Chapter 583: The Sword Tooth Ship is launched, and the Great White Fleet is formed!

Partridge Bay Naval Port,.

On the sixth day of the twelfth month of the eighth year of Chongzhen, in the morning.

In the past, Cai Diexuan was very quiet, except for the sound of birds, there was no noise. Xue Zhidie likes tranquility, and when she is carefully pondering the problem, she cannot tolerate the slightest interference from the outside world. Therefore, Zhang Zhun specially ordered that there should be no other buildings within a hundred zhang of Caidiexuan, and all trees or flowers should be planted to completely isolate the hustle and bustle of the Partridge Bay Military Port. No one is allowed to make loud noises when they enter the area.

However, today's Caidiexuan is full of noise, or the sound of a man snoring. The man who can snore in Caidiexuan is naturally Zhang Zhun. He arrived at Cai Diexuan yesterday at about midnight. Although Zhang Zhun hasn't gotten up yet, the women around her are already busy. In the flower hall of Caidiexuan, in addition to Xue Zhidie, Ji Yuqing, Liu Rushi and others were there. Their low-voiced laughter gave Caidiexuan a little more of a warm taste of family.

Soon after, Zhang Zhun's snoring finally stopped, and Yun Pei came in to wait. After Zhang Zhun woke up, he rubbed his eyes vigorously, and then stretched his waist vigorously. It seems that I slept well last night and recovered my strength. Looking at Yun Pei beside the bed, Zhang Zhun said with a smile: "No need, I'll do it myself!" ”

He slept alone last night, but he didn't have sex with the women around him. This is Xue Zhidie's territory, and it is too ridiculous for him to do well. Of course, the real reason is that he returned to the Partridge Bay Military Port from Hejian Mansion, riding a horse all the way, and he was already too tired to do anything, and he didn't have the strength to engage women at all.

There is of course a reason for Zhang Zhun to rush back from Hejian Mansion in a hurry. The first batch of saber-tooth ships can finally be officially commissioned. The Tiger Navy, at large, finally has its own first batch of professional ocean-going combat vessels. In the past, Cangshan ships could not carry out ocean-going battles.

This batch of saber-tooth ships started construction in March. At that time, Xue Zhidie estimated that it would take eight months to complete. Later, she improved the manufacturing process, increased manpower and material resources, and mobilized employees to start work day and night, and as a result, it only took about seven months to complete the construction and successfully launch the water. After a month of launching tests, no major problems were found, and it was finally ready for official service.

In fact, for the dignified Celestial Empire, it is really not difficult to build a sail warship with a displacement of only about 300 tons. Any shipyard of a certain size can build a ship of this tonnage. At the beginning, China's big ships had a displacement of thousands of tons. During the Southern Song Dynasty, large ships with a displacement of more than 1,000 tons had already appeared. During the Southern Song Dynasty, the speed of shipbuilding was also very fast. Six months to complete a ship is not a problem at all.

At the height of the Yuan Dynasty, more than 1,000 large ships (mainly merchant ships transported by Cao, not just warships) were launched in the whole country a year, which was breathtaking. The fleet of the Yuan Dynasty's expedition to Japan, with thousands of large warships, was built in just a few years. If it hadn't been for the so-called kamikaze, Japan would have been included in the territory of the Yuan Dynasty long ago.

The later Ming Dynasty was not much inferior. The shipbuilding speed of Nanjing Longjiang Shipyard is equally amazing. If it is produced at full capacity, at least 100 large ships can be built a year. Zheng He's fleet in the Western Ocean, with hundreds of large ships, was also built in a few years. If it weren't for the influence of the maritime ban policy, the current Ming Dynasty would definitely have big ships all over the world, where would it be the turn of the Netherlands or something?

But for Zhang Zhun, he can't help but be excited! These saber-tooth ships are no one else's, but his own, completely his private property! All the manpower, material and financial resources for the construction of the sword tooth ship were accumulated by him with great difficulty. In order to build these warships, the silver spent in vain was simply scattered like flowing water. Now he must cherish himself with a broom. There's no way, the family business is too small, and twelve saber ships are already very good treasures.

