"It's a good ship, it's a clever drive, it's fast enough to sail long distances, but what can it do but rob? Could it be that the opening of the sea advocated by the Hou Ye is to block the sea route so that everyone cannot go to sea? ”

The old boatsmith seemed to like a penchant for inflections, each time raising and then suppressing, and then questioning, but the question was real. Even if Jiang Bin was angry, he was dumbfounded when he heard this, and he didn't know how to deal with it for a while.

The old man didn't say that the ship was bad, but only asked what the flywheel battleship could do besides robbery. And Xie Hong's purpose in designing this ship is also very clear, and core personnel like Jiang Bin know very well that this ship is used for robbery.

So, at first glance, he really didn't know what to say, and after thinking about it, he retorted: "If you can make something small, then you can make it big, how did Brother Xie say that, well, you can't assert that just because you see that the sapling is very small, you can't assert that it can't grow into a towering tree in the future, hehe...... Ah, no, how do you know the identity of Brother Xie? ”

"Hehe, the champion Hou is famous, who in the world doesn't know?" Dai Ziyan smiled, turned to Xie Hong and asked, "This general doesn't believe it, but Lord Hou himself should be clear, right?" Is it possible for this ship to become bigger? ”

"I can't." Xie Hong shook his head.

Of course, this ship type can be enlarged, but now it is only because the level and experience of the shipwright are not enough, but as long as there is enough accumulation, it is not difficult to build a large ship.

The current flywheel battleships are actually all like goods, and they will have to be replaced with new ones in a few months, so before Xie Hong left Lushun, he also told Wang Yun that on the basis of continuing to build flywheel battleships, he should also try to build bigger ships.

Anyway, there are materials, and they are not afraid of waste; After the busy farming season, there is no need for so many people to make farm tools, and the manpower is also sufficient, which is a good opportunity to hone skills and improve proficiency.

It's a matter of time before a big ship is built, but a big ship is not a flywheel battleship. The reason is very simple, manpower is sometimes exhausted, and no matter how labor-saving the drive device is, it is impossible to drive the big ship by manpower alone, so it is correct to say that the flywheel battleship cannot be amplified.

As for his identity, Xie Hong could only smile bitterly.

When he first entered Beijing, he listened to Zeng Jian's opinion and planned to keep a low profile, but within a few days, the city was full of storms; He also planned to keep it a secret when he went to sea this time, but he was recognized by the maritime merchants in the first place; It's Liaoyang that is still in the dark, but that's not Xie Hong's own credit, but Wuji's acting skills are high enough.

But this doesn't have any effect, Xie Hong doesn't care, before Lushun starts construction, it is necessary to keep his whereabouts secret, but now it doesn't matter, anyway, in a month or two at most, what he does will be known to the world, and it doesn't matter if it's early or late.

On the contrary, after playing the banner of the champion Hou, the process of robbery became smoother, if he didn't know his identity, who would be so bored to tell the pirates that there were craftsmen on their ships?

"Then Master Hou really came here specifically for robbery?" This old man is indeed full of arrogance, after knowing Xie Hong's identity, the maritime merchants are all silent, but he has repeatedly spoken out of disrespect.

"Exactly. However, it's not that I don't want to build big ships for maritime trade, it's just that I only know a little about shipbuilding, and I can't find anyone around me who can build them, so I can only grope for it little by little. "This old man has already gotten on the boat, basically even if he is his own family, of course Xie Hong will not have anything to hide, and he will tell Lushun about the situation calmly.

"I see." Dai Ziyan nodded, "No wonder it is rumored in the world that the champion Hou Ye does not regard craftsmen as inferior, and his own craftsmanship is even more wonderful in the world. Since Hou Ye intends to build a big ship, my old bones may still be of some use, if Hou Ye doesn't give up, then ...... Alas, just a pity. ”

Could this old man be really confused? Xie Hong was a little worried, it was easy to find a shipwright who might have real skills, but he was a person who spoke upside down, how could he not worry?

People with ability always have some temper, so Xie Hong didn't care about Dai Ziyan's previous verbal offense, in fact, in his heart as a traverser, it was not an offense.

What's more, the other party didn't put up any scores, what he said seemed to be just to determine his intentions, as long as he planned to build a sea ship, he was willing to help, Xie Hong likes this style of people very much, how good it is to go straight.

However, seeing that the intention was reached, it was immediately possible to shake hands and sign the contract, and the other party came to such a sentence again, which was a little disappointing, and what was even more depressing was that this was also brainless, with Xie Hong's cleverness, he didn't understand what Dai Ziyan was sorry for.

"Isn't it a pity for Master Hou himself? If such an ingenious mechanism can be used on a big ship, then it will be okay to travel thousands of miles, but, alas, ......"

"It's a pity!" It was Jiang Bin who answered, Xie Hong and Dai Ziyan's conversation, he was also listening to the conversation, and at this time, when he heard the old man say this, he also let out a long sigh, and even the two sailors shook their heads with affection.

