Borrow the day to change the day

Zheng Zhilong spent his whole life at sea, and had many contacts with Westerners. In the past, he even did smuggling business with the Dutch.Therefore, when Zhong Jinwei asked this question, he really asked the right person.

So Zheng Zhilong told Zhong Jinwei everything he knew.

It turns out that Ming's shipbuilding technology was world-leading in Zheng He's era. At that time, the largest ship had [-] materials.

If Zhong Jinwei has read Song Yingxing's "Heavenly Creation" in later generations, he would know this without Zheng Zhilong's introduction.

It is clearly recorded on the above: the length of the four-hundred-foot boat is about nine feet, the length of the two-thousand boat boat is about eighteen feet, and the length of the five-thousand boat boat is about 26 feet.

Zheng He's handsome boat back then was a lucky boat with [-] materials, and the boat with the largest [-] materials was named Fengzhou.

But in recent years, the largest ships of Ming Dynasty, no matter warships or civilian ships, are only [-] materials.

This reason actually stems from the policy of banning the sea from the Taizu period of the Ming Dynasty. Although there were such large ships in the Chengzu period, there was still an order not to privately build large ships.The ban on sea policy continued to be used intermittently until the end of the Ming Dynasty, and the technology of building large ships was basically lost.

Of course, Ming ships also have advantages, that is, they have balanced rudders and watertight compartments, which are conducive to ocean-going navigation and have good resistance to sinking.

This is mainly because the ships of Ming Dynasty used ribs to replace the ribs of the ship, but the hull structure was limited, so that the sailboats of Ming Dynasty could not have more than two decks like Western sailboats.

Although western sailing ships did not use watertight compartment technology, they used a large number of dense ribs and thickened the thickness of the ship board.

Although the sinking resistance has been affected, the structural strength of the hull has been strengthened through dense and thick ribs, forming a long deck in the hull.This makes Western sailing ships carry more cargo, and at the same time it is convenient to place more artillery on board, and it can also withstand the huge recoil when the artillery fires.

As for the main warships of Ming Dynasty, in fact, they still mainly focus on angle battles and side-to-side battles.Although there are firearms equipped, they are pitifully few, and are only reduced to auxiliary use.

Even people of later generations can get confirmation of this point from "Ji Xiao's New Book on Controlling Sailors".

The book records the situation of Qi Jiguang's navy. If the main weapons equipped with four Fuchuan, two Haicang ships and four Cangshan ships in a sailing battalion are added together, there are: Dafa Yanyimen, Folang There are 68 machine guns, [-] bowl guns, [-] bird guns, etc.

What's even more ridiculous is that the most powerful Daihatsu cannot be launched directly on the ship, because its reaction force will shatter the ship.The artillery should be hoisted to the bamboo raft towed by the big ship before the cannon can be fired.

How useful would this be in wartime?Zhong Jinwei didn't even dare to think about it.

As for the warships of the Westerners, the largest ones are more than [-] materials.The general warships are about five or six hundred materials, and each warship is equipped with thirty or forty guns.

This kind of ship has a solid structure, maneuverability and powerful firepower.Compared with the largest warship of Ming Dynasty, only two cannons and several small cannons can be installed, and the firepower of the two cannot be compared at all.

In addition, there is another big difference between Ming Dynasty and Western sailboats, that is, the application of sails, which is finally reflected in the difference in ship speed.

Without exception, the Ming Dynasty sailboats used hard sails. The advantage of this kind of hard sails is that it is easy to adjust the sails, and it is easy to raise and lower the sails.The sail is easy to use the wind direction, and the efficiency is high, and a lot of manpower can be saved, and the sail can be operated with a small number of crew members.

But it also requires higher masts, and the sails cannot be too wide.As a result, the use of larger sails for ships is affected, and too high masts will affect the stability of the ship.

Western sailing ships all have soft sails. Although it is not as convenient as the Ming Dynasty sailing ships to use the wind direction, the efficiency is not high, and it is very inconvenient to raise and lower the sails. It requires a large number of sailors to operate, and the risk is relatively high.

However, western sailing ships have solved the problem by using triangular sails. At the same time, they can build higher masts and larger sails.In this way, the speed of Western-style sailboats has greatly surpassed that of Ming Dynasty sailboats.

Zhong Jinwei was speechless. No matter in terms of size, sailing speed, or firepower configuration, Daming's ships were not of the same class at all.It's no wonder that Westerners can travel across the sea without any scruples.

Zheng Zhilong said before that it takes a ratio of ten to one in order to catch up with Western warships in combat power.Zhong Jinwei now knows that this is actually just a polite way of saying it.

However, Zhong Jinwei still has a question. If the gap is really that big, it is impossible to fight against Westerners. How did Zheng Zhilong win the command of the sea in the southeast coast in history?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help asking: "It is said that your navy is not weak. If it hadn't been for the enemy's tricks, it would still have won. I want to know, what do you rely on to fight?"

Zheng Zhilong himself has come to the capital, and he will have any reservations, so he replied in a straightforward manner: "The last general bought some of their ships from the Westerners and equipped them with their artillery. In addition, he imitated some of them. With the aid of Ming ships, the number far exceeds that of Western ships. Therefore, if we fight openly, we will naturally not be afraid of them."

Zhong Jinwei nodded, and after asking some other questions, he turned to Emperor Chongzhen and said, "Your Majesty, this war initiated by the Dutch, I think it's time for the shipbuilding industry of Ming Dynasty to be ashamed and courageous, otherwise it will definitely be defeated." Affect Ming Dynasty's national policy."

Emperor Chongzhen knew that Zhong Jinwei was referring to feudal feudalism overseas, he nodded and said: "I know, I have discussed with Wen Qing, and after the matter of Hongyi is resolved, the sea ban will be fully lifted. However, the specific matters have not yet been announced. There is a discussion."

As soon as Zhong Jinwei heard it, he immediately suggested: "Your Majesty, I think Zheng Guerrilla's method is good. Daming can buy Westerners' ships first, and at the same time use imitation to quickly narrow the gap with Westerners in warships. As for the future, just step up With the development of the steam engine, the steam engine ship will inevitably replace the sailing ship in the future.”

Regarding the future trend, in this world, no one can compare with Zhong Jinwei.Emperor Chongzhen had a very deep understanding of this point.

Therefore, when Zhong Jinwei said this, he looked forward to the day when the steam engine was successfully developed.

The people in the Wenhua Palace are all the most senior officials of Ming Dynasty, and they basically know about the steam engine.Of course, except for Zheng Zhilong.Hearing Zhong Jinwei's words, he secretly wondered what the hell this righteous chicken was, and it could be so powerful?

Zhong Jinwei continued to suggest: "Your Majesty, I suggest that the Ship Research Institute recruit experienced shipwrights from all over the country, and those who have made outstanding contributions can refer to the examples of Uncle Gunner and Uncle Wei."

Emperor Chongzhen and the high-ranking officials of the Ming Dynasty had been deeply stimulated by the Jiangnan incident, and they also knew the importance of coastal defense, so they deeply agreed with Zhong Jinwei's suggestion.

"Your Majesty, I have already understood the specific differences between Daming and the Dutch. I believe that their firearms must not be as powerful as my new firearms from Daming. As soon as the new army arrives, I will immediately lead the army south." Zhong Jinwei said again.

Emperor Chongzhen looked at Zhong Jinwei excitedly, nodded and said: "I have arranged for the fast horse ships along the way, and I hope that Master Zhong can arrive in the south of the Yangtze River as soon as possible, and put down the Hongyi Rebellion as soon as possible."