Daming: Apocalypse of Longevity

Chapter 185 Acceptance of Ships
It was not far from the capital to Dagokou. It only took Sun Yuanhua and Qian Longxi half a day to arrive. After being personally welcomed by Li Banghua, they went to the Daming Shipyard.

After entering the shipyard gate, looking towards the east port, you can see three brand new sailing ships, first the largest Galen ship, and the slightly smaller Karak ship.

This was the first time Qian Longxi had seen such a large Western-style sailing ship up close, so he did not bother to follow Li Banghua to the house to rest for a while, but suggested that he go directly to the port to see the ship.

Naturally, Sun Yuanhua had no objection. He had already experienced Li Banghua's hospitality. When he went to the house, he only had a simple meal. He might not be able to like Qian Longxi.

The three of them walked towards the port. The closer they got, the taller the three sailboats became. When they got closer, they could no longer take in the full view of the sailboats and could only raise their heads and look up at them.

Sun Yuanhua had more dealings with the Taixi people, and when he went to Haojing'ao to purchase Hongyi cannons and recruited Taixi craftsmen, he came back on the Taixi Galen ship, so he was not surprised to see these three large sailing ships at this time. .

But Qian Longxi saw these large sailing ships for the first time, and he was so shocked that he was speechless by the three behemoths in front of him.

Among the three large sailing ships, Galen's Ship was twenty feet long, seven to eight feet high, and had six or seven decks. In Qian Longxi's eyes, this was not a ship at all, it was simply a castle on the sea!
Even the two smaller Karak ships are more than ten feet long and five or six feet high. Although they appear slightly smaller when parked side by side with the Galen ship, they are definitely considered to be giant ships.

Seeing Qian Longxi's reaction, Li Banghua couldn't help but smile, stepped forward and saluted and said: "Master Qian, it must be very shocking to see such a huge ship for the first time, right? To be honest with you, this is the official The person in charge of building the ship showed the drawings to the craftsmen for the first time, and when he heard the craftsman’s description of the size of the ship, he was so surprised that he was speechless!”

Qian Longxi came back to his senses after hearing the words, but his eyes were still tightly attracted by the big ship in front of him, and he nodded and praised, "Such a huge ship is really a divine ship. I have such a ship in Ming Dynasty." Divine Ship, how dare Si Yi’an invade?”

After hearing Qian Longxi's words, Sun Yuanhua on the side suddenly laughed.

When Qian Longxi heard Sun Yuanhua's laughter, he couldn't help but look at him with some confusion: "Why is Mr. Sun laughing? Is there something inappropriate about what Qian said?"

Sun Yuanhua shook his head slightly and said with a smile: "My Ming Dynasty is a kingdom of heaven, so I am not afraid of those foreign races, but as Master Qian often said, 'Those who are not of my race will have different hearts.' , there are indeed some ambitious people among the foreign races who will take desperate risks and attempt to invade our Ming Dynasty's sea territory.

Therefore, if we want to truly make all the foreign races surrender to our Ming Dynasty, just these three ships in front of us are not enough! "

When Qian Longxi heard this, his face was filled with astonishment. He raised his hand and pointed at the three large ships in front of him and asked: "Is there anyone besides me, the Ming Dynasty, who can build such a divine ship?"

When Sun Yuanhua heard this, he was also a little surprised, "What? Master Qian, don't you know that these three ships are modeled after the sailing ships of the Westerners?"

"What? You said this was made after imitating the ships of the Westerners?" Qian Longxi was even more surprised. He really could not have imagined that the Ming Dynasty would actually imitate the ships of the Westerners now. He remembered when Zheng He sailed his treasure ships to the Western Ocean. , Wherever they go, everyone surrenders. When were the ships of the Ming Dynasty not the best in the world?
After hearing Qian Longxi's question, Sun Yuanhua shook his head speechlessly.

This time when he came to inspect and accept these three large sailing ships, the emperor also temporarily asked Qian Longxi to go with him. Qian Longxi did not know anything about the shipbuilding, so it is not surprising that he feels surprised now.

It's just that Sun Yuanhua didn't expect Qian Longxi to react like this. Presumably all the officials in the court must be like Qian Longxi, still complacent about their past glory, so they always look down on the Taixi people.

But they also didn’t think about it, how many years ago had Zheng He made his voyages to the Western Seas, how many years had it been since the Ming Dynasty imposed a sea ban, and all the skills of shipbuilding and navigation had long been lost.

