For Qiao Lianshu, who has been working for Datang Man for several years, Datang Man's current construction of the Ceuta port has given him a powerful warning that exceeded his imagination and expectations.
Because he knew that the Tang Dynasty was planning to build several coastal defense forts, and he was leading the construction of only one of them. But the fort he was leading the construction of actually had more than thirty gun emplacements, large and small.
More importantly, half of the more than thirty gun positions are large gun positions that can be used to deploy heavy artillery of more than 18 pounds. Two of the main gun positions are large enough to deploy six
Fourteen pounder cannon.
This is just one fort, and the Tang Dynasty had three forts under construction at the same time in Ceuta.
This coastal defense fort alone was beyond his expectation.
He also participated in the construction of the coastal defense fort in the Embassy District of the Tang Dynasty in Cadiz in Europe. He knew that the coastal defense fort in Cadiz was enough to be equipped with hundreds of artillery pieces, but it was nothing compared to the fort in Ceuta.
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Naturally, he did not know that it was not that the Tang Navy did not want to deploy a large number of artillery in the embassy area of Cadiz, but that the place was too small and there were not many places suitable for building forts, and the Spanish were chattering on the side.
Otherwise, Datang would not come here to Ceuta. Not only is the strategic location more important, but also because there is no one to complain about it, Datang can do whatever it likes.
As for artillery and so on, the Tang Dynasty actually had a lot of navy!
When the Tang Dynasty Navy put forward rifled guns in service in the early years, it freed up a large number of smoothbore guns. These smoothbore guns were basically useless to the navy, so in addition to selling some to European countries in exchange for funds, there were also a large number of large
caliber smoothbore guns are used as coastal defense guns and deployed in various places.
The large-caliber smoothbore cannon had just been dealt with, but no one expected that the breech-loading rifled cannon came out again.
Naturally, the Navy of the Tang Dynasty would not rest on its laurels and leave breech-mounted rifled cannons unused, so the navy directly decided that not only new ships would be equipped with breech-loaded cannons, but even relatively new battleships would be gradually modified to
Rear mounted cannon to improve combat effectiveness.
After all, today's steam steel battleships are expensive to build and have a relatively long service life. It is still a good ship to replace the artillery. As a result, it is inevitable that a large number of front-mounted rifled guns will be retired early.
It is impossible to export this kind of front-loaded rifled gun, and it is also impossible to just throw it away. The Navy has not yet ruined its fortune to that extent.
Therefore, some of the small-caliber artillery among these front-loading rifled guns, especially the 100mm and 120mm front-loading rifled guns with the largest number of equipment, are installed on auxiliary ships and small ships to replace the original smoothbore guns.
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There are also more 100mm, 120mm front-loading rifled guns, which are ready to be moved onto land together with 150mm, 170mm, 200mm and other large-caliber front-loading rifled guns.
Used as shore defense artillery.
Nowadays, the coastal defense guns on many forts are still smoothbore guns.
As for the breech-loaded guns, they have just begun to be equipped. Priority must be given to ensuring the equipment of the battleships, and the forts will naturally be delayed.
The three large forts built by Datang in Ceuta were intended to deploy front-mounted rifled guns. Even the artillery did not need to be shipped extra. The guns could be removed directly from the warships in the European fleet.
The warship with the artillery dismantled directly returned to the South African port, and then returned to China to prepare for the after-installation of the artillery.
Therefore, in the first phase, Ceuta's coastal defense battery will be equipped with at least twelve 170mm front-loading guns, twenty-five 150mm front-loading guns, and thirty-six 100mm front-loading guns.
Twenty-millimeter and one-hundred-millimeter front-loading guns are expected to be equipped with a total of 63 medium and large-caliber coastal defense cannons.
In addition, about forty ordinary gun positions and four super-large gun positions will be reserved. These four super-large gun positions are prepared for 200 mm front-loading guns. When the time comes, the Seventh Fleet will directly
The main gun was removed from the battleship and installed on top.
The three forts combined are expected to be equipped with a total of 107 artillery pieces, including four 200mm artillery pieces, and the rest are medium and large-caliber cannons of varying calibers.
This firepower is quite powerful. Even if the Tang Dynasty navy comes to attack, it will probably be beaten by the coastal defense batteries.
What's interesting is that the fort is ready to be repaired, and the artillery has been planned and prepared, but the coastal defense artillery stationed there has not yet been deployed.
However, this does not matter about Rear Admiral Ren Zian. He is only responsible for capturing Ceuta and then presiding over the early defense. After taking the credit, how the navy will deal with Ceuta, how to deploy defenses, and how to organize it will be different from what he can do.
It doesn't matter.
The Tang Dynasty Navy made great efforts in the construction of Ceuta. They hired a large number of local Moroccans and a large number of Spaniards to participate in the construction of the city.
