At the beginning of the civil castle, the Ming God of War was a little panicked

Chapter 363 Riding the Wind and Breaking the Waves
The three big characters of the Zheng He were hung high, and on the deck, one order after another was being delivered quickly.

"The helm is ready!"

"The fuel tank has been inspected!"

"Fresh water tank inspection completed!"

"The grain compartment has been inspected!"

Wearing armor, Jin Ying came to Zhu Qizhen and saluted solemnly: "The Zheng He is ready for the second sea trial, please give the emperor's order!"

Looking at the high-spirited sailors and crew, Zhu Qizhen was very satisfied.

The ironclad ship is the weapon of the country, and everyone on board must show unstoppable courage.

In the vast ocean, there are countless treasures, but also countless dangers.

From now on, Ming's long-distance voyage career is about to enter a new stage. In the near future, these people will set foot on a vast new continent, and plant the sun, moon and bright flags in that fertile fertile soil.

"set sail!"

"Yes!"

Jin Ying turned around and said loudly: "The emperor has a decree, set sail!"

"set sail!"

"set sail!"

On the deck, the order was passed down, and the various cabins began to move.

The sails are lowered, the anchors are raised.

woo-

Black smoke rose slowly from the chimney, and accompanied by a low roar, the entire hull shook violently, as if the transmission system had started to operate.

Next, the hull actually began to tilt...

The accompanying officials on the boat were ashen-faced with fright, and some of them were timid and began to fall to the ground.

Belin looked at the restless crowd, and said with disdain: "Everyone, don't panic, it's just that the hull is turning."

The biggest difference between an ironclad ship and a treasure ship is the sharp bottom. When the rudder is turned, it will inevitably tilt.

In the fuel tank, a large number of crew members were shirtless, constantly filling coal into the boiler.

The second boiler started to start, and amidst the huge roar, the hull shook again, and then moved forward slowly.

Although Ningbo Prefecture is located on the coast, many officials are actually from inland and cannot swim. At this time, they found that the port was getting farther and farther away, and then realized that the hull of the ship was already speeding up.

When moored at the shore, I feel more at ease in my heart, but since I left the port, people can't help but panic when they look at the land that is getting farther and farther away.

No matter how huge the ironclad ship is, it is no different from a leaf in the endless ocean.

At this moment, many people deeply feel how insignificant human beings are in front of nature.

On the deck, Jin Ying finished her inspection, and then returned to Zhu Qizhen.

"Your Majesty, it's windy outside, you'd better go back to the cabin and rest!"

Zhu Qizhen said thoughtfully, "Jin Banban!"

"The servant is here!"

"When you first went to sea, how long did you stay at sea?"

"This one……"

Jin Ying's face was a bit ugly, because it was an unbearable past...

"About two months."

"How does it taste?"

"Going back to the emperor, that feeling...is not very good."

"Is it very bitter?"

"It's nothing but suffering, it's just..."

Jin Ying's face was full of sighs, and said: "Wandering on the sea, there is always a sense of powerlessness in my heart. It is really... Life and death are all based on God's will. The slaves are not afraid of the emperor's jokes when they say it. At that time, I really can't bear it." It's..."

Zhu Qizhen nodded, and said slowly: "Two months can't bear it anymore, but Peng Qing's family's fleet has traveled for two years and went to Mugudushu, thousands of miles away. Did it?"

"Master Peng really... worked hard..."

Jin Ying really had nothing to say, so he slapped her in the face, okay?
Zhu Qizhen was still standing on the deck, looking at the blurred coastline, he could clearly feel that the speed of the ship was very fast.

Driven by the two boilers, the speed of the ironclad ship has far exceeded that of sail power.

There will be times when the wind and waves break, and the sails will be hung straight to help the sea!
However, as the speed increased, the officials on board felt more and more panicked.

Most of them are used to the solid earth under their feet, but now they are floating in the sea, and it is normal for them to feel uneasy.

Zhu Qizhen turned and left, but did not enter the cabin to rest, but inspected every position on the ship.

In the fuel tank, the boatmen were naked to the waist, all sweating, as if soaked in water.

Most of these people had never seen the emperor, and because they were doing work, they didn't notice anyone coming amidst the noise.

Jin Ying cleared her throat and said loudly: "The emperor is here to visit you!"

Knowing that the emperor suddenly came to the fuel tank, most people were a little unexpected, and they still held a shovel in their hands when they saluted.

"Kill the emperor!"

"Kill the emperor!"

