Liaodong is far away after all, although there are letters from time to time, but Xie Hong does not understand the news of the capital in a timely manner, and many details are arranged before he leaves Beijing. [Full text reading]

However, he is not very worried, he has an excuse that can be said to the outside world, coupled with the strength that is already superior, there must be a little twists and turns, and there is no danger, and he really can't worry about Zhengde.

Although the sweep operation against Jianzhou has been successfully completed, there are still many things that need his heart, and one of the things he is most concerned about is the official launch of the new ship.

On the third day after he returned to Jinzhou, Wang Yun found him excitedly and informed him that the new ship had been built and could be launched for sea trials.

Of course, Xie Hong has been looking forward to this for a long time. In fact, the development of Liaodong was not in his expectation, it was the idea that came later, his original plan was to go to Jianzhou to grab a vote, and after obtaining enough manpower and materials, he would go all out to build a dock and port.

However, the effect is better now, after fully controlling Liaodong, he can ensure that he has no worries about the back road when he sets sail, and with abundant manpower, the construction of the port will be completed in a shorter time.

"Master Hou, Mr. Wang is also here." The monkey reminded Xie Hong with some joy.

Since that short but heated debate, Wang Shouren has not met Xie Hong, the monkey is a little worried, but Xie Hong is full of care. He told the monkey that the other party was crossing the river and demolishing the bridge, and after taking away the legal basis of the future generations from him, he would not want to be his own master.

Of course, this is a joke, but Wang Shouren is indeed doing scholarship, and the legal foundation he compiled in combination with the actual situation of the Ming Dynasty has already been sent to the capital as one of the basic textbooks of the law school.

is not meeting Xie Hong, it is nothing more than because of the difference in concepts between the two. Fortunately for Xie Hong, the other party was Mr. Yang Ming, who was known for his change, although he didn't agree with Xie Hong's practice of looting the alien race, but he didn't leave because of this, but maintained the previous kind of relationship.

According to Xie Hong's estimate, the other party is probably waiting, when the Tuntian in Liaodong has results, it is probably the time for Wang Shouren to resign from him and return to the capital to go to the academy, he is such a person who has a beginning and an end.

Xie Hong was pleased with this, anyway, Wang Shouren was originally a professional, he was specialized in learning, and it was a waste of talent to fight wars and conspire with him, and after Liaodong was completely stabilized, let him do the promising job of the principal.

"Hmm." In the face of the monkey's delight, Xie Hong was a little indifferent, which was also because his attention had been focused on the new ship.

The ship named the flywheel battleship by Xie Hong is not large, more than ten meters long, three meters wide, and the length-to-width ratio has reached about one to five, which is really a bit strange compared to the shipbuilding concept of the Ming Dynasty.

"Master Hou, although this streamlined hull is conducive to speeding up, it is much worse in terms of stability, not only does it shake more violently, but I am afraid it can't withstand too much wind and waves." Wang Yun held the drawings in his hand, frowned, and introduced them by Xie Hong's side.

When it was first built, Wang Yun was indeed very excited, after all, this ship was his first work, so he couldn't help but be happy. But when the excitement passed, this work brought him only all kinds of melancholy, which was not so much an introduction as a reminder.

"It doesn't matter, what you want is to be fast, this ship is a warship, of course, the first priority is mobility, it doesn't matter if it's wind and waves, I don't plan to use this ship to go to the middle of the ocean, we are mainly active in the near sea." Xie Hong waved his hand and said disapprehantly.

"With Hou Ye's design, there is no problem with this ship in terms of maneuvering, the steering is convenient, and the speed is fast, especially after the application of the water wheel, the speed of the sudden advance when the wind is downwind must be unreachable, but it is just ......" When talking about the advantages of this work, Wang Yun's tone was a little proud, but his deep brows still did not open.

Xie Hong eagerly interrupted Wang Yun's concerns, and directly waved his hand and ordered: "Don't say so much first, let the Lu family brothers take place and start the sea trial." ”

Not to mention that in later generations, even in the Ming Dynasty, this flywheel battleship can only be regarded as a small ship, but in the eyes of the Lu brothers, it is already a great ship.

They had been waiting by the boat for a long time, with eager expressions on their faces, even the second with the best brain, Lu Renyi. After hearing Xie Hong's order, several of them moved the fastest, and by the time the other sailors arrived on the ship, the four brothers were already in place.

The boss with the best surname is responsible for the helm, the third with the greatest strength is responsible for controlling the sails, the fourth with the best eyes is responsible for lookout, and the second with the best mind acts as a navigator and controls the overall situation by the way.

"Go down a few people, yes that's there, put your feet on the pedals, listen to my orders, I say step on, you just step hard, understand? Go to a few more people, help the third to raise the sails, try the main sail first, and then hang the longitudinal sail, all neat, don't drag the mud and water, fast! ”

The sailors had been trained for a while, and at the urging of the four brothers, they were in their places, and as the sails on the mainmast were raised, the hull swayed gently, and slowly sailed out of the dock.

There are not many people who come to watch the ceremony today, one is that the spring ploughing is busy, even the craftsmen are mostly busy building farm tools, and no one has leisure; Second, the vicinity of the dock has long been divided into a forbidden area, and people who are not strong enough cannot enter.

