Chapter 456: A chasm can also become a smooth road
The emperor wanted to board the ship by boat.
What they boarded was a new steam warship that was undergoing bombardment tests and upcoming navigation tests, which put Zhang Ergong in a bit of a dilemma.
Today's steam warship is the first new type of warship equipped with steam turbines in the Ming Dynasty. No one knows what will happen to this ship before it is completely determined.
After all, many explosion accidents occurred during the development process of steam engines.
What if at this time today, the steam engine installed in the rear cabin of the warship was blown up?
Zhang Ergong immediately pinched his palms deeply with his fingers to drive this terrifying thought out of his head.
He raised his head and looked carefully at the emperor's grandson beside him, hoping that the emperor would give up the idea of boarding the ship.
Zhu Yunhe stood on tiptoe and glanced at the warships on the river in the distance.
They are almost the same as the ordinary warships of the Ming Dynasty. Even the masts on the cabin deck are still retained and have not been reduced.
At the stern of the ship, there are two huge steel cylinders protruding into the water, connected to the huge propeller blades under the water.
The ramming angle on the bow, which was originally a feature of the warship, was replaced with a steel structure, and the entire bow was wrapped.
This was probably to give the entire warship an even weight. After adding two steam engines in the rear cabin, the collision angle of the bow was changed to ensure that the warship would not be heavier in the rear than lighter in the front.
Looking at the transmission rod that had to be inserted into the water obliquely because of its tightness, Zhu Yunxi really wanted to board the ship and experience it for himself.
Zhu Yunxi glanced at Zhang Ergong and said, "Please help Zhang Ergong arrange a ship for me to wait on board."
Zhang Ergong sighed helplessly and accepted the order.
Then he turned around and arranged with his officials for the emperor, grandson and others to board the ship.
"Let people go back to the ship first and stop the steam engine. Then ask more river boats to swim around the steam warship in case of emergency."
Zhang Ergong's face was solemn. As he served as an official in the court for a long time, he finally realized the rules of the officialdom and the strictness of imperial power.
After receiving the order, his subordinates immediately went to the pier and trestle by the river to arrange things.
At this end, Zhu Yuanzhang had already taken his two eldest grandsons along the outermost shipbuilding platform to the riverside dock.
Even after watching them for a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang was still curious and excited about the ships under construction on the shipbuilding platform around him.
He waved his hand and pointed to the largest warship under construction on the platform: "This is the Navy's treasure ship with five thousand materials, right? How long will it take to complete this ship?"
"Your Majesty, in the past, this five-thousand-material treasure ship, apart from the preparation of materials and work, would have taken a whole year at the Longjiang Shipyard to build it on this shipbuilding platform alone."
Zhu Yuanzhang shook up his clothes, put his hands behind his back, and looked sideways at Zhang Ergong: "So, it's faster now?"
Zhang Ergong raised his hand towards Zhu Yunxi and said: "I have discussed with His Highness a while ago and found a way to work in parallel. Now, even with this treasure ship of five thousand materials, the Longjiang Shipyard can complete it within ten months.
Get into the water.”
Zhu Yuanzhang was suddenly curious: "What method did you come up with after discussing with Taisun?"
Zhang Ergong nodded repeatedly and praised: "His Royal Highness Taisun is really talented and intelligent, which is beyond the reach of the humble ministers. The achievements that the humble ministers have today are all due to His Highness Taisun. Your Highness often has strange and wonderful ideas.
If Wei Chen and others are enlightened, things will go more smoothly."
Zhu Yunxi was a little helpless. In the entire court, only Zhang Ergong could say this. What was even more helpless for him was that even Zhang Ergong had now become a bit "glib".
Zhu Gaochi on the side said: "There are records that Qin has a method of working together. Qin's powerful crossbows and weapons are assigned to one place. I think Brother Xi wants to learn from this."
Zhu Yuanzhang became more and more satisfied after hearing this.
The old man nodded with satisfaction: "It is better to study. It is best to read more and use everything in the book."
As he said that, the old man looked at Zhu Yunxi with encouraging eyes.
"I've been doing pretty well lately."
Zhu Yunxi quickly bowed and nodded, but muttered a few words in his heart.
These days, because my two cubs are being raised in Qianqing Palace, my status with the old man can be described as sunset, which is very different from the past.
Zhu Yuanzhang seemed very excited today, and his eyes kept patrolling the shipbuilding platform.
Whenever he saw something new, he would drag his left minister, Zhang Ergong, to inquire about the details.
It's just that Zhang Ergong always blurted out the names of unfamiliar shipbuilding craftsmanship. Zhu Yuanzhang didn't try to understand, but just asked Zhang Ergong to explain clearly.
It was as if following Zhang Ergong's narration, the old man himself had witnessed the whole process of shipbuilding.
