Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 278: Your Majesty is Wise! Stationing Troops in North America [Please Subscribe]

Ma Mengyang graduated from the Imperial College. After studying in the Science and Technology Department for a period of time, he first followed Guo Tianwen in the "Power Project Group" to develop steam engines. Later, he and Qi Damu were responsible for the actual management of the Locomotive Manufacturing Bureau.

In the past few years, he has learned a lot of science and technology-related knowledge from Liu Kuan.

Although Liu Kuan and he were not master and disciple, they had a semi-master-teacher relationship.

Upon hearing this, Ma Mengyang could only bite the bullet and say, "The hull of this steamship is basically the same as the ironclad ship just now, and it's even several hundred tons larger."

"After the propeller power system for the ship was developed and installed on board, we conducted sea trials and found that it could indeed enable the ironclad ship to move without wind. Combined with sails, it could make the sailboat even faster."

"However, because the energy conversion efficiency of steam engines is not yet high enough, and considering the ship's carrying capacity, steam engines cannot be used for long periods of time in actual navigation, even as auxiliary power."

"Because the ships can only carry a limited amount of coal and fresh water in addition to personnel and logistical supplies, it can't be too much."

"After research, I and others believe that steam-powered devices can only be more effective when the efficiency of steam engines is substantially improved, or when the Ming Dynasty builds larger ships."

Liu Kuan understood what he heard and said, "Steam power and propellers are the right direction for the development of future ships. There is no doubt about that."

"The energy efficiency of steam power needs to be improved, so we should continue to research better steam power systems and strive to improve their energy efficiency."

"As for building larger ships, aren't we already working towards that? Also, what size ship do you think would be needed for steam power to truly demonstrate its effectiveness?"

Ma Mengyang said, "If we use the current steam-powered system, we need a ship of 8,000 tons to truly realize its effect."

"However, according to Captain Chen and his colleagues' experience, if a ship is primarily built with wood, 6,000 materials is pretty much the limit. Reaching 8,000 materials is extremely difficult."

Although Liu Kuan only knew a little about shipbuilding, he understood that materials did indeed limit the size of the ship.

In fact, in later generations, material problems have restricted the manufacturing of many objects, such as airplanes, rockets, batteries, chips, etc.

It is normal for wooden ships to have a size limit. When people in later generations discussed Zheng He's treasure ship, some speculated that it might have weighed 8,000 or even tens of thousands of tons. However, the more objective mainstream view is that the historical Zheng He's treasure ship was most likely weighing more than 5,000 tons.

As for the imperial ships that the Ming Dynasty later often used to send envoys to overseas vassal states, they generally weighed more than 3,000 tons, and those that exceeded 4,000 tons were rare.

In fact, the shipbuilding industry of the Ming Dynasty was already quite developed at that time. It was just that the court did not want to build larger ships to demonstrate national power. Instead, it was restricted by materials. The treasure ship weighing more than 5,000 materials had already reached the bottleneck of wooden ships.

Liu Kuan frowned and said, "Since wood limits the size of ships, then we should develop steel ships. I know that developing steel ships will not be possible in just a few years, but we must work tirelessly in this direction and not slack off."

"Also, when I inspected that ironclad ship just now, I noticed that the keel was reinforced with steel, didn't I?"

"This idea of ​​mixing wood with other materials like steel to build ships deserves further research. Perhaps it will allow ships to break through the limitations of wood in terms of size."

After saying this, Liu Kuan took his men on board the steamship for an inspection.

Seeing that the ship itself was indeed well-built, he disembarked and continued, "While steam power can only be used for a short time on long-distance voyages, if a pursuit-type naval battle were to occur, the extra speed gained by steam power would be crucial."

"So, even ships like these, which can only use steam power as an occasional auxiliary, are still needed by the Ming Dynasty."

"After this inspection, I will submit a petition to Your Majesty to request that these warships be added to the major navies. Then, you can gain more experience by building sail, steam, and hybrid vessels, and put into practice the ideas gained from your research."

Having said this, Liu Kuan looked around at the other officials and important craftsmen present besides Ma Mengyang and Chen Youcai, and said in a loud voice: "Don't doubt the significance of what you are doing now. Just do it with all your heart. The court will take care of the rest. Do you understand?"

Everyone immediately bowed together, "We understand!"

After Liu Kuan left the Baochuan Factory and returned to the city, he immediately went to the palace to report the results of his inspection to Zhu Yuanzhang.

After finishing his report, Liu Kuan said, "Therefore, I believe that the Ming Navy can add a batch of hybrid sail and steam warships. This will not only significantly enhance the navy's combat effectiveness, but also allow the craftsmen of the Locomotive Manufacturing Bureau and the Treasure Shipyard to gain experience and put some ideas into practice."

"With demand and opportunities for practice, the Ming Dynasty can continuously make breakthroughs in shipbuilding technology, technology, and even science!"

Liu Kuan's reasoning was simple and clear, so Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "You're right. How about adding three sail and steam hybrid warships to each of the Beiyang, Donghai, and Nanhai navies?"

Liu Kuan didn't expect Zhu Yuanzhang to agree so readily. After he came to his senses, he immediately clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said with a smile, "Liu Kuan, you still have too many concerns when doing things. As long as it is beneficial to the Ming Dynasty, just do it. With me behind you, what are you afraid of?"

"Let's put the shipbuilding issue aside, how long do you plan to delay the reform of the craftsman grades and evaluation system?"

