Finally, Sun Yuanhua boarded the 901 gunboat "Taishuang".
Although the hull of the Taishuang is not much larger than the largest spy boat, its shape and equipment are completely different from those of a spy boat that was born out of Chinese civilian ships, especially the sails - 901 does not use improved Chinese and Western materials like the spy boat.
It was a mixed sail, but a bauentine style. Sun Yuanhua browsed for a long time and felt that the shape and sails of this boat were somewhat similar to the European sailboats that the missionaries had shown him, but it looked lighter and more beautiful than the European sailboats.
Although Sun Yuanhua didn't know the saying "an aircraft with superior performance must be good-looking", he instinctively felt that Australian ships had much superior performance than European ships.
What impressed him the most was the 130mm Grenshell "cannon" on the Taishuang. When the canvas was lifted and the wine bottle-shaped, shiny cannon was exposed to his eyes, Sun Yuanhua
Suddenly I realized that all the "military weapons" I had seen before seemed so pale and feeble.
Although the 68-pound carronade gave him a great shock, with his skill in gunnery, he also knew that although the shells fired from the shorter barrel could be very large, the range would not be too far.
The "giant cannon" in front of him not only had a large caliber, but also had a long barrel, taking into account both power and range. What surprised him even more was that the cannon, which looked very heavy, could be rotated easily - even without manpower, Lu Yang
After giving the order, several sailors ran up to the gun position and took up their positions. Someone turned the hand wheel with the brass pole, and a strange low whine came from the deck below the cannon, and then the heavy gun body began to rotate.
Suddenly, thick white gas sprayed out from below the deck and from the gun mount, which startled Sun Yuanhua. A gust of sea breeze blew by, and the water vapor quickly dissipated. He could clearly see the cannon being controlled by several sailors.
It can turn left and right and tilt freely. It is as dexterous as a chopstick.
This single battleship was bigger than the ten navy ships! Sun Yuanhua thought to himself, no wonder the Australians can navigate the sea!
"How can such a huge cannon rotate freely without manpower?" he asked.
"This is the power of water and fire." Lu Yang said and briefly explained the principle of the steam engine. He used the explanation in One Hundred Thousand Whys - from the common phenomenon of boiling water and cooking rice and steaming the kettle lid.
Explain the power of steam.
Sun Yuanhua listened very carefully. The principle of a steam engine is actually very simple, but converting this principle into usable power is not a simple matter. Therefore, he did not ask how the power of steam drives the cannon - presumably
It's a secret skill of the Australians, and they will never show it to others easily.
"What is this?" Sun Yuanhua came to the huge chimney in the middle of the hull. The chimney was wrapped in fishing nets and oilcloth.
"chimney."
"Chimney?" Sun Yuanhua asked curiously, "Such a big chimney?"
There are stoves on any large ship, but I have never heard of stoves so big that they need to be equipped with chimneys.
"Exactly." Lu Yang said, "Since the power of water and fire is used, this chimney is necessary."
"So, there is a huge stove below the deck?"
"Sir, your guess is right. It is a huge stove and a pot of water."
This aroused Sun Yuanhua's strong curiosity: He could not figure out how to build a huge stove in such a rickety environment on the ship, and how to put a pot of water on it. The ship would not stop flowing as soon as it moved.
Is it going to overflow?
While I was wondering, I saw a small boat sailing in the bay, emitting black smoke and white gas.
There is a large area of floating ice in Longkou Bay, and Dafa boats are transporting icebreakers to the ice to carry out artificial icebreaking to maintain the smooth flow of the waterway.
Sun Yuanhua suddenly noticed that the small boat sailing in the bay had no sails or oars, and he couldn't help but be surprised - he had long heard that Australian ships could sail without sails and oars. Now seeing is believing.
Looking at the black smoke, water vapor and chimney rising from the boat, he suddenly understood and asked:
"This ship can move freely on the sea, maybe it uses the power of water and fire that Mr. Lu mentioned, right?"
"Sir, you are right." Lu Yang secretly admired him.
"Although this ship has sails, it can still sail without sails, right?"
"Yes." Lu Yang said, "The power of water and fire can propel cannons, propel ships, and do many other things."
Sun Yuanhua sighed: "What a magical skill!"
"Isn't Sir the best at studying things?" Lu Yang said, "The way of water and fire is also the study of things."
On the way back to the village, the word "Borrow troops to help suppress it!" suddenly jumped into Sun Yuanhua's heart.
The other party openly exposed his warships and cannons, and he naturally understood that this was a deliberate hint to him.
After being captured in Dengzhou, he was already in despair about his future. According to the emperor's consistent behavior: even if Kong Youde missed his old friendship and released him, he might not be able to return to the court even if he had teachers and old Zhou Ge to help him.
There is no escape from death.
Originally, he had been prepared to die. Now he was rescued: it had only been two or three days since the fall of Dengzhou, and neither the court nor the local officials would receive the exact news...
