The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"Is this the new batch of bird boats?"

At this time, Yu Dayou and a group of naval officers stood beside a three-masted sailboat about thirty meters long.

Compared with the tall Dafu boats that Yu Dayou likes, the sides of the bird boats are obviously much lower.

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In addition, because these bird boats are suitable for long-distance voyages, the hulls are about ten meters longer than traditional boat hulls, so there are some overall changes, that is, four oars are added to these bird boats based on the centipede boat.

The original bird boat had four oars and one oar, so it was not as maneuverable as the centipede boat with twenty oars.

These large bird boats already have eight oars and one oar, which at least maintains the original maneuverability of the bird boats.

The biggest change was on the side of the ship. On the side of the ship facing the dock, ten windows appeared, which should be the gun windows.

"Have the cannon been delivered?"

Yu Dayou walked to the springboard with great interest and asked as he walked.

Soon after getting on the deck, Deng Zilong stood beside Yu Dayou and whispered: "A batch of artillery has been sent, the number is twenty less, but I asked them to transfer some from other ships. All ten bird boats are loaded Okay, a lot of them.”

Yu Dayou looked back and forth on the deck. The standard Ming army warship configuration was that as long as the hull could withstand it, large artillery would be installed on the bow and stern.

On the bird ship below, there is a long and slender Hongyi cannon on the front and rear of the hull.

This type of artillery with a long barrel and spindle-shaped structure is quite easy to identify among the many firearms used by the Ming Dynasty. It is too conspicuous.

And in the body, next to the gun window, there are twenty guns placed in a whole.

Faji is a type of Western-style artillery imitated and improved by the Ming Dynasty. It is generally made of copper, so it is also called Bronze Faji. It was improved after the Ming Dynasty obtained the Franco machine artillery technology during the Zhengde period. It was originally named Franco machine. Big copper gun.

In fact, the Franco machine is not the model of the gun, but the source, which is manufactured by the Franco machine technology.

During the Zhengde period, the Franco machine artillery technology acquired by the Ming Dynasty included not only the rear-loaded Franco machine cannon, but also this front-loaded engine.

Because Fajie is a front-loaded cannon, unlike the Franco machine gun, it does not use sub-cannons for rapid reloading. In order to facilitate the distinction, the Franco machine gun was directly renamed Fajie.

In fact, the Faji can be regarded as the early Hongyi cannon, but at this time in Europe, early eagle cannons such as the Faji had been eliminated.

Although the rate of fire is much slower, the firing range is longer because the barrel is fully enclosed, which is very close to the principle of the Hongyi cannon.

The only difference is that the whole body of the Hongyi cannon is smoother and slender, and the powder chamber in the middle of the cannon body is larger and can hold more gunpowder. The barrel is shorter than that of the Hongyi cannon, but it is still shorter than the original one of the Ming army. There are many firearms.

Correspondingly, because there is more gunpowder, the vibration when firing the engine is not small. In the past, only the Dafu ship could install the engine on the bow and stern of the Ming Dynasty warships, and it could not be installed on the hull at all.

In fact, after seeing the power of Western-style warship warfare, the naval officers and craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty were also looking for ways to solve the problem of placing cannons on the hull.

However, the shipbuilding technology of the Ming Dynasty is obviously different from that of Western shipbuilding. The warships manufactured by the Ming Dynasty cannot simply move the cannon to the hull for use.

Because when the artillery salvo fires, the huge vibration will cause irreparable damage to the hull, so the only firearms that can be arranged on the sides of Ming warships are Fran cannons.

However, the poor range of the Fran cannon was naturally unable to meet the tactical needs of the navy.

But in the hull of this bird boat, there were twenty hairpins, which made Yu Dayou marvel.

It is obviously different from the hairpins we have seen before. The hairpin in front of us is placed on a raft instead of being directly fixed to the hull.

Yu Dayou was keenly aware that the raft under the ship may be the key to solving the problem of gunfire on the hull.

Pointing to the raft under his hair, Yu Dayou asked: "What is this and what is its use?"

Deng Zilong immediately smiled and said: "This raft is to solve the problem of hull vibration when firing cannons."

With that said, Deng Zilong walked over with Yu Dayou, pointed to the raft and the raft and said: "The raft is on top of the raft, and is connected to the side of the ship with ropes instead of the deck.

As soon as the raft is sent out, it will inevitably fall back. Now there are ropes on the raft to restrain it, and there are ropes on the raft. If you still can't sit down, there is waxy wood behind the raft. There is a soft seat on it to withstand the strong force, and there is a big cable to hold it back. Control the residual power.

