In the Song Dynasty, there was no law or order.

During the seventh year of Qingli in the Song Dynasty, the people flourished.

Not only the economy, military and education, but also culture are quite prosperous.

Since the imperial court allowed private newspapers to be run, newspaper offices on Liangzhe Road have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain.

Although news was supervised by the imperial court, newspapers were diversified. Various tabloids, miscellaneous newspapers, and news newspapers emerged in endlessly, bringing rich entertainment culture to the people of the Song Dynasty.

At this moment, Liu Yong, the deputy transport envoy of Liangzhe Road, was sitting in a sedan chair and headed towards the dock.

Liu Yong was transferred from the post of Zhizhou Zhizhou in February last year and served as the deputy to Du Qi, the two-Zhejiang Road transfer envoy, together with another deputy transfer envoy, Ren Maocheng.

In the previous official system of the Song Dynasty, there were four divisions along the way, namely the pacifying envoy of Shuaisi, the transfer envoy of Caosi, the Changping envoy of Cangsi, and the criminal envoy of Xiansi.

These four positions correspond to military and civil affairs, money and grain collection and transshipment, warehouses and money, grain, tea and salt monopoly, and Xing prison litigation matters.

However, because the economic and strategic pacification envoys have too much power and control the military and civil affairs along the way, the unwritten rule is that only the economic and strategic pacification envoys are set up on the side.

There are usually only three departments in each road in the mainland, and the transfer envoys are in charge of government affairs on weekdays.

After the officialdom was restructured in the Song Dynasty, this original unwritten rule was finally implemented, and the civil affairs powers of various areas were officially handed over to the transfer envoys for management. Therefore, the transfer envoys can now be said to be the highest officials along the way.

In addition, in order to refine the power, a transfer envoy is often equipped with several deputy transfer envoys, each with their own responsibilities, to assist the transfer envoy in completing daily work.

For example, Ren Maocheng is the deputy envoy in charge of public security and planning, while Liu Yong is in charge of transportation, ports, civil affairs and other affairs.

In March this year, landlords caused trouble on Liangzhe Road.

The imperial court sent Xia Song, the Minister of Finance, to come and take charge in person. With the cooperation of Du Qi, the transfer envoy, Changping envoy, Ti Xingguan and others, the matter was settled.

Although Liu Yong was not mainly involved in pacifying officials, he also traveled throughout the two Zhejiang provinces and personally investigated rural areas in various places to understand the basic information and conditions of the people. He wrote a report and sent it to the Constitutional Yuan, which was praised by Zhao Jun.

Therefore, at this time, his status in the Liangzhe Road government was already the third-ranked government official after Du Qi and Ren Maocheng.

It is already October, the early winter season, but it is not too cold in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the temperature is suitable. Hangzhou is bustling with traffic and people coming and going, and high-rise buildings are rising outside the city like Bianliang.

Last year, Du Qi took the lead and another deputy transshipment envoy in charge of trade and economics personally went to Wu'an Iron and Steel Plant and invited a deputy director of Wu'an Iron and Steel Plant to come to Liangzhe Road.

This person brought a group of employees over and established the Liangzhe Road Iron and Steel Plant in the Huzhou area. Afterwards, state-owned cement plants and brick factories were established one after another.

Therefore, today's Hangzhou city has also kept up with the pace of modernization, with large-scale construction projects and factory buildings everywhere. Various small factories such as cement factories and brick factories have sprung up. Other textile factories and processing plants are also under constant construction.

In addition, the landlords on Liangzhe Road are dying and disabled. The rest can only assess the situation, sell land and invest in the factory industry, so that Hangzhou's industrial development is not worse than Bianliang.

The most famous of them was the shipyard in Qianqing. The imperial court directly designated a natural haven, classified the entire area as a military restricted area, and built the warships of the Song Dynasty.

In the past few years, they mainly built sea-going ships to cope with the increasing sea trade.

However, as the imperial court paid more and more attention to the navy, it gradually transformed and began to build warships. For example, the warships such as Fu Chuan, Feihu, and Haifal of Zhejiang Ninghai Navy were manufactured by Qianqing Shipyard, making this place the largest shipbuilding base in the two Zhejiang provinces.

It is very close to Hangzhou, less than thirty kilometers away.

In the morning, Liu Yong took a carriage through the bustling streets, went to the pier to take a boat, and drifted down the waterway. By noon, he had arrived at Qianqingyi.

Although it is called Yi, it is already as big as a small town. There are many wood processing factories in the town, which mainly provide wood raw materials for shipyards.

When Liu Yong got off the ship, Zhang Zongyi, the governor of Yuezhou, and a group of officials were already waiting for him.

The ship stopped leisurely at the horse's head. Liu Yong opened the curtain and walked out of the cabin. Many officials came to greet him. They cupped their hands and said, "I have seen the deputy director."

"Everyone is polite."

