Villager of Daming

Chapter 663: Going to the east of the Yangtze River and remembering it

As the fleet sailed down the Yangtze River, Zhu Yuanzhang stood on the high bow deck, looking high-spirited.

Zhu Wentian stood next to it and felt that it was very ordinary. The ship with a load capacity of [-] tons and a displacement of [-] tons was not that big.

However, after more than 2000 people arrived, we could still pack a lot of things. Now we are just going for a walk, not going to the ocean, and the fleet's supplies are sufficient.

Steam engine ships are indispensable for good coal and fresh water, and the remaining space and displacement can be used for personnel and other supplies, leaving only the space for loading cargo.

Zhu Wentian thought about it and felt that the ship with a displacement of [-] stone was too small and would be too dangerous to go to America.

It is best to be thirty thousand stones. If it is larger, the sail will not be able to bear it and the speed will be too slow. The old shipwrights will have to continue to study it based on the current structure and strength of the ship.

According to the current situation, there is no need to install cannons on the ship, which can save a lot of load capacity and space.

"Yi Chang, our Ming Dynasty's steam engine ships don't seem to need to use cannons to bombard the enemy. There are some rockets in the firearms, and the accuracy is not very good. If you fire a few more rounds, you can finally set the opponent's sails on fire."

Zhu Yuanzhang turned back to talk to the commander. He also thought about the problem of cannons. The cannons were too heavy. A cannon weighed several thousand kilograms. How many cannons and shells could be loaded into the ship? What else could the ship carry?

"That's true. We have a steam engine. When we are upwind and downwind, the enemy's sails can only be used to escape." The commander agreed.

"Build a few boats like this first and patrol the sea around Daming. The Japanese pirates are like rats, jumping back and forth. We have to find their lair."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not mention building a big ship for the time being. Now he has built a ship worth ten thousand stones. The craftsmen have experience and are familiar with it.

The boat trip on the Yellow River can only go to the south of Hukou Falls, which is where Huayin is, and then you can enter the Weishui River, which is more convenient.

The Yangtze River can reach the Sichuan side, and there are also rivers in Guangdong, some of which are suitable for navigation by such large ships.

The current maritime affairs are mainly focused on finding Japanese pirates' lairs and preventing Japanese pirates from sneak attacks on coastal villages. People along the coast no longer engage in smuggling.

The Ming Dynasty Navy has too many ships and people, and it is easy to be caught smuggling. The most terrifying thing is to report it from insiders.

In addition, the Yi people are not willing to buy smuggled goods. If they are found out, their quota will be cancelled, and all the goods will be confiscated.

"Your Majesty, when there is less water in the winter, we will explode when necessary. Many ships will be destroyed every year in places where it is easy for ships to hit the rocks, and countless families will lose their backbone."

Liu Bowen walked around several places on the ship and came back to propose to Zhu Yuanzhang.

He is no longer going back to his hometown, but he has not been given any official position with real power. He is currently a free man.

He most wanted to meet an expert and give them a profile or something. So far, none of the people from Xiaqiu Village he had seen fit the characteristics of an expert.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "Blow up, it must be blown up, and the Yellow River must be blown up even more. The upper reaches are frozen, and the lower reaches of Sanmenxia must be cleaned up."

"Second brother, I can't carry such a big boat in my place. Fenshui is shallow in many places." Zhu Fan stayed on the boat and talked to Zhu Ping.

He also wanted convenient transportation. Taking the land route would tire people to death, so they could only rely on the two rivers.

Zhu Xi patted his younger brother on the shoulder: "You can't go even with two thousand shi, but it's no problem to get one with a cargo of [-] shi. Build more of them and transport them in large quantities when there is water in spring, summer and autumn.

Think about it!If you build two hundred ships, the combined transport capacity will be [-] shi. The key is flexible and can be used by the people along the way.

You build a big ship, and the people are waving next to you and want to board the ship. Should you stop or not?

