Emperor Su He led the important civil servants and military officers of the cabinet and the governor's office, and set off on a steam train to Qinhuangdao Port.
The sound of the train can be clearly heard in the carriage.
Some people are smoking and some are drinking tea.
Wang Zhongce, the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, frowned unconsciously when he saw the military general next to him puffing away.
Cigarettes were introduced to Dahua by his elder brother, but he was still not interested in them, and instead felt a little bored.
Wang Zhongce thought of the huge annual tobacco tax, which was the reason why he could tolerate cigarettes.
He looked at the bustling towns on both sides of the railway.
With the completion of railway construction in various places, small towns along the railway have developed rapidly due to the convenience and efficiency of transporting goods.
Many small towns located at railway hubs are developing faster than Fucheng.
Cabinet officials can all see that the development potential of these small towns is much greater than that of the old capital cities.
This also led to the local magistrate's great achievements and rapid promotion.
Now these places are already hot spots for officials to compete for.
Wang Zhongce looked at his colleagues around him. They gathered together in twos and threes to discuss the exploration fleet.
If Dahua really opens up routes to the Americas, what changes will this bring to Dahua?
Wang Zhongce did not participate in this discussion. He has now gradually let go of many things.
He gradually broke away from many factions in the country, and except for some major national affairs, specific affairs were handed over to other cabinet ministers.
Wang Zhongce is already making preparations for him to leave the Dahua Dynasty.
The exploration fleet should have set off long ago according to the original plan, but due to the plague outbreak in Sunchon County.
The entire Shuntian County was isolated from the outside world for more than two months.
Except for important information and materials, all personnel and materials are cut off from the outside world.
In addition to exploring routes to America, the Discovery Fleet also has a special mission, which is to test a complete marine steam engine system.
The factories of Dahua Machinery Company and Dahua Shipbuilding Company in Tangshan Prefecture.
Tangshan Prefecture is far away from the capital, but it is also under the jurisdiction of Shuntian County and is also cut off from the outside world.
The ocean-going ships under construction had to be stopped because parts and materials could not be shipped in.
Even after the plague ended, we tried our best to strive for merit, and all the ships of the exploration fleet were completely delivered just a few days ago.
Wang Zhongce hopes that the exploration team can succeed and open up a route from Dahua to the Americas.
Not surprisingly, most of these potential princes will choose to go to America to found a country.
There is no established country on the American continent, and even a civil servant like him can defeat the indigenous tribes of the Americas.
Wang Zhongce had heard the Spaniards brag about their achievements before.
There was a huge Inca empire in South America.
The Inca Empire was destroyed by the Spanish with several smallpox-infected corpses.
A country that had never been exposed to smallpox had no ability to deal with a plague of this scale. A large number of people died, and there was no rooster crowing in ten houses and nine miles away.
The huge country of the Inca Empire was directly defeated by a plague.
When Wang Zhongce saw Emperor Su He frowning, he comforted him and said: "Your Majesty, I think that with the Spanish leading the way.
Exploring the fleet won't be a big problem.
Those old Spanish merchant ships can pass through the vast ocean, let alone our specially customized ships."
Grand Governor Li Fengming followed up and said: "Your Majesty, the crew of the exploration fleet are all selected from the most elite soldiers in the navy.
They are completely loyal to the court and have superb navigation skills. If they encounter a large-scale natural disaster, I believe they will not be completely wiped out.
As long as one or two ships can return to duty safely, we will be able to obtain data on the relevant routes.
The safe routes on the Dahua sea have been explored by generations of fishermen and maritime merchants with their lives.
When we explore waterways, we must pay a certain price.
These elites, even if they encounter extreme situations, get lost.
But with a sextant and a navigational clock, they can find the direction back to Dahua through calculations.
The food and water carried by the fleet are enough for them to survive at sea for a long time."
Emperor Su He listened to the persuasion of the two ministers and just smiled.
None of them guessed what they were thinking.
What Su He is looking at is not the present, relying on the current shipbuilding and ocean-going capabilities of the Great China Dynasty.
Coupled with the west coast of America, the power is still blank.
It was not difficult for the princes of the Great China Dynasty to establish their country on the west coast of America.
The colonists who were driven out of Europe were able to gain a foothold in the Americas.
What's more, Dahua used the power of the country to support the nobles in establishing the country.
