"No matter how cold the winter is, it will pass." In the small garden next to Yingdu Posthouse, Aristotle IV comforted the Zhabaga in front of him so much, but comfort was useless. Half of the weapons and armor had been given to Seleucus by the Chunis, and the losses were extremely huge. "I will continue to negotiate with the Chunis on this matter until they responded satisfactorily to the matter."

"Sir, spring has come. The Chuni people said that there were no extra merchant ships to send us to Yandizhou Port..." Jebaga whispered.

It was the spring of the second year. According to the itinerary, the caravan will cross the thousands of miles of grasslands and return to the banks of the Sir River in summer and autumn. However, more than 20,000 sets of soldiers weigh more than 400 tons, and require nearly 6,000 horses to carry or more than 400 four-wheeled carriages to transport them. At this time, the boats and carriages of Chu were transporting grain to Zhao, and there was no time to transport these goods to the north. The result of the delay in the itinerary is likely that the caravan walked on the snow-covered grassland. Without forage, horses would starve to death one after another, and the goods would be snatched by the nomadic barbarians.

"I will negotiate with the Chunis immediately on this matter." Aristotle IV's scalp was a little hard, and since last autumn, he became the most unpopular person in Yingdu - he was accused of having no faith and suing the content of the transaction to the Seleucid envoy.

"Now." After he said that, he saw that Jibaga was still looking at him, and he couldn't help but say angrily. Then, under Jibaga's gaze, he hurried out of the inn garden and took his servants to the Chu Palace in a carriage.

Xiong Jing was not in the palace at this time, but in the mausoleum in the north of the city. In the huge shed, a "giant iron rib" appeared in front of him. Of course, this was not the real giant iron rib. This was wrapped with rolled giant iron armor pieces that were wrapped into the ship's ribs.

The guide rails required for the boring machine and the rolling mill are both high-precision components of the machine tool. As we all know, the accuracy of the industrial master machine determines the accuracy of the industrial master machine, and the accuracy of the industrial master machine determines the accuracy of the products it produces. The accuracy is reduced step by step. So, how to manufacture the industrial master machine and how to upgrade it? Is it an industrial master machine upgraded?

Of course not. The manufacturing and upgrading of industrial master machines can only rely on people, and the best craftsmen can use the latest tools to manufacture and upgrade.

Yufu is not short of excellent craftsmen, but they lack appropriate tools and people who understand machine tools. The three-meter-long guide rail of the boring machine can be scratched and grinded by craftsmen and scraped out bit by bit, just like the taps made at the beginning. The roll is different, because the most accurate measuring tool in the entire Chu State is the vernier caliper, but the vernier caliper cannot measure whether the roll is straight.

There is no sufficient width of rolling rolls, and there is no sufficient width of iron sheets. Manual forging is one way, and wrapping the narrow iron sheets laid out of the rolling mill around the wooden ribs is another way.

Looking at the 'Giant Heavy Lips' in front of him, Xiong Jing, who had never seen such a thing before, asked: "Compared with the Weavy Lips..."

"Compared with the ribs of the unwrapped Juti, the force of carrying the pressure is twice as strong as it is." Gong Yindao bowed and asked. He asked Xiong Jing to come to build a palace for his achievements. Then he handed over a piece of information, which is a comparative test report between the entangled Juti and the unwrapped Juti.

"The same can be done with the dragon bone." Gong Shujian saw that Yin Dao only talked about the ribs, so he quickly replenished the dragon bone.

"Where is the keel bone test?" Speaking with information is Xiong Jing's usual request. When he asked him about the worker Yin Dao, he immediately said, "It's on the next page."

Xiong Jing turned to the next page and indeed saw the tensile resistance of the keel bone and the content of the folding test.

The power of steel is unquestionable. Even an iron hull is 25% smaller than a wooden hull of the same size. Twenty-five percent smaller means that the warehouse capacity has increased by at least 25%, and the heavy cargo capacity of the ship has increased by 35%, and the operating cost of the ship has also decreased by 25%.

Unfortunately, due to the limitations of machining technology, although the Chu State had enough steel, it could not enjoy the benefits of steel shipbuilding, and could only bear its shortcomings, such as rust, pollution, and compass deformation. And because it was wrapped in huge iron sheets, the construction cost would increase.

"Yes." The thickness of the giant iron sheet determines the tensile and folding resistance of the boat keel and ribs. According to the experimental numbers, there is no problem.

When he heard Xiong Jing say that, Gong Yindao and others were overjoyed. Gongshujian said: "The dragon bones and ribs are wrapped around the huge iron, beams and pillars, the huge iron nails of the boat plates, and the huge iron screws are also doubled to achieve the most secure."

"Will the draft increase be so much?" Xiong Jing thought of the draft of the flying scissors, but this problem is not necessary. The load load of the flying scissors is enough even if it is only 100 tons. In fact, it is difficult for the cargo to exceed 100 tons, except for transporting the giant iron armor.

"I think..." Drain is indeed a problem, and Gongshujian was interrupted by Xiong Jing when he wanted to explain.

"Draining water is not a big deal." Xiong Jing said again, his words made Gongshujian feel relieved. "When can it be made?"

"It can be built this year and will be launched in August next year." Gongshujian said, this is the practice of shipbuilding.

"It's too late." Xiong Jing opposed. "It's built this year and it's launched this year."

In an emergency, six months are enough from cutting down a big tree to launching a sailboat. Of course, it is best to have six years, and the normal time is three years. However, at the request of Xiong Jing, the construction period of sea boats is one year, and the drying of wood is at least more than seven years.

Yin Dao, who has been used to the one-year construction period, asked, "It's so urgent?"

"Of course." The profits of trade are declining, and Seleucaud was very happy to receive more than 20,000 sets of soldiers out of thin air. But the joy always passes, and after several contacts, the nature of Seleucaud's middlemen is revealed more and more clearly. The State of Chu must open up a new channel and enter the Eastern Mediterranean, where the final place of sale of goods.

"Otuo built a city in Sinhalla Tuo last year." Xiong Jing talked about last year's incident. "Wu Gou Chang went to the Red Sea last year and went to the port of Yaroba in Nabatai. The pigeon news said that the silk sold by Seleucid merchants to other countries did not significantly reduce the price."

After learning that Zhao State had defeated the Qin people last year, 35 Taotie-class ships went to Seleugu to transport horses. The fleet transported very little goods, except for a small amount of silk and spice, most of them were Chu paper and pig iron, and in exchange for more than 20,000 sets of soldiers needed for more than 3,000 horses. The more than 20,000 sets of soldiers who punished Baktria would need to be handed over to Seleugu after the entire transaction was completed.

These cargoes were loaded in three Taotie-class ships, and the remaining 32 Taotie-class ships were mostly cement and glutinous glutins for building cities, and even a few were loaded with sand and stones. In addition to Sinhala, cities were also built to control the straits in the north and south exits of the Strait of Malacca.

The supply points supporting overseas trade are being rolled out. In addition to supporting the new waterway, another function is to protect the existing waterways. With the nature of the Seleucid intermediary, one day there will be conflicts with the State of Chu, so whether it is exploring the Eastern Mediterranean channel, building trade supply points, or launching the sixth-class frigate of the twenty-four artillery, these must be completed as soon as possible.

"The gunboat will also be built this year and launched this year." Xiong Jing added.

The Taotie-class is exactly similar to the gunboat type, Gongshujian said: "Can you use the Taotie-class sea boat..."

The keels of the gunboat are more dense, and Gongshujian wants to "change" a gunboat with the method of increasing the ribs of the ship.

"No." Xiong Jing rejected his proposal. "The gunboat must be like the Suzaku-class, wrapping the keel ribs with huge iron to ensure the most solidity. There is no need to worry about the dryness of the boat. The gunboat keel is in front of the capital, and it has been dry for more than ten years."

"Wi." Gong Yindao Gongshujian looked at each other, and both of them felt a sense of crisis in Xiong Jing's words. Gong Yindao asked, "Dare you ask the king, will Chu fight with overseas countries?"

"Or war." Xiong Jing did not answer this question very surely. The situation in overseas countries is changing. After Ashoka passed away last fall, the palace immediately fell into a battle for the throne. The ruling prince Ermoti was killed, and Ashoka's grandson Dasharasha was pushed to the throne, and the southern states were shaking.

This is true in South Asia. After several defeats, Seleucus was still in a recuperation period of licking his wounds. From the news of the unhooked pigeon, Xiong Jing learned that because of the loss of the Third Syrian War, the Palestinian region, the Syrian coast, and the port of Antioch, the capital of Seleucus were all controlled by the Egyptians. This means that the goods ashore from the Port of Aroba, controlled by the Nabatai people in the northeast of the Red Sea, must pass through the Palestinian region under Egypt before they can be transported into the Mediterranean.

In the south of the Eastern Mediterranean, there was Ptolemy and Seleucid confrontation, and in the north was the Antico dynasty of Macedonia. But like Macedonia a hundred years ago, the Antico dynasty could not conquer the entire Greece. It had to face the two enemies of the Ettorian Alliance and the Achaia Alliance. It also had to face the Seleucid in the southwest. Fortunately, Seleucid II's younger brother Antioch Ieras rebelled and occupied the Anatolian region, eased the pressure from the West.

The eastern Mediterranean is naturally becoming more and more powerful Rome. The first Punic War, which lasted twenty-three years ago, finally ended. Rome defeated Carthage and gained Mediterranean hegemony. This message touched Xiong Jing very much. He actually lived in the same era as Hannibal. The Second Punic War had not yet begun, and the Battle of Canny, known to everyone in later generations, did not happen.

"King..." Gong Yindao reminded Xiong Jing, who was a little distracted, that "or battle" is a very uncertain statement.

"There are many countries in the West. If you want to sell goods, weapons and armor to the West, you must have gunboats to escort them." Xiong Jing said with certainty. The Mediterranean is divided into two battlefields, with Rome and Carthage to the west; to the east are Antico, Ettoria, and Achaia, as well as Seleucca, which is ready to go, and Ptolemy Egypt, which has a powerful navy.
Chapter completed!