After returning from the waterway in a few days, Xu Mu and his party returned to Bailu County. As soon as we boarded the river bank, we saw from a distance that Bailu County was full of white cloth hanging under the eaves.
"General Dou has been in the two counties outside the state for a long time and is very popular among the people. The people in the two counties were very sad when they learned that General Dou died in the battle." Fan Lu, who came to meet him, had a cry in his voice.
He participated in the water battle that day at close range, so it was naturally tragic.
Xu Mu sighed.
"The descendants of the Dou family are all connected to Chengdu."
"Don't worry, my lord, I've taken it all."
Xu Mu nodded. This person has passed away, and we must continue to walk on the path forward.
"Fan Lu, you stay in Bailu County during this period and help with the management temporarily. When General Miao Tong recovers from his injuries, I will ask him to come to Bailu County to take over with you."
Fan Lu hurriedly accepted the order. After that water battle, he and Miao Tong had already known each other and had nothing to do with each other.
"Lord, do you want to go back to Chengdu directly?"
"If you don't go back now, I'll go to the Wei family's shipyard."
The Wei family's shipyard is in Bailu County. On the way back by water, Xu Mu and Miao Tong kept exchanging water battle experiences. They vaguely thought of the motherships of later generations. He wondered if Wei Chun could find a way to use the shield ship on the ship. Basically, make the hull bigger. Such as draft tonnage, materials, and Xiangjiang waterway, all must be carefully considered.
The bigger the boat, the slower it will be. Without a favorable wind to blow the sails, it would probably be as slow as a turtle just relying on the boatman's oars.
Steam power? This is not about boiling water in a furnace, thermodynamics, precise numerical proportions, nothing can be done without the soil of scientific accumulation.
A huge ship was really built. According to Xu Mu's considerations, he could only use it as a powerful weapon in water battles with a favorable wind.
"Fan Lu, I'll leave this to you. By the way, Wei Chun is at the shipyard, right?"
"Yes, I'm here these days."
Wei Chun is the current head of the Wei family. He is frail and sick, but he is a rare craftsman.
Seeing that it was not yet dusk, after thinking about it, Xu Mu took Si Hu and walked to the Wei Family Shipyard in Bailu County.
…
"Big ship?" Wei Chun said anxiously with a pale face.
"My lord, you should know that if the hull is too big, it will be very unstable if there are waves on the river. In addition, if there is a water battle, it will easily be hit by the enemy's heavy crossbow and sink in the river."
"Wei Chun, this is a sketch." Xu Mu sat down, not dissatisfied at all because of Wei Chun's gaffe. If it is said that when it comes to scientific knowledge in the world, Wei Chun is undoubtedly the best confidant in front of him.
After pouring a bowl of tea for Xu Mu, Wei Chun sat down tiredly. In the Battle of Cangzhou, the Western Shu Navy was almost completely wiped out. The task of rebuilding the warships was extremely arduous.
In addition, there is also blast furnace ironmaking, and even the invention of the dark hall, which needs to be managed by him. Of course, I have chosen several good disciples recently.
"Five stories high is not very suitable." Wei Chun frowned, "Even if a watertight cabin is added, once the hull becomes unstable and violent, it will still tip over. If you follow my suggestion, the four-story cabin is already limit."
"My lord, you must understand that this is a warship, not a ceremonial ship for the emperor to cruise south of the Yangtze River. There will eventually be a war."
Xu Mu laughed happily. He would only be really worried if Wei Chunjie agreed.
"If the four-story ship pavilion is really built, I will leave more aisles and blockers to make it easier for the walking bow to shoot from a distance and avoid avoidance."
"Wei Chun, this is very good. In addition, I plan to add a crossbow window on the bottom floor."
"The cabin has already opened a crossbow window. If we add the bottom layer... it should be no problem. It will just cost some materials. I estimate that it will be about twice the size of an ordinary building ship. But my lord wants more. If it is covered with iron skins, the project will be huge.”
"Moreover, the number of naval forces will also be doubled by then."
"Of course." Xu Mu nodded, "I plan to open ten more kerosene tanks on each side of the hull at the bottom level."
"Lord, where's the racket?"
"One shot for each side, no need to add any more. If an enemy ship approaches, use a fire oil tank in conjunction with the shot stick to burn the ship and drive away the enemy."
He and Miao Tong discussed these things together, and they were considered good ideas.
Wei Chun rubbed his face, "Another point is that the hull is too big, so it will definitely attract attention. In a water battle, the enemy will try their best to ram the giant ship with the fire boat. How to guard against the fire boat is also a consideration for the Lord. Yes. There is certainly a defensive ship formation surrounding the giant ship, but during the battle, if something goes wrong and the defense fails, then a disaster will be imminent."
"Wei Chun, don't stay in the shipyard. Become a naval general with me." Xu Mu smiled.
Wei Chun was speechless, "My Wei family has been building ships for generations, so I naturally understand these things. When it comes to arranging troops, I can't figure it out."
"Then is there anything you can do to prevent the fire boat?"
"The only temporary solution is to use a shield ship."
Xu Mu thought for a while, "If a small cabin is set up to hide the ship under the huge ship, if there is an enemy fireboat collision, the hidden ship can be sent out from the small cabin, and it should be able to block it."
Wei Chun's eyes lit up, "Lord, this is a good idea. But let me think about how to set up this small cabin to hide the ship. At that time, we can only make the hidden ship smaller so that it can be hidden .”
"I believe in you." Xu Mu stood up and patted Wei Chun on the shoulder.
"There are not many skilled craftsmen like you in Xishu. I also know that in the water battle some time ago, the warships suffered heavy losses, and your task is arduous."
"We, the Wei family, committed a capital crime at the beginning. Thanks to the master, we did not abandon the crime and did not blame the entire Wei family——"
"One is one, two is two, I can see it clearly." Xu Mu said calmly, "I once told you that there will not be any aristocratic families in Xishu, but your Wei family is different. Military merit comes with you, not Like other nobles, they do business all over the world to accumulate wealth."
"As early as on the way back to Shuzhou, I was thinking about one thing."
"Wei Chun, from now on, I will designate you as the Minister of Industry of Xishu. You don't need to pay attention to other military orders. I don't care if you sleep day and night. All you need to do is get things done."
"My lord, I am a sick and weak body...how can I be so virtuous?"
"In my heart, there is no doubt that you are also a great hero of Western Shu."
"Thank you, my lord!"
Wei Chun knelt down and worshiped, his face full of joy.
"Get up, I have to go back to Chengdu tomorrow. After General Dou dies in the battle, there will be another naval commander who will come to Bailu County to take up a post. If there is anything, just discuss it with him."
"Besides, when you have free time, go back to Shu to recuperate. Don't work too hard. I don't want my public transportation team in Xishu to die young."
"My lord, who is Gongshuban?"
"I will not tell you."
After explaining the matter about the giant ship, Xu Mu took Si Hu and left the Wei Family Shipyard.
"Brother Mu, what kind of man from the Ministry of Industry does he just sleep at home every day?" Sihu asked anxiously as they walked.
"Brother Mu, let me do it. I'll build the ship!"
"You want to drive piles at home every day, right?" Xu Mu turned around speechlessly.
"There is something else I want to tell you. The secret letter from Military Advisor Wen Long said that your wife Luan Yu is pregnant."
"How many steamed buns should I eat while pregnant...Brother Mu, is Luan Yu pregnant?" Si Hu's eyes widened in shock.
"Little Sihu is about to be born."
…
