Picturesque Rivers and Mountains in the Red Chamber

Chapter 92 2.69 Western shipbuilding and artillery technology is much more advanced

Volume Two

2.69 Western countries are much more advanced in shipbuilding and artillery technology.

"Second uncle, did you go too far this time?" After watching Zhen Lang's carriage leave, Xue Xun just waved his hand and arranged for people to clean up the scene thoroughly. Without wasting any more time, he took his bodyguard and the silver carriage with him. After leaving, Zhou Yang felt very worried and couldn't help but ask one more question.

"In business, the salt business has always been accompanied by swords, guns and blood." Xue Xun didn't take it seriously. With his status, he would naturally not ride a horse again. He also got into a carriage and asked Zhou Yang said, "Since the Zhen family has the guts to break the rules, then they should follow the rules. Don't say it's just a bitch who died. As long as I don't kill Zhen Lang, the Zhen family can't speak.

This is our first time trading salt with the Zhen family, so we have to set rules for the future. The Zhen family also knows that the group of salt men who were broken up can be regarded as elite in Jiangnan, and they are obviously planning to give them to I set the rules, and these 'rules' are always up to whoever wins. If the Zhen family is not satisfied, just try again next time. "

"What if Zhen Yingjia doesn't follow the rules and sends someone to attack the second uncle?" Zhou Yang asked with a frown, but he knew very well that later Lin Ruhai became the salt patrol censor, and the whole family died in unknown ways, "Zhen Yingjia asked with a frown. We are the spies arranged by the Supreme Emperor in Jiangnan. If we recruit some good people from the imperial court, we may be hard-pressed to stop him."

"Then I don't have to worry about being alone on the road. You just need to help take care of Tao'er. The Zhen family will come over soon to accompany you." The Zhen family jointly took action and almost wiped out all the people the Zhen family could use. Otherwise, do you think they would be hated by people in Jiangnan?

Each industry has its own rules, and if you break the rules, you have to face punishment. If all the problems in the world can be solved with swords and guns, how can the imperial court still "not extend the imperial power to the counties"?When the great ancestor of the Zhou Dynasty launched an army in the south of the Yangtze River, why did he get such great support?Aren't they the pseudo-Qing Tatars who don't follow the rules and kill people in rivers of blood at every turn?
Not to mention that the power in the hands of the Zhen family has shrunk greatly since the Supreme Emperor was adopted. Even when they were at their peak, they could not do anything to Jiangnan. Just like the saintly lady now has two sons, the nephew really thought that she would Only these two sons?If Zhen Yingjia had the guts to touch me, the Zhen family would probably be left behind at the very least. "

"That's it!" Zhou Yang nodded heavily. No wonder the saltmen on both sides were so "skilled" and even the effort to unload the goods was calm. The salt business has always been accompanied by blood. After fighting too much, you got used to it. "This We didn’t lose much this time, so how should we deal with the dead and wounded brothers?”

"It's 30 taels for a person. If you're injured, you'll get half of it. If you're disabled, you'll be considered dead. This has always been the rule." This is a real deal, the imperial court has to pass at least three hands, and if half of them fall, it is considered generous."

"Huh - thank you uncle for your advice!" Zhou Yang let out a long sigh of relief. He was very uncomfortable with this approach of not taking human life seriously, but he also knew that he couldn't do anything for the time being and could only talk about it later. "I don't know. When will this fleet depart?”

"Don't be in a hurry, it will take three or two days no matter what." So we can arrange the handover with the next batch of people; there are also ships that need to be maintained and repaired. The shipyard on Miyako Island has not yet taken shape and does not have this capability for the time being."

"That's fine." Zhou Yang nodded, "But what about the confidentiality matter? If these people leak what's going on on the island, we're afraid it won't end well."

"Hahaha, my dear nephew, don't worry. With the Xue family's century-old foundation, I will not be careless." In the above situation, as for the people who dry and collect salt on the island, and even make weapons and firearms, they cannot leave the island unless they die, and even their family members, I have sent them up in batches."

"That way, my nephew can rest assured!" Zhou Yang nodded. Although the method was a bit cruel, with the current living standards of the people, it doesn't matter whether they are imprisoned on the island or not. Anyway, most people will not be able to survive for a lifetime. As far as the township level, very few people have ever entered the county town.

"Okay, today's business is over. I have arranged water and wine. My nephew might as well freshen up and make some repairs before going back to rest." Xue Xun said with a smile.

"Since my second uncle is enjoying the meal and my nephew is disturbing me, I happen to have something to say." Zhou Yang agreed with a smile.

Talking and laughing along the way, it took nearly half an hour before we returned to the Xue family's second-bedroom manor. When we entered the main hall of the courtyard, we saw that a nice banquet had been set up. Apparently someone had come back in advance to arrange it.

