Only when you actually stand on the deck of the Linqing can you feel the majesty of this ship.
Although when standing on the shore, this ship looks much larger than other ships. But being there, the shock is even more profound.
Sun Chengzong had been on many boats in his life, and he had seen them all, from big boats to small boats. However, compared with the Galen ship in front of me, which is the crystallization of the current level of human craftsmanship, those lucky ships and canal ships are nothing.
He even knelt down and stroked the smooth mirror-like deck with his hands, puzzled.
"This is obviously made of wood. Why is it so flat with no gaps visible?"
A shipbuilding engineer explained it to him.
"These pieces of wood have been processed with precision to ensure a tight fit. Therefore, even rainwater cannot penetrate after being spliced together."
Sun Chengzong raised his foot and chopped it hard twice. There was no "dongdong" sound in the air, as if he had stepped on solid ground.
From this alone, you can imagine how strong the Linqing's deck is.
He saw the artillery placed on both sides of the ship again.
"Lu Jiandou said that the artillery used by your army is superior, is this true?"
Zuo Mengeng had no intention of hiding anything.
He walked to the side of the cannon and opened the breech with his own hands so that Sun Chengzong could see more clearly.
"Please see, Mr. Ge, the artillery used by our army only needs to be loaded from here. The speed of firing is far beyond that of front-loaded artillery."
Sun Chengzong seemed to be curious about a baby, and even squatted down on the breech position and looked inside.
He obviously couldn't understand.
"How do you load this?"
Zuo Mengeng did not explain it to him immediately, but said: "When we get to the sea, there will be an artillery test, and you will understand then."
Sun Chengzong nodded, had no choice but to put away his anxious thoughts, and followed Zuo Mengeng around.
The lengthening of the hull and the reduction of artillery have left a lot of space on the Linqing. And all this extra space has become a benefit for the officers and soldiers on the ship.
"Your Highness, this is our crew dormitory. You see, everyone has a bed and can finally sleep well."
Yes, the Linqing is far superior to all ships in the world in that it is equipped with a sleeping place for every crew member.
Not to mention the ships of the Ming Dynasty, even the Galen ships in the West today cannot do this.
On Western ships, it is already a luxury for ordinary sailors to have a swing net for sleeping. As for the beds, only officers and nobles could enjoy them.
Zuo Menggeng is well aware of the hardships of life at sea, so he put forward mandatory requirements for the use of excess space.
Under his suggestion, an overall plan was made for the dormitories on the Linqing.
The captain's quarters, which occupied a large area, was eliminated and instead merged into crew quarters.
Even for the captain on the ship, the sleeping area is only slightly larger than that of ordinary soldiers.
The officer's dormitory is a room for four people, divided into upper and lower bunks, with a small desk. The soldiers' dormitories are for six people per room, with only one bed 80 centimeters wide.
When not sleeping, the bed can be folded up and attached to the bulkhead to create a lot of space.
Although such a bed is not comfortable to sleep on, everyone is very satisfied when thinking about how sailors lived on the ship in the past.
Not only that, there are windows in the officers and soldiers' dormitories to ventilate the air and provide light. The general style is similar to that of later generations, and they are all made of round glass.
The glass was intentionally made very thick to account for hurricanes and high waves at sea. But no matter what, the windows can be opened when necessary to let the soldiers breathe fresh air.
In addition to the sailors' dormitories, another extra thing on the Linqing is the restaurant.
This is also a facility that does not exist on ships of the same era.
In the past, except for generals, ordinary soldiers had to find places to eat.
But now there is a real crew mess.
It can cater for fifty people to eat at the same time at one time. As long as it is rotated a few times, it will be enough for everyone to eat.
Sun Chengzong, Liu Zongzhou and others followed Zuo Mengeng and looked at the entire ship from the inside out. The more they looked at it, the more surprised they became.
"How is this still a ship? It's simply a moving castle. Coupled with these firearms, who in the world can resist?"
Sun Qifeng's emotion made Zuo Mengeng shake his head cautiously.
"Zhong Yuangong doesn't know that there are much larger warships in the West, each equipped with more than a hundred cannons. Although they are not as powerful as our cannons, there are more warships and more cannons. . If we really have to compete, the outcome is hard to predict."
Everyone changed their minds after hearing this.
When I first saw the Linqing, I thought it was the most powerful warship in the world.
When they learned that there were such ships thousands of miles away, everyone felt that the world was vast, but they themselves became frogs in the well.
"No wonder Zhongheng repeatedly emphasized that enemies in the future will come from the sea. Now it seems that this statement is true."
As a great scholar, Lu Shanji had no idea about the ocean. And in his view, the ocean is not that important.
But after experiencing it personally this time, he completely changed his view.
Just think about the countless warships similar to the Linqing running to the coast of China, with their black muzzles pointed at the shore, and the scene is chilling.
Zuo Mengeng was really happy to discover his change.
This shows that more and more Chinese people are beginning to realize the importance of the ocean.
"With the completion of the Linqing, we have accumulated rich experience, and the speed of shipbuilding will only become faster and faster in the future. Moreover, we have inexhaustible wood in the Far North, and our warships will definitely be More and more. Our presence cannot be missing on this sea."
Everyone was thinking about it, eager to see the day when Chinese warships covered the ocean.
When everyone got out of the boat, they saw that the shipment of supplies was nearing completion.
The supplies needed to meet the needs of a ship for about six months are simply massive.
However, Qingdao's wharves have long been semi-mechanized. The application of various gantry cranes, tower cranes, and long-arm cranes makes the loading and unloading of materials very fast.
"Your Highness, all preparations have been completed. Please set sail."
Seeing that the officers and soldiers were all ready and waiting, and the people on the shore were looking forward to it, Zuo Mengeng's blood began to surge.
"Raise the sails and set sail!"
Shang Ke happily accepted the order, walked to his command podium, and issued the historic first order to the entire ship through the loudspeaker.
"Pull out anchor and set off!"
The whole ship quickly became lively.
Four sailors rushed to the bow of the ship and worked together to push the winch.
I heard a constant splashing sound in the water, and the chain kept being pulled up. After a while, the huge anchor broke out of the water and caused a ripple.
"The Evil God"
On a traditional Galen ship, in order to complete the action of retracting the anchor, more than a dozen people must work together and pull it with all their strength.
The use of winches and pulleys on the Linqing made this work much easier, and only four sailors could complete it.
The anchor was retracted, the sail was raised, and the huge hull shook violently, then slowly began to leave the shore, and finally adjusted its direction, heading towards the entrance of Jiaozhou Bay.
The Linqing carried all the expectations of the Xia people and threw itself into the embrace of the sea.
