Lord of Ming Dynasty

The inspection team is huge and secretive.

The huge size is due to the collection of nearly [-] guards, guards, and personal guards, as well as some accompanying Privy Council and Political Council, and even old confidantes of the Advisory Council, as well as one or two cabinet ministers.

The secret is that the team is divided into teams of a hundred people, and they walk quietly, passing the county without entering, and passing through the prefectural city, they just stop and take a rest. Chengcai stopped and circled carefully, inspecting the local work and observing the people's sentiments.

In fact, this is not the main purpose of Zhang Qiang, the main purpose is the general direction, and the place that can reflect the strength of the Chinese Empire, the place of glory, such as the navy, the naval station of the Dagu Fort closest to the capital, and the Royal Navy Fleet .

The Royal Navy Fleet, since its establishment 30 years ago, after the flying clippers and iron sail warships came out, the second batch of four warships was obtained, and then followed Zhang Qiang to fight against the Western Allied Forces and the Spaniards against Zheng Zhi and Zheng Jing outside Luzon Island He shined brilliantly in the naval battle. After returning, the Royal Navy Fleet has been stationed at the exit of the Yangtze River in Jinling Mansion, helping the Yangtze River Naval Guard to guard the house and protect the exit.

Later, because it was not of much use, it was to show the existence of the royal family. In fact, it also showed Zhang Qiang's prestige, making it more and more luxurious and bigger and bigger. Because it has been parked on the pier for many years as a showy existence, a lot of money was wasted.

From the original four or five ships to twelve, and finally to thirteen, one flagship, two frigates, and ten new warships with excellent combat capabilities, each new improvement has been enlarged and decorated. More luxurious cruisers and battleships in the future.

The tonnage also increased from the original 780 tons, first 880 tons, 920 tons, 380 tons, then 27 tons, [-] tons, [-] tons, [-] tons, [-] tons, and [-] tons. [-] tons, [-] tons, it has been [-] or [-] years since then, and the expansion of the intermediate tonnage has also stopped, but the luxury maintenance and gradual increase have not stopped.

Every time a new type of warship comes out, the warships assigned to the Royal Fleet are always luxuriously decorated, and their appearance is mighty and domineering or gorgeous. In fact, their combat effectiveness is half as low as that of the new type of warships. Later, their combat effectiveness is getting lower and lower, and their speed is not as good as The newly commissioned new warships are fast, but their speed has dropped by at least one knot. The faster the speed, the more freely they can advance and retreat in battle. The bigger the artillery, the closer the artillery fires. Compared with the new warships, other naval forces need to fight The configuration of the warship is much lower, it is just a big guy with a powerful appearance.

The combatants and commanders assigned to the Royal Fleet were originally just experienced sailors and combat-experienced soldiers and officers. Later, because of the existence of the fleet, the selected personnel became younger and more gorgeous, and finally became the ceremonial fleet. Sometimes it becomes a place where the navy eliminates personnel or exiles some disobedient personnel. Maybe many people in the old ship are very powerful or have rich experience, but many people are actually not transferred here normally, but were transferred here. The naval battle fleet was despised and exiled, or it was here to retire.

Zhang Qiang previously paid attention to the battles of opening up Australia, Indonesia, and marching into the Western Regions. Later, he paid attention to the immigration work in various places, thinking about using the population to occupy those newly opened territories, and at the same time attack the Qing Dynasty. Facing the battle on land, the navy is almost useless. The Westerners were kicked out of the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, and India, the jewel in the crown of the British Queen, was also confined to land. There was almost no strength at sea that could fight against the Chinese navy, so the navy became useless.

In addition to transporting immigrants to Australia, Luzon, Malacca, Indonesia and other places, it is to transport troops, supplies, or to eliminate small groups of pirates that continue to emerge.

This is a few years when there are things to do. When Australia is stable, Luzon Island is fully occupied, Indonesia is captured, and Malacca becomes the maritime gateway of the Chinese Empire. After a few years, the immigration work is coming to an end, and the naval fleet becomes a sea patrol. The old-fashioned fleet has been kept in development, but has been maintained on a small scale. Due to the cancellation of missions, the number of ships needed by the fleet has gradually shrunk, and the number of old-style warships produced by new ones is increasing. There are more and more ships, and the navy of the Chinese Empire is also shrinking in an all-round way.

Up to now, the total number of warships kept by the Huaxia Navy is only [-]. The new warships researched over the years, after producing dozens of old warships, were replaced by new warships immediately. Many wooden warships were sold, or Dismantled, and then more and more warships that have increased over the years are dismantled, and the number of new replacement warships and new warships produced every year is small. There are no more than a hundred new warships used for ocean routes, steam ships, and the others are dozens of year-by-year warships that have been eliminated after each research, and their combat effectiveness is uneven.

