prosperous age

Chapter 974 1063 Drill

"Is this the new batch of bird boats?"

At this time, Yu Dayou and a group of naval officers stood beside a three-masted sailboat about thirty meters long.

Compared with the tall Dafu boats that Yu Dayou likes, the bird boats have significantly lower sides.

In addition, because these bird boats are suitable for long-distance voyages, the hulls are more than ten meters longer than traditional boat hulls, so there are some overall changes. That is to learn from the centipede boat and add four paddles to these bird boats.

The original bird boat had four oars and one oar, so it was not as maneuverable as the centipede boat with twenty oars.

These large bird boats already have eight oars and one oar, which at least maintains the original maneuverability of the bird boats.

The biggest change was on the side of the ship. On the side of the ship facing the dock, ten windows appeared, which should be the gun windows.

"Have the cannon been delivered?"

Yu Dayou walked to the springboard with great interest and asked as he walked.

Soon after getting on the deck, Deng Zilong stood next to Yu Dayou and whispered: "A batch of artillery was sent, the number was twenty less, but I asked them to transfer some from other ships, and all ten bird boats were loaded Okay, there are a lot of them.”

Yu Dayou looked back and forth on the deck. The standard Ming army warship configuration was that as long as the hull could withstand it, large cannons would be installed on the bow and stern.

On the bird ship below, there is a long and slender Hongyi cannon on the front and rear of the hull.

This type of artillery with a long barrel and spindle-shaped structure is quite easy to identify among the many firearms used by the Ming Dynasty. It is too conspicuous.

And inside the body, next to the gun window, there are twenty guns placed as a whole.

Faji is a type of Western-style artillery imitated and improved by the Ming Dynasty. It is generally made of copper, so it is also called Bronze Faji. It was improved after the Ming Dynasty obtained the Franconian artillery technology during the Zhengde period. It was originally named Franconian. Big copper gun.

In fact, the Franco machine is not the model of the gun, but the source, which is manufactured by the Franco machine technology.

During the Zhengde period, the Franco machine artillery technology acquired by the Ming Dynasty included not only the rear-loaded Franco machine cannon, but also this front-loaded engine.

Because Fajie is a front-loaded cannon, unlike the Franco machine gun, it does not use sub-cannons for rapid reloading. In order to facilitate the distinction, the Franco machine gun was directly renamed Fajie.

In fact, the Faji can be regarded as an early red barbarian cannon, but at this time in Europe, early eagle cannons such as the Faji had been eliminated.

Although the rate of fire is much slower, the firing range is longer because the barrel is fully enclosed, which is very close to the principle of the Hongyi cannon.

The only difference is that the whole body of the Hongyi cannon is smoother and slender, and the powder chamber in the middle of the cannon body is larger and can hold more gunpowder. The barrel is shorter than the Hongyi cannon, but it is still shorter than the original Ming army cannon. There are many firearms.

Correspondingly, because there is more gunpowder, the vibration when firing the engine is not small. In the past, only the Dafu ship could install the engine on the bow and stern of the Ming Dynasty warships, and it could not be installed on the hull at all.

In fact, after seeing the power of Western-style warship warfare, the naval officers and craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty were also looking for ways to solve the problem of placing cannons on the hull.

However, the shipbuilding technology of the Ming Dynasty was obviously different from that of Western shipbuilding. The warships manufactured by the Ming Dynasty could not simply move the artillery to the hull for use.

Because when the artillery salvo fires, the huge vibration will cause irreparable damage to the hull, so the only firearms that can be arranged on the sides of Ming warships are Fran cannons.

However, the poor range of the Fran cannon was naturally unable to meet the tactical needs of the navy.

But in the hull of this bird boat, there were twenty hairpins, which made Yu Dayou marvel.

It is obviously different from the hairpins we have seen before. The hairpin in front of us is placed on a raft instead of being directly fixed to the hull.

Yu Dayou was keenly aware that the raft under the ship may be the key to solving the problem of gunfire on the hull.

Pointing to the raft under his hair, Yu Dayou asked: "What is this and what is its use?"

Deng Zilong immediately smiled and said: "This raft is to solve the problem of hull vibration when firing cannons."

With that said, Deng Zilong walked over with Yu Dayou, pointed to the raft and the raft and said: "The raft is on top of the raft, and is connected to the side of the ship with ropes instead of the deck.

As soon as the raft is sent out, it will inevitably fall back. There are ropes on the raft to restrain it, and there are ropes on the raft. If you still can't sit down, there is waxy wood behind the raft. There is a soft seat on it to withstand the strong force, and there is a big cable to hold it back. Control the residual power.