"Come on, come on, dear nephew, don't be polite. It's just a simple meal to cushion your stomach!" Xue Xun greeted him to sit down. This time, only two people were present. "Thank you, uncle!" Zhou Yang smiled and held his hands, and said after the guests and hosts took their seats, "My nephew saw that this fleet used the same flat-bottomed boats that are common on rivers, but they are much larger. As far as my nephew knows, this kind of boats are Ships on the sea may not be able to withstand the wind and waves, right? When my nephew was in Nanyang, he often saw sea-going ships used by Westerners. The bottom of the ship was wedged into the sea like a knife, and the ship traveled extremely smoothly. "

"I've seen this kind of sea-going ship before!" However, it doesn’t matter if the boat is small, as long as the size is slightly larger, it will be difficult to ensure the strength of the hull, and overall the gains outweigh the losses.”

"Is that so?" Zhou Yang was stunned for a moment and understood. It would be really weird if he used the technology of building flat-bottomed boats to build a "V" shaped bottom. "My nephew heard that the West has advanced shipbuilding and cannon technology." Many have adopted this design on a large scale because they have mastered the 'keel' technology. The specific operation is unknown, but the general principle is"

"Is that so?" After listening to Zhou Yang's introduction, Xue Xun has been engaged in sea trade for a lifetime. I realized right away that this design was completely feasible! "I have long heard that this technology existed during the Song Dynasty, but unfortunately it has been lost."

"It doesn't matter, this technique is not complicated. It's just a matter of trying it more. You can start with a small boat." Zhou Yang smiled and used his chopsticks to make a "V" shape on the table. "Westerners often use this shape on the bottom of their boats to cut into the water. The stability of the ship is greatly increased. It would be better if it is a larger transport ship. The angle does not need to be too large. Almost all warships are as sharp as a knife.

My nephew heard that the most advanced warships in the West all adopt this design. The displacement can be between [-] to [-] tons, and the draft is several feet deep. When traveling on the sea, as long as there are no big waves, , the hull is almost as stable as flat ground, and its adaptability in all aspects is much higher than that of flat-bottomed boats. "

"Warship?" Xue Xun frowned, but still didn't dare to answer.

"Since the second uncle knows the rules of 'trade with a sword', he naturally also understands the pain of having only silver and no cannons." Zhou Yang looked at Xue Xun seriously and said, "This deep 'V' shaped boat is more stable than a flat-bottomed boat. It is also stronger, can carry more cargo, and is also convenient for installing more artillery. My nephew has never seen the largest one, but I have heard of a battleship with two thousand materials, which is enough to install over a hundred cannons!"

"What?" Cannons, it’s very difficult to get two big general cannons. A maximum of three or five cannons on the ship will be considered powerful, but if you install a hundred cannons, will you directly sink the ship?”

"Second uncle, Western merchants and navies often don't have a reputation for benevolence and justice. When they do business with strong men, they might turn into pirates if they get a chance." Zhou Yang said with a smile, "This My second uncle must have felt this, but in the eastern waters, most of the people we encounter are Westerners armed on board. If we encounter something like this that Westerners call a 'battleship' one day, I'm afraid it won't be easy to handle!"

"In that case." Xue Xun slowly sipped his wine glass and pondered for a long time, then slowly raised his head and said, "I will try it at my own shipyard first, but regarding this weapon, yesterday I sent someone to send a message in advance, the latest gun The gun has fully reached the performance standards required by my nephew, but the artillery has not yet.

It was originally expected that this strengthened/wheel-mounted Tiger Crouching Cannon should weigh less than [-] kilograms and have a range of [-] steps or be covered with iron sand at a distance of [-] steps. However, due to technical reasons, the performance was not good. The problem is that the weight has increased by less than half. If you want to have enough artillery to ship, simply rely on the government to "scrape" it, I am afraid that it will be useless in the Year of the Monkey. "

"Second uncle, the production of firearms, even swords, is not just about making them. In fact, it depends more on the advancement of materials." After Zhou Yang finished speaking, looking at Xue Xun's blank expression, you knew that he didn't understand at all, "Simpler It is said that only better iron materials can be used to cast better artillery, and of course the technology can also be improved."

"Are you talking about the small blast furnace?"

"It doesn't matter, we have plenty of time now." Zhou Yang breathed a sigh of relief, as long as he was still willing to invest money in research and development, "It's not just iron smelting and artillery, the matchlock gun provided by my nephew is actually on the verge of elimination among Westerners, just because It's cheap, and there are still many people using it. Their main equipment now has been replaced by self-generated fire guns.

In addition, new keel ships also take time, and our own watertight compartment technology has long been established. Just take your time. Time doesn't matter. It doesn't matter for one or two years. At least for now, looking at the entire Zhou Dynasty, No one can surpass us, thanks to the hard work of the second uncle, and another toast to the nephew! "

(End of this chapter)