In fact, there are not a lot of warships of all kinds in the Tiger Navy. There were dozens of lucky ships snatched from the enemy (including the Tianjin Naval Division, the Dengzhou Naval Division, the officers and soldiers of Dongjiang Town, the Zheng Zhilong Pirate Group, etc.), and the number of ordinary Franc machine guns was also two or three hundred, and the number of other small warships was even more. However, those are not professional warships and can only be called armed merchant ships. These ships were equipped with cargo compartments. In other words, it can be used to transport goods.

What Zhang Zhun needs is the most professional warship, a warship that can give full play to its combat effectiveness. He needed a battleship, there was no need for cargo compartments at all. The only purpose of a warship is to fight, not trade. trade, there are specialized trading vessels.

With a displacement of 250 tons and 32 flying dragon cannons, the saber ship was the first batch of pure warships that Zhang Zhun hoped to get. The original design of the saber tooth ship was 26 cannons, and later according to Zhang Zhun's requirement of supremacy of firepower, six more were added. In this way, there were sixteen cannons on each side of the sabertooth. A single salvo can fire sixteen shells. Twelve saber-tooth ships fired 192 shells in a single salvo.

Compared with the large battleships of the Western powers, such firepower is still a bit weak. The strongest battleship of the Western powers, with a displacement of more than 3,000 tons, and the number of artillery pieces, more than 100 guns. A powerful Western fleet with more than 1,000 guns, large and small, could exceed 1,000 pieces. However, it is already the existence of the top maritime power. Zhang Zhun believes that as long as time passes, he can also achieve it.

In fact, these saber ships were launched for testing a month ago. A month ago, the Navy had sent people to familiarize themselves with the operation of these saber-tooth ships, inspect their performance, test various limit data, and discover and find out the deficiencies in them, so as to actively correct them. After a month of testing, no major problems were found. So, Zhang Zhun decided that today, on the sixth day of December in the eighth year of Chongzhen, the saber tooth ship was officially commissioned.

Zhang Zhun has fully sacrificed the sword of the Tiger Ben Army on land, and now, these sword ships are the swords he will sacrifice in the ocean. With these saber ships in service, the range of activities of the Tiger Ben Navy will be much larger. At the very least, North Korea, Japan, Jeju Island, and Taiwan are all within the reach of the saber ships. In the past, the Huben army and navy could only go around the coast of Shandong and the Bohai Bay. Now, it's finally time to get out in stride.

"!"

Zhang Zhun clenched his fist vigorously, his heart was excited, and he immediately got up with a sharp move. After hurriedly getting dressed and simply grooming, Zhang Zhun appeared in the flower hall of Caidiexuan. A group of women hurried up to greet them.

At this moment, Zhang Zhun's mind is not on the woman's body at all. Therefore, the speed of eating breakfast is extremely fast. After breakfast, Zhang Zhun and Xue Zhidie came to the port. The first batch of saber-tooth ships to be launched, a total of twelve, are now neatly arranged on the edge of the trestle. The red flag of the Tiger Army is hung on the mast, and the rope on which the sail is hung is hung with various colored silks to show the special nature of today. Military flags and colored silks flutter in the wind, giving people an uplifting feeling.

All the saber ships were painted pure white, and against the blue water, they looked particularly eye-catching. The sea water continued to ripple, gently lapping against the white side of the ship, stirring up pieces of broken silver waves. From time to time, there are also active marine fish, jumping out of the water near the side of the boat, and then quickly burrowing into the water, also stirring up strings of waves on the water.

Originally, Zhang Zhun was going to paint the sword tooth ship with black tones, which looked a little more eerie and terrifying, and could give the enemy a great deterrent. However, his suggestion met with strong opposition from Xue Zhidie and the top brass of the Navy. They agreed that the appearance of the saber ship should be either pure white, light gray, or blue, or not black. Black doesn't feel like it's above board. The Tiger Ben Navy has enough strength to defeat the opponent in a dignified manner.