Liu Yong returned the salute, and then said: "This time, on behalf of the imperial court, I am here to observe the handover ceremony. The iron-clad ship has placed the expectations of the officials and the Imperial Academy. You can go with me."

"I've long heard that ironclads are being built, but it's a pity that I only heard about them before, but didn't know whether they were true or not. Now we can also feast our eyes on them."

"Yes, although this shipyard is in our Yuezhou, it is not under the control of our Yuezhou. The people in the shipyard are very powerful. It is impossible to get information from them."

"Last time I went to Bianliang for reconnaissance and selection, I took a special train. Now the armored ship is known as a sea train. It can travel thousands of miles in a day, which makes us look forward to it."

Many Yuezhou officials smiled and said, and the atmosphere became relaxed.

The shipyard is currently under the control of the Ministry of Transport.

Because when the ministerial level division was first carried out, the Ministry of Industry was not established.

After all, industry has only been developed in recent years. Now is a period of barbaric growth for each industry, and unified planning has not yet emerged.

However, it won't be long before Zhao Jun is already preparing for the construction of the Ministry of Industry, so now shipyards, railway construction and other matters will be temporarily handed over to the Ministry of Transportation.

Qianqing Shipyard is located in Liangzhe Road, and Liu Yong is an official in charge of transportation, managing the construction of roads and waterways throughout the road, so the shipyard is currently under his charge.

He is naturally very clear about the current progress of the ironclad ship, and even came to Qianqing several times to inspect it. He was on the scene when the ironclad ship was tested last time. It's just that the confidentiality regulations have not disclosed it to the public.

Liu Yong smiled and said, "This ironclad ship is very spectacular. It is a heavy weapon of our Song Dynasty. It's worth seeing it."

He stretched out his hand and said, "Let's go."

Many officials followed him and got on carriages and sedan chairs and went north.

The shipyard is very close to the town. After crossing a small hill behind the town, you can overlook the entire shipyard below from the top of the hill.

However, the top of the mountain and the surrounding area are surrounded by the army, and ordinary people cannot get close.

Although Liu Yong has been here several times, he has to show the official documents of the court before he is allowed to enter, and this time is no exception.

Soon the group passed the outer fence, climbed over the hill, and slowly arrived outside the shipyard.

The person in charge of the shipyard came to greet them in person.

Many officials looked over and saw that the shipyard was located on the coast, covering a large area, with factory buildings rising from the ground, and most of the buildings were made of wood.

Only in the southeast was there a reinforced concrete factory building covering an area of ​​about one acre.

"Deputy Director, please come this way."

The person in charge of the shipyard led many officials to the concrete factory building.

The group walked into the factory building.

What came into view was a huge ironclad ship, about ten feet long and two feet wide, slightly smaller than the Haigu attack ship with a displacement of more than 600 tons.

However, to everyone's surprise, the ironclad ship was indeed made of pure steel, but its appearance was very ugly.

There were two masts and sails at the bow and stern respectively, and two chimneys in the middle. The ironclad exterior was very hideous. It was not a large steel plate connected to a piece, but there were crisscrossing and uneven connection scars.

There is a sluice gate in the middle of this cement factory, and the ships are fixed in the waterway in the middle. There are small ports on both sides, so they can go directly to the sea.

"I actually wrote to the court. Now our naval warships are enough to cope with any battle, but the court still insists on making this ironclad ship. We can only work hard to overcome all difficulties to do it."

The person in charge of the shipyard said with a little complaint: "After spending more than 100,000 strings of cash, the ironclad ship was completed. The most difficult part is forging. Countless craftsmen worked day and night to finally forge so many steel plates."

Liu Yong said: "The court naturally has its considerations. The prefect has said more than once that we should be aware of danger in times of peace. The ironclad ship is a national treasure and cannot be slack."

"Yes."

The person in charge of the shipyard had to respond.

He actually didn't want to make an ironclad ship at all. This would delay his construction of seagoing ships and other wooden warships and affect the shipyard's business.

After all, in his opinion, the Song Dynasty Navy has no rivals anyway, so what's the point of building an ironclad ship?

But people are like this. After they become invincible, they put their weapons into storage and let their horses go to the mountains. For example, the Qing Dynasty in later generations had no motivation to keep up with the times.

On the other hand, Europe was at war every day. Under the impetus of war, all kinds of modern technologies and products were born.

So it is true that war is the catalyst of science and technology.

"This ship looks a little bit"

Zhang Zongyi hesitated: "It's not very good-looking."

"Yes, it's too ugly."

"It affects the prestige of our Song Dynasty Navy."

"It has to be both beautiful and beautiful."

Everyone was quite disappointed.

I thought the ironclad ship was majestic, but I didn't expect it to be so ugly.

But when he heard everyone say this, the person in charge of the shipyard was not convinced and said: "You officials only see that it doesn't look good, but you don't see how powerful it is."

As they were talking, a deputy of the shipyard came over and said: "The Ning Navy is here."