The retreating force of the launch can be basically offset by the two ropes and the final soft seat. The force acts on the side of the ship, which is also reinforced and can withstand multiple cannon fires. "

Yu Dayou bent down and carefully observed the expansion and contraction of the hairpin and the connection between the raft and the ship's side. He also saw the cork behind the raft, and then nodded.

"Whether it works or not, you will know after you try it after going to sea."

This time he went to sea, there was actually no mission. The main purpose was to test the power of this bird ship's cannon to see whether it could do what he hoped.

"If this is feasible, what if we replace the weapon with a Hongyi cannon?"

Yu Dayou stood up straight again, thought about it and asked again.

"The Hongyi cannon is longer and takes up more space to reload."

Deng Zilong gestured at the length before continuing: "If the bird ship is replaced with a Hongyi cannon, the firearms it carries will probably be reduced by half.

Now the bird boat has a red cannon at the bow and stern, and 20 cannons are arranged on the hull, for a total of 22 cannons.

If all the red cannons are replaced, the hull can only hold eight to ten cannons. If there are more, it may not be able to be placed and loading is difficult. "

Because it is a front-loading gun, the cannon must be dragged back into the hull for loading when loading, rather than being placed on the runway.

So once loading begins, ten cannons are pulled into the hull, and space must be left for the gunners, and the cabin will appear cramped and crowded.

The gunboats of this period not only pay attention to the accuracy of the artillery fire, but also the loading speed, and the very important range.

What fast-firing falconets will be abandoned, and only a few will be placed on the deck of the ship to prevent the enemy from boarding the ship. Isn't it because the range is too short and they are directly blocked by the enemy? Cannons, or the red cannons of this period, were replaced.

Of course, the modified bird ship was equipped with more than 20 guns, which was really incomparable to the Western warships at that time, and was only close to the level of Western armed merchant ships operating on the East Asian sea at that time.

These armed merchant ships carried only 20 to 30 guns, while the standard Western warships were equipped with more than 50 guns, and even galleons with 100 guns and three or four decks appeared.

More than ten years later, the large galleons that appeared in Europe were the pinnacle masterpieces of the sailing age, with a displacement of up to 2,000 tons, almost ten times that of the bird ships of the Ming army. The hull had seven decks and carried hundreds of various guns.

It can be imagined that if seventy or eighty guns fired in one direction at the same time, how powerful the salvo of this warship would be.

Of course, the guns carried on Western warships were not of one type, but often four or five types of guns, so the broadside salvo was not all guns firing in one direction at the same time.

The great success of the galleon made it a warship until the end of the sailing age, including Design standards for battleships.

Among them, the requirements for seaworthiness and firepower are the overriding conditions, so as to seize a favorable position in battle and exert superior firepower.

Decades later, in the 17th century, the main sailing ships in the Anglo-Dutch War were all low-sided, cross-sailed galleons equipped with cannons on both sides. Many such ships were arranged in a long line to exert the firepower advantage on both sides. This was also the first time the name "battleship" was used.

"Notify them that the supply is completed and the fleet will go out to sea immediately, aiming at Beigang."

Yu Dayou ordered.

It is definitely not okay to stop at the dock to watch the ship. It must be pulled out to test it at sea, and let ten bird ships conduct several rounds of artillery tests to determine the feasibility.

"Yes, order. "

Deng Zilong bowed immediately.

Then he turned his head and ordered the generals behind him to urge the sailors to complete the transportation of supplies as soon as possible.

As all the supplies were transported to the ship, a burst of cannons sounded, and more than a hundred warships were untied. With the oars, one warship after another left the dock and headed for Hangzhou Bay.

After leaving Hangzhou Bay, the fleet immediately headed south and headed for Beigang, north of Dongfan Island.

"Full sail, try the speed of this ship."

This time, Yu Dayou did not return to his favorite ship, the Dafu ship, but stayed directly on the bird ship. He wanted to see the speed of this new bird ship with his own eyes and see the power of more than ten artillery pieces when fired.

With the hard sails hoisted, the speed of the bird ship increased significantly, and soon surpassed other warships around.

"Not bad, the speed is still so fast. ”

Although there is no speedometer, Yu Dayou has been at sea for many years and has a strong sensitivity to the speed of the ship. He still feels that the speed of this ship is not much slower than the ten-meter-long bird boats in the past.

As it enters the channel, the boat sways slightly, and the whole ship cuts slightly to the left, making a perfect right turn, and the course has been aimed at the approximate location of Beigang.

