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Chapter 1031: The Xuan De Imperial Proclamation

In the era of wooden sailing ships, a vessel's carrying capacity was truly astonishing.

Take the famous Spanish galleons as an example. Ordinarily, they could accommodate over a hundred sailors for oceanic voyages, and during crucial battles, they could transport more than five hundred, resembling a massive, mobile fortress.

However, the iron steamships built by Bai Gongzi were a different story.

They simply couldn't carry that much; it was genuinely impossible.

The hull itself was too heavy, further burdened by the massive steam engines.

For a steam engine to operate over long distances, the ship also needed to carry an immense amount of coal. This stuff was unbelievably heavy; even a single cargo hold filled with coal would weigh over ten thousand jin, equivalent to a hundred adult men.

“Their troop transport capability is quite weak,” Bai Gongzi remarked, shaking his head.

A Blue Hat beside him commented, “Bai Gongzi, it seems our steamships can’t all be built to the same design. We need to categorize them.”

Bai Gongzi inquired, “Oh? How would we categorize them?”

The Blue Hat explained, “Ships with more cannons should carry fewer troops, specializing in artillery engagements. Conversely, ships designed for transporting many soldiers shouldn’t have cannons, focusing instead on rapid assault and close-quarters combat. We could also design dedicated supply vessels. These would only need a few crew members to operate, forgo cannons and armor to be as light as possible, and allocate all their carrying capacity to coal. By having these supply ships follow behind the fleet, much like the logistics trains supporting a land army, our main combat warships could carry less coal and reduce their own weight.”

“Excellent point! A very excellent point,” Bai Gongzi conceded. “It seems we genuinely need to design several types of ships to create a mixed-composition grand fleet. But I’m not much of a military strategist myself. How should this mixed fleet be composed? What specific roles do these ships need to fulfill? I’ll have to consult with some combat professionals before I can proceed with the appropriate designs.”

The Blue Hat offered, “I’ll immediately summon Bai Yang and Dao Ke, the reformed pirate leaders from the labor reform camps, to advise us.”

Bai Gongzi replied, “There’s no need to rush. Rushing won’t make it happen any faster. Constructing a single iron ship takes at least half a year, if not more. The Heavenly Lord has stated that our naval supremacy against the Westerners will require generations of sustained effort, not something achievable overnight.”

At this, Bai Gongzi suddenly remembered something. “Right,” he added, “how are the preparations for the Naval Industrial Academy progressing?”

Another Blue Hat stepped forward, reporting, “It can open next month and begin enrolling its first batch of students.”

Bai Gongzi nodded. “Excellent! We must train a large number of specialized shipbuilding technicians. This is a plan for centuries, and we cannot follow the old ways of ‘passing it only to sons, not daughters’ for this technology. Ensure that students pass rigorous political background checks; we mustn't let this technology fall into Western hands. While long-term technological blockade isn't realistic, it's certainly feasible in the short term.”

The Blue Hats chuckled. “Indeed,” one affirmed, “the Heavenly Lord also said it must not fall into Western hands in the short term.”

As they chatted, the group walked past the two brothers from Suzhou.

The two Suzhou brothers exchanged a glance, then both lowered their voices. “Oh my,” one whispered, “what is this Naval Industrial Academy? If we study there, can we become technical workers and wear Blue Hats? We should definitely check it out later. We’re not Westerners, so they won’t block us, right?”

The ninth year of Chongzhen, fifth month. Northeast, Shengjing.

Huang Taiji gazed unhappily at Yue Tuo below him. “The Wushen tribe in the west has stirred up trouble again,” he declared. “These past few days, they’ve been constantly attacking several tribes aligned with us, causing absolute chaos.”

Yue Tuo replied with an embarrassed expression, “The Wushen tribe has the Ming Dynasty’s great iron vehicles assisting them, and we truly have no good way to counter them. Currently, the only effective tactic is to lure these iron vehicles into swamps, wetlands, or shallow rivers, making it impossible for them to advance.”

Huang Taiji frowned. “Have the spies I sent for the ‘Jiang Gan Steals the Letter’ operation still not returned with the blueprints for those great iron vehicles?”

“No, Your Majesty!” Yue Tuo admitted, looking utterly mortified. “The spies can no longer be contacted. We sent people after them three times, but received no reply. Not a single one of the subsequent agents I dispatched has returned.”