Everyone walked through the factory building and walked to the wooden board outside the gate. In the breeze, they looked out at the distant ocean.

In the rolling waves, huge warships came riding the wind and waves. Not long after, they arrived at the port and slowly parked in the dock of the shipyard.

A naval commander came over accompanied by several soldiers and adjutants.

The commander of the Ning Navy was Ma Mao, the great-grandson of the famous founding general Ma Renyu. He had met Liu Yong several times and hurried over to bow and say, "Hello, Deputy Commander."

"Commander Ma, you are so polite. Today is the ceremony of the handover of the ironclad ship to the Ning Navy. I am also here to watch the ceremony on behalf of the court."

Liu Yong smiled and said, "And there will be a secret decree from the court for you to execute later."

"Yes."

Ma Mao looked at the ironclad ship with a burning gaze, and his excited eyes revealed a burning heat.

Zhang Zongyi wondered, "Is this ironclad ship really powerful?"

"What you don't know, Zhang Taishou, is that this ironclad ship is indeed powerful. If I have this ironclad ship, I can defeat the Zhenhai Army, Dinghai Army, and Pinghai Army alone."

Ma Mao said confidently.

"Oh?"

Everyone looked at each other.

Seeing that they didn't believe him, Ma Mao smiled and said, "Since it's a handover ceremony, why not show it off and have a live-fire training."

"Then let's get started."

The person in charge of the shipyard said.

Ma Mao then waved his hand, and soldiers began to board the ship one after another.

This ironclad ship actually has a displacement of only 500 tons, and it is not completely ironclad, but some of the decks and cabins are made of wood.

Moreover, most of the space inside needs to store coal fuel, so there are only about 80 combat personnel, which is 120 less than the slightly larger Haihu attack ship.

But the power and combat capability are completely different.

After it was built, the Ning Navy has conducted several test operations, including various training, defense tests and artillery tests, and its combat effectiveness is extremely strong.

"Boom!"

As the steam engine rumbled, steam began to come out of the chimney.

The ironclad ship slowly left the shipyard.

Many officials followed and went outside to watch.

The Ning Navy immediately began to perform a naval battle simulation on the spot. A Flying Tiger ship sailed over and began to compete with the ironclad ship in speed.

But it was okay at the beginning, and it was soon left behind by the ironclad ship.

The wooden boat could barely catch up with the ironclad ship in the case of wind, but if the wind was not strong enough or there was no tailwind, the speed would be much slower.

The ironclad ship sailed more than ten kilometers away and then returned. The Flying Tiger ship had been pulled far away.

Then a sea hawk attack ship approached quickly, aiming the ship's cannon at the ironclad ship. With a loud bang, the cannonball hit accurately, but was blocked by the ironclad, leaving only a crater on it.

The ironclad ship made a beautiful tail swing, and then slowly approached the seashore. The many officials who were watching the ceremony felt a sense of oppression.

Another large wooden ship sailed out of the shipyard over there. It was a huge sailing wooden ship, and the people on the ship drove away in a small boat.

After everyone left, fourteen rounds of artillery fire from one side of the ironclad ship were fired.

There were continuous sounds of "boom" and "bang bang bang". In an instant, the wooden ship, which was larger than the ironclad ship, was shot into a sieve, wood chips flew everywhere, and the ship was torn into pieces.

"Good!"

Liu Yong applauded first.

Then the officials who were stunned woke up as if from a dream, and applauded one after another.

"This is a great weapon of a great country!"

Liu Yong was so excited that he waved his hand and said, "Bring me paper and pen, I want to write a poem."

"Quick, quick, bring me paper and pen."

The person in charge of the shipyard was overjoyed.

Before Liu Yong was promoted, he was a famous poet in the Song Dynasty.

In terms of reputation, he can be said to be the best in the Song Dynasty at this time.

Because although Yan Shu wrote many poems, his good works were less than Liu Yong's.

So Liu Yong's poems are very popular and more famous than Yan Shu.

At least it was like this before Su Shi came out of the mountains.

Now that he has a backer and is promoted all the way, he writes fewer poems. If they can get a good poem written by him, then their shipyard will be famous and they will definitely have a lot of orders.

After a while, paper and pen were presented. Liu Yong took the brush and was about to write, but he stopped for a moment.

The poems he wrote throughout his life were graceful and beautiful, writing about love between men and women and beautiful girls from a small family, which was naturally easy to do.

But this time, the iron-clad boats pierce the clouds and the moon, the sea waves are surging, the sky is blue, the huge ships suppress the mountains and the sea, the waves are surging, and it is indescribably heroic.

Liu Yong paused, then sighed: "My talent is still insufficient, and I am speechless. Perhaps only Mr. Lu Xun from Bianliang, who has never been seen by the world, can write about the great river flowing eastward and washed away by the waves, and write about it."

This graceful beauty can't depict the magnificent grandeur of the sea after all.