Chapter 103 Test Gun
He Xi and Lu Zhongheng comforted Liang Sizu without saying anything else. This drawing alone was enough to give Liang Sizu an official position. Of course, it was just an official position, not too high. As for Liang Sizu's future affairs, only he can decide for himself.
After Liang Sizu left, Lu Zhongheng said: "What I am most worried about is that there is no place to stay in Nanyang. The sea always makes people uneasy. Although the old port is in the hands of others at the moment, this map is just temporarily in the hands of others. I I feel more at ease. I heard that there are many Han people in the city. With my thousands of soldiers as the foundation, it is not difficult for him to defend the old port with thousands of troops. "
"I am half relieved about the Nanyang matter."
He Xi was also very happy and said, "What about the other half?"
Lu Zhongheng laughed and said, "Then let's see how Brother He can make money."
Lu Zhongheng's trip to Nanyang was a matter of public and private convenience. Serving the public naturally means making meritorious deeds. But it's mostly for selfish reasons, that is, to find ways to make money. Even the latter is more important than the former. Prosperity and wealth alone are not enough. But if there is no wealth, life will not be comfortable.
Lu Zhongheng also has self-awareness. His fame in this life is almost over. Even if not, he is a direct descendant of Zhu Yuanzhang, and he may not be as high as he is today. It is impossible to compete for this fame. But wealth is possible.
Therefore, we have the foothold of Old Port. The strategic goal of uniting the Southeast Asian countries and maintaining a long-term stalemate with Java can be achieved.
His thoughts naturally fell on personal matters. That is to make money.
He Xi laughed and got over this matter.
In fact, He Xi had very complicated feelings about Lu Zhongheng.
What should I say? On the one hand, Lawrence Lu is too direct, and his desire for money is too naked. It gave He Xi a feeling of cooperating with future generations. This made He Xi a little uncomfortable. After all, there are many Ming people. In the face of interests, you have to make some detours. Even shy about talking about money.
On the other hand, he felt that Lu Zhongheng was very open-minded. When working with people like this, you don’t have to think too hard. As long as it's in his interest, there's generally no problem. And He Xi could satisfy Lu Zhongheng on this issue.
Not to mention the east-west waterway, it is a river that can flow gold. To put it simply, there is a gap in the level of civilization between the Ming Dynasty and other countries in Southeast Asia. There are so many ways to make money. The simplest thing is to transfer some Ming industries to Nanyang, which is a very profitable business.
However, these things are not what the two Nanyang politicians should talk about.
He Xi said: "It's time to see the artillery."
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Victoria Bay is not called this name at this time, and it is estimated that it will never be called this name. The name Hong Kong is derived from the fragrant wood that grows abundantly on the island. It can be regarded as an original name. As for other foreign names, it is estimated that they are impossible to contaminate in this time and space.
Today this bay has no name.
Fang Guan has been waiting on the boat for a long time.
Lu Zhongheng was not proficient in naval warfare, and there were not many people in the Ming Dynasty who were proficient in naval warfare. Therefore, for a while, no one else could be found to take charge of the navy. He Xi and Lu Zhongheng thought about it and finally thought of Fang Guan.
Fang Guan naturally would not refuse. He dreamed of avenging his brother. He even wanted to kill all the capitals of Java and burn the country and dig graves in order to relieve his hatred.
The first task He Xi gave Fang Guan was to get the cannon on board.
At this moment, Fang Guanxian took He Xi and Lu Zhongheng down to the cabin. But I saw that this lucky boat looked no different from other lucky boats. But the structure inside has changed drastically. A lot of dense support pillars have been added, and several cabins have even been blocked by wood.
They are all designed to increase the amount of recoil that can be tolerated.
It seems that if the deck cannot bear the recoil of the cannon, it is only necessary to strengthen the deck. However, they do not know that the ship is a whole. When strengthening any place, the overall problem must be considered to prevent the ship from sinking. Otherwise, after firing, the impact on the hull will be too great. You can't even fire cannons while moving and other issues.
This is the kind of reinforcement that is almost all over the entire hull.
However, when He Xi saw this, he knew what was going on. I am afraid that most of the loading capacity of this lucky ship has been reduced.
