The sun never sets in America

Chapter 87 Visiting the Navy
Jinshan Port Naval Base is a naval ship station located outside Jinshan Bay.

At this time, outside the naval base, there was a large group of officers in blue and white navy uniforms, as well as a group of navy soldiers with loaded ammunition, helmets and muskets, who were constantly patrolling the surrounding area to prevent any suspicious persons from entering.

"Why haven't you come yet?" Navy Minister Jiang Yucheng stood among the waiting crowd, looking at the smooth cement road outside the base, and asked Liang Wen, the director of the Logistics Department beside him, a little anxiously.There was a hint of urgency in his eyes. After all, today is the day for His Royal Highness to visit the navy. He must be prepared no matter what, so he led his people to wait outside the base since seven o'clock in the morning, and has waited until ten o'clock now. It has been a long wait. Three hours……

"Mr. Minister, it should be soon. Let's wait." Liang Wen comforted Jiang Yucheng after hearing this, "According to my communication with the Government Affairs Office, His Royal Highness will arrive at our place no later than twelve o'clock. , this time has not come, I may have been delayed by something on the way... You also know that His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, has many things to do every day, so being able to come today is already a great respect for our navy..." Liang Wen then said to Jiang Yucheng He explained that the main reason why Liu Peng had not come yet was that Liu Peng was too busy.

You must know that since Liu Yan ascended the throne as King of Han and established the Han Dynasty, Liu Peng's burden has not only not decreased, but has further increased. He not only has to deal with internal affairs, but also serves as the Minister of Army. With Liu Peng's assistance, Liu Yan The King of Han was much more relaxed, but Liu Peng was not so relaxed. It was common for him to work all day long. Of course, this did not make things happen. Who asked Liu Peng to take over so much power? ?
If you want to wear a crown, you must bear its weight. This is true for Liu Peng.

Hearing this, Jiang Yucheng nodded to Liang Wen, and then stood in the open space outside the base as before, waiting for Liu Peng's arrival.

Squeak...squeak...

"I'm coming."

"Hurry up and pack it up, pack it up..."

At this moment, the sound of a carriage approaching came from outside the base. Everyone present began to pack up their appearance and military uniforms, hoping to leave a good impression on Liu Peng... After all, this was Liu Peng's first The next time I came to the Navy.

squeak……

A luxuriously decorated carriage stopped in front of everyone. The door of the carriage slowly opened, and Liu Peng, who was wearing the same color military uniform as the one present, appeared in front of everyone.

"His Royal Highness..."

"His Royal Highness..."

After everyone saw Liu Peng, they immediately saluted respectfully.

Liu Peng nodded after seeing it, with a satisfied smile on his face, "Minister Jiang!!" Liu Peng then greeted Jiang Yucheng who was standing in front of him enthusiastically, and even gave Jiang Yucheng a big smile. The hug gave all the naval officers present a feeling of how much His Royal Highness valued the Navy and these people.

This directly caused Liu Peng's status in the minds of these naval officers to skyrocket. The sense of strangeness and fear before Liu Peng's arrival disappeared and was replaced by respect and even admiration for Liu Peng.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince...welcome to the Navy." After Jiang Yucheng hugged Liu Peng, he replied to Liu Peng with some emotion. In his opinion, Liu Peng, a person who is responsible for the Army every day, actually remembers him. This is not What is important.

"Your navy is doing a good job..." Liu Peng pointed at the well-maintained naval base and praised Jiang Yucheng and other surrounding naval officers, making everyone present feel a sense of honor.

"Your Highness, please come inside!!" Jiang Yucheng respectfully pointed at the Navy Building opposite and greeted Liu Peng.

After hearing this, Liu Peng nodded to Jiang Yucheng, and then followed Jiang Yucheng and a group of accompanying naval officers into the recently completed naval building.

As soon as he walked in, a huge sail warship model attracted Liu Peng's attention.

"This is?" Liu Peng asked Jiang Yucheng who was accompanying him. As Liu Peng asked, he kept looking at the huge sail warship model in front of him with curious eyes. Although Liu Peng came from a later generation, he had no idea about the so-called huge sailing warship. In fact, he was familiar with battleships, such as the [-]-ton nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in later generations, but the shock to Liu Peng was not as great as the ordinary wooden sail battleship in front of him.

This has nothing to do with strength. It is only in this era before the birth of ironclads, before battleships and aircraft carriers that we can understand the difficulty of making a wooden sail battleship and the need behind it. How many shipbuilders.

According to Liu Peng's understanding, the current Han Dynasty can only manufacture sailing ships of less than one thousand tons. Although this is just a model of such a large sailing warship, the densely packed artillery on the upper and lower decks of the model shows that It shows what a huge monster this battleship is in reality. After all, the tonnage of artillery and ships has always been directly proportional.