But if you don't develop, it doesn't mean that others won't develop either. These years have been the Age of Discovery of the European and American countries. The navigation and shipbuilding skills of each country have advanced by leaps and bounds, and they have long surpassed the Ming Dynasty.

Sun Yuanhua was a little helpless, but he still patiently explained to Qian Longxi: "These three large sailing ships are modeled after the warship model given to the emperor by the Thai and Western craftsmen I recruited from Haojing'ao. He is very knowledgeable and intelligent, and he was able to draw the blueprint of the Western Galleon with only three models of warships, so it was only possible for me, the Ming Dynasty, to successfully imitate it!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Longxi was even more shocked, "You said the blueprint of this ship was drawn by the emperor?!"

Sun Yuanhua nodded naturally, and when he mentioned the emperor, Sun Yuanhua's face was full of admiration and admiration.

Qian Longxi, on the other hand, felt more and more confused. He did not expect that the emperor had such talent. Could it be that the emperor was proficient in the art of construction, so he was able to draw the shipbuilding model through the warship model presented by the Thai people? Drawings coming?But this is too incredible, right?
Sun Yuanhua did not pay attention to Qian Longxi's reaction, but continued what he had just said: "But the three large sailing ships we copied are probably not advanced compared to the ships of the Westerners.

Although the largest ship, called the Galen Ship, can be said to be the most advanced sailing ship in the world today, it was already produced 60 to [-] years ago. After so many years, the Thai people must have built on the original foundation. Further improvements were made, and it is possible that more advanced ships have been invented.

As for the other two smaller Carrack sailing ships, the time is even longer. I heard that the Taisi people have gradually begun to use Galen ships to eliminate Karak sailing ships.

Therefore, if our Ming Dynasty wants to build a fleet that will frighten all foreign races, it must build on this basis and transform it into more advanced warships. "

Sun Yuanhua's words really refreshed Qian Longxi's understanding. He also began to understand why the emperor had to go to great lengths to let Sun Yuanhua recruit so many Thais from Haojing'ao. Putting aside other things, just talking about this firearm Just like the ships, Ming Dynasty really had to learn from the Westerners and catch up quickly.

Otherwise, the Ming Dynasty's navy may still be able to defeat the Taixi people, but if the Taixi people bring all their big ships over, how can the Ming Dynasty navy's ships alone be able to resist it?
Only then did Qian Longxi realize how far-sighted the emperor was and how he was prepared for danger in times of peace, and he suddenly felt ashamed!
Li Banghua saw that the two of them stopped talking and the atmosphere was a little awkward. Then he stepped forward and said to them: "My two gentlemen, why don't we get on the boat and have a look? We can also let the navy officers drive the boat for a trip offshore so that you two can Sir, check the performance of this ship!"

Qian Longxi and Sun Yuanhua naturally had no objections, nodded one after another, and followed Li Banghua on board the ship.The two of them were here to inspect and accept the ship. Naturally, they had to board the ship to inspect it carefully. They also had to take a test ride to know clearly the quality of the ship.

In addition, Qian Longxi was really eager to try it. He couldn't wait to go to the ship to have a look. Just standing at the port to see the appearance of the ship could no longer satisfy his curiosity.

On the other hand, Sun Yuanhua came with other missions. He was responsible for arming the three galleons and turning them into warships. Naturally, he had to visit the ships to decide where and what types of ships to add. artillery.

The three of them got on the boat, and under the leadership of Li Banghua, they looked around the entire boat, including all the corners. Qian Longxi was very attentive now and looked at it very carefully. And he was not ashamed to ask his subordinates. If he didn't understand anything, he had to ask Sun Yuanhua and Li Banghua for advice.

Sun Yuanhua and Li Banghua naturally knew everything and explained the details of the ship to Qian Longxi very patiently. Qian Longxi naturally felt that the trip was worthwhile and he had benefited a lot.

As for the matter of arming three large sailing ships, Sun Yuanhua also expressed his thoughts and asked Li Banghua for his opinion. Now, after more than eight months, Li Banghua has been living in the shipyard day and night, as if he has already Even though he was a semi-expert in shipbuilding, he could still give Sun Yuanhua some useful advice.

Although the three large sailing ships are all behemoths, because the ships are different from the land after all, and the hulls are also made of wood, new steel cannons like those currently manufactured in the northwest military industrial base must not be equipped in large quantities. At best, they can only Just put a door on the foredeck.

However, in today's warships, the artillery is mainly installed on the side. During battle, the ship is turned sideways and aimed at the enemy from the side to fire the cannon.

