The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

Chapter 227 Zhao Lie's Management Ability

"The imperial decree has been issued. The 10,000 troops we have prepared will soon head to the Kingdom of Portugal in the west. However, the imperial court has not yet selected a candidate to serve as the governor there and guard the region."

He paused, his gaze falling on Aguda, and said calmly, "I'd like to recommend you. What do you think?"

Aguda reached out and took the imperial edict, but did not open it. Upon hearing this, he fell silent.

He knew very well that Zhao Lie was intentionally promoting him. Portugal was far to the west and was an overseas territory. By serving as the governor there, he would have sole control over the military and political power of the region. In one step, he would become a true top figure in the Han Dynasty.

But then he thought about it again. In those years, he had traveled all the way from Heilongjiang to Ningguta, then from Ningguta to Nerchinsk, and then was transferred to North Korea. He had been running around all over the country and had hardly had a day of peace.

Now that he has finally gained a foothold in North Korea, he is about to be sent to a distant country he has never even heard of. He is unfamiliar with the place, doesn't speak the language, and has different customs. He has to start all over again.

He was truly exhausted and didn't want to travel west anymore. Staying in Korea was fine too; he could fight alongside Zhao Lie against the Japanese invaders, which was also fighting for the country and earning him merits and rewards. Why go to Portugal, thousands of miles away, to suffer?

Thinking of this, Aguda put on a simple, smiling face and cupped his hands to Zhao Lie, saying:

"Your Excellency, I think it would be better if I went with you to fight the Japanese. Those short guys may not look tall, but they are very fierce in battle. It's perfect for me to deal with them."

"Portugal is too far away. I am a rough man and I am afraid I am not up to the important task of governor."

As soon as Aguda finished speaking, a heavy horn sounded from below the lookout tower. The sound was very urgent, a coastal defense warning that there were no fewer than a hundred enemy ships.

Soon, bugle calls sounded one after another, spreading throughout the entire Geoje Island camp. Even the Korean soldiers training in the drill ground stopped their movements and awaited orders.

Zhao Lie raised an eyebrow, stood up, and leaned on the wooden railing of the observation deck to look down. He saw that on the distant sea, sails were gradually emerging, a vast expanse of white, densely packed, almost covering half of the sea.

"The imperial navy has arrived."

After Zhao Lie finished speaking, he looked at Aguda!

"You'll regret it if you don't go!"

Upon hearing this, Aguda also stopped his playful demeanor.

"It's good to be with the Governor!"

Zhao Lie didn't mind, thinking to himself that if they didn't want to go, they didn't have to. Having another general by his side would make it easier for him to govern the Japanese islands in the future. So he led his personal guards and hurried towards the dock by the sea.

Aguda had been in Korea for over a year and had seen a bit of the world, but seeing that endless fleet of ships still filled him with awe.

The dock had already been cleaned up by the stationed soldiers, and the sea was calm, making it the perfect time for the large ships to dock.

Before long, the lead warship slowly entered the harbor. The ship was huge, with gun ports on both sides of the hull. The dark muzzles of the guns were faintly visible. On the sails, the Chinese character "Han" was embroidered in black on a red background.

Leading the group was none other than Xu Chuang, the commander of the Han Navy. Dressed in a dark blue unicorn robe, he stood on the deck of the foremost galleon. Upon seeing Zhao Lie arrive, he immediately raised his hand in salute.

"Governor Zhao, your humble generals Xu Chuang and Yin Huasheng, by order of the Imperial Court, have led a naval fleet to Geoje Island to hand over the expeditionary troops!"

In the army, official rank is paramount; everyone is a marquis, but Xu Chuang and Yin Huasheng are only generals, so they are ranked lower.

Zhao Lie quickly returned the greeting and said with a smile, "General Xu and General Yin have had a long and arduous journey. Please go ashore and rest. The 50,000 young men going to Bangladesh, along with 10,000 elite Korean soldiers and their families, have already gathered near the dock and are ready to board the ship at any time."

Xu Chuang nodded, his gaze sweeping over the fleet on the shore, and introduced, "This time, in addition to bringing fifty armed galleons and one hundred large armed Fujian ships for escort, I have also allocated five hundred merchant ships capable of transporting fifty thousand people, enough to transport all the soldiers, their families, and provisions and weapons to Bengal."

The Han Dynasty now has many merchant ships, mainly from Taiwan and major shipyards, and its coastal or near-shore transport is quite good!

In fact, as long as they don't encounter the Dutch and British, other countries won't make things difficult for the Han Navy. After all, who can refuse a benefactor?

Today, the entire Geoje Island has been fully developed, with low-rise houses everywhere. The 50,000 young Koreans who were recruited in advance have all been concentrated on the south side of the horse head.

Most of them were fifteen or sixteen years old. Every day they learned to speak Chinese, practiced riding a boat, became familiar with the enclosed cabins, and learned how to use the toilet and eat in an orderly manner.

They weren't black slaves; they were going to Bengal to become superior people, and when they grew up, they would be part of the Kshatriya class. If too many died, it wouldn't be worth it, so naturally, they needed to be trained more.

As the iron gates near the dock were opened, one after another, Korean noble generals rode back and forth on horseback to inspect the area.

Their families would go together. Zhao Lie had initially thought there would be resistance, but after hearing about the Hindu system of governance, they couldn't wait to go.

When a fleet of twenty large barges docked, the Korean noble general immediately rode forward and cracked his whip.

"Listen up, everyone. Once on board, the ten-man captain will be in charge of everything. If anyone dies without cause, the captain will throw them overboard to feed the fish!"

These boys were all dressed in coarse cloth short clothes, and each of them had two bamboo tubes, one large and one small, one for eating and one for drinking water.

After boarding the ship, they immediately followed the ten-man leader and skillfully entered the cabin. Then they all sat cross-legged, closed their eyes, and began to sleep.

Xu Chuang witnessed the whole thing and grew to admire Zhao Lie more and more. Everyone said that Zhao Lie was the most invincible governor of the Han Dynasty, yet he was constantly showered with favors.

Xu Chuang himself was ashamed of his own lack of ability in this area, and even if he were to do it, he might face punishment.

It seems we need to get closer to them in the future. As for those reckless brutes who only know how to fight, the Han Dynasty had countless of them. Which empire, at its founding, lacked military generals?

Just then, a group of people dressed in coarse cloth robes and carrying various woodworking tools emerged one after another from a barracks, singing songs as they went.

Judging from their appearance, there were Koreans, Han Chinese, and foreigners.

Thinking of the new ships on Geoje Island, Xu Chuang was also curious, so he stepped forward and asked Zhao Lie, "Governor Zhao, we have heard that there is a large shipbuilding base on Geoje Island. We two have come all the way here and would like to visit it and see the new warships that our Han Dynasty is building in Korea."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lie stroked his chin. Considering that the imperial court hadn't explicitly forbade viewing the ship, and that it would eventually be delivered to the navy, he readily agreed: "General Xu, if you want to see it, of course there's no problem. Let's go there now. The base is located on the west side of the dock, with ten large shipyards specifically for building ocean-going warships."

"Just follow these boatmen!"