People in the Song Dynasty were lawless

Chapter 409: The Iron-clad Ship, the Heavy Weapon of a Great Power

During the seventh year of Qingli in the Great Song Dynasty, the people flourished.

Not only the economy, military and education, but also culture are quite prosperous.

Since the imperial court allowed private newspapers to be run, newspaper offices on Liangzhe Road have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain.

Although news was supervised by the imperial court, newspapers were inherently diverse, with various tabloids, miscellaneous newspapers, and news newspapers emerging in endlessly, bringing rich entertainment culture to the people of the Song Dynasty.

At this moment, Liu Yong, the deputy transport envoy of Liangzhe Road, was sitting in a sedan chair and headed towards the dock.

Liu Yong was transferred from the post of Zhizhou Zhizhou in February last year and served as the deputy to Du Qi, the transfer envoy of the two Zhejiang roads, together with another deputy transfer envoy, Ren Maocheng.

In the previous official system of the Song Dynasty, there were four divisions along the way, namely the pacifying envoy of Shuaisi, the transfer envoy of Caosi, the Changping envoy of Cangsi, and the criminal envoy of Xiansi.

These four positions correspond to military and civil affairs, money and grain collection and transshipment, warehouses and money, grain, tea and salt monopoly, and Xing prison litigation matters.

However, because the power of the economic and strategic pacification envoys is too great, and they control the military and civil affairs along the way, the unwritten rule is that only the economic and strategic pacification envoys are set up on the side.

Because when the ministerial level division was first carried out, the Ministry of Industry was not established.

Many Yuezhou officials smiled and said, and the atmosphere became relaxed.

Liu Yong said with a smile: "This armored ship is very spectacular. It is an important weapon of the Song Dynasty, so it is worthy of a visit."

In March this year, landlords caused trouble on Liangzhe Road.

Then he stretched out his hand and said, "Let's go."

"I have long heard that ironclads are being built, but unfortunately I only heard about them before and did not know whether they were true or not. Now we can also feast our eyes on them."

The shipyard is very close to the town. After climbing over a hill behind the town, standing on the hill you can overlook the entire shipyard below.

He is naturally very clear about the current progress of the ironclad, and has even visited Qian Qing several times for inspections. He was at the scene during the last trial of the ironclad. It's just confidentiality regulations and has not been disclosed to the outside world.

In addition, the landlords on Liangzhe Road are dying and disabled. The rest can only assess the situation, sell land and invest in the factory industry, so that Hangzhou's industrial development is not worse than Bianliang.

The most famous of them was the shipyard in Qianqing. The imperial court directly designated a natural haven, classified the entire area as a military restricted area, and built the warships of the Song Dynasty.

It is already October, the early winter season, but it is not too cold in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the temperature is suitable. Hangzhou is bustling with traffic and people coming and going, and high-rise buildings are rising outside the city like Bianliang.

Last year, Du Qi took the lead and another deputy transshipment envoy in charge of trade and economics personally went to Wu'an Iron and Steel Plant and invited a deputy director of Wu'an Iron and Steel Plant to come to Liangzhe Road.

For example, Ren Maocheng is the deputy envoy in charge of public security and planning, while Liu Yong is in charge of transportation, ports, civil affairs and other affairs.

"Yes, although this shipyard is in our Yuezhou, it is not under the control of our Yuezhou. The people in the shipyard are very powerful. It is impossible to find out the information from them."

After the officialdom was restructured in the Song Dynasty, this original unwritten rule was finally implemented, and the civil affairs powers of various areas were officially handed over to the transfer envoys for management. Therefore, the transfer envoys can now be said to be the highest officials along the way.

The ship stopped leisurely at the horse's head. Liu Yong opened the curtain and walked out of the cabin. Many officials came to greet him. They cupped their hands and said, "I have seen the deputy director."

In the past few years, they mainly built sea-going ships to cope with the increasing sea trade.

This person brought a group of employees over and established the Liangzhe Road Iron and Steel Plant in the Huzhou area. Afterwards, state-owned cement plants and brick factories were established one after another.

However, as the imperial court paid more and more attention to the navy, it gradually transformed and began to build warships. For example, the warships such as Fu Chuan, Feihu, and Haifal of Zhejiang Ninghai Navy were manufactured by Qianqing Shipyard, making this place the largest shipbuilding base in the two Zhejiang provinces.

The imperial court sent Xia Song, the Minister of Finance, to come and take charge in person. With the cooperation of Du Qi, the transfer envoy, Changping envoy, Ti Xingguan and others, the matter was settled.

In the morning, Liu Yong rode in a carriage through the bustling streets, arrived at the pier, boarded a boat, and drifted down the waterway. By noon, he had arrived at Qianqing Posthouse.

After all, industry is something that has only been developed in recent years. Now is a period of barbaric growth for each industry, and unified planning has not yet emerged.

Qianqing Shipyard is located on Liangzhe Road, and Liu Yong is the official in charge of transportation, managing the road and waterway construction of the entire road, so the shipyard is currently under his charge.