Although the most economical method is used to replace the old ships, the number of old ships after 20 years of accumulation is still quite a lot, exceeding the sum of the warships currently in service, reaching more than 2000 ships.

The newly developed and finalized battleship with the largest tonnage by the Huaxia Empire is a [-]-ton steam ironclad ship.

Chapter 89 Steam Battleship

As the team progressed, Zhang Qiang spent more than [-] days going around the bay to inspect some important places near Yanjing, and then went straight to the station of the Royal Fleet.

The Royal Fleet now has 36 warships. In addition to the thirteen previously mentioned, the thirteen old warships have been replaced and updated, and the new ones have been added in the past two years, 23 warships.

As the Royal Fleet, as a majestic fleet, the Royal Fleet is very close to the commercial and civilian ports, while the First Fleet, the Yellow Sea Fleet port is on an island dozens of kilometers away, while avoiding some foreign secret agents Snooping, because the Royal Fleet is a fleet that shows majesty, and the real combat fleet is a fleet that must remain mysterious, and people cannot discover the true performance, quantity, and size.

To put it bluntly, the Royal Fleet is far behind in terms of face and fleet combat effectiveness, but that is also better than the fleet combat effectiveness of the Chinese Empire. If compared with other fleets of other countries that do not have steam engines and no iron armor, this Royal Fleet still throws them away One hundred and eight thousand miles.

It wasn't until the 18th century that the American ironclad monsters came out, which caused a wave of ironclad ships. In the 19th century, the development of steam engine warships was in full swing, and they were quickly updated like clockwork. The British Empire Only with a hundred warships and thousands of other auxiliary warships, he dominates the world.

Now in this historical line, the British, Spaniards, and Dutch have seen the sailing ironclad ships of the Chinese Empire 30 years ago.

Thirty years have passed, and the British must have made progress. Some merchant ships from the British are covered in iron armor, but they are still sails. From this, it can be inferred that the progress of the British warships should be better, or more advanced, and the steam engine China has been in existence for more than ten years. When the Qing Dynasty fought against Britain and Russia, the British must have learned that in recent years, steam engines have been replaced by charcoal trains and horse-drawn trains.

Whether it is Russia, Turkey, or Sweden, they all know it quite well. It is impossible for the UK not to know. They must have been conducting related research or exploration. Although they don’t know, Zhang Qiang and the people in the Military Intelligence Department agree that it may not reach the level of the boiler. , After some modification, it may be possible to carry out the application of charcoal trains, but in fact it is still too far away.

The learning and application of the British Charlene, maybe one or two years later, the UK may also experience leaps and bounds, such as learning the steam engine technology, or seeing the finished steam engine, this is unstoppable, the British will definitely bring the finished steam engine Appeared in Britain and continental Europe, which led to the acceleration of the development of steam engines there.

However, it may take five or six to ten years. Compared with China's exploration and development, and the guidance of Zhang Qiang, a traveler, the British will certainly not be able to catch up with China's technological level.

Of course, this is Zhang Qiang’s judgment. After all, the Military Intelligence Department is an Asian face. He went to the West to integrate into Europe. In Europe, where nobles and lords are regarded, status is emphasized, and the hierarchy is quite strict, even if they are recruited from Turkey, Sweden, and Russia. It is also impossible for manpower to integrate into the local area and get much beneficial information.

But no matter what, the Huaxia Empire is the owner of the best steam warship, at least no one in the world can compete with China's naval fleet.

The 36 battleships of the Royal Fleet will usher in a new round of refitting, a [-]-ton steam battleship.

Maybe the 200-ton steam warship is in the historical line of later generations, and the Qing Dynasty will laugh at Zhang Qiang. The German and British warships we bought are larger and more advanced than this, but in this world, it is far from the invasion of Western powers in later generations. The Qing Dynasty, after [-] years of colonizing the Qing Dynasty, the Chinese Empire now has a single technology, but it is at the forefront of the world.

With the sound of the siren, the largest flagship, [-] tons, set sail like a hill, with thick black smoke floating above its head, and two large chimneys, one meter thick and more than ten meters high, sprayed out. The thick smoke covered the sky and the sun, but it gave the [-]-ton steam warship the power to displace [-] tons of seawater.

Standing on the front deck, the two 150mm single-barreled cannons made by the Chinese Empire can take care of the shooting range of 210 degrees on the left and right sides at the same time. The target strike within the range reaches 210 meters, ten miles, the effective range reaches 5000 meters, and the best range reaches 200 meters. At 800 meters, it is no problem to hit any warship, even a steam iron armored warship. Down.

