Zhu Ying has not paid much attention to the situation in Japan recently.
His thoughts now are all on the steam armored ship.
Today, the hull is completed and it is time to start installing steam.
In two or three days at most, this steam-armored ship can be launched into the water.
Jingshi Shipyard.
This is a newly built shipyard. It is not for external use, but is dedicated to the research and development of shipbuilding technology.
When he first established the Capital Shipyard, Zhu Ying recruited a large number of elite shipbuilders from all over the country, including a large number of scholars.
The reason why scholars are willing to do the work of craftsmen is not other than that the treatment given by Zhu Ying is high enough.
Food and accommodation are the most basic, and the salary is 30 guan per month.
This is a sky-high salary.
Furthermore, today's scholars are not worth much. Except for being exempted from kneeling when meeting officials, all other privileges are gone.
The reason why Zhu Ying wants scholars to participate is because in the inheritance of many techniques, craftsmen usually pass it on orally, and their expressive skills are not good enough. It is difficult for apprentices to say that they have learned the skills of their masters.
In addition, if there is a saying in the church that the disciples will starve the master to death, usually the master will save his disciples.
This puts a big lock on the already difficult skills to inherit.
For this reason, Zhu Ying simply issued an edict prohibiting the maintenance of broken brooms in the shipyard.
Anyone discovered will be severely punished.
Coupled with generous rewards, this phenomenon can be eliminated at least in the shipyard.
The advantage for readers is that they can write down these skills and organize them into volumes, so that newcomers can learn more quickly.
"Thank you for your hard work during this time."
Zhu Ying looked up at the large ship not far away that had been equipped with iron armor, and said to Huang Guan next to him with a bit of sigh.
He had already heard that during the period of building the armored ship, Huang Guan spent most of his time resting directly in the shipyard.
He is a third-grade Zhan Shi. As far as the entire Ming Dynasty is concerned, he is definitely the first step below the emperor.
As the representative of the grandson, Zhan Shifu has greater invisible power than the six ministers.
In order to successfully build the iron-clad ship, he left his beloved wife at home and watched over her day and night.
This kind of behavior really moved Zhu Ying a bit.
"I just want this iron-clad ship to come out as soon as possible. Compared with the steam-clad ship, my hard work is nothing."
"By living here, I can better control the manufacture of iron-clad ships. If they are launched into the water as early as possible, the Ming Dynasty will have greater majesty on the sea."
Huang Guan bowed and said.
It has to be said that with a high-ranking official like him setting an example, officials at all levels below would not dare to show any signs of neglect.
If your boss is like this, do you, as a subordinate, have to be special?
Therefore, officials from all over the capital shipyard, almost none of whom went back, stayed here and did not dare to relax in guarding the construction of the ironclad ship.
A strange phenomenon occurred.
Often behind a blacksmith, there are four or five officials watching at any time.
Especially before dawn, Huang Guan has already gotten up. Whether he is a craftsman or an official, he must also get up.
In fact, many problems were indeed encountered in the process of building ironclad ships.
Some small problems can easily block the overall manufacturing progress.
Huang Guan is not omnipotent, but as soon as he discovers a problem, he immediately convenes a meeting to discuss solutions.
Three cobblers are equal to Zhuge Liang.
This is the key to completing the ironclad ship on time.
At this moment, a huge steam engine is being lifted into the cabin in front of the ship.
Zhu Ying patted Huang Guan's shoulder and didn't say much. The meaning was already very obvious.
With such a great contribution, as long as Huang Guan does not do any evil or evil things, he can basically be forgiven.
It's more reliable than Zhu Yuanzhang's iron scroll to avoid death.
"Your Highness, it will take about two hours to get here, why don't Your Highness take a rest first."
The dock in front was busy working, but here Guo Zhong saw that the sunlight was a bit harsh. After all, the weather was the hottest in June, so he spoke to persuade.
"No need, I'll just watch here, it's just a few hours."
"You reminded me that the weather is too hot, so I asked someone to prepare some watermelons and give them to the craftsmen below to avoid suffering from heatstroke."
Zhu Ying waved her hand and refused, and asked someone to find a chair. She sat on the chair and looked down, giving instructions.
Watermelon has been cultivated on a large scale in the Central Plains since the Southern Song Dynasty, and it is not an expensive fruit now.
It's just that the price is tens of cents per catty, and people who are not wealthy would not dare to eat it.
