Chapter 466 Warships and Strategy

Although Luo Shengdong was successful as a private salt dealer and had already left the industry long ago, he was a soldier after all and was still very interested in weapons and equipment. Being so severely rejected by the military, Luo Shengdong

He was still a little disappointed. After all, when the "Exploration-class" and "Expedition-class" warships were built, he was given special privileges to enter the dock to visit. At that time, people from the military and the shipyard even provided some details.

I specifically asked him for his opinion on the question. It can be said that he, Luo Shengdong, also contributed to the smooth launch of the "Exploration-class" and "Expedition-class" warships. But it is obvious that the Haihan people have no intention of letting him participate in it anymore.

During the construction of a new ship, even all technical details had to be kept secret from him. This gap in treatment made Luo Shengdong very unhappy.

"What's so great, isn't it just a big ship!" Seeing that there was no one around, Luo Shengdong spat fiercely in the direction of the dock, and then left angrily.

But what Luo Shengdong didn't know was that there were some great new improvements on this ship. In addition to the larger hull and more gun positions on the ship, the most important change was that this model of new ship would

Instead of relying solely on wind power as the driving force for maritime navigation, we must begin to adopt more advanced propulsion systems.

The Ministry of Industry has built multiple batches of steam engines of different models in the past two years. Although the operation of early models was not stable, with the increase in manufacturing experience, the trouble-free operation time has become longer and longer.

It can meet the requirements of the military. The Military Commission has long had a plan to build a steam warship, but the tonnage of the two previously built warships was too small. If you insist on putting a steam engine on the ship, you must sacrifice part of the ship.

The gun position was used to free up tonnage for the power system and coal combustion. While increasing the speed, it had to face a decrease in firepower. After repeated consideration, the military gave up this plan and decided to install the steam power propulsion system in the next generation of larger tonnage.

A main warship with a stronger loading capacity. After more than two years of actual operation, the shipyard's personnel, technology and space are no longer problems. We just have to wait for the steam engines from the Ministry of Industry to be in place.

On October 17, a large flatbed truck pulled by twelve oxen appeared outside the Victory Port Shipyard. There were numerous wheels installed under the body of the flatbed truck, but the cargo loaded on the truck was covered by a black tarpaulin.

Strictly and strictly. Six drivers worked together to ensure that the speed and direction of the car could always remain stable. Some people walked in front carrying sand and soil. When they saw any uneven places on the road, they quickly filled them in to prevent the car from collapsing.

It was bumpy. And there was a full platoon of armed militiamen on the outside to guard the vehicle and prevent irrelevant people from getting close to the big vehicle.

"Slow down when turning! Pay attention to safety!" Bai Kesi held a tin horn in his hand and shouted loudly to the drivers responsible for operating the ox cart. This thing on the cart was a treasure that the Ministry of Industry spent three months building.

, not even the slightest bit careless. In order to transport it to the Victory Port Shipyard intact, we did not even consider the train with greater vibrations. Instead, we specifically asked the woodworking shop to build a large flatbed truck, which was spent from Tian Du's factory.

It took two days to transport it to Port Victory.

The manufacturing process of this marine steam engine basically focused on the strongest technical force of the Ministry of Industry. Bai Kesi, Roger, and Shi Diwen served as the backbone, and spent a lot of effort to complete the design and construction of the steam power system. If the ship uses

If the steam engine can prove the reliability of its performance in the next few years, Haihan's maritime strength will usher in a wave of explosive growth.

Of course, the cost of using a steam warship is much higher than that of the original sail warship. Apart from the carefully built steam engine, the coal and fresh water consumed in daily use is a troublesome thing.

The shipyard specially designed a supply ship for this purpose. Its appearance is consistent with that of the "Exploration-class" warship. The second deck and gun emplacements on the ship were canceled and replaced with sealed water tanks and cargo holds. When it goes to sea, it follows the steam warship.

Maintain its sea endurance.

