prosperous age

When nearly a hundred gunboats turned and began to surround the reef in an arc, as the leading gunboat fired its guns, almost at the same time, all the warships fired a rain of bullets at the reef.
In an instant, the calm sea surface was broken. Under the thunder-like sound of cannons, the water around the reef rippled. Except for wood chips floating on the sea, there was no trace of the reef.

It was just a small reef that had just emerged from the sea. It was hit by dozens of shells and shattered into pieces, sinking into the sea and disappearing without a trace.

The bombardment drill was over, and then the Ming Navy warships reorganized into a large square formation according to the route that had been practiced long ago.

The sky, which had been windless just now, suddenly changed. Dark clouds seemed to be surging on the horizon and a strong west wind blew.

Before, the navy warships relied entirely on the rowing of the lower-level sailors' oars to provide power for the hull. At this time, the west wind blew, and almost all ships began to raise their sails. The strong wind gave the warships a faster speed.

"Drake, what do you think of the skills of the Ming navy officers and soldiers?"

Baron Robert, the envoy of the British delegation, whispered to Lord Drake beside him.

Well, even though he looked down on this knight who came from a pirate family, he still had to rely on this man's abilities when he was away from home.

At the very least, he was the only one who could guarantee that he would return to London alive.

"After catching up with the Ming navy in Shandong, I have been paying close attention to them. Their ship handling skills are very high, which can be seen from the sailing routes of the ships.

However, the sails of the Ming Dynasty's sailing ships are different from ours, so I can't see their ability in this regard.

But judging from the ship's route, they should be very skilled and qualified crew members."

Drake did not understand the operation of the Oriental sailboat, so he could only judge and express his opinion based on the activity tracks of the Ming navy ships.

"I heard you say before that you noticed the difference between Ming country's sails and ours. Do you think their sails are better or ours?"

It turned out that Robert also hoped that through this visit, he could not only complete the Queen's decision to establish diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty and determine the maritime trade routes, but he also wanted to learn the Ming Dynasty's technology.

For an ancient country with thousands of years of history, the technology they are using now must be advanced to a certain extent.

In fact, people in both the East and the West are very good at learning, and it is not just the Easterners who understand how to "learn from the barbarians in order to defeat them."

The "Yi" here actually means mutual.

The Ming Dynasty viewed Europeans as barbarians, and Europeans viewed Orientals in the same way.

The Japanese call the barbarians "barbarians", and the barbarians also call the Japanese "barbarians". It's the same principle.

Robert didn't know how to operate a sailboat, but he could still see the obvious difference between the sails of the Ming Dynasty's large ships and the popular sails in Europe.

As for more professional things, such as the structure of a sailboat, he couldn't understand them.

However, Drake had noticed that the sails on the Ming sailing ships were obviously a kind of hard sails that were completely different from Western sails.

In fact, Chinese sailing ships at that time still widely used hard sails rather than the soft sails used on Western sailing ships. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and generally speaking, they are very suitable for their respective ship types.

Some people use cross-sail and fore-and-aft sails to distinguish between Eastern and Western sailboats, which is actually incorrect, because Chinese sails are not strictly cross-sails or fore-and-aft sails. Chinese hard sails can flexibly switch between these two forms.

When sailing downwind, you can let the sails on the two masts float to both sides respectively, switch to the horizontal sail mode, and make use of the wind on both sides as much as possible without too much obstruction between the sails.

When quick turning is required, the hard sail can adjust the angle and flexibly turn with the help of wind. If sailing against the wind, the hard sail can be switched to fore-and-aft sail mode.

However, the Chinese hard sail was too heavy and put too much load on the mast. Due to the limitations of materials at the time, the sail area was limited and it was impossible to fully utilize high winds.

Therefore, large Chinese sailing ships during the Qing Dynasty generally had a Western-style topsail installed on the top of the mast. This type of sail is light and efficient, and can increase the speed of large ships.

The large Western sailing ships, also known as full sail rigs, are actually a combination of square and fore and aft sails.

It goes without saying that the square sail propels the ship to sail downwind. The triangular sail at the bow can cooperate with the longitudinal sail at the stern to achieve turning.

In addition, the triangular sail can also raise the bow to prevent the bow from catching the waves, and the staysail between the three masts can take advantage of airflow in other directions.

This type of sail can make the boat have a higher speed and higher maneuverability. The soft sail is also very light and can increase the sail area.