Huang Taiji furrowed his brow. “Could it be that...”

Yue Tuo continued, “Stealing crucial enemy technology is inherently a mission of extreme peril. It’s possible our spies have all honorably perished in service.”

Huang Taiji sighed. “It seems the ‘Jiang Gan Steals the Letter’ operation has failed. Well, in the *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, Jiang Gan’s attempt to steal a letter was also an unsuccessful stratagem, so our failure in this operation is perhaps excusable.”

Just as he was speaking, a group of Han Chinese officials and scholars entered.

Among these Han Chinese officials and scholars were Bao Chengxian, Ning Wanwo, Fan Wencheng, Luo Xiu, and others—all highly esteemed ministers of Huang Taiji.

This was because most of the Manchu ministers were, by and large, illiterate, skilled only in warfare, not in state governance. Thus, these Han Chinese officials and scholars were clearly indispensable for institutional development.

Bao Chengxian, Ning Wanwo, Fan Wencheng, Luo Xiu, and the other civil officials took turns presenting their memorials. “Your Majesty,” they proclaimed, “your grand strategy is unrivaled throughout the realm. It is time you formally ascended to the imperial title.”

“Formally ascend to the imperial title?” Huang Taiji feigned a humble expression, then swiftly pulled a copy of *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* from his sleeve. He rapidly flipped it open, pointing to the text. “Gentlemen, observe,” he declared, “Chen Qun, Sun Quan, and others urged Cao Cao to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor. Yet Cao Cao said, ‘I have served the Han for many years, and though I have rendered meritorious service to the people, my position as a king is already the highest honor. How could I dare harbor other aspirations? If Heaven’s will rests with me, I shall be King Wen of Zhou.’”

Huang Taiji closed the book, his expression earnest. “Even a villain like Cao Cao refrained from claiming the imperial title,” he reasoned. “How could I possibly do so? Wouldn't that make me appear even worse than him?”

Fan Wencheng interjected, “Cao Cao was a treacherous man, and his methods are indeed not worth emulating. But Liu Xuan De was a benevolent and virtuous ruler; you could learn from him. The moment he entered Xichuan, he immediately declared himself emperor. You now command Liaodong, and like Liu Xuan De, you are destined by Heaven. This realm ought to be ruled by you. For you to claim the imperial title is precisely the right course of action.”

Huang Taiji mused, “Oh? When you put it that way, it does seem to hold some truth.”

He considered it seriously for a few seconds, then slapped *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* onto the table with a resounding thud. “Very well,” he boomed, “I’ve decided. I shall also claim the imperial title! We shall name this the ‘Xuan De Imperial Proclamation’!”

The assembled officials chorused, “Your Majesty is brilliant!”

Huang Taiji chuckled wryly. “The ‘Jiang Gan Steals the Letter’ operation failed because it was, by nature, a doomed endeavor. But the ‘Xuan De Imperial Proclamation’ must succeed, for Liu Xuan De’s ascension to emperor was a triumph!”

The assembled officials again chorused, “Your Majesty is brilliant!”

And so, the discussion concluded. The “Xuan De Imperial Proclamation” began its preparations, with officials arranging all the ceremonial regalia for Huang Taiji’s ascension to emperor, laying every groundwork.

On the eleventh day of the fourth lunar month, the operation was a success. Huang Taiji ascended to the throne as emperor, changing the era name to Chongde, marking that year as the first year of Chongde. He formally changed the dynastic title from “Later Jin” to “Great Qing,” established Shengjing as the capital, and his ministers bestowed upon him the honorific title of “Benevolent and Sagacious Emperor of Broad Clemency.”

No sooner had the coronation ceremony concluded than Huang Taiji pulled a copy of *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* from his robes. Pointing at it, he loudly declared to his ministers, “After Liu Bei became emperor, he immediately dispatched troops to campaign against Cao Cao. I, too, should emulate this. I now declare that Dolo Wuying Prince Ajige shall lead an army of one hundred thousand to attack the Ming. The operation’s code name shall be ‘Xishu Campaign Against Cao’!”

Ajige responded, “Your Majesty, we don’t have an army of one hundred thousand men.”

Huang Taiji fumed, “Fool! During the Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao didn’t truly have a million men, yet he still claimed to have a million, didn’t he? Can’t you read *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* more often and learn a few more military strategies?”