On October 29, 699, the Gregorian Gregorian calendar, Ling Tianfang, the Director of the Western Xinjiang Military Services Agency, who had been in the Kingdom of Milan for 6 days, boarded the ship and quietly headed south from the Port of Taranto, along the coastline of the East Ocean, passing through the waters of the two Principles of Mahad and Andako, and was preparing to go to Western Xinjiang to obtain a foothold in the central part of the South Ocean - Lu Island in the central part of the Maven Islands, to inspect the construction of the Lu Island military port.

Just when the entire northern continent has entered late autumn, the area where it enters the northern waters of the South Ocean in the southern Ocean seems to be unable to feel much autumn. The bright sunshine shines on the deck and makes the whole ship look more antique. In fact, the ship is not long, but only three years have passed. However, the long-term bumpy wind and waves have made the ship more vicissitudes.

This is a medium-sized sloop passenger ship that looks ordinary. It is only more than twenty meters long, and the lower side is only two floors, and the maximum passenger is only thirty or forty. However, the ship has been booked by the guests, and there are only a few passengers on the entire ship, but the charter fee is quite a bit, which also makes the owner very happy. These yellow people who seem to be from the Tanghe Empire in the north seem very rich, but they don’t bargain at all when negotiating the rent, which is quite refreshing.

Although the journey from Taranto to Lu Island in the Maven Islands is a little farther away, the sea route is still quiet. Unlike the north, you have to worry about the attacks of the ronin gangsters in the Japanese land. The south is the patrol range of the Three Kingdoms Navy. Generally speaking, the Japanese dare not come here to go wild. Further south is the territory of the Nanyang Alliance. Although the Nanyang Alliance navy does not have much time to patrol, the frequent armed merchant ships are everywhere, and the Japanese dare not show up in these places.

What made the ship owner a little strange was that the place where these people went. Although the ship owner knew the location based on the charts and sailing experience, as far as he knew, it was a deserted island where not many people lived, at most some local natives who made a living by fishing. However, I heard that the people from the South China League now lined up the island to the Tanghe people. The Tanghe people were doing development on that island. I wonder if these Tanghe people also went for development. Are the Tanghe people too rich? Even these unknown islands are interested in them. I really don’t know what they think.

He gently pushed open the porthole and supported it. A ray of sunlight shone in. A slightly warm air flowed in to make Ling Tianfang feel a little relaxed. He closed the pages and took out a stack of paper from the bag he carried with him. An exquisite quill was also pulled out. Ling Tianfang did not like the traditional brushes of Tanghe people, but the brush was also competent for him. When handling official duties, he still used brushes more, but when making his own personal records such as writing a diary, he prefers quills from the Western Continent.

Sitting at the desk behind the porthole, Ling Tianfang raised his head and looked at the blue sea, dazed intently. After a while, he seemed to remember something and began to bow his head to write.

"This guy named Alfred Thayer Mahan is indeed a natural genius. He can write such a strange book. It is no exaggeration to say that there will be no more than five people in the entire Eastern Continent who can read this book. I don't know how His Highness the King of Qin got this book. Judging from the time of writing this book, it should have been written ten years ago. In ten years, I don't know how many monarchs and nobles in the Western Continent have accepted the viewpoint of this book. If they really accept the viewpoint of this book, then we will be too far away from them."

He raised his head and contemplated for a while. Ling Tianfang once again lowered his head to continue his daily work: "The concept of sea power is often only stuck in a certain corner of our words or thoughts, and is even more used as a fashionable noun. There are not many people who truly understand the meaning of this word. Even after reading this book, I can only say that I have a roughly vague concept. But I am very pleased. At least I know that I have entered the threshold of a new era. In the Eastern Continent, I believe that there are very few people who have crossed this threshold, and even fewer people who can truly realize the importance of sea power and start taking action. But His Highness the King of Qin should be one of them."

"Although many people cannot systematically understand the meaning of maritime power, it does not mean that they have ignored the importance of maritime power in reality. At least our neighbors, the Japanese, the Milanese, the Mahad and Andakos are the same, and even some people in the Nanyang Alliance realize this."