According to the design of the Military Commission, the main warship of the militia navy in the future will be this kind of steam warship that uses both wind and steam power, and it will be assisted by the "exploration-class" warship. As for the smallest tonnage of the "exploration-class"

Warships will gradually withdraw from the combat ranks and will only be used as supply ships in the fleet and training ships at naval bases.

The impact of the emergence of large combat ships is not only in the industrial and military fields. Even Annan Port and Hong Kong Island Port, which are still in the planning stage, must be designed and built according to standards that can accommodate large ships.

Already.

The sailors and crew members responsible for operating the ship have also entered the selection stage. Compared with the previous selection of crew members, this time the selection will take a lot more consideration on political attitude and background. Of course, this is mainly due to safety.

The need for confidentiality. All crew members must be selected from the active navy, and those with previous meritorious service and awards will be given priority. In addition, Navy Commander-in-Chief Wang Tom has reserved the captain position of this ship in advance. In his words

In other words, this ship is the first true warship built after time travel.

While the Navy is quietly expanding its strength, the Army is not idle either. Some time has passed since the Executive Committee passed the "Army Expansion Plan" proposed by the military, and the newly recruited 1,200 young men are being

The new recruits will be trained at the military base on the east coast of Victory Port. After the training of these new recruits, the Military Commission will adjust the original militia establishment, establish a regiment-level headquarters, and increase the establishment of the third battalion directly under the base camp. From now on,

The name "Haihan Militia" finally lives up to its name.

On October 20, somewhere in a mountain col north of Fort Victory.

Tao Donglai and Yan Chujie came here together after receiving the notice from Hao Wanqing. This was not the first time for them to come to the Security Department, but they had never taken the initiative to visit - perhaps because of the department's functions, this place

It always gives people an eerie feeling.

Hao Wanqing, who works here every day, does not seem to have such a view. He invited the two of them to sit down in the office, then asked his subordinates to bring hot tea, and finally handed a document to the coffee table in front of them: "Our people have never been here.

Batavia sent back the first report, which is the edited content."

It has been several months since the Ministry of Security sent an advance team to Batavia. During this period, the maritime merchant Zhan Gui, who cooperated with the Ministry of Security's operations, has already returned. But Zhan Gui is not a professional spy, and the information he can provide is very

There is limited information, especially in the military field. Therefore, the Ministry of Security can only wait patiently for the personnel who accompanied Zhangui to Batavia to send back intelligence after they have established themselves in the local area.

Although this process took a long time, there is no doubt that people from the Ministry of Security have successfully settled in the area in the name of opening a business store, and in accordance with the deployment of the Ministry of Security, began to collect information from the local Executive Committee and the military.

All types of information required.

"Judging from the information we have learned now, the Dutch have noticed our existence. There are also many industrial products and agricultural products produced in Sanya for sale in the local market in Batavia, most of which are from Daming Shipping."

Hao Wanqing took advantage of the two men to watch the report and explained the situation to them: "But it seems that they have no plans to contact us directly yet."

"It's not surprising to know that we exist. The Dutch have established a stronghold on the island of Taiwan. The key area of ​​trade with the Ming Dynasty is in Fujian. Xu Xinsu's main customers are also the Dutch. It makes sense that they can buy our products from Fujian.

"Things in the incident." Tao Donglai expressed his views on the situation introduced by Hao Wanqing.

"It would be better not to have contact. Sooner or later we will have to fight with the Dutch, so it is better to wait until we are convinced before talking." Yan Chujie's tone was very unkind.

For Haihan, among the several major Western countries that have entered the Far East and established strongholds in the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal, the Portuguese have already reached a trading partner relationship with Haihan and are now taking advantage of Europe's thirty-year

If there is an opportunity for war, they will spend money on arms and make a fortune. Spain's stronghold is far away in Manila, separated from Sanya by the entire South China Sea, and has no substantial impact. It has the greatest conflict of interest with Haihan, and is most likely to lead to large-scale armed conflicts.

The target is the Dutch.

