27th of September, Shanhai City.
The admiral of the Indian Ocean Fleet, Smoke Freak, and the admiral of the Atlantic Fleet, Alvaro, were summoned to the capital by the king. Commander-in-Chief Zheng He followed the two admirals to the Summer Palace.
Zhang Liang, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet of Governors, attended the military meeting.
In the imperial study, Ouyang Shuo seemed very happy. He smiled at the two admirals, Smoke Freak and Alvaro, and said, "Have a seat. The two of you are guarding a part of the sea for the imperial court. Both of you have rendered great service to the dynasty."
As an experienced admiral who was familiar with the situation around the Mediterranean Sea, Alvaro was able to lead the fleet in the Atlantic Ocean.
However, Alvaro was also treading on thin ice as he had to deal with the various feudal lords in the Mediterranean Sea and the threat of Jack's fleet of the Dawson Dynasty.
The one who grew the fastest was Smoke Freak.
He was the only admiral of the mutant navy in the Xia Dynasty. In the short three years since he joined the Xia Dynasty, he had risen from the commander-in-chief to the admiral of the navy, guarding a part of the sea for the dynasty.
His inexperience from back then was long gone.
Instead, he had a tanned face that had been exposed to the sea breeze and the scorching sun. He had a resolute expression, a steady demeanor, and a pure talent for military command.
Especially after Huang Gai joined the Indian Ocean Fleet, Smoke Freak grew rapidly. He changed every day and brought out his talent and unique strengths as a mutant to the extreme.
As of today, Smoke and Fire was a qualified admiral of the navy.
"We don't deserve such praise, Your Majesty!"
The two admirals were very excited to receive such praise from the king.
Smoke's heart was filled with complicated emotions. He was very glad that he had made the choice three years ago. He had put down his pride as a lord and resolutely joined Shanhai City's side.
Back then, Shanhai City had just carefully walked out of the Lianzhou Basin. It was still a small place in the southwest border, with only one prefecture. In just three years, the territory had expanded by more than twenty or thirty times.
As for Yan Huo, he had gone from being a minor lord to a major figure in a single leap.
In comparison, the feudal lords of Leizhou Prefecture had long been ordinary. The best one was only the president of a small chamber of commerce in the capital. His power and status couldn't compare to Smoke Freak at all.
Ouyang Shuo wasn't in a hurry to get to the main topic. Instead, he chatted with the two admirals about some interesting things in the fleet. As the scale of the Great Xia's army grew, Ouyang Shuo no longer had the time to patrol the various divisions.
This was especially true for the Atlantic Fleet, which was stationed at the distant seas, as they had even less contact with it. Usually, he could only get a general understanding of the fleet's combat and training situation through the routine reports of the fleet.
The newly promoted naval officers of the five fleets in the last two years didn't even have the chance to meet the king, Ouyang Shuo, let alone get to know him.
"This is not good!"
Ouyang Shuo had already resolved that he would definitely make time to go down to the counties and the various departments of the army to inspect. Otherwise, he would really be separated from the masses and become a 'blind person'.
After chatting for a full hour, Ouyang Shuo said: "Both of you, talk about how to make up for the shortcomings in the Grand Line and minimize the impact of the upcoming adverse effects of P."
"Smoke and Fire Demon, you go first!" Ouyang Shuo began to call out.
Hearing this, the smoke and fire demon didn't have stage fright. He calmly got up, cupped his fists and said: "Before elaborating on the proposal, I would like to ask for punishment from the king!" After staying in the army for a long time, the smoke and fire demon also had a sense of propriety.
"What crime?" Ouyang Shuo was somewhat puzzled.
"The Lion Kingdom is located in the jurisdiction of the Indian Ocean Fleet. This time, they suddenly submitted to the Peacock Imperial Court. As the commander of the fleet, I was not aware of it beforehand. I am willing to accept punishment."
When Ouyang Shuo heard this, he pondered for a moment before saying: "You have indeed neglected to guard against this matter. In that case, your salary will be suspended for half a year as a warning!" The army had always been clear about rewards and punishments. Ouyang Shuo naturally wouldn't break the rules.
"Yes!"
The smoke and fire demon voluntarily accepted the punishment. If he didn't, he wouldn't be able to straighten his back.
"The punishment has already been given. Tell me about your proposal. In your opinion, is it feasible to attack the Lion Kingdom?" Ouyang Shuo didn't take this matter lightly. After all, it wasn't the responsibility of the smoke and fire demon alone.
And even if he was aware of it in advance, the Peacock Imperial Court had been planning for a long time.
The attitude of the smoke and fire demon was very clear. "Your Majesty, I do not agree with attacking the Lion Kingdom now. Whether it is the time or the conditions for the battle, it is not yet mature. It is not appropriate to attack rashly. "
"In your opinion, how should we solve the supply problem of the fleet and merchant ships in the Indian Ocean?"
When the smoke and fire demon heard this, he quickly walked to the front of the world map and pointed to the Indian Ocean, a sea area on the lower left side of India. "Your Majesty, please look here!"
Ouyang Shuo frowned, a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes. It seemed like something had flashed through his mind, but he couldn't remember what was so special about this place.
When Zhang Liang saw this, he asked aloud: "That is a blank sea area, is there anything special about it?"
The smoke and fire demon smiled and explained: "Minister does not know, although the map is blank, in fact, this place is called the Maldives. It is made up of more than 1200 small coral islands. It is also a small country."
"I see!"
Ouyang Shuo suddenly realized why this place was so familiar.
The coral islands of the Maldives were like stars falling into the sea. Compared to the vast ocean, they were almost like dust, so the cartographers of the Great Xia naturally did not mark it.
The smoke and fire demon led his troops to patrol the Indian Ocean all year round, so he was very familiar with this place.
At this point, Ouyang Shuo had gradually understood the intention of the smoke and fire demon. His eyes unconsciously lit up and he said: "You mean, before the Peacock Dynasty notices this place, quickly take down the Maldives and replace the Lion Kingdom as a supply point in the Indian Ocean?"
"Your Majesty is wise!" The smoke and fire demon nodded.
"That is a good idea!"
In reality, most of the islands and reefs of the Maldives were too small and not suitable for human habitation. Of the more than 1200 islands and reefs, only 202 were inhabited.
Because the land was barren and the land area was limited, the agriculture and animal husbandry of the Maldives were not developed. Even the supply of fresh water was sometimes in short supply and needed to be conscripted from other countries.
Such a small country was not suitable as a shipping center for ocean trade.
The game world was different.
After the map was expanded ten times, the Maldives was fully capable of supporting a supply center, providing fresh water, vegetables, meat and other supplies for passing ships, as well as ship maintenance and other services.
Moreover, the Maldives was designated as a separate game zone by Gaia, so it had a royal city. Since there was a royal city, there was also a teleportation array, so it was completely possible to obtain the support of Shanhai City.
"Smoke and fire demon, listen up!" Ouyang Shuo made up his mind.
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