The "Age of Sail" is an era between human paddle power and steam power.

This era was an era of rapid development of the maritime industry, and after the Age of Discovery, there was an era of colonization all over the world. The end of the colonial era was the age of steam.

It was also the first industrial revolution.

The industrial revolution must be based on material accumulation, industrial budding development, and a high degree of concentration of material production.

With the sound of cannons, the colonists brought their ships and cannons, blasted open the gates of other countries, and mastered the material resources of various places.

This era has fallen, and the next era will be difficult to follow.

Unless we concentrate on the development of heavy industry and build an independent and solid industrial base.

The late Ming Dynasty was a critical period to seize the opportunities of the times and reduce the difficulty for future generations.

The battleships of the Ming Dynasty can also accumulate resources for China.

Battleships with battleline tactics.

The term "battle line" was used throughout the Age of Sail and later in the Age of Steam to engage in naval warfare, in which the fleets of the two warring parties entered the combat area in a single column, and after reaching the firing range, they fired at each other.

If you look at it from the air, you will see two parallel lines of sailing ships connected end to end, and the smoke of gunfire fills the inside of the two lines. And this straight line composed of battleships is called the "battle line", and the name "battleship" is derived from this.

The relative position of two sailing ships or two fleets, depending on the direction of the wind, involved the most important tactical issues, and was one of the most important concerns of the admirals of the time.

The "upwind" and "downwind" refer to the direction perpendicular to the battle line, not to the longitudinal direction of the fleet.

Both fleet operations and single-ship engagements are greatly affected by the position of the ship in relation to the direction of the wind.

The upwind ship has its hull tilted downwind due to the action of the wind, so that the lower running door is either easy to enter the water due to its low position, or the gun muzzle is pointed at the sea, while the downwind ship will fire the gun in a better position.

However, since the downwind ship is up-tilted towards the enemy fleet, it is very likely that the shells fired from its upper deck will hit the rigging of the local fleet.

Therefore, in actual combat, it is necessary to seize different combat positions according to the different operational objectives. This is crucial in the combat maneuver of the fleet.

The rational use of arson ships often played a decisive role in the outcome of the battle. Despite the fact that it is only an appendage of the fleet, for ships, the arson ship is similar to the modern torpedo.

At this time, the hull of the ship was all wooden, and the power of the arson ship was that once it collided with the enemy ship, it would quickly burn the enemy ship until it burned out.

When fighting against the Dutch battleship, Cai Fuyi seized the opportunity to fight in a fixed position after the Dutch battleship dropped anchor, and also occupied the upper hand. The use of merchant ships to set fire to defeat the strong is a typical example of rational use of arson ships.

Cai Fuyi did not rigidly copy the battle columns that Wang Hongyu told him, but used the frontal battle method of land warfare.

His command was given to the commander-in-chief, and his own ships were at the forefront of the Dutch shells, covering the arsonist ships and melee ships to get close to the enemy ships.

He flexibly used the theoretical knowledge provided by Wang Hongyu, analyzed specific problems, combined natural conditions with theoretical foundations, and creatively won the battle that decided the fate of the Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands.

However, arsonist ships are not as suitable for use in melee as torpedoes, and if they are used, they are very likely to injure their own ships.

Wang Hongyu combined his theoretical knowledge with Cai Fuyi's actual combat experience to compile a booklet on the use of battleship tactics and prepared to select the naval generals of Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, and Shandong for study and training.

Prepare to learn theories and model training first, and then organize training at sea.

Of course, the supply fleet and the medical fleet must also be in full swing.

According to the new tactical training, