Zhu Jingyuan nodded slightly after listening to Wang Lai's explanation, and basically agreed with Wang Lai's judgment.
However, I also vaguely felt in my heart that the Ming warship designers headed by Wang Lai were still relatively optimistic about the Thai people's aircraft carrier design exploration process.
Probably because he directly provided a mature aircraft carrier design, Wang Lai and other designers did not have a sufficiently accurate understanding of the difficulty of exploring aircraft carrier design from scratch.
The large number of specialized designs I directly gave were accumulated through decades of continuous exploration in many countries in my previous life.
If he and Daming don't steal the lessons from the Westerners now, it will probably take decades for them to come up with a truly mature design.
However, if it is just to build a usable aircraft carrier, it shouldn't take too long.
The most critical design of traditional aircraft carriers is full direct access to the deck. As long as they train on a half-deck cruiser-converted aircraft carrier and kill a few more pilots, they should have thought of it.
To have full access to the deck, either there is no bridge, or the bridge is placed on the side. This is another mistake.
What they cannot quickly determine are the more reasonable structure of the bridge, the shape and sway of the deck, the layout and specifications of the elevators, the reasonable specifications of the hangar, and other designs that are difficult to quantify.
Zhu Jingyuan thought about it for a while, then asked Wang Lai another question:
"Now that the construction of the 60,000-ton battleship has begun, the design of our 60,000-ton aircraft carrier has not yet been finalized. What is the biggest difficulty at present?"
This kind of question is what Wang Lai thinks about day and night, so he answers it directly without thinking:
“One is structural and sailing stability.
“A higher flight deck, a larger flaring structure, and a highly asymmetrical flaring structure.
“How stable are these designs in various sailing postures?
"Whether it can truly meet the actual needs of combat.
“One is the specifications of the catapult.
“The steam catapult currently being tested can propel a 12-ton aircraft to 220 kilometers per hour.
“There is still a long way to go from the thirty tons and three hundred kilometers you requested.
“Although the research and development team of the steam catapult is guaranteed to increase the thrust to more than sixteen tons within one year.
“We also believe they can definitely do sixteen tons.
“However, compared to thirty tons, sixteen tons can still be regarded as completely different data levels.
“From twelve tons to sixteen tons, it should be possible without changing the underlying design.
“But from sixteen tons to thirty tons, it may not be feasible.
“Once the underlying design needs to be changed in the future, even if the reserved space is made now, it may not be guaranteed to be reasonable.
“Lastly there is concern about longevity.
“According to your assumptions, an aircraft carrier of this size and design will be the main force used by the navy for a long time in the future.
】
“They should last fifty years.
“Fifty years has put great pressure on designers, and they are hesitant in many places.
“Because it’s really hard to predict what will happen fifty years from now.”
When Zhu Jingyuan heard these explanations, he nodded first and then shook his head.
Of course, these problems are indeed problems, but they are problems that cannot be solved directly.
I can only give guiding thoughts, technical indicators and directions, but I have no way to implement them concretely.
At most, I help the craftsmen emancipate their minds as much as possible on a spiritual level.
Craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty are a very broad collective term.
Including scientific researchers, including process developers, including engineering designers.
It also includes on-site construction personnel, technical engineering personnel working on the project, and subsequent testers.
Finally, there are craftsmen-turned-officials like Wang Lai and Li Rui.
They are all accustomed to calling each other "a certain worker".
The person in charge of a certain department or a certain project can usually be respectfully called "Dagong" or "Chief Engineer".
Zhu Jingyuan sorted out his thinking and logic a little, and tried to convey his thoughts to Wang Lai, the leader of the craftsmen:
“A 60,000-ton aircraft carrier, unlike a 60,000-ton battleship, is not a pure enlargement of scale.
"A 60,000-ton aircraft carrier can still be regarded as a brand-new warship, so the first one can still be treated as an experimental ship.
“Designers only need to ensure that the theory is reasonable, and there is no need to guarantee to the construction department that it will be easy to use after completion.
“But they have to give a probability of feasibility, such as at what level of roll it might overturn.
“As for the expected space of the catapult, there is no need to be too rigid.
“With reserved space, you don’t just have to use these spaces. If there is excess space, you can use it for other purposes. If it is not enough, you can renovate it.
“It is completely normal for the experimental ship to be modified and tested many times after it is built.
“The thirty tons of weight I lifted and the speed of three hundred kilometers per hour were just empty goals.
"There is no need to stick to this goal. Didn't the R&D team now say that it can achieve 16 tons?
"Then the design standard for the first type catapult should be sixteen tons.
“Once the target of sixteen tons is achieved, it can be put on the ship directly.
“And the last fifty years, that is more of my personal assessment, not a guideline for the design team.
“If it had to be an indicator, it would be for the engineering and process departments.
“They want to ensure that after the hull is built, if it is properly maintained, it will not be damaged and rendered useless within fifty years.
“As long as it is not damaged by war, it must be repairable within fifty years at least.
"As for the things on the hull, it is estimated that they can be replaced with three-wheelers within fifty years.
"Today's technology is developing very rapidly, and the construction cycle of large warships is long, and it is not new at all that they will be outdated after they are completed.
"Let the craftsmen not be timid and just use the best technology they can currently achieve."
Zhu Jingyuan said a lot intermittently, just to make Wang Lai believe that he has a strong ability to accept, and to make sure that he would not use casual words as acceptance criteria.
Wang Lai was also very familiar with Zhu Jingyuan and knew that Zhu Jingyuan was not polite in this situation.
If Zhu Jingyuan has put forward some hard targets, it must be a reminder that the requirements must be met.
Just like the original thirty-knot speed, the later 1,360 kilogram shells were not finalized until they were ready.
Now that it's said in his mouth, it must be what he asked for.
Wang Lai really relaxed in his heart.
Then several people at the scene continued to discuss various aspects of the situation on this topic.
As the time approached noon, Wang Lai seemed to suddenly think of something and mentioned the Taixi people's shipbuilding plan again.
"By the way, Your Majesty, Your Highness, the shipbuilding activities of various countries in Europe and the West seem to have entered a certain state of competition.
"The British want to ensure that they have more new warships than any other country in the West.
“The Prussians are targeting the British and preparing to increase the number of capital ships to the same level as the British.
"The Lucians tried to ensure that the number of large-caliber artillery was no less than that of any other country.
“The French have to face the Italians and Spanish in the Great Qinhai, the Portuguese in the Atlantic, and the British in the English Channel, which seems to be the one with the greatest pressure.
“The French have to follow the British in their shipbuilding plan, and they must ensure that the number of battleships is no less than that of the British.
“The Italians appear to be communicating with the Prussians, possibly exchanging their triple turret design for Prussian larger-caliber artillery technology, while simultaneously defending against the French and Austrians.
"The Austrians seem to have a relatively easy time in the navy. They have to deal with the Italians and Ottomans, but their maritime environment is very harsh. The Ottomans and Italians can block its outlet to the sea.
“And Austria’s land environment is equally harsh, sandwiched between Prussia, Lucia, and Ottoman.
"Austria would actually rather Lucia and Prussia put more power at sea, because the conflict between Austria and them at sea is not as obvious as on land.
“So Austria’s goal seems to be to require the number of capital ships to be no less than theirs, but the requirements for the tonnage and firepower of a single ship can be relaxed to save shipbuilding costs as much as possible.
“The Ottomans have the weakest industrial technology, but they are very honest and buy directly from us.
"So the level of warships that can be obtained is actually not lower than that of the European and Western countries..."
When Wang Lai came here to take a breath, Zhu Zhongliang interrupted and said:
"With the situation and financial status of the countries in Thailand and Spain, can they be allowed to make such troubles in the navy?
“European and Western countries suffered heavy losses in the world war, and they had to pay compensation and resume construction after the war, so their finances were not well-off to begin with.
“Each country in Europe and the West must independently develop and develop those cutting-edge high-speed warships, and build their own factories and docks.
"Their total R&D and construction costs should be much higher than ours."
Wang Lai responded immediately:
"Your Majesty is wise, the news I have received from all aspects shows that the countries in Europe and the West are now very struggling in naval construction.
“Just like Austria, they want to save shipbuilding costs, but for a warship of this size, how much lower can the savings be?
“The cost of research and development is certain. The smaller the number of warships planned to be built, the harder it is to keep the cost of a single ship down.
"Our Ming Dynasty is responsible for shipbuilding throughout Europe and the West, and since the technology has matured, the cost of a single ship has been declining.
"So even if the same amount of money is spent, the warships built by Ming Dynasty will eventually be more numerous and of better quality."
Zhu Jingyuan listened to the conversation between Wang Lai and Zhu Zhongliang, and always felt that something was wrong.
The Taixi people may be struggling in the shipbuilding competition, but the craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty don't seem to care much about it?
There was neither concern about the threat posed by the Western Navy to the Ming Dynasty, nor was there any obvious surprise about their difficulty.
Instead, it revealed a feeling of disgust and contempt.
This feeling seems a bit like the feelings of Europeans in a previous life when they faced the naval competition between South American countries.
It may be a little more important than that, but it is far from the level that European and American countries faced their own naval competition in the previous life.
