On June 15, Yang Peng took a large group of men, horses and vehicles, pulling crossbows, steam engines and specially made large bearings to Wangjiawan to equip his new ship. On the beach of Wangjiawan, Yang Peng's first ship had already arrived
It is nearly completed, and all that is left is painting and installing hard sails. Although this ship is smaller than the giant ships of 10,000 tons in later generations, it is already a well-deserved giant ship in this era. The ship is four stories high and far away.
From a distance, it looks like a wooden castle standing on the seaside, very majestic.
Boss Wang saw Yang Peng's team coming, and came over to greet him from a distance. Yang Peng looked at the big ship and asked: "Boss Wang, my cannon and steam engine weigh several thousand kilograms, how do you get on the ship?"
The boss said: "Don't worry, sir. I have already made a dirt ramp behind the ship. Later, my craftsmen will drag and push your crossbow together and drag the crossbow onto the ship from the ramp."
Yang Peng nodded and said to his craftsmen: "Go up and install the bearings, paddle wheel and steam engine." Seeing his men dragging the steam engine to the ship, Yang Peng asked again: "Boss Wang, this is the boat operator.
Where are sailors usually hired?" Mr. Wang said: "It is a prohibited business to operate a boat to sea. The boatmen are brought out from one village after another. They are all taught by familiar boatmen and newcomers step by step. If you go there temporarily
Hire me, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hire you!”
Yang Peng was stunned and asked: "What key positions on the ship require veterans?" Boss Wang said: "Every position on the ship is indispensable and cannot be lacking. But if it fails, the most important thing is to have an experienced fire chief.
Guide and helm. The fire chief is the captain of the ship and is responsible for the management of the entire ship. The guide measures the waterway and ensures that the ship is on course. The helm controls the direction of the entire ship and is also the key."
Yang Peng looked embarrassed for a moment, secretly wondering where he could find these shipping staff? Boss Wang looked at Yang Peng's face and said, "The worst option is to hire a new helmsman. I will be the fire chief myself, but I definitely need a guide."
.If you drive randomly on the sea without a guide, you will run aground on the rocks."
Yang Peng asked: "Boss Wang, do you have a familiar guide?" Boss Wang was stunned and said: "I happen to know an experienced guide, but sir, he may not dare to follow you, a newbie on the boat.
Let’s go to sea together.”
Yang Peng said: "I will give him a big price to go to sea!" Boss Wang licked his lips and said: "This is not a matter of money, this is a matter of life."
Yang Peng was stunned, and secretly thought that it was really not possible for a newbie to go to sea on this ship. It seemed that he would still need to ask Zha Yunke to help hire experienced sailors. Yang Peng asked: "How long and wide are these two ships, and how many sailors are needed?"
Boss Wang said: "Both these two ships are eleven feet and one foot long, one foot and nine feet wide, and have four decks. The ships usually have one fire captain, two helmsmen, one guide, and one general manager.
When something happens on the ship, he calls on behalf of the ship owner. There is one person in Zhiku, responsible for managing the weapons. One person, Aban, is responsible for looking out on the masts. Two people, Si Ding, are responsible for managing the ballast stones. Two people, Da Liao and Er Liao, and one Si Zhen.
, are responsible for managing the compass. The main store, and several others in the second store are responsible for commanding the battle. These are the officials in charge of the ship. In addition, there must be forty ordinary shipwrights to operate such a large ship."
Yang Peng nodded, took Boss Wang to climb the ladder onto the ship, and asked: "Where do the crew sleep on the ship?" Boss Wang said: "Sir, I have never built a ship with so many cannons. Originally, the second deck was
For cooking and storing water, the third deck is for sleeping, and the fourth deck is for loading cargo. But now that you have installed so many cannons on the second deck, you can only store fresh water on the third deck.
Cook and squeeze in some sleep at the same time. If the cannon and gunpowder are properly managed, you can also install a hammock next to the cannon on the second deck to sleep in. The fourth deck is still loaded with cargo."
Yang Peng asked again: "How many sailors can this ship carry?" Boss Wang thought for a while and said: "It depends on which channel it travels. If it goes to sea for ten days, it will only have ten days of fresh water. The second deck
There are also people sleeping next to the cannons, and this ship can carry more than 200 sailors. If you want to run a long route and load more supplies, there will naturally be fewer sailors."
