But if he followed the requests made by Li Yong later, even if he tightened his belt, he would not be able to get so many craftsmen.

"I have to give you an idea about this matter. In the next recruitment, many craftsmen will come here as soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. Of course, they don't have to charge, nor do they have to train with you soldiers every day, but they have to repair ships and study how to upgrade the weapons on the ship, and their salary will be twice as many as those of ordinary soldiers."

Li Lei had already thought of this issue for him. When Li Lei said this, Zhang Chong quickly recorded all the things that Li Lei said, while his face showed a very excited expression. Obviously, this was definitely a new idea for Zhang Chong.

This problem that Zhang Chong had been thinking hard before but couldn't solve was actually solved by Li Qing in one sentence. You spend money, isn't it all right to recruit people?

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid I'll have to mediate this matter with the Ministry of War. Even if I can think of this, I'm afraid the Ministry of War will not agree. If hundreds of craftsmen are recruited, it will be a considerable expense. The materials needed to build warships are transported here, and all of them must be paid out of our military expenses!"

Zhang Chong felt very wronged when he talked about these things. He didn't know how to train soldiers in infantry and cavalry. He just practiced them all, but he was different. There were so many warships, and the money spent on the warships was nothing, and it was like a bottomless pit. Although the Ministry of War did not say that he could not understand him, he felt unsure after spending so much money.

"Hmph, this kind of thing cannot be decided by the Ministry of War. You are waiting for news here. After I go back, I will naturally fight for these things for you. As for how much I can win, I can't guarantee it. After all, your military expenditure is several times that of the cavalry now!"

Li Qing can almost say that he made a promise with Zhang Chong while patting his chest. Of course, this is also his own idea, and he wants to form a powerful fleet.

Although Li Yi also knew that he might inevitably have a verbal battle after returning to Chang'an City, it was worth it for this matter.

"Since you have received such guarantees from Your Majesty, Zhang Chong will naturally do his best to live up to the reputation of our Tang Dynasty naval army!"

When Zhang Chong saw that Li Yan had really put his heart into it, he also made a series of guarantees to Li Yan.

In fact, it is already very good to have a general like Zhang Chong here.

Originally, Li Qing thought that if Zhang Chong was not as good as Hong Yuan said, he would have to change him, but now, this step is completely exempted, which really allows Li Qing to get on the right track, saving a lot of trouble.

"Since that's all I have said, I can still give you some suggestions that you can change now..."

If those things before were all exaggerated, then the suggestions Li Qing gave to Zhang Chong next were all very down-to-earth things.

For example, Li Qing told Zhang Chong that there were some seafood that could be eaten, and he would demonstrate it to Zhang Chong at noon. In this way, he could only help Zhang Chong solve a lot of food problems, because the previous food had to be transported from the city by manpower, which was also a troublesome thing.

Another point is that Li Qing suggested to Zhang Chong, since you have built houses for these soldiers here, why can't you let them take their wives over for a few days every month? In this way, wouldn't these soldiers have higher combat power than they are now?

Since Hong Yuan came, the soldiers' wives were placed in a nearby village. Craftsmen could take their wives with them, but the soldiers were not. As for the reason, they were naturally afraid of draining their energy.

As a man, Li Ning can still understand the soldiers here quite well. This is too far from the city, almost a place where birds do not shit, and there is not even a woman. If you are stationed here, you can't leave. In the long run, you will eventually lose your staff. You can't blame those soldiers, right?

Li Wen has always believed that as a general, you must have a clear reward and punishment in leading troops. Another thing is that if other soldiers have any psychological or physical needs, you have to satisfy them, right?

This thing is actually a mutual thing. If the soldiers cannot be satisfied in these aspects, it is basically impossible for you to let them work hard to fight.

"Will this... make the soldiers no longer care about war?"

Zhang Chong was a little confused about what Li Yan raised.

He was a scholar, and in his heart, it is very important to abide by the rules. Although he has been here for a long time, his wife and children are like ordinary soldiers and cannot meet them every day. After all, this place is different from other places, and he doesn’t have much time to go there, right?

"You are wrong. Even your wife, you can take it. If you are a little bolder, you might as well build a wooden house on the open space there. Any soldiers who have become family will be happy to take their families over. Usually, they are not far from this camp. When the days come, you can go and reunite with your family. Wouldn't that be a good thing? Although the village seems not far from here, isn't it too late to waste time on the road?"

After Li Yan said this, Zhang Chong was a little moved. Although he was in charge of those soldiers, it felt bad, and he was just as clear-headed as a mirror.

"But if this matter is set a precedent, it is probably difficult for the soldiers from other places to manage it!"

"If they have any complaints, they can apply to you. When this navy recruits troops, I have set up an iron rule that everyone must be water-based, and the water-based nature must be good! You drive this warship a few miles away and throw them into the water. They must be able to swim back by themselves!"

"This will bring a lot of benefits to future naval battles. Your Majesty rest assured that even these soldiers will swim in the water from time to time, but they didn't make any requests before!"
Chapter completed!