The cruising speed is six knots, and the maximum speed is 16 knots, which is almost the maximum speed that can be achieved in this era.

The heavier the hull, the greater the power, but relatively speaking, the power of the current steam engine is still a bit small. Four boilers and two coupling shafts are used to handle this 17-ton warship. Each of the two shafts outputs ten knots Usually use one speed power, and use two in turn. When chasing or fleeing in battle, use two propellers and two propellers together, and the maximum speed can be [-] knots. However, the maximum output in general battles is only twelve The speed from knots to [-] knots is enough to deal with any battleship or fleet in this world. When the maximum power output is reached, it is time to escape. It is not allowed to use two shafts at the same time when chasing. The two propellers, because the technology is not up to standard, the failure rate will destroy all the power with frequent use. Without the steam engine, the ship will drift with the tide.

This is not the experimental steam voyage steam warship with sails that was tested a year ago.

The kind that burns coal and charcoal, and there are three huge masts reaching the sky above the head, and soft sails tens of meters wide hang high above the head. Even if the steam engine is turned on to the maximum horsepower, it will reach the current three thousand tons. The speed and agility of the steam warship also require two or three pieces of canvas to be hung on the main mast. The steam engine and the shaft of the ship cannot be damaged by the driving force of the wind. The maximum speed is only twelve knots, and the general cruising speed is six knots. When fighting, it only has a speed of ten or eight or nine knots.

Compared with pure iron sail warships, the operation of steam warships not only increases the number of personnel, but also becomes more complicated. However, the current [-]-ton warship has a slightly reduced number of personnel. Although the reduction is not much, it allows the sailors In case of unfavorable weather conditions, you don’t have to climb all over the mast to furl and hang the sails. If the wind is stronger, you can only cut off the mast, otherwise the storm may overturn the ship.

In short, the new warships have not only caught up with the speed of the iron-clad steam giants that could only appear after 1880, but also their combat effectiveness is not small.

Just such a ship, with two 150mm cannons on the front, and two boilers on both sides of the ship, each with a 150mm main cannon, and a main cannon at the back, and two original [-]-pound cannons on the deck. There are also two [-]-pound guns on the front deck, but they are all [-]-pound cannons.

-------------Chapter Dividing Line---------------

The 120-ton battleship, the flagship of the Royal Fleet, Zhang Qiang, the emperor of the Chinese Empire, not only has so much firepower on the upper deck, but also has a lookout gunner on the upper command cabin. There are five gunners in total, divided into two shifts. , the distance here is already six meters from the deck, and the field of vision is wide. It has a heavy mortar developed by the Chinese Empire, with a caliber of [-]mm. It can fire a variety of ammunition, including incendiary bombs that burn enemy wooden ships, armor-piercing bombs that smash the deck of enemy ships, and improved blooming bombs.

This kind of warship is already similar to the cruiser of the later generations in 188. There are still small mortars in boxes hanging on the empty space on the front and rear decks, and there is a shooting corridor on the platform half a meter below the railing, and there are six pounds There is an 360mm gun with a short barrel that can rotate 80 ​​degrees in the middle of the two chimneys.

The firepower of the battleship considers the long-range suppression firepower of ten miles, the medium-range combat firepower, and the short-range decisive firepower. The turret is used to take into account the three ranges. The enemy fought in the era of colonial sail warships, and the artillery in the middle of the mortar and chimney was used to attack the enemy at a distance of 800 meters to 600 meters, or even 100 meters, while the firepower of the six-pound gun and flintlock gun was used to approach the enemy. Fight hand to hand to prevent the enemy from boarding the ship.

The other 36 new warships are as luxurious and large as ever. Compared with the official warships of the navy fleet, they are also slower and less firepower, and their flexibility is even more incomparable. But what does the Royal Fleet do?

The Royal Fleet is a matter of face, not the main force of the battle. It was originally the main force of the battle when it was established. After it was almost damaged and repaired, it continued to serve as the main battleship of the Royal Fleet until new warships replaced them.

The battleship went out to sea at a speed of six knots and eight knots slightly faster than the cruising speed, then circled the Bohai Sea, fired a few shots, practiced for a while, and then returned home to the fleet station, after which Zhang Qiang took Leading five Royal Fleet warships to patrol the East China Sea Fleet station of the First Fleet and the patrol route of overseas fleets.

