The boat was originally intended to be a sail frigate, but was later converted into a steam gunboat.

The newly built ship pioneered the use of an iron-ribbed wooden hull structure, with a length of 217.1 feet, a width of 31.1 feet, a draft of 17.8 feet, a horsepower of 750 horses, a displacement of 1,268 tons, a speed of 12 nautical miles, 12 guns, and a crew of 110 people.

This battleship brought together some of Dong Liang's previous knowledge of early steam battleships and was an attempt by the escort army before building ironclad battleships.

Dong Liang handed over this task to Manjiro, who had worked in Western shipyards for many years.

There are also some shipyard workers recruited by the Guard from Fujian who are skilled in technology, but most of these people are older. At this time, most of the craftsmen were passed down from master to apprentice, and most of the skills were accumulated through experience.

Therefore, people who understand technology are generally older, and these people have very deep knowledge of Chinese sailing boats.

Dong Liang believed that if they were given time, they could even build Zheng He's treasure ship, but if they were asked to build Western-style warships, their experience would constrain themselves.

Manjiro grew up in a Western shipyard since he was a child, and he also had certain attainments in shipbuilding.

Objectively speaking, before World War II, the shipbuilding level of Xiaozhi was comparable to that of Damei.

Manjiro did not disappoint Dong Liang this time. In nearly a year, he not only completed the 500-ton wooden hull steam gunboat, but also built this iron-ribbed wooden hull ship.

Dong Liang even personally led people to build a heart for it, a linkage horizontal steam engine. Even the British did not use this kind of steam engine until the 1970s.

The entire Chinese nation invested a lot of manpower, material and financial resources, and Manjiro also treated this battleship as his eldest son.

Dong Liang even gave the warship a name.

"Tianji Hao" means "the world is peaceful and the factory is peaceful". This name was copied by Dong Liang, but the meaning is the same. This is the first iron-ribbed wooden hull ship built by the Chinese themselves.

The transition of steam ironclads.

Manjiro is as short as most Fuso people, less than 1.6 meters, but he jumps up and down nimbly on the boat that is still piled with materials, like a nimble monkey.

A worker was sweating profusely and ran for a long time before he found Manjiro on the back deck of the new ship. He panted and said: "Mr. Factory Director, your wife is here."

Manjiro said with some displeasure: "What is this woman doing here at the shipyard? Now the entire Chinese people are waiting for us to get a new ship. How can I have time to pay attention to her?"

However, after Manjiro said this, he still left the ship and soon arrived at the door of the shipyard.

Manjiro's wife was wearing a long brown dress with a symmetrical bun on her head. She was standing at the door of the shipyard waiting for her husband.

"Why are you here? The shipyard has been very busy recently." After speaking, Manjiro walked into the shipyard with his wife. He had an office facing the dry dock.

Entering the office, Mrs. Nakahama couldn't help but shed tears: "Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"Wanjiro, you haven't been home for ten days, don't you want us anymore, right?"

Manjiro sighed: "Hey... I have told you that I have been very busy recently. The soldiers are fighting abroad. The letter from the head of state requires that we must complete the sea trials before June and deliver the ship to the fleet. After June

As we enter the typhoon season, we will have to hide at home to take shelter from the wind every three days. Outdoor shipbuilding work can only be suspended, so we must hurry up and work now." Manjiro still loves his wife very much.

His wife was the daughter of a nobleman. After Manjiro returned to China, she married Manjiro despite the opposition of her family.

The status of Fusang women is very low, and few women dare to disobey their parents' arrangements.

"I understand, but you must take some time to come back, otherwise the neighbors will gossip about us. They say that men will go to women as long as they have power. I...I am pregnant again." Mrs. Nakahama

After hesitating for a while, he still told Nakahama the news that they already had three children.

In Fusang, the average family would not be able to feed so many children, but with Zhongbang's status among the Chinese people, it would be no problem to feed ten or eight.

"Haha, I, Manjiro, have a child again, don't worry, I am working hard now so that our children can live a better life in the future." Manjiro said excitedly as he took his wife into his arms.

"Madam, you also know the policy of the Chinese people. Although I am a craftsman in a shipyard, with my current status, I will be able to obtain a title in the future. Please support me in my work in the future. I want to leave more for my children...

…”

Manjiro's wife may have mood swings easily because of her pregnancy, but she is actually very supportive of Manjiro's work.

After sending his wife away, Manjiro returned to the ship again. With him on board, the workers' work efficiency would be much higher. If they encountered difficult problems, they could be solved immediately without waiting.

After the shipyard in Keelung is completed, Manjiro and the others will move there. Uehara Port is too small after all.

This place may only exist as a tourist resort for Chinese people in the future.

For those Chinese people to come and visit the place where the Guards were born.

Compared with the small and sophisticated ones here, Anping's shipyards are much larger. From Sankun to Sikun, there are open-air shipyards along the two-kilometer stretch of coast.

The main products produced here are rocket boats and offshore gunboats.

These warships are mainly to make up for the shortage in the number of the escort navy. Now the escort navy is preparing to build several main offshore defense fleets to allow the first and second fleets to free their hands.

Now the entire East China Sea has become an inland sea geographically for the Chinese, and the long coastline requires a large number of warships to protect it.

What's more, the Chinese are also preparing to blockade the southeastern coast of the Qing Dynasty, which also requires a large number of ships.

Compared to later generations, the treatment of craftsmen by the Chinese was incomparable, but compared to that of the Manchus, it was much better.

It’s no wonder that craftsmen are now consciously rolling up their sleeves and working harder.

The reason why Dong Liang had the confidence to change his original battle plan to capture Zhangzhou to capture the whole of Fujian was because he knew that he had a rear that fully supported the convoy's operations.

Although this rear area is not big, the potential unleashed by all the people united as one is not as simple as one plus one equals two.

…

…

Now the main goal of the escort army is to capture the entire Fujian, but it is already May of the third year of Xianfeng.

In June and July, the southeast coast will enter the typhoon-prone season. Sometimes typhoons will come for five or six days. During these five or six days, maritime connections will be completely cut off and the attack will be stalled.

How can the Guards have so much money and food to spend?

Therefore, Dong Liang must end the battle within a month, which will be a major challenge for the entire escort army.

Although the people behind him gave full support, he himself knew his family background.

When fighting a war, you must keep enough reserves, and you must also leave yourself some stamina in terms of resources.

It is this principle that Zhou Tenghu implements when he takes charge of the household department.

No matter how difficult it is, he will not gamble all the Chinese family's wealth.

Even if it is five million, he will not take out the money easily because he feels it is risky.

However, Chen Deli became more and more anxious, because the situation in Shanghai had completely exceeded his expectations.
Chapter completed!