After processing the last document in my hand, I felt a little dizzy in my head, but I didn't expect to accumulate such a lot of money in just ten days! Looking at the thick stacks of "battle results" in front of him, he really felt a burst of horror.

I felt a tingling in my lower back, leaned back against the cabinet, caught a glimpse of a mirror on the low table next to me, and picked it up and took a look left and right. "Is this still me?" When I saw the emaciated figure in the mirror, I couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness.

The huge siege of Honganji Temple finally failed, the reason was the defeat in the Battle of Kizukou, but even the angry Oda Nobunaga could not blame the Nine Ghost Ietaka too harshly, the difference in strength between the two sides was too great!

In addition to sending all the ships of the Nojima and Kobayakawa naval forces, the Mori family also invited the Kurijima and Ininjima naval forces to participate in the battle, gathering more than 800 large and small ships and rushing straight to the Kizukou. There are only more than 300 ships in the navy under the command of the Nine Ghost Family, and a considerable number of them are small groups of pirates who have just been transferred, and the technical level is quite unbalanced. Although the Nine Ghost Families were also brave enough to face the battle, in the face of the overwhelming rockets coming at them, some of the older ships immediately burst into flames. If it weren't for the timely withdrawal of the Nine Ghost Family, it would have almost become a skewer! It had become very unrealistic to continue the assault on Honganji Castle, and all the men and horses had returned to their homes, and Oda Nobunaga's prestige had been hit, and anti-Nobunaga forces in various places had reared their heads.

Oda Nobunaga is not a person who can swallow his anger, and where he is hit, he will find it back! In order to build a strong naval army, he issued several perverse orders: first, in order to raise funds, he forcibly levied 500,000 yuan from major commercial ports; Second, the ships of Ise, Kii, Izumi, Settsu, and Harima were to be checked for their grades, and those that did not have a clear identity (or he did not think so) were confiscated and handed over to Kuki Ietaka to be transformed into warships; Third, order the Nine Ghost Jialong to develop and build an ironclad ship that can be attacked by fire...... The subordinate retainers and vassal daimyo did not escape, and I myself was knocked out of 100,000 kan and a large amount of supplies. But it also gave me a chance, a good opportunity to follow the trend of history!

Masuda Nagamori and Nagasaki Masake were summoned back by me and officially assigned the duties of commissioner, but instead of dividing the fixed areas of duty, two temporary errands were arranged: to add Nagamori to raise a large number of materials, mainly wood; Nagazuki Masaka is responsible for the construction of multiple long-span deep-water trestle piers in Miyazu Town!

In winter, the water content of the trees is greatly reduced due to the slowdown in photosynthesis, and it is a good season to harvest and harvest, and soon mountains of oak, yuki, cedar, and pine trees are piled up on the banks of Miyazu. "No! It's still far away...... "Masuda Nagamori, who was waiting for my praise, only got this one sentence from me." They still don't understand me, and some things have to be taken care of personally!

The seasons changed from winter to spring, from spring to summer, and in the blink of an eye in June of the second year of Tensho (1574), some "inhuman" toil finally came to an idea, and most people did not understand my behavior. I don't know if Senzhi knows or not, but she's the only one who never asks me anything. My answer to the people in Takechu was, "I'm going to build a water army too!" ”

"Lord, Mr. Song Haitian asks to see!" Sakurai Sakichi arrived outside the door, and he was on duty today.

"Invite him in and serve tea!" I sat up straight and lowered the mirror.

"I've kept you waiting, I've brought something!" Song Haitian came into the house and saluted me, carrying a large bulging cloth bag under his armpit.

"Has the matter come to an end with His Highness the Nine Ghosts?" I sent him some time ago to help the Nine Ghost Jialong, and at the same time took on some other missions.

"We're on track," he said...... "He sat down and laid the bag on the low table." Last month, the construction of the Ataku ironclad ship had already begun, and I didn't have anything to do with the rest! According to your orders, I copied all the drawings back, a total of five sets! As he spoke, he pulled out five stacks of drawings from his cloth bag and placed them in front of me in turn.

"Hmmm! "......I picked up one of the stacks, on which were drawn the various parts of the hull, with detailed data marked on the side of each line, and each part marked with its name and purpose, all in clear small letters. I've never studied construction before, and even though the drawings are clear, it's hard to get a concept at once. "Hmm...... Which one was built by His Highness the Nine Ghosts? "I decided to start with the selection of experts.

"That's it!" Song Haitian picked out a stack and handed it to me. “…… The model ranked second from small to large, 14 zhang long and 2 zhang 3 wide, with 3 heavy gun emplacements designed, all in front ......" He pointed to the above graphics while introducing me in detail.

As I listened carefully, I pondered the sight of such a ship in real combat.