"Wow!" As the flywheel battleship was activated, the crowd on the shore also resounded with an exclamation, the reason was simple, the speed of the ship was too fast.

Although there were not many people present who had seen a sea vessel, they were no strangers to it, and they also knew that the speed at which a ship started was inversely proportional to the size of the ship, and that the larger the ship, the slower the start. Like those boats on the canal, they can only rely on the pull of manpower to move slowly, and there is no speed at all.

However, the ship in front of him started very quickly, and after opening its sails, it quickly left the dock, and after a few moments, it jumped out like an arrow from a string, and in a blink of an eye it was in the middle of the sea.

"Master Hou, this ship is really fast, is this the effect of that flywheel blade?" The monkey asked Xie Hong in amazement.

"That device hasn't been turned on yet, this ship was originally a clipper...... "I've seen a motorboat in later generations or something, of course this speed will not be taken into Xie Hong's eyes, but by the standards of this era, it can indeed be regarded as a speedboat."

The hull of the ship was very light, and the shaft mechanisms were made of stainless steel, which was not only more durable, but also much lighter than the wooden ones. Of course, wood of the same volume is lighter than iron, but if such a high-loss device is made of wood, it can only increase the volume of the parts, so the whole hull is much lighter after being made of fine iron.

And the overall shape of this ship, Xie Hong is also a replica of the ships that later generations have seen, and those clippers in the Age of Discovery are very similar, one mainmast, two auxiliary masts, belongs to the most agile ship type, fast, of course.

"Wave the flag, let them start the axle and try the top speed." While talking, the Lu brothers on the ship had already completed the tests of each sail and asked about the next steps with flags. The flag language was designed by Xie Hong in combination with the experience of later generations, which can complete simple communication, and now that there is no radio, he can only use this first, and then slowly improve it.

"The ship has received the order, and it will be carried out immediately." The herald quickly completed the transmission of the order, and a response was quickly received from the ship.

The paddle wheel is set at the stern of the ship, in order to prevent people from seeing through the void, and also to protect the paddles, there is a layer of protection on the outside, because of this, the monkey just did not see that the flywheel did not start.

After receiving the order, the flywheel was officially launched.

With the lapping of the paddles, the water splashes at the stern, and as the speed of the flywheel increases, it gradually turns into two bright white waterlines, and this waterline brings almost crazy speed.

Although there was no reference, the ship was not far from the shore, and there was a comparison of the speed of the right person, and the current speed really surprised the onlookers, and it was no longer enough to describe it as faster than the galloping horse, and in addition to the amazement, everyone could only regret the lack of their literary talent.

"Well, such an assault speed should be fine." Xie Hong nodded with satisfaction.

"However, this ship is too small, let alone transporting goods, and even the sailors can only fit more than 30 people......" Although everyone else was amazed, Wang Yun still looked sad, otherwise how could a layman look lively? If you can't load goods or people, what's the use of this ship just being fast?

"Brother Wang, didn't I say that this ship is a warship, of course, speed is the most important, and I don't plan to use it for trade." Alas, tradition kills people, and thinking is rigid, Xie Hong sighed in his heart, and emphasized the purpose of shipbuilding again.

"But the warship must also have sailors!" Jumping ship and fighting is the right way, Wang Yun has always been in his mind, "Even if Brother Xie wants to set up a cannon on the ship, but ...... This ship, this cannon, even if it is erected in the capital of the ship, may not work, not to mention that according to Brother Xie, it still has to be erected on the side? I'm afraid that as soon as the cannon is fired, the ship will capsize. ”

It's not that Wang Yun is too depressed, it's really that the ten cannons that Xie Hong brought are too big, and the ship is too small, and the danger he is worried about is real.

"Brother Wang, I asked Brother Jiang and them to train on fishing boats, you don't think this is training sailors, right? I'm just letting them get used to the water surname, so that they don't get seasick, and let them fight the old sailors at sea, isn't that looking for death? Xie Hong pinched his teeth and said helplessly.

Jiang Bin's people are all landlubbers, and after a few months of hell training, the symptoms of seasickness have indeed been alleviated a lot, but they are still far from being able to jump freely on the deck and exert their full combat effectiveness.

But Xie Hong's imaginary enemies are all sailors who grew up on the ship since childhood, and letting Jiang Bin and them face the enemy on the ship is really no different from committing suicide.

"Besides, have you forgotten? Didn't I let the people of the Shenji Battalion practice new weapons? Our ships rely on that to fight. ”

"That doesn't seem to be very ......" Even if it is a new weapon, it can't eliminate Wang Yun's worries, not to mention that in his opinion, that new weapon is not very reliable.

"Very good, the trial voyage went well, the order goes down, let the Black Pearl sail a little farther, and the test must be comprehensive." The natural pessimist couldn't persuade him, so Xie Hong simply left Wang Yun and gave another order to the heralds.

"The Black Pearl?" The herald was stunned.

"Well, that's the name of the new ship." The corners of Xie Hong's mouth twitched, revealing a mysterious smile.

(To be continued)