The wind blows from the South Sea

Chapter 150 Money can make the world go round

Time has quietly arrived in mid-July

It has been a month since the Nanyang army captured Bellik City, an important town in the hinterland of the central region. The northern coastal town of Kailiwen Port has gathered sailing ships and is bustling with activity.

A large amount of construction materials from Surabaya and Samborong, such as steel bars and cement, arrived at the port of Kairevan, where they were transferred by dozens of tons of inland river wooden ships to Daheng, 46 kilometers away, for use in the construction of large-scale Defensive fortresses and walls.

On the outskirts of Kairevan, a defensive wall extending from the tidal flat to the inland stands beside the river. It has been built to a height of more than 4 meters. There is a bunker every 300 meters, which can garrison a platoon of soldiers.

This set of defensive walls is about 4.3 kilometers long and extends to the edge of the towering coastal ridges, dividing the West Java region into two.

The defense facilities of Cirebon and the comprehensive defense fortress of Daheng were combined with the mountains and rivers to form a 134km long separation zone, protecting the vast area under the jurisdiction of the Nanyang Army.

This is because General Feng Guohui, based on the hysterical momentum of the Dutch ghost, took the initiative to give up his edge and chose to confront the enemy with a steady defensive posture for a long time, trading time for space.

long term
The number of Chinese immigrants arriving in Java in the first two weeks of July has reached 7455, and the number of immigrants in July is expected to exceed 7, showing an ongoing immigration boom.

Such a high number of immigrants exceeded the expectations of the Nanyang Military Government by more than half.

Usually, only an infantry battalion of about 400 people, coupled with an indigenous servant battalion of more than 600 people, can defend the entire 4.3-kilometer-long defense line.

The boat entered the river and was washed directly into the sea by the rushing water.

The Nanyang officers and soldiers were stationed in strong bunkers, and the indigenous servant soldiers patrolled back and forth along the river. An additional ten kilometers of barbed wire belt was set up along the river bank, extending into the mountains.

In the more than ten kilometers of river course downstream, the Poba River gradually grows in strength, forming a wide river surface of more than 150 meters wide. The water flow is quite rapid in the rainy season, several times that of the dry season.

This will definitely strengthen the foundation of the Nanyang Military Government's rule and make the regional situation develop in a direction favorable to the Nanyang Army.

After the establishment of fortifications along the river, the defensive pressure of the Semarang Division stationed here was greatly reduced.

The patrols of the indigenous servant army normally patrol the dirt road between the barbed wire fence and the defensive wall. Any disturbance on the other side of the river will hardly escape the vigilant gaze.

This shows that the Nanyang Army's preferential Chinese immigration policy is exerting an increasing influence, prompting more Chinese immigrants to bring their families to Surabaya and Semarang to seek development and a promising land of asylum. land.

In the rainy season, the amount of water in the upper reaches of the Poba River increases greatly, and the river surface expands to more than 150 meters wide, and the water is turbulent.

On the other side of the river is a lush green hilly area. In the distance, traces of cultivated fields can be seen, and some crops are growing.

If the Dutch army wanted to cross the river, they would first have to build a bridge or use a boat to ferry them across. However, boat ferrying could only be done during the dry season when the water flow was gentle.

The shooting range here is wide. If it is equipped with grapeshot or grapeshot with amazing lethality, it will be a great threat to the Dutch army attacking across the river, and the small Dutch army will not dare to try it at all.

Within two kilometers along the river, no trees higher than one meter are allowed to exist, so as not to block the view of the sentinels on the bunker.

Generally speaking

Outskirts of Kairevan
Feng Guohui is inspecting the construction of rainproof facilities here. This section of riverside fortifications was built along the Poba River from the mountains to the coast, which has greatly enhanced the defensive capabilities.

Now it is the dry season in July, and the river surface has shrunk to more than 70 meters wide, exposing a large area of ​​​​the river bed.

A defensive wall more than 4 meters high was built on the east bank of the river, about 300 meters away from the river, extending like a long snake. Every meters there was a -meter-high brick and stone bunker. , two nine-pound field artillery pieces could be placed on the top of the bunker.

After inspecting the entire defense line, Marshal Feng Guohui passed through the iron gate on the side of the bunker facing the river bank and came to the Poba River, looking across the river to the other side.

The Semarang Division's riverside defense system has been basically completed, and some infrastructure behind the defensive wall, such as permanent barracks buildings, stables and warehouses, kitchens and toilets, etc., still needs to be improved in the future.

There are no traces of villages or inhabited people within sight. There are lush shrubs growing along the river bank, but some large trees and small patches of woods have been cut down. This is what the Semarang Division organized officers and soldiers to do.

The Boba River is a river with a length of more than 110 kilometers. The upper reaches are formed by the convergence of more than a dozen mountain streams. It winds towards the northern coast, where it rushes into the sea.

Even if the Dutch army crossed the Poba River, they would have to break through the barbed wire fence high on the river bank, and then blast it to open a gap in the defensive wall to break through this line of defense.

There are many difficulties involved, which undoubtedly pose a big problem to the Royal Netherlands Army.

Rather than going to such trouble, it is better to establish an absolute maritime superiority position and defeat the Nanyang Navy. At the same time, Dutch sailing warships and troop carriers can freely choose to attack coastal cities.

Such as Semarang, Pekalongan or Surabaya, and in the list of these coastal cities, Jepara must be at the bottom.

This is because the terrain of Zepara is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The Dutch built the coastal fortress tall and steep, which is daunting and difficult to defeat.

After returning to town

Feng Guohui was resting in a manor along the coast. From here he opened the window and looked out. The azure bay fell into his eyes, and the harbor dotted with white sails was extremely lively.

Beside the wooden trestle in the bay, there are two black iron steamships parked. The two steamships are not large in size, with a displacement of 560 tons, a length of 45 meters and a width of 10.2 meters. The bottom tank is equipped with a A heavy 95-horsepower steam engine drives a propeller to rotate and propel. Originally, according to the design plan of British naval engineers, there was a circular impeller on each side of the ship, driven by two 46-horsepower steam engines.

This plan was rejected by Feng Guohui on the grounds that it was too wasteful and expensive to install three sets of power equipment on such a large ship.

The result is that the speed of these two steamships is pitifully slow. The speed at sea is 5.5 knots per hour, which is about 10 kilometers per hour, which is really slow.

When the sea is a little rougher and the steam ship is sailing against the current, the steam steamer can no longer carry it. It can only push hard in place and the ship basically stops.

If you go downstream, the speed can reach 13 kilometers per hour or even higher, depending on the speed of the downstream.

But in any case, this is the first iron-hulled steam steamer produced by the No. 1 Shipyard in Surabaya. It represents the pinnacle of industrial development in the Surabaya region and is definitely worth writing about.

The subsequent model produced on the slipway today is still a 550-ton steam steamer, but the ship type has been slightly improved and the improved propeller has been enlarged.

Feng Guohui asked engineers from the United Kingdom to make technical improvements to the steamer's steam engine and strive to increase its power to 120 horsepower, which exceeded the reward.

After the above technical improvements
It is expected that the speed of the newly launched 560-ton steam steamer will be increased to 7.5 knots per hour, which is approximately 13.5 to 14 kilometers per hour.

This speed has reached the normal sailing speed of an ordinary sail cargo ship, far exceeding its headwind sailing speed.

Feng Guohui looked at the steam iron ship parked quietly beside the trestle, and couldn't help but smile.

Today, the four slipways of Surabaya No. 560 Shipyard are all under construction in full swing. A new batch of 10-ton steam steamers will be launched from October to December.

Thus

By the end of the year, the Nanyang Army will have six steamships available for use. They will first be used for military purposes, with artillery installed on both sides of the ship and incorporated into the Nanyang Navy fleet.

The mainstream round iron cannonballs of the current era are simply unable to break through the iron armor of a steam steamer. Even if they are fired with a hundred rounds, they will only be defeated.

Although the speed is a little slower, it can definitely resist beating!

Strictly speaking, these steam iron ships should be armored iron ships, because the inside of the iron shell of these iron ships is lined with large ship plates as thick as a palm, which makes them very strong.

Moreover, wooden beams as thick as a small stool are used to form a support frame for the hull. The 560-ton hull cannot carry much cargo because its own weight is greatly exceeded.

Therefore, these iron-hulled steam steamers are not transport ships, but carefully built warships.

The six iron-hulled steam steamers that will be in service by the end of the year are part of Feng Guohui's preliminary preparations for building a strong navy.

If it performs well in naval battles, a large number of similar steamships will be built in the future, and they will be continuously improved and improved, forming a ship technology school unique to the Nanyang Army.

The most important thing

That is to say, the paddle wheel on the side of the ship is abandoned, the sail mast is abandoned, and only the propeller is retained as the only propulsion power of the ship.

The advantages of this are simplicity and clarity, low cost, simple ship layout, easy maintenance, fewer sailors required, and lower transportation costs.

The disadvantages are also obvious
Due to the backwardness and insufficiency of steam power, propellers were used as the only propulsion power, and the corresponding speed was relatively slow.

But is this really a disadvantage?

For transport ships pursuing carrying capacity and low cost, spending more time can save high costs, which is undoubtedly a very cost-effective account.

Feng Guohui has a forward-looking vision that transcends history and is naturally unwilling to take detours in accumulating power. He wants to lead the rise of the shipbuilding industry in Surabaya and build it into a regional pillar industry.

So deeply studying steam ship power and vigorously improving the level of steam engine R&D and manufacturing have become the top priority and the most important scientific research direction for the industrial development of the entire Surabaya region.

The Nanyang Military Government has allocated special funds to establish a steam engine power research institute at the University of Surabaya, and has offered high-paying invitations to high-level European scholars. I believe that a group of talents will be attracted to it.

Many European scholars will arrive in the second half of the year, because the Nanyang Military Government actually published news of a reward in The Times;
High-level scholars who can double the power ratio based on the current level of steam engines will receive a generous reward of 1 pounds.

This amount of money is equivalent to about 5 silver dollars. It is undoubtedly a coveted sum of money for European scholars with an average annual income of 60 to 100 pounds. Most European scholars will not earn so much money in their lifetime.

Money can make the world go round, and this sentence is equally applicable on the road to promoting the development of science and technology.

The Nanyang Army's reserve of modern scientific and technological talents is extremely weak. Only by introducing European talents at a high cost can this scientific and technological development process be shortened.

Feng Guohui knew the great value of it, so he did not hesitate to spend a lot of money to buy horse bones, so as to create a good reputation for the Nanyang Military Government to cherish and respect talents.

As long as your reputation spreads far and wide, are you still worried that you won't be able to attract the Golden Phoenix?
(End of this chapter)