In the list of the shortest-lived warships in history, the first place is the "Vasa" sail battleship built by the Kingdom of Sweden in the early 17th century.\\ King Gustav of Sweden, who was stimulated by the rumors of the Danes' new warship, gave full play to his stubborn self-use and layman's characteristics, making the Vasa full of all kinds of awkwardness from the beginning of its construction. With more gun emplacements and an unbelievably high center of gravity, the Vasa was successively added with various indicators to strengthen its combat effectiveness, and then completed in two years with the expectation and pride of the Swedes. On the day of her maiden voyage, the people of Stockholm cheered.

A symbol of the glory of the Swedish Vasa dynasty, the Vasa is a work of art, at least on the surface, with almost every carved railing being intricately carved and richly decorated. However, compared to her meticulous decoration process, the sea trial was purely like a child's play, and more than thirty sailors ran from bow to stern, even if they had completed a qiē.

And then, and then there was no more...... Ten minutes after sailing, the Vasa achieved her historical reputation as "an art treasure on the slipway and a fool on the sea", and capsized in front of everyone, leaving King Gustav dumbfounded.

Thursday, May 22, 1625.

Reports from Radio Manchester and the Manchester City Weekly have been flying all over the world, but for ordinary citizens, especially those who witnessed the explosion of the USS Constitution, the official rhetoric has bitten to the death of one result: in order to ensure the country's maritime interests, the navy's overload of training and combat readiness attendance intensity has left the officers and men of the USS Constitution in a state of high fatigue, which is the main culprit of the boiler accident.

"Manchester City Weekly" also published a signed article by the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, Zhang Ruohan, "What can we do".

"What can we do...... The officers and men of the fleet guard the country's maritime lifeline with unimaginable perseverance, and they need to use a hundred times the energy to operate the most powerful warship in the world, and all they need is a little stability and hot vegetable soup to return home......"

"What can we do...... We can't blame any tired soldier for being as perfect as a saint, just as we can't blame a broken bone that might be in a cutlet. How bad our lives would be without steaks...... None of us can afford to stay out of the face of disaster. ”

After the publication of the current issue of the newspaper, the State Junior High School, the National Secondary Vocational School, and various enterprises. In just a few days, more than $50,000 was donated by corporations and $10,000 by individual citizens.

A moment of silence was held in the regular session of the National Assembly, and the Minister of Defense visited the wounded in hospitals. The commander of the Navy personally visited the homes of the officers and men who had died...... Etcetera. Some well-ripe public opinion and crisis public relations tactics from later generations suppressed people's suspicions and nipped in the bud the panic that might have been caused by the explosion of the USS Constitution boiler.

In the procedure for handling the accident, which people do not know, an investigation team jointly set up by the National Assembly, the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry, and the Ministry of National Defense is analyzing the cause of the accident in detail in order to find the "culprit" of the tragedy.

Inside the factory building of General Industries. With a loud roar, a marine iron keel component is being machined on a steam forging hammer machine. The iron keel manufactured by the segmented process is the core verification product of the solid yàn wood-hulled iron freighter ordered by Beiyang Shipbuilding Company.

Neither the military nor the deep-pocketed state-owned enterprises are willing to take the initiative to pay for the full amount of this kind of real yàn ship that uses iron keels for the first time, and can only return with orders in the future. So a few years down. The scientific research budget funds from the state account for only 70% of the overall funding of the project, and the remaining funding gap is basically the project verification and promotion work in the form of joint R&D investment between General Industries Company and Beiyang Shipbuilding Company.

Jiang Zhaolong has been sitting in the hammer workshop in a daze since the morning, and he seems absent-minded about the iron keel that is about to be completed. He also held two sets of design drawings in his hand, the first was a familiar drawing of the structure of a 220-horsepower steam engine, and the other was a design drawing of a naval ship, and the title of the drawing was impressively written with the word "Constitution".

The scarred Constitution has been towed into the dock of the Beiyang Shipping Company. The state of the damage is still being assessed, but the repair of the Constitution will take at least four months and cost nearly $150,000 based on the fact that the boiler compartment is almost completely wiped out, and a large number of internal structures are cracked or damaged by fire. Almost equal to the cost of an enterprise-class sail frigate.

From the first time the steam unit of General Industries was put into use to the present, even if there have been some minor accidents, it has not caused such a tragic end, especially the quality of the navy's marine steam unit. Jiang Zhaolong thinks that he is a strict gatekeeper.

If the final cause falls on General Industries, the company can afford to pay for the loss of materials. But what made Jiang Zhaolong feel aggrieved was the heartbroken look of Rear Admiral Wang Tiezhu, the commander of the navy. It is no wonder that Wang Tiehammer couldn't help but accuse Jiang Zhaolong in front of Jiang Zhaolong for the first time, after all, the death of 27 officers and soldiers of the Constitution and the disability of 4 people caused huge losses to the navy, and the first mate Captain Andrew is still fighting against death.

