The naval strength of the Ming Dynasty was very strong in this era. As early as the Jiajing to Wanli years, in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas alone, the Ming Navy had 21 warship models. If Fujian and Guangdong and Guangxi are included, the Ming Navy had 21 models of warships. The division's warship models are even more diverse.
With the extensive application of firearms, the maritime tactics of the Ming Dynasty Navy also underwent major changes. Yu Dayou, a famous anti-Japanese general, once proposed at the right time that "naval warfare is just about defeating small boats with big ships, defeating small guns with big guns, and winning with multiple ships." With few ships, many cannons are better than few cannons." It can be seen that naval warfare in the Ming Dynasty entered the modern mode very early.
As early as the Jiajing period, more than half of the combatants on the Ming army's warships used firearms, and by the Wanli period, the proportion reached 70%. The equipment of the Ming Dynasty Navy was mainly based on Fuchuan, which is a general name for a type of ship born on the coast of Fujian. It has a wide bottom tip, a wide bow tip and a wide stern, and two raised ends. The building materials are mainly pine, fir, camphor and nanmu from Fujian. There are six numbers in total. The lucky ships used in naval battles refer to numbers 1 and 2.
Qi Jiguang, a famous anti-Japanese general, once said: "The lucky boat is as tall as a city and cannot be driven by human power. It depends on the wind. The Japanese boat is naturally shorter than my little cang boat. Therefore, the lucky boat rides on the wind and presses down, like a chariot crushing a mantis. The power of the fighting boat Instead of fighting for manpower”
According to "Military Preparation Chronicles", "Using firearms with the waves, undulating and rippling, may not necessarily hit the thieves. Even if they hit, it will not be much, but they can frighten the enemy's heart and ears. There are two things to rely on: firing francs Chance. But if it doesn't hit, no ship will be smashed, that's one thing. Use fireballs like fireballs on the bows of the ships. When they meet, throw them down from a high place, and the fire will set off and the pirate ship will be burned. That's two things."
It can be seen that even in the late Ming Dynasty, the navy of the Ming Army
The warship still has the advantages of large ship size and high freeboard, which has obvious advantages in close combat situations such as collisions.
It is precisely for these reasons that Liu Yan went to Lingshanwei to take charge of the shipyard this time. The new Ming Dynasty Navy that he planned to build was actually still based on the Fu Ship, but it was equipped with a new type of Fu Ship, which was better than the original equipment of the Ming Navy. The No. 1 and No. 2 Fu Ships were larger and could be equipped with more artillery pieces.
In addition, Liu Yan is also preparing to improve the new type of Fuchuan equipped by the new navy from hard sails to soft sails. This will allow the Fuchuan to gain more flexible maneuverability and take the lead in seizing the upper hand in naval battles.
Of course, these are Liu Yan's plans. The specific warship improvement drawings still need to be carefully discussed by the craftsmen of the shipyard to draw the final drawings.
As for the improvement of the sails, Liu Yan planned to ask the shipyard to send people to Haojing'ao, that is, Macau, to recruit Portuguese craftsmen there, and use these "foreign aid" to assist the shipyard in improving the sails.
More than ten days later, Liu Yan and Miao Shao led more than a thousand soldiers to Lingshan Acropolis. They rested here for three days and used these three days to inspect Wangjiazhuang, Dapanbao, Xiahe Village and other places.
Chen Jiangshi, Chu Yunfei, Gao Yunshan, Han Feng, Qian Zao, Song Guan and others are no longer with Lingshanwei at this time. Haiyan trading company, iron yard, soap workshop, wine shop, glass workshop, etc. Each workshop has now established a corresponding trading company, and its business is spread throughout Shandong. Even businesses and workshops such as soap and Shaoguo Liquor have spread to North Zhili and South Zhili and other places.
So now everyone has been scattered throughout Shandong. For example, the Chen Jiang family has gone to Ji
I live in Nanfucheng, and I heard that I also bought a house in Beijing.
Chu Yunfei settled in Qingzhou Fucheng and is now the largest wealthy businessman in Qingzhou Fucheng. The others also own properties in various places and are very busy running around here and there on weekdays.
