At nine o'clock in the morning, there were more and more people in the waiting room. Felix was about to open the window to get some air when he suddenly heard the staff calling his name.
He left his seat, adjusted his instruments in front of the reflection in the window, and strode towards the conference room at the end of the corridor on the right side of the first floor.
The furnishings of the room are similar to the scene of the officer qualification examination. Sunlight shines from the high windows on the wall. A long table lies in the center. A civilian official and two military officers sit behind the table. A clerk is arranged in the corner to take notes of the meeting.
"Please take a seat, Captain Felix."
The civil servant in the middle motioned for Felix to take a seat, then flipped through the information and checked his mission records since he became the captain.
Regarding certain details, the three of them asked corresponding questions, and from time to time they lowered their heads and wrote a short paragraph to evaluate this bold and radical guy.
As the meeting came to an end, Felix faced a choice:
Serve as the first mate of the newly launched Heavy Double-Deck Warship, or continue to serve as the captain of the Cruiser.
"Cruiser. My tactical style is more proactive and I am not suitable to serve as deputy. It is better to stay at Cruiser and focus on hunting Venice ships."
"I had guessed that you would choose Cruiser." The civilian officer signed at the end of the assessment form, and then handed over a document. "The day after tomorrow, we will pick up the new crew members at the military camp in the morning and the battleship in the afternoon. This is a follow-up personnel change. What do you think?"
Felix read the document carefully from beginning to end. Nearly one-third of the more than seventy remaining members of Scala were transferred away, leaving only fifty people.
"Promotion is a good thing. I never hinder the future of my subordinates."...
Eastern Roman Empire has a population of more than three million Greece, most of whom live in coastal areas and has a rich reserve of sailors.
Therefore, the new crew members added by Admiralty are mainly merchant sailors and fishermen with certain navigation experience, not farmers or shepherds who have never been in contact with the ocean.
On the morning of the 28th, Felix bid farewell to its old comrades and welcomed ninety new crew members who were eager to try.
In the biting cold wind, he took the roll and called everyone's name one by one, briefly asking about each person's experience and reasons for joining the army.
Not surprisingly, most of the new members came to make money to support their families. Nowadays, Eastern Mediterranean's shipping and fisheries have been affected by the war, and many sailors have lost their livelihoods and can only sign up to join the navy.
"Kill Venice!" "Be loyal to the emperor!" This was the answer from the remaining members.
The next step is to assign positions.
The command level of Cruiser is composed of officers, with non-commissioned officers as the middle level, and hundreds of sailors forming a huge grassroots level.
The sailor community is divided into three levels.
Third-class sailors have the lowest pay and the least navigational skills. They are responsible for heavy manual labor, such as carrying heavy objects, operating bilge pumps, cleaning and polishing decks with strips, and serving as auxiliary members of the gun crew.
Second-class sailors have slightly better sailing skills and can perform routine navigation tasks, but cannot independently carry out complex rigging and high-altitude operations. First-class sailors have the best treatment, and some members belong to the high-altitude operation team and are responsible for climbing masts dozens of meters high and performing dangerous operations such as reefing and unsailing.
The remaining ordinary crew members of Scala are classified as first-class sailors. Felix assigns new crew members to various positions to assist these experienced old crew members.
"That's all, let's eat first and then take over our battleship!"
Felix closed the roster and led a large group of excited and screaming crew members towards the mess hall.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Felix completed the ceremony and officially stepped onto the deck of the new battleship.
At the strong request of him and the old crew, the new battleship continued to use the name "Scala". The steering wheel disassembled from the old ship was placed on the new battleship, hoping to continue the former honor.
The shape of the new battleship has been improved. Its length-to-width ratio has reached 3.8:1, and the hull is more slender. The height of the stern has been reduced again, and the center of gravity of the entire ship has dropped, giving it better seaworthiness.
According to the designer's introduction, the new ship type is sufficient to cope with the wind and waves of the Mediterranean Sea in winter, and even meets the sailing requirements of Atlantic Ocean.
"Have you never been to Atlantic Ocean? Why do you make such a comment?" Felix slandered a few words and continued to visit with the designer.
The number of guns on the new battleship has been increased to thirty:
Two are located at the bow, four at the stern, and the remaining twenty-four cannons are located on the sides, all of which are conventional nine-pound bronze long-barreled cannons. According to the past experience of Felix, Nine-Pounder Cannon cannot penetrate the hull of an enemy ship of the same size with a single shot. It requires 2 to 4 consecutive hits in a very small range to create a gap.
Assuming that the two Cruisers enter the shooting stage, they usually have to fight for a long time. Sometimes, it is better to fire shotguns to kill the crew members on the deck, and then start a gang fight.
"It would be nice if I could change it to Twelve-Pounder Cannon."
Felix sighed with emotion and then gave up this unrealistic delusion.
The layout of the sails and rigging has been slightly changed. The biggest change is the bottom of the ship. The designer claims that the bottom of the ship is covered with a thin layer of copper skin, which can effectively alleviate problems caused by shipworms and barnacles.
After an hour of introduction, the designer team left the deck, leaving Felix and others to take over the new ship.
"First mate, let the brothers go to the warehouse to collect supplies. We will start training at sea tomorrow."
According to the requirements of Admiralty, the new warship must go through a two-month "combat readiness running-in period" and train various subjects in Sea of Marmara, which has good sea conditions.
Even after the running-in period is over, the new warship will not enter Aegean Sea immediately. It is expected to be assigned to Black Sea Fleet to perform low-difficulty tasks such as patrolling and hunting down smuggling ships.
Felix estimates that it will be impossible for him to return to the Eastern Mediterranean battlefield at least before May next year.
December 31st, Venice's homeland, Governor’s Palace. Foscari read the battle report from the front line: Marcello insisted on his own combat style, sent ships to blockade Aegean Sea, and waited for the main force of the enemy fleet to attack.
Regarding Governor's proposal to attack Cyprus, Marcello responded in the letter as follows:
"Today, the number of Crete Army has increased to 26,000, with more than enough defense, but not enough offense.
Cyprus has thousands of troops garrisoned, and Militia can be recruited to assist in defense. It is not a problem to gather more than 10,000 people. If we intend to occupy this island, we need to dispatch 15,000 soldiers, which will be transported by the main force of the fleet.
Sailing from Crete to Cyprus can take as short as five days or as long as one week.
After the fleet arrives at Cyprus, it will need to spend time seizing a large port, unloading heavy artillery and war horses, and then returning from Cyprus to Crete, which is expected to take 20 to 30 days.
During this period, the enemy is likely to take the opportunity to attack Crete. Their Army departs from Peloponnese. With a favorable wind, they can reach Crete in one day. In less than a week, they can transport more than 20,000 people to the island.
I will never carry out this plan unless you send more Army to garrison Crete."