Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 159 Clipper

"Why are you here?" Zhao Zhanpeng, the person in charge of Jinchuan Fort, was about to set off for the Jinshatan Gold Mine to inspect the gold production there and transport some supplies. However, before he could set off, he saw Zhou Yong, the person in charge of the First Shipyard of Qiming Island, driving a small boat shaped like a clipper into the river port.

"Look at what you're saying, as if I can't come to your place! I'm just dropping off some food, coal, and other supplies on the way." After the boat came to a stop, Zhou Yong leaped ashore and said with a smile, "What's the matter? Now that you've become a powerful lord, you look down on the director of our shipyard?"

"I'm not a local lord, I'm just a miner!" Zhao Zhanpeng turned his gaze to the boat docked on the riverbank. "Could this be the new ship that your shipyard spent nearly a year building?"

"Well, not bad, you've got good taste! This is the clipper we just launched," Zhou Yong said proudly, eyeing it. "Fully loaded, it has a displacement of 16 tons. With full sails, it can reach a top speed of 6 knots with a tailwind, and even with the adjustable gaff, it can reach 8- knots against a headwind. Besides the Wavebreaker, it's the fastest ship in the world! What do you think?"

"Of course!" Zhao Zhanpeng smiled and patted his shoulder. "In fact, we expected that if your shipyard's first 'big ship' could survive the launch, it would be considered a major success. Unexpectedly, you've also built a sea-run clipper. This far exceeded our expectations!"

"Damn it!" Zhou Yong immediately shook his hand away upon hearing this. "So, you guys have so little confidence in our shipyard! I'm at least a semi-expert in ship theory, so why can't I build a ship that can sail on the sea?"

"You don't understand me. I'm praising you!" Zhao Zhanpeng walked a few steps toward the riverbank so he could get a closer look at the first "big ship" built by the time travelers, his eyes brimming with joy. "Has this ship passed sea trials? Oh, by the way, can your next ship be a replica of the original 'Wavebreaker'?"

"It was just launched early last month, then went on a run through the Qiming Strait (now the San Juan Strait)." Zhou Yong walked up to him, his face beaming with pride. "We found a dozen minor flaws, so we returned to the shipyard and made some improvements. Just now, we took a group of naval cadets out for a stroll, and we also stopped by Fort Fenzhou to deliver a dozen Indians and some supplies."

"On the way back, we turned around and came to your Jinchuan Fort to see how much gold we've unearthed. As for the next ship our shipyard plans to build, with our current capabilities, we probably won't be able to completely replicate the 'Break the Wave'. Therefore, we plan to build a clipper-type cargo transport ship with a displacement of 500 to 600 tons to improve the efficiency of transporting supplies and personnel between our several bases."

"Excellent, excellent!" Zhao Zhanpeng praised repeatedly. "A good start is half the battle. I believe you'll be able to build another 'Wavebreaker' before long. ...Well, one day in the future, you might even be able to build a 'Prussia' (the world's first five-masted, fully sailing steel sailing ship) and amaze the world!"

"You're flattering me!" Zhou Yong said with a wry smile, "Our current shipyard doesn't have five or six years of technological experience. Let alone building a super-clipper ship like the Prussia, I'm afraid we can't even replicate the Wavebreaker."

"It's okay. We've already overcome the most difficult stage of building from zero to one. So, building from one to ten, and from ten to one hundred, will be much easier. Practice with small boats now and gain some experience. Building larger ships will naturally follow."

"That being said, many people still hope we can immediately build a thousand-ton transport ship to increase the speed of our immigration." Zhou Yong sighed and said, "Some also hope we can quickly build a professional sailing warship to enhance our self-defense capabilities. But the problem is, shipbuilding is a systematic project that covers many industrial chains. It can't be completed overnight."

"With our current industrial base, aside from being completely self-sufficient in shipbuilding materials, we still need to purchase materials like canvas, cables, anchors, nails, bolts, grease, asphalt, and tar from the Ming Dynasty or smuggle them in through Spanish America. Under these circumstances, how can we support the rapid growth of our shipbuilding industry?"