In the end, Zhang Zhun compromised and ordered the saber ships to be painted all white. For this reason, the twelve saber ships were grouped together and were also called the "Great White Fleet". I have to admit that standing in the harbor and looking out, the Great White Fleet is indeed very powerful, giving people a great sense of deterrence. The white hue does give people a sense of openness. This is the image of the dignified Heavenly Empire.

"Your Excellency!"

"Your Excellency!"

"Your Excellency!"

Seeing Zhang Zhun coming, all the officers of the navy came up to say hello.

For the Huben Army and Navy, today is definitely a major festival, Yang Guohua, Zhou Zhengyu, Zhang Haibin, Li Jicheng and others are back. In addition to them, Huang Shijun, Wang Chenglin, Ling Sishao, Mao Huihui, Zhang Xuehai, Zhang Shenggao, Cheng Lei, Wang He, Liu Sheng and others are also all there. They were the first captains of the saber-tooth ships, and the first commanders of the Tiger Navy's navy to prepare for ocean-going operations.

In recognition of Xue Zhidie's contributions, the first batch of sword tooth ships were named "Snow" class, and their names were: Flying Snow, Haoxue, White Snow, First Snow, Yingxue, Ruixue, Snow, Xiangxue, Qingxue, Silver Snow, Red Snow, and Lingxue. Obviously, Zhang Zhun couldn't think of such a crepe name, only the Xue sisters pondered it themselves. It's a code name anyway, it doesn't matter.

No one else was invited to today's battleship commissioning ceremony. The Partridge Bay Naval Base has also imposed a three-level martial law, and outsiders are not allowed to approach. The main purpose is not to provoke the enemy and make a fortune in silence. Zhang Zhun actually didn't want the news that the Sword Tooth Ship would be put into service spread all over the world. Now he no longer needs to bluff and deter the enemy. What he has to do now is to pretend to be a pig and eat a tiger to obtain greater benefits.

It is reported that in the Nanyang area, Zheng Zhilong's pirate group has defeated Liu Xiang and is speeding up the unification of various maritime forces in the Nanyang to form a more powerful maritime force. It is conceivable that Zheng Zhilong's pirate group, in the coming period, is very likely to come north to find Zhang Zhun's bad luck. After all, in the hands of the Tiger Army, Zheng Zhilong's pirate group suffered a big loss. A gentleman takes revenge, ten years is not too late, Zheng Zhilong and Yang Tiansheng will definitely not be willing to fail.

In this context, it is very necessary to quietly bury one's head in development. After the saber ship is officially put into service, it will take a certain amount of time before it can form the maximum combat effectiveness. Before that, it's a good idea to go through some smaller, less intense battles in order to gain combat experience. If the Sword Tooth Ship had just been put into service, it would encounter a super opponent like Zheng Zhilong's pirate group, and the consequences would be more serious.

In fact, after the launch of the first batch of saber ships, the Navy will have more saber ships launched and put into service in the near future. The second batch of saber-tooth ships, a total of eighteen, was started at the end of June and should be launched around March next year and commissioned in April. After that, there will be more saber-tooth ships constantly launched.

In other words, as long as it lasts until April next year, the main force of the Tiger Ben Navy will have at least thirty saber ships, which is enough to counter the northbound fleet of Zheng Zhilong's pirate group. Zhang Zhun estimated that Zheng Zhilong should not be desperate and lead all the warships to the north. As long as the enemy arrives in batches, the Tiger Army Navy can defeat the enemy individually.

"Your Excellency, please!"

Mao Huihui sent a serious invitation to Zhang Zhun.