The road of more than two hundred feet was quickly completed with Zhu Yuanzhang's strong desire for knowledge.
On the pier at the riverside pier, several transferred river boats have already been parked.
In the Jiajiang River between Jiangxinzhou and the shore, on the steam warship that had lowered its anchor, at the top of the tallest mast, a watchman held the mast with his hands, looking towards the shore from time to time, and sometimes lowering his head, as if he was walking through the river. The person above informed the emperor of his location.
"Grandpa, be careful."
Seeing that the old man was about to get on the river boat in high spirits, Zhu Yunxi shouted softly, stepped forward quickly, lightly crossed the pier and the side of the ship, stopped on the deck, and reached out to the old man who was a little unsteady.
Zhu Yuanzhang held Zhu Yunxi's arm tightly with his palms, and then he stopped swaying a little because he was not ready to get on the river boat.
After the grandfather and grandson had gained a foothold, Zhu Gaochi, Zhang Ergong and others also boarded the cabin deck one by one.
Looking at Jiangxinzhou in front of me, I can see the scene of it constantly rising and falling because of the river boats drifting with the current under my feet.
Zhu Yuanzhang took a closer look.
Zhu Yunxi looked at it quietly and asked, "What's on your mind, grandpa?"
"I was just thinking, how many people from the Central Plains have crossed this thousand-mile river today? To travel between the north and the south, the only way is by ferry." Zhu Yuanzhang patted the railing of the ship in front of him and said softly: "I don't know when, the people of the Central Plains will cross it. Only then can we cross this chasm smoothly."
"The natural chasm will eventually be smoothed out." Zhu Yunxi looked convinced and said with a smile: "Pan Deshan built a water reduction dam with cement on the Yellow River to resist upstream floods and reduce the impact on the downstream.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! If this method is successful, these two great rivers in the Central Plains, as well as the countless rivers, can no longer be crossed without boats."
Zhu Yuanzhang's heart suddenly trembled.
He was just imagining it, but he didn't expect to hear the actual feasibility from his eldest grandson.
Zhu Yuanzhang immediately turned around and reached out to grab Zhu Yunxi's wrist: "Brother Xi! Say what you just said again!"
The old man's voice was a little loud, even trembling.
This caused Zhu Gaochi and Zhang Ergong to look sideways.
Zhu Yunxi chuckled: "Bridges in the Central Plains have always been made of stone and wood. Due to their texture, the spans are only a few hundred meters at most. But like the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, the rivers are deep and fast, and the bridges span across them, regardless of the quality of the materials used to build the bridges.
The speed of the water alone would destroy all the bridges."
"How can cement ensure that the bridge built will not be washed away?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked urgently, his eyes full of expectation.
"Sun'er and Pan Deshan conducted a derivation on the construction of water reduction dams on the Yellow River. Build a dam upstream to intercept the diversion of the river water, clean up the river bed silt at the water reduction dam, dig deep to the bottom, pour cement piers, and build up layer by layer. After the cement piers solidify, then
Clearing the upstream dam will reduce the amount of water flowing into the dam."
Zhu Yunxi came slowly and looked calm.
He and Pan Deshan, just like he and Zhang Ergong, often come up with a feasible solution to a problem.
As for how to solve it, Pan Deshan, Zhang Ergong and others still have to explore it in detail.
All I have is knowledge that is not available in this era. How to implement it requires specialization in the art.
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and thought carefully, but he also remembered that the governor of the river had written a memorial a few days ago, which mentioned the water reduction dam.
The old man said, his face became solemn, and his tone became deeper: "What does the water reduction dam have to do with crossing this big river? Brother Hei, if our country can turn the natural chasm of this big river into a smooth road, do you know
How big an impact is it?”
Zhu Yunxi nodded.
He thought for a moment about the sentence "Today the chasm will become smoother."
A slight smile on his face.
"My grandson knows it well." Zhu Yunxi explained in a soft voice: "If the natural chasm becomes a smooth road, I will no longer need to borrow the power of boats to travel north and south for the people. And merchants can also save the cost of boats when doing business, and the goods can be transported again.
At the place of sale, the people can save the purchase price."
Having said this, Zhu Yunxi paused for a while and looked at the old man.
Finally, he continued: "And the most important thing is that if all the rivers in the world can be made smooth, our army will march south and north and fight with great speed. The horses will not stop, and the army will march forward day and night.
When the troops are dispatched according to the weather, there is no need for time-consuming boats. The iron hooves cross the rivers and go straight to the outside of the Nine Frontier Fortress. There is no obstruction, and the speed of the march is doubled."
How long does it take for a Beijing army of ten thousand people to set off from Yingtian City to Xuanfu Town?
Not to mention the journey ahead.
Just crossing the Yangtze River outside the city from Yingtian City and setting foot in the land north of the Yangtze River would take a whole day.
