The Sun and the Lion

In Kuwait in the summer, a group of completed buildings and construction sites appeared on the yellow sand of the desert. There were tents, temporary residences for workers, or construction sites scattered around the construction sites. Temporary warehouse for storing raw materials and tools.

But those construction workers sweating under the scorching sun are not the focus today. After one year of construction, the military port and related workshops here have completed the first phase of the project and are officially put into use.

During this period, Ahsan brought all of his pirate fleet to the Gulf of Kuwait and asked shipwrights hired from various ports in the Persian Gulf to carefully maintain and overhaul his twelve large and small ships.

Shipwrights strengthened the hull and installed breech-mounted swivel guns on the sides. Pirates readily adopted these new weapons after seeing the power of firearms on the shooting range.

Not only did he strengthen his fleet, Ibrahim allocated sufficient funds to the navy, giving him enough capital to annex other small groups of pirates to expand his fleet. At the same time, he also used various means to replenish sailors for the fleet, trying to ensure that every warship was fully manned.

A vast trade network made everything possible, including oak from the Zagros Mountains, cotton from Gujarat and Syria, copper and iron from Kerman, asphalt from Azerbaijan, as well as hemp for ropes and firearms for the armed fleet. All gathered in Kuwait Port.

In addition to producing firearms for the army, the firearms factory in Tabriz was also responsible for supplying the newly built fleet. The specifications of firearms used by the navy and the army are different, especially artillery. The artillery used by the army has weight restrictions to maintain mobility, while the requirements for naval guns are more relaxed.

Considering the transportation cost, the firearms craftsmen responsible for supplying the navy will soon go south to Kuwait to set up independent workshops.

In addition to traditional dhows, Kuwaiti shipwrights, under Italian guidance, attempted to build European-style boats. The already built Caravel hull is standing on the dry dock that has been put into use. Because this is the first time, the shipwrights only built a small ship with a displacement of just over one hundred tons and a crew quota of less than a hundred people. Looking at the hull alone, it is almost the same as Vasco da Gama’s flagship San Gabriel.

Compared with the many merchant ships and warships in Tianfang World, this is really pitiful. There are many large merchant ships sailing in the Indian Ocean with a displacement of more than a thousand tons. But what Ibrahim liked about European hulls was not their size, but the amount of guns they could carry.

The San Gabriel had a displacement of only 100 tons and a rated crew of about 60 people. It was equipped with 20 large and small artillery pieces. The later flagship of the Governor of Portuguese India, the Flower of the Sea, had a displacement of 400 tons and was equipped with naval guns and rear-mounted maneuvers. There are 50 guns in total.

Regardless of long-range bombardment, even in close combat and gang jumping, firearms can still play a significant role. The rear-mounted swivel gun on the ship's side and the sailor's matchlock gun and bow and arrow can clear the opponent's deck like a storm passing by. The naval gun mounted on the lower deck can also quickly penetrate the hull of the enemy ship. At the same time, when the wooden planks are shattered, the large amount of wood chips thrown up is as lethal to the people in the cabin as the shotgun shells.

Before officially launching the ship, the shipwrights inspected the hull one last time. It is best to dry the wood in the shade first, but the King of Kings' order was urgent, so the shipwrights had to use fresh wood that had just been cut down. The service life of warships built with fresh wood is not long, and there is a risk that the wood will rot and deform before use.

Fortunately, this Caravel sailboat did not encounter such an embarrassing situation. After confirming that there was no unexpected condition on the hull, Ahsan ordered the locks to be opened and the water released. The sound of the trumpet conveyed the governor's order. After some operations, seawater continued to pour into the dry dock. The shipwrights dismantled the brackets originally used to fix the hull to allow the hull to maintain balance through buoyancy.

The sailors, weapons, provisions and sail rigging equipped for the Caravel were all waiting at the port. After waiting under the scorching sun for a long time, the galley towed the Caravel to the military port.

The sailors boarded the ship in a hurry under the organization of the officers, and the port crane lifted everything needed for the warship onto the deck bit by bit. It took several hours of work to complete the rigging and arming of the caravel.

The Caravel sailing ship carried a total of fifteen bronze cannons, six on each side, one on the bow and two on the stern. Several breech-mounted swivel guns were also installed on the ship's side. Considering that the crew of this ship is small and the sailors are mainly gunners, this warship is positioned as a floating turret, which can bombard enemy ships and fixed targets at medium and long distances. The Caravel ship also has better maneuverability due to its smaller size and displacement.

At the same time, unlike its counterparts in Europe, this Caravel sailing ship has undergone some localization. The main sail used by the bookstore www.zhaoshuyuan.com is also a large triangle sail instead of the square main sail used by Europeans.

Gianni, the Italian shipbuilder, finally felt relieved as he watched the Caravel sailing ship that the King of Kings specially ordered him to build steadily dock into the berth. Although the King of Kings didn't give a specific deadline, it's not fun if these tasks go awry.

Fortunately, these craftsmen hired with heavy sums of money from surrounding ports are all experienced, and the apprentices are not complete novices. Jenny's translator was also very conscientious, allowing the two parties with language barriers to communicate and collaborate fluently, and successfully complete the tasks assigned by the King of Kings.

However, Ahsan did not have much enthusiasm for the Caravel sailboat. His flagship was a large merchant ship that could carry hundreds of people. It had few disadvantages in ramming or gang-hopping operations. The huge cargo hold could carry more Supplies, and can also place a large amount of loot and hostages.

There are also advanced watertight compartment designs to ensure the ship's survivability and minimize pirate property losses.

He expressed doubts about the bronze cannon carried by the Caravel sailboat. In his opinion, it would be better to use the breech-mounted swivel gun to sweep the deck of the enemy ship clean and then join the gang. If a ship is sunk with a big iron ball, how will the loot and hostages be transferred to our own ship? The value of goods soaked in water can be greatly reduced.

The clerk handed the draft report on the successful launch and commissioning of the Caravel sailing ship to the governor. He didn't even listen to the contents before he asked the clerk to sign a monogram and send it directly to the inn to Tabriz.

At this time, there were charts of the Persian Gulf and maps of Qeshm Island and Hormuz Island on the table. This was what he cared about. As the Governor of the Persian Gulf Islands, his current jurisdiction only includes the Kuwait military port. It is time to end this status quo in name only.