Liu Kuan was embarrassed. He didn't expect to be criticized by Old Zhu Ping for being indecisive.

He said, "Your Majesty, I am not deliberately delaying the reform of the craftsman rank system. It is simply that the Tiangong Academy was only established in April, and there are many things to do, so we need to do them one by one."

"The reform of the craftsman grades is of paramount importance. I naturally hope to handle it cautiously and avoid causing too much disturbance." Zhu Yuanzhang listened, tapping his fingers on the imperial desk in thought for a moment, then said, "Well, let's proceed as you wish."

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Time flies, more than a month has passed and winter has arrived.

October 9th, the eighteenth year of Hongwu.

After more than a month of sailing, the huge Ming navy finally arrived at the establishment point of Xianzhou Wei agreed by the court.

The navy stayed in the natural harbor (Simpson Harbor) chosen by the previous exploratory fleet for only one day before setting sail to continue its journey south.

Before the fleet left the port, Xie Deyou and other senior generals of the North American Command said goodbye to the important generals of the Xianzhou Guard, including the commander Wan Cheng, and gave their final instructions.

"Wancheng, you were able to be promoted twice to become the commander of Xianzhou Guard while still a thousand households. This shows that His Majesty trusts you very much. So you must do a good job in the affairs of Xianzhou Guard."

Xie Deyou was originally a general who was good at logistics and did not lead his troops with authority. At this time, he was more like an elder who was giving earnest instructions to his juniors.

"Xianzhou Guard is the northernmost guard post of our North American Military Command. I'm sure you heard from the commander-in-chief of the Exploration Fleet yesterday that winter comes early here and it's very cold."

"Although it's early winter, you've already felt the weather here. In this kind of weather, forget about planting anything, or even reclaiming the land. First, build the houses you and the hundreds of people need to survive the winter, and gather enough firewood."

"As for food, I'm not too worried. The commander left you plenty of rations, and fishing and hunting are very convenient here. Sending a hundred or so people to fish and hunt should be enough."

"I won't go into the rest of the story, as I'm sure you already know the answer. Finally, I'll say one final word, as His Majesty has instructed me to repeat it to you."

"Remember, in America, we don't have many enemies, but we do have a formidable enemy that shouldn't be underestimated: natural disasters and disease. We must always be vigilant in these areas and not be careless at all!"

Wan Quan was just an ordinary-looking general in his early thirties from Hebei. In the second year after Xu Da took Dadu, that is, in the second year of Hongwu, he joined the Ming army when he was a teenager.

Over the past decade, he participated in dozens of small battles and even took part in four campaigns against the Northern Yuan Dynasty, which contributed to his achievements and promotion to the rank of a thousand households.

At that time, it was much more difficult to gain merit and get promoted in the Ming army than before the establishment of the Ming Dynasty. Now the opportunities are even fewer and more difficult.

Wan Quan had no background and no outstanding qualities compared to other generals of the same rank, so he seized this opportunity and brought his family to North America.

After hearing what Xie Deyou said, and thinking about having to live with his family in this wild and foreign land for the next few years, his eyes couldn't help but turn red.

He clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, Commander-in-Chief, rest assured. I will live up to your majesty's trust and the court's confidence and manage Xianzhou Guard well!"

Xie Deyou patted Quan Quan's shoulder, smiled, and said, "I trust you. There are only less than 500 soldiers and civilians in Xianzhou. You will definitely be able to manage it."

"By the time the imperial court adds military households to your ranks next year or the year after, you'll have laid a solid foundation and be able to live a good life here!"

After saying that, Xie Deyou and other senior generals of the Dusi bowed to Quan Wan and others, turned around and boarded the ship.

Wan Cheng, along with more than 500 soldiers and civilians, stood near the dock, watching dozens of Ming Dynasty ships slowly sail away on the sea...

Two or three days later.

The Ming Navy arrived at Dongshengwei (Seattle), and Xie Deyou, the commander-in-chief of the North American Military Command, also disembarked with more than a thousand soldiers and civilians.

Afterwards, at Jinshanwei, the fleet will drop off more than 500 soldiers and civilians and then continue south.

In fact, although Zhu Yuanzhang relocated more than 6,000 soldiers and civilians from the two major military garrisons to America, they were not evenly distributed among the seven garrisons of the two major military divisions.

Among them, Xianzhou Wei had the least number of military households allocated, with only 400 regular soldiers and a total number of military and civilians less than 500.

Dongshengwei, as the seat of the Dusi, was allocated more than a thousand people; Jinzhouwei was allocated more than five hundred people.

The Xuanbei Guard and Xuannan Guard of Zhongmeidusi were only allocated about 500 people; while the Xuanguan Guard was similar to the Mingchang Guard, which served as the seat of government, and could be allocated more than 1,000 people!
The reason for this arrangement was naturally that Zhu Yuanzhang was touched after learning about the importance of the Panama Canal in later generations, and planned to use that area as the focus of the Ming Dynasty's operations in Central America for the next ten years...
Dongshengwei Wharf.

The remaining centurion Liu Wenzhong brought dozens of garrison officers and soldiers and dozens of members of the Baixiong tribe to welcome the Ming soldiers and civilians who disembarked.

Because of his special status, Xiong Bai disembarked with Xie Deyou and other senior generals of the North American Command.

Because he changed his attire - he had a Han Chinese bun and wore the battle jacket of a Ming Dynasty centurion, the tribesmen who were eagerly waiting at the dock did not recognize him for a moment!

　First update.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)