I rub, old fools can also be contagious? Xie Hong pursed his lips, very speechless, he couldn't see these people sighing, and Suo said his vision for the future: "Actually, you don't have to be so sorry, in fact, there are still ways." ”

"Really?" The most intense reaction was not the core personnel Jiang Bin, but the new recruit Dai Ziyan, the old man raised his head suddenly, a pair of eyes were shining, staring at Xie Hong's eyes, as if he wanted to distinguish the truth of this statement from Xie Hong's eyes.

Xie Hong explained: "The principle of the transmission device has a wide range of applications, even if it is magnified ten times or twenty times, it is not a problem, the parts used are made of stainless steel, and if you use some small means to assist the surname, the durability of the surname is not a problem......

"These old decays all know that there is no doubt about the craftsmanship of the Hou Ye, but these are dead things, even if they are big, what is the use? Without manpower to trample on it, these things are just in vain, is it possible, Hou Ye plans to drive cattle and horses on the boat? ”

From the old man's demeanor, Xie Hong affirmed his guess, this person is a technical maniac, once it comes to things related to ships, he will pounce on it with all his heart, and he completely ignores etiquette and everything, no wonder he can't stay in Daming, and would rather come to a place like the Wa Kingdom.

"Master Dai, who said that the driving mechanism can only rely on the power of humans and animals? In fact, there are other ways, even if the ship is dozens of times bigger, it can still be driven by the same principle. Xie Hong's tone was light, but when he heard these words in Dai Ziyan's ears, it was as shocking as a stone.

"That'...... What is it? The old man asked suspiciously.

"Steam engine." Xie Hong threw out three words lightly, and in response to him were four blank faces.

"What's that?" Dai Ziyan asked again, this time he was not suspicious, but completely ignorant of why.

"I can't say this clearly for a while, but I'll understand it when I see it......" Xie Hong touched his chin and said a few perfunctory words casually, not to mention that it really took him a lot of effort to explain the steam engine to the old shipwright who was a complete layman, and it really took him a lot of effort to explain the steam engine to the group of people who had some foundation in the School of Physics.

This thing can be called the key to the era, when the steam engine began to be used, it also represented the entry of civilization into the industrial age.

Of course Xie Hong understands the principle, and he has been taught in middle school physics class, so how can he not understand it as a college student? Although there are still some details to ponder, Xie Hong is still sure to make it, and the question is only how to apply it.

The primitive steam engine was very large and bulky, the energy utilization rate was also low, and the application range was really not very wide, so Xie Hong never thought about it.

He pondered that instead of barely making it out and sitting idle, it would be better to wait until the education system was fully rolled out and let others develop and improve it on their own.

However, when he decided to open the sea ban, Xie Hong suddenly discovered that even the primitive steam engine actually had a place for bravery.

It doesn't matter if the machine is large, as long as the ship is bigger, it doesn't matter if the energy consumption is large, anyway, there are many coal resources, environmental protection...... I'll leave that to future generations.

When he designed the flywheel battleship, he actually had an idea, so the flywheel battleship he designed was very similar to the paddle steamer of later generations.

The upgraded version of this transitional product is the paddle steamer, and if possible, Xie Hong even plans to make the propeller steamer directly in one step.

However, the premise of all this is that there must be a large enough ship, and with the current flywheel battleship, I am afraid that even the cylinder of the steam engine may not be able to fit, so what else can we talk about?

"In other words, as long as there is a big enough ship to fit this machine you mentioned, you can use that thing to drive a similar device like this, and then let the big ship sail without wind?" Dai Ziyan's comprehension ability is good, Xie Hong just explained casually, and he still grasped the main point.

"Not bad." Xie Hong smiled.

The old man pondered for a while, then suddenly raised his head and said quickly, "Then what are you waiting for, don't you hurry up?" ”

I wiped it, and I started to lose my head and brains again, Xie Hong was slightly stunned, "Hurry up?" ”

"Go back to the port, it's the port where your dockyard is located, and then build a big ship!" Dai Ziyan said in a natural tone, as if he didn't know what kind of place this was now, "It's not that the old man I'm boasting, as long as there are enough helpers, six thousand...... No, a ship of 3,000 materials will definitely be fine. ”

"Old man, how can your boasting be different from others, everyone is adding, why are you still subtracting?" Scarface listened funny and couldn't help but interject.

"What do you know?" Dai Ziyan glanced at Jiang Bin, and said proudly: "If it is a treasure ship or a blessing ship, let alone 6,000 materials, even if it is 8,000 materials, I am ninety percent sure that it will be built, but now the ship that I say I want to build is the same as the one under my feet, a ship that can go to the sea, it has never been built before, of course we should be cautious." ”

"It's okay, three thousand ingredients are enough." Xie Hong is also hot, three thousand materials are a ship with a displacement of more than 1,000 tons, if it is powered by a steam engine, it is already a little close to the ships of later generations, if it is not too far from Lushun, he would also like to fly back directly, and then start all kinds of research and development.

"Well, this place is over, I'll go back to Lushun first." After a little calculation in his heart, Xie Hong quickly made a decision.