1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2638
Seeing that Zhu Zian came to report on his own initiative, Shi Chengwu asked him if he had visited the arranged residence.

Zhu Zian quickly responded: "I have already visited it, the place is very good, thank you for your concern!"

Although the cabin was small, and it was for two people, it was still a separate cabin, and there was a porthole for ventilation and lighting, which was much more comfortable than the sailor's bed that Zhu Zian had slept in before.He also knew that now was the time to desperately earn his performance, and the conditions on this warship could not allow him to be too particular.

Shi Chengwu's concern was limited, and he didn't ask too many questions. He even asked Zhu Zian to observe the operation of the headquarters on the bridge and record the fleet's movements.

This kind of record is mainly used as a record of the fleet's itinerary, and it does not need to be as detailed as the nautical diary.If nothing major happens, you only need to roughly write down where you start from, where you go, and how long the voyage is. These basic information are enough.So for Zhu Zian, this paperwork was actually extremely easy, at least during the voyage.

Zhu Zian was already full of curiosity about the command and operation of the Haihan Navy Fleet, and worried that his identity would be sensitive, and there would be a lot of inconvenience on board. He was on the bridge to observe the operation of the headquarters, which was exactly what he wanted, and Dang even agreed without hesitation.

Although the hull of the Glory-class battleship still retains masts and sails, its shape has begun to show obvious differences from the sailing warships of this era. On the central axis of the hull are three chimneys arranged with steam power systems.

The front mast is not directly stuck on the deck like sailing ships in the past. Its foundation is a three-story bridge building. The mast and bridge are integrated into one, and its shape is unforgettable.

As a result, the command post on the bridge has a better observation field of view, and can observe the sea conditions in all directions through the glass windows that surround the entire bridge.

This is not the first time Zhu Zian has seen glass windows. He has seen this kind of building material that is said to be expensive in Dengzhou, Jinzhou, and Hangzhou, but before that he never thought that he could install this thing in the battlefield On the ship, while keeping out the wind and rain, it can also maintain continuous observation of the outside world, which is indeed an excellent configuration for the function of the warship.

The microphone installed in the headquarters can quickly convey the commander's orders to various departments on the ship.After receiving the order, the signalmen on the flagship will use semaphore or light signals to convey the order to other ships in the fleet.

Of course, there are radio stations deployed on the flagship, but only some of the large warships in the entire fleet are equipped with such advanced communication equipment, and they are basically only used during combat missions, not as frequently as semaphore lights.

In the center of the headquarters are several large square tables covered with charts and maps of several feet in size.At each table stood two or three officers, with pencils and rulers, tracing on a map the position and course of the fleet.In addition, there are several people standing by the porthole, holding binoculars in their hands, or using instruments such as sextants to observe the surrounding sea conditions.

"The officers you see are all combat staff trained by the East China Sea Fleet. Simply put, their task is to confirm the fleet's location and course during the voyage, so as to ensure that the fleet will not lose its way at sea." Shi Chengwu Briefly explained the functions of the headquarters to Zhu Zian.

Of course, this is only a function during normal voyages. Without Shi Chengwu's explanation, Zhu Zian can also imagine that this place should be a completely different busy scene during wartime.

Looking out the porthole, Zhu Zian could see warships on the nearby sea, and there were about a dozen ships within sight.He knew that this was not all the members of the entire United Fleet. A little further behind, there was also a large-scale supply fleet loaded with various supplies and immigrants.

To keep such a huge fleet moving in unison at sea is no easy feat just thinking about it, and such command and operation capabilities are certainly not achieved overnight, and must be achieved through long-term sea training. have.

But with such a large fleet, the cost of going to sea once will be astonishingly high. Even with Haihan's financial resources, it must not be possible to arrange it all the time.As for other countries wanting to follow suit, there is no way to start, and it is simply impossible to organize a fleet of this size.

Zhu Zian couldn't help thinking, no matter who it is, seeing such an enemy armed fleet appearing in front of his eyes, it might be difficult for him to have the idea of ​​confrontation again.From this point of view, whether it was the Ming Dynasty, the Manchu Qing Dynasty, or a small country like Korea and Japan, they should have the same feelings when facing the Haihan Navy.

It's just that his knowledge of navigation and military affairs is really limited. Even if Shi Chengwu told him what these people were doing, he still couldn't understand the way here at all.

Zhu Zi'an said: "When I first met Marshal Chen in the north, he once told me that the literati of the Ming Dynasty had been in poverty for ten years, and the knowledge they had learned was placed in Haihan, but it was just the basics. I didn't agree with Marshal Chen at the time. , but after staying in Haihan for a period of time now, I feel more and more that what he said makes sense, and I am indeed short-sighted."

Shi Chengwu said: "Why did Zi'an sigh so suddenly?"

Zhu Zi'an said: "It's like this boat, inside and out, up and down, even if you can see it, I still don't understand how it was designed and built, and how to drive it on the sea. These things, sage books It is definitely not in the book, even if you read the Four Books and Five Classics for 100 years, it is useless."

Shi Chengwu said: "The knowledge left by our ancestors teaches how to behave in the world and is pragmatic, while Haihan Kingdom advocates science and is pragmatic. You are right, even if you can memorize the Four Books and Five Classics backwards, you can't create such a Big ships, but you can read and write, and if you have a cultural foundation, if you want to learn shipbuilding and sailing, then you can get twice the result with half the effort."

"Our country holds the provincial examination and imperial examination in the East my country Sea region, inviting non-governmental scholars to participate. It is not that whoever writes well can become a high-ranking official. Training, and then assigning them to appropriate positions depending on the results."

"Zian, you are Xie Yuan in this year's township examination. I should arrange a good job for you based on emotion and reason. But how to arrange it depends on your performance. No matter which field you are interested in, as long as you are willing If you want to learn, we are willing to teach. Even if you want to join the army, we welcome it.”

(End of this chapter)