Sima Rulan said: "The Dragon Palace tribe specializes in plundering large-cargo merchant ships at sea, and they are the great enemies of Okura City. We, Wanjintang, have been fighting with them in the South China Sea for many years. Both sides have their own victories and defeats, and our sect has also After many people were sacrificed and many ships were lost, dad finally found a way. If it can be implemented, this group of pirates may be able to be eliminated."
Hua Bushi said: "But I don't know what to do."
Sima Rulan said: "Why does Mr. Hua think that the Black Dragon Palace can be so domineering in the South China Sea?"
Hua Bushi said: "The strength of the Black Dragon Palace is due to the fact that there are many masters in the Dragon Palace tribe, but the main reason is that their ships are strong and powerful, especially those giant shark warships, which are more powerful at sea. It’s a boat that can compete.”
Sima Rulan said: "Mr. Hua is right, the giant shark ship of the Black Dragon Palace is much larger than ordinary battleships. The hull is covered with iron armor and is so strong that it is difficult to be damaged by ordinary cannons. Our Okura Castle is now Some warships were simply invincible, and my father knew this very well, so he spent a lot of money to hire dozens of shipbuilding masters from Western countries, and spent more than five years designing a new type of warship. The warship is named 'Dragon-Slaying Ship'. Its keel is made of steel and is stronger than the giant shark ship. As long as it can be built, it will definitely be able to defeat the giant shark ship in a naval battle." [
Hua Bushi's expression changed and he said: "Is there any ship in this world whose keel is made of steel?"
Although this young man doesn't know much about shipbuilding, he also knows that the most critical part of the hull of an ocean-going sailboat is the keel. The stronger the keel, the stronger the force it can withstand, and the larger the hull can be built. The heavier.
As far as he knew, the keels of all ships were made of hardwood, even the giant sharks whose hulls were covered with iron armor must be no exception, and no matter how good the wood was, it was not as strong as steel. If a ship had a keel made of steel, it would be For the shipbuilding industry, it is undoubtedly a great innovation.
Sima Rulan said: "Of course not yet. If the 'Dragon-Slaying Ship' can be built, it will be the first ship in the world with a keel cast from steel."
Hua Bushi said: "Could it be that Panlong Jue has something to do with the Dragon-Slaying Ship?"
Sima Rulan said: "Although the Dragon-Slaying Ship was designed two years ago, it is not easy to build it according to the drawings. In the past two years, my father has been busy collecting materials to build this ship and recruiting shipbuilding craftsmen. , he stored the detailed plans for building this ship in a secret cave on Whale Swallowing Island, and this pair of Panlongjue is the key to unlocking that secret cave."
Hua Bushi suddenly said: "I see, it's no wonder that after the 'Black Dragon Palace' assassinated the Lord of Sima City, they tried every possible means to destroy this Jue. Presumably the purpose was to destroy the detailed drawings of the 'Dragon-Slaying Ship', but Why didn't Lord Sima keep the drawings in Okura City, but put them on the Whale Swallowing Island far away in the East China Sea?"
Sima Rulan said: "The pirates of the 'Black Dragon Palace' are very cunning. In Okura City, and even among the gang members of the 'Wanjintang', it is inevitable that there will be spies sent by them. Dad thinks that the plan should be kept in the city." It is not safe here, it must be placed in a safe place in case of loss, and Whale Swallowing Island is not on the East China Sea as in the legend."
Hua Bushi said: "Oh."
Sima Rulan said: "The location of Swallowing Whale Island is also a secret of our sect. Only a few elders in Wanjintang know it. It is actually located in the South China Sea. It can be reached by boat from Okura Island in just one day, and Daddy and I are the only ones who know how to enter the treasure cave on the island. Daddy not only stored the detailed plans for building the Dragon-Slaying Ship in it, but also stored other important items of our sect there."
Swallowing Whale Island was originally the place where the ancient pirate king Tuoba Qingtian hid his treasure. The secret caves on the island must be very hidden and full of traps. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a safe place in case of loss, and Swallowing Whale Island is far away Dacang Island is not far away, only a day's sail away, so it is natural for Sima Zhufeng to regard it as a warehouse for storing important things.
Sima Rulan sighed and said: "Dad has always wanted to build a dragon-slaying ship to deal with the giant shark warships of the 'Black Dragon Palace'. In the past two years, he has traveled around the mainland and stayed in Okura City. We don’t have much time. The last time we left the island was to look for shipbuilding materials and craftsmen. Alas! Now that my father has passed away, I’m afraid it won’t be possible to build the Dragon-Slaying Ship for a while.”
Hua Bushi said: "What do you think Miss Lan'er said? Is there any difficulty in building a dragon-slaying ship?"
Sima Rulan said: "Dad has bought back some materials for building the Dragon-Slaying Ship in the past two years, but the keel material, which is the hardest to find, is still in short supply. Lan'er heard from her father that the keel of this ship must be obtained. Thirty thousand kilograms of fine iron are used, and in order to cast such a huge steel keel, it must be a very capable iron master. The last time dad left the island, he went to the mainland to buy fine iron and find an iron master. "
She lowered her head and added: "Moreover, today's 'Wanjin Hall' is no longer comparable to the past. Not to mention the lack of manpower, a lot of the money saved in the door has also been spent. In this battle around the island, most of the ships were lost. Even if we can really build the Dragon-Slaying Ship, with our current combat power, I am afraid it will be difficult for us to defeat the numerous fleets of the 'Black Dragon Palace'."
