Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 213 The Royal Dockyard
Dalian Port, after a year of construction, is quite large.When Chu Yun started the "Sail Battleship" technology, the system once summoned a British royal shipyard, which was located in Dalian Port.

Now with the development of Dalian Port, Chu Yun also attaches great importance to the development of the navy and foreign trade, so the scale of the Royal Shipyard is getting bigger and bigger, and even opened a second shipyard.There are more than 2000 people in the two shipyards, hundreds of them are shipwrights from the former Royal Dockyard of Great Britain.Chu Yun also specially set up a shipbuilding school to recruit local laborers in southern Liaoning on a large scale and conduct training ranging from three months to one year. Only then did the shipyard have a scale of more than 2000 people.

In addition to sailing battleships, frigates, and large and small gunboats, shipyards sometimes receive orders from merchants to build empty sea ships for them.Because the ships of the Liao Army were stronger and suitable for sea transportation, they were sought after by merchants. The Royal Shipyard made a lot of profits from shipbuilding, and the wages of the shipyard workers were generally higher than those of other factories.

Not only the newly trained boatmen, but also some craftsmen who have been passed down from generation to generation along the southeast coast. They heard from the merchants in the south of the Yangtze River that the Liao army in southern Liaoning was recruiting boatmen, and they traveled thousands of miles to make their skills useful.

"This is the second gunboat we have participated in building since we came to Dalian Port from Fuzhou?" The shipyard worker wiped the sweat from his forehead with a coarse cloth, sweating profusely.

A naval battle gunboat with a length of 30 meters is different from the crude ships operating in inland rivers. It is not easy to build. From laying the keel, to painting and launching, it will take a few months at least. A first-class battleship with guns cannot be built in three or four years.In order to speed up the construction, the Royal Shipyard was divided into the first shipyard and the second shipyard, and each shipyard had different shipbuilding teams, with the number ranging from dozens to hundreds of people.

Seeing that the warship towering like a giant beast was quite up to standard, the old shipwright smiled gratifiedly despite the hard work.

"Thanks to the master, you worked so hard to lead people to work overtime. This frigate No. 12 was completed on time. Otherwise, the report was delayed, and our team's bonus will be much less." The team responsible for building the No. [-] frigate The team leader came over with a few baskets of steamed buns, "Thank you for your hard work, everyone, come and taste it. These are steamed buns made by chefs from Tianjin Weilai. They are delicious."

When dozens of shipwrights heard that there was something to eat, they all gathered around and looted all the buns in a short while.During the break, the shipbuilder talked about things in the shipyard or some trivial matters in the search for the sun.

"Master, look at the battleship-class ship in the dock. It is planned to be equipped with 56 cannons and a 36-pound cannon. That is a real gunboat. The small and medium-sized gunboat we built is just for them to use Yes," muttered a young shipwright.

"The Westerners in the ship school are responsible for building battleships. They are familiar with the construction of battleships. We have to admit that only they can build such a large ship. But wait until we build a few more small and medium-sized gunboats and accumulate more. With experience in building new warships, you can apply to the factory manager to build large battleships." Said the old shipbuilder from the southeast coast.

"Why do you say that the military master builds so many ships? We built No. 12 gunboats. I discussed privately with those in other groups, and there are several gunships like ours that are being urgently built. The keel of the gunboat No. [-] has been set up. In addition to the small and medium-sized gunboats, there are two battleships rated as three types of battleships. If all these ships are equipped with artillery according to the specifications, there will be at least three or four ships. Hundreds of cannons require tens of thousands of ammunition." A shipwright said, "With so many cannons, can you walk across the ocean?"

"There is no such thing as that simple. Don't even think about it. Our shipyard is full of firepower, producing warships around the clock, so we have these artillery. But the cannons produced by the Ordnance Bureau are not only the naval guns of our navy ships. There are also field artillery used by the artillery brigade. In addition to cannons, muskets, bayonets, and other ordnance must be produced. It is impossible to produce three or four hundred cannons in such a short period of time. It is estimated that only half of the warships are matched Only the artillery is used, and the other warships are for training," said another shipwright.

"Even if there are only about [-] artillery pieces, it is already terrible. The Victory that came from the West and the previous four frigates also have about [-] artillery pieces. Together, there are [-] pieces of large and small pieces. There are nearly [-] large and medium-sized ships that can set sail. Such a fleet, even if the Fujian navy encounters it, it can only be hated." Said the old shipbuilder.

"Master, you escaped from Fuzhou. Could it be that the court navy is not as good as our gunboats produced in southern Liaoning?" Speaking of ships and other things, these shipwrights became interested for a while.

"You can't say that. The court's navy has hundreds of ships, a lot of them, but it's a pity that the firepower is too weak. The artillery of the main warships was bought from Westerners or imitated. How much can a warship have? A few cannons are enough. Speaking of which, the imperial navy is not as strong as the pirates in the southeast. Have you heard of 'Eighteen Zhi'?"

The old shipwright started to talk about what happened in the waters around Fujian, and many shipwrights gathered around curiously to listen to the story.Even the team leader in charge of management squatted on the side of the wood, listening to the old boatman's story with relish.

"It is said that three years ago, at the mouth of Beigang River in Yizhou, eighteen pirate merchants headed by Zheng Zhilong swore together, and they were called 'Eighteen Zhi'. The Eighteen Zhis were all over the world, and in two years they repeatedly defeated the admiral of the Ming Dynasty navy. The Fujian and Zhejiang naval divisions led by Yu Zigao were invincible, and the officers and soldiers were exhausted, but there was nothing they could do. Just last year, Zheng Zhilong led eighteen troops to attack Quanzhou and defeated the Fujian naval division again. Do you think they are powerful?" The old boatman described it vividly.

"Why are the Fujian Navy and Zhejiang Navy fighting so hard?" The young shipwright was depressed for a while.

"Who says it's not? Speaking of it, the imperial court doesn't pay much attention to the sea. Now many ships of the Fujian Navy are built in a hurry, and they still use the wood of old ships. In addition, most of the navy personnel are half-baked. It's normal. Now Shibazhi has [-] ships, large and small, and it's even more unimpeded. Ships traveling to and from Nanyang must pay them protection fees in order to pass safely. Do you think they are majestic?" The old shipbuilder continued. .

"In the era of great voyages, the imperial court banned the sea. Shibazhi just made up for the imperial court's power gap on the sea, so there is nothing to fear."

At this time, a word came from behind everyone.

(End of this chapter)