"I envy the keenness of the Milans. Perhaps the Japanese were too arrogant in the East and the Milans' naval power was stimulated by them. Although they may not have increased much in their number, it is obvious that their military ships and weapons on the military ships have been upgraded. The huge recoil impact generated by the launch of the catapult is said to have been overcome by them, and the development of fireproof coatings has made breakthrough progress. I have not been able to see their most advanced warships. It is said that they have begun to absorb the advantages of sailing ships from the Western Continent to improve the sail type and masts. I don't know what impact this improvement will have on the speed and flexibility of the warships."

"More importantly, I heard that they are still experimenting with a weapon like the dragon cannon developed in Western Xinjiang for ships. If this weapon is produced and used in practice, it would be a revolution that can overturn the entire maritime war. I simply don't want to believe this, but reality tells me that we have to think worse. Perhaps the scholars and experts of our Science and Technology Department should also consider the possibility of moving the dragon cannon to the warship. If the technical problems that are plaguing us now can be solved, then fire crossbows, catapults and mount battles will become history and be buried. I hope that the information provided to me by the Military Intelligence Agency about the development of new weapons by the Milanese is wrong, but I know I am probably deceiving myself."

After writing this, Ling Tianfang couldn't help but put down his pen and sighed. The rapid improvement of the Milanese naval strength was simply surprising. I originally thought that the expansion of the Japanese might have overwhelmed the Milanese. Now it seems that although the Japanese have expanded greatly in the scale of the navy, the Milanese are constantly improving in technology, one has increased in quantity and the other has increased in quality. It is hard to say which of the two is stronger. However, the significant increase in power of either side does not seem to be a good thing for the Tanghe people, who are also the master of the East Asia. However, the strength of the Milanese naval power is still more beneficial to our side for the time being. For a long time, Ling Tianfang believes that Western Xinjiang needs to maintain a relatively good relationship with the Three Kingdoms Alliance.

"The increase in the military strength of the Milans is not only reflected in the navy. The Military Intelligence Agency reflects that their army's strength is also increasing. The power of the three legions seems to be unable to meet the security needs of the Milans. It seems that His Majesty King Louis seems to have a plan to expand another legion army. I wonder if it is the threat of the Machikhans that made them uneasy or our land power is too strong that made them vaguely uneasy? Even Mahad and Andako have the idea of ​​significantly increasing the defense budget. Can the Three Kingdoms Alliance and we really form a stable strategic alliance?"

"This trip to Milan is indeed very profitable. This not only refers to the continued alliance between us and the Milans. I think my ideas and views have also been greatly shocked by Milan's delegation. Milan's wealth is unimaginable. Even at the peak of the empire's Jiangnan region, I guess it is basically the same as Milan at the moment. The Milans fully utilized their advantages in navigation. There are as many as six ports along the coast of the mainland, and the two port cities on the Northern Pearl Islands. The economy of their entire country can be said to be based on shipping trade. However, the long coastline of our empire has only six ports, and its efficiency is extremely low. This cannot but say that our concept in this regard is far behind that of the Milans."

"Looking at the number of merchants from the Central and Western mainlands in Napoli, you can imagine how developed the Milanese trade economy is. From Yuhang to Quanzhou to Napoli, from Napoli to Taranto to the sea where I am traveling on this ship, the ships that come and go, which have sailed freely have almost never disappeared completely in my eyes. They will always see a piece or a few sails in a corner of the seaside horizon. These ships are almost the San Marco flag of the Kingdom of Milan, and the remaining flags of Andako or Mahad, and the flags of our Tanghe Empire are almost rarely seen. These merchants from all over the mainland have provided huge funds for the Milan finances, and also supported the Milanese strong navy and expanding army."

"Why are these merchants from all over the world more willing to hang the flag of the Kingdom of Milan? No, because the Milan navy has a considerable influence in both the East and South China Seas. It can give merchants a sense of security. This is the symbol of maritime power. Only when merchants think that a regime can protect them and give them absolute security guarantees can the maritime power of this regime be fully reflected. I think so, maybe this is a bit shallow, but I plan to read this book again - "The Impact of maritime power on History".
Chapter completed!