Guo Zhong soon brought the eunuchs to transport a cart full of watermelons.
Walking to the edge of the big pit, he shouted: "Your Majesty, the sun is scorching like fire today, and considering that the construction is not easy, we will give you three large carts of watermelons to relieve the heat."
When the craftsmen heard this, they all knelt down and shouted: "Thank you, His Highness Taisun, for the reward."
In this summer, they started working before dawn in the morning, and now it is noon. Zhu Ying lets the craftsmen eat melons to relieve the heat.
Today's watermelons are not as sweet as later generations, but for craftsmen, this is the best thing.
After a bite of watermelon, I feel much more energetic.
Many people would say words such as thanking their grandson while eating.
After a short rest, the craftsmen naturally worked harder.
The lazy tricks have long been forgotten at this time.
Before noon passed, the steam engine had been installed in the cabin, and the bottom of the ship was also laid with iron plates, and it was completely completed.
This steam ironclad ship is quite ugly in appearance.
Compared to the treasure ship, it is simply the difference between an ugly duckling and a white swan.
The iron sheets were hammered by craftsmen, and of course they cannot be said to be smooth. The iron sheets were fixed to the hull with rivets, leaving many traces of nails.
Hei Buliuqiu looks like a complete lump of iron.
Only the sails on the ship indicate that it is a ship.
Behind the hull is the propeller.
This is where the steam power is connected. When the steam engine starts, the propeller can provide enough power to the big ship.
Making this propeller is a lot of work. It requires more than a dozen master blacksmiths to hammer it out with thousands of hammers, and then through constant polishing and calibration.
Now that there are no lathes, almost all high-precision things are done by hand.
That is, only Ming Dynasty can do this.
Other small countries do not have this capability at all.
In the big pit, the work of the craftsmen has basically been completed. This is the last step of the steam ironclad ship, oiling.
If the iron sheet is exposed to water for a long time, it will easily rust. Wiping it back and forth with a grease cloth will have a good anti-rust effect.
These iron sheets have been maintained, and the large-scale oiling is to fill in the grease that was damaged during the previous binding.
"Your Highness, you can open the gate now."
After all the craftsmen in the pit came up, Huang Guan said beside him.
The Jingshi Shipyard was built on the riverside, using a dock type.
That is to say, dig a big pit by the river and then build a dock. Shipbuilding is usually carried out in the big pit.
Large factories such as Jingshi Shipyard will also build two separate river channels, made of bricks and stones, and make large gates on the outer channel.
After the hull in the pit is completed, the sluice is opened to waterproof it and water from the river is introduced.
Once the water is full, the boat can enter the river along the river channel.
After the front gate is closed, the rear gate is opened, the water is introduced into the downstream and drained, and shipbuilding can continue in the big pit.
"Open the gate."
When Zhu Ying spoke, he also stood up from his chair.
"My grandson has an order, open the gate! Release the water!"
As the shouts rang out, the strongmen on both sides of the gate began to turn the roulette chain.
The chain gradually rises, driving the huge gate.
Like a flood, the water from the river rushed in and quickly filled the entire pit.
Gradually, the steam ironclad ship floated slowly.
This caused a wave of exclamations.
Due to the limitations of knowledge, many people actually participated in the creation, but they still have doubts in their hearts.
Wouldn't a ship wrapped in iron sheets sink?
Even the outside is covered with iron sheets. What will happen if it sinks?
And now, the floating iron ship is the best proof.
This scene was like a divine apparition, causing many craftsmen to kneel down and shout that His Highness Taisun would live a thousand years.
They thought that the iron ship could float because His Highness Taisun, as a banished immortal, had cast immortal magic on the iron ship.
Huang Guan's expression also became excited.
Of course, he was not excited because the iron ship floated, but because the steam iron-clad ship he supervised was finally available.
From another perspective, the reason why Huang Guan worked so hard was because he understood the significance of building a steam ironclad ship.
This is a major event that will definitely go down in history, and will even affect the pattern of all nations in the world.
As someone who participated in the design and supervised the construction of steam engines and armored ships, he must be a very important figure in the history books.
Literary people, who doesn't care about reputation?
"What a steam armored ship!" Zhu Ying's eyes were shining.
At this moment, Huang Guan had a flash of inspiration, bowed and said: "Your Highness, please give me your name."
Previously, ships had no names. Throughout the dynasties, the army was the main force and the navy was the supplement. There were only types of ship names, but no ship names.