Yang Peng nodded. Yang Peng was chatting with Mr. Wang there, while the craftsmen on the ship were installing steam engines, bearings and paddle wheels under the command of Zheng Kaida. After two hours of busy work, Yang Peng's stomach growled with hunger. Suddenly,
Seeing Zheng Kaida running over excitedly.
"Lord City Lord, the paddle wheel and steam engine are installed!" Yang Peng looked up and saw that the paddle wheel had indeed been installed on the side of the ship. "Start the steam engine and see the effect!" Yang Peng's craftsmen came to find him.
He filled the steam engine with firewood, filled it with water, and started the steam engine. The steam engine made a "woo-woo" sound, which became louder and louder, and began to run. After a while, the power of the steam was transmitted to the paddle wheel through the gear, driving the paddle wheel.
The rotation started.
The so-called paddle wheel is a propulsion device that rotates like a Ferris wheel and is installed on both sides of the ship. The steam engine drives the paddle wheel to rotate. When the paddle wheel rotates, the outer edge pushes against the water surface to drive the ship forward. Early steam ships used
All are paddle wheels.
Seeing the paddle wheel spinning, the craftsmen on the shipbuilding site stopped what they were doing and stared blankly at the rotating paddle wheel. Without relying on the wind or the power of living creatures, the paddle wheel actually turned on its own.
It's spinning! The machine can also exert force outwards? What an insight! The craftsmen gathered around and looked at the rotating paddle wheel, as if they wanted to see clearly. "What is this wheel turning?"
"Steam engine?" "This is called a steam engine!" "Steamed chicken?" "Steam engine!"
Boss Wang also looked at the paddle wheel with his mouth open, and didn't say anything for a long time. Although he made the paddle wheel according to Yang Peng's requirements, seeing the paddle wheel being driven by a machine with his own eyes still made him a little stunned. He
For the first time, I learned that a machine can produce such great power to drive a ship without being pulled by living animals.
With this steam engine and paddle wheel, wouldn't it be possible to sail in any season? After a long time, Mr. Wang blinked and said: "I have never heard of this steam engine and paddle wheel. I really admire your uncanny craftsmanship!" "With this steam engine!
, Things are very different at sea!" Although Zheng Kaida had seen a forging hammer driven by a steam engine last month, he was still very excited when he saw that after his own assembly, the steam engine drove the paddle wheel, and said: "Sir, this steam engine
It’s truly something miraculous!”
Yang Peng smiled, used a bamboo pole to block the rotating paddle wheel, and found that the paddle wheel was very powerful. Yang Peng clapped his hands and said, "Not bad, it's quite powerful." But he looked at the paddle wheel carefully.
Yang Peng shook his head again and said: "The speed is still a bit slow." Yang Peng turned back to Zheng Kaida and said: "I will go back and redo the two gears. You can bring a craftsman to replace the gears the day after tomorrow!"
The next day, Yang Peng found this maritime businessman in Zha Yunke's shop. Seeing Yang Peng enter the store, Zha Yunke quickly knelt down and saluted, and was helped up by Yang Peng. "Mr. Cha, my ship lacks some experienced sailors.
Do you know where I can hire one?"
Cha Yunke blinked and said: "Lord City Lord, I do know a dozen old boatmen who have gone ashore. I can pay them to go to sea again. However, it is still risky to go to sea with just these dozen old boatmen. Don't worry. There are still no anchors for the cabin rock, the general manager who is the translator, and the sailor who is in charge of the sails..."
Yang Peng saw that Zha Yunke had stopped talking mid-sentence, knowing that he had a way, and said with a smile: "Mr. Zha must have a way. If Mr. Zha can help me recruit technicians on the ship, I, Yang Peng, will owe Mr. Zha a favor." !" Zha Yunke was overjoyed when he heard Yang Peng's words. Yang Peng was now a popular figure in the Song Dynasty, and the emperor obeyed his requests. A favor from Yang Peng, to put it mildly, could help the bureaucrats pursue their goals. There is so much shortage, even promotions and titles; at worst, a memorial might be able to save the life of a minister, which is very valuable. Even a thousand taels or ten thousand taels of silver are not worth as much as Yang Peng. A favor is precious.
