Xiao Feizhai also likes the model of the ironclad ship very much. Although the model itself is made of wood, it has a novel shape and amazing physical power. Besides, there are not many boys who don't like ordnance.
It doesn't matter if you send it out, a certain prince has already sent people to build another one for Xiao Fatzhai. Now the hull part has been completed, and it is estimated that it will be completed in at most half a month.
It doesn't matter if this thing is known to the outside world in advance, because if you don't master the core technology of steam engines, even if you build a hull, it will become a nondescript sailing ironclad at best.
There was also a transitional period in history when this type of warship was the dominant force, but sails were ultimately inferior to steam engines. Propellers driven by steam engines were the only future for all surface warships, including submarines.
In contrast, imperial artillery and anti-ship missiles are relatively easy to imitate. Western craftsmen should be able to create similar weapons in as little as four to five years and as long as ten years.
But the core technology of the "whaling harpoon" is the gyroscope and the thin impact warhead. This thing is not easy to copy, so a certain prince is very confident in climbing the technology tree and kicking people down...
Now it is only necessary to manufacture a large number of cannons and anti-ship missiles, and equip them with plywood boats imitating Western warships, which will be enough to suppress the Dutch and Spanish warships in East Asian waters.
The rate of fire of the imperial cannon is more than ten times that of the Hongyi cannon, and the subsequent model of the "harpoon" equipped with explosive warheads has the effect of setting fire to ships.
If the two join forces, as long as there are enough numbers, they can be invincible. Even if Uncle Zhali's big ship comes over to defeat it, it will still be destroyed!
The royal cannons produced by a certain prince's arsenal were all equipped with sights. Due to their extraordinary performance, the price was naturally extraordinary, as high as 20,000 taels of silver per gun!
Don't think it's too expensive. If Mr. Zheng hadn't really worked hard to drive away the Dutch in Dongfan for the court, a certain prince would never have considered selling the imperial cannon.
Twenty thousand taels of silver apiece is definitely a reasonable price, and the imperial cannon is made of copper!
A Hongyi cannon that fires 18-pound shells will cost no less than one thousand taels, but the Hongyi cannon is made of iron.
It's obvious which one is more expensive, copper or iron, not to mention the vastly different performance of the two artillery pieces.
With the strength of the Zheng Zhilong Group, it is currently impossible to imitate this magical weapon.
Even if you get the physical objects and drawings, you can't do it unless you can poach the cannon-casting craftsmen from the capital.
As for anti-ship missiles, even Warlock Tang is puzzled by this, let alone Zheng Laofi's subordinates.
The gyroscope is a top secret. Except for Song Yingxing, Bo Jue and a few craftsmen who made the gyroscope, no one else knows about it.
All craftsmen involved in making gyroscopes start with a monthly salary of ten taels of silver per person. This is considered a basic salary, and the rest is a piece-rate bonus. Basically, the monthly income will not be less than fifteen taels of silver, and the benefits for New Year and holidays are not included.
The monthly salary of a craftsman is almost equal to the income of running a blacksmith shop outside. Besides, all family members of the right age are assigned non-hazardous jobs. As long as they work long enough, they can get a house for free, so the possibility of being poached by outsiders is very slim.
With this safeguard measure as the basis, a certain prince could give Zheng Laofi a piece of cake and tailor a naval construction plan for the court that was more in line with his own reality.
In terms of warships, a certain prince had no intention of spending his limited navy military expenditures on building imitation Galenic ships that were unable to prevent fire.
The Academy of Sciences will spend six years researching and trial-producing one or two ironclad ships to test their performance in all aspects.
Starting from the second five-year plan, which was the 18th year of Chongzhen and 1645 AD, ironclad ships were built in small batches.
In 1651, a large number of ironclads began to be built, and the second generation of ironclads was launched. Strive to mass produce one generation and develop one generation.
The specifics will depend on the progress of the project. If Zheng Zhilong can beat the shit out of Hong Yi with an enhanced version of the plywood ship, the demand for ironclad ships will not be that great.
If Zheng's orders were reduced or simply lost, a certain prince would not be anxious.
The Academy of Sciences can use small steps to continuously improve, and just build two sister ships at the first level.
The test of the ironclad must be completed no later than 1656, that is, before the start of the Fourth Five-Year Plan.
Otherwise, it would be a joke to talk about the expansion of the ball's territory in twenty years...
A certain prince hoped that the cost of a single armored ship would not exceed 500,000 yuan, and the maximum would not exceed 800,000 taels of silver.
An ironclad ship with a displacement of 3,000 tons consumes 6 million kilograms of iron. With various shipboard weapons, the cost is really not low.
Purchasing eight ironclad ships for the navy, plus various personnel and supplies, may cost nearly seven million dollars.
This huge amount of money can be converted into sailing warships, and can buy more than a hundred ships, enough to form a seemingly powerful fleet.
However, building a sail warship would be equivalent to following Zheng Zhilong's old path, and there is really no need for that.
The Zheng family had thousands of warships, but a certain prince never thought of overtaking them in terms of numbers.