Zhu Qizhen waved his hand: "No need to be too polite!"

All the boatmen stood up nervously, but they didn't know what to do.

Zhu Qizhen smiled and said: "Everyone has worked hard, and when the trial voyage is over, everyone will be rewarded!"

Everyone was stunned again, Jin Ying hurried forward and said, "Thank you yet!"

"Thank you... thank the emperor!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Seeing everyone's bewildered look, Zhu Qizhen said, "Okay, let's go to work!"

After speaking, he turned and left.

Because if you don't leave, the boiler will stop!
The boatmen reacted, but felt a little...unbelievable.

"The one just now... is really the emperor?"

"Isn't it? You didn't see Eunuch Jin by your side. Who else in the world would dare to let Eunuch Jin accompany you?"

"Quick... add coal!"

"Oh, I forgot..."

In the cockpit, the helmsmen are studying with charts.

Going out to sea must have a relatively fixed route, because there are many risks in unknown seas, such as ocean currents and hidden reefs. Therefore, the safest route is to go along the coastline.

In this case, one must be familiar with the offshore situation, for example, when the ocean current can be used, which island can replenish fresh water, and the change of wind direction and wind force, all of which are summed up from countless times of going to sea.

At the beginning, Peng Qing insisted that the materials in the Cultural and History Museum of the Imperial Academy were wrong, because his ancestors had traveled far to sea and had mastered a lot of sea materials.

Moreover, he did not even realize the importance of this information, but if something went wrong, it would be a huge risk.

"Kill the emperor!"

Finally, when a helmsman turned his head, he found someone in front of him.

He even took a step back to see clearly that it was the emperor.

Zhu Qizhen stretched out his hand to support this person, and then said to the astonished people who hadn't reacted yet: "I just came to see, you can do whatever you need to do, don't salute."

The crowd was even more astonished, they were not polite when they saw the emperor, what kind of rule is this?
Jin Ying said: "What are you doing in a daze, why don't you take out the map and show it to the emperor?"

"Oh, here, here is..."

Holding the map at the helm, it was obvious that he was a little nervous and stumbled when speaking.

"Yes... it's here..."

"take it easy!"

Zhu Qizhen patted him on the shoulder, then looked at the map, which had just marked a location.

"Is this the position now?"

"Back to the emperor, yes... yes!"

The end point of this test voyage is Fuzhou. It is about 1000 miles away from Ningbo. If you go by land, it will take at least half a month for an ordinary horse-drawn carriage.

However, judging from the map, the speed of the ironclad ship was much faster than expected.

"If you keep sailing without stopping, how long will it take you to arrive?"

"Go back to the emperor, sail according to the original plan, and keep the two furnaces running alternately...it will take about a day and a night."

hiss--

Zhu Qizhen couldn't help taking a breath, the speed was already comparable to that of a train.

He really didn't expect that the speed of Ming's first ironclad ship was so fast!

From Ningbo to Fuzhou, it takes only one day and one night to arrive by boat. Such a thing would have been unimaginable in the past.

However, today it really came true.

Even if the railway is repaired, the transport capacity of the train is far less than that of the ship.

Zhu Qizhen found that he was surprised by what he created!
Sure enough, science and technology are the primary productive forces...

The ironclad ship is very stable, much more stable than the treasure ship, but it still inevitably shakes a little. If you are not used to it, you will experience dizziness and nausea after a long time, that is... seasickness.

Zhu Qizhen looked at the crew in the cabin again. Here, many people could not stand still, but they were all working tirelessly.

It is precisely because of such a group of people that the construction of the Zheng He can be completed. The process is easy to say, but difficult to do.

When the imperial decree was issued, no one could guarantee that the ironclad ship could really be successfully developed.

So what if countless people give everything they have and fail in the end?

The most admirable thing is this group of people. They don't know where the road ahead leads, and they don't know whether they are going in the right direction, but they go forward without hesitation, groping, and have experienced countless days and nights. Ye, finally, they succeeded!

Zhu Qizhen was deeply moved, and said to Jin Ying: "After the trial voyage, Ningbo Shipyard will expand its scale. I hope to see an armored fleet within three years."

Jin Ying hurriedly replied: "The servant will definitely live up to the emperor's entrustment. Even if I risk my life, I will build the emperor's iron-clad ship!"

Zhu Qizhen looked at him, and said slowly: "Let's talk about it again, among all the ministers, who can command this fleet?"

Jin Ying was taken aback for a moment, a look of despair suddenly appeared in his eyes.

