how many people are in the same faction and how good your interpersonal relationships are. Everyone can easily discuss with their friends and vote for each other in private, or ask some people to help them get votes. This is completely unfair."

“Yes, it’s unfair,” Ying Tian said matter-of-factly. “I never said that the election of the secretary ship was fair, and there is no absolutely fair way. Even if you have good social relationships, that is still a manifestation of your ability.”

Longfeng still didn't quite understand. She was an upright exorcist who often seemed a bit impatient and reckless, unlike some people who didn't really understand but remained calm and watched her take the lead for others.

"But I still don't understand, even if there aren't absolutely fair methods, there should still be..."

Longfeng stopped asking questions because Yingtian patted her head with a profound expression and said, "You need to think more, Longfeng. I can only tell you that before that, you need to think more."

"I'm sorry," Ryuho said, biting her lip. "I completely failed to grasp the Commander's intentions, and I've already lost the right to be the secretary ship..."

"How could that be? You're making the secretary ship seem too mysterious. In fact, the naval base is quite well-organized even without a secretary ship. So what's the point of having a secretary ship?" Ying Tian looked at the tall and beautiful ship girl in front of him and said truthfully, "Longfeng's sincere thirst for knowledge makes me think she's very suitable to be a secretary ship. However, I can't appoint her directly. You'll have to work hard to get one yourself."

Longfeng pursed her lips, feeling as if the man in front of her was shining, illuminating her entire being.

She straightened her back, clasped her right hand across her chest, and said earnestly, "It is precisely because I am by the Commander's side that I have the opportunity to demonstrate my strength. Without the Commander, I would not be who I am today. Therefore, in front of the Commander, even without suppressing my thoughts..."

"It's okay, I know."

"Huh? You usually make it very obvious? Is that so!?"

Watching Ying Tian and Long Feng talk, St. Louis nudged the Prince of Wales with his elbow and said, "Why don't you do something about your commander? Look at Long Feng, even if the commander takes her to bed, she might not resist. Instead, she might play hard to get and spread her legs open."

Wales glanced at her expressionlessly and said, "My commander is also your commander."

"I have no reason to care about him."

"But you will still voluntarily spread your legs."

“I won’t,” St. Louis said with a charming smile. “I’ll be on top.”

St. Louis thought to himself that he mainly lacked the opportunity; otherwise, even without a wedding ring, it would be the same—sixteen times, not a single time less. He believed the commander was a true man and there would be absolutely no problem.

-------------------------------------

"The commander is no man at all, doing something like this."

In the naval base, Royal Ark thought bitterly to herself that she wasn't very popular. Mainly, the ship girls who didn't know her true identity didn't get along with her. Those who were close to her knew that she respected the elderly and cared for the young. However, Royal Ark considered herself to love her little girls very much, and not many people signed up to participate in the election for secretary ship. Helpless, for the sake of her dream paradise where she could do whatever she wanted, Royal Ark had no choice but to swallow her pride and beg others to vote for her.

When she went to find Hood, she happened to run into a large group of people having a meeting.

"Honestly, why didn't you invite me when discussing the secretary ship?"

Glorious said, "But we had Javelin help us notify you."

"Huh? Really... Hahaha, maybe she just couldn't find me..."

Royal Ark chuckled. How could he not take advantage of such an adorable javelin? He pulled her into his room and dressed her up cutely in front of the large full-length mirror... As for what she had said, he completely forgot about it.

Hood didn't drink any black tea today. She sat down at the conference table, crossed her hands, and rested her chin on her hand, saying, "It seems that the first project set up by the Commander can easily pass by forming cliques. We can even find ways to form alliances with others to eliminate the more threatening competitors in the first step, or cast some of the remaining votes for people like Yukikaze to make up the numbers and stir up trouble. There are many ways to do this."

“But have you forgotten a crucial issue?” The Duke of York took a sip of red wine and said, “If you can think of something like this, others can think of the same thing. It will definitely be chaotic, and I don’t think that’s what the Commander originally intended.”

