Li Shunda didn't know what welding was, and asked, "That welding or something, can it really reduce the weight of the battleship?"

Zhu Jianji said: "Now some structural splicing, although there are rivets, but there is one thing to say, our rivets are not perfect in the process, there are risks, and you also use some mortise and tenon structures to splic, how much more material is needed, this is unnecessary weight, in fact, after the development of welding technology——"

Zhu Jianji picked up the two books from the table, spliced them together, and said: "The welding technology is to directly link the structures together in this way, only adding a little bit of solder weight, which is almost negligible, and in terms of strength, it is not weaker than the mortise and tenon structure."

Li Shunda was very excited, "If it can really be developed, it can indeed reduce the weight of the battleship a lot, even if it is not used to speed up, it can also equip the battleship with more ammunition and coal, and improve the range and firepower output time of the voyage."

Zhu Jianji hummed, "This matter is urgent, wait for the chemical team of the Academy of Engineering Sciences, I asked Guo Kang before leaving, it is estimated that in a year or two, I hope that the second batch of cruisers will be able to use welding."

Li Shunda said, "I hope so."

Zhu Jianji glanced at the technical officials of the other shipyards, "Do you still have any ideas about cruisers?"

The crowd shook their heads.

His Majesty's ideas are novel enough, how can they have more.

Zhu Jianji said with a smile: "Then let's talk about my next idea, I have just said, to classify the steel battleship, the cruiser because of the small lethality of a single gun, dense firepower, plus the later optimization, increase the speed, so that it has the advantage of seaworthiness, so the cruiser is mainly for naval warfare, but I am determined to be in the four seas, and when I expand in the future, it is indispensable to land operations, which requires a kind of steel battleship that can be aimed at shore warfare projects, this kind of battleship does not need intensive firepower, it needs huge destructive power, It can directly destroy the enemy's war works and provide fire support for the landing army."

Li Shunda was puzzled, "Actually, the cruiser has 24 guns, so isn't it better to provide fire support for the landing army?"

Zhu Jianji smiled: "I said, the lethality of a single cannon is not enough."

Lee Soon-tat asked, "To what extent?"

Zhu Jianji smiled and said, "To what extent? Let's put it this way, because this battleship can strike at land fortifications, and it needs to be able to collapse the city gate with one shot, so it doesn't need too many guns, and a battleship can be equipped with three guns, as for how powerful it should be, huh...... I have a lower requirement, with the current level of firearms in my Ming Dynasty, the artillery equipped with this kind of battleship will far exceed the firepower and heavy artillery that the current Jinge Group Army is equipped with and the cruiser will be equipped with, probably...... The weight of a cannonball should reach more than 1,000 catties!"

Including Li Shunda, many people in the Dengzhou Shipyard were dumbfounded.

A thousand pounds of a cannonball?

The firepower heavy artillery used now is less than a hundred pounds per shell.

A thousand pounds of shells......

How destructive will this be?

Can't believe it.

I'm afraid that in addition to the city wall like Beijing City in the Ming Dynasty, Banggu between Zhou and Yu, there are probably not a few cities that can withstand such a bombardment, and they can basically blow up a hole in one shot, right?

The key shells are so heavy, then it will be cumbersome to reload the ammunition.

In other words, it is impossible for the firepower output of this kind of battleship to reach a dense state, and it will take about half an hour to launch it once, and if there are only three guns, the firepower intensity is enough, but the speed is not enough.

[In view of the general environment,

Zhu Jianji said with a smile: "In my plan, a few shells of this kind can destroy the enemy's offshore fortifications and provide strategic space for the landing of the army, of course, warships, it is impossible to only target land fortifications, but also participate in naval battles, so such shells, as long as one of them falls on the enemy warship, it can be destroyed."

The intensity of firepower of the battleship was inferior to that of the cruiser.

But the intensity of fire, the cruiser could not match.

Moreover, all the naval warships in the world today are basically still wooden, and such a battleship, who can withstand the destructive power of a battleship's shell?

It's basically the fate of being sunk by a bombardment!

Li Shunda said weakly, "Can the two houses make such a cannonball?"

Zhu Jianji shook his head, "Not yet, my will has just been completed, and it is currently in the state of project approval, and it is estimated that it will take a year or two, in fact, the research and development and production of this cannonball is not difficult, and the level of gunpowder is also in place, the difficulty lies in the research and development, design, and production of giant cannons that can use this kind of cannonball, and there is a huge difficulty in tackling key problems in the steelmaking process and design."

Li Shunda thought silently in his heart, and suddenly felt incredible.

Such a huge cannon, just the barrel, can at least fit one person into it.

coughed, "Such a battleship, only equipped with three guns, can be simpler in structure, it is not difficult to design and build, the difficulty is to develop such a giant cannon and a huge projectile, so the Dengzhou shipyard is not a big problem, as long as the two academies can develop a giant cannon and a huge one that can be installed, and the Ministry of Industry can ensure the use of steel, Dengzhou Shipyard can start the project at any time."

It happened that Dai Yi came back with the design of the battleship, Zhu Jianji opened the design and let everyone watch, and said, "This is the design I drew for this kind of battleship, the battle part is in the bow of the ship, and in my plan, the giant cannon can be a semi-circular rotating barrel, but it is better to launch an offensive against the enemy, which can achieve the tactic of driving straight into a column to break through, so I plan to define it as a battleship."

Li Shunda looked at it for a moment, "With only three guns, the internal space will be very large, and a large amount of ammunition can be stored, and at the same time, the dead weight will not be high, and the speed may be above the cruiser."

Zhu Jianji shook his head, "No, although the structure is simple, the battleship will be the main battleship and the flagship, so it needs stronger defense, in the overall structure, the steel used will be thicker and heavier, and the recoil of such a huge cannon will be extremely terrifying, if the weight of the battleship itself is not enough, after a few shells, I am afraid it will be shaken apart."

Li Shunda nodded, "Indeed, for shells over 1,000 catties, this recoil, even if it is a mortise and tenon structure, may not be able to support it, so like cruisers, it is also necessary to develop a device to reduce recoil."

Zhu Jianji hummed, "This design plan will be left with you, you have time to study and study more, and strive for the Donggong Military Research Institute to successfully develop the giant cannon and giant bomb, and the battleship project of the Dengzhou Shipyard can be launched immediately!"

Li Shunda led the order.

Zhu Jianji said: "I know that you are also very hard-working, but there is nothing you can do, the development of overseas trade, coupled with the world map I let people draw, now the whole universe knows each other, and for a long time in the future, the power contest between countries and countries will definitely focus on the sailors, I even think that the whole world will follow in the footsteps of the Ming Dynasty and enter a new era...... Well, the Age of Discovery!"

After a pause, "So don't slacken, in my plan, I will build at least fifty cruisers and more than six battleships to form the two main naval forces of the South China Sea Fleet and the East China Sea Fleet."

Smiling slightly, "The cruiser is attacking with intensive firepower, and the battleship with huge guns is attacking with heavy hammers, whether Da Ming can become the supremacy of the sea in the next few hundred years depends on you!"