But the disadvantage is that there are too many ropes and they are densely packed.

At that time, China commented that it was like a spider web, and sailors were required to climb to the top to work at high altitudes, which was very dangerous in strong winds and waves.

At that time, Western colonists complained that Southeast Asians could do any job except climbing to the top of the mast.

In terms of efficiency, the sails of Western sailing ships are indeed more advanced, but they are very difficult to operate and require skilled sailors to control them flexibly.

Naturally, the hard sails on the Ming Dynasty sailing ships became the main point of discussion between the two men in a low voice, analyzing its pros and cons.

While Robert and Drake were discussing the Ming navy's sailing ships and ship handling skills, Wei Guangde was also thinking about the documents he had seen before.

Especially today, he saw three large sailing ships at Zhigu Wharf that were clearly different from the Ming style ships.

This was the first time that Wei Guangde saw Western sailing ships of this era, and two of them were quite similar, as if they were so-called galleons, while the other one was obviously not, but he guessed that it might be a British ship.

At the end of the 16th century, the Chinese had a general term for Western ships, which was plywood.

Of course, there is a name that is easier to distinguish, that is, Yi ship.

However, this name is not accurate, because it cannot distinguish the various types of Western sailing ships. It is only literally believed that Western sailing ships can have two decks, so they are called plywood ships.

But in fact, the Chinese, who are familiar with European ship types, have long noticed the differences in European ships.

European ships are divided into many types, including the early caravels, the caravels that are popular on the sea today, the galleons developed from the caravels, and the galleons that have emerged in recent decades.

These ships can be used to transport cargo or as warships. Their displacement ranges from one hundred tons to more than one thousand tons, and they constitute the main force of prosperous European maritime transportation.

The shipbuilding technology of European sailing ships at this time was indeed far superior to that of China at that time.

After Zheng He's voyages to the West during the Yongle period in China, China's shipbuilding industry fell into stagnation and even regression.

However, Europeans took advantage of this hundred years to develop a shipbuilding industry that catered to the needs of various European countries and began rapid development, developing many types of ships suitable for ocean trade and naval warfare.

The biggest difference between European sailing ships and Chinese sailing ships lies in the hull structure and the use of sails. Chinese sailing ships, whether they are Cantonese, Fujianese, or Shachuan, mostly use ribs to replace the ribs of the ship and form watertight compartments, which makes them more resistant to sinking. However, the hull structure is limited, so Chinese sailing ships cannot have more than two through decks like Western sailing ships.

Although European sailing ships did not use watertight bulkhead technology, they used a large number of dense ribs and thickened the thickness of the hull. Although the anti-sinking performance was affected, the dense and thick ribs strengthened the structural strength of the hull, forming a long deck inside the hull, allowing Western sailing ships to carry more cargo.

At the same time, it is convenient to place more artillery on the ship, and it can also withstand the huge recoil when the artillery is fired, which allows European sailing ships to stay on the sea.

Often, just a few European sailing ships could withstand the siege of dozens of Chinese sailing ships and remain invincible.

However, two days ago, Wei Guangde and Yu Dayou once again used the evening time to discuss the matter, during which Yu Dayou mentioned the structural problems of the foreign ships that he had already learned about.

Yes, the shipyard craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty had taken advantage of their connections with Hao Jing and had the opportunity to participate in the repair of Western-style armed merchant ships, so they had a more comprehensive understanding of European carracks and galleons.

Understanding it is one thing, and building it is actually not a difficult task, but the key point is that you are not used to it, and it requires more energy.

In comparison, for these old craftsmen, they can understand the structural characteristics of Western sailing ships and it is not difficult to build them, but they are already accustomed to building Chinese sailing ships, so the efficiency of shipbuilding will be slowed down and it takes a long time to adapt.

In fact, most craftsmen were unwilling to give up the shipbuilding technology they were accustomed to and completely imitate the galleon.

Yu Dayou also had some concerns about this, that is, most of the sailors that the Ming Navy could recruit were accustomed to operating Chinese hard sails, and it would be quite difficult to ask them to switch to Western soft sails.

If only a small number of ships are built and a small batch of personnel are trained in this area, it might be acceptable. However, if the Ming navy is asked to completely change its equipment, it would be a disaster.

Even if Yu Dayou had realized that Western sails were indeed better, he could not make such a decision.