The Army has not been covered in the past few years, and for the Navy, which has so far suffered no casualties, it is impossible to swallow such a massive casualty in a non-combat incident.

It will take at least a few days for the accident injury assessment report, and the joint investigation team's analysis of the cause of the accident is also in full swing, but for Jiang Zhaolong, it is like waiting for the final verdict to be announced.

is as nervous as Jiang Zhaolong, and You Qi. It is said that some people in Congress have accused the construction of the Constitution of being full of various "guinea pig" design ideas, which are not only expensive, but also that many construction processes are basically carried out while exploring, which will inevitably leave hidden dangers in the design, especially the safety damage management design.

"Old ginger! As a result, the reason is out! ”

Suddenly, outside the processing workshop, You Qi hurriedly walked in with a piece of paper, sweat on his forehead, but from his expression, he was obviously extremely depressed.

"Alas...... I knew it was going to be on my head in the end. He walked out of the noisy forging hammer workshop and came directly to the green belt of the factory of General Industries. While looking at the result evaluation report in his hand, he shook his head helplessly, "It's fun, the cause of the accident is located on the safety valve, and the pressure relief sensitivity of the safety valve is not enough." Unlucky ......"

"I also think it's strange that there was nothing wrong with the last full-power sea trial, and before entering service, the key parts of the unit were replaced with new ones! Isn't the Navy's patrol ship USS Snail also used well? You Qi frowned, and directly opposed this result.

"It's a new one. However, the investigation team believes that this new installation process is not up to par. And there was no re-commissioning after the replacement. Jiang Zhaolong pressed his face bitterly, wishing that time would turn back and put out this matter in person.

"Not only this, but I also have a share ......" You Qi took out another copy of Wen Jiàn from his arms. The face was also ugly, "The joint investigation team believes that the internal damage management design of the Constitution is unreasonable, the accident bearing capacity and emergency treatment design of the boiler compartment are insufficient, and the secondary damage caused by the accident is ......"

"I knew it wasn't that simple. Look, the two of us each hit a wrench. Jiang Zhaolong couldn't laugh or cry.

"Lao Jiang, I think the most important thing now is that you quickly organize people to check all the 220-horsepower units that are now in operation." You Qi sat down in frustration and said that he had admitted it this time, "It's best for you to take care of the latest 330 horsepower unit." ”

You Qi hurriedly left again, it seems that once the results of the joint investigation team are officially announced in the Congress, the crisis public relations pressure that Beiyang Shipping Company will face will not be less than itself. Jiang Zhaolong couldn't help but feel a trace of sadness for the dead rabbit and the fox.

Wednesday, May 27th.

The results of the joint investigation team into the explosion of the USS Constitution were held in the National Assembly, and the heads of several major enterprises and major naval officers such as Major Sun Yang were present.

Later generations of "temporary workers" and other excuses may have been a novelty for the common people of the 17th century, but in this occasion there is no market at all. The main cause of the accident was paid for by General Industries, and Beiyang Shipping Company also took responsibility for the design of the Constitution.

The cost of pensions for the dead officers and soldiers, the cost of treating the wounded, and the cost of repairing the Constitution were paid by these two enterprises. The total amount is more than $200,000.

The Navy Command also assumed some responsibility, blindly seeking speed and innovation, and the final stage of the sea trials of the Constitution was full of omissions and compromises. As a result of the hasty entry into service, the lives of 27 officers and men of the Navy were settled for this tragedy that should not have happened.

On the other hand. The safety investigation of relevant steam units of various enterprises across the country was also launched in advance last week, and it does not matter if you check it. There are as many as 25 units of various types with potential safety hazards, of which 220 horsepower units are the majority. The latest 330 horsepower double expansion unit, after a re-inspection, also found a number of inconspicuous small problems.

For the former Minister of Quality Inspection Di Zugong's original warning, now no one dares to listen to the wind, and now no one dares to persuade Di Zugong, who is not popular, to return to the unpopular, and the call for fully presiding over the national quality inspection work has appeared in private, but such a black-faced Bao Gong is now living in Shuangwan City, Bermuda.

At the same time, the need for research and development of more promising projects for industrial applications such as steam turbines has also been raised a notch. The relatively mature reciprocating steam unit is certainly a scientific and technological line that can be accumulated and developed, but the steam turbine technology that has sprouted since the beginning of the 17th century represents a road that can be leapfrogged forward. To this end, the National Assembly considered allocating special funds every year for NORINCO to set up a steam turbine research and development project.

Finally, a report from the Commission of Science and Technology also raised a deeper problem, that is, the lack of systematic quality standard control in domestic industrial development. A steam engine boiler safety valve, just because of a small processing accuracy that is difficult to distinguish with the naked eye, the installation and use process of the guide zhì is full of hidden dangers.

