1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 611 Emperor 610 Chapter Black Technology
Xu Xinsu was born as a sea merchant. In his early years, he often sailed with the fleet and traveled to many places, from Japan, North Korea, and Ryukyu in the north to Annan, Luzon, Java and other places in the south. I have seen many sea ships, but this is indeed the first time Xu Xinsu has seen such a unique warship as the "Prestige Signal".

From the appearance, this warship is very similar to the enlarged version of the "exploration class" warship that Fujian Navy has begun to equip, but Xu Xinsu himself is also an expert, of course he knows that shipbuilding is not just a matter of scaling up. If the hull is large enough, its structural strength may not be able to bear the weight of the hull. Otherwise, there are so many shipyards in Fujian that they should have realized the construction of large warships by themselves.Moreover, after the "Explorer Class" warship purchased from Haihan arrived, he also personally checked the internal structure of the hull carefully. Indeed, there are still many hull components that cannot be imitated here in Fujian. Haihan people dare to charge such a high price. It should also be very clear that others cannot easily imitate this kind of hull.

The cannons on both sides of the ship were covered with oilcloth gun coats, so Xu Xinsu could only focus on other places.He quickly noticed that there was a thick iron cylinder extending from the lower deck at the stern of the ship, pointing straight to the sky, and the upper end was [-] feet higher than the command cabin. None of the "expedition-class" warships in the mission had ever appeared.

Xu Xinsu couldn't understand, so he asked Shi Diwen about it, and Shi Diwen asked back with a smile: "Master Xu, what does this look like?"

Xu Xinsu observed carefully before replying: "The old man sees that there are heavy traces of smoke on the outside of this iron cylinder, and it looks a bit like a chimney."

"That's right, this is a chimney." Shi Diwen nodded and confirmed Xu Xinsu's conclusion: "Master Xu, come with me to the lower deck to have a look."

Following the channel at the stern of the ship to the cabin, Xu Xinsu discovered that there was a huge iron guy hidden inside. Although he was still a little unclear, Xu Xinsu recognized a part of it: "This thing... is the same as the old man's mansion." The installed hot water boiler is somewhat similar..."

Shi Diwen said: "That's right, the iron pot Mr. Xu saw is actually a hot water boiler. However, it is not used to provide hot water for the crew, but has another magical function."

Xu Xinsu is still waiting for Shi Diwen to reveal the answer, but Shi Diwen has already changed the topic to another direction: "For a long time, we can only rely on wind power or manpower when sailing at sea. Not to mention the slow speed, it is also affected by the climate. Very large. So we used a lot of methods to find another solution that can propel ships on the sea without wind or human power."

Xu Xinsu wondered: "Is there really such a magic method in the world? Could it be that this is the way those big iron ships without sails or oars from Shengli Harbor come across the sea?"

"Master Xu's statement is not very accurate, but it's not too far off." Shi Diwen replied with a smile.The ships used in the crossing are basically powered by diesel engines, while the one installed on the "Wei Signal" is powered by steam propulsion. Although the structure and principle are different, they are all ways of converting heat energy into mechanical energy.However, the steam engine on the "Weisignal" is still in the prototype stage, the power is not large enough, and the operation stability is relatively limited. More often, it still needs to rely on the wind propulsion system.

Naturally, Xu Xinsu had also heard of various folk legends about the Haihan Iron Ship in Shengli Harbor.He personally didn't really believe in such absurd things, and thought that it was probably just some kind of gimmick made by the Haihan people—if these ships could really move, why had no one ever seen these ships sail out of Victory Port?
However, the meaning shown in Shi Diwen's words is that a similar device has already been equipped on this "Wei Signal" warship.When Xu Xinsu saw the strange-looking metal transmissions connected to the boiler, he suddenly had an inspiration: "Could this be what Mr. Shi said?"

Shi Diwen admitted without hesitation: "With this device, the speed of our ship can be increased by about [-]% on the basis of simply using sails. I think Master Xu must understand that the [-]% acceleration function is What it means on the battlefield."