However, the side of the ship is not as spacious as the front deck and cannot accommodate large artillery. It is usually equipped with a row of several smaller artillery pieces.

Now Sun Yuanhua is facing the same problem. Considering the endurance of the ships, they may only be equipped with seven or eight new improved Hongyi cannons at most. This is the limit of these three ships. In this way, it is no more than It can only be said to be evenly matched with the ordinary warships of today's Westerners.

If the Taixi people really have any new warships with better performance, with their current firepower, they may be difficult to fight against!
The new steel giant cannon was an advantage of the Ming army. The power of the cannon far surpassed all the Taixi cannons that Sun Yuanhua knew. Unfortunately, at most, only one can be installed on the front deck on the ship, which could not form effective firepower.

Moreover, if it is installed on the front deck, it can only be fired in the front direction. Once the two sides officially start a war and the ships shoot at each other horizontally, the artillery on the front deck will lose its significance.

When Sun Yuanhua thought of this, he couldn't help but smiled bitterly and shook his head, secretly thinking that it seems that it is still unrealistic for the Ming Dynasty to have an absolute advantage over the Taixi people in shipbuilding and naval warfare.

In the afternoon of that day, Sun Yuanhua and Qian Longxi, led by Li Banghua, visited three large sailing ships, and stayed directly at the shipyard in the evening. Li Banghua entertained them with simple meals and very simple accommodation.

Even though Zhu Tianqi gave Li Banghua a lot of support in terms of funds, Li Banghua still showed his good character of being honest and dedicated to the public, spending all his money wisely, and investing very restrainedly in food and accommodation.

As the first new shipyard in the Ming Dynasty, the building built by the government office was not as elegant as the county government office. It was as simple as the barracks in the previous coastal defense camp. On the contrary, the shipyard was built very solidly and finely. It looked like a lot of money had been invested. of.

However, neither Sun Yuanhua nor Qian Longxi was dissatisfied. Sun Yuanhua had already experienced Li Banghua's accommodation and food treatment before, so he was not surprised at all. Although Qian Longxi was a little surprised, he was not dissatisfied. On the contrary, he was satisfied with Li Banghua's treatment. Somewhat admired.

That night, Sun Yuanhua wrote down his plan to arm the three galleons, and at the same time, he also wrote down his troubles and problems encountered one by one.

After working at the northwest military industrial base for the past two years, Sun Yuanhua already knew the emperor's style of doing things very well. He knew that the emperor liked his subordinates to report the difficulties and problems they encountered truthfully, and did not like his subordinates to conceal problems. Moreover, the emperor often liked to talk to him Discuss problems together and always provide yourself with many very subtle solutions and guidance.

Early the next morning, Li Banghua ordered the sailors to drive three large sailing ships and sail around the nearby waters with Sun Yuanhua and Qian Longxi.

Because these large Thai-Chinese sailing ships are somewhat different from the Fuzhou and Guangzhou ships commonly used in the Ming Dynasty, although there were Thai-Chinese people in the shipyard who taught the Ming navy how to sail, the training time was still very short and the sailors were not yet proficient. Driving, so I didn't dare to go far.

That afternoon, Sun Yuanhua and Qian Longxi set off on their way home after having lunch. Sun Yuanhua was still thinking about arming three large sailing ships, while Qian Longxi was still in the shock of the three large sailing ships. , the excitement in my heart could not be calmed down.

When they returned to the capital, the sun was already setting in the west. The two of them planned to go back to their respective homes first, and then go to the palace to report to the emperor tomorrow.

But what the two of them didn't expect was that just after they entered the city, they saw Wang Yuanbao bring someone to greet him in person, saying that the emperor asked them to enter the palace now.

Although the two of them were a little surprised, they could also imagine the reason. The emperor attached so much importance to the Ming Dynasty maritime affairs, so naturally he wanted to know the details of the three large sailing ships immediately, so they did not dare to delay and hurriedly followed Wang Yuanbao. Palace went.

After seeing the emperor, Sun Yuanhua presented the plan he wrote last night about arming the three galleons and the problems he encountered.

While Zhu Tianqi was looking through Sun Yuanhua's memorial, he asked Qian Longxi: "How do you feel about Qian Aiqing going to inspect the ship this time?"

In fact, even if the emperor didn't ask, Qian Longxi would have already been excited to tell the emperor about his feelings. After all, going to inspect and accept the ship this time really refreshed his knowledge, so he didn't want to tell others what was in his heart. , but I feel very uncomfortable holding it in my heart!

(End of this chapter)