On a high platform at the entrance of the harbor, a group of people stood there and looked at the prince and others.
I saw the prince telling Song Yingxing, and Song Yingxing sent a signal not far away. Then the familiar sound of a steam engine was heard, and black smoke came out of a boat shed nearby.
Everyone looked over there with a little curiosity, imagining what the steamship would look like.
Yes, when they came over, they already knew that they were here to see the steamship, but because they were not in charge of the details, no one except Emperor Chongzhen knew.
After a while, the steamboat emerged from the shed. Under the sunlight, it actually reflected the luster of metal.
"Eh, no way. Is this a ship made of iron?" Cao Huachun, the eunuch in charge of the Ceremony Supervisor, shouted in surprise when he saw it.
Logically speaking, with his experience, his position and his city, it is absolutely impossible for him to make such a fuss!
However, who knows that this ship was a good thing built by the emperor himself and the prince in charge!
"Yeah, it looks like it's really a ship made of iron!"
The eunuchs under Cao Huachun, Bingbi, all served people. How could they not know what Cao Huachun really meant, and they also joined in and marveled. Only Lan Tianbao and Chen Baoting, the two youngest eunuchs with a pen, showed "I guessed it a long time ago" expressions and smiled without saying a word.
On the civil servant side, Xue Guoguan and others watched Cao Huachun and other eunuchs perform there. After all, they were a little thin-skinned and did not dare to flatter the emperor and please the prince by showing their ignorance.
This may be the reason why they have different origins!
Finally, the entire ship was exposed, sailing on the river in Tongzhou Bay. The biggest feature is that there is a big chimney on the ship, which is emitting thick smoke, but there is no mast or paddle wheel. Although you can still see wood on the inside of the boat, the outside is indeed made of iron.
At this time, even Xue Guoguan said in surprise: "What's going on? There is no sail or paddle wheel. How does this ship move?"
"Yeah, I didn't see the paddle moving either. What's going on?"
"Are the wheels of this ship under the water? Doesn't it mean that it is easier to hit other ships or rocks under the water?"
"..."
Watching the steamship driving back and forth on the water was a bit contrary to the cognition of people of this era, and many people were surprised. Although there was still an intention to flatter the emperor and please the prince, it did really surprise them in the end.
Prince Zhu Cixiang was already twenty-one years old at this time. He had not experienced wind and rain. He was a flower in the greenhouse and was still at an age where he liked to listen to praise. He was very proud to hear that these well-educated ministers were so surprised.
Looking at Emperor Chongzhen and seeing him smiling and nodding, he coughed, attracting the attention of the ministers, and then explained: "The driving force of this ship is not wheels or wooden oars, but propellers. It's the father's propeller." The emperor instructed me.”
Xue Guoguan and others knew without thinking that the strange and weird things, or the fresh and useful things they saw for the first time, definitely came from the emperor's incredible brain. But when they heard this, they pretended not to know, and expressed surprise in front of the emperor one by one, praising the benefits of propellers that they didn't know about.
Zhu Cixiang did not dare to interrupt this compliment. After waiting for a while, when the surprised voices of these ministers finally subsided, he continued to introduce: "According to the instructions of the emperor, this propeller was tested for at least fifteen times in total before the shipyard became familiar with it. The performance advantages have also been improved and overcome some difficulties of the propeller. For example..."
At this point, he pointed to the steamboat that continued to demonstrate sailing on the water and said: "The vibration caused by this propeller on the wooden ship will have a very large impact on the hull. In addition, the propeller shaft bearings are worn, and the propeller shaft seals, Thrust bearings, etc. are a lot of problems, and it took a lot of effort to solve or slow down. For example..."
After taking a breath, he continued: "...This ship is actually not all made of iron. Therefore, the wooden ship is covered with iron sheets. One is to reduce the damage caused by the propeller to the wooden ship. The other is to increase the damage to the wooden ship. Protection of the hull..."
After hearing this, these eunuchs and civil servants finally understood that it turned out that this ship was a ship covered with iron sheets, which was okay, but if it was really a ship made of iron, it would be strange.
Just when they were thinking of this, they heard Zhu Cixiang say: "... Of course, all the ships are made of iron. In fact, they have been tested and progress has been made. It is estimated that there may be experimental ships coming out in the next year or so."
"Your Highness, I have a question that I can't figure out!" Fang Zhenghua suddenly asked after hearing this.
When Zhu Cixiang heard this, he seemed to enjoy answering people's questions. Seeing that Emperor Chongzhen had no objection, he nodded and said, "You say it!"
