Outside the dock of the Daming Pacific Fleet at Wusong Military Port in Shanghai. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

At this time, it was a busy scene, inside and outside the dock stackhouse, there were many people walking around, all of them were sailors in blue uniforms, under the command of the officer, to deliver supplies to several large ships docked on the dock.

Several new slipway shipyards built by the Jiangnan Shipyard of the Nanyang Shipbuilding Company are next to the Wusong Military Port. The scale is large, rows of factories are neatly arranged, the tall chimneys are filled with black smoke, and soot dust is floating everywhere. The large slipway was busy, and several huge ships that looked like mountains were looming into shape. The shipbuilding industry of the Ming Empire started very early, even exceeding the years of the restoration of the Ming Dynasty. And the demand for ships throughout the Greater China Customs Union has always been very strong, not only for cargo ships, but also for large numbers of sailing ships to transport migrants. Driven by the big market, Daming's shipbuilding industry is naturally extremely prosperous, and there are more than 20 shipyards of all kinds in Shanghai alone. The slipway of every shipyard is very busy all year round.

"Your Majesty, now the shipbuilding orders in the hands of Nanyang Shipyard have exceeded 1.2 million tons! The largest number of them are four-masted galleons with an unladen displacement of four or five thousand tons, and due to the design of small boilers and steam engines to drive sail winches and anchor chains, the number of crew members driving and maneuvering four-masted galleons has been greatly reduced, from more than 200 to about 50 people, so that they can carry more passengers and cargo......"

Zhu Jishi stood with his arms crossed in Maria. In front of the bridge window of the Royal Cruise Ship Clementina, I looked at the busy military port and shipyard in front of me. In addition to the officials who visited Japan with him, he was a middle-aged man named Fengcheng, the director and chief engineer of the Jiangnan Shipyard under the Nanyang Shipbuilding Company. The name is rather strange, but the slightly chubby man is a bit of a real man, he is a first-generation graduate of Hong Kong's Chi Shi University. He studied mechanical engineering, and later took a vocational degree in shipbuilding. Since graduation, he has been working as an engineer at Nanyang Company. From trainee engineer to chief engineer, he is also an academician of the Ming Royal Academy of Sciences. He is an expert in shipbuilding and steam engines. He is best at designing steam-sail hybrid ships.

"The best thing to sell is a sailboat?" Zhu Jishi was slightly strange, "Why can't the steam sailboat compare to the four-masted sailboat?" Is it too expensive? ”

"It's not that it sells badly. It's not as good as this kind of galleon. At present, the main market for steam sailing ships is still passenger ships, because passengers are in a hurry, and people have consumption on board, and an extra day of stay will cost an extra day of fresh water and food. Therefore, steam sailing ships with faster speed and less influence on wind direction and speed are more popular. However, cargo ships are still more practical because of the use of steam engines to manipulate sails and anchor chains, and the crew is relatively small, and more cargo can be carried, although it is greatly affected by wind speed and direction. But there's no big problem with transporting bulk cargo......"

Feng Cheng stood in front of Emperor Lao Tzu in a suit and talked eloquently, his tone was very casual, and he didn't seem to feel much pressure. In fact, he and Emperor Zhu are old acquaintances. As early as 18 years ago, he knew Zhu Jishi when he entered the University of Hong Kong, when Emperor Zhu was his president. Later, after he became an academician of the Ming Royal Academy of Sciences, he often met with Zhu Jishi, who was the honorary president and academician of the Academy of Sciences.

"I see." Zhu Jishi nodded, it is still the era of the transition from sails to steam power, and it is not surprising that a sailboat with superior performance has a lot of things. "Feng Qing (Feng Cheng has the title of earl, but it is not bought with money, but in recognition of his contribution to the development of the Ming Navy), the design of the 10,000-ton ironclad ship can begin? Six shipyards participated in the Admiralty's tender this time. If your Nanyang ship can't do it, don't expect me to speak for you. ”

The 10,000-ton ironclad ship has always been wanted by the navy, but because the Ming Empire and the United Kingdom have a treaty to limit the total tonnage of the navy. Therefore, Emperor Zhu did not approve the request of the Admiralty for a long time. And this time, because of the problem of the Indochina Federation, the Ming and Britain have embarked on the road of all-out confrontation, and naturally they will no longer take into account the treaty. As a result, the plan for the construction of 10,000-ton ironclad ships was immediately thrown out, and a bidding began with great fanfare.