Of course, Xu Xinsu understood the importance of speed. He spent a lot of money to order warships from Haihan. Apart from the powerful firepower configuration on board, one of the reasons was its higher speed than traditional Chinese warships.In the past, when confronting Shibazhi's pirate ships at sea, they often chose to back off because of the disadvantaged number, but after adopting Haihan's warships, even if there were not as many ships as their opponents on the scene, because of the superior speed, they could be more flexible. Arrange tactics, fight and retreat the opponent's kite.

If there is a way to increase the speed by [-]% on the basis of the "exploration class" warship, then Xu Xinsu believes that this advantage alone is enough to beat Shibazhi's pirate ship at sea - the speed difference is at least doubled, and the firepower configuration The difference was several times. If he couldn't beat those pirate ships, Xu Xinsu felt that he should be the first to jump into the sea and commit suicide.

"Mr. Shi... Are you serious?" Xu Xinsu's voice trembled a little when he asked. If this can be achieved, it will not be so difficult to exterminate Shibazhi.

Shi Diwen said: "Employees have nothing to prove, Mr. Xu probably find it hard to believe what I said. After I go to sea, I will have someone demonstrate it, and Mr. Xu will know the truth."

"Okay, okay, I'll just wait and see!" Xu Xinsu said in his heart, if he had known that there was such a miraculous thing on the Haihan warship, he should really have urged the preparations for the joint tour to be done as soon as possible.But this kind of good thing is probably only for viewing from the sidelines. It is estimated that the Haihan people will never sell it outside.

After the troops participating in the joint military exercise assembled and boarded the ship, Shi Diwen invited Xu Xinsu to the bow to announce the start of the military exercise.However, because the mission fleet did not come with tweeters this time, there was no mobilization speech by Xu Xinsu. The main mast of "Wei Signal" raised a big "Xu" flag. After the drummer on the pier saw it, he beat the big drum as a signal for the fleet to set off.

The warships of the Fujian Navy participating in this military exercise sailed out of the port first. Haihan's "Wei Signal" and two "Expedition Class" warships were the main warships on this voyage. Together with the other two Ming Army Fuchuan Acting as the central army, at the end are several supply ships of Haihan and Ming army.

A fleet of thirty ships, large and small, sailed out of the port, and its momentum was quite astonishing.If there were spies arranged by Shibazhi around here, it would be hard not to notice this scene, but Haihan didn’t care about Shibazhi’s feelings at all when they formulated this action plan, even if they found that the momentum was wrong, It should be a few days before the news is sent back to Penghu, and then troops are dispatched from Penghu to rescue them. According to the plan, the United Fleet has already captured Nanri Island by then, so it doesn't matter whether they hide their whereabouts or not.If Shibazhi really dared to make a big move, then Shi Diwen had the intention to deal with these pirates near Zhangzhou.

According to the exercise plan, today's itinerary is to go north to Quanzhou. After conducting some maritime training in the offshore of Quanzhou, the fleet will settle near Quanzhou Port that night, and then march towards Nanri Island the next day.

The route Shi Diwen planned for the fleet was to start from Xiamen Island, pass through the strait between Dadan Island and Little Kinmen Island, detour from the east side of Kinmen Island, and go straight north to Quanzhou. The voyage is about 70 many nautical miles.This voyage is naturally no problem for Haihan's warship. If it sails at full speed, it can reach Quanzhou Port before dinner.However, the speed of the ships of the Ming army was relatively slow, and it would take at least a dozen hours to complete this voyage. Although they set off from Xiamen Island in the early morning, it was very likely that they would still have to travel at night to complete this voyage.

However, this is also a part of the sea training. Night sailing is a training subject that must be mastered for the fleet. The Ming army navy has relatively little training experience in this area. I can use this opportunity to practice this well. special skill.

In fact, on the coastline between Zhangzhou Port and Quanzhou Port, the defensive strongholds of the Ming army were not limited to Zhongzuo City, but also Jinmensuo, Fuquansuo, and Yongningwei. The strength is not as good as that of the middle left.

After sailing past Kinmen Island, the sea area ahead is wide open with a good view.Xu Xinsu couldn't help reminding Shi Diwen that the acceleration function was activated after going to sea as agreed earlier.Shi Diwen knew that he had almost eaten his appetite, so he ordered the engine room to start the steam engine and turn on the auxiliary propulsion device.At the same time, let the crew raise a flag on the mast to notify the ships in front to give the "prestige signal" to give way to the advancing channel.

