In April of the seventh year of Gaia, in addition to the establishment of the Wuyun Division, Ouyang Shuo also paid great attention to the latest progress in military science and technology.

After the transformation of industrial achievements in the past year, the military industry of the dynasty ushered in another major breakthrough, and the most eye-catching performance was in the field of strategic weapons and equipment.

In the naval field, the first ironclad ship of Great Xia was finally launched in the North Bay.

The first generation of ironclad ships, which were made of wood, were covered with thick iron armor on the outer layer to resist attacks, and the ships were equipped with a large number of guns, with a total length of 23 meters and a width of 13 meters.

As early as the middle of the fifth year of Gaia, Great Xia had successfully developed the first generation of ironclad ships, because this kind of warship was not very practical and was not installed on a large scale in the navy.

The second-generation ironclad ships were transformed into steel, battery-mounted combat ships and cruisers, approaching the level of modern ships of the 20th century.

In April of the seventh year of Gaia, the first real ironclad ship of Great Xia came into being.

The birth of this ship is due to the development of heavy naval guns, the more advanced and sophisticated steam engines, and the rapid development of metallurgical technology in Daxia, which made steel shipbuilding feasible.

In addition to artillery, ironclad ships are equipped with angles of attack and torpedoes, which have become key weapons in naval warfare.

In view of the maturity of ironclad manufacturing technology and the accelerating openness of Gaia to industrial technology, it has become an inevitable trend for ironclad ships to replace sail battleships in the next few years.

In order to maintain supremacy at sea, the imperial court had to build ironclad ships in batches.

The problem is that the construction cost of an ironclad ship is not low, and the cost of an ironclad ship alone is as high as one million gold coins, and the construction period is as long as half a year.

The Qing Dynasty in history gritted its teeth and purchased two first-class ironclad ships, which were unique for a while. Of course, the ironclad ships currently designed by Great Xia are not comparable to first-class battleships like the Dingyuan.

For nothing else, no generator support.

Of course, the artillery could not compete with the 360-degree rotation of the cannon at that time.

If you want to build ironclad ships in a big way, you must start construction at the same time at multiple shipyards.

Since the beginning of the year in Gaia, Great Xia has built shipyards in major ports, and currently has 16 large and small shipyards, so that a large number of building ships and Z1 warships are installed in the naval fleet.

The problem is that these shipyards were all used to build wooden warships.

Only the North Sea Shipyard, the first shipyard in the territory, was capable of building ironclad ships. To do this, the imperial court had to upgrade the fifteen remaining large shipyards.

Because Gaia has eliminated the blur function, this alone will cost more than half a year, and the capital budget for the renovation of the shipyard alone will reach a huge amount of three million gold coins.

Add to that the cost of building an ironclad ship, and the budget is simply sky-breaking.

Even so, Ouyang Shuo had to grit his teeth and decided to first equip the Indian Ocean Fleet and the Pacific Fleet, each of the two ocean-going fleets, with two ironclad ships as the main warships.

In the future, it will be adjusted according to the situation.

In addition to naval equipment, there has also been a major breakthrough in the equipment of the Air Force.

Of course, strictly speaking, Great Xia does not have an air force in the real sense, but only a flying group or flying squadron equipped with fleets and group armies, relying on mimic aircraft.

Although the mimic aircraft is good, the disadvantages are also obvious.

First, the energy is too dependent on magnetoite, which limits the number of mimic vehicles.

Second, the energy circuit uses the carved technology of the Atlantean civilization, and the aircraft has a very low degree of industrialization, and is not even suitable for use as a fighter jet.

In response to these two shortcomings, the No. 7 Research Institute has been carrying out technical research.

Finally, this month, the No. 7 Research Institute made a substantial breakthrough, combining the manufacturing technology of mimic aircraft to take the lead in developing the first generation of fighters.

The original fighter used a hybrid of magnet stone and internal combustion engine, which complemented each other and could be used to guide artillery firing, reconnaissance and bombing over the battlefield.

Although there is still a certain distance from a real fighter, it is already very remarkable.

The most important thing is that after the adoption of hybridization, the foundation for the mass production of fighters was laid, and the most solid step was taken for the birth of a real air force in Daxia.

Ouyang Shuo believed that one day, there would be a real air force unit in the Great Xia Army.

Finally, there is the equipment for land warfare.

In the second half of last year, Ouyang Shuo went to Atlantis City to negotiate with Kalia for the next big deal, buying the battle puppet technology unique to the Atlantean civilization.

Right now, the Great Xia Arsenal has built the first prototype of a battle puppet.

As long as there is a period of tackling key problems, it will be able to produce battle puppets in the true sense, and by that time, the Great Xia Army will have a strategic-level weapon and equipment.

The rapid development of science and technology is undoubtedly a symbol of the prosperity of the dynasty.

When these strategic-level weapons and equipment are developed and mature, and enter the mass production stage, the Great Xia Army will inevitably usher in another transformation and take-off.

Underpinning all of this is the rapid pace of industrialization.

Only by pushing industrialization to the depth and laying out the entire industrial chain can we have the conditions to create such complex industrial equipment as battle puppets and first-generation fighters.

Without countless spare parts factories, it's all in the air.

What supports the industrialization of Daxia is the new urban area of Jingshi, which has been planned.

On April 1, the imperial court announced the "Master Plan for the New Urban District of Beijing", announcing that the new urban area will give priority to the layout of scientific research institutions, factories and supporting workshops related to the military industry.

The second is to develop business.

Strategic-level weapons and equipment such as battle puppets and first-generation fighter jets are the core of the new city.

Ouyang Shuo knows very well that he can't hold the wolf if he is reluctant to let the child trap him, and the game has evolved to Gaia for seven years, and the gap between the armies of various countries in terms of individual combat power is rapidly narrowing.

Even if the soldiers of Great Xia are the best of the best, it is impossible to really defeat one against five.

The only thing that can keep the Great Xia Army superior, apart from the size of the army that makes the enemy fearful, is the constantly updated weapons and equipment and the tactical tactics that accompany them.

Only in this way can the Great Xia army remain undefeated and support the continuous expansion of the dynasty.

The huge investment at this time is to lay a solid foundation for the second transcendence of the Great Xia Army, no matter how difficult it is and how much money is needed, Ouyang Shuo must grit his teeth and persevere.

If you are not willing to invest at this time, you may be beaten if you fall behind in science and technology in the future.

It is based on such strategic considerations that in the first half of Gaia's seventh year, Ouyang Shuo will focus his main energy on the internal rectification of the dynasty and scientific and technological research and development.

On the contrary, he did not pay much attention to the several major wars launched by the imperial court.

The game world is changing, and there is no room for slackness, let alone a trace of short-sightedness.

"If you go outside, you must first settle inside!"