Although they are hired according to the market price, indigenous labor is very cheap these days, and many workers are not even paid, and are just paid to stutter.
Those who really get slightly more wages are people like Jon who have been Datang workers for a long time.
However, even for Spanish employees like Jon, who are half of the Tang Dynasty and have obtained a temporary residence permit from the Tang Dynasty, their salary levels are still not comparable to that of employees from the Tang Dynasty.
So overall, labor costs are not expensive.
As for the materials, they are even simpler. There are stones everywhere in the area. Except for a few materials such as cement and steel bars brought by the navy to build the fort, the rest are basically mined on site at no cost.
However, despite this, many people complained that Ren Zian was unreliable and left too many messes behind.
It was clear that they could blast it out with artillery and then use free labor, but they wanted to solve it peacefully, and in the end they had to hire natives to build the city!
In the Tang Dynasty, when did the Tang Dynasty hire indigenous people to build cities in the colonies?
Well, it has happened, but the number of times is definitely rare. It is usually a special case. For example, Cadiz and other consulates in various countries usually hire people to repair the consulates.
However, the formal establishment of diplomatic relations was to build a consulate, not to conquer a certain area and build a colony.
When the Tang Dynasty established overseas colonies, they usually bombarded them first, then landed to capture prisoners, and finally asked the prisoners to bring their own food to build the city. When the city was repaired, the prisoners were almost dead, which was simple and easy.
But now, Ren Zian is spending money to build the city.
This also makes Ren Zian particularly helpless!
The Moroccans refused to resist and insisted on sending Ceuta out. What could he do?
People have already taken the initiative to send Ceuta out. I can't continue to arrest people as coolies. Datang still wants to lose face.
No matter what, it costs money to repair this Ceuta building. Even if it doesn't cost much, it still makes many people in the navy very unhappy.
This is something Ren Zian himself never thought of beforehand!
After staying in Ceuta for half a month, he returned to Cadiz. At this time, an official document was also sent from the Seventh Fleet Headquarters, saying that there was a shortage of funds and that there was no funds for the construction of Ceuta. You can find a way on your own.
Bar.
In short, you have to make up for the mistakes you made yourself.
Ceuta wants to build a navy, but it doesn't plan to pay for it. At most, it will provide steel and concrete. The labor required to hire people is not enough, so don't expect the Tang Dynasty Navy to provide it.
If you have the spare time to hire people, it would be much easier to just capture the prisoners and cultivate them.
This makes Ren Zian particularly depressed!
Fortunately, Ye Shujie, the second Tang Dynasty ambassador to Europe who was stationed in Cadiz, greatly recognized him for taking Ceuta without any effort and maintaining good relations with the local Morocco.
It is said that it has made the diplomatic work of their Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Europe easier and simpler.
but!
Whether the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is good or not is none of the navy's business but its Ren Zi'an's business!
Therefore, Ren Zian is still depressed!
In order to recover the losses and vent his anger, Rear Admiral Ren Zian left Cadiz with two cruisers, two frigates, a coal supply ship, and two ordinary supply ships.
Why go?
He planned to go to the coastal waters controlled by the Tatars to see if he could make a friendly visit to the Tatar ports and send greetings with cannonballs.
As for Mikami's three supply ships, in addition to supplies, they can also carry things.
When you visit a Tatar port, it is normal for the Tatars to give you some gifts in return. When you bring back a few ships, you will have the funds to repair the port of Ceuta.
Rear Admiral Ren Zian once again led the fleet to set off.
However, in Ceuta, Jon still led the workers to build the fort.
At this time, he brought not only the original dozen of subordinates, but more than a hundred people. According to groups of ten, he divided the more than a hundred people into more than ten groups. The original dozen of subordinates
Serve as a team leader and lead others to work.
As for himself, he had already passed the stage of fighting in person. He was holding a sun hat and lying on a lounge chair. There was a small table next to him with a teapot and a plate of snacks on it.
After all, he is also a big foreman responsible for the construction of a fort, so he still gets some benefits.
He looked like he was half-lying down and resting, but in fact his eyes would scan the construction site from time to time to see who was slacking off.
Most of the people under his command were Moroccans or Spaniards who were working under the Tang Dynasty for the first time. These native barbarians did not have any discipline, let alone subjectivity.
serious.
Jon would never be soft on these people. Once he found out, he would whip them out. If they refused to change after repeated admonitions, they would throw them into the sea to feed the fish. During this period, several people in his construction team had already slipped and fell into the sea.
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The people from the Tang Dynasty who did this reprimanded him several times. Recruiting workers also costs money. Whether it is recruiting workers from Morocco or Spain, the cost is low, but it is still a cost.
Everyone has been killed, and they have to spend money to recruit them.
However, although Jon was scolded several times, he still stubbornly believed: We in the Tang Dynasty spend money to hire these barbarians to work, not to enjoy themselves. Since these barbarians are lazy, they have to pay the price.