A moment later, Xu Xinsu, who was in the cockpit, heard a muffled sound coming from the inside of the ship, and soon even the plank under his feet began to shake.Xu Xinsu was shocked and said: "What happened?"

Shi Diwen comforted: "Master Xu, don't be afraid, this is just a normal phenomenon after our device is activated, let's go out and have a look."

Xu Xinsu followed Shi Diwen out of the cabin in shock, and saw the iron chimney at the stern of the ship continuously emitting gray smoke.Shi Diwen led him to the stern of the boat, pointed to the sea and said, "Master Xu, please look!"

Xu Xinsu looked down after hearing the words, and saw the sea waves splashing at the stern of the ship, as if something was writhing desperately under the water, pushing the huge ship forward.

"It turned out to be true!" Of course Xu Xinsu knew that it was not some water monster pushing the boat below, but what Shi Diwen said was working.And this kind of device can also significantly increase the speed of the ship. Xu Xinsu found that this ship is surpassing other ships at an unimaginable speed, and even the other two "expedition-class" warships similar to this ship have also been destroyed. Gradually opened the distance.

"With the speed of this ship, it is unlikely that other ships can catch up to it at sea. Of course, it is extremely difficult for any opponent to encircle or stop it at sea." Shi Diwen was full of enthusiasm Proudly boasted to Xu Xinsu.

As one of the manufacturers of marine steam engines, Shi Diwen is quite satisfied with his own works. Although there is still a lot of room for improvement of this steam engine, it is already the best that humans can currently create based on the current conditions of this time and space. The greatest power propulsion unit ever produced.We must know that in 100, more than 1769 years ago, the French inventor Geoffrey was the first to install a steam engine on a ship, and it was driven by a set of wooden oars as a propulsion device. In 1802, the Englishman William Symington used Watt's improved steam engine to create the first steam-powered paddle steamer "Charlotte Dundas", but this test product was not recognized by the world and was Tugboat owners are nipping at the crib for some ridiculous reasons.It was not until 1807 that the "Claremont" steamship manufactured by American Robert Fulton was recognized as the world's first steam-powered ship put into commercial voyage.The first warship to use steam propulsion technology was the USS Demorogos built in the early 19th century.

As for the propeller to replace the paddle wheel as a propeller, it will have to wait until the British in the middle of the 19th century took the lead.But after the travelers came to this time and space, they advanced this timetable by more than 200 years. Even if the shipwrights in Fujian saw the propeller hidden under the water, it was difficult to understand the function of that strange thing.In other words, there is no need for Haihan to keep this secret, because with the technological level of this era, there will be no second company that can replicate the black technology that Haihan has mastered.

The navy of the Ming army also had ships, but they were assisted by manpower.Paddle steamers are nothing new in China. The battleship designed by Li Gao in the Tang Dynasty is recorded in the "Old Tang Book" as "running with two wheels, flying with the wind and drums, as fast as a sail mat". The West was seven or eight centuries earlier.The largest paddle steamer in the Southern Song Dynasty was twenty or thirty feet long, with a draft of about one foot, and could carry more than a thousand people.However, these various paddle steamers are all based on manpower, which is not the same as the steam-powered propulsion device that Xu Xinsu saw on the "Wei Signal".

Xu Xinsu has seen so many weird things in his life, but he has never been so excited like today, and even his face turned red: "With such a sharp weapon, it is easy to turn back!"

Shi Diwen smiled and said nothing, the steam propulsion system is powerful, but it is not as exaggerated as Xu Xinsu said.Not only will it be limited by the supply of fuel and fresh water, but its operation stability is also a huge problem. At this stage, it can only be used as auxiliary power. It is not realistic to rely entirely on steam power for propulsion, and because the current The power of the steam engine is small, and the propulsion effect is far less than that of the wind.Of course, Shi Diwen will definitely not take the initiative to tell Xu Xinsu about these shortcomings and hidden dangers.

(End of this chapter)