"Reporting to His Royal Highness, this is a model of a first-class sailing battleship." When Liu Peng asked about the origin of the battleship in front of him, Jiang Yuli immediately stood up and replied, "The prototype of this model is a certain British royal flagship. ." Jiang Yucheng continued to tell Liu Peng the specific origin of this model and where the prototype of the ship came from.

"Can the Navy currently build such a warship?" Liu Peng asked Jiang Yucheng curiously after hearing this.

"It is very difficult to build this with the current shipbuilding industry of Han Dynasty." Jiang Yucheng replied to Liu Peng with a somewhat ugly face. After all, he was asked to say that the navy was not good in front of Liu Peng. For him, the minister of the navy, Say, seventy is also a shame.

"But no matter how difficult it is, we can still build it sooner or later." Jiang Yucheng assured Liu Peng with firm eyes and a sonorous and powerful tone, as if there was a huge boulder pressing down on it... It made people feel the weight of it! !
"Okay, this is the spirit we need!!" Looking at Jiang Yucheng who promised him, Liu Peng nodded with satisfaction, and then acknowledged, "What is the level of shipbuilding in our Han country now... Remember, don't Tell a lie, I came here today and I don’t want to hear those scenes!!" Liu Peng asked Jiang Yucheng as he walked, and also warned him. After all, there are still many people who whitewash the peace.

During this period of inspection, he discovered a lot. Without exception, local officials were demoted or, in serious cases, arrested.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince... take our navy as an example." Jiang Yucheng looked at Liu Peng's calm expression and understood what the other party wanted to hear. He immediately said, "Our navy currently has a total of nine warships, most of which are Some of them are six-level sailing battleships of about [-] tons. Only one of them, the captured Mexican fourth-level sailing battleship, is the most powerful...The second one is the two self-made fifth-level sailing battleships..." Jiang Yucheng said to Liu Peng The current real situation of the Navy was mentioned.

Among these nine warships, seven are sixth-level sailing warships. The ship is cheap to build and uses less wood than those large warships.

You must know that the sail warships of this period could not be built by pulling a batch of wood, but by finding a group of shipwrights who knew carpentry. The wood used must be shade-dried. At the beginning, it often took several years to shape this kind of wood. …

However, since the Industrial Revolution, drying machines were invented, and the time for molding ship wood has been greatly shortened. But even so, it still takes about a year to build a warship. As for the larger fifth-level and sixth-level sailing battleships , it may take more time...

Even in the shipyards of London and Portsmouth, England, with a large amount of ready-made wood, it will take one to two years to manufacture a large warship.

And if a late-developing country wants to emerge as a new naval power during this period, the first thing to do is to develop its shipbuilding industry. It can be said that a country with a strong navy must also have a strong shipbuilding industry! !Shipbuilding equals the navy, and there is nothing wrong with it at all.

Moreover, the wooden sail warships of this period required many kinds of wood, but the international mainstream was a kind of wood called oak, because it was discovered that only this kind of wood could travel longer in the sea. , and less likely to be soaked by sea water...

In naval battles, it is also easier to resist hits and damage from enemy artillery.

Of course, there are many jokes about oak trees. The most famous one is that Sweden planted a large number of oak trees in order to resist the British. However, it took 150 years for these oak trees to take shape. Although it sounds like a cold joke, but It can also be seen that the manufacturing process of sail battleships in this period does not seem to be as difficult as in the battleship era or the ironclad era, but just a piece of wood can make some countries with small territories and lack of forest resources miserable.

The Han State is lucky. It is proud of the two generations of immigrants from Spain and the Republic of Mexico on the west coast of the Americas. Therefore, a large number of oak trees have been planted in the Los Angeles area. They were originally intended for use by the Navy of the Republic of Mexico. Now they are all cheaper than the Han State, which is almost a loser. A lucky young country... Oh, by the way, this country is less than a month old! !
But the inheritance inherited is quite rich, which is the fundamental reason why Liujiabao and even the current Han Dynasty can rise! ! !

"In other words, a five-level sailing battleship of about [-] tons is the limit of our Han country's shipbuilding??" Liu Peng asked Jiang Yucheng with a somewhat ugly face, with a trace of unwillingness on his face. He originally thought that he would continue to Han, who had lost the Mexican shipbuilding industry in Los Angeles, could at least build a fourth-level sailing battleship. You must know that only a fourth-level sailing battleship is the real mainstay of the fleet.

As for the three-level, second-level, and even the first-level sailing battleship models we just saw, they are actually all battleships, and the battleships are used for fighting, and they will not be of any help to the maritime escort that Han is in urgent need of. If it were really used for escort, the cost alone would be enough for Han to drink a pot.

This is also the reason why the current navy of the Han Dynasty consists of a large number of sixth-level sailing battleships and fifth-level sailing battleships. Even the only fourth-level sailing battleship has only one. Without others... it currently does not have the motivation and ability to develop a decisive battle navy.