Cao Huachun looked at Fang Zhenghua with a smile, but secretly cursed in his heart, "It's strange that you have so many doubts as you are escorting the emperor every day!"
At this time, Fang Zhenghua said seriously: "It is a well-known situation that wood floats on water. Similarly, it is also common knowledge that heavy objects such as stones and iron will sink when they fall into the water. This iron-clad wood boat on the water, I can understand this, too. But if all boats were made of iron, would they float on the water?"
Emperor Chongzhen watched from the side and did not expose this guy. Just looking at this guy, he just looks like I am a eunuch and I don’t understand what is normal.
Zhu Cixiang did not realize this, and replied enthusiastically: "You still need to read more books. The fifth lecture of the third volume of physics written by my father actually mentioned why objects can float on the water. The real reason..."
Then, he started popularizing science for Founder.
Among civil servants, many people have actually read the works of Emperor Chongzhen. Although some of them can't understand it, it doesn't stop them from reading it all to avoid being unable to answer questions when asked by the emperor.
Therefore, when the prince mentioned this, they all thought about it. But thinking about it, they didn't study in depth, so in the end, they were still surprised.
"...According to the buoyancy formula given by my father, we have verified the weight of the iron ship and the buoyancy of the shape on the water surface. Therefore, the next step will be to start building a real iron-clad battleship based on the calculation results." Zhu Cixiang After introducing this point with excitement, he still did not forget the existence of Emperor Chongzhen, and finally said, "Of course, all this must continue under the guidance of the father, so as to avoid many detours."
"Your Majesty, your Majesty!" Upon hearing this, all eunuchs and civil servants, without exception, paid sincere compliments.
At this time, the steamboat on the water also completed a circle of sailing as planned and began to return to the boat shed.
Seeing this, Emperor Chongzhen smiled and said: "This kind of propeller ship actually does not make high use of steam engine power conversion. It can be said that it is not as much as a paddle wheel. In other words, the ship speed is a bit different. Therefore. In the future, it is better to use steamships more often in inland rivers. And steamships with this kind of propeller will be used at sea, and their ability to withstand wind and waves will be stronger than steamships."
Next, the Ming Dynasty's external expansion war will involve fighting across oceans. The improvement of warships has also reached an urgent time. Propeller steam battleships can also have sails at the beginning, and when the wind is downwind, the sails can be used to drive the battleship. When there is no wind, or when there is a headwind, steam power will be used instead. It doesn't matter how many generations ahead of this era, it only needs to be one level ahead. It will play a very important role in improving the strength of the Ming Navy.
Emperor Chongzhen brought here today only the Supervisor of Ceremonies and the Sixth Cabinet Department, but no one from the Navy has come yet. If Zheng Zhilong and others were here, they would definitely be able to see how powerful the propeller warship would be.
The naval armament school in the capital is almost ready to be built, and it is certain that Emperor Chongzhen himself will serve as the sacrificial wine. As for his deputy, he plans to transfer Zheng Zhilong back to serve as his deputy. Other instructors are experienced generals from the navy.
In a few years, the Ming Dynasty will be fully capable of launching violent troops and ships, and now, everyone is preparing for that time.
After Anders comes over, with Portugal's guidance, Colombo will be the base of the Ming Dynasty. His goal is to occupy the Arabian Peninsula. As for the Americas, there is no rush. They can send a fleet there first, and then attack the entire American continent after establishing a firm foothold in North America.
While Emperor Chongzhen was thinking about this, the steamship had already docked and stalled. So, he smiled slightly, boarded the ship with his officials and started to visit.
The most important purpose is to open the eyes of these most important helpers, so that they will not make any mistakes when they usually do things. Emperor Chongzhen himself also inspected the steamship and looked at some key parts, asked some questions, and even put forward some suggestions for improvement.
Later, Emperor Chongzhen took them to inspect several other shipyards, including the research work on armored warships, and also gave some instructions. The current key point is not to make it bigger or to ask for more gun positions, but to build the warship first, and then improve it based on what is done.
It was not until evening that Emperor Chongzhen returned to the capital with his eunuchs and civil servants.
Sitting on the train, admiring the sunset, a group of eunuchs and civil servants were whispering, talking about their feelings today, or exchanging yamen affairs.
Emperor Chongzhen looked at the capital, which was getting closer and closer, and was about to be shrouded in darkness. Suddenly, he smiled at his ministers and said, "My dear friends, in two days, I will open your eyes again!"
Eye-opening? Is that something new and novel? All the ministers couldn't help but feel curious.
Miaoshuwu
