Cen Xiaonian said these truths, in fact, Yang Huairen understands, but the two people are in different positions, and they naturally look at things from different angles.

Cen Xiaonian didn't want Yang Huairen to be troublesome, and he didn't want to make trouble for himself because of this, so in line with the principle that more things are better than less, he must not want Yang Huairen to take this matter seriously.

But in Yang Huairen's eyes, there are indeed many difficulties, but you can't stop doing it because there are many difficulties, there are so many resources in the south, you can't just look at it and waste it.

Besides, there is never an easy thing in this world, and if you don't do it because of difficulties, then it's better to lie down, starve to death, and have a hard time eating and sleeping.

The main reason why the imperial court has been reluctant to use troops in recent times is not actually a matter of face, a vassal state is just a vassal state, and if it is fought, it will be fought, and what can other vassal states or small countries that are vassals have opinions?

In this world, the fist has always had the final say, otherwise the country in the future would not have spent so much money to build aircraft missiles.

The reason is that the imperial court does not have enough financial resources to support two wars in the near future, and at the same time, there are no soldiers to fight and enough warships.

Speaking of financial resources, it is just that there is not enough money and silver, and there is absolutely no shortage of grain alone.

Based on the basic ration of a soldier for a year, one stone is about 140 catties, which is about 200 catties when converted into a city catty, which is exactly about one stone of grain.

In other words, if 100,000 people are used to conquer Jiaozhi, it is limited to one year, and the grain used is only a hundred thousand stones.

Among the 100,000 troops, about two-thirds of the combat soldiers are combatants, one-third are the people who provide logistical support, and more than 60,000 soldiers go to deal with each other, which doesn't sound like much, but Yang Huairen feels that it is enough.

Cochin is claimed to be 200,000 in armor, but this number is ridiculous when you hear it, Cochin is so big, and the population is not one million.

If it is really 200,000 in armor, except for the elderly, children and women, all the others are soldiers, and they have no farmers, craftsmen and merchants?

Obviously impossible. Yang Huairen estimated that if there were 100,000 soldiers in Jiaozhi, it would be up to the sky, maybe it would only be 50,000 or 60,000, and the other tens of thousands were just temporary arrests to make up the numbers.

In recent years, several large countries in Southeast Asia have drawn a large land area, but in fact, the place that has really entered the civilized society is only a part of the coastal area.

Most of the places are still primitive tropical rainforests, and the human beings in the rainforest are still in a primitive or semi-primitive tribal social state.

Moving on to the combat effectiveness of the Jiaozhi army, the social civilization in Southeast Asia has just developed from a primitive civilization of slash-and-burn cultivation to a primary feudal social civilization.

First, there is no strong bow and crossbow, and second, there is no sharp sword and spear, and it is said that the weapons used by the army over there are still bamboo knives and bamboo guns, so how much combat effectiveness can there be with such weapons and equipment?

Throughout the development of Oriental history, it has always been the nomadic warriors of the north, and the Han people in the Central Plains have a poor physique, but they rely on better smelting technology and the art of war to make up for the lack of physical strength in military weapons and tactical capabilities.

And the further south you go, the worse the physical fitness of human beings such as height, and the worse the combat effectiveness of the army, so not to mention that there are no 200,000 troops in Jiaozhi, even if there is, the actual combat capability is questionable.

Of course, Cochin also had his strengths, such as climatic and geographical factors, which were definitely in their favor, and the army of the Great Song Dynasty did not have much experience in fighting in a tropical rainforest climate.

Yang Huairen thought that it would be absolutely unfavorable to start a war with Jiaozhi in summer, but if a war started in winter, the disadvantages of climatic factors would be minimized.

Moreover, if you want to attack Cochin, you will never attack from land, that would be too stupid, just walking through the rainforest, the soldiers will lose a lot, it is better to attack directly from the sea is more practical and reliable.

But if you want to attack Cochin from the sea, you need troop carriers. The naval forces in Jiangnan can't provide much at this point, and their own warships are not big, and they are too old, and the latest warships were built twenty years ago.

Thinking of this, Yang Huairen asked, "How many shipyards are there that can build sea ships along the coastal areas of the Yangtze River?" ”

Cen Xiaonian replied, "There are actually a lot of shipyards in the Jiangnan generation, but most of them are shipbuilders, and there are a few ship-building ships in Jiangyin, and there is also one government-run one, which is in Tongzhou Lifeng Prison."

Li & Fung was originally built to transport salt, and the prince should know that salt is afraid of the tide and is more important than grain, so the ship should be built particularly strong, and the technical level is also high, and it can be used as a sea ship by directly changing it.

It's just that because the flat-bottomed Fu boats built by the private shipyards can also transport salt, and the cost of building large ships in the shipyards of Li & Fung Jian is high, so in recent years, they have been crowded out of small private shipyards.

Nowadays, there is no shortage of salt ships, the shipyard of Li Feng Jian has basically been abandoned, and the shipbuilders have basically been poached by the private shipyards. ”

"Scooped up? Aren't the shipbuilders of the salt prison craftsmen craftsmen? Can artisans go to private shipyards without the permission of the salt warden? ”

"This ......"

Cen Xiaonian was speechless for a while, but the salt supervisor had little to do with him, he still said directly, "Lord Wang, you have been in Jiangnan for a few days, and you have seen many things, as long as the businessmen are willing to spend some money, it is not difficult for the people in the salt prison to speak."

As for the artisans, the officials of the salt prison allowed them to work in private shipyards, which also gave them a way to live, and they could not starve to death in a shipyard that could not build ships.

The little money and grain that the imperial court gave to the craftsmen could barely feed their stomachs at most, and it was impossible to want anything else. ”

Yang Huairen thought about it, although the salt prison officials of Li Feng Jian used the craftsmen of the imperial court to collect money, on the other hand, it was indeed a way for the craftsmen who did not have a job to make a living.

"How does the shipbuilding level of Li & Fung Shipyard compare with that of private shipyards?"

Cen Xiaonian thought for a while, "Li & Fung prison has gathered the best shipbuilders in Jiangnan, and the level of building seagoing ships must be second to none.

However, in the past few years, those craftsmen have gone to work in private shipyards, and there should not be many craftsmen left in Li & Fung Prison, so if you want to talk about the present, the technical level of private shipyards will not be much worse.

Many of the huge merchant ships that sailed from Jiangyin were built in these private shipyards, which were sturdy and durable, and were also resistant to wind and waves. ”

Yang Huairen nodded, "Well, yes, let's go to Li & Fung Prison first." ”