afterglow

Chapter 596: Is there any future for electronic computers? Iowa!

After the previous mode of getting along changed, Zhou Changfeng was actually a little resistant to meeting and interacting with Zhu Lingjing. He felt very uncomfortable.

So after lunch he hurriedly took his leave and left the warm Zhaoren Hall in the biting cold wind.

The capital city of Yingtian has been under martial law since the day he returned. It is solemn and depressing, and the gloomy sky and howling northwest wind in mid-winter further aggravate the heavy atmosphere.

While riding on the shuttle bus, Zhou Changfeng suddenly thought that he had not spent some time alone with Xia Xiaoshi for a long time since she became pregnant with her second child, so he spontaneously thought of going out shopping.

When I brought this up after returning home, the latter was quite surprised and readily agreed.

She deliberately bowed and said in a serious tone, "Please wait for a moment, Master. I need to put on some makeup."

Zhou Changfeng was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but stretched out his hand to pinch her waist, and then slapped her down, and said with a smile: "You kid are playing role-playing here, hurry up!"

"Don't rush me, don't rush me. It takes some time for Qianqian to put on makeup. Zhou Kexing, go listen to the radio and wait."

“It’s the same even without makeup.”

After tinkering with herself briefly, Xia Xiaoshi changed into a white top and red bottom double-breasted jacket and skirt, and tied her hair into a more lively bun.

I have to say that her appearance and personality are very youthful, and her outfit is almost the same as it was many years ago.

Zhou Changfeng couldn't help but think of the winter of the thirty-sixth year in Zhichang, and for a moment he stared at his wife and was distracted for several seconds.

He sighed, "Time flies. It's been more than five years."

Xia Xiaoshi groaned and complained, "This war has been going on for almost three years and there is no end in sight. I wonder when it will end."

"It's contradictory to want to be a general's wife and not want war."

"Then I'd rather not be a general's wife. It's just as boring."

"Don't you care now that you got it?" Zhou Changfeng teased.

"I never thought so thoroughly before. It's just that there is no regret medicine in the world." Xia Xiaoshi said as she pushed the door open and walked out, looking at the dim night sky. "If I could choose now, I would still go to teach in the middle school, and you would still be your small battalion officer. It's good to live like this."

"That's right, we are living a happy life." Zhou Changfeng followed her out, holding her hand, "But we can't avoid the tide of the times, and we have to fight when we have to."

"No, if you are still in the Imperial Guards... the Third Mixed Brigade, then you should stay in the capital. Isn't it said that only the Second Imperial Guard Division has ever been on the battlefield?"

"Uh...indeed."

The strict control that has lasted for several days has been slightly eased, and the curfew in Yingtian Prefecture has been lifted starting tonight.

However, the martial law has not been lifted. Military and police officers can still be seen patrolling in groups of three or four on the streets, and checkpoints or inspection stations have been set up at many intersections.

This martial law has also produced unexpected results - the number of thieves arrested in recent days is far more than in the past, and the crime-solving rate in Yingtian Prefecture has reached a new level.

Zhou Changfeng and Xia Xiaoshi were in a rather refined mood. Instead of going to any high-end luxurious restaurants or hotels, they came to Xuanzhen Street next to the Flower Market Avenue.

There is a long row of food stalls along the road here, which can be said to stretch for miles.

As soon as the curfew was lifted, the stall owners couldn't wait to set up their stalls, but there were not many pedestrians and customers tonight, so it seemed a bit deserted.

Zhou and his wife randomly picked a wonton stall and sat down. The stall owner asked very hospitably whether they wanted coriander, onions, or chili oil.

Because there are not many people and it is not noisy, you can hear the chatter of the diners around you clearly.

Some people complained that the rationing system was really painful. If they wanted to eat something good, there was nowhere to go. The most they could do was to find a small stall here to satisfy their cravings.

Some people also lamented that the war had been going on for almost three years without them noticing. Although it was always said that the royal army was winning victory after victory, no one knew when it would end.

Oh? I can still complain freely. It seems that the storm of internal rectification has not yet spread to the public. Zhou Changfeng thought so.

He asked the stall owners about their recent situation and inquired about the thoughts of ordinary people.

The stall owner said as he scooped up wontons: "As for the war... it should be fought, but there is no end in sight. Originally, they said that we would just drive away the British and Dutch in Southeast Asia, but after that, we have to deal with new ones."

Zhou Changfeng laughed and said, "It's hard to predict. After all, only a few things go as planned."

"Fight, fight! The 700 million compatriots of the Ming Dynasty will surely win!" The stall owner held a bowl in one hand and brought steaming wontons. "Okay, the wontons are ready!"