The Nanyang Navy is still in the early stages of developing Dongfan Island. The banner is also to suppress the Japanese, but it has found a suitable port in the north of Dongfan Island to establish Beigang, and built a new port in the south.

When sailing around the island, the nest of the Lin Feng pirate group was discovered. After a siege, it was found that this place was also an excellent seaport, so a base was also established in Wanggang.

Wanggang is located in the southeast of Dongfan Island, close to the middle of Dongfan Island. The establishment of three military ports is perfect.

It’s just a pity that the east of Dongfan Island is mountainous, and no suitable location has been found to build a military camp. Otherwise, there are military ports on all sides, and the establishment of camps will improve the defense of the entire Dongfan Island.

Despite this, the mountains on the east are actually good for defense, at least not suitable for other fleets to dock and large-scale landing.

As long as the navy sends fleets to patrol around the island regularly, the safety of Dongfan Island is guaranteed.

With the help of the Fujian people who had been to Dongfan Island in the early years, the South China Sea Navy landed on Dongfan Island without encountering hostility from the natives on the island, although they were still on guard against each other.

Anyway, it would be impossible for the Ming court to collect taxes from these natives in a short period of time.

However, it seems that this is not under his jurisdiction, Yu Dayou, who is only in charge of the military camps on the island and the surrounding land.

After the garrison is moved here, he will consider asking the natives on the island to surrender.

Not long after, a bird boat had left the fleet. Yu Dayou used a telescope to see a small reef on the right front exposed on the sea surface, and immediately had an idea.

He called Deng Zilong, pointed out the location of the small reef a few miles away, and ordered: "Ten bird boats surround that reef and fire for me. I want to see the effect."

In fact, Yu Dayou had seen dozens of cannons firing in unison, but that was a land battle, which was far less shocking than on a warship.

After all, how wide would it be to have 20 or 30 cannons lined up in a row?

But on a narrow warship, so many cannons could be deployed, and the visual effect was naturally different.

Deng Zilong immediately asked the flag bearer to send the rest to the front and rear bird boats, asking them to adjust their course and quickly approach the small reef.

At this time, the red cannon cast by the Ming Dynasty had a maximum range of about two miles. The longer the range, the lower the hit rate.

The effective range of the cannon was even shorter, only one mile.

This time, the main focus was on the power of the broadside salvo, so naturally they had to choose to fire, so the fleet could only slow down and slowly approach the reef.

After several rounds around the small reef, the main force of the navy fleet has arrived nearby. Deng Zilong came to report: "Admiral, the route has been surveyed properly. There are no reefs around, so you can sail freely and conduct artillery fire."

When coming over, the bird boat slowed down, fearing that there were reefs under the sea nearby.

After several rounds, it has been confirmed that the surrounding area is safe waters, so it is natural to conduct artillery fire drills at high and slow speeds.

"Let's start."

During Deng Zilong's previous command, Yu Dayou did not say a word, but just watched him give orders quietly. Finally, he was satisfied that he did not rashly let the fleet approach and start shelling.

In fact, when he gave orders, he deliberately tested him. If he rashly ordered the fleet to go over, he would immediately order to stop.

Deng Zilong has passed his test this time, and he can let him lead the fleet to sea independently in the future.

Soon, under the command of the flag bearer, ten bird boats surrounded the small reef in a semicircle, and in the cabin, the gunners were nervously and quickly preparing for the firing.

After the preparations were completed, as Deng Zilong shouted to fire, the ten bird boats gradually fired a round of artillery fire, starting with this boat.

"Boom boom boom"

For a while, the sound of artillery on the sea was deafening, and water splashed around the small reef.

At this time, the speed of the ship was not fast, and the sails had been lowered to slow down the speed of the ship, so the hit rate was still good at this time.

Although Yu Dayou could not see any shells hitting the reef from the telescope, the water splashes within a few meters nearby were clearly visible.

If it was a large ship, several shells would hit the hull.

The bird boats still sailed around the reef, and soon, the preparations for the second round of artillery fire were completed.

Yu Dayou estimated the time. During the time of the naval drill, this group of gunners were obviously not newcomers, but skilled gunners transferred from other ships.

Yu Dayou was actually quite satisfied with the effect of the previous bombardment, but it was a pity that it was not a red cannon, but a cannon, which was still a bit short in range.

However, he had just seen that it was not easy to place twenty cannons in the narrow cabin, so he naturally could not expect too much.

This was not due to other reasons, but the limitations of Ming Dynasty shipbuilding technology, unless Western shipbuilding methods were adopted.

As the speed of the ship increased, the hit rate naturally decreased. When the bird ship reached high speed, only a few shells fell near the reef.