As for the tendency of Prussia and Italy to cooperate, this is actually very easy to understand.
This is not some historical inertia, but is determined by the environmental patterns of the two countries.
Although the two countries share a land border, they are separated by the Alps, the largest mountain range in Western Europe.
The two countries basically have no influence on each other on land.
The navies of the two countries, one operating in the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the other in the Qinhai Sea, cannot be combined at all.
Prussia was the site of four wars in the western continent, but relatively speaking, the south was the safest.
Italy is the Western country with the least natural conflicts with Prussia, and it is also the most suitable ally for Prussia to win over.
But the environment in Italy also determined that he would not be Prussia's loyal ally.
Italy is surrounded by the Alps and has a highly independent land environment.
But as a peninsula, it does not have any strategic depth.
The sea is surrounded by France, Spain, Austria, and the Ottoman Empire.
On the contrary, it is basically impossible for the Prussian navy, which is far apart, to directly intervene in Italy.
For Italian businessmen who are good at watching the situation, it seems to be the most natural choice to first be an ally of Prussia when the situation is not bright, and then change the strategy according to the actual situation.
Anyway, the Prussians couldn't do anything to the Italians.
Zhu Jingyuan himself, compared to all Ming people, paid more attention to the Taixi people.
When I heard about this situation, I couldn’t help but remind you:
“Since we have the tendency of Italians and Prussians to cooperate, we should take action to stop it, right?
“For example, provide the Italians with manufacturing technology for 360 mm artillery.
“As long as they pay for it, we can sell them finished guns or even turrets to specified standards.
“Of course it does not include electroslag remelting technology.
"At the same time, we are selling the triple turret design to Prussia...and Lucia and other European countries.
"You can make it clear to them. Anyway, they can't build a few ships in total, and they can't use dozens of artillery pieces in total.
“In this case, the cost of their own research and development is too high, but it is more cost-effective to buy the finished product directly.
“We not only sell products, we also sell services and can provide complete maintenance, replacement and upgrade services.
“We won’t leave it alone if it’s sold out, we want to relieve their worries.
“Let them understand that for a country like theirs, it is better to buy than to make.
“Of course, if they are willing to pay enough, we can provide technology and even help them build production lines.
“Of course it does not include the latest electroslag remelting technology.
"Let all the countries in Europe and the West trade with the Ming Dynasty alone. Anyway, the Ming Dynasty can be considered omnipotent.
"To prevent them from communicating too much internally, they will end up with a tendency to join forces."
Zhu Zhongliang had a small book about Emperor Shizu, so although he paid less attention to the Taixi people than Zhu Jingyuan, who had experienced it, he also paid more attention to it than other Ming people.
When I heard the words "United Tendency", I immediately nodded in agreement, then stroked my beard and said with a smile:
"There is a saying that for the countries in Europe and the West, it is indeed better to buy than to make.
"Buying our finished artillery directly can reduce their financial pressure and reduce the pressure of competition in shipbuilding.
“The key is that in the future, technology will become more and more complex, and R&D costs will account for an increasing proportion of the equipment.
"If they can't jointly research and develop to share this cost, they will always be under pressure by our Ming Dynasty in the future.
“It is certainly correct to avoid their tendency to unite.
"But it's useless for you to tell Gong Wang and Gong Li all this. They are great craftsmen and don't engage in such intrigues.
"You have to write a memorial to your father and Mr. Shen and submit it."
When Zhu Jingyuan heard his grandfather's words, he immediately thought of the relationship between the European and American countries and the United States after World War II.
By the time of the Cold War, the countries of Europe and the West had to unite in order to still have a place in military technology.
This is determined by the size of the country.
After the completion of the second industrial revolution, it will be difficult for a single European and Western country to maintain a complete industrial system.
It’s not just about the number of workers and technicians.
Another very critical reason is that insufficient production leads to the inability to amortize costs.
If there were no bigger countries in the world, they could continue to eke out a living even if the cost of their own research and development was high.
The point is, when it comes to the world, there are Americans who can spread the costs, as their direct competitors.
The countries in Thailand and Spain have completely lost their competitive advantage in front of the United States.
At the technical level, it has been completely suppressed by the United States and has become part of the American industrial chain.
The current Ming Dynasty seems to be able to replace the status of the United States... It should be the multiple status of the United States and Red Lucia.
Not only should they be inseparable from Ming Dynasty, but they should also be threatened and suppressed.
They cannot yet be allowed to unite to form the European Union or New Rome.
This is indeed a very important thing.
So Zhu Jingyuan nodded in agreement quite seriously:
"I understand. I will write a special memorial when I get back, and then go to my father and Mr. Shen to discuss it on the spot."