Zhou Changfeng remembered seeing a report from the Shanxi Provincial Government last month that mentioned the results of a survey on people's livelihood conducted in the fall.

其中罗列的数据表明面粉价上涨6％、电价上涨9.2％、日用品价格上涨7.5%、煤价上涨1%；工业原材方面，铝材价格上涨16%、铜材价格上涨5.7%、钢材价格下跌0.2%，这个状况较之去年有些许恶化，不过仍在可接受范围内。

It is not easy to ensure people's livelihood as much as possible while gradually improving the level of mobilization. The Ming Dynasty's wartime industry can reach this level today... The overall mobilization will have a great contribution.

Next, Zhou Changfeng and Xia Xiaoshi walked into a nearby department store that was so deserted that it was almost deserted, and simply strolled around for a while.

The two then went to the cinema next door, where there were a lot more people. Some young couples couldn't wait to come out and spend the night together after learning that the curfew had been lifted.

It is more likely to be dangerous when there are too many people, so the plainclothes soldiers and attendants who followed them couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

There are three movies showing tonight, and Xia Xiaoshi picked out a science fiction film that is rare in this era.

This movie tells a story that takes place in the future sixty years later. The story itself is very cliché, with a love story between a man and a woman, but the focus is on the background time, which is filled with the director and screenwriter's fantastic ideas about future technology and life.

The students in the movie are all taking classes at home, and the school has become a place for gatherings and activities. Xia Xiaoshi was deeply touched and said, "It's so convenient. The audio and images can be transmitted in real time, which makes teaching much easier."

Zhou Changfeng’s focus was different from hers. Those seemingly advanced electrical devices were all imagined by people of this era based on current cognition, but it opened up his mind.

When he saw electrical equipment, he thought of computers, then large electronic computers, and finally he had a flash of inspiration - early electronic computers were made of vacuum tubes, right? Is it theoretically feasible to start research and development now?
The computing speed of electronic computers is much faster than that of the most advanced mechanical relay computers today, and it is of great help whether in assisting nuclear planning or calculating artillery firing tables.

The second half of the movie is dull, to be fair it's just like making a plate of dumplings for a bottle of vinegar.

However, a string of words appeared at the end of the film, which seemed to be added by the propaganda department: "The war has not yet been decided, the rear is also a battlefield, the military and civilians fight together and win the victory."

Seeing this, Zhou Changfeng murmured, "The infiltration is quite thorough. It's increasingly looking like a total war."

There was heating in the cinema, it was warm and pleasant, and Xia Xiaoshi's face was rosy.

She grabbed Zhou Changfeng's hand and whispered softly, "It's getting late. Let's go to the night market nearby and then go back." "Okay, whatever you want."

On this cold winter night, the stars are shining brightly.

The city that should have been prosperous and never sleeps has recently become unworthy of its name. The last bus is running slowly on the empty streets, with a cylindrical gas generator erected at the rear of the bus and very few passengers inside.

The two spent a long-awaited leisurely night.

The next day.

Zhou, who was unable to rest, started looking for things to do for himself. He first assigned his subordinates to search the whole country for people or things related to "electronic tube computing equipment" to see if they could find a ready-made project.

After giving the task, he set off for Shuntian without delay at noon that day.

In June of the 6th year of Zhichang, the Ming Dynasty sent troops to Southeast Asia. In order to deal with the sharply increased threat, the United States passed the third Vinson Act, which included "aircraft carriers with a total tonnage of long tons", that is, three Essex-class ships.

They then passed the Two Ocean Navy Act, adding a huge number of construction plans.

Two and a half years have passed since then, and the three aircraft carriers that started construction the earliest have either been put into service or are close to being put into service.

The construction of the first ship, the USS Essex (CV-9), began in December , was launched in April , and was completed in October , taking a total of months.

Some time was lost because some subcontractors delayed the provision of equipment and the Navy Department ordered design modifications twice during the construction process.

Normally, the construction period from start to completion of the Essex class is about twenty-one months.

At the same time, the new high-speed battleships Iowa and New Jersey had both been launched a few months ago.

It is expected that both will be completed and put into service by the turn of spring and summer next year.

The big stick is coming!

【Picture】

The Ming Navy still has a large number of existing aircraft carriers, and their average quality is also very high, which is far from being just filler.

两艘2.3万吨级的紫微垣级装母、两艘4万吨级的长庚级装母、两艘1.7万吨级的天市垣级航母，另外还有1.4万吨的北落师门号轻母和3万吨级的太微左垣号航母。

Including the captured Lexington and Mars, the Ming Navy now has a total of nine aircraft carriers available for deployment.

A radical argument is widely circulated, which holds that we should be bolder now, concentrate our forces and go all out, cooperate with the Hawaii Expeditionary Force's shore-based aviation to seize air superiority and completely eliminate the US military forces.