He Xi can still see some clues. But Lu Zhongheng couldn't see that the space in the cabin was quite limited. Coupled with the various reinforcements and supports, the space seemed even more awkward, making Lu Zhongheng uncomfortable.
Lu Zhongheng said, "You don't need to look at these details. Let's just watch the firing."
Fang Guan immediately said: "I understand."
Then he took everyone on the deck. I saw a cannon about one foot high on the bow of the ship.
The bow of the Fuchuan is some distance away. For the convenience of reinforcement, Fang Guan placed the cannon on the central axis of the Fu ship. In this way, when the cannon is fired, the entire ship will bear the recoil force without affecting the hull. However, in this way, only one cannon can be installed on a ship, and small cannons can be installed in other directions.
Fang Guan gave the order, and someone immediately inserted a red-hot iron stick into the hole behind the cannon.
Just heard a loud noise. The whole ship was shaken, and cannonballs weighing several kilograms were fired several miles away. He Xi estimated that it was at least five miles away.
"Okay." Lu Zhongheng said loudly: "Okay, I have never seen such a powerful firearm. It is really the power of heaven and man. With this huge cannon, no one in Nanyang can defeat it. I can also be half-confident about the situation at sea. "
He Xi said, "Not bad."
He Xi was not much shocked, compared to the absolute truth of the Dongfeng series, compared to the rocket launcher with a range of 500 kilometers, etc. The scene in front of me is really a small scene. It’s even better than the special effects of some film and television works.
It was almost impossible to shock He Xi.
He Xi secretly thought: "This may be more powerful than the artillery before the Opium War of the Qing Dynasty."
However, I don’t know what to say about the power of artillery before the Opium War in the Qing Dynasty. After all, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom dug out Wu Sangui's artillery and beat the Qing court until it was helpless. It can be seen that the artillery before the Opium War may not be better than the artillery in the late Ming Dynasty.
He Xi's technological reforms have allowed the Ming Dynasty's steel industry to transcend its original time and space by at least three hundred years.
However, this is nothing to brag about. After all, before the industrial revolution, many technological developments were very slow. The technology of a hundred years ago has not improved much a hundred years later. There is only a slow accumulation.
In fact, such power did not release all the power of He Xi in reforming the steel industry.
After all, the steel industry is the core of artillery. But casting artillery itself is also a technical matter. Technology in this area also needs to be developed and accumulated.
He Xi did not remind Lu Zhongheng that in naval battles, big ships beat small boats and big guns beat small cannons. But it doesn't mean you can win just by having a cannon.
After all, a war is imminent, and you can be angry but not vented.
He Xi said: "Master Hou, this is Fang Guan's credit. There is such a giant cannon, and Fang Guan is the person most familiar with the giant cannon. Is this the commander-in-chief of the navy this time?"
Lu Zhongheng also had doubts about Fang Guan's appointment. No matter what the reason, Fang Guan always failed Java. This is how it is in the army, winning is good and right, losing is not good. If you are not up to the task, use a defeated general. Lu Zhongheng always felt unlucky.
That's right, the military is actually the most superstitious.
It is believed that those who have won a battle can win again, and those who have lost a battle are unlucky.
If not, there wouldn't be many people fighting naval battles in the entire Ming Dynasty. Fang Guan is determined not to have a second chance. This is also very realistic.
Lu Zhongheng said: "Fang Guan."
Fang Guan said: "The official is here."
Lu Zhongheng said: "Who is interceding for you? You will control all the naval forces going south this time. However, you have to know that the stakes are very high this time. If something goes wrong."
Fang Guan said, "I'm here to see you."
Lawrence Lu said coldly; "You alone don't have enough heads."
Fang Guan was silent for a moment, and with a fierce air in his whole person, he said: "If anything goes wrong during this trip, I will ask the court to punish my three clans."
"Okay." Lu Zhongheng said, "Remember what you said, the Nanyang Navy is yours."
"Thank you, Lord Marquis." Fang Guan said. Then he turned to He Xi and said, "Thank you, Lord He, for your support."
Seeing this situation, He Xi said, "I don't even know if I am doing the right thing."
National affairs are so important. Although it is harsh to use the three ethnic groups as guarantees, it is not unreasonable. It's just that this is so inconsistent with He Xi's values.