If no name is given, then from now on this type of ship will be called a steam ironclad ship.
When Zhu Ying heard this, he was also moved. After thinking for a while, he said: "Once this ship is launched, there is no other ship on the sea that can compare. It is like the Dinghai Divine Needle of the East China Sea Dragon Palace. It is named: Dinghai Ship."
Guo Zhong, who was standing next to him, heard this and immediately raised his voice and shouted loudly: "The great grandson bestows a name on the ship."
At this time, Yu Jing, a member of the navy who was already on the ship, knelt down on one knee and responded: "Please give the order from Taisun Palace to allow the Dinghai ship to be lit!"
Yu Jing is the second son of Yu Tongyuan, the Marquis of Yuexun. Since his eldest son Yu Yi died early, Yu Jing is the current eldest son.
Steam ironclad ships are not only built, but of course also require naval operations.
During the period of building the iron-clad ship, Yu Jing, as the son of Marquis Yuexun and a core figure in the Ming Navy, naturally came here early.
Firstly, he is familiar with the operation of the armored ship, and secondly, he will be the naval commander of this armored ship in the future.
The son of a marquis is certainly not lacking in human sophistication.
Zhu Ying was also a little excited and shouted in person: "Yes!"
Yu Jing heard this and shouted: "My grandson has ordered, light the fire!"
The soldiers on the ship immediately began operations.
As the rumbling sound spread, a burst of black smoke gradually poured out from the ship's pipes, which was a sign that the steam engine was ignited.
Everyone present watched this scene closely.
If the steam engine stalls or fails to ignite at this time, it would be a big joke.
Zhu Ying looked calm, but actually she was a little nervous.
His five fingers were already clenched into fists.
He understands better than anyone else the significance of the advent of steam ironclad ships.
The rumbling became more and more intense, accompanied by noisy sounds.
This is the propeller below starting to rotate.
"It's moving, it's moving, the boat is moving."
"The sails are not in use, and the ship is really moving."
As the propeller speed accelerated, the Dinghai ship really started to move, and cheers suddenly erupted in the dock.
All the hard work is worth it.
The Ming Dynasty's first steam ironclad ship, the Dinghai Ship, was really built successfully.
On the deck, Yu Jing looked particularly excited.
Having grown up on a ship since he was a child, he can clearly feel the power of this Dinghai ship.
At this moment, the steam engine below is far from reaching the fastest speed, but it is already faster than an ordinary large ship.
When a ship is freed from the influence of wind, what other ship can compare?
Dinghai ships also have sails, which can also be used to draw strength when the wind blows.
With the addition of propellers, this will be the fastest boat in the world, bar none.
Today's ships are not equipped with artillery. Once loaded with artillery, one ship can be used as a hundred ships.
No, this is something that even a hundred ships cannot compare with.
After the Dinghai ship entered the river, its speed became faster and faster.
This is not the Yangtze River, but the Qinhuai River.
Around Jubaomen, Shuiximen and Dinghuaimen, three branches of the river flow into the Yangtze River.
This section of the waterway is not allowed to be used by traders, so there are no commercial ships sailing.
Yu Jing didn't drive very far, and didn't even reach the speed limit. He only drove no more than a mile or two, and before he was out of sight of the dock, he started to turn back.
He knew very well that there would be many opportunities for this naval vessel to sail in the future, but if it sailed far away, His Highness Taisun would have to wait for a long time.
Things that were originally meritorious may turn into sins.
Of course, the Dinghai ship that returned from sailing did not need to turn back to the dock, but instead docked at the dock next to it.
Yu Jing came down from the pier and immediately greeted Zhu Ying.
"His Royal Highness Taisun, the Dinghai ship sailed correctly and everything is normal."
Zhu Ying nodded slightly: "Okay, intensify your training these days. I will give you three days. After three days, I will board the sea ship together with Your Majesty."
In fact, Zhu Ying wanted to get on the boat to experience it now, but she still asked Yu Jing to train for three days first.
Three days is enough time to become familiar with steam engines, including some other issues.
This short voyage only represented the advent of steam ironclad ships.
Moreover, this naval vessel is actually only used for testing steam engines and propellers. Only the ones that will be built later will be equipped with artillery and go to sea.
At that time, not only one ship will be built, but more than ten ships will be built at the same time.
"My lord, I will fulfill my mission!" Yu Jing knelt down on one knee and responded in a deep voice.