The retreating force of the launch can be basically offset by the two ropes and the final soft seat. The force acts on the side of the ship, which is also reinforced and can withstand multiple cannon fires. "

Yu Dayou bent down and carefully observed the expansion and contraction of the hairpin and the connection between the raft and the ship's side. He also saw the cork behind the raft, and then nodded.

"Whether it works or not, you will know once you try it after going to sea."

This time he went to sea, there was actually no mission. The main purpose was to test the power of this bird ship's cannon to see whether it could do what he hoped.

"If this is possible, what if we replace the weapon with a Hongyi cannon?"

Yu Dayou stood up straight again, thought about it and asked again.

"The Hongyi cannon is longer and takes up more space to reload."

Deng Zilong gestured at the length before continuing: "If the bird ship is replaced with a Hongyi cannon, the number of firearms it carries will probably be reduced by half.

Now there is one Hongyi cannon at the bow and stern of the bird ship, and twenty cannons are arranged on the hull, for a total of twenty-two in the whole ship.

If all the Hongyi cannons were replaced, the ship would probably only be able to accommodate eight to ten cannons. If there were more, they would not be able to move around and would be difficult to load. "

Because it is a front-loaded gun, the gun has to be dragged back into the hull for loading instead of being placed on the running position.

So once loading started, ten cannons were pulled into the hull, and space had to be made for the gunners, the cabin seemed narrow and crowded.

The gunboats of this period focused not only on the accuracy of the artillery fire, but also on the loading speed and the very important range.

The fast-firing Fran cannons were abandoned and only a few were placed on the ship deck to prevent the enemy from boarding the ship. Is it because the range was too close and was directly defeated by the cannons, or the Hongyi cannons of this period? replaced.

Of course, the modified bird ship this time is equipped with more than 20 artillery pieces. Compared with the Western-style warships at this time, it is really incomparable, and it is only close to the level of Western-style armed merchant ships operating on the East Asian waters at this time.

These armed merchant ships carry only twenty or thirty cannons, while the standard equipment on Western standard warships is more than fifty. There are even Galen ships carrying hundreds of cannons and three or four decks.

More than ten years later, the large Galenic ships that appeared in Europe were the pinnacle masterpieces of the sailing era, with a displacement of up to two thousand tons, almost ten times that of bird ships like the Ming Army. The hulls had seven decks and carried various types of weapons. There are hundreds of artillery pieces.

It is conceivable that seventy or eighty artillery pieces fire in one direction at the same time, how powerful the salvo of this kind of warship is.

Of course, the artillery mounted on Western-style warships is not of one type, but often four or five types of artillery, so the broadside salvo does not mean that all the artillery fires in one direction at the same time.

The great success of the Galen-type ship made it the design standard for warships, including battleships, until the end of the age of sailing ships.

Among them, the requirements for seaworthiness and firepower are the overriding conditions, so as to seize a favorable position and exert superior firepower during battle.

A few decades later, in the 17th century, the main sailing ships in the Anglo-Dutch War were all galenic ships with low sides, horizontal sails, and cannons on both sides. Many such ships lined up in a long row to exert their power. The firepower advantage on both sides was also the first time the name "battleship" was used.

"Notice, the supplies are complete, and the fleet will go to sea immediately, targeting Beigang." Yu Dayou ordered.

It is definitely not possible to park at the dock and watch the boats. We have to take them out to conduct some tests at sea, and let ten bird boats undergo several rounds of shelling tests to determine the feasibility.

"Follow the order."

Deng Zilong immediately bowed.

Then he turned around and gave an order to the generals behind him, asking them to urge the sailors to complete the transportation of supplies as soon as possible.

As all the supplies were moved onto the ship, there was a burst of cannon fire, and more than a hundred warship cables were uncovered. As the oars were rowed, one after another warships left the dock and headed towards Hangzhou Bay.

After leaving Hangzhou Bay, the fleet immediately headed south, heading towards Beigang, north of Dongfan Island.

"Full sail, try the speed of this ship."

This time, Yu Dayou did not return to his favorite ship, the Dafu ship, but stayed directly on the bird ship. He wanted to see with his own eyes the speed of this new bird ship and the power of more than ten cannons when fired.

As the hard sail was hoisted, the bird ship's speed increased significantly, and it soon surpassed other warships around it.

"Not bad, the speed is still so fast."

Although there is no speedometer, Yu Dayou has been very sensitive to the speed of ships since he has been at sea all year round. He still feels that the speed of this ship is not much slower than the ten-meter-long bird boats in the past.

As it entered the channel, the ship rocked slightly, and the entire ship tilted slightly to the left, making a perfect right turn, and its course was already aligned with the approximate location of North Port.