Although Liu Yong had been here several times, he had to show official documents from the court before being allowed in, and this time was no exception.

It's just that the top of the mountain and its surroundings are surrounded by troops, and ordinary people can't get close.

Although Liu Yong was not mainly involved in pacifying officials, he also traveled throughout the two Zhejiang provinces afterward, personally surveying rural areas in various places, and understanding the basic information and conditions of the people. He wrote a report and sent it to the Constitutional Yuan, which was praised by Zhao Jun.

Liu Yong returned the salute and then said: "This time, on behalf of the imperial court, I am here to observe the handover ceremony. The iron-clad ship has placed the expectations of the officials and the Imperial Academy. You can go with me."

In addition, in order to refine the power, a transfer envoy is often equipped with several deputy transfer envoys, each with their own responsibilities, to assist the transfer envoy in completing daily work.

Therefore, today's Hangzhou city has also kept up with the pace of modernization. Construction and factory buildings are being built everywhere. Various small factories such as cement factories and brick factories have sprung up. Other textile factories and processing plants are also under constant construction.

There are usually only three departments in each road in the mainland, and the transfer envoys are in charge of government affairs on weekdays.

Although it is called Yi, it is already as big as a small town. There are many wood processing factories in the town, which mainly provide wood raw materials for shipyards.

Soon the group passed the outer fence, climbed over the hill, and slowly arrived outside the shipyard.

When Liu Yong got off the ship, Zhang Zongyi, the governor of Yuezhou, and a group of officials were already waiting for him.

"Everyone is polite."

However, it won't be long before Zhao Jun is already preparing for the construction of the Ministry of Industry, so now shipyards, railway construction and other matters will be temporarily handed over to the Ministry of Transportation.

Therefore, at this time, his status in the Liangzhe Road government was already the third-ranked government official after Du Qi and Ren Maocheng.

The shipyard is currently under the control of the Ministry of Transport.

The person in charge of the shipyard came to greet him personally.

"Last time I went to Bianliang for reconnaissance and selection, I took a special train. Now the ironclad ship is called a sea train and can travel thousands of miles in a day. It also makes us look forward to it."

Many officials followed him on their carriages and sedan chairs and headed north.

It is very close to Hangzhou, less than thirty kilometers away.

Many officials looked over and saw that the shipyard was located on the coast and occupied a huge area. Factory buildings were rising from the ground, and most of the buildings were made of wood.

Only a reinforced concrete factory building covering an area of ​​about one acre stands in the southeast.

"Deputy Secretary, please come this way."

The person in charge of the shipyard led many officials towards the cement factory building.

The group of people walked into the factory.

What came into view was a huge ironclad ship, about ten feet long and two feet wide, slightly smaller than the Sea Falcon attack ship with a displacement of more than 600 tons.

However, what surprised everyone was that the ironclad ship was indeed made of pure steel, but its appearance was very ugly.

There are two masts and sails at the bow and stern respectively, and there are two chimneys in the middle. The armor looks very ferocious. It is not a large steel plate connected to one piece, but has criss-crossed connection scars.

There is a sluice gate in the middle of this cement factory, and ships are fixed in the waterway in the middle. There are small ports connected to both sides, and they can be sailed directly to the sea.

"I actually wrote to the court that our naval warships are enough to handle any battle, but the court still insists on building this ironclad ship. We can only work hard to overcome all difficulties to do it."

The person in charge of the shipyard complained slightly: "After spending more than 100,000 yuan, the ironclad ship was completed. The most difficult part was the forging and joining. Countless craftsmen worked day and night to finally forge and join so many steel plates."

Liu Yong said: "The imperial court naturally has its considerations. The Imperial Court has said more than once that we must be prepared for danger in times of peace. Ironclad ships are important weapons for the country and cannot be slacked off."

"Yes."

The person in charge of the shipyard had no choice but to respond.

In fact, he didn't want to build ironclads at all. This would delay his construction of seagoing ships and other wooden warships, and affect the shipyard's business.

After all, in his opinion, the Song Dynasty Navy had no rivals anyway, so what was the point of rebuilding ironclad ships?
But people are like this. After becoming invincible, they put their swords and guns into storage and let their horses go to the south. For example, if future generations lead the Qing Dynasty, they will no longer have the motivation to follow the times. On the other hand, in Europe, wars are fought every day. Driven by the war, various modern technologies and products have been developed.

So it is not true at all that war is the catalyst for science and technology.

“This boat looks a little bit”

Zhang Zongyi hesitated and said: "Some of them don't look good."

"Yeah, it's a little too ugly."

"It quite affects the prestige of our Song Dynasty Navy."

“It must also be beautiful.”

Everyone was quite disappointed.

I thought the armored ship was majestic, but I didn't expect it to be so ugly.

But after hearing what everyone said, the person in charge of the shipyard was unconvinced and said: "The officials only saw that it looks ugly, but you don't see how powerful it is."

While they were talking, a deputy from the shipyard came over and said, "Ning Haijun is here."