And this bidding, of course, is not a casual formality. Because in recent years, due to strong demand, Daming's shipbuilding industry has become a wealthy industry, which has naturally attracted a lot of capital. Moreover, although the scale of many newly opened shipyards is not as large as that of Nanyang Shipbuilding Company, the technical level is not weak. Because many of their managers and engineers came from Nanyang Hong - there are now many technical talents from Jishi University who have started their own businesses. Including heavy industries such as steel, shipbuilding, military industry, chemical industry, machinery, etc. There are many thriving small and medium-sized enterprises...... In fact, it is not very small, here in Daming. At least the factories that can play heavy industry are factories with assets of millions, but they are a bit small compared to the big factories and mines opened by large consortia such as the Royal Family Consortium, the Industrial Foundation, the Jardine Foundation, and the Yanping Consortium (opened by Prince Zheng's family).

Although these small and medium-sized shipyards are not weak. But Feng Chengcheng didn't regard them as competitors completely, but just smiled faintly: "Your Majesty, I'm not worried that Nanyang Xing will lose to other shipyards, although their technology is not weak, but building a 10,000-ton large steam ironclad ship requires a process of technology accumulation." In the whole Ming Dynasty, we are the only ones in Nanyang who have come step by step from the construction of 2,000-ton, 3,000-ton, and 5,000-ton ironclad ships. Other factories have only experience in building steam sailing ships for civilian use. Even if you come up with design drawings, you may not be able to build a good ship, at least not with the strength of one factory. Therefore, I think the Admiralty should come up with two orders this time, one for Nanyang Bank and one for the other five shipyards to be jointly responsible...... Let both sides come up with their own design plans, and then start construction, and then compare them when the ship is built, so that the advantages and disadvantages can really be derived. ”

Zhu Jishi was really a little crying and laughing when he heard this, this Fengcheng is a technical expert and not a businessman...... Isn't his suggestion tantamount to cultivating a competitor for Nanyang Xing? However, Emperor Zhu still nodded with a smile and said, "Fengqing, I know your suggestion, and I will talk to the Admiralty." Still, I hope that Nanyang will come up with the world's best 10,000-ton steam ironclad ships. ”

After speaking, he waved his hand and let the head of the Jiangnan shipyard retire. As soon as Feng Cheng left, a naval officer beside Zhu Jishi wearing a blue tweed naval uniform and the rank of lieutenant general stepped forward and whispered to Zhu Jishi: "Your Majesty, the escort fleet has been formed outside Wusongkou, Maria. The Clementina is ready to set sail. ”

Zhu Jishi's visit to Shanghai this time was not specifically to inspect the Jiangnan Shipyard, but to prepare for a visit to Japan. Because the Kingdom of Japan is already a domain of the Ming Dynasty, the one who is about to take over the king of Japan is also Zhu Xingyi, the son of Zhu Jishi.

Zhu Jishi nodded, just about to give the order to set sail. I saw a secretary of the imperial study hurriedly walking in and respectfully handing a copy of the newspaper to Weng Tongyi. Weng Tongyi glanced at it, and his brows tightened.

"Shuping, who sent the telegram?" Zhu Jishi asked in a low voice.

"It's an urgent call from the embassy in London." Weng Tongyi took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Someone claiming to be the former Japanese Emperor Muhito appeared in London and asked the British side for political asylum. ”

"What?" When Zhu Jishi heard this, his face suddenly turned blue. "Did the telegram say where this Muren came from, how old he was, and who was with him?"

"It's just a twelve- or thirteen-year-old child, accompanied by two Japanese women...... In addition, the British Governor's Office in the Straits Settlements also sent escorts. Weng Tongyi replied.

Zhu Jishi took the telegram as soon as he stretched out his hand, read it for himself, and then threw it to the ground: "Don't go to Japan first, Akiko and Iwakura will come to Shanghai!" (To be continued)