Liu Yan made a tour and was very happy to see that the industries in various parts of Lingshanwei were booming and the output had increased much more than before. It's just that this time when Liu Yan returned to his "old place", he didn't see any of his old acquaintances. Even Wang Jing, the old Taishan man, was not in Wangjiazhuang. It was said that he had gone to Dongchang Mansion at this time, saying that he was going to Dongchang Mansion to buy shops and prepare to go there. The branch of Wanfu Oil Factory opened in Dongchang Prefecture.
"Let's go to the shipyard."
Later, Liu Yan and Miao Shao led their troops to the shipyard south of Lingshanwei. They saw that the shipyard at this time had been fully completed. The scale was much larger than the original design, and there were as many as eight shipyards.
Next to the shipyard, the specially built firearms workshop also stored a large amount of iron and gunpowder raw materials, and had already cast thirty Hongyi cannons for naval battles in advance according to Liu Yan's instructions.
This kind of Hongyi cannon is longer than the artillery equipped in the army, and has a greater range and power. Each one weighs about two to three thousand kilograms.
At this time, the director of the shipyard had received a notice in advance that the shipyard would not be accepted at night. The shipyard was affiliated to the Ministry of National Defense. The director of the shipyard was of the same rank as Xu Le, the director of the Bingjia Supervision Department, and Tan Xiaoda, the director of the Firearms Supervision Department, and they were all of the third grade. Official status is already very high.
"Song Wanli, the director of the Ministry of National Defense Shipyard, pays homage to Mr. Liu Ge!"
Liu Yan got off his horse, strode forward with Miao Shao, smiled and asked Song Wanli and the queen to
Many shipyard officials present stood up and said, "Everyone, get up. No need to be polite. Let's take a look around."
Then Liu Yan and Miao Shao, accompanied by Song Wanli, visited the shipyard.
In accordance with the instructions of the imperial court, after its completion, the current shipyard began to purchase large quantities of wood that could be used for shipbuilding, as well as a large amount of tung oil, sailcloth, iron materials, copper materials and other materials. It also recruited a large number of sailors with high salaries. Various technical talents such as shipbuilders and craftsmen.
It can be said that as long as Liu Yan gives the order, the current shipyard can turn on its full power and start building blessing ships day and night. After all, there is no shortage of manpower and various materials.
After Liu Yan inspected the shipyard, he came to the pier surrounded by everyone. He saw that four trestles had been built on the pier, and each trestle could dock twenty ships the size of the No. 1 Fortune Ship.
"Ah, very good!"
Liu Yan's face showed joy, and everyone was very happy to see it. Then Song Wanli said: "Mr. Ge, the meeting hall is ready. Should we go over now and ask Mr. Ge to plan the strategy for everyone?"
Liu Yan nodded, and then everyone gathered around Liu Yan and went to the meeting hall in the shipyard. Liu Yan was in the front seat, Miao Shao was in the second seat, Song Wanli was in the second seat, and the rest were several officials from the shipyard. , and several leading craftsmen.
After everyone sat down, Liu Yan smiled and said to everyone: "It has taken so long to build the shipyard. You have worked hard and achieved great results. Thank you for your hard work."
"It is our duty to serve the country and share your Majesty's worries!"
Then Liu Yan went straight to the topic, which was to discuss with everyone the preparations for the establishment of the Ming Dynasty's new navy.
As for the details, the first point is to determine the style of the main warship of the new navy.
First of all, the No. 1 Fortune Ship has three turrets, a wide bottom and a high head and tail. It can accommodate 200 people. "The draft is too deep, starting and stopping are slow and heavy", and the maneuverability is not good;
Next is the No. 2 Fortune Ship, which is slightly smaller than the No. 1 ship and is "fit for common use." The lucky boat is as tall as a building and can accommodate hundreds of people. The bottom tip is wide, the bow is raised and spread, the stern is high, the draft is about three and a half meters as measured by later generations, the bow is equipped with a head gun, and the sides are equipped with six Qianjin Folang machines, three bowl-mouth blunderbuss, and Thunder cannon. Twenty gates, sixty spray guns, ten muskets, five hundred crossbows, ten gunpowder crossbows, three hundred rockets, one hundred fire bricks, and thousands of cold weapons.