If the South China Sea Navy had not sent people to learn about Western sailing technology, Wei Guangde would not have known the comparison between Eastern and Western sailing ships, and the Ming Dynasty's technology would have been completely defeated.

It's not that they each have their own strengths, but in terms of airworthiness, versatility, etc., they are actually completely defeated.

Europeans are more pragmatic, and the ships they build are truly suitable for the world's oceans.

When the Chinese people in later generations were still talking about the so-called water-tightness and anti-sinking properties, they did not know that the most important thing at this time was the space and cargo capacity, and the ability to switch back and forth between merchant ships and warships.

After the British defeated the Spanish Armada, did the British rise up?
No.

The shipbuilding giant Netherlands, or Holland, took over the Spanish's rule over the oceans.

Since getting rid of Spanish rule, the Dutch have vigorously developed industry and commerce. Dutch merchants traveled around the world to do business and quickly accumulated huge wealth.

At the same time, they also vigorously developed the shipbuilding industry, so that the number of ships they owned exceeded 15,000, and they were known as the "coachman of the sea".

This was a pace that left the Spanish far behind, and most of the 15,000 ships were the latest type of Froot boats.

This type of ship is not only cheaper to build than previous European ships, but also faster and has a higher cargo capacity while reducing manpower by half.

The double keel and dense rib support ensure that the boat remains stable even in North Sea storms, which has many advantages.

It was with the help of a large number of ships that the Dutch defeated Spain and gained maritime hegemony after several battles.

Unfortunately, Wei Guangde didn't know this.

At this time, he was still struggling with whether he should continue the development of Chinese sailing ships or change course and learn European marine technology in an all-round way.

Although Wei Guangde made his fortune through business, he didn't know much about merchant ships. However, he knew that Western-style sailing ships were more suitable for warships. If the Ming Dynasty wanted to build a strong navy, it had to refer to Western-style sailing ships.

But now, Wei Guangde saw with his own eyes the Ming navy skillfully maneuvering the Chinese sailing ships to re-form a fleet, and Wei Guangde's attitude inevitably changed slightly.

Wei Guangde, who originally wanted to use the perspective of later generations to force the Ming navy to board Western-style warships, finally gave up.

Forget it, let the navy make their own choice. Just let them not limit themselves to domestic affairs, take a look at Western sailing technology, and improve their technology in this area at any time.

As the Ming navy completed its reorganization, it sealed the boats and weighed anchor, sailing through the passage reserved in the military formation as planned.

The sailor behind me was operating the sails skillfully, and now everything was going smoothly, not only fast but also very stable.

In fact, at this time, whether in the East or the West, sailors were already familiar with how to operate the sails in both tailwind and headwind conditions to ensure the sailing of the sailboat.

It's just that sailing with the wind is more stable, while sailing against the wind will somewhat tilt to one side, which requires very skilled sail operation techniques to adjust the sail's windward angle at any time.

After the four seal boats passed through the Ming navy's formation, more than 400 warships followed behind the seal boats, escorting the emperor's carriage into the Haihe River estuary like imperial guards. Only then did the Ming navy's warships drop their sails and stop.

Well, such a huge fleet cannot dock at Zhigu Wharf anyway.

At this time, the little emperor had not yet recovered from his excitement and was still asking Yin Zhengmao questions.

When it comes to the navy, no one here is more proficient than Yin Zhengmao, not even Wei Guangde can do it.

Anyway, he has been with the navy for two years. Hasn't he eaten pork but seen pigs run?

Yin Zhengmao was explaining to the little emperor the highlights of the navy's bombardment tactics and the subsequent changes in formation, and the little emperor was amazed.

Even with Yin Zhengmao's reminder, the deafening power of the artillery fire still frightened the little emperor.

But the more this happened, the more satisfied the little emperor was.

After all, this is the Ming Dynasty Navy, a trump card force in his hands.

The stronger the navy's combat power, the more enjoyable it will be for him to be the emperor.

If any small vassal state dared not obey the emperor's orders, the navy would be able to kill it with just one decree.

This is indeed the case. If the scale of the Ming Navy frightened all the vassal states, after seeing the massive artillery equipped by the Ming Navy, everyone could truly feel the sense of oppression.

Even the ambassadors from Spain and Portugal could feel the pressure.

Unbeknownst to Wei Guangde, the size and combat power of the gunboats formed by the East China Sea Fleet and the South China Sea Fleet were actually close to the size of the Spanish Armada a few years later. (End of this chapter)