The expedition has been decided, there is no need to say anything more.
Kuang Ye, the former Minister of War, threw Cao Nai aside and ran to visit the ironclad ship.
I have long heard that ironclads are made of fine iron. It is really incredible that such a big thing can float in the water and drive away.
He is almost seventy years old this year, and his body is still very strong. Moreover, he is very interested in these new weapons and equipment.
Although he had made a lot of preparations in advance and had imagined what the armored ship would look like, when he actually arrived at the port and saw the behemoth in front of him, the visual impact and spiritual shock were beyond words. .
The hull is forty-eight feet long and seventy-five feet wide.
This size is slightly smaller overall than the flagship of Zheng He's voyages to the West, but the width is only narrower, and the length is even a little longer.
The difference between the two is that Zheng He's treasure ship was a cargo ship, with a wide body and a flat bottom, and a huge space, just like a big house, which could accommodate many people and carry a lot of cargo.
Ironclad ships are warships, with long bodies and pointed bottoms. They can sail extremely fast and have a steel hull, like a mobile fortress on the sea.
Of course, even though it is a body of steel, it is only a combination of wood and steel.
The keel at the bottom of the ship is made of fine steel, and the hull is made of fine fir and pine wood. After ten months of drying, the wood is then wrapped with iron armor.
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This is not done to save money. The whole country's manpower and material resources have been used to build this ship, so money is not an issue.
The main reason is the insufficient power of the steam engine.
If the entire hull is made of steel, its weight will be too huge. Even if the four-cylinder is fully turned on, it will not be able to guarantee the movement of the ship, let alone the endurance.
Using wood as a lining and steel as a shell is enough to withstand artillery attacks in this era, and it can also act as a shock absorber. Even if two ships collide, the damage can be minimized.
Look at the thickened armor on the bow. It looks like a sharp chisel. If it were an ordinary ship, it would be smashed directly...
Kuang Ye could not help but marvel, and then went to each cabin.
As soon as I walked to the fuel bunker, I was greeted by the choking smell of coal smoke, accompanied by the huge noise of the steam engine. Even if you don't get seasick, you will never feel good.
Afterwards, he visited the artillery in the bottom cabin and even dined on the ship with the soldiers.
The food is good, but the environment here is really not that good.
The noise is loud, the odor is strong, and some closed spaces are poorly ventilated and exude a musty smell. In short, the seemingly glorious ironclad is actually the silent efforts of thousands of people.
Kuang Ye felt deeply, returned to the shore, and immediately asked to see the saint.
Zhu Qizhen was studying the nautical chart and said without raising his head: "The Qing family went to visit the iron-clad ship?"
"Back to the emperor, I was deeply moved when I saw the armored ship!"
"Oh?"
Zhu Qizhen then raised his head, smiled, and asked: "How do you feel?"
"That's great!"
Kuang Ye was still immersed in shock and said with emotion: "I am lucky enough to see this ship, and I will die without regrets!"
"I'm just asking you how you feel, why are you still alive and dead?"
"Old minister... I'm so excited. Your Majesty, this ship is really, really..."
Seeing Kuang Ye's incoherent expression, Zhu Qizhen had no choice but to say: "Let's talk about the battle route. What do the Qing family think of this battle?"
"Combat route..."
Kuang Ye calmed down his excitement, walked forward and looked at the map.
The routes and major ports along the way have been marked on the map, including the situation of each small island, whether there is any water, etc.
At this time, the importance of Peng Qing's voyages to the West was reflected. Much of the information on this map was verified by him personally.
On the route, the most eye-catching sign is an island at the southern end of Linyi Prefecture.
Kuang Ye looked carefully and saw the word "Ma Island" written on it.
"Your Majesty, what's so special about this island?"
"This is a base for the Eastern Roman Navy."
Zhu Qizhen clicked on the map and said: "This island is located between the Zhenzhou Kingdom and the Champa Kingdom. Its ownership has always been controversial. Since the Champa Kingdom was transferred to the Ming Dynasty, the Zhenzhou Kingdom was briefly After occupying it for a period of time, we voluntarily withdrew. We, the Ming Dynasty, were all over the place, and we only had an island. We didn’t want to compete with the Zhenwa Kingdom, but we didn’t expect that those foreign devils would take advantage of it.”
Kuang Ye looked left and right on the picture, and he seemed to be able to understand it, but he couldn't understand it.
Because he really doesn’t understand navigation...
Zhu Qizhen had no intention of counting on him. On this map, in addition to the hydrological data surveyed by Peng Qing, there was also the enemy situation detected by Jin Yiwei.
Since the day when the voyages to the West resumed, Jinyiwei has established a Western Thousand Household Office, and the Yamen is located in Fuzhou.
Later, it was upgraded to the Western Town Fusi, and the Zhenfu Si Yamen also moved to Linyi. This place is deep in Southeast Asia, and there are many merchant ships coming and going around, so it is very convenient to explore the news.
According to intelligence, after the Eastern Romans were defeated, one of the queens escaped from the mainland with a navy and came to the east.
The specific location of their base camp is not yet clear, but there are many strongholds from the west of Ma Island.
The Eastern Romans obviously hoped to make a comeback. With strong ships and cannons in their hands, they continued to develop and expand their power. They invaded small countries in the Southeast Asia, captured men as slaves, built houses and bases, and abused women at will. It’s miserable.
At this time, it had been more than two years since the Ming Dynasty opened the sea. Some Han people began to go abroad and develop overseas. However, they were robbed and murdered by these foreign devils.
They not only occupied land, killed and enslaved local natives and Han people, but also established a large number of ports, with the intention of taking the entire Southeast Asia as their own.
When Kuang Ye heard this, his eyebrows stood up and he cursed: "Your Majesty, you told me earlier. If I knew that these foreign devils were behaving like this, I would never dissuade them and would definitely support the expedition with all their strength!"
Zhu Qizhen shook his head and said: "This information is the latest to be obtained, and I just learned about it."
"You son of a bitch stole our armored ship blueprints and killed our Ming people. They are simply lawless!"
After Kuang Ye finished scolding, he seemed to feel annoyed and said: "Your Majesty, why not issue an edict to the Southeast Asian countries and let them go out together to kill these foreign devils!"
"That's not necessary. Nanyang is a small country, and its national strength is already weak. Letting them join the fight will only hold us back."
"Your Majesty, what is the strategy for this expedition?"
"Tactics are..."
Zhu Qizhen paused and said slowly: "Sail the boat over and blast it with cannons!"
Kuang Ye was stunned for a moment and asked: "No more?"
Zhu Qizhen nodded: "No more."
Kuang Ye thought for a moment, and then said: "Okay, let's blast him!"