After listening to Yang Peng's words, Zha Yunke smiled and said: "Lord City Lord, my ship will be back in a few months. I have four ships, each with a set of men and horses. I will assign a set of men and horses to Grand Governor, the Lord of the City will have someone to operate the ship!" "With a set of men and horses to lead the way, it will be no problem to go to sea. The Lord of the City will rely on this set of men and horses to train the novices, and rush to build the second set before the second one is built. Once the men and horses are trained, there will be enough men for two ships!"
Yang Peng was stunned. He didn't expect that Zha Yunke would give him the people on his ship, and asked: "Master Cha is so kind, but you gave me the people, how can your ship go to sea?" Zha Yunke said: "City Lord Sir, it's fine with me. I'll let the people on the other three boats train newbies, and I can train another set of people in the next six months. When the north wind stabilizes during the Qingming Festival next year, and I go to Japan again, my new boatmen will be trained." Yang Peng nodded and said, "Then it all depends on Mr. Cha's organization."
On June 17, people knelt on both sides of the road outside Shangjing City of the Daliao Kingdom. On the road, strong Khitan men slowly walked south holding complicated ceremonial guards of various colors. Behind the ceremonial guard were civil and military officials of the Daliao Kingdom. Behind them are the nobles of the Liao Kingdom riding large horses.
Xiao Tianzuo is also in this long guard of honor. However, he has been depressed recently and has been unable to cheer up. The impact of the Battle of Qingshan Pass on Xiao Tianzuo has not subsided. In the past, when Xiao Tianzuo encountered enemies, he often You can defeat it with force, but if your strength fails, you can use strategy to divide and disintegrate, and use detours to plan. From the first time he went out to fight at the age of sixteen to now, Xiao Tian has fought in the north and south, and has not lost a single defeat before the battle of Qingshan Pass.
However, at Qingshan Pass, Xiao Tianzuo lost miserably, losing to Yang Peng's absolute power. In front of Yang Peng's upright power, Xiao Tianzuo's strength seemed so insignificant, and his so-called strategy seemed so pale. Yang Peng was like It was a big rock that rolled down from a steep mountaintop. Nothing could stop it and it hit Xiao Tianzuo hard.
After returning to Beijing, Xiao Tianzuo has been somewhat taciturn and depressed in the past few months. It is not because the Empress Dowager scolded him, nor because the Empress Dowager demoted his prince to a general. It is actually because Xiao Tianzuo was Yang Peng was stunned for a moment, and all his past pride disappeared.
Every time he thinks of the brutal charge of 70,000 people against that small fortress, the corpses of Daliao warriors piled in front of the fortress, and the battlefield like a pool of blood, Xiao Tianzuo gets chills all over. Yang Peng's dignified attitude His impeccable strength made Xiao Tianzuo feel as if his willpower had collapsed.
At that time, he was in a hurry to get out of seclusion on the battlefield, but he didn't feel it. After leaving the battlefield and thinking carefully for a while, Xiao Tianzuo felt more and more powerless. If he met Yang Peng on the battlefield again, the only thing Xiao Tianzuo could do was to turn around.
Escaped. How could the Song Dynasty take over the Central Plains with such powerful generals? How could the Liao Kingdom take control of the Central Plains? Being able to do everything possible to defend the Liao Kingdom was the best outcome, right? The more Xiao Tianzuo thought about these days, the more frustrated he became.
His movements were a bit weak and he was no longer the heroic "Mergen Dai Qing" before.
Behind Xiao Tianzuo was a tall golden umbrella, and the Empress Dowager's six-horse carriage was walking under the umbrella. The Empress Dowager looked at the depressed and lonely Xiao Tianzuo in front of her and shook her head. This Xiao Tianzuo
, too conceited, and too unable to withstand setbacks. After the battle at Qingshankou, Xiao Tianzuo became depressed and never had the same energy as before. Although the Queen Mother had always been wary of this resourceful brother-in-law, she was worried that he would threaten Han Derang's accession to the throne.
arrangement, but the Empress Dowager also cherished talents and did not want to see Xiao Tianzuo continue to be depressed like this.
However, no one else could help Xiao Tian's recovery. Beside the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager's eldest son Yelu Longxu followed on horseback. Although Yelu Longxu attacked the stronghold several times at Qingshan Pass, the Empress Dowager did not do anything to deal with Yelu Long when he returned.
Xu. The Empress Dowager used the reason that Zhang Hua was only a deputy general and put all the blame on Xiao Tianzuo, who was the chief general. Although the generals had some complaints about this arrangement, no one took offense.
