Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 1207 Zheng Zhilong and the Situation in Korea

"I don't know how many steam ironclad ships the Admiralty wants to order for this batch of orders?" The director of the first shipbuilding factory rubbed his hands excitedly.

The Ministry of the Navy wants to phase out wooden sailboats one by one. This is a big order.

With the current four fleets of the Kyushu Army, there are more than 100 large and small combat ships and auxiliary ships.

If these wooden sailboats are phased out one by one within ten years, at least thirty or forty steamships will be able to make up for the vacancy.

Three or forty large and small steamships are worth several million taels of silver.

"Don't worry, before placing an order, our Admiralty must first confirm whether the performance of this secret-class steam ironclad ship meets our requirements." Nelson said.

"Our engineers are still conducting the final inspection. If there is no problem with the inspection results, a launching ceremony will be held in Dalian Port in a low-key manner in three days." The factory manager said.

The secret-class steam ironclad ship is the first steam ironclad ship standard formulated by Dalian Shipbuilding Factory No. [-]. It is a military gunship propelled by two hybrid powers of wind and steam.At this time, the first "Secret Class" steam ironclad ship did not have its own name.

The inspection work on the first "Secret Class" steam ironclad ship lasted for three full days. All the engineers and shipwrights involved in the construction of the steam ironclad ship were on the verge of an enemy, conducting final inspections on every detail and component to prevent What failure or accident occurred in the launching ceremony.

If there is an accident at the launching ceremony, I am afraid that the title of Dalian Shipbuilding No. 10 Shipyard as the shipyard with the most mature technical experience will be cast a shadow, and at the same time, the several [-] taels of silver used to build this steam ironclad ship will also be in vain.

Three days later, in the dry dock of Dalian Shipbuilding No. [-], the "Secret Class" steam ironclad ship was ready to launch a trial voyage.

Nelson took part in the acceptance with officers from the Admiralty.

Not only the captains of the Zhili Fleet, but also some officers of the Nanyang Fleet who have returned to Tianjin Wei Naval Headquarters, officers of the Beiyang Fleet active in the waters of Koryo and Dongying, and some officers of the Fourth Fleet who escorted Western companies back to the capital, all gathered here .

Among them is Zheng Zhilong, the commander of the Beiyang Fleet who temporarily returned from the Korean battlefield.Although the Ministry of the Navy currently has four fleets, the management of military ranks is very strict. Only a few people have the rank of general, and Zheng Zhilong is a general in the Ministry of the Navy.After he appeared here, many naval officers chatted with him.

The officers of the four fleets were all present this time, in order to admire the style of this steam ironclad ship.

This is the first iron-hulled steamship owned by the Admiralty, and its wrought iron armor makes it not afraid of the sailing battleships of this era.

"Zheng Zhilong, you have been in Koryo for several years. Could it be that the war there is so complicated and protracted?" Nelson asked Zheng Zhilong after not seeing him for a long time.

"There are many civil servant factions in Koryo, and the landlord group is powerful, and they are echoing in the countryside. As the suzerain country, our army cannot use bloody methods in combat, otherwise it will damage our reputation. Therefore, the small group of the other party Rebels are scattered everywhere."

"In addition, our Beiyang Fleet is a sea-fighting force. It is not what we would like to go ashore to assist the Koryo king's army in combat. The Koryo king's army has always been weak..."

Zheng Zhilong crossed his hands in front of his chest, looked up at the tall hull, and said with emotion.

"I think beheading tactics can be used to concentrate our forces on the stronghold where the leader of the rebel army is. As long as the leader of the rebel army is captured alive, it can be used as an example to scare the chickens and monkeys, and the rebel army will be in a state of chaos." An officer of the Fourth Fleet said.

"You think it's too simple. We have also implemented similar raid tactics. We got the location of the rebel leader from the captives, and then organized 200 musketeers to abandon the artillery for a hundred-mile raid. As a result, because we were not familiar with the local Surrounded by thousands of rebels in a mountainous area for three days, the rebels dispersed after our follow-up reinforcements arrived. These rebels were ordinary villagers when you arrived. After you passed by, the local landlords As soon as you shout, these people will cut off your grain road, and there is nothing we can do about it."

Zheng Zhilong shrugged helplessly.

"Since ancient times, those who win the hearts of the people have won the world. It seems that if the Koryo court can't appease people's hearts, this task of countering rebellion is a bottomless pit." Many naval officers came here to express their understanding to Zheng Zhilong.

The officers and soldiers of the Beiyang Fleet have to operate more than ten gunboats, and no more than 2000 people can be transferred to land to assist in combat. With 2000 people to control a kingdom with a population of several million, there are still many undeveloped deep mountains and old forests, which is really powerful Not caught.

"Originally, the task of assisting Korea's counter-insurgency should be handed over to the Army Department, which is more adept at land warfare. If two corps are dispatched into Korea, they will surely be able to crush the rebels." Nelson pondered for a moment and said.

As the Minister of the Navy, he naturally does not want the Navy to invest resources in land wars.

"The Ministry of the Army wants to put out the fire on the huge empire territory. It is estimated that its own finances are very tight, especially in the Western Regions and Southeast Asia. There is also an infantry brigade and a heavy artillery battalion in Japan. I guess the Ministry of the Army has not yet The reason for sending a corps to deal with the affairs of Koryo is that they don’t want to fight on multiple fronts at the same time;

"Why?" Nelson asked.

"Endless wars destroy houses, reduce population, and desolate farmland. After the war lasts for many years, all participants will probably get tired of the war. At that time, the Ministry of War will do it again. Even if Korea is occupied, the local people will not want to rise up. Now, I only want to end the war as soon as possible, and the Ministry of the Army will put forward any conditions, and the other party will agree." Zheng Zhilong said.

Hearing Zheng Zhilong's explanation, Nelson quickly figured out the stakes and just shook his head and sighed: "Maybe the population of Korea will be reduced by more than half after a few years of war."

"The so-called would rather be a dog of peace than be a person in troubled times. That's probably the case. After Koryo Governor Kim Zidian replaced the weak Li Mo in charge of Koryo's affairs, he vigorously rectified the armaments and imposed bans on major cities in various places. The situation has improved a lot. Our Beiyang Fleet Also switch from offense to defense, waiting for the situation to reverse." Zheng Zhilong said.

"Boss, we are here today to watch the launching ceremony of the steam ironclad ship. Why are you talking about the situation in Korea?" The director of the shipyard also came to the dry dock early in the morning to personally direct the launching ceremony of the steam ironclad ship. .

"Let's get started, dozens of middle and senior officers from our Navy Department are here, so don't make any mistakes." Zheng Zhilong said.

(End of this chapter)