Gyurgiu is not a big city, but it is the outer port of Bucharest and an important border port. To put it bluntly, it is the bridgehead of Wallachia, and the south bank of the Danube across the river is Bulgaria. With the rise of Russia and
Relations with Turkey continue to be tense, especially as the Bulgarian issue continues to escalate. The situation here is not ordinary tense.
The Wallachian navy, or river army, was stationed in Gyurgiu, because Wallachia did not have a coastline, and the only outlet to the sea was actually the Danube. When Alexei became the governor of Wallachia, according to Li
Xiao's suggestion and the support of the Black Sea Fleet created a small but capable inland river fleet.
This fleet includes more than a dozen 200-ton inland sea patrol boats and six 500-ton patrol boats. The tonnage is naturally not worth mentioning, but it is much more powerful than the Turks next door on the Danube River. It is almost
Showing a crushing force.
Why did Li Xiao suggest that Alexei spend huge sums of money to build such a fleet that does not seem to be powerful?
The reason is very simple. Considering the terrain of southern Wallachia and Bulgaria, there is a plain with a well-developed river network. If there is not enough water power, it will be a bit troublesome.
Taking the previous Russian-Turkish wars as an example, the Russian army was immediately unable to follow up after arriving in the area around Bucharest. The main reason was that the logistics could not keep up, and the area was full of cities and transportation was a problem, which was further amplified.
Weaknesses of the Russian Army.
Therefore, even if the Russian army musters up its energy, it can only attack a little near Wallachia, and then it will be stuck in the mud and be unable to move forward. To solve this problem, the best way is to build railways and bridges to completely improve the traffic situation.
But the problem is that this requires a lot of money, which Wallachia cannot afford at all. It is even difficult for Russia, and even if Russia is rich, there are many places in the country that need to improve the transportation situation. How can it be possible first?
How about building roads in Wallachia?
Therefore, Li Xiao could only do the next best thing and build this river army to ensure smooth waterways. Then it would be more convenient to supply the Wallachia front line from the Black Sea coast.
Then again, despite the small scale of this river army, its technology is not backward. Except for a small number of old river sailing ships inherited from Wallachia, most of them are steam ships. In terms of maneuverability,
In terms of advanced level, it may be much stronger than the Black Sea Fleet.
Take the Ploiesti frigate, the flagship of the Wallachian River Fleet, with a normal displacement of 1,000 tons, equipped with a 380-horsepower steam engine, four 48-pound guns on the upper deck, and 10 on the main deck.
It has a 32-pound gun, a maximum coal load of 300 tons, and a maximum speed of 11 knots. This firepower level should be said to be quite good, and it has the power to fight against ordinary secondary cruisers.
Of course, the cost of building this ship is also quite astonishing, a full 100,000 pounds, which is simply more expensive than two old second-class battleships.
Anyway, the Ploiesti was only a single ship, so Alexey tightened his belt and took two years to save enough money.
But expensive has its own reasons. For example, now, when Alexei took Muravyov and Ilya aboard the most advanced warship in Wallachia or Russia, they sailed against the strong wind at a speed of four knots.
When sailing, other sailboats are really as slow as a snail.
The only drawbacks are the choking smoke and loud noise, but these are not big problems for people who board a steamship for the first time, because the novelty will cover up all shortcomings.
"It's great. This ship can be so fast against the wind? Isn't it faster with the tailwind?" Ilya showed a rare joyful emotion and repeatedly praised the magic of the Ploiesti.
Alexey also replied with some pride: "With a favorable wind, I can run twelve knots!"
Maybe from the perspective of future generations, the speed of twelve knots is really as slow as a turtle crawling, but in this era, this speed is really acceptable. A pure sail warship will probably travel at this speed when the wind is smooth, and if the wind direction is not suitable or the captain
If the crew's control is not appropriate, the speed will drop immediately.
In this era, being able to steadily maintain a speed of about ten knots is already an amazing achievement. It is especially remarkable that a steam ship can still sail under no wind or headwind conditions.
"That was too fast!" Ilya sighed again.
Li Xiao and Muravyov looked at Ilya's expressions of surprise and joy and didn't say much, because the reality is not so perfect, such as the astonishing cost of the Ploiesti, and the need to burn the Ploiesti
The large amount of coal producing steam, as well as the fragile paddle wheels on both sides of the Ploiesti, cannot be described in detail, and it would be tears to say too much.
Muravyov actually doesn’t know much about steamships, but after chatting with Alexey and Li Xiao for half a night last night, he knew a lot of inside information, so he knew how to cooperate and the advantages of steamships.
He will definitely focus on it, but he will also try every means to avoid the shortcomings, such as the cost issue that Ilya asked next.
"Steam ships are so powerful. Why doesn't our Black Sea Fleet build more of these new ships?"
Ilya can be regarded as soul torture. The reason is actually very simple. It is expensive. But now is definitely not the right time to talk about this. Muravyov's help is needed. The old man immediately interrupted:
"His Majesty and the Minister of the Navy have long studied steam ships and believe that traditional ship types are more suitable for our country's national conditions. This issue does not require too much discussion for the time being... Our focus should be on the impact of the Wallachian River Fleet on our army.
significance!"
As he spoke, Muravyov couldn't help but grab the right to speak and asked: "How many soldiers or supplies can this river fleet transport at one time?"
Li Xiao immediately replied: "It can transport five thousand fully armed soldiers or one thousand tons of grain or other supplies at a time!"
Muravyov immediately nodded approvingly and said: "This is very good. The poor traffic conditions on the lower reaches of the Danube River have always been an important reason that restricted our army from completely defeating the Turks. With this fleet, this shortcoming should be greatly improved.
!”
Alexey and Li Xiao immediately agreed: "That's natural. Regardless of the wind direction or current, the river fleet can quickly deliver materials or soldiers to the destination!"
Ilya glanced at the three of them subconsciously. He felt that something was wrong with the three of them. They sang and harmonized so well together. However, for a while, he couldn't figure out what the problem was, so he could only remain silent for a while.