Pursuing a crushing advantage in quality and being one or even multiple generations ahead of the opponent is the development direction of all civilizations.
The reason why a certain prince set the tonnage of the ironclad ship to be so large was because the steam engine had insufficient power.
It is expected that by the time the ironclad ship is launched, the efficiency rate of the steam engine should reach a satisfactory level.
However, the output power may not reach the target two hundred years later. There is no other way but to install a few more steam engines.
The estimated minimum speed is eight knots. It cannot go any slower than this, otherwise it would be too embarrassing...
Since Feng Quan has reached an agreement with the tribes in the Jinshan area, large-scale mining can begin in the spring.
A certain prince planned to increase Beiting's annual income to about 30 million to 35 million taels of silver in five years.
Although Beiting's expenses this year have exceeded 30 million taels of silver, much of the money spent was a loan from a certain prince.
Everyone knows how this loan came from. It can be done in one or two years, but it won't work in the long run.
The imperial court must focus on commercial taxes and supplement on agricultural taxes, so as to ensure stable development.
By the 23rd year of Chongzhen (1650, if the blame dumper is still alive), if Huang Taiji is completely wiped out by Wang Shi, or he will take the remaining troops back to the valley to fight guerrillas.
Without the threat of pigtails in most areas in the north, Beiting's annual income can reach 5,000 to 60 million taels, or even more.
Spending seven million taels of silver a year to purchase ironclad ships for the navy does not seem to be too difficult. Eight ships can be purchased in one year, and forty ships can be purchased in five years.
When the day comes for the formation of an army, a certain prince can let his Beiyang fleet sweep the sea...
If you still have some leftover, then you can purchase two aircraft carriers named "Dawei" and "Tianlong"!
At that time, if any red barbarian dares to sail over to seek death, the Ming Navy will ask them to feed the fish with their boats and people!
It is the responsibility and obligation of the Ming Dynasty Navy to protect tuna and baby seals in the future!
For the Ming Navy, the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans were three cauldrons.
Whatever you want to eat, just fish it out of the sea!
The next day, when Zheng Zhilong and others got up, they heard reports from soldiers that the prince was practicing in the yard.
Zheng Zhilong and his brothers were very curious about this, so they went out to watch it.
As a disciple of a certain prince, even if the vacation has begun, the most basic training cannot be stopped.
You need to do two hundred push-ups, two hundred squats, and run five miles every day to reach the target.
There is no doubt about Zheng Chenggong's self-discipline, not to mention that he and Zheng Shengying can encourage each other in training.
There is not much danger in the capital. Zheng Chenggong and Zheng Shengying usually defecate with a guard, which is enough.
Anyone who is lucky enough to join the guard platoon is Zheng Zhilong's most trusted soldier, and now they have to accompany the prince in training.
Everyone had received the most basic training at the Donggong Guards base before, and now they were completely transformed.
"Father!"
"Well! Sen'er has been practicing so hard, and I'm very pleased to be a father!"
Zheng Zhilong sent his son to Beijing to learn some skills from the prince. Unexpectedly, his son learned well and now has the demeanor of a young general.
"Everyone gather! Look to the right! Look forward! Take a break! Stand at attention~!"
Zheng Chenggong immediately gathered his guard platoon and performed in public. The movements of the thirty-three soldiers were uniform and extremely coordinated, which was very eye-catching to Zheng Zhilong and others.
"Okay! Okay! The military appearance and conduct are very good!"
This is the scene that Zheng Zhilong has always wanted to see. He is a pirate, but he wants to train his team into a regular army. This idea has been around for a long time, but he just couldn't figure it out.
"Father, not only the security platoon of my children, but also the more than a thousand people sent by my father and uncle have been trained in this way. If my father wants to attack the Spanish Red Barbarian stronghold after the year, this unit can be the vanguard!"
Zheng Chenggong wanted to challenge him, but he had no choice but to learn from the prince.
He thought that by being able to defeat the Donglu, he would have accomplished something, but he didn't expect that he had only learned a drop in the bucket from the Crown Prince.
What's more, he led his own elite troops, and there were a large number of chariots, cavalry and airships in the city. With the superior firepower, he was able to repulse the Donglu's crazy attack.
If you really want to defeat the vicious Donglu cavalry in a field battle, it will be much more difficult than a street battle.
The prince said that if Japanese troops landed in Liaodong after the year or rescued Jinzhou from the siege, he could send himself there.
As for how the prince expected Huang Taiji to attack Jinzhou, Zheng Chenggong couldn't guess.
But the prince told him clearly that Huang Taiji suffered such a big loss in the capital and lost tens of thousands of troops.
If we don't make up for this, Huang Taiji, who is addicted to taking advantage of others, will have trouble sleeping and eating in the future...
Jinzhou is the best place to launch efforts. You can't enter the border again and hit the capital twice, right?
There are more and more tanks, airships, and artillery being built here in the capital, and there is no fear of having a fight with Huang Taiji outside the city.