Among the professional technicians who have crossed the crowd, only You Renyi has the qualifications of a level 5 turner and a level 4 fitter, and most of the other skilled workers are at the level of level 3 or 4, or even lower. According to his own statement, after several years of work and training, he can now barely be rated as a level 6 turner, and a level 5 fitter is still a little worse. In addition, whether it is a senior technician of Chinese or European descent, the highest level is only 4 grade according to the standards of later generations.

In terms of personal ability, these 17th-century senior craftsmen are all good in the industry, and even stronger than You Renyi, a traverser in many aspects, who can make many high-precision objects with "primitive tools", but most of them are inherited from family or personal experience, and there is no truly unified quality standard management concept.

Before the establishment of the Commission of Science and Technology, Lin Youde took the lead in organizing the management of measurement standards, using a number of calipers and precious second-hand precision machine tools brought from the dock when crossing. In addition, a number of skilled 17th-century Chinese and European old craftsmen copied a lot of measurement tools, but with the use of wear and tear, the error of precision machining will become larger and larger, and this industrial precision manufacturing bottleneck. It is the most influential and far-reaching.

So. Increasing the standardized management and R&D investment in industrial measurement accuracy standards, and increasing investment in middle and senior vocational education have become another core issue extended by the Constitution bombing.

Friday, May 29. The funeral of the officers and soldiers killed in the USS Constitution bombing accident was held at the national cemetery on the outskirts of the newly planned western suburbs of Manchuria, and the Commander of the Navy, Rear Admiral Wang Tiezhu, personally presided over the burial ceremony.

Compared with the war-torn European continent, which treats the lives of soldiers as a mustard, such a solemn atmosphere and sacred funeral ceremony. The heartbroken families of the fallen officers and soldiers were comforted one by one.

Several rows of rifles raised their guns to see off the buried Navy soldiers, and the military band began to play one of the Navy's exclusive military music: "Sail to the End of the Sea". The prototype of the military music chosen by Wang Tiehammer is the later "Conquest of Heaven", and it is also the only military song in the army and navy that has both Latin and Chinese lyrics, or rather, it doesn't even look like a military song at all.

"Ideals make us strong and break through the barriers of darkness; Ideals make us strong and never give up hope. Through the smoke of gunpowder, you can see the twinkling starlight. Follow through the wind and rain. The light of life. ”

Dozens of officers and soldiers of the USS Constitution, who survived the catastrophe, lined up in four neat rows in front of the cemetery, chanting their battle songs. The surging music and the deep low singing voices of the officers and soldiers set off another inexplicable impassioned mood in the cemetery.

Also on this day, the city of Twin Bays, Bermuda. The fleet, which belonged to COSCO International Trade Group, brought back the second batch of Ming immigrants of the year from the port of Recife, Brazil.

Bermuda's city and port have been expanded, and a large number of dock workers are now busy loading cargo on two large Aoguang-class merchant ships docked at the dock. The military advances on the eastern island of Guadeloupe have reached their final juncture. The construction of the Twin Ports is also at its climax, with as many as 1,000 migrants arriving at the Twin Ports by sea in Guò.

Dozens of police officers of European or Chinese descent dressed in dark blue summer police uniforms and wearing large caps lined up on the dockside. Watching the men, women, and children of the Ming Dynasty immigrants with haggard faces slowly stepped off the board.

Zhao Mingchuan was much thinner than before he set off, but he was still concentrating on the style of the island city, and he was still tightly bound behind him with the book package he had brought, including a letter written by Liu Yaoyu to "Mr. Hua Meiyan".

Although the port city in front of us is small in scale, it is well built. Straight black hard roads, strange stone lampposts, beautiful green tree gardens, neat and uniform houses, and even some "mansions" in the distance, which are obviously much taller. There are vaguely earth-style houses, and there are also Tessie styles, but more often than notable, more simple and square houses.

The inhabitants here are all Chinese, dressed in a variety of costumes, and almost all of them speak a peculiar Liaodong dialect. Looking at the recent "official mission military service" in front of me, the strict and stereotypical appearance seems to be quite different from the Yamen soap subordinate of the Ming Dynasty. Zhao Mingchuan followed the crowd closely, constantly sighing at these qiē that seemed both strange and familiar.

Disembarking, there is another wave of people with more special status, it seems that the treatment on the Portuguese ship is better, these people's nutritional status is obviously much better than that of the sallow-skinned Ming refugees, and there are even many young dependents in the middle.

"Men take the aisle on the left, women on the right, line up, don't cut in line, don't make ......noise," a Chinese policeman held a tin horn and kept yelling in front of the crowd disembarking.

