In 1587, an unknown man named Arndit Krupp came to Essen and started a new life as a small merchant in this new city.
Soon after, the Black Death swept almost the entire European continent. Arndit Krupp relied on his keen business sense to buy up the properties of the fleeing families and resell them.
Soon, he accumulated the first pot of gold in his life and joined the wealthy class of Essen. From the beginning of his fortune, it can be seen that the Krupp family's business is destined to be less glorious.
At that time, Europe belonged to the Holy Roman Empire. It was an era when the king had no real power and the princes and castles were all over the place. Such a regime soon broke out in the famous Thirty Years' War in 1618, which was the world's first European war.
, a total of eight million people died.
Anton Krupp, the son of Arndit Krupp, once again showed the profit-seeking nature of a businessman. He provided arms to the warring parties, expanded the family industry again, and laid the foundation for the family's history for hundreds of years.
on, leaving its mark as an arms supplier.
This is the Krupp family. Their history has been passed down for hundreds of years. In the days that followed, this family continued to do business for generations, doing various small businesses in silk, porcelain and ironware. Some people even made a speech in the municipal government of the small town of Essen.
Take office.
With the rise of the first industrial revolution, the demand for steel in European countries increased rapidly, which vigorously promoted the development of the steel industry. Especially during the Napoleonic Wars, steel manufacturing became a popular business.
Essen, a city in northwest Germany, which later became the central city of the Ruhr area, is rich in iron and coal.
So in 1811, Friedrich Krupp, the younger Krupp's grandfather, established the first steel foundry in German history in Essen.
However, what is called a steel foundry is actually a small workshop, and for this small workshop, Friedrich Krupp's dream of making a fortune did not come true, but the business was bleak. He died young at the age of 39, leaving behind a 14-year-old eldest son.
Son, Alfred Krupp.
Finally, the strongest member of the Krupp family came to the stage. Alfred Krupp, whose title and honor shone like starlight, was the father of modern industrial warfare and the king of cannons.
Alfred Krupp, also known as Krupp Sr., created the "can steel" method.
He also used this excellent steel to create an excellent breech-loaded steel cannon. This kind of gun was far more advanced than the popular front-loaded copper cannon in Europe at that time. It was not only lighter, but also lower in cost. The Krupp family was here
Then he became famous all over the world.
Therefore, artillery is one aspect of the rise of the Krupp family. In fact, steelmaking is the pillar industry of Krupp.
In this era, steelmaking still has a lot of room for development.
In later generations, steelmaking has long been classified into various special steel industries. The refining of crude steel is only the most basic field.
Dong Shuheng's earliest steel-making equipment was imported from the United States. At that time, only crude steel was refined.
But this is far more efficient than the indigenous steelmaking methods commonly used in the Manchu and Qing dynasties.
The steelmaking technology of the Qing Dynasty had greatly regressed, and was not even as good as the peak period of steelmaking technology in Chinese history.
The Manchu Qing Dynasty replaced the Ming Dynasty, copied the Ming Dynasty's system, and further strengthened the imperial power. In fact, it was reversing the course of history in all aspects.
The real reason for the rise of Old Krupp was the improvement of steelmaking technology. The rise of the steel industry was accompanied by the first industrial revolution.
After the industrial revolution, machines entered production. They were the protagonists of production, while humans were only supporting roles.
What really determines production efficiency is the machine.
Steel is the main component of machines, so after the Industrial Revolution, the output of coal and iron was the basis for measuring a country's industrial strength.
At present, Britain's coal production and steel production rank first in the world. Coal production has reached about 50 million tons, and pig iron production is about 4 million tons. Pig iron production is that of Prussia, the United States and France combined.
The invisible smog on the streets of London and the acid rain falling from the sky are visual manifestations of British industrialization.
Although Prussia's current steelmaking industry is very developed, its overall economic size is far behind that of the British Empire.
Moreover, Britain has a vast colonial market where it can dump goods. But Prussia does not. Its market is only in Central and Eastern Europe, so Prussia attaches so much importance to its relationship with China.
Because China has money and a market. In the past year or so, because of the opening up of the Chinese market, Prussia's economic growth has been several times that of before.
Even the King of Prussia had to pay attention to these data.
Even if Tsarist Russia now uses its marriage relationship with the Prussian royal family to provoke Prussia's China policy, Prussia will not be moved by it.
Because the market that Tsarist Russia could provide to Prussia was smaller than that of China.
For example, Tsarist Russia recently ordered hundreds of breech-loading steel cannons and hundreds of thousands of breech-loading rifled guns from Prussia. The additional condition is that Prussia must cut off military and economic ties with China. At the same time, it cannot participate in European diplomatic occasions.
Give help to China.
However, all these additional conditions were rejected by Prussia.
Dong Shuheng now imports 50,000 tons of crude steel from Prussia every year, which accounts for a large proportion of Prussia's total output. Moreover, Prussia can also distribute Chinese products in Central and Northern Europe.