When Sima Rulan said this, her brows were furrowed and she was helpless. However, when Hua Bushi heard this, he looked worried, but his face was filled with excitement.
Before that, what bothered the young master the most was how to break through the pirate formation of the "Black Dragon Palace" and defeat enemy warships such as the Giant Shark Ship. Now I heard Sima Rulan talk about the "Dragon-Slaying Ship" "Existence, he was overjoyed.
Although the Dragon-Slaying Ship has not yet been built, the difficulties in building this ship mentioned by Sima Rulan are not a problem in Hua Bushi's view. Thirty thousand kilograms of fine iron is indeed something that is hard to find in the eyes of others. , it is not difficult at all for the "Evil Dog Sect" with its refined iron mines and smelting workshops, and Master Ou in Wuyang City is a ready-made master of iron casting, and there are many highly skilled craftsmen recruited under the sect, so it is certain that A giant steel keel capable of casting a dragon-slaying ship.
Hua Bushi immediately said: "Miss Lan'er doesn't have to worry. The purchase of fine iron and the casting of the keel are all taken care of by Hua Bushi. As for the lack of shipbuilding funds, I can also try to raise it." [
Sima Rulan's eyes widened, and she said with surprise and joy: "Are you serious about what you said? If this is true, the Dragon-Slaying Ship can be built!"
Hua Bushi smiled and said: "Hua Bushi always speaks empty words. Once he says it, he promises to do it. However, as Miss Lan'er said just now, there are currently insufficient manpower and ships in Okura City. Even if one or two are built, A warship that can compete with the giant shark is no match for the numerous ships of the opponent. In my opinion, if you want to defeat the pirates of the "Black Dragon Palace", Okura Castle can only rely on external warships like this naval battle. It takes strength."
"Mr. Hua is saying that in order to get rid of the pirates in the Black Dragon Palace, we still have to rely on the help of the Guangdong navy." Sima Rulan was very smart, so she naturally understood what Hua Bushi meant.
Hua Bushi said: "That's it. Now there is an opportunity for cooperation. During the day, Mr. Cao told Hua Bushi that he had learned the location of the pirates' lair, Black Dragon Island, from the captured pirates, and wanted to gather the imperial navy to go there. They hoped to join forces with Okura City to carry out the campaign. This matter would be of great benefit and harm to Okura City. As long as they agreed to hand over the gold and silver treasures seized from the pirate lair to Mr. Cao, they could borrow the money. The power of the imperial navy is being used by us, what does Miss Lan'er think?"
Sima Rulan's face darkened and she said, "The treasure is nothing but nothing. Cao Muyun is the murderer of my father. Do we have to cooperate with him?"
Hua Bushi said: "For today's plan, this is the most feasible strategy. Speaking of which, the 'Black Dragon Palace' is the real culprit who killed Sima City Lord. Now that we have the opportunity to eliminate this group of pirates, we must not let it go. Just pass it."
This time, the siege of Okura Island was solved, thanks to the reinforcements brought by Cao Muyun. Although Sima Rulan's hatred of Cao Muyun has not disappeared, but weighing her father's hatred and the safety of the entire Okura City, which one is lighter? Seriously, she had no other choice.
After a long while, Sima Rulan said: "If the pirates of the Black Dragon Palace can really be eliminated, Mr. Hua thinks it should be so, and Lan'er has nothing to say."
Hua Bushi said happily: "Miss Lan'er really understands the righteousness, you can rest assured that as long as we build a dragon-slaying ship that can compete with the giant shark ship, and get the help of the navy from Guangdong, we will definitely be able to wipe out the 'Black Panther'." Ryugu's pirates, get rid of Okura Castle's henchmen."
Sima Rulan and Cao Muyun are both friends of Hua Bushi. If the hatred between them can be resolved, this is what the young master hopes to do most, although the hatred of killing his father is not that easy to resolve. , but after this cooperation, at least the hatred between them will have some buffering opportunities.
The failure of the "Black Dragon Palace" island siege resulted in the loss of hundreds of ships in total. However, it does not take too long to recover. For Okura Castle, building a dragon-slaying ship is of course an important step. The sooner the better, and although refined iron is no longer a problem, the specific details of how to build the ship can only be known by obtaining the detailed design drawings of the Dragon-Slaying Ship.
So Hua Bushi and Sima Rulan made an appointment to go out to sea together tomorrow, take a boat to Swallowing Whale Island, and get the shipbuilding plans that Sima Zhufeng had hidden in the secret cave, so that they could start preparations as soon as possible to build the first ship in the world. A battleship with a steel keel.
In the small building of Sima Rulan's boudoir, the two talked in detail for another hour. It was not until after the second watch that Hua Bushi got up and said goodbye, and Sima Rulan personally sent him out of the city lord's mansion.
Looking at the back of Hua Bushi riding away, Sima Rulan felt a little sad.
After tonight, she already understood that this man who broke into her heart for the first time might only be a good friend in this life, and there would be no possibility of getting married again.