As the founding monarch of the country, Su He saw the deaths of millions of people.
The loss of several ships in the exploration fleet would not make him feel too shaken.
The issue he is worried about is how to support and check and balance these vassal states that have established a firm foothold in America in the future.
It should not only allow them to emerge as powerful countries that dominate the Americas, but also allow these countries to have the strength to fight against the Europeans.
To balance these two aspects, there are many problems that need to be solved. Su He has not thought of a solution yet and can only make the best of the situation.
In addition, the distance between Dahua's mainland and America is too far, and Dahua Dynasty cannot react to some situations.
The situation in America could easily escape the control of the imperial court.
He couldn't discuss this kind of matter with his ministers.
These ministers are about to become monarchs who will go to America to found a country, and their interests are completely different.
Su He picked up the tea cup, took a sip of the fragrant hot tea, and said with a calm smile: "I am thinking about other things.
The Exploration Fleet and the Imperial Court are fully prepared.
Unless something too extreme happens, I believe they can return home safely.
Taking this step, we will officially come into conflict with the European countries.
I am now thinking about what attitude we, Dahua, should adopt in dealing with European countries."
…………………………
Qinhuangdao Port, Tangshan Prefecture, Shuntian County, is a military port and is now blocked by the navy.
Su He led the civil and military officials on the hard cement pier and looked at the thirty strange-looking ships in the pier.
These ships are large ships with wooden hulls and steel plate protection at important waterline locations.
There are a small number of naval guns on both sides, and the overall shape is streamlined.
The length of the ship is 88 meters and the width of the ship is 22 meters.
The most distinctive structure of this type of ship is that it has both the large mast common to sailboats and the large smokestack of a steam ship.
There are three tall masts that form a complex sail system to provide power for the ship.
It also has a steam paddle steamer with a huge chimney.
In the center of the ship, there is a very tall chimney.
From a distance, it looks like the ship has four masts.
This large smokestack also showed others that the ship was powered by steam.
Dahua Shipbuilding Company, the largest shipbuilding company in the Dahua Dynasty.
Chief Engineer Wang Tieshi accompanied Emperor Su He.
He introduced to everyone the situation of this type of ocean-going ship.
"This is a specially designed ocean-going vessel based on His Majesty's request and the conditions that the exploration fleet may encounter.
It uses both wind and steam power to survive even the most extreme environments.
As long as there is coal on the ship and the steam engine is not damaged, it can maintain a high speed even in headwinds.
Even if the ship goes against the wind and the sailing battleship pursues it with the wind, as long as the steam engine drives the propeller to run stably, it can escape the pursuit of the battleship.
The special structure of the ship, in addition to being faster, can also be used in various situations.
When the ship is following the wind, it can use sail power to save coal.
Even if the ship is lost on the sea and the coal is exhausted, there is no need to worry about the ship losing power."
Uncharacteristically, these ships were built with two power systems.
The more complex the ship, the more complicated it is to maintain and the cost of construction is extremely high.
If this kind of hybrid ship is not for special missions, building them will not be worth the gain at all.
Su He issued an order to let the shipyard build this kind of ship, mainly for two considerations.
The main ships in Dahua are still mainly sailboats, but ships in the future will inevitably be steam-powered.
The waterway opened by the exploration fleet must be suitable for the passage of these two types of ships.
Choosing hybrid ships can also enhance the fleet’s ability to resist risks.
When a ship encounters an extreme situation and one type of power cannot be used, another type of power is available.
Someone had previously suggested to Su He that steamships and sailing ships could be dispatched to form a mixed fleet.
But this approach is completely unfeasible and the two types of power vessels are mixed.
Their speeds are different and their suitable sea conditions are also different. It is difficult for them to keep moving at the same speed.
After comprehensive consideration and the fact that the military was preparing to experiment with a new steam propeller power system, Suhe ordered the construction of this unique vessel.
These ships have completed their mission and will be decommissioned at the end of their lifespan, and the number of such ships will not be increased in the future.
Wang Tieshi continued: "One of the main purposes of this exploration fleet is to test the new system of steam engine and propeller to see whether major problems will occur during long-term ocean voyages.
I have confidence in this new system, but if you want others to be convinced, you must have real data to support it."
With the advancement of the steel industry in the Dahua Dynasty, a large number of alloy steels with excellent properties were manufactured.
Several extremely important issues, such as the wear resistance of propeller bearings, have been solved by technological developments.