Warspite originally didn't want to express her opinion, but Queen Elizabeth forced her to sign up, saying that the Queen Elizabeth-class battleships absolutely could not miss this port extravaganza.

But it didn't seem right to just listen to it all the time, so Warspite said, "Anyway, we Royals have quite a few people who signed up, unlike Ironblood who put all their eggs in one basket. If we unite, we'll definitely be able to advance, right?"

Nelson crossed her arms and said, "That's right, there's strength in numbers." She said she hated it, but her actions betrayed her, and she still signed up for the secretary ship.

“More people doesn’t mean more power.” Hood glanced around at everyone present and said, “Didn’t any of you notice? When did the Commander say that only those with the most votes would advance? He didn’t even say the specific number of people who would advance.”

"Hiss—" King George V gasped. "It seems so?"

"So having more people doesn't necessarily mean having more power." Hu De's azure eyes were full of calm and wisdom. She stood up and leaned on the table, saying, "The key to the first round is actually the commander's last sentence, 'Everyone's choice will be announced.' Whether there is any selfishness or not, and what kind of vision you have, will be revealed in the announced choices. So you need to stick together for mutual support, and you also need to show your magnanimity and vision. Don't blame me for not reminding you, the first round may be the most crucial one."

The Duke of York pondered Hood's words in silence, and finally had to admit, "You are right."

Royal Ark was somewhat intimidated by Hood's imposing presence and subconsciously remarked, "Hood is rather frightening today..."

"Really? I'll take it as a compliment."

Hood sat down, thinking, "Who knows my pain? I'm not the same person I used to be. Commander, you bastard, just you wait."

Chapter 55 The Garrison Command's Reaction

Compared to the Royal Navy's ship girls gathering together to discuss matters, some ship girls prefer to form cliques—

Marco Polo went directly to visit the Northern Alliance, Iris, and Eastern Empire: "Under this rule, it is obvious that the forces with more people have an advantage. So we forces with fewer people must unite. At the very least, we must find a way to advance to the next round. Otherwise, no matter how much preparation and ideas we have, it will be useless."

Soviet Rossia was drinking vodka. To be precise, all the ship girls of the Northern Alliance were drinking vodka. Rossia unbuttoned her coat, boldly revealing her fair and perfect northern hemisphere. She said with some confidence, "I think many people should understand that I am the most suitable choice as the political commissar."

Then she saw Soviet Belaros, Kronstadt, Tallinn, and others looking at her with expressions of camaraderie, a mixture of warmth and reluctance to speak directly.

Only Kirov agreed: "You and I often patrol the port area together to see those scoundrels who aren't doing their jobs properly; everyone has definitely seen it."

Although Soviet Russia was confident and a bit naive, she wasn't stupid. After thinking for a moment, she immediately shook hands with Marco Polo and said, "I understand. It's a pleasure to cooperate."

"Pleasant to work with."

However, Marco Polo's journey with the iris and to the Eastern Empire was not so pleasant.

Jean Bart was too lazy to cooperate with her. As a direct and confident pirate, she believed more in her own strength: "If the secretary ship can do it, it will do it; if it can't, then so be it. If you have to use these underhanded methods to achieve your goal, then I can only say that the commander's level is nothing special. It's better not to be a secretary ship."

Jean Bart expressed this opinion, and those who signed up, such as Dunkirk and Joffre, shared the same attitude. Marco Polo privately complained, "You Iris are insulted by the French every day, and now you're putting on an act."

Yi Xian also politely declined Marco Polo's invitation.

This puzzled Marco Polo: "Forgive me for speaking the truth, but the situation of Donghuang and Sardinia is similar. They are not very prominent in the naval base. If they cannot unite, how can they compete with the Royal Navy, Eagle Union, and Sakura Empire?"

To everyone's surprise, Yi Xian said very magnanimously, "If you can't compete, you can't compete. The purpose of a secretary ship is to balance the various forces in the naval base. If you can't gain the approval of others, then you are not qualified even if you become a secretary ship."