Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 332 Song Yingxing's Military Order

Zhu Youjian didn't reprimand Liu Kongzhao, Bo Chengyi, on the contrary, he also thought that in the future, Liu Kongzhao might be allowed to enter the Ministry of Rites and be in charge of the foreign affairs of the empire, because in Zhu Youjian's current eyes, Liu Kongzhao is very suitable to be a diplomat.

And Liu Kongzhao also felt relieved, and began to tell Zhu Youjian how huge the hull of the first-class sailing warship was and how fierce the artillery fire was.

Zhu Youjian also knows a little about first-class sailing warships, and also knows that this kind of warship is the most advanced warship in the world. Before the appearance of steam-powered iron-clad ships, its status in this era is undoubtedly equivalent to the "aircraft carrier" of later generations.

You must know that even when Britain became the world's strongest maritime empire in the mid-eighteenth century, there were only five such first-class sailing warships.

Liu Kongzhao's ability to build a ship for Daming is undoubtedly indispensable. At least Daming has a template for building a first-class sailing warship, which can be of great help to Daming Zhijiang Shipyard.

Zhu Youjian officially named the battleship "Stubborn John" as "Sincerity Bo" in recognition of Liu Kongzhao's merits.

Although this is not the first-class sailing warship built by Daming himself, it is the beginning of the first most advanced warship in the world owned by Daming.

Of course, there is still a big gap between such a first-class sailing warship and the treasure ship built by the Ming Dynasty at the beginning of the country.

However, treasure ships consume a lot of materials. In today’s Ming Dynasty, it is difficult to produce sufficient and suitable wood. Moreover, the shipbuilding technology and navigation technology left by Zheng He when he sailed to the West was concealed by Liu Daxia, Minister of the Ministry of War of the Hongzhi Dynasty. Whether it was burned or burned has made it very difficult for the Ming court to determine.

In addition, the move to the south was also in a hurry, and the six classics were packed away in a hurry, and no one knew whether they could find them.

Zhu Youjian could only let the officials of the Daming Academy of Sciences in the old files of the Ministry of War and the old files of the Ministry of War in Nanjing, and even asked Dongchang to secretly investigate whether private bibliophiles all over the world might have information about Zheng He's voyages and treasure ships. All the spies went to the Qing court to investigate.

It can be said that Liu Daxia, a civil official back then, caused great difficulties for Zhu Youjian to revitalize the Ming Navy.

The reason why Zhu Youjian did not directly issue an imperial edict to obtain information about Zheng He's voyages to the West.

It's because Zhu Youjian knows that in today's Ming Dynasty, most civil officials are quite resistant to the eunuch's monopoly and going to sea, which is not much different from Liu Daxia back then. If the Ming Dynasty asks for it, I'm afraid it will be destroyed by these people in secret.

Less gossip.

The "Sincerity Bo" first-class sailing warship indeed caused a great shock in Daming. When the towering mast and shiny tall hull appeared on the river outside Yingtianfu City, it had already attracted the attention of many people. The mentioned Song Yingxing, Minister of the Ministry of Scholars and Engineering of Dongge University, hurriedly asked to see Chongzhen Emperor Zhu Youjian.

As soon as Zhu Youjian announced that Song Yingxing came in, Song Yingxing made a request to Zhu Youjian, hoping to give the first-class sailing warship "Sincerity Bo" to their Ministry of Industry, and their Ordnance Institute of the Ministry of Industry will conduct research. There are many things worth learning about large sailing warships with three-layer plywood gun bays.

But at this time, Liu Kongzhao, who hadn't retreated from the side, became a little anxious when he heard it. He spent a lot of money to get the first-class sailing warship, not for the research of Song Yingxing's Ministry of Industry.

Liu Kongzhao was deeply afraid that Zhu Youjian would agree to Song Yingxing in this way, and hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, our navy is currently weak, with only about [-] large warships, but we have to control a large sea area from Shandong to Zhoushan, and we must check and balance it." The Zheng family urgently needs such a battleship! Can't give it to Song Ge!"

"I said that the research and development of technology should be given priority in the arrangements. Since Song Ge is always in need, it is natural to give it, but I want to ask, Song Aiqing, how are you going to study it?"

Zhu Youjian asked.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I intend to take it back to the Shipbuilding Bureau of the Ordnance Institute to dismantle it, and then melt down a few cannons, to see how these Westerners built such a big warship and how to build such a big cannon , Whether the barrel it refines is purely copper, with the skills and holy knowledge taught by His Majesty, I can judge based on the difference in melting point, so that it can be imitated or even improved."

As soon as Song Yingxing finished speaking, Liu Kongzhao became anxious: "No, Your Majesty, you can't promise Mr. Song Ge, this is a first-class sailing warship that I have managed to get!"

"Mr. Song Ge, do you know how many warships there are in the world? There are only five! Even Hong Maofan only has two!"

Liu Kongzhao excitedly raised five fingers to Song Yingxing.

"Okay, the battleship does not need to be dismantled, it is still used by the navy, but the officials and academicians of the Ordnance Institute are allowed to enter for observation and research, and the artillery can be given to the Ordnance Institute two times, one for melting and one for reference." Zhu Youjian went straight down decided, but Liu Kongzhao still wanted to persuade him, and still couldn't bear to give Song Yingxing the two giant cannons, but he had to compromise: "Your Majesty, it's fine to give the Ordnance Institute two giant cannons, but can you prevent them from melting? It will be a little embarrassing if you can't come back, isn't it, and it's also a pity."

"Why, according to Uncle Chengyi, our Ordnance Institute still can't imitate such a cannon."

Song Yingxing was a little dissatisfied at this time, he didn't want others to say that he was not good at the Ordnance Institute.

"Hmph, Mr. Song Ge, it's not that Mr. Liu looks down on you, but the fact that you don't have the ability to build guns and ships. Even the latest naval artillery and field artillery are not all based on the artillery of the Frangji. Have you developed and improved it on the Internet, may I ask, have you developed a new artillery yourself?"

Liu Kongzhao was so angry now that he even directly became dissatisfied with the Ordnance Station.

"You!" Song Yingxing was not very eloquent. He blushed in a moment and had a thick neck, but he didn't know how to refute, but he had to admit in his heart that he was still learning from Western fans in making guns and cannons at the Ordnance Institute. There has never been a better artillery gun developed independently.

"That's enough. Civil and military men in the Manchu Dynasty only know Tang poetry and Song Ci, scholars in the world only know four books and five classics, and most craftsmen can only understand their skills but not understand their principles. How could primitive technology appear so easily? It is not easy to imitate and improve, what are you talking about here, why don't you take charge of the ordnance, and you build me an iron-clad battleship that can travel thousands of miles at sea?"

When Zhu Youjian asked such a question, Liu Kongzhao was at a loss for words: "This humble minister can't do it, but as long as there are humble ministers in this world, he can get it!"

"Your Majesty, I have issued a military order here today. All the ordnance will definitely be turned into an iron-clad warship one day. Although I am ignorant, I don't know how to build an iron-clad warship, and it will travel thousands of miles a day."

Song Yingxing couldn't care less about it for a while, so he made an oath when Zhu Youjian proposed the iron-clad warship.

Zhu Youjian just smiled and didn't reveal the difficulty. After all, it would be good to give the Ordnance Institute a direction.

(End of this chapter)