He was the first captain of the Flying Snow saber tooth ship, and had the honor of being the flagship of Jang Jon and Lee Ji Sung. Now, he is wearing a neat and straight naval captain's uniform, standing next to the gangplank, welcoming the arrival of a group of high-level officials. Other sailors lined up on either side of the ship to welcome them.

"Knock knock!"

"Knock knock!"

"Knock knock!"

A cannon salute sounded, and with the rumbling sound of cannons, the official commissioning of the sabertooth ship was announced.

Zhang Zhun nodded, and happily boarded the Flying Snow Sword Tooth Ship. Behind him, the top brass of the navy, as well as those specially invited to watch the ceremony, as well as Xue Zhidie and her foreman team, all boarded the Flying Snow Sword Tooth ship. For a while, the deck of the Flying Snow Sword Tooth ship was full of people.

Because it is a brand new battleship, the Flying Snow still has a strong fragrance of tung oil. Even if the sea breeze blows constantly, the fragrance of tung oil lingers for a long time. The fragrance of tung oil smells so wonderful that everyone around Zhang Zhun can't help but sigh that these behemoths on the sea are indeed too strong compared to the military power on land.

Zhang Zhun also went under the cabin to inspect various cabins. The biggest design feature of the sabertooth ship's cabin is that the cargo compartment has been eliminated and it has been turned into a professional warship. All other cabins were set up according to the needs of the battle. Due to the elimination of the cargo compartment, the space allocation of the cabin is more reasonable. In this way, the amount of ammunition that can be carried is even greater.

Xue Zhidie also increased the capacity of storage compartments and freshwater tanks to sail longer distances. A rest area for sailors was also added to keep sailors fit and stick to longer sailing times. The storage space for various spare items, such as spare sails, spare rigging, spare repair wood, and spare medicines, has also been increased to varying degrees.

"Out to sea!"

Zhang Zhun happily gave the order.

Li Jicheng, who was temporarily appointed as the commander of the Great White Fleet, waved the flag, and the Great White Fleet slowly started. Because it was a north wind, the battleship started very quickly, and after a cup of tea, the Great White Fleet left Mawan and entered the Yellow Sea outside.

After the launch of the sabertooth ship, the two huge floating batteries at the mouth of Mawan have been dismantled. The Wyvern cannon on it was also installed on top of the Sword Tooth Ship. With the saber ships present, there is no need to continue using these two floating batteries. Twelve saber ships, each with thirty-two guns, a total of three hundred and eighty-four flying dragon cannons, even if they confronted Zheng Zhilong's pirate group head-on, they would have some confidence.

After leaving Mawan, the Great White Fleet slowly headed west. Along the way, the Great White Fleet carried out complex formations of various formations. In fact, the formation of the navy is similar to the formation of the army to a certain extent, including the long snake formation, the mandarin duck formation, the moon formation, and so on. One of the most important formation methods is the T-shaped formation. In future battles, such a formation method may be used a lot. Because the T-shaped formation can give full play to the power of the broadside cannon more effectively.

In fact, to be precise, the T-shaped formation cannot be called a formation, but should be called a combat method, a maritime tactic. The biggest feature of this tactic is that when the enemy's fleet sails vertically, its own fleet quickly occupies the position in front of the enemy, and then hits horizontally to stop the enemy, and then uses the side cannons to fire quickly and fiercely. It has been proved in actual combat that such tactics can greatly increase the hit rate of artillery shells and inflict heavy damage on the enemy's fleet.

Such tactics arose in the West, and there was no such tactical description in ancient China, so the Tiger Ben Navy was the first to adopt this tactic. However, to skillfully use such tactics, the requirements are very high. First of all, the requirements for navigation are very high, and it is necessary to be accurately in front of the enemy's fleet and not too far behind. Secondly, the requirements for the gunner were very high, to shoot the maximum number of shells in the shortest possible time. Thirdly, the requirements for the commander are very high, and the commander must quickly judge when it is most appropriate to grab the position.