The Empress Dowager had no choice. She wanted to let Yelu Longxu ascend the throne behind her, so she had no choice but to do this. Because Yelu Longxu was not punished, he was still full of ambition these days and was not discouraged at all by the defeat at Qingshankou.
Disappointed. At this time, he looked at the gorgeous ceremonial guards in front and behind, and couldn't help but ask: "Queen Mother, as for inspecting the new recruits of the Xijun Banner, just call the new recruits to the front of the palace for inspection. Why do you need to dispatch so many Baylors?"
Go and see the mighty Xijunqi?"
The empress dowager looked at her son and said seductively: "Yelu Longxu, do you know the situation in Daliao today?" Yelu Longxu was stunned and said: "After entering Cangzhou in the Song Dynasty and plundering it,
,. Nowadays, there are only more than 250,000 people left in the real Liao Kingdom, and its power has been damaged." The Empress Dowager nodded, and asked: "How can we, Daliao, succeed?"
Yelu Longxu was stunned, thought for a while and said: "You can achieve great things by riding and shooting!" The Empress Dowager shook her head and said: "Riding and shooting are the worst. You only see the power of riding and shooting, which is the same as the depressed Xiao Tian."
Same as the left." After a pause, the Empress Dowager said: "Between the rise of the Liao Kingdom and the white mountains and black waters, the ability to control is fundamental. Because we can control the people and handle everything properly, then we can let the people work together.
We used external force to conquer the Song Dynasty and North Korea because we were able to control the Khitan tribes."
"Without the Liao, before the Khitan, the Khitan would not have been a fisherman or hunter who could be bullied by anyone. If not for the control ability of the Liao, would the Khitan be as majestic as it is today?" "Today, the Liao has lost more than 10,000 Khitans.
Soldiers, many generals feel that they are unable to fight anymore. This is the conclusion reached by putting aside the basics and seeking the last. As long as my ability to control Daliao is still there, even if more than 10,000 of these banner men die, we will still be the country of Daliao."
Yelu Longxu thought for a while, raised his head and said, "With this power of control, can we control the Xi people and seize the world of the Han people?" The Empress Dowager looked at Yelu Longxu with satisfaction, nodded and said, "Exactly, I have these
Over the past few years, we have worked hard to recruit Xi generals, plunder the Song Dynasty's population, and set up hundreds of officials based on the Song system, just to spread the control ability of our Daliao to the people of the Song Dynasty. Given time, even if our Daliao no longer rides and shoots, we will rule the Han with the Han.
, it can also frighten the Song army and make the Song people come with their families!"
Yelu Longxu thought for a while and said nothing. The Empress Dowager continued: "This time we entered the pass and plundered more than 100,000 Han people, this is an opportunity. I organized the Han army into two new Han military camps and managed them properly.
As long as we control it properly, these Han people will be our help in the future."
"Riding and shooting are just appearances, and the ability to control is the foundation of our country. Observing the training of these Han soldiers in person shows that our country attaches great importance to surrendering people, and it is also the method of controlling them." Hearing from his father, the emperor said
Yelu Longxu nodded as if he understood the abstract but careful instruction.
The guard of honor of the brigade advanced slowly, passed through the endless blacksmith shops outside Shangjing City, and arrived at the yamen of the Han Army Camp. The more than 100,000 Han people who entered the customs and plundered this time were incorporated into the Han Army Camp by the Empress Dowager.
Therefore, the Han army expanded again, from two battalions to four battalions. Most of the Han people who were plundered were incorporated into the two Khitan's thousand-man troops.
The Queen Mother's six-horse carriage stopped beside two kneeling Han officials. The two Han officials led hundreds of Han generals to kowtow to the ground and shouted: "Kowtow to see the Queen Mother!" "Long live the emperor, long live, ten thousand years."
age!"
On June 25, Yang Peng's first ship was built. Yang Peng named the first ship Tianjing. Boss Wang used smooth fir wood as guide rails and led more than two hundred shipwrights.
Pushing the big ship together, the Tianjing was pushed to the shore bit by bit. The Tianjing moved along the guide rail little by little toward the coast, and finally fell into the deep water on the shore with a "bang", splashing huge waves.
Shake it a few times and calm down.