"Okay, my father will ask the prince for instructions so that he can have a good look at the lineup!"
Zheng Zhilong is also looking forward to how his troops will be trained. In the capital, if you want to mobilize troops, you must inform the prince in advance, otherwise it will be suspected of rebellion.
However, it didn't take long for a chamberlain to deliver the schedule for this trip. Starting from tomorrow, the three days in a row will be arranged by the prince.
After that, everyone can move around on their own. As for the time of departure from Beijing, it is not clearly stated. After all, it is very impolite to actively ask people to leave.
This year is the twenty-ninth, tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, and the day after tomorrow is the first day of the Lunar New Year.
All three days are special, especially since this is the first time for the Zheng brothers to celebrate the New Year in the capital.
The last time they came to Beijing, the Zheng brothers were worried about their eldest brother Zheng Zhilong, fearing that he would be taken hostage by the imperial court.
Unexpectedly, the young prince was very good at winning people's hearts. Not only did he make his eldest brother Zhenhai Bo, he also accepted Zheng Sen as his disciple.
Zheng Zhiwan completed transporting the troops and horses of the vassal state and arrived in Beijing for the second time after returning. He also left his son Zheng Shengying and Zheng Sen as companions.
After arriving this time, Zheng Zhilong handed over the troops and horses in his hometown to Zheng Zhifeng, with Zheng Zhiwan as an assistant.
On the east side of Dongfan, Zheng Zhi'ao's troops were stationed at the Relanzhe Castle, and the troops on the other side were commanded by Zheng Zhiyue.
Zheng Zhilong arrived in Beijing with Zheng Zhibao, Zheng Zhipeng, Zheng Zhilan, Zheng Ju, Zheng Shao, his uncle Zheng Ji and others. The scale of the audience was unprecedented.
Most of the people here have never been to the capital, or even to the north, and are naturally very curious about the customs and customs here. The prosperity of the capital is far beyond everyone's imagination.
After seeing is believing, a group of people discovered that what the eldest brother Zheng Zhilong said was true. The grand scene in the capital was indeed no less than ten Xiamen bundled together. Just the circle outside the city was enough to prove it.
According to Zheng Sen, the number of people in the capital alone is no less than 1.5 million, and including those in the surrounding areas, the total may be as high as 2 million, or even more.
There is no other reason. There are many opportunities in the capital, and there are many jobs to be found. Even a woman, as long as she is good at needlework, can find a job that earns more than one tael of silver a month. Naturally, she would not dare to do so in other places. Thought.
Zheng Sen was surprised at first that women came out to work, but after learning that many families were single-parent, he understood the prince's intentions.
If both parents are alive and in good health, they can live a good life in the capital. At least they can eat meat every week. For ordinary people, it means they can celebrate the New Year every week.
The railway tracks that Zheng Zhilong and others were about to visit were laid in Ouchi by coolies who worked for the Academy of Sciences. On the day of completion, a certain prince rewarded each coolie with half a catty of pork, and everyone was extremely moved.
"Everyone, this thing is a train. The front part is the locomotive, which uses coal as fuel and is powered by a steam engine. The back is the carriage, which can carry people, cargo or ordnance. Once it starts running, it will not stop day and night, and it can be done in twelve hours Nearly a thousand miles away.”
As the master of Ouchi, a certain prince personally explained it to everyone.
The main reason is that the carriages are made of glass and have heaters inside. Waiting inside eliminates the pain of standing in the cold wind.
"This is truly a masterpiece of uncanny craftsmanship. Your Highness is such a talented person, I admire you so much!"
When Zheng Zhilong saw the whole train, he was naturally as shocked as the brothers around him.
"My dear, everyone, you might as well get in the car and experience it for yourself. It is also a first-hand experience of the technological trend!"
A certain prince didn't want to stand in the snow and continue to be a tour guide. If the audience didn't get on the bus, he had to go up to warm himself.
Except for the people from a certain prince's side, none of the guests present had ever taken a train, so of course they had to experience it.
After all personnel were in place, the signalman outside the window used the command flag to give the train driver the order to start.
A large stream of white gas emerged from the front of the car, and as the linked drive rod was continuously pulled back and forth, the huge driving wheel was driven.
Driven by the locomotive, the entire train began to move its heavy body on the rails, moving forward slowly...
"Already moved! Already moved!"
"Yes! Yes!"
"Incredible!"
Such a scene made the Zheng brothers scream in surprise, and even Zheng Zhilong felt that something was unusual.
There is no need for horses or sails, and objects that can be moved by just eating coal are truly unique to the fairy world!
The speed of the train gradually increased, and soon it reached the speed of the soldiers running at full speed.
This brings a very special experience to passengers!
Smooth as a boat and as fast as a horse, rare!
Comfort, pleasure, unparalleled...
Zheng Zhilong, who was quick-minded and happy, immediately thought that if the machine mentioned by the prince could drive such a vehicle weighing 10,000 kilograms, it would naturally be able to drive the ship forward.
How terrible would it be if all warships of the Ming Navy were equipped with this thing?