Generally speaking, the sea is already very prosperous. Although the Chinese Empire did not conduct effective or frequent trade with other countries or forces, China was originally with Japan, and now the Penglai Prefecture of the Chinese Empire, the Ryukyu Islands, and now the Penglai Prefecture of the Chinese Empire A Zhizhou site is equivalent to a prefecture-level city in a province in later generations, as well as Baodao State, or the Governor-General of Baodao, and Luzon Island. It should be said that Luzon, Luzon is a combination of Manila, Borneo and other places. The Governor's District, Indonesia, the Governor's District of Indonesia, Malacca, the Governor's District of Malacca, Australia, the Governor's District of Australia, the four Southeast Asian countries, and the current Huaxia Empire's east, are collectively called the Southeast Asian Governor's District, but later because Annan merged into the core area, it became the core of the Chinese Empire A state capital of the region, so the Governor-General of Southeast Asia is now Laos, Myanmar, and Siam.

In the future, the area of ​​the Naga Mountains may be added to this Governor's District, because where it is not stable, it is still in war, or it is under military jurisdiction, it belongs to the former fringe area, border war area, and there is nothing to do. The trade in goods, the population is not much, even the immigrants are only a few million, and the millions are scattered in that area and the other developed mountainous areas, dense forests, and alpine areas. The area is also very vast, and it is almost invisible Why, in such a situation, if you want to say what economic and trade things you can come up with, it is a joke. You can only say that it may be occupied by the Han people in the future, and because the Han people consolidated, they will become part of the Chinese Empire in the future.

But the Huaxia Empire has never thought about where to get any income. It is estimated that it will be subsidized. Zhang Qiang hopes that there will be no prodigals in the future or those who seem to be dedicated to the country. If you forget the war, you will be in danger, and if you forget the war, you will perish. Those saints should not cede that area to Western forces or India. No matter where it is bitterly cold for 100 or 1000 years, as long as it still belongs to China, Zhang Qiang will feel at ease. .

Although the trade between these areas and the core area seems to be the trade between the Chinese Empire and itself, it also promotes commercial exchanges. At this time, it is a very correct and positive slogan. In fact, through these With the mutual business exchanges between the inner states and Zhang Qiang's advice, the Huaxia Empire really lacks everything and is self-sufficient.

The ships on the sea shuttle back and forth without stopping, and the goods from the overseas governor's district are continuously transported to the core area by sea ships, and the high-tech goods in the core area are continuously transported to the governor's district. In this way, in 30 years, the number of merchant ships at sea has unexpectedly Thousands of ships, the Royal Fleet, accompanied by the First Fleet, is mighty, and those merchant ships are also fleets, and you can also see sporadic ones of different sizes and models, wood, iron Merchant ships with iron and wood frames, steam engines, sails, and a combination of the two pass by the fleet every half an hour, and then hang flags, whistle, and greet each other.

From this, it can be seen how prosperous the trade between the state capital of the Huaxia Empire itself and the governor's district is.

With the passage of time, the commercial profits of the Chinese Empire are getting higher and higher, and the commercial trade taxes are also getting higher and higher. Although last year invested in the dredging of waterways, the expansion and renovation of steam locomotive railways, and used a lot of tax revenue, this year's Taxes have been able to make up for the huge gap in the previous 20 years of annual large-scale projects, major battles, and marches into Siberia and Central Asia, and the combat expenditures in the Western Regions.

This year is not over yet, fiscal revenue has reached 2000 billion Chinese yuan, plus foreign commercial trade, such as commercial trade with Sweden, Turkey, Persia, Russia, the Qing Empire, military equipment trade, and helping Russia build the main railway line, helping The construction of a railway line in Turkey will generate nearly [-] billion yuan in income. After the division, part of it will be used to make up for losses, subsidize those migrant workers and immigration costs, and part will be returned to the states and localities as local construction costs. The Chinese Empire still has a few The balance of tens of billions can be used for scientific research and development and military expenses.

Due to the abolition of the army, it was used for the abolition of officials, leaving a lot of military expenses. The abolition of officials reduced the administrative expenses of the central and local states, and the governor's district, and saved another 100 billion Chinese yuan, which can be invested in dredging waterways and telegraph lines. construction and development.

Now the telegraph system has been developed several times, and has solved the defects and problems of too much signal noise, too much interference, short transmission distance, and the need to connect many external repeaters to improve and restore the signal.

However, this technology cannot be applied to ships and warships. To apply it on it, wireless telegraphy must be developed. This is not something Zhang Qiang can do.

Chapter 91 Coal Steam Engine Era

The naval fleet is busy replacing new steam engine warships, and the formal construction of coal storage warehouses in various ports of the Chinese Empire is also under construction, and the steam battleships of the Chinese Empire have officially entered the stage.