There aren't that many problems if you're a small one. The head of Fenshui River is at Kelan Mountain and Guanjuan Mountain. A little further north, you'll be out of your fiefdom.

Please tell me how much transportation capacity the Fenshui River can help you. Remember to ask people to clean up the river. "

"I want to go and join the feudal clan now. Who can Xiaqiu Village send to follow me?" Jin King Zhu Fan, who was sixteen years old, was anxious!He considered that he couldn't get over it, and no one really cared about his fiefdom. If he didn't develop it quickly, the gap with the fiefdoms of his second brother and fourth brother would be too big.

He also knew that his ability was not enough, so he hoped that Xiaqiu Village would send someone to help. He did not believe any of the officials in the fief.

If officials are easy to use, why are they so poor?
"Third brother, Shaoan, don't be in a hurry. We have just changed to a bigger ship. Let's drink on the ship."

Zhu Fang quickly advised him that his younger brother was still young and could not accept the vassal status.

The lunch that I was supposed to go back for had to be cooked on the big ship due to the change of schedule. The one in Nanjing sent a small boat to let me know and deliver it to the library.

People in Xiaqiu Village use pressure cookers to braise chickens for children and women in the palace, and cook white shrimp porridge for children.

Then steam the rice in a big pot, and let the sergeants have a meal with pickles and soup.

The boat was running up and down the river to buy things. There were people growing vegetables on the riverside. I went over to the garden and left a letter asking them to go to the local government to find someone.

There were fish, shrimps and crabs that had just been caught by a fishing boat. They collected them all, processed them a lot, and then caught up with the big boat and hoisted them up.

The speed of the fleet was not high, and they were afraid of causing a collision, so they headed toward the sea along the current. The steam engine was not connected to the wheel, so it just burned slowly and waited until it entered the sea.

Fifteen thousand people were all floating on the river, and other ships needed to be rowed with oars.

Things were bought in time, and the sergeants had rice bowls with vegetables on a ship, instead of just eating pickles.

Zhu Yuanzhang was not busy eating, but drank first. Pan-fried river fish, sliced ​​cucumbers, steamed crabs, boiled shrimps, and broad beans as snacks for the children became dishes to go with the wine.

To eat crabs, you must drink rice wine. There is no need to warm it in this weather, and there are no impurities in the wine.

"My lords, the conditions for drinking are difficult, so just have a few bites!" Zhu Yuanzhang held the wine bowl and said to the ministers.

Everyone raised their bowls to express their thanks, not feeling that it was any more difficult.

Everyone knows what the situation is like. Just when we were about to go home for dinner and the meals at home were ready, we suddenly changed our itinerary.

Under such conditions, meals can still be prepared in time, and no matter how picky you are, you have to admit that there is nothing wrong with it.

This is the result of the joint efforts of the people from Xiaqiu Village and Guanglu Temple. His Majesty was willful today.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't care what his officials thought, he was happy anyway.

After the boats in the team finished eating, they quickly moved forward to buy things downstream.

We can't come back today. It's more than 700 miles from the previous dock to the sea. The big ship can't speed up. By the time we reach the sea, it will be dark.

The evening meal and tomorrow morning's meal must be prepared, and then there will be nothing to worry about other boats, they can't enter the sea.

Most people need to find a place to rest at the mouth of the sea and solve the problem of eating.

"You tell me, if someone had such a boat at that time, how could we fight with them? We could only wrap the wheels with ropes and grass, and then climb up and fight for our lives. It was useless to set fire to it, it was all iron."

Zhu Yuanzhang once again mentioned the Poyang Lake water battle with Chen Youliang. That battle always made him afraid and had lingering fears.

At that time, Chen Youliang had ships the size of today's, which could not be attacked at all. Small steam engine ships are more flexible!Able to travel across the lake quickly, the fire boat cannot get close at all.

(End of this chapter)