The Ataka ship has long been known in Japan, and it is a large (ancient standard) warship designed purely for water warfare! From the bow to the stern, there is protective armor made of plates, which are full of holes for shooting and firing arrows, and there are no dead spots for shooting at the front, rear, left and right. When approaching an enemy ship, the board can also be lowered outward, which can be used as a bridge for soldiers to attack enemy ships. The bottom of the boat is designed with a water baffle, so even if there is a partial flood, the whole ship will not sink easily. In the early days, these boats were paddled by man, and now some simple sails have also begun to appear. The so-called ironclad ship is to add a layer of fireproof and arrow-proof iron sheet to this kind of ship!

Although this ironclad house ship has strong firepower and can be used near and far, its shortcomings are also obvious! It has to carry too many people to operate effectively, so it can't carry a lot of supplies; Neither the tall and square towers nor the low hulls are suitable for the open sea; It is also not flexible enough to move; In terms of single-ship combat ability, it is far inferior to the "tortoiseshell ship"! But it is this kind of ship, after being equipped with artillery, that is the "natural enemy" of the Japanese pirates who use small boats and rockets as the main means in coastal warfare, and it is also a good landing attack ship!

It is wise to choose as a nine ghost family long, this model can be described as economical, and there are a few that can deal with those people in the western country, but I think things are different from him. "How many ironclad ships have His Highness the Nine Ghosts built?" I asked with a deep groan.

"Five! In addition, two were remodeled with old Ataka boats, but the model is not so standard! ”

"We also build this model, a total of 20 ships!" I punched the stack of drawings. "But add 8 heavy gun emplacements on each side, 19 for each ship! The hull will be ready for construction soon, and the masts and sails will be increased, and I'll give you a picture of the exact location and style later! ”

"Yes!" Song Haitian agreed and was about to pack his things, in his opinion, the conversation should be over.

"Wait!" I reached out and grabbed the drawing on the low table. "Which drawing is the largest model?"

"Yes...... It's some! "Although I pointed out what I wanted, I could see that he was quite confused." This is the largest type of design, 33 zhang long, 4 zhang 2 wide, 5 in front of the heavy gun emplacement, 2 in the back, 3 on the left and right, a total of 13, the main cabin has 4 layers, 1 layer more than the others......"

"Uh-huh...... Not bad! Not bad! ......" I nodded frequently, this is the sea fortress in my mind. Thirty-three zhang is really not small to say, but if you think about it carefully, you will find that in fact, he is not even a quarter of the "Zheng He Treasure Ship"! But a ship of this size, it is enough to become a "legend", I do not have the slightest basis of sea power, then I need this "legend" even more to announce the birth of a new sea supremacy to the Japanese daimyos!

"Your Highness! I must remind you ......" Because he saw my intentions, Song Haitian said worriedly. "The design of this kind of ship is a little too idealistic! The high cost of construction and maintenance, the demanding requirements for berthing in the port, and the complete absence of a commensurate opponent make this type of ship look flashy! When the length of the ship is increasing in percentage, the cost is increasing in geometric base, not to mention that it is still doubling so directly! If we really have this strength, wouldn't it be better to build a few more small ones? ”

"Different ships will have different effects, and sometimes a huge psychological advantage can be better than 100,000 soldiers!" I can't explain too much to him, there is a question of long-term strategy.

"yes, is there anything else that needs to be changed?" It seems that I have made up my mind, and he is not good at saying anything more.

"Huh? Oh...... Of course it has to be changed! "I thought about it for a moment and made a decision." Although this kind of ship has the effect of fire suppression, it is mainly a psychological symbol! So there's no need for too much, just build two, one flagship and one main vanguard. The heavy gun emplacements on both sides were changed to two rows, 12 in each row, plus the whole ship in front and rear...... That's 55! The same must be changed in the same way, and the number must be increased. By the way, what is the number of sailors of such a ship design? ”

"Originally, it was 360 people per ship, but if you add so many guns, it won't work without 550 people! There must be 150 oarsmen alone, otherwise you won't be able to paddle at all! He said with a bitter face.

"550 is 550! There is no way to do this...... "I know he is telling the truth, each cannon needs to be served by four people, and in order to ensure flexibility in wartime, it is necessary to increase the number of oarsmen.

"That's right! About artillery...... "Song Haitian seemed to suddenly remember something important. "Because I was involved in the accounting of the equipment allocation, I accidentally obtained a piece of information: His Royal Highness Nobunaga, through the relationship of the missionary Floyce, ordered 10 heavy guns and 20 light guns from the Portuguese, and the delivery is expected in the second half of next year! In addition, 300 'large cylinders' were ordered for Omi Kuniyuya, which is a large-caliber firearm with an estimated effective range of about 120 kilo. ”

"Oh, what is the size of the heavy artillery?" I'm more interested in this issue.

"This matter is only vaguely heard, some say it is a long-range cannon that fires a 50-pound projectile, others say a half-cannon that fires a 32-pound projectile!"

"Interesting!" I smiled lightly and said: "'Big Tube' we won't follow the lord to join in the fun, this kind of thing is useless against ironclad ships, and the prominent function is to be suitable for chaotic battles with mixed ships." Artillery...... Ernst has already arrived in Sakai Town, and will be here in two days! ”