Seeing this scene, the whole Wangjiawan people cheered. The boatmen swam on board and used long oars to row the Tianjing to the small pier of Wangjiawan. Yang Peng took the troops supported by Zha Yunke
He climbed onto the boat with a hundred sailors. The sailors Yang Peng brought aboard this time were veterans who could swim and were selected from the group. There is no law on the sea. When other ships encounter other ships, they may rob each other at any time. It depends on who is the best.
The force has become stronger.
If Yang Peng wants to make money from ocean trade, he must use the best force to protect his ships. The veterans of the Selection Group have rich combat experience, so they are naturally Yang Peng's first choice to take them on board. Yang Peng got on the ship and stood on the top of the poop.
shouted: "Open the steam engine!" The steward on the ship ran down the poop and passed Yang Peng's order to the craftsmen in charge of the steam engine. When the craftsmen heard the order, they turned over the coal and burned it under the steam engine. The fire
It became more and more prosperous, and the steam engine made a huge noise and started to start little by little.
The paddle wheel gradually rotated, and the paddles slapped on the sea surface, creating waves. Driven by the paddle wheel, the ship drove little by little toward the deep sea. Yang Peng's steam engine ship succeeded. The sailors on the ship all
Cheers and shouts shook the sky. The Tianjing sailed faster and faster, heading towards the open sea. The guide on the ship ran out, threw a piece of wood from the bow of the ship, and then ran with the wood chip, calculating the time it took for the wood chip to reach the stern.
After calculating for a while, he was a little shocked and speechless. After being stunned for a long time, he loudly shouted to the crew: "You can run sixty miles in one hour."
The old boatmen on the boat were all dumbfounded after hearing the guide's words. It does not require oars or sails, and it can run sixty miles an hour with just two machines. It is really unbelievable. You must know that wooden sailboats in this era ran very slowly.
Even with a favorable wind, it would take more than ten days at the fastest from Cangzhou to Hirado, Japan. At the speed of this steam engine ship, wouldn't it be possible to reach Japan in six or seven days, and make a round trip in half a month? This ship does not need a sail.
If you can run away, wouldn't it mean that you can go back and forth to Japan dozens of times a year?
Not to mention the improved safety brought by the faster running of the ship. If you encounter pirates, just run at full speed. The sailboat will never catch up with this steam engine ship. Everyone looked at Yang Peng in awe and admired the city lord.
A magical invention. Yang Peng saw everyone looking at him with rounded eyes, smiled, waved and said: "The crossbowmen are in place!" More than 70 crossbowmen ran into the second deck and began to operate the crossbows.
There is one cannon at the bow and stern of the Jing, and nine strong crossbows on each side, for a total of twenty strong crossbows. One heavy crossbow is equipped with eight crossbowmen, and seventy-two people are needed to operate the nine strong crossbows on one side.
crossbowman.
The eighteen-fold crossbow was loaded with thick bows and arrows. The crossbow commander adjusted the elevation and angle of the crossbow, and aimed at a dilapidated small fishing boat five hundred meters away from the Tianjing. The dilapidated fishing boat was driven out by Yang Peng as a target.
A new type of flint-fired crossbow was used. The crossbow leader grabbed a rope and prepared to launch.
"Fire!" With a deafening roar, the nine-gun heavy crossbow on the port side opened fire. On the bumpy sea, the cannon rose and fell with the ship, and the hit rate was relatively low. Ninety long arrows flew past, but none of them hit.
Chinese fishing boat.
The boatmen who were supported by Cha Yunke on the ship had never seen such a large crossbow. They all lay on the side of the ship and watched the crossbows fire. They were startled by the roar of the crossbows, but at this time they saw not a single shot.
After hitting the fishing boat, they shook their heads and sighed again. The Tianjing turned around and switched to the nine-gun heavy crossbow on the starboard side to fire. More than seventy crossbowmen turned to operate the strong crossbow on the starboard side. The strong crossbow fired one after another.
, this time a long arrow hit the fishing boat and shattered the entire sail of the fishing boat.
A cheer suddenly sounded on the deck of the ship. The hit rate of naval guns at sea is relatively low. However, this is because the target of the fishing boat is too small. If the target is a merchant ship of several hundred tons, the hit rate will be much higher. Yang Peng waved his hand and said: "
Buy a few more scrapped fishing boats and let the crossbowmen practice firing! Practice until one out of ten shots is fired!"
If you want to know what happens next, let’s look at the breakdown in the next chapter.