After all, with the current weak foundation of the Han Navy, it is very difficult to gather the crews on the current nine warships. Even if a group of warships are really built, they will only be used as decorations and placed in the port to fill face. …

"With our current shipbuilding strength, the fifth-level sailing battleship is actually our limit." Jiang Yucheng replied to Liu Peng with some embarrassment. After all, the navy is not strong enough. It is not just the navy, but also the problem of shipbuilding. He I am also responsible.

"Is there any way?" Liu Peng asked Jiang Yucheng as he walked. "Whatever difficulties your navy currently has, bring them up. I'll see if I can solve some of them first." Liu Peng said to Jiang Yucheng again, this time. He is more sincere. After all, Liu Peng is still very fond of the navy.

After all, we are still in the period of the first industrial revolution, and the era that Han is living in is still at the end of the Age of Discovery. This means that the opportunities left for Han are actually not too many. If there is no one If we have a strong navy, then it won’t be the new player Han’s turn to divide the remaining cake...

If you want to get benefits from these old players, you can only use one thing, and that is the navy, a navy that is so powerful that even the United Kingdom cannot directly ignore it! !
Compared with the army, the construction of the navy is very long. Whether it is the construction of ships, huge funds, or the training of qualified naval soldiers, it takes a long time.

But in the final analysis, all of this requires investment. If you invest more, the time can be shortened. If you invest less, even if you train day after day, the final result will be the same.

Therefore, no matter how difficult the financial situation is, Liu Peng is still willing to help the navy solve some of its problems within his ability.

Not for anything else, just because Liu Peng also yearns for the sea and the world, and in this era, the sea is the world! !

"On behalf of the Navy, I would like to thank His Highness the Crown Prince..." After Jiang Yucheng heard this, he immediately thanked Liu Peng. He understood very well the meaning of Liu Peng's words just now and the power behind them, which meant that their Navy , finally got recognition from above, and would not be squeezed out of military expenditures by the Army like some time ago, and even dare not let go.

"In addition to large warships, what our navy currently lacks the most is actually people, especially for the navy and people with experience in the sea." Jiang Yucheng talked to Liu Peng about the difficulties currently encountered by the navy. , that is people, no matter what you do, it is people-oriented and people-oriented. The Navy is currently short of people.

"Your Highness, despite the fact that our navy currently has nine warships, in fact, many warships are understaffed. Most of them only have two-thirds of the original quota, which is a full one-third less." Jiang Yucheng said to Liu Peng in a miserable tone, "In addition to personnel, our navy currently lacks experience in ocean navigation. Ocean navigation is the most expensive. With so many people, training at sea once will cost at least tens of thousands of yuan... Our navy..." When it comes to training, Jiang Yucheng is even more heartbroken. Due to limited military expenditures, the 40 yuan in military expenditures allocated not only cover the expenses of maintaining the naval base, but also ensure the subsequent construction costs of warships at the shipyard.

They only dare to use the cheapest artillery shells every time during training, and the number of shots is not large. Most of the time, the training level of their naval gunners is not even as good as that of the army.

You must know that the army's artillery has fixed targets on the battlefield. Even if it moves, it only moves to other places and the shooting direction is still the same.

But the navy is different. At sea, warships are moving objects, which means that the training intensity and duration of naval gunners must exceed those of the army...

During the training, all real bullets were used. Once the cannon was fired, it was worth ten thousand taels of gold. Although it was a bit exaggerated, it could also be seen that the shells were precious.

And when the navy's military expenditure is only a few hundred thousand dollars, it is basically impossible to train for a long time. This also leads to the fact that the navy is the military of the Han Dynasty, with the best drills and the best physical fitness. Why, because These cost nothing.

When talking about this, all the naval officers present showed aggrieved expressions on their faces.

They couldn't help but ask:

"Why does the navy have to be so miserable and the army is so happy? There are exercises every month. Until now, the most they do in the navy is wandering offshore and firing a few cannons... Can this navy still do it? ? "

"Navy officers, thank you for your hard work..." After listening to Jiang Yucheng's complaint, Liu Peng felt uncomfortable. Then he looked at the naval officers present and said, "I want to tell you some good news. First, we are already publishing National debts, and seeking external borrowings... Once the national debts and borrowings are completed, the military expenditure of our navy will definitely increase. Secondly... after this war is over, I predict that our Han Dynasty will attract a long-term crisis. During the development period, your navy will be a key construction plan." Liu Peng told the naval officers present about the current national plan, which even includes the just-finalized borrowing and issuance of national bonds...

As well as the future national strategic direction of Han State, and the future national strategy of Han State, seventy is industry and ocean, among which industry is to develop domestic industry at all costs, and ocean is the navy! !

"Soldiers, there are difficulties...and there will be difficulties in the future." Liu Peng turned around and shouted to everyone, "But the more we must do it at this time, the more we must persist. We must know that persistence is victory!!" Peng looked excited and shouted to the naval officers present. His tone changed from calm to powerful to convincing.

"Long live His Royal Highness..."

"Long live His Royal Highness..."

I don’t know who started it, but cheers for Liu Peng rang out throughout the naval building.

(End of this chapter)