These benefits are long-term and are much stronger than the one-time deal in Tsarist Russia.
Moreover, everyone knows what kind of economic state Tsarist Russia is in now. After two years of the Crimean War, Tsarist Russia's economy was on the verge of collapse.
The port was blocked by the British and French forces, and goods could not be sold. The country consumed a large amount of military expenditures and increased the exploitation of serfs, which not only intensified domestic conflicts, but also further tightened domestic consumption.
As a result, factories in Tsarist Russia stopped working, went bankrupt, and closed down in large numbers.
The fiscal deficit is rising steadily, and calls for a domestic ceasefire and peace are getting louder.
This time they placed such a large order with Prussia, and they were unable to pay it all in one go, so they could only pay it in installments.
This is all the case, and there are still political conditions attached. Prussia will definitely not agree to this.
This is the case in these European royal families. Everyone is related to each other. But for their own interests, they will not hesitate to use their wits.
During Dong Shuheng's southern tour, European attention was once again attracted to the Crimean battlefield.
In the seventh month of the Chinese calendar, August 16 of the Western calendar, Gorchakov concentrated 4 infantry divisions and 2 cavalry brigades across the Chenaya River to launch an attack on the coalition forces. The attack was mainly aimed at the British positions.
Only part of the British cavalry and artillery participated in the battle, but the British infantry's defense line was very strong, and their rifled guns formed a blockade a few hundred yards away.
In the end, the Russian army suffered 8,000 casualties.
Tsarist Russia's last rescue operation failed.
At 11:30 on September 8, 1855, the Allied forces began their fourth violent bombardment.
40 minutes later, the coalition launched a general attack. This was the first time in history that all units had calibrated the time and launched an attack at the same moment.
Half of the Chinese army also joined the attack. The golden dragon flag on a red background was mixed in among various styles of military flags, which was particularly bright.
The war is coming to an end, and all soldiers on the battlefield can feel that such a moment is coming. This may be the soldiers' battlefield intuition.
Liu Qingnan must also seize this last opportunity to win more honors for the Chinese army.
He personally led more than 4,000 soldiers to cooperate with the French McMahon Division in attacking the Malakoff Fortress. In just 10 minutes, the fortress fell into the hands of the coalition forces, and then the coalition forces repelled the Russian counterattack.
During the battle, the Chinese soldiers showed their bravery. Facing the enemy's artillery fire, these Chinese soldiers were not afraid.
Although they were temporarily recruited militiamen when they first came here, they have been baptized by the flames of war for a long time. They gradually matured under the baptism of war.
After seeing the big scene, the spirit of the soldiers was completely different. This expeditionary force also became a powerful force after returning home. Many of them later became generals of China's overseas garrison.
The British attack on the Fort of the Horn failed again. The British troops were suppressed by Russian firepower behind the parapet at the foot of the Fort and refused to advance. Soon they turned around and retreated. This made the British commander lose face.
But the fall of Malakoff Fortress was fatal to the Russian army. The coalition artillery fire could cover the entire Sevastopol from here, and the fall was only a matter of time.
That night, the Russian army destroyed all fortifications and withdrew from Sevastopol in a planned manner with artillery and logistics facilities.
After an 11-month siege, the coalition finally entered the ruins of Sevastopol.
The Russian army was generally successful in the defensive battle of Sevastopol. It was a model for the coordinated operations of the army and navy to defend coastal fortresses.
Despite being at a disadvantage in terms of army, artillery quantity and weapon quality, the Russian army continued to attack at night, used a large number of mines, and deployed a deep echelon defense system to cause great damage to the coalition forces.
The defenders of Sevastopol were extremely poor in weapons, ammunition and food, and they paid a bloody price for Russia's military and economic backwardness.
The fall of Sevastopol was a major turning point in the Crimean War. The coalition forces, especially the French army, felt that they had achieved their strategic purpose.
After the fall of Sevastopol, military operations in the Crimean battlefield gradually decreased. The Russian army entered the highlands north of Sevastopol, but Belisier refused the emperor's order and did not counterattack.
General Bazin led a part of the French army to capture Jinben at the emperor's urging and cut off Odessa's external transportation lines.
But at this time, the French Emperor Napoleon III had begun to retreat. France originally wanted to use this war to destroy the Holy Alliance, weaken the strength of Tsarist Russia, and lay the foundation for France's dominance on the European continent.
But they were unwilling to invest too much in Tsarist Russia's battlefield.
This is the psychology of Napoleon III, a political speculator. Such a person lacks decision-making and always hopes to get the greatest benefit, but is unwilling to take risks.
At this time, the British wanted to persist in fighting. The British hoped that through this battle, they could completely defeat Tsarist Russia's intention to advance southward.
Britain has always wanted to block Tsarist Russia in the north, while Britain wants to control Turkey in its own hands. As long as it controls Persia, Britain is equivalent to controlling the southern part of the Asian continent.
