"That's right, but this mold is still very rough and only shows the general outline. Do you have any other suggestions?"
Han Shizhong spoke as he carefully opened the wooden box in his hand and took out a solid wooden boat model.
To accommodate the opinions previously discussed by Han Mo and Han Shizhong, they had made some changes to the appearance of the warships this time.
The hull was significantly higher than before, and there were 16 additional portholes on each side of the hull.
To accommodate the need for indoor combat previously envisioned by Han Mo and Han Shizhong, the entire cabin was again divided into three levels.
The lowest part of the cabin was the cargo hold, used for storing miscellaneous items. The second level was where the soldiers resided, and the third level was where their combat operations would take place.
"Go ahead and do it according to what you've discussed. I won't inquire about the specific details. Just make a few, and you don't need to worry about the money!"
Time was of the essence, and Han Mo no longer had the patience to deal with these minor details.
He urgently needed to raise a team, and the matter of spending tens of thousands of guan more on each ship was simply not within his considerations.
"Then, regarding the funds..."
"Go find Lord Li first and have him directly allocate some initial funds from the treasury. Build five of these ships for me first. The remaining payment will be made in full when they deliver the ships!"
After a moment of thought, Han Mo stated directly.
"Yes!"
"How is the troop training going? How long will it take to form an initial combat capability?"
Compared to shipbuilding, Han Mo was more concerned about the soldiers.
He was beginning to worry if these veteran soldiers, drawn from the auxiliary forces, could actually win on the battlefield.
"You can rest assured, brother. Even if they were a pile of mud, I would forge them into tempered steel!"
Han Shizhong said this with full confidence.
"Time. I need a definite timeframe!"
"That depends on who their opponents are!"
After a moment of thought, Han Shizhong asked in a low voice.
"The Japanese navy, and potentially the Goryeo navy!"
Han Mo did not hide much from Han Shizhong.
"This..."
Hearing Han Mo say this, Han Shizhong became somewhat flustered.
"Is this problem difficult to answer?"
"Mainly, the Japanese navy has never engaged in battle with the Great Song Dynasty..."
Han Shizhong's expression was a little awkward as he said this.
"The combat effectiveness of the Japanese navy is definitely no stronger than the Goryeo people. Their warships are not much better than their merchant ships!"
"If that's the case, three months will be sufficient!"
Hearing Han Mo say this, Han Shizhong confidently declared.
"You are so confident?"
This time, Han Mo was somewhat surprised.
"Brother, you might not know, but among the soldiers transferred from the Quanzhou navy this time, some had accompanied the delegation to Goryeo and personally witnessed their warships and their soldiers. These Goryeo people are short in stature, and their weapons and warships are incomparable to ours! If we are dealing with them, as long as we can ensure strict obedience, they will be no match for us!"
After hearing Han Shizhong's words, Han Mo suddenly recalled a past event.
This matter had indeed been overlooked by him for a long time. In the third year of Chongning, that is, in 1104, the arrogant Goryeo people had assembled over a hundred thousand troops to launch a surprise attack on the Jurchens.
As a result, their army of 170,000 was routed at the first engagement. Nearly 70,000 were killed or captured, and the remaining stragglers fled in disarray.
Not only did they gain no advantage, but a large portion of their own territory was taken by the Jurchens.
Later, to quell the incident, the Goryeo people paid a heavy price again.
Decades of effort were lost in an instant, and the country's war potential and people's livelihoods became even more severe.
Although they did manage to reclaim some territory on the battlefield later, facing the increasingly powerful Jurchens, the Goryeo people could only reluctantly announce a ceasefire again three years later.
Furthermore, they ceded nine cities in one go before finally reaching a fragile armistice agreement.
If one calculates the time, this event was only about ten years ago. Under the oppressive power of the Jurchens, it was already a great feat for them to survive.
To think of competing with the Great Song Dynasty would be truly absurd.
As for the Japanese, they were even less of a concern.
They were already locked in fierce conflict amongst themselves, let alone bothering with outsiders.
A group of Goryeo pirates could make them cry for mercy, so were his well-equipped Song Dynasty soldiers inferior to pirates?
"With your assurance, I am relieved. I will leave the troop training to you. How is the progress of converting merchant ships into warships? Are there any difficulties now?"
"Brother, rest assured, everything is proceeding smoothly. With Lord Li's intervention, the local merchants have been quite cooperative!"
"Then I am relieved. You handle these matters for now. If you feel that the auxiliary forces are not up to par, you can also recruit from the civilian population. Three months later, I expect them to be ready for the expedition to Japan!"
After a brief hesitation, Han Mo gave Han Shizhong another assurance.
To raise a powerful army, vast sums of money were naturally required.
Han Mo had resolved to solve the food problem by sourcing from Southeast Asia. As for the monetary issue, Han Mo had originally intended to take over the spice trade directly.
However, if he did that, the remaining major families would surely start playing dirty tricks on him again.
After considering it all afternoon, Han Mo suddenly discovered another solution.
At this time, apart from him, the remaining families had no ability to get involved with spices.
Therefore, he was not in a hurry. If those families wanted to engage in commercial warfare with him, they would have to spend a large amount of money and exchange significant profits to coerce small merchants not to do business with the Maritime Trade Office, thereby achieving their goal of boycotting Han Mo.
However, if Han Mo were to focus his attention and his manpower and resources on conquering Japan at this moment, then all their plans would come to naught.
In any case, Han Mo had already paid the taxes he had promised the court for this year. No matter how capable those families were, there was nothing they could do if Han Mo didn't engage with them.
Although they were also expanding their northern routes, they were holding merchant ships.
Even if they had some weapons hidden privately, could they possibly compete with Han Mo's well-equipped warships?