Chapter 39

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"Boom!" A ball of crimson fire exploded on the beach over four thousand meters away. Although it did not hit the target, the immense power of the explosion still greatly satisfied the officers of the Flying Fish Army. Considering this was the first field gun produced, and the gunners had yet to master its performance, missing the target was inevitable.

"Commander! This field gun is really powerful! Its power is at least as strong as the Westerners' ten-pounder!" said Lieutenant Colonel Niu Meng excitedly. Manufacturing a powerful field gun like this was something he had never even dreamed of in his life!

"The power is slightly stronger than the Western ten-pounder! However, its range is absolutely much farther! But it is also a bit heavier than their ten-pounder!" said Long Yufei. The field gun he designed drew inspiration from classic designs of the future, and in terms of performance, it could be considered a revolutionary improvement. Additionally, if the barrel were extended, it could be used as a naval gun, further increasing its range. This way, the Flying Fish Army's navy would have a decisive advantage in range and power when facing Western navies!

"If the field gun is too heavy, that's a big problem! The roads on Mindanao are so bad that such a heavy gun can't pass through them!" Niu Meng said, frowning. Many places on Mindanao had no roads at all, especially in the forests where they were fighting the natives. However, the natives' weapons were extremely primitive, and such a powerful field gun was not necessary; light mortars were enough to deal with them!

"I don't plan to assign this field gun to the front-line units for now. In the short term, it will be used as a defensive force for Flying Fish City! I intend to establish an artillery regiment equipped with 24 field guns, stationed in Flying Fish City, to simultaneously deal with enemies from the sea and land!" said Long Yufei. He did not take the natives of Mindanao seriously; the real threat came from Western powers, and if they appeared, it would definitely be from the sea.

Niu Meng nodded, acknowledging Long Yufei's plan. Although the field gun was powerful, it was too cumbersome for the current Flying Fish Army infantry. Mindanao lacked horses, and pulling an 800-kilogram gun was very difficult.

The officers of the Flying Fish Army praised the performance of the field gun, but when they learned it would not be equipped to the front-line units, they were somewhat disappointed. However, they understood. After all, the primary purpose of weapons was to enhance the combat effectiveness of the troops. If they not only failed to enhance combat effectiveness but also became a burden, they would lose their original purpose!

Additionally, Long Yufei had decided to purchase some mules and horses through Antonio. To pull one field gun, at least two mules were needed. For a regiment with 24 guns, 48 mules would be required just for pulling the guns, plus more for transporting ammunition and as spares. At least 60 mules would be needed. Fortunately, the batch of gold from the Mangabang tribe had been smelted, yielding over 300 kilograms of gold, effectively alleviating the financial crisis of the Flying Fish Company. The gold mine in the Mangabang mountains had also started production, yielding 20 kilograms of gold per month. After the Flying Fish Army swept through other native tribes, they would also seize more gold and other treasures, which strongly supported the development of the Flying Fish Company.

"Commander! We have almost cleared the northern part of Mindanao of natives! Many small native tribes have fled to the central part of Mindanao, deep into the forests. Should we continue to attack the natives in the south next?" Niu Meng asked. Except for the Mangabang tribe, the northern part of Mindanao was mostly composed of small and medium-sized tribes. After the Flying Fish Army eliminated the Mangabang tribe, dealing with these smaller tribes was relatively easy. In the past two months, Flying Fish City had gained over 20,000 young and strong slaves, solving the labor shortage of the Flying Fish Company!

"How are the casualties of the troops?" Long Yufei asked. Despite the rotation of six infantry battalions, the soldiers had been fighting in the forest for over two months, and they were very tired, with significant casualties.

"Commander, so far, our total casualties have reached over 400, with 130 deaths and 40 seriously injured, the rest being lightly injured. Among these casualties, few were killed by the natives; most were bitten by poisonous insects and snakes in the forest," Niu Meng said. For the Flying Fish Army, the natives were not scary; the truly terrifying thing was the harsh environment of the Mindanao forests!