But the risk is too great. The fleet has to withstand attacks from the US military's shore-based aviation, while also having to guard against surprise attacks from the US aircraft carrier task force.

If many aircraft carriers were damaged during the attack on the other side and were raided by US aircraft carriers, it would be a disastrous defeat in which both the US military and the US army were lost, a complete loss!

One of the problems was that the cutting-edge P-51 and F4U fighters were powerful and superior to the fighters of the Ming Air Force and Navy in all aspects, making them very difficult to deal with.

The second problem is that the B-25 and B-26 bombers pose a considerable threat. They can carry 1600-pound or even 2000-pound heavy armor-piercing bombs, and the armored aircraft carriers that the Ming Navy is so proud of may also be severely damaged in one blow.

【Picture】

There were serious divisions within the Grand Marshal's Office and it was slow to make up its mind.

Finally, under the emperor's urging, they gave the most appropriate time in their idea.

First, further capture of Maui would at least render the airport unusable.

Secondly, a long-range artillery unit was dispatched to Lanai, which could continue to suppress the airport on Molokai by firing from Lanai.

As a result, the US military will only have two or three airports on the big island to use. The US side has an overwhelming advantage and can boldly play all the cards in its hand in one go with 100% certainty.

In fact, even if we go all in now, we have a 50-50 chance of winning—at least that’s what the war game simulations show.

However, the top leaders of the Ming army were quite cautious. Most of them did not dare to gamble and generally preferred more stable strategies.

Although the plan to go to Hawaii was temporarily shelved, the fleet that was ready to go could not always remain idle in the anchorage.

Therefore, the Ming Navy would strategically split into two routes - westward to cooperate with the army to attack the South Asian subcontinent, and at the same time advance northeast to seize Dutch Harbor, an important base in the Aleutian Islands.

In this way, strategically three offensive directions will be formed from north to south: the Aleutian Islands (Dutch Harbor) in the north; the Hawaiian Islands (Pearl Harbor) in the middle; and the Marshall Islands (Tarawa Atoll) in the south.

Zhou Changfeng came to Shuntian in a swift and decisive manner. While inspecting the warship construction work, he also supervised important research and development projects to ensure that they were not affected by the political storm in the Ming Dynasty.

In the first month of the 2.7th year of Zhichang, the Advisory Council passed the "Wartime Additional Construction Plan for Naval Ships", approving funding to start the construction of a series of warships, including five 1.8-ton equipment carriers and twelve -ton aircraft carriers.

These successor forces started construction one after another last year and are expected to be delivered in batches starting next summer.

Zhou Changfeng then took a bus to nearby Tianjin, where he saw the last battleship, the Zhengde, which was preparing for sea trials at the No. 2 dock of the shipyard.

The three Chenghua-class special battleships designed and built to supplement the fleet's vanguard combat capabilities have all been completed today.

It has a long forecastle, bulbous bow, square stern and a standard displacement of 2.45 tons.

Her power configuration copied the design of the Wuyishan-class heavy cruiser, saving time and effort. Twelve high-pressure boilers, four steam turbines, four-axis propulsion, normal output power of 12 horsepower, although not very powerful, but because of the ship's good drag reduction, the maximum speed is still 30.3 knots.

Her armor is just right. The thickness of the main armor belt on the side is only 256mm, with an inward inclination of 12°, which is just enough to withstand the 203mm armor-piercing shells of British and American heavy cruisers; the thickness of the horizontal armor on the deck is 128mm, which can withstand 1000-pound armor-piercing bombs.

Her main guns are the main turrets of the Yongyuan-class battlecruiser No. 2 and No. 320 fleets that were in stock at that time, two triple-mounted 46㎜, -caliber guns, all front-mounted.

Because of the naval treaty, the third and fourth Yongyuan-class battlecruisers were converted into Taiweiyuan-class aircraft carriers, leaving six triple-mounted main turrets vacant and lying in the warehouse ever since.

成化级的防空火力相当不错，比原先设计时装备的高射炮更多。一共有7座双联装128㎜高平两用炮、8座四联装38.4㎜高射炮、4座四联装20.8㎜高射炮、12门单装20.8㎜高射炮。

In addition, designer Dong Fangzheng also allocated a hangar large enough to accommodate three seaplanes within the limited space.

It can be seen that this is a very unique light battleship, which is very suitable for miscellaneous tasks. It is not strong enough against upper targets but can crush lower targets. It can participate in vanguard battles when advancing and escort aircraft carriers when retreating.

Most importantly, she only cost 3922 million yuan, which is equivalent to four Jieyang-class destroyers.

(End of this chapter)