However, this look disappeared immediately.

"This is a big matter, the emperor should discuss it with the cabinet, slaves dare not speak nonsense."

Zhu Qizhen smiled lightly and said, "It's okay, just talk about it."

Jin Ying thought for a while, and then said: "This servant thinks that Bachelor Peng is more suitable."

"Peng Qing has long-distance voyage experience, but now he has an overview of the maritime affairs of Ming Dynasty, and he is also old, so he is not suitable for going to sea all year round."

"Then...Bei Hanlin is deeply taught by Xueshi Peng, so it should be more appropriate for him to take over."

"Belin is in charge of more things now. All the scientific research in the world belongs to the Academy of Sciences. A steam train is enough for him to be busy. How can he have the energy to go to sea?"

Jin Yingsi thought about it, and then said: "General Shi Heng has been fighting overseas for a long time, what does the emperor think?"

"Shi Heng can fight. We will deploy an ironclad ship to him in the later stage, but if the entire fleet is handed over to him..."

There was a strange look in Zhu Qizhen's eyes, and he said slowly, "Is it suitable?"

Jin Ying suddenly remembered that Shi Heng had the experience of treason...

"It's the servant who didn't think twice, please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Qizhen waved his hands and said: "I've already said it, it's okay, just treat it as a small talk."

However, Jin Ying didn't dare to say anything. Since it was wrong to say anything, there was only one possibility left, the emperor had someone to choose!
The person I guessed by myself is not the one others want...

He suddenly felt worried, who is the right one?

Could it be... King Tan?
Since Emperor Taizong, the Ming Dynasty has strictly prohibited feudal kings from commanding troops. The emperor has already set a precedent for King Yi. It stands to reason that you should be more careful now. You are lucky, and you want to send someone an armored fleet. Is this possible?

Aren't you afraid that King Tan will drive an ironclad ship and land directly from Tianjin to take the capital...

No, not King Tan, who could it be?
Jin Ying racked her brains, but still couldn't figure it out.

Zhu Qizhen suddenly turned around and asked Yuan Bin: "Yuan Qing's family, tell me, who is more appropriate to control this fleet?"

Yuan Bin hurriedly replied: "I don't know!"

Zhu Qizhen smiled and said: "Why, I'm afraid I'll blame you if I say something wrong?"

Yuan Bin lowered his head: "I really don't know!"

"Don't know, or don't want to say?"

Yuan Bin was helpless, looked at Jin Ying, and said, "Compared to the three people mentioned just now, maybe Eunuch Jin is more suitable..."

Jin Ying froze suddenly, feeling a little overwhelmed.

Zhu Qizhen just looked at him with deep meaning, then turned and left.

He also said, "I'm sleepy, go to bed!"

The sky gradually darkened. Since the purpose of this test voyage was mainly to test the performance of the ironclad ship, the ship did not dock at night, but continued sailing.

This was a pain for the accompanying officials. Although the cabin had been made as airtight as possible, when the steam oven was turned on, the entire ship vibrated, and the sound seemed to penetrate to the bone. Most people could not sleep at all.

On the other hand, the crew members slept soundly during their shifts.

Zhu Qizhen was also sleepy, his sleep quality was not bad, he just lay down and fell asleep.

In my sleep, I seem to hear someone say that the island is very poor...

call!
He sat up abruptly and shouted, "Come on!"

Fan Zhong was on duty outside, when he heard the sound, he opened the hatch and came in.

"emperor!"

Zhu Qizhen looked outside, it was just dawn and the sun had not yet risen.

"Go call Jin Ying and let him come to see me immediately!"

"Yes!"

"Wait a moment!"

Zhu Qizhen thought for a while and said, "I'd better go there!"

After all, he put on some clothes casually and walked quickly towards the rudder cabin.

Jin Ying didn't sleep all night, and at this time he and the helmsmen were staring at the map and observing the route.

He must ensure that this trial voyage is safe, because the emperor is on board!
Zhu Qizhen brought Fan Zhong to the rudder cabin, and shouted from afar: "Jin Banban, get the map quickly!"

Jin Ying felt a little surprised, looked at the emperor, and then at the sky outside, thinking to himself, when did the emperor wake up so early?

Could it be... The boat was bumpy and I didn't sleep well?
The emperor hates other people disturbing his sleep, how can this be...

He had no choice but to spread out the map, pointing to the route on it, and said, "Please look, Your Majesty, this is our current position. According to the current speed, we will arrive in Fuzhou in an hour!"

(End of this chapter)