We have said before that whoever controls Eurasia controls the whole world.
Dong Shuheng knew this, and the British also knew this.
The Indian Ocean is basically under the control of the British. If they control the Asian region close to the Indian Ocean, then which country in the world can compete with the British?
Because of the order submitted by Dong Shuheng, both Britain and France started their own ironclad ship projects in advance.
After testing, the British Navy found that 102 mm armor could withstand a 30.6 kg artillery shell attack from a distance of 570 meters. Based on this experimental result, the British launched an armored ship construction plan.
In 1854, the British Navy issued ironclad ship bidding documents to 7 naval factories and 8 private shipbuilding factories, and proposed the technical data of the new ship:
It is equipped with 36 cannons capable of firing 30.6 kg shells, the armor thickness is 114 mm, the upper deck is laid with 16 mm iron plates, the speed is not less than 13.5 knots, etc.
Each shipyard proposed its own design plan, and in the end, the plan of London Blackwall Shipyard won the bid.
The ironclad ship was named "Warrior" and construction began in May 1854. The construction work is now nearing completion.
Dong Shuheng has been asking European intelligence personnel to pay close attention to the construction of British ironclads.
Warrior's artillery is arranged on one deck, unlike previous battleships which were divided into several layers.
This was the configuration of a frigate in the early era of wooden battleships, but the Warrior has more powerful firepower. It is equipped with four 8-inch naval guns and 28 7-inch naval guns, including the heavier 68-pound shells, which are more common than previous battleships.
The 32-pound artillery shells equipped are more than twice as heavy and have more powerful firepower.
However, the tactics of this type of ironclad ship have not changed, it just has an extra layer of protection than the original battleship.
Naturally, Dong Shuheng would not tell the British that their thinking was wrong.
The French are making faster progress. They started the construction of the "Glorious" two years ago. Although the "Glorious" still has iron armor added to the wooden shell. However, its tonnage is higher.
The design concept is more advanced.
The specific parameters of the "Glorious": displacement of 5630 tons, length of 256 feet (77.8m), width of 56 feet (17m), depth of 28 feet (8.4m), mixed speed of 13 knots, armor thickness of 4.3-4.7 inches (107.7-
120mm).
Equipped with 8 boilers, 2500 horsepower engine, 665 tons of media, initially equipped with 36 6.4-inch (163mm) breech-loaded guns, later modified to equip 8 9.4-inch (239m) guns and 6 7.6-inch (190mm) guns, with 570 personnel
people.
This is the pride of the French. Dong Shuheng ordered two steam ironclads in France, both of which were only more than 3,000 tons. This was regarded by the French as the Chinese being ignorant.
In fact, Dong Shuheng originally ordered these two warships just to train some skilled technicians and learn some skills.
He looked down upon the French ironclads. Even their 5,000-ton "Glorious" was not as powerful as the Chinese frigates.
According to the agreement, China can send workers to participate in the entire manufacturing process. This is what Dong Shuheng wants. Some of the French craftsmanship is what Dong Shuheng needs.
Moreover, Dong Shuheng only asked for the construction of warships and did not ask the French to install any weapon systems.
So these two warships have to be handed over to China.
These two warships will be sailed back to China by the Chinese people sent by France to cooperate with the shipbuilding, as well as the earliest overseas Chinese officers sent to France to study the navy.
Wang Tao has been coordinating this matter recently.
What Dong Shuheng is most concerned about is actually the two ironclad ships built in Prussia. Those four warships (the other two are from the Prussian Navy) are warships built according to modern naval warfare tactics.
Similarly, the Prussians also attached great importance to it and arranged the most stringent confidentiality measures for the shipyard.
It brings together Prussia's most cutting-edge design talents and most skilled workers.
Each rivet undergoes precise calculations and strict testing before it can be put into use.
For these four warships, Krupp specially developed a tube-retractable naval gun, which will greatly increase the rate of fire of the artillery on the warships.
In this respect, Krupp surpasses their European rival, Armstrong.
However, this kind of tube withdrawal device can only be used on warships, because this kind of tube withdrawal device that uses springs cannot remove all the recoil. On warships, the last remaining recoil force can be removed through the hull of the warship.
If it is on land, this kind of spring-based tube withdrawal device can only be used on small-caliber artillery. For example, the 75mm cannon and 50mm howitzer of the Renaissance Army use this kind of tube withdrawal device.
Therefore, the artillery fire rate of the Renaissance Army is very fast, but the caliber of the artillery is not large.
On the "Jianghe-class" frigates of the Renaissance Army, the naval guns also adopt such a tube retreat structure.
The real barrel retreat still requires the later hydraulic retreat and retraction device. However, this device is being developed by the Renaissance Army and has not yet been successfully developed, and no one in Europe has developed it yet.
ps: I woke up at around five o'clock in the morning and sat here correcting my manuscript at noon. I felt so sleepy. I don't even know if I have corrected everything. If there are any typos, please leave a message to remind me. Thank you!