The Nanyang Navy is still in the initial stage of developing Dongfan Island, and its banner is to suppress Japanese pirates. However, it has found a suitable port in the north of Dongfan Island and established a North Port, and built a new port in the south.

While sailing around the island, they discovered the lair of Lin Feng's pirate group. After some encirclement and suppression, they found that this place was also an excellent seaport, so they also established a base in Yingang.

Jingang is located in the southeast of Dongfan Island, close to the middle of Dongfan Island. The establishment of three military ports is perfect.

It's a pity that the east side of Dongfan Island is mountainous and there is no suitable location to build a military camp. Otherwise, with military ports on all sides and the establishment of camps, the defense of the entire Dongfan Island will be perfected.

Even so, the mountains to the east are actually conducive to defense, at least not suitable for other fleets to dock and large-scale personnel landing.

As long as the Navy regularly dispatches fleets to patrol around the island, the safety of Dongfan Island can still be guaranteed.

With the help of the Hokkien people who had been to Dongfan Island in the early years, the Nanhai Navy landed on Dongfan Island and did not encounter hostility from the natives on the island, although they were still wary of each other.

Anyway, it would be impossible for the Ming court to collect taxes from these indigenous people in a short time.

However, it seems that this is not under his control, Yu Dayou. He only manages the several military camps on the island and the surrounding land.

Only after the guard station is relocated will the island's natives surrender.

Not long after, the bird boat had separated from the fleet. With the help of a telescope, Yu Dayou saw a small reef on the right front exposed on the sea, and he immediately had an idea.

He called Deng Zilong, pointed out to him the location of a small reef a few miles away, and ordered: "Ten bird boats surround that reef and shoot for me. I want to see the effect."

In fact, Yu Dayou had witnessed dozens of artillery salvos, but that was a land battle, and it was far less shocking than being on a warship.

After all, twenty or thirty artillery pieces are lined up in a row, so how wide the distance is.

However, so many artillery can be deployed on a narrow warship, which is naturally very different visually.

Deng Zilong immediately asked the flagman to send the rest to the bird boats in front and behind, asking them to adjust their course and quickly move towards the small reef.

At this time, the Hongyi cannon cast by the Ming Dynasty had a maximum range of about two miles. The farther the range, the lower the hit rate.

The effective range of the missile is shorter, only one mile.

This time, the main purpose was to see the power of the broadside salvo, so it was natural to choose to fire with fuses, so the fleet could only reduce its speed and slowly approach the reef.

After several continuous routes around the small reef, the main force of the naval fleet has arrived nearby. Deng Zilong came over and reported: "Admiral, the route has been surveyed properly. There are no reefs around. You can sail freely for bombardment."

When coming over, the bird boat slowed down for fear that there would be reefs under the nearby sea.

After a few laps, it was determined that the surrounding area was surrounded by safe waters, so it was natural to conduct high-speed and slow-speed artillery drills.

"let's start."

Yu Dayou did not make a sound under Deng Zilong's previous command, but quietly watched him issue the order. He was finally satisfied and did not rashly let the fleet approach and start shelling.

In fact, when he issued the order, he deliberately tested him. If he rashly ordered the fleet to pass, he would immediately order to stop it.

Deng Zilong has passed his test this time, and he can lead the fleet to sea independently in the future.

Soon, under the command of the flagman's semaphore, ten bird boats surrounded the small reef in a semicircle, and in the cabin, the gunners nervously and quickly made preparations for firing.

The preparations were completed, and as Deng Zilong shouted to launch the cannon, starting with this boat, ten bird boats successively fired a round of cannon fire.

"Boom boom boom"

For a moment, the sound of cannons on the sea was loud, and water splashed around the small reef.

The speed of the ship was not very fast at this time. The sail had been lowered to slow down the speed of the ship before, so the hit rate was pretty good at this time.

Although Yu Dayou could not see any shells hitting the rocks through the telescope, the water splash within a few meters nearby was clearly visible.

If it was a big ship, several shells would hit the hull.

The bird boat continued to sail around the reef, and soon the preparations for the second round of bombardment were completed.

Yu Dayou estimated the time. During the naval drill time, it was obvious that these gunners were not newcomers, but skilled gunners transferred from other ships.

Yu Dayou was actually quite satisfied with the previous shelling effect, but it was a pity that it was not a Hongyi cannon, but a missile, and the range was still a bit short in comparison.

But just now he had seen that it was not easy to place twenty hair boxes in the narrow cabin, so naturally he couldn't ask for too much.

This is not for other reasons, but the limitations of Ming Dynasty shipbuilding technology, unless Western shipbuilding methods are adopted.

As the ship speed increases, the hit rate naturally decreases. When the bird ship reaches high speed, only a few shells are left to land near the reef.

(End of this chapter)