"Strictly speaking, the wood used in our shipbuilding is also substandard. This is because the wood used to build sailboats generally needs to be air-dried for several years or even decades to keep its moisture content below 20%. This greatly reduces the damage and susceptibility to fungi and insects, and improves the ship's corrosion resistance."

"The ship materials we're using now haven't been air-dried for more than three years, so they're considered semi-dried. If we were to invest a huge amount of money in building a thousand-ton ship or a specialized warship, it wouldn't take long before deformation and cracking would occur, leading to its premature destruction." "That's true," Zhao Zhanpeng nodded and said with a smile, "but everyone's feelings are understandable. They all want to work hard and quickly, eager to raise our capabilities to a super-strong level within a few years, so that we can achieve our goal of major expansion."

"However, some things can't be rushed; they must be approached step by step. If we want to develop and expand our own shipbuilding industry, we must first build up related upstream industries and form a complete or even essentially complete industrial chain before we can achieve an industrial breakthrough," Zhou Yong said with a wry smile. "Otherwise, if others impose a military blockade on us, or if we can't buy the necessary shipbuilding materials due to war, unrest, or economic restrictions, won't we be unable to build even a single ship?"

"To put it bluntly, our current population is still too small. Even if we wanted to establish shipbuilding-related ancillary industries, we would be unable to obtain sufficient labor due to a shortage of manpower. You know, shipbuilding is not only a technology-intensive industry, but also a labor-intensive industry. Without tens of thousands of people, the shipbuilding industry simply cannot be run!"

"Yeah, that makes sense." Zhao Zhanpeng patted his shoulder. "I didn't expect that after becoming the director of this shipyard, you'd also have a vision for industrial development. Wait a little longer. The immigrant fleet will return in a month or so, and the number of immigrants brought back this time will definitely exceed last year's. By then, we'll be able to alleviate the labor shortage a little, and establish the shipbuilding-related industries you proposed one by one."

"Adding the ship we bought from the Spanish smuggler Pedro, we'll have the transport capacity of three ships." Zhou Yong immediately counted on his fingers. "If we can convince the Portuguese in Macau to provide two more ships, we might be able to bring back 1,500 to 1,600 people this time. When that happens, our shipyard will definitely recruit 200 people and strive to build a rough shipbuilding industry framework."

"Oh my god, you dare to ask for 200 people for a shipyard! I was thinking that after the immigrants arrive, we can allocate 100 people to Jinchuan Fort. That would be a blessing."

"Haha..., the bigger your heart is, the bigger your vision is, and the bigger the world is!" Zhou Yong laughed.

"Come on, come back to the village with me." Zhao Zhanpeng said, and was about to lead him towards the wooden village. "Tell me later if there's anything new happening in Shixing Fort recently."

"...We're planning to build a mint to melt down those Spanish silver pesos and re-cast them to issue our own currency. Oh, and by the way, the gold you mine will also be refined and minted into coins and bars. Besides keeping a portion as reserves, we might also use it as shipping fees to pay for the incoming Portuguese immigrant ships."

"...The decision-making committee discussed the establishment of a professional, full-time army unit, numbering approximately 60 to 80 personnel. All personnel will be trained and educated to the standards of non-commissioned officers, in preparation for future expansion."

"...A month ago, we produced the first batch of artillery pieces. Well, the pass rate was a bit low. Of the six artillery pieces, only three met the design requirements, a 50% scrap rate."

"...Also, we're experiencing a baby boom. Since I left Hong Kong, over forty babies have been born. This year, we're expecting over a hundred more. Doctor Dong and his team will be busy for quite some time."

"...Well, your wife also gave birth to a girl two months ago." Zhou Yong paused and looked at Zhao Zhanpeng, "However, she contracted sepsis after birth and couldn't be saved..."

"..." Zhao Zhanpeng stopped immediately after hearing this, looked at him in astonishment, and was speechless for a long time.

(End of this chapter)