"The environment of Mindanao is too harsh. We are already at a disadvantage in the forest. Try to train the soldiers to adapt to this harsh environment as much as possible! Next, let the troops rest for a month and recruit new soldiers. Additionally, the newly formed units need to be trained intensively! Our current number of troops is still too small!" Long Yufei said. With more and more Chinese joining the Flying Fish Company and the Flying Fish Army's continuous victories, the recruitment of Chinese youth was going smoothly. Every time recruitment began, long lines would form at the registration points. Being selected was a cause for celebration. Not only would the family receive ten acres of land, but the Flying Fish Company would also give two slaves for free. Even if a soldier died, the Flying Fish Company would provide additional compensation to ensure the family's continued livelihood. This made the soldiers of the Flying Fish Army free from worries and very brave in battle. Of course, Long Yufei, the commander-in-chief of the Flying Fish Army, was also deeply loved by the officers and soldiers!

"Commander! The Flying Fish Army has already expanded to eight infantry battalions! Should we continue to expand?" Niu Meng asked. Each battalion had over 750 people, so eight battalions totaled 6,000 people. Adding the artillery regiment planned by Long Yufei, the total number of troops would be close to 7,000. The total number of Chinese in Flying Fish City was only about 50,000, and the number of soldiers already accounted for one-seventh of the population. In Western countries, this would be considered excessive militarization. If not for the large number of slaves obtained by the Flying Fish Company, the labor shortage would have been severe after so many strong men joined the army.

"Not enough! The number of infantry battalions should be expanded to at least 12! In the future, we will establish even more units! If there are not enough Chinese on Mindanao, we will recruit from Luzon, Borneo, and even China! My goal is to establish an army of at least 100,000 strong!" Long Yufei said. He calculated that to dominate the South China Sea, the Flying Fish Army's land forces needed at least 100,000 troops. Of course, more important than the land forces was the navy. Without naval supremacy, the land forces would be useless!

"100,000 people?" Niu Meng's eyes widened, but then he became excited. As the second-in-command of the Flying Fish Army, if the army expanded to 100,000, he would surely become a general!

"Commander, rest assured, I will train those boys rigorously! In a month, they will be ready to fight the natives!" Niu Meng guaranteed!

The field gun designed by Long Yufei was named the Thunder God 75mm Field Gun. Based on this, the Flying Fish Army's arsenal would also develop a 75mm naval gun. Additionally, the development of larger-caliber heavy guns was underway. Meanwhile, Long Yufei's main focus had shifted to the navy. Although the Flying Fish Army originally consisted of pirates, its land forces were now among the best in the South China Sea. However, in terms of the navy, apart from a few merchant ships and a sixth-rate cruiser captured from the British Navy, it was almost non-existent. For the Flying Fish Company to establish itself and dominate the South China Sea, it needed to develop both land and naval forces. The navy was even more important than the land forces, otherwise, the Flying Fish Army would be unable to resist the counterattacks of Western naval powers. Any Western naval power could easily destroy the Flying Fish Army's naval strength. Without naval supremacy, the Flying Fish Army would have no chance of winning future wars!

The night on Mindanao was very hot. A few oil lamps illuminated Long Yufei's study. At his desk, Long Yufei was drawing. On the white paper, simple lines formed a sleek and beautiful warship.

"Yufei, it's so late, why don't you rest?" Luo Sanguni entered the study, frowning and urging him. Long Yufei's tireless work made her very unhappy.

"Almost done!" Long Yufei responded, continuing to draw.

Luo Sanguni walked to the desk and, upon seeing the warship Long Yufei was drawing, her eyes widened.

"Yufei, is this a warship you designed?" Luo Sanguni said, full of admiration. In her mind, Long Yufei had become an all-powerful person! From designing guns to warships, there was nothing he couldn't do!

After finishing the last few strokes, Long Yufei looked up and said to Luo Sanguni, "Yuhua, how does it look? Isn't it beautiful? This is the warship I designed!"

The design showed a sleek warship. Compared to the multi-decked warships of the Western navies, this warship was more streamlined and single-decked. However, compared to the bulky Western warships, Long Yufei's design was undoubtedly much more beautiful. Three thick masts were rigged with large white sails. The warship had gun positions at the front, back, and sides, though not as many as Western warships!