Theoretically, everyone understands the truth, but when it is actually done, the effect is not very good. The first few exercises, it was a mess and miserable. Huang Shijun, Mao Huihui and others have all had serious deviations. The Yingxue sword tooth ship commanded by Ling Sishao even got the direction wrong, and almost collided with the Chuxue sword tooth ship commanded by Wang Chenglin.

If it were in a real battle, such a formation efficiency and such a formation effect would have been beaten by the enemy's fleet a long time ago. Zhang Zhun can't blame others, he can only blame the speed of the growth of the Tiger Ben Army's navy, and many basic skills have not been practiced solidly. To avoid this, there is only training, training, and training.

"Our opponent is not the Dengzhou Marine! It's not a Tianjin sailor! Not those wastes that are not combative! Our first real opponent is the Zheng Zhilong Pirate Military Group! Our future opponents are the Western powers! Others have traveled more than half the world to visit us, and of course we will go back to visit them in the future! Without a little force, others will not welcome us! ”

Zhang Zhun kept cheering up his subordinates.

Subsequently, the Great White Fleet continued to practice the T-formation, making sure to practice until there were no major mistakes. In order to quickly form a team, a variety of flags, gongs, drums, whistles, and even the sound of suona and other contact methods are fully used. For a while, there was a lot of hustle and bustle on the Flying Snow's saber tooth ship.

Upon reaching the sea near Lingshan Island, Zhang Zhun ordered an artillery drill. The key to naval warfare is also the power of artillery bombardment. As the firepower of gunboats becomes more and more powerful, there will be fewer and fewer ways to fight in broadside battles and gang jumps. Whoever can have the upper hand in the shelling will be the final winner.

"Tom tom!"

"Tom tom!"

"Tom tom!"

The first round of cannon fire soon rang out.

Dense cannonballs hit Lingshan Island like raindrops. On Lingshan Island, it was like a hailstorm, and the beach was full of wolves. The twelve saber-tooth ships could shoot nearly two hundred rounds of solid bullets in a single salvo, even if only half of them landed on Lingshan Island, it was very impressive.

"Tom tom!"

"Tom tom!"

"Tom tom!"

The second round of shelling was even more intense.

After adjustment, all the shells fired in the second round fell on Lingshan Island. From the clairvoyant mirror, it can be clearly seen that the beachhead of Lingshan Island is shrouded in it. This is still the power of solid bullets, and if it is grapeshot bullets, it is even more incredible.

"Good!"

"Good!"

"Very good!"

Zhang Zhun praised with satisfaction.

The power of the saber tooth ship was not far from what he expected. Xue Zhidie's design basically exerts the combat effectiveness of a warship of this tonnage to the limit. There is not much room for improvement in the hardware. What the Tiger Navy has to do is to further familiarize itself with the performance of the warship and work the software.

There is no doubt that actual combat is the best way to enhance combat effectiveness. Blind training cannot replace the results of actual combat. The question is, where did Zhang Zhun go to find an opponent who was not very strong and use actual combat to train the combat effectiveness of the Great White Fleet? In the Bohai Bay, there are no decent maritime opponents left. The remaining warships of the Tianjin Navy Division, the Cangshan ship can handle it. Take the initiative to tease Zheng Zhilong? For the time being, there is no such strength, so forget it.

After the triumphant return of the Great White Fleet, the naval base was jubilant again. In the evening, a rich dinner party was held at the naval base to celebrate the official commissioning of the sabertooth. Zhang Zhun naturally had dinner with the officers and men of the navy. When he was in high spirits, the fast horse sent an urgent piece of information.

Intelligence was sent from the DPRK.

Shen Lingfei's merchant fleet encountered a small trouble in North Korea: the Tartars stationed in North Korea did not know where to learn about the relationship between Shen Lingfei and Zhang Zhun, so they exerted pressure and tried to detain Shen Lingfei's fleet. The Koreans were reluctant to listen to Tatar's words, and they wanted to get help from the Ming army, so they quickly sent a distress message to Shen Lingfei.