"It's alright!"
Li Anlan waved his hand; he wasn't angry.
Besides being in a good mood today, it's mostly because Zhan Shunyu is his confidant, the kind who is extremely loyal and has followed him from the founding of the country to the war of rebellion, always leading from the front.
He certainly wouldn't kill Zhan Shunyu over such a trivial matter, but the old man's temper hadn't changed at all; he still had a violent temper.
Li Anlan said irritably, "You old codger, calm down! I haven't even said anything yet, what are you getting so worked up about? Taking off your armor, where do you think you are!"
"Hey-hey!"
Zhan Shunyu quickly picked up his armor and said awkwardly, "Your Majesty, you know me, I love fighting. Asking me to go fishing is a disgrace to my ancestors. I won't go."
"You wouldn't even go for 100,000 catties of fish at once?" Li Anlan laughed.
ah?
Zhan Shunyu paused for a moment, the words of refusal on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back.
"Explain to him what ocean fishing is!" Li Anlan looked at Liu Ziyi and said in a deep voice.
Liu Ziyi didn't dare to be negligent and immediately began to explain, even describing the scene of Lin Yi unloading the goods.
"Holy crap, they caught 100,000 jin in one go?"
Zhan Shunyu's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. This was just too outrageous! How many fish were there?
If we had these fish, all the brothers could have a good meal and maybe even make a fortune. It would be a real fool to miss out on this.
He immediately stood up, put on his armor, and solemnly said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this fishing matter will be left to our navy. We can fight, and naturally we can fish!"
Forehead!
Liu Ziyi secretly rolled his eyes. Sure enough, when it comes to shamelessness, you have to look to Old Man Zhan. He changed his mind way too fast.
Li Anlan knew his temper all too well, and said irritably, "You old fool, didn't you say you were ashamed of your ancestors? Why are you going now?"
"Hehe, for the sake of my brothers' stomachs, I think my ancestors will forgive me." Zhan Shunyu patted his chest and said with a righteous expression.
Depend on!
The guards inside the gate all rolled their eyes. This shameless old man was simply unbelievable.
Zhang Zinong was also dumbfounded, frowning as he said, "Your Majesty, can ocean fishing really yield so many catches? It's simply unbelievable!"
As the head of the Privy Treasury, he naturally understood what 100,000 jin meant; it was practically piled up like a mountain.
"That should be true. This servant wouldn't dare to lie to me. However, ocean fishing is quite risky. Not only do you have to weather storms, but you also have to watch out for pirates, so it's not easy," Li Anlan said with a smile.
Forehead!
At this point, Zhan Shunyu immediately felt embarrassed and said awkwardly, "Your Majesty, our navy hasn't fought a war for several years. I'm afraid these warships can't withstand the wind and waves. Your Majesty, you must give us bigger ships! This old minister no longer needs to fish for Your Majesty; you must give me a few large ships, otherwise we won't have enough to carry!"
He had also tried the sea, but after several storms and losses, he gave up.
But now that Lin Yi has gone, there's no reason not to go.
puff!
Li Anlan spat out his tea, utterly defeated by this shameless person.
However, this is indeed a problem, and it's not entirely Zhan Shunyu's fault. As he said, the warships haven't been used much in recent years, and it's good enough that they haven't rotted away. If they were to go to the open sea, they would probably fall apart.
He looked at Zhang Zinong and asked, "Can the Privy Treasury currently allocate manpower to build brand-new warships to support this ocean fishing operation?"
"Your Majesty, the northern battlefield has entered a frenzied phase. The Privy Treasury is doing its utmost to coordinate the production of arrows and necessary equipment. I'm afraid this warship is powerless to help!" Zhang Zinong said with a wry smile.
The Privy Treasury Department has its own workshops and numerous subordinate departments, but they are all currently fighting desperately for the war in the north, so there is no time to build ships.
Forehead!
Li Anlan's expression changed drastically; he was now in an awkward situation.
However, Zhang Zinong can't really be blamed for this. The north needs a lot of weapons and equipment, which all need to be manufactured by the Privy Treasury. If all the resources are used for shipbuilding, then Mountain and River Pass will be left empty-handed.
He looked at Liu Ziyi, frowned, and asked, "Where did Lin Yi's warships come from? Does he have warships in that remote mountain valley?"
Even the mighty Emperor of Great Ning didn't have warships, yet Lin Yi had such a fortune. He even suspected that Li Sansi had hidden them away in preparation for a rebellion; otherwise, where would Lin Yi have gotten his warships?
"Your Majesty, please forgive me, I am investigating, but there is no news yet," Liu Ziyi said with a wry smile.
He was curious, but he really couldn't find out.
Xiliang did establish several shipyards, but these were newly built, and the origins of these warships were previously inexplicable.
" Wei Tong is a piece of trash!"
He had just taken the stage when Li Anlan didn't blame him, but Wei Tong disappointed him somewhat.
Not only did they fail to uncover these inside stories, but they've also disappeared without a trace, truly wasting the reputation of Great Ning Guard.
Liu Ziyi is doing well now, and I hope he will continue his efforts. He said in a deep voice, "Investigate this matter as soon as possible. This matter remains a threat, and Lin Yi is getting stronger and stronger!"
Lin Yi's power was already emanating from him, making him feel a strong threat.
Now that he has such a huge warship, it means that he can attack him at any time, and even bypass Wuning Commandery to attack the heart of Great Ning. This is something he cannot accept and must be stopped.
Furthermore, the Great Ning Navy must be strengthened; it must be replenished after this great battle.
However, he was somewhat unwilling to give up such a large sum of money to Lin Yi.
After a moment's thought, he looked at Zhan Shunyu and said in a deep voice, " Zhan Shunyu, the court's main focus is currently on the war in the north, and I'm afraid they can't spare many manpower to build warships, so you'll have to find a way yourself."
"Ah?"
Zhan Shunyu's face turned green. He told me to think of a solution, but how could I possibly come up with one?
Your Majesty, I have no money.
"Your Majesty, we are currently busy, but we do have people available," Zhang Zinong suddenly stepped forward, his expression meaningful.
"Who?"
Li Anlan's eyes lit up. It seemed that his position as the Privy Treasury was indeed capable; he had come up with a good idea.
Zhang Zinong gave Liu Ziyi a meaningful look, and finally gave his answer.
"A prestigious family!"
Others may not have the time, but the powerful families of today certainly do. In fact, they are still reselling large quantities of grain and making a considerable profit.
If they see the profits in the fishing industry now, they will definitely go all out.
Liu Ziyi's heart skipped a beat. This guy was talking about aristocratic families right in front of him; he really didn't consider himself a human being.
"A prestigious family!"
Li Anlan's eyes lit up, and several possibilities flashed through his mind. He exclaimed, "Minister Zhang truly lives up to his reputation as a pillar of our Great Ning. Perhaps it's time to let them lend a hand!"
He applauded Zhang Zinong's suggestion in his heart; it was an absolutely brilliant idea.