Zhu Yunwen listened with great interest, and his eyes swept across the wide deck and tall helm building from time to time, lapping at the solid side of the ship, full of pride.
This is an excellent era, an epoch-making era.
"The forward cabin of the ship can accommodate more than a hundred sailors. The entire ship is wide at the bottom, with a high bow and a high stern..."
Liang Shangcai's face glowed red, and he felt that this moment was extremely glorious. More than a year of hard work day and night was all worth it.
Zhu Yunwen looked up and saw that there were nine masts on the treasure ship, and a hard sail was hung on each mast.
This kind of hard sail is different from the segmented soft sails of the Western Age of Navigation. This kind of hard sail is very heavy and very laborious to raise. However, it has a very high wind receiving efficiency, which helps to increase the speed of the ship. There are no fixed beams on the mast, but the direction can be flexibly adjusted to take advantage of the wind coming from multiple directions.
"What should we do if there is no wind but we still need speed?"
Zheng He asked.
When chasing Japanese pirates, Zheng He encountered no wind more than once. The Japanese pirates rowed their boats a few times to see how far they had gone, but the Dafu boat needed to row more to catch up. On several occasions, they even almost let the Japanese pirates escape. .
The issue of speed is something Zheng He attaches great importance to.
Liang Shangcai laughed and said confidently: "Deputy Commander, please rest assured. The treasure ship is equipped with long oars on both sides and stern. The long oars go deep into the water and can be swayed by many people. Even if there is no wind, it can maintain fast sailing. "
Zhu Yunwen was amazed. This design seemed ordinary, but in fact it was almost the same as the propellers of later generations. Compared with the long oar that penetrated into the water, it was obviously more advantageous than the paddle that entered the water a little.
"In order to ensure the safety of the treasure ship, when we learned the shipbuilding skills of our ancestors, we added new techniques and built multiple transverse bulkheads. Compared with the previous Song Dynasty ships, they were not only more resistant to sinking, but also strengthened the ship and could be divided into compartments for cargo storage. …”
Liang Shangcai continued.
Zhu Yunwen nodded repeatedly, and Zheng He was also very satisfied.
"Zheng He, how does this treasure ship compare with the Great Fortune Ship?"
Zhu Yunwen asked with a smile.
Zheng He shook his head bitterly and said: "Your Majesty, the Great Fortune Ship is only nine feet long. This treasure ship is several times bigger. How can it be compared? Apart from other things, just these rows of gun emplacements are not comparable to ordinary Great Fortune Ships. "
Zhu Yunwen burst out laughing, extremely satisfied, and said: "A big fortune ship only costs more than a thousand taels of silver, but this treasure ship can cost seven or eight times that. If additional maintenance is included, a treasure ship may cost tens of thousands of taels of silver." . I will entrust this treasure ship to you. If you lose it, I will fine you tens of thousands of taels of silver."
Zheng He was so excited that he quickly saluted and said: "I will live and die with the treasure ship!"
Zhu Yunwen looked at Liang Shangcai and asked, "How long will it take to complete the remaining treasure ships?"
Liang Shangcai thought about it and said: "Although other treasure ships are not as huge as this one, they are more than three times the size of the Fortune Ship. Three of them can be launched into the sea within a month, and within two months, the other four can also be launched into the sea."
Zhu Yunwen thought for a while and found that it would take less than three months from now until the voyage. Although the treasure ship was completed, it did not mean that it could sail to Nanyang immediately. Instead, it would take a certain period of time for sea trials, which could not be less than a month at least. This was still Some maintenance time needs to be added. Calculated in this way, Zheng He could only bring a maximum of four treasure ships to Nanyang.
Four ships, a little less, but who told us to advance history...
I have no choice but to endure it slowly.
"We will try to get the other three ships to the sea as soon as possible. It doesn't hurt to slow down the other four ships."
Zhu Yunwen ordered.
Liang Shangcai agreed and said: "If we free up manpower, all three treasure ships can be launched into the sea within fifteen days."
Zhu Yunwen nodded: "Don't tire the craftsmen too much. I'll give you twenty days. If the work is completed ahead of schedule, you can each rest for a few days."
"Thank you, Your Majesty for your grace."
Liang Shangcai was pleasantly surprised.
In the past two years, the Ministry of Industry has been very tight on the shipbuilding schedule. It is common to work in shifts for six or seven hours a day. These craftsmen also know that the front line is tight and Japanese pirates are rampant. Although they have a few days of rest a year, But no one left.
Now that the treasure ship has been completed and the dragon is about to go into the sea, isn't it time to take a good rest?
Zheng He lay on the side of the ship, looking down at the gun emplacements below, filled with anticipation. He turned around and applied to Zhu Yunwen: "Your Majesty, I heard that the Second Artillery Bureau has a new divine machine gun. Can it be installed on the treasure ship?"
Zhu Yunwen shook his head slightly and said: "With such a treasure ship, do you still need the new divine machine cannon?"
Zheng He was a little depressed. It seemed that the emperor was not going to give it...
Seeing Zheng He like this, Zhu Yunwen gave him reassurance and said: "Just use the old divine machine cannons to run the treasure ship. Before you set sail, I will arrange for the Second Artillery Bureau to send you a batch of new divine machine cannons. This paragraph Don’t think about time.”