The foundation of Haihan's founding is the control of the sea, and controlling the main choke channel from the Indian Ocean into the South China Sea has long been in the plan of the Executive Committee. At present, the Manchuria region is still under the control of the Portuguese, and both parties are now

The relationship between them is quite harmonious, and it is unlikely that they will break up unless there are major changes. The Sunda Strait, another important chokepoint, is located right next to Batavia, which is a good place for the Executive Committee to seize it quickly.

In addition, the Dutch established a stronghold on Taiwan Island, and relied on Taiwan Island to control the Taiwan Strait waterway, and then control the trade between Ming Dynasty, Ryukyu, and Japan. This will definitely extend its tentacles to the north in the future.

It is simply a big stumbling block on the way forward. Even if trade with Japan is put aside, Haihan will land and establish strongholds in the coastal areas of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, North China, and even Northeast China in the future. He will never allow other forces to threaten us.

The long sea supply line. When Haihan's sphere of influence expands to the Taiwan Strait, there will inevitably be a battle with the Dutch to determine the maritime supremacy in the Far East.

Of course, by that time, the Haihan militia may have to deal with not only the Dutch, but also the "Eighteen Zhi" pirate gang, a maritime armed force that cannot be ignored. And the military is so anxious to build large-scale steam-powered warships

The purpose is to prepare for the war that will inevitably break out in the future. According to Wang Tom's estimation, if we can have about ten steam warships when the war begins, plus five to six times the number of "exploration-class"

With the assistance of warships, we should be relatively confident in killing these two powerful enemies entrenched in the Taiwan Strait.

However, Wang Tom's plan did not get much support from the Executive Committee. The reason is very simple. To build such a large fleet, both the cost of shipbuilding and the daily maintenance consumption will be a terrifying astronomical figure. So.

Considering the current military budget level of the Haihan Militia, even if the navy transfers all the army's budget, it is still impossible to realize Wang Tom's almost crazy idea of ​​forming an army in a short period of time.

Naturally, Wang Tom will not give up. Privately, he is constantly lobbying all parties, especially the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Shipping, which are not so firm in their stance and have common interests with the military. These departments are on the executive committee.

Everyone in the meeting has the right to vote. As long as they vote in favor, plus the votes of the military itself and Tao Donglai, the bill can basically be passed. Wang Tom is very confident about this, because he had taken several measures against Annan.

In this large-scale military operation, these departments all occupied the main battle side in the end, and afterwards they did share part of the benefits brought by the war, and they really tasted the sweetness.

The biggest problem at present is not the stance of these departments, but the channel through which this astronomical military budget can be solved. Although Yan Chujie said something very tough, will he really be able to drag out a powerful fleet to follow him?

The opponent's head-on strength is still unknown.

"Judging from the situation in the report, the Dutch operate Batavia very carefully! They need forts and forts, warships and warships, and there are also troops stationed there. It's a standard colonial stronghold!"

After reading the report, Tao Donglai sighed: "The number of warships exceeds twenty. No wonder they dare to intercept the Spanish in the South China Sea."

The interception Tao Donglai mentioned refers to the Dutch intercepting merchant ships bound for Manila on the southeast coast, using this method to cut off the trade channels between Spain and the Ming Dynasty. Although the Spanish also had a certain reaction to this,

Obviously the Dutch have no intention of stopping this hostilities. This is of course because they have strong maritime armed forces as backing in the Far East and do not have much fear of the Spanish as far away as Manila.

"Because our people have just been stationed locally, the military intelligence they can obtain is very limited. It is estimated that some specific information will take time to be collected slowly." Hao Wanqing also knew that there was not much information in the report, so he took the initiative to make

explained.

"There is no need to worry about this. In intelligence work, we still need to strive to be safe and secure." Tao Donglai waved his hand and said it was okay: "How many manpower has the Ministry of Security deployed locally?"

Hao Wanqing responded: "A total of seven people were sent there, four of them went to open a business store in the local area in the name of Zhan Gui's subordinates, and the other three were secret wires, following other maritime merchants, without Zhan Gui's knowledge.

"
Chapter completed!