According to the description in the "Wu Bei Zhi", this kind of giant ship has three floors on top. The sides are guarded by boards and protected by thatch bamboo, standing like a wall. It has two sails and masts, with four floors in the middle. The lower floor is equipped with ballast stones. Fresh water tanks are placed on the third floor, and the second floor is where soldiers live. The top floor is a terrace, which needs to be climbed up from the ladder on the third floor. The wings are used as railings on both sides, and people can lean on it to fight. The arrows, stones and artillery can be fired overlooking it. It is really a weapon in naval warfare.
The shortcoming of the Fuchuan is that it has poor maneuverability. "It is as tall as a city and cannot be driven by human power. It relies entirely on favorable winds and tides, but it is inconvenient to maneuver. Moreover, it has a deep draft, which only benefits from the vast ocean. In the Caspian Sea, it is easy to get stuck in the shallow sea." We must follow the sentry ship for rescue."
The third number of the Fu Chuan is called a straw boat, also known as a sentry boat, which is smaller than the Fu Chuan. The fourth type of Fu boat is called the Haicang boat, which is similar to the sentinel boat and slightly smaller than the Fu boat. It has a draft of about seven or eight feet and can maneuver in low winds to cooperate with the Fu boat.
The weapons and equipment of these two ship types include four Qianjin Folang machines, three bowl-mouth blunderbuss, and Lumi blunderbuss.
Six, fifty spray cans, eighty smoke cans, ten artillery pieces, fifty fire bricks, and two hundred rockets.
The smallest of the Haicang ships is called Cangshan ship, also known as Cangshan iron. The hull is small, raised above the water, with a draft of five feet. It is equipped with an oar. If the wind is fair, the sail will be raised, and if the wind is blowing, the oar will be swayed. This ship is light and agile and is mainly used to chase enemies and retrieve heads.
According to the records of the "Military Bei Zhi" written during the Qi period of the Ming Dynasty, the Fu Chuan, a warship of the Ming Dynasty Navy, was divided into six models from large to small: No. 1 Fu Chuan, also the largest Fu Chuan, was converted into the measurement of later generations. , with a displacement of about 800 tons; the No. 2 Fu Ship has a displacement of about 600 or 700 tons; the No. 3 Sentinel Ship has a displacement of 200 to 300 tons; the No. 4 Winter Ship, also called the Haicang Ship, has a displacement of about 100 tons. .
As for the No. 5 Bird Ship and the No. 6 Clipper Ship, they basically have a displacement of tens of tons.
Liu Yan saw Song Wanli and a group of craftsmen in the shipyard explaining to him in detail the six types of warships mainly equipped by the Ming Navy. After thinking for a moment, he said: "The new navy to be built by the imperial court this time will be based on the same style. The No. 2 Fu Ship is the main force, the No. 2 Fu Ship is the supplement, and the No. 3 Fu Ship is the maritime scout. The three ship types complement each other."
"In addition, all the styles of Fu Chuan must be improved. The hard sails will be changed to soft sails. The size of No. 1 and No. 2 Fu Chuan will be increased by 30%, and a gun deck will be added. The specific design drawings will be prepared by the craftsmen. Please refer to the details.”
"In addition, to optimize the internal structure of the existing Fuchuan, I only have two requirements. First, the warship is larger and stronger, and secondly, it is equipped with more artillery!"
Song Wanli and many of the shipyard craftsmen and officials present looked embarrassed. Liu Yan proposed
The requirements are very high. This has basically overturned the original designs of several models of Fuchuan. It is completely necessary to redesign the Ming Dynasty's naval warships!
"What, are you in trouble?"
Liu Yan looked at everyone's frowned brows and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter, there will be difficulties. As long as you are confident to overcome them, I, on behalf of the court, will definitely support you. You don't have to worry about money and food. It will take a long time." Plenty.”
Song Wanli immediately said: "It is indeed difficult to realize the requirements of Mr. Ge. After all, the fortune ships currently equipped in the navy have already been improved after many years. If you want to go further, you have to tear them down and start over."
“It’s okay to tear it down and start over!”
Liu Yan said: "You just need to have the courage to create new things. Our predecessors could build all kinds of huge ships, and even build treasure ships with thousands or tens of thousands of materials to sail to the Western Ocean seven times. Then you will definitely be able to rely on your own talents to build a new world." The Ming Dynasty built several new types of naval warships!"
Everyone was excited when they heard this, and Song Wanli immediately took over the task on behalf of the shipyard.