Zheng He nodded repeatedly. As long as there is a new divine machine cannon, wouldn't it mean that it would be unstoppable across the sea? As for being two months late, that doesn't matter much.
Zhu Yunwen was also a little helpless. Although the Second Artillery Bureau had completed the development of new artillery and started mass production, the problem was that Zhang Fu wrote a memorial in Guangxi to apply for a batch of new artillery. This guy seemed to have seen through Zhu Yunwen's deployment and knew that sooner or later Annan needed to be taken care of, so he reached out in advance.
Considering that these iron lumps will also need to be transported to clean up Annan in the future, if they are accompanied by a large army, it will definitely slow down a lot. In this case, we have to transport some new artillery to Guangxi in advance.
The first batch of 300 new artillery pieces went to Guangxi under the escort of the army.
The second batch of new artillery was transported to the north, which is the most critical place. Annan will not be able to overturn the situation for a while, and they may not have the courage to break through and enter the Ming Dynasty again.
But that's not necessarily the case in the north. There are wolves there, not seven, but more...
The treasure ship will establish the Ming Dynasty's hegemony on the sea, at least for the next hundred years. However, although the treasure ship is large and powerful, it still has a fatal flaw, that is, it is made of wood.
It's wood, so it's easy to light.
Whether it was Zhou Yu setting fire to Red Cliff or Zhu Yuanzhang setting fire to Dongting Lake, they were both excellent tactics for small boats against large ships. If throwing a handful of fires doesn't work, then throw a pile of fires. As long as the boats are set on fire, wouldn't the matter be over?
After getting off the treasure ship, Zhu Yunwen had a lot of exchanges with the craftsmen, and finally said: "Now the treasure ship is a giant on the sea, with few rivals. As craftsmen, you should be proud and proud."
All the craftsmen smiled widely and were filled with joy.
Zhu Yunwen glanced at everyone and became serious: "But you should not be complacent. In my opinion, this treasure ship is just a mountain peak, and beyond this mountain peak, there are higher mountains. If you are complacent and don't move forward, I will tell you In two or three hundred years, it is very likely to fall behind others." Liang Shangcai frowned and looked back at the direction of the treasure ship. With such a huge ship, so many masts, and such a powerful configuration, who can be the opponent of the treasure ship?
As long as the ship is sailed to the sea, what kind of Japanese ship or pirate ship is not the result of being directly crushed?
Are there really higher mountains?
Craftsman Wang Er plucked up the courage and said: "Your Majesty, I am a rough man, so I will tell you directly. In the opinion of our craftsmen, there is nothing stronger than this treasure ship since ancient times. Even the five-tooth battleship of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Nor is it his opponent.”
Liang Shangcai agreed with Wang Er's view. Although the Five-Tooth Battleship was strong, that guy relied on shooting poles and directly shooting sunken ships as a combat method. It needed to be close to be effective. But in front of the treasure ship, with a row of guns, it could only reach the river. I have to find my own "teeth".
Zhu Yunwen looked at some wood splinters on the side, then walked over, took out a long knife from the guard's waist, and cut off a piece of wood with the knife in the astonished eyes of everyone, then threw the knife on the ground and faced the craftsmen who were surrounding him. Said: "This is why Bao Chuan is not the strongest!"
"Your Majesty, no one on the battlefield can use a long sword to cut through the defense of the treasure ship..."
Wang Er swallowed his saliva and said a little uneasily.
The others nodded repeatedly. Some of the weak spots on the treasure ship were made of ironwood, which was very hard and specially thickened. Ordinary swords could not damage it at all.
Besides, who would use a sword to chop off the wood on the ship? Isn't this kind of behavior a bit stupid? If the treasure ship turns sideways, he can be pushed to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish...
Zhu Yunwen's forehead was a little dark. He had forgotten that the people in front of him were all craftsmen. He didn't know a few words on weekdays, so it was useless to play riddles with them.
"What I mean is that wood is vulnerable to steel!"
Zhu Yunwen said solemnly.
One sentence shocked everyone.
Although the craftsmen have never read books, it does not mean that they have no brains and can understand what Zhu Yunwen means. Especially experienced craftsmen such as Liang Shangcai and Wang Er, they are not unaware of the power of steel.
In fact, some of Chen Youliang's ships were wrapped with iron sheets. This kind of iron boat is so strong that it can smash other boats into pieces.
"The emperor means that the treasure ship should be wrapped with a layer of iron?"
Wang Er asked carefully.
Liang Shangcai echoed: "Your Majesty, the treasure ship is huge. If it is wrapped in iron sheets, a lot of materials will be used. In terms of the treasure ship's combat power, there is no need to use iron sheets..."
Zhu Yunwen sighed. It seemed that it was better to speak directly. He had gone around too many twists and turns with Baiguan, and now he is not very good at talking...
"Now that the treasure ship has been completed, why not arrange a group of people to study how to make steel ships? No wood is used, and the hull and bottom are all made of steel."
Zhu Yunwen said seriously.
Liang Shangcai's eyes widened, and the other craftsmen also looked at Zhu Yunwen with somewhat disrespectful looks. Even Zheng He turned sideways, wondering what the emperor was thinking.
Something as heavy as steel will sink into the water if you throw it away even a little bit. If it is used to build a ship, won't it sink immediately?
Wood can build ships because they can float on water. Steel cannot float on water. Why doesn't the emperor understand such a simple truth?
Why not eat minced meat and kill people...
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