As long as a person in a desperate situation has a chance to turn around, he will immediately have a strong desire to survive. Sun Yuanhua immediately realized that a great opportunity was appearing in front of him.
If he could lead his own troops to defeat Kong Youde and regain Dengzhou, even if he could not keep his position as governor, at least he would have the possibility of resurrecting himself in the future.
As for the other party being a "kun thief", this is something to worry about. However, it seems that the other party does not want to reveal his true identity, otherwise they would not have to go to so much trouble to establish a Zhuangzi here under his name.
Back in the village, Jin Lige invited him to attend the morning mass. The mass was held in a simple shed on the island, and the attendees were mainly new converts among the refugees. Lu Wenyuan was already a Catholic.
, and had to go to church together.
After the service, Sun Yuanhua and Jin Lige had another conversation. Jin Lige expressed concern about his current state, saying that his failure in Dengzhou would not only endanger himself, but also the spread of the entire Holy Church in China.
It's a very huge blow.
Of course, Sun Yuanhua understood the meaning expressed by the church. The Jesuit mission in China relied heavily on upper-class scholar-officials. However, there are not many scholar-official Christians who can be called "senior officials" at the moment. His mentor Xu Guangqi is already in his dying years, and due to mental and physical exhaustion from his studies, he himself
It is the missionaries' last hope.
Then, Jin Lige went on to talk about the Australians' piety towards the church, and how the church has gained unprecedented gains in Hainan with the support of the Australians - he pointed out with great regret: If the leader of the Australians was a Christian, the Pope would definitely
Canonized him.
Under the guidance of the Jesuit priests, Sun Yuan already had the intention of "borrowing teachers to help in the suppression".
However, he still had many things to figure out. The first was how many troops the Australians could send. Sun Yuanhua knew that Dengzhou and Liaodong were across the sea, and the local area was a barren and impoverished land. After Kong Youde occupied Dengzhou, he would have food and pay.
Weapons, as long as a big flag is set up, tens of thousands of horses will immediately gather.
Of these tens of thousands of people, the majority are those who are trying to earn a living and make a living, but among them there are many local soldiers and former Dongjiang people.
Although these soldiers won less and lost more against the Tatars, they were "strong soldiers" among the Ming army. Especially Li Jiucheng, Kong Youde and others were all veteran generals in Liaodong, and they had received training in Western firearms in Dengzhou. If they really wanted to fight
It seems that if the imperial court does not draw elite border troops from the Shanhaiguan area to defend the capital, the improvised army may not be their opponent.
In particular, the large amount of firearms and gunpowder stored in Dengzhou City increased their combat power. Furthermore, there were also the warships in Shuicheng. This was what Sun Yuanhua was particularly worried about.
All naval warships fell into the hands of the rebels, which meant that they had the ability to maneuver at will on the sea. The Dongjiang Army on the Lushun and Liaodong Islands may respond to the rebels in Dengzhou by sea at any time.
At that time, the rebel force will become bigger and bigger like a snowball, and if the rebels cannot support it, they may go to sea and surrender to the Tartars... The Denglai defense line that the court has worked hard for more than ten years will collapse.
Faced with such a powerful enemy, Sun Yuanhua certainly could not expect that his small number of troops in Laizhou and Qingzhou could suppress them - even with the troops sent by Yu Dacheng, the governor of Shandong, he had no chance of winning.
Sun Yuanhua did not expect the court to send reinforcements soon. The court's troops in the north were tight, and it would take three or four months to send troops to suppress the attack, even if the court's resolution was passed immediately.
His plan was to defend Laizhou and Qingzhou to prevent the rebellion from spreading. By inviting the Australian navy to assist in the battle at sea, the rebels would not be able to connect with the old Dongjiang people in Liaodong.
The old Dongjiang people could not cross the sea to reinforce Kong Youde, and they could not capture Laizhou and Qingzhou, so the rebels could only be trapped in Dengzhou - the food in Dengzhou could last about half a year. As long as they were trapped for half a year, the rebels would be in chaos without fighting.
Whether it is to recruit people or to mobilize a large army to encircle and suppress them, they can get twice the result with half the effort.
Sun Yuanhua didn't have much hope for the Australian army - he only saw local bravery on the island. Even if there were some Australian soldiers who were brave, they were only two or three hundred at best. Even though there were legendary sophisticated firearms, after all, the number was too small to even support them.
It's not enough to put a gap in the teeth of the rebels.
In contrast, he had much more confidence in the Australian navy - the warships the Australians showed him could easily blockade Dengzhou. Neither the Dongjiang navy nor the Dengzhou navy could compete with them.
If the warships are fighting against each other, if they really go to war, it will be really devastating.
However, it is not easy to make this determination - after all, the Australians are "thieves" who have seen battles with the imperial army. Although they have only done business so far and have not shown any ambitions, they have expressed their affection for him without any reason.
Good intentions, this can't help but make him feel suspicious.
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