"Uncle Luo, this is the United States? I don't think that's it! Strange costumes, more eccentric than the Macau Franc man......"

In the crowd, a Chinese girl about fifteen or sixteen years old looked around curiously, judging from the cautious eyes of the people around her, it was obvious that her status was not low.

"Miss, this is the overseas state seat of Xihaihua America, Shuangwan City." Luo, who was dressed in a strong suit, smiled and bowed his hand slightly to the nearest policeman, showing courtesy, and then whispered to Yan Xianping, the eldest lady of the Yan family beside him, "This place is like Daming Qiongzhou, or a big man, if you stay longer, the eldest lady can perceive the beauty of beauty." ”

"Well, the soldiers here are all spirits, and everyone has Taixi firearms, but if you fight against my father's corporaries, I'm afraid it won't work." The Jiangmen Tiger Girl Yan Xianping looked at the coastal fortress fort in the distance with great interest, and couldn't help but start to evaluate again, "Uncle Luo, what is the use of this Chinese American officer and soldier who is so unarmoured, not guarded against swords and guns, and looks glamorous on the outside?" ”

As soon as these words came out, several European policemen turned their heads, all with strange expressions. Luo Da and other henchmen of the Yan family, who had already seen it, were embarrassed to turn their heads away.

"Miss, this is a guest place, let's not talk about it for the time being......" Glancing at the Huamei policeman not far away, Luo Da secretly embarrassed his old face, and could only lower his voice, "When I hand over the general's letter to the officials here, I can arrange to go to China and the United States to live in Beijing." ”

As if there was no response, Luo Da turned his head curiously, only to find that his Miss Yan was blushing, staring intently at a certain piece of beach at the end of the bay.

also looked closely, Luo Da's eyes widened. In the line of sight, on the beach, under the green trees, a group of "dressed in inches" girls are playing on the beach, or piling sand, or running and jumping, or resting. Almost all of those girls were dressed in short skirts with very short hems and thin suspender coats with bare shoulders, and all of them looked like no one else, which was simply shocking!

"I don't know ...... shame" Miss Yan seemed to feel that she was a little out of place to look like this, so she quickly lowered her head and couldn't help but take a sip, her face burning.

After a short time, the more than 700 migrants who disembarked gradually separated and headed towards the designated sanitary quarantine area.

In the municipal mansion, Luo Da and Zhao Mingchuan stood side by side in front of Di Zugong's desk, looking at each other cautiously.

“…… I haven't seen you in over two years, Mr. Luo. Di Zugong pointed to the chair in front of the table, said with a smile, and glanced at the unfamiliar Ming scholar, "I have already sent a message to China, and I will do my best to handle the entry visa procedures for you, and arrange for you and Miss Yan to go to Manchester." ”

"As for you......" Di Zugong turned his gaze to Zhao Mingchuan.

"Back to Master Di's words, student Zhao Mingchuan, the word Sicheng, a native of Guangzhou. In Macau, he was recommended by Liu Yaoyu and Brother Liu, and came to Huamei to travel, except for a letter, there was no other Guandi Road to guide ......"

"Xiucai?" In addition to Chang Kun, who was already very familiar in China, Di Zugong was the first time to see the "more orthodox" 17th century Ming scholars, and he couldn't help but wonder why the other party was so bold to cross tens of thousands of nautical miles to the unfamiliar Americas.

"Well, the student is dull, he has failed many years of repeated attempts, and his studies have been wasted...... Zhao Mingchuan's face turned slightly red, and he hurriedly bowed his head.

"Why come to Huamei?" Di Zugong saw that the other party seemed to have something to say, so he couldn't help but ask.

"When I see my overseas state of Chinese compatriots, I will solve the confusion in my heart." Zhao Mingchuan saw that this official lord was quite approachable, so he let go a little, "I heard that the former Song Chizi lived far away in Taixi, became a state, became a new school, Weizhen Xihai, and Mingchuan came to seek advice. ”

"Asking for advice? When I got off the boat, most of what I saw was deviant, right? There is no half-starry Song style and old customs here. Di Zugong laughed and waved his hand self-deprecatingly, "I'm afraid you won't be able to go to Manchester City for a while, so you can stay with me during this time." Hehe, in fact, I really want to know some things about the Ming Dynasty. ”

"Thank you for your love, Mingchuan is better to be respectful than to obey his fate, naturally he knows everything, and he has endless words." Zhao Mingchuan's heart fell to the ground, and he hurriedly surrendered his hand.

The door of the office opened, and a European female clerk dressed in a Han skirt walked in with two cups of green tea, which surprised Zhao Mingchuan slightly.

While some politeness was going on in the municipal mansion, Yan Xianping, who had been specially settled, couldn't help but take a few entourages and secretly ran to the neighborhood near the port, ready to explore this strange and novel town again.

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