Advances in machine tool precision and technological advances in the rubber chemical industry.
Let the steam engine overhaul time be extended from half a day to a month.
The stability of the steam engine has made great progress, and there is no problem at all in normal use.
The Navy's test warship has verified the feasibility of the propeller.
One of the missions of this exploration fleet is to observe propeller-driven ships. What problems will occur if they sail at sea for a long time?
After this technology matures, steam power will replace sails and become the main power source for ships.
At that time, ocean-going merchant ships no longer need to calculate the wind direction, and can ignore the wind direction and travel to any place in the world through the sea.
Emperor Su He praised: "General Engineer Wang, you have done a very good job.
I just made a suggestion at first, but I didn't expect that you could really combine the strengths of the two types of ships to create this kind of ship.
To be able to manufacture this kind of ship, the accumulation of technology is enough.
I hope you can continue your efforts and build a real steamship."
Su He encouraged Chief Engineer Wang Tieshi with a few words, and he led the team to the dock.
As soon as they arrived at the pier, they saw more than 3,000 naval soldiers lining up at the pier to greet them.
When these soldiers saw Su He's arrival, Lu Benyun, captain of the exploration fleet, took the lead, and all the soldiers collectively saluted Su He.
They shouted at the same time: "Long live! Long live! Long live!"
Su He looked at these soldiers and said loudly: "What you are about to do will affect the destiny of Dahua for hundreds of years to come.
The exploration fleet can only succeed and cannot fail.
The sign of success is that you can return to Dahua safely with the information.
You must complete this mission at all costs.
In critical situations, priority is given to ensuring the safety of soldiers.
These ships are not important. The ship is damaged and cannot move. I allow you to sink it into the sea."
Su He knew Dahua's soldiers who valued their ships more than their own lives.
As the emperor, Su He gave them orders to make the fleet's main purpose be to ensure the survival of the crew.
These are the elite soldiers of the navy. After returning from the ocean, they will become the backbone of the navy.
The value of these soldiers is far more than the wooden ships docked at the dock.
Lu Benyun, the captain of the exploration fleet, immediately puffed up his chest and replied loudly: "Your Majesty, please rest assured that I will definitely bring the fleet back intact."
Lu Benyun is very confident, and the exploration fleet cannot compare with the battleships in terms of force.
But its speed is extremely fast, even if the battleship is facing the wind, it cannot catch up.
As long as you stay vigilant at all times and cannot defeat the battleship, there is still no problem in escaping.
What's more, there are no forces that can threaten the exploration fleet near the west coast of America.
Even if European warships do come and conflict with them.
As long as the exploration fleet runs into the sea, those European warships that have not mastered the sextant will not dare to catch up.
Su He looked at Captain Lu Benyun and asked: "Captain Lu, repeat, the main mission of your exploration fleet."
Captain Lu Benyun replied loudly: "Your Majesty, in accordance with the order conveyed by the Governor's Office.
The main mission of our exploration fleet is to open a route to the Americas.
When setting off, we will follow the Spanish route to South America and make relevant charts.
After the exploration fleet docked, explore the situation on the west coast of South America.
Then the squadron was dispatched and returned from the original channel following the chart.
The main force of the exploration fleet went north to North America, learned information about North America, and opened a route from North America to Dahua.
The task of exploring the fleet is to record everything we see at any time, including the fleet ships and people on board, as well as the local conditions in America."
Su He listened to Captain Lu Benyun's report and nodded with satisfaction.
The mission of this exploration fleet is mainly to open up routes and record all information along the way.
For Zhao Wang Su Xiong and Cao Wang Li Dazhuang, explore the situation on the west coast of America in advance.
They learned the location information of North and South America from the Spanish and English people.
North America is located at about the same latitude as mainland China, and the latitude of central America is about the same as that of the Southeast Asia region.
South America can go directly to Luzon Island, and North America can definitely go directly to Dahua mainland.
The exploration fleet has a sextant that can determine the fleet's position on the earth.
By calculating the latitude and longitude, you can know the location of the ship and the direction of the target.
The exploration fleet may take some wrong paths, but it will not get lost in the vast sea.
Only when the relevant technology matured did Su He decide to let the exploration fleet set off.
Su He stepped forward, patted Captain Lu Benyun on the shoulder, and gave the order: "Get aboard and set off."