Everyone walked through the factory building and walked to the wooden board outside the gate. They looked at the ocean in the distance under the sea breeze.

I saw huge warships coming through the rolling waves. It didn't take long for them to arrive at the port and slowly parked into the parking space of the shipyard.

A naval admiral came over, accompanied by several soldiers and adjutants.

The commander of Ning Haijun is called Ma Mao, who is the great-grandson of the famous founding general Ma Renyu. He has met Liu Yong several times. He quickly came over and bowed his hands and said, "I have met the deputy commander."

"Commander Ma is very polite. Today is the ceremony for the handover of the armored ship to Ning Haijun. I am also here to observe the ceremony on behalf of the imperial court."

Liu Yong smiled and said, "And there will be a secret edict from the imperial court for you to implement later."

"Yes."

Ma Mao looked at the armored ship with burning eyes, his excited eyes revealing his passion.

Zhang Zongyi wondered: "Is this armored ship really powerful?"

"Prefect Zhang doesn't know. This armored ship is really powerful. If I had this armored ship, I would be able to defeat Zhen Hai, Ding Hai and Ping Hai in a single battle."

Ma Mao said confidently.

"Oh?"

Everyone looked at each other.

Seeing that they didn't believe it, Ma Mao smiled and said: "Since it is a handover ceremony, why not just show it off and have a live-fire training."

"Then let's get started."

The person in charge of the shipyard said.

Then Ma Mao waved his hand, and soldiers began to board the ship one after another.

This ironclad ship actually has a displacement of only 500 tons. It is not completely ironclad, but has some decks and cabins made of wood.

Moreover, most of the space inside needs to store coal fuel, so there are only about 80 combat personnel, which is 120 less than the slightly larger Sea Falcon attack ship.

However, power and combat capability are not at the same level at all.

After being built, Ning Haijun has conducted several test operations, including various training, defense tests, and artillery fire tests. The combat effectiveness is incredible.

"Boom!"

Steam began to rise from the chimney as the steam engine rumbled to life.

The ironclad ship slowly sailed away from the shipyard.

Many officials followed and walked outside to watch.

Ning Haijun immediately began to perform a naval battle simulation on the spot. A flying tiger ship sailed over and began to compare speed with the ironclad ship.

But it was okay at first, but was soon left behind by the ironclad ship.

When the wind is strong, a wooden ship can barely catch up with an armored ship, but if the wind is not strong enough or there is no tailwind, the speed will be much slower.

The armored ship sailed for more than ten kilometers, and then returned. The Flying Tiger ship had been pulled far apart.

Immediately afterwards, a Sea Falcon attack ship quickly approached and aimed its artillery at the armored ship. There was a roar and the shell hit accurately, but was blocked by the armor, leaving only a crater on it.

The ironclad ship flicked its tail beautifully, and then slowly approached the seaside. Many officials watching the ceremony felt a sense of oppression.

Another large wooden ship came out of the shipyard over there. It was a huge wooden sailing ship, and the people on board drove it away in a small boat.

After everyone was gone, fourteen rounds of artillery fire were fired from one side of the ironclad ship.

There were constant sounds of "rumble" and "bang, bang, bang, bang," and in an instant, the wooden ship, which was larger than an ironclad ship, was shot into a sieve, sawdust flew everywhere, and the ship was torn apart.

"it is good!"

Liu Yong took the lead in applauding.

Then the dumbfounded officials woke up from a dream and applauded one after another.

"This is the important weapon of a great country!"

Liu Yong was so excited that he waved his hand and said, "Bring a pen and paper, I want to compose a lyric."

"Quick, quick, get a pen and paper."

The person in charge of the shipyard was overjoyed.

Before Liu Yong was promoted to high school, he was a famous poet in the Song Dynasty.

In terms of reputation, he can be said to be number one in the Song Dynasty at this time.

Because although Yan Shu wrote many lyrics, his masterpieces were fewer than those of Liu Yonglai.

Therefore, Liu Yong's lyrics are highly popular and famous, and his reputation is wider than that of Yan Shu.

At least that was the case before Su Shi came out.

Now that he has a backer behind him and he has been promoted all the way, he writes fewer lyrics. If he can get a good song written by him, then their shipyard will become more famous and there will definitely be a lot of orders.

After a moment, the paper and pen were presented. Liu Yong held the brush and was about to use it, but he paused for a moment.

The words he wrote throughout his life were graceful and graceful, and he wrote about the love between his children and Xiaojiabiyu. It was natural that he could easily capture it.

But this time the armored boat sailed through the clouds and skimmed the moon, the sea waves surged, the sky was clear, the giant ship held down the mountains and the sea, the majestic waves surged, and it was indescribably heroic.

Liu Yong stopped, and then sighed: "My talent and learning are still insufficient, and my writing is speechless. Perhaps only Mr. Lu Xun from Bianliang, who the world has never seen, can write about Mr. Lu Xun who went to the east of the Yangtze River to hunt for everything." Just write it down."

After all, this graceful beauty cannot capture the magnificence of the sea.

(End of this chapter)