After returning from the waterway in a few days, Xu Mu and his party returned to Bailu County. As soon as they boarded the river bank, they saw from a distance that Bailu County was full of white cloth hanging under the eaves of the door.
"General Dou has been in the two counties outside the state for a long time and is very popular among the people. The people in the two counties were very sad when they learned that General Dou died in the battle." Fan Lu, who came to meet him, had a cry in his voice.
He participated in the water battle that day at close range, so it was naturally tragic.
Xu Mu sighed.
"The descendants of the Dou family are all connected to Chengdu."
"Don't worry, my lord, I've taken them all."
Xu Mu nodded. This person has passed away, and we have to continue walking on the path forward.
"Fan Lu, you stay in Bailu County during this period and help with the management temporarily. When General Miao Tong recovers from his injuries, I will ask him to come to Bailu County to take over with you."
Fan Lu hurriedly accepted the order. After the water battle, he and Miao Tong had already known each other and had no contact with each other.
"Lord, do you want to go back to Chengdu directly?"
"If you don't go back now, I'm going to the Wei family's shipyard."
The Wei family's shipyard is in Bailu County. On the way back by water, Xu Mu and Miao Tong kept exchanging water battle experiences. They vaguely thought of the motherships of later generations. He wondered if Wei Chun could find a way to use the shield ship on the ship.
Basically, the hull should be rebuilt to be larger. Draft tonnage, materials, and the Xiangjiang waterway should all be considered.
The bigger the ship, the slower the ship will be. Without the wind to blow the sails, it will probably be as slow as a turtle if only the boatman rows.
Steam power? This is not about boiling water in a furnace, thermodynamics, etc., precise numerical proportions, and without the foundation of scientific accumulation, nothing can be done.
A huge ship was really built. According to Xu Mu's considerations, he could only use it as a powerful weapon in water battles with a favorable wind.
"Fan Lu, I'll leave this to you. By the way, Wei Chun is at the shipyard, right?"
"Yes, I have been here these days."
Wei Chun is the current head of the Wei family. He is frail and sick, but he is a rare craftsman.
Seeing that it was not yet dusk, after thinking for a while, Xu Mu took Si Hu and walked to the Wei Family Shipyard in Bailu County.
…
"Big ship?" Wei Chun said with some anxiety on his pale face.
"My lord, you should know that if the hull is too big, it will be very unstable if there are waves on the river. In addition, if there is a water battle, it will easily be hit by the enemy's heavy crossbow and sink in the river."
"Wei Chun, this is a sketch." Xu Mu sat down, not dissatisfied at all because of Wei Chun's gaffe. If we talk about scientific knowledge in the world, Wei Chun in front of him is undoubtedly the best confidant.
After pouring a bowl of tea for Xu Mu, Wei Chun sat down slightly tiredly. In the Cangzhou Water Battle, the Xishu Navy was almost completely wiped out. The task of rebuilding the warship was extremely arduous.
In addition, there is also blast furnace ironmaking and even the invention of the dark hall, which needs to be managed by him. Of course, he has recently chosen several good disciples.
"Five stories high is not very suitable." Wei Chun frowned, "Even if we add a watertight cabin, once the hull is unstable and violent, it will still tip over. If you follow my suggestion, the four-story cabin is already
limit."
"My lord, you must understand that this is a warship, not a ceremonial ship for the emperor to cruise south of the Yangtze River. There will eventually be a war."
Xu Mu laughed happily. If Wei Chun had just agreed, he would have been really worried.
"If the four-story boat pavilion is really built, I will leave more aisles and blockers to make it easier for the walking bow to shoot from a distance and avoid danger."
"Wei Chun, this is very good. In addition, I plan to add a crossbow window on the bottom floor."
"The cabin has already opened a crossbow window. If we add the bottom layer... it should be no problem. It will only cost some materials. I estimate that it will be about twice the size of an ordinary building ship. But my lord wants more.
If it is covered with iron skins, the project will be huge."
"Moreover, the number of naval forces will also be doubled by then."
"Of course." Xu Mu nodded, "I plan to open ten more kerosene tanks on each side of the hull at the bottom level."
"Lord, where's the racket?"
"One shot per side, no need to add any more. If an enemy ship approaches, use a kerosene tank in conjunction with the shot stick to burn the ship and drive away the enemy."
These things were all discussed between him and Miao Tong, and they were considered good ideas.
Wei Chun rubbed his face, "Another point is that the hull is too big, so it will definitely attract attention. In a water battle, the enemy will try their best to ram the huge ship with a fire boat. How to guard against the fire boat is also something that the Lord must consider.
Of course, there are ship formations surrounding the giant ship, but during the battle, if something goes wrong and the defense fails, it will be a disaster."
"Wei Chun, don't stay in the shipyard. Become a naval general with me." Xu Mu smiled.
Wei Chun was speechless, "My Wei family has been building ships for generations, so I naturally understand these things. When it comes to arranging troops, I can't figure it out."
"Then do you have any way to prevent the fire boat?"
"The only temporary solution is to use a shield ship."
Xu Mu thought for a while, "If a small cabin is set up to hide the ship under the huge ship, if there is an enemy fireboat collision, the hidden ship can be sent out from the small cabin, and it should be able to block it."
Wei Chun's eyes lit up, "My lord, this is a good idea. But let me think about how to set up such a small cabin to hide the ship. At that time, the only way to make the hidden ship smaller is to hide it.
.”
"I believe in you." Xu Mu stood up and patted Wei Chun on the shoulder.
"There are not many skilled craftsmen like you in Xishu. I also know that in the water battle some time ago, warships suffered heavy losses, so your task is arduous."
"We, the Wei family, committed a capital crime at the beginning. Thanks to the master, we did not abandon the crime and did not transfer the crime to the entire Wei family——"
"One is one, two is two, I can see it clearly." Xu Mu said calmly, "I once told you that there will not be any aristocratic families in Xishu, but your Wei family is different. Military merit comes with you, not
Like other nobles, they do business all over the world to accumulate wealth."
"As early as on the way back to Shuzhou, I was thinking about one thing."
"Wei Chun, from now on, I will make you the Minister of Industry of Xishu. You don't need to pay attention to other military orders. I don't care if you sleep all day long. You just need to do good things."
"Lord, I am a sick and weak body...how can I be so virtuous?"
"In my heart, there is no doubt that you are also a great hero of Western Shu."
"Thank you, lord!"
Wei Chun knelt down and worshiped, his face full of joy.
"Get up, I have to go back to Chengdu tomorrow. After General Dou dies, there will be another naval commander who will come to Bailu County to take up a post. If there is anything, just discuss it with him."
"Besides, when you have free time, you should go back to Shu to recuperate. Don't work too hard. I don't want my public transportation team in Xishu to die young."
"My lord, who is Gongshuban?"
"I will not tell you."
After explaining the matter about the giant ship, Xu Mu took Si Hu and left the Wei Family Shipyard.
"Brother Mu, what kind of man from the Ministry of Industry does he just sleep at home every day?" Sihu asked anxiously as he walked.
"Brother Mu, let me do it. I will build the ship!"
"You want to drive piles at home every day, right?" Xu Mu turned his head speechlessly.
"There's something else I want to tell you. Military Advisor Wen Long's secret letter says that your wife, Mrs. Luan Yu, is pregnant."
"How many steamed buns should I eat while pregnant...Brother Mu, Luan Yu is pregnant, is she pregnant?" Si Hu's eyes widened in shock.