Navy warships need to dock at Longwan Pier to transport more than 10,000 soldiers to the north of the Yangtze River, and they also need to transport war horses, ordnance, grain and other military supplies.
If there is a bridge across the river, it will only take an hour for 10,000 troops to march north.
The old man's eyes have begun to shine.
Zhu Yunxi coughed lightly: "As long as Pan Deshan's cement water reduction dam is built, it means that the court can use the method of cement water reduction dam to lay piles under the river surface, raise them above the water surface, and then build bridge decks on them.
At that time, there will be no need to worry about the erosion of the rivers, and we will be worry-free for a hundred years, and by then the natural chasm will be smooth."
Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath. He didn't know anything about building bridges, but he knew that as long as the piles of these cement water reduction dams could really withstand the erosion of the river water, then building a bridge across these piles would definitely be a feasible method.
.
Bang bang.
Zhu Gaochi, who was not far away, bumped Zhang Ergong next to him with his elbow.
He turned to look at the simple new left minister of the Ministry of Industry, and whispered: "If I remember correctly, the minister is also involved in the cement matter. Can you take what Brother Xi said today seriously?"
Zhang Ergong frowned slightly.
He burned cement, built steam engines, trains, and steam warships. After all, what he was engaged in was different from regulating rivers and building bridges.
I just thought about it a little and estimated the plasticity and solidity of cement.
After Zhang Ergong pondered for a long time, he finally said: "As long as Governor Pan's cement water reduction dam can really be erected in the Yellow River, then what His Highness said is absolutely feasible!"
In just a short while, Zhang Ergong had already thought of a construction method.
Even if the cement water reduction dam is unreliable, as long as it can stand in the river and resist the erosion of the water, the most important thing is to shorten the distance between the cement piers.
Constructing the cement piers higher can also prevent possible major floods in the future.
As long as the bridge deck is high enough, there is no need to worry about being washed away by the current.
After thinking about it, Zhang Ergong had already begun to figure out in his mind which places on the upper and lower reaches of the Yangtze River outside Yingtian City could be used by the imperial court to build cross-river bridges.
At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang was so immersed in the fantasy of turning the natural chasm into a smooth road that he himself did not realize that he had been holding the hand of his eldest grandson tightly.
"Grandpa, we've arrived. It's time to get on the boat."
Zhu Yunxi endured the swelling pain in his wrist and looked at the river boat that was already leaning next to the steam warship for connection, and immediately called softly.
"Huh? Ah!"
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes flashed, and he looked up at the huge warship that blocked his entire field of vision. He quickly lowered his head and frowned, and let go of his eldest grandson's arm that he had always held in his hand.
Because of the test, there are currently no officers and soldiers on this Ming Dynasty's first steam warship. There are only a few sailors and gunners who can sail the complex warship normally, and a large number of craftsmen. Several people from the Longjiang Shipyard have been awarded imperial positions.
The craftsman officer is here.
Since Zhang Ergong became an official of the Ming Dynasty as a craftsman, the imperial court also conducted several merit examinations to select craftsmen with sufficient merit or talent from the craftsmen's books under the imperial court and promoted them to craftsman officials.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Although it is only a rudimentary one, its impact is extraordinary.
Passing the rickety staircase hanging on the outside of the ship's side, Zhu Yuanzhang stepped onto the steam warship with great expectations.
The emperor was shocked and shocked today.
He was standing on a warship that was bumping along with the waves, but his face was filled with excitement.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked up and saw a huge mast standing high on the deck. Because it was to be berthed, a design test was conducted on the new artillery assembled to test the fit of the new artillery on the steam warship.
The smell of gunpowder smoke wafting on the deck indicated that the firing tests of the artillery had continued many times.
Zhu Yuanzhang walked on the deck to the side facing Jiangxinzhou, looked at the area on the shore that had been bombarded by artillery, and said casually: "Are those caused by today's test? How accurate is the artillery on the ship? How powerful is it?
How many? If the warship starts to move, can it be guaranteed to remain accurate?"
As the founding emperor of the country, Zhu Yuanzhang was well versed in military affairs, and he pointed out the most important issue of the steam warship in a few words.
Ergong Zhang looked at a green-robed craftsman who had been standing on the deck.
The other party immediately understood and stepped forward.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the new artillery has been improved, and its accuracy is more accurate than the old artillery we used. Now on board the warship, although it is bumpy due to the current, it is guaranteed to be as good as the old artillery. After two rounds of test firing,
Make sure the head is correct.
Previously, I have verified that the shooting accuracy of the new artillery on the warship can be guaranteed after the ship is berthed and anchored.
Next, I will test the accuracy of the artillery fire when the warship is sailing."
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled, nodded repeatedly, and looked pleased.
Zhu Yunxi looked at Jiang Xinzhou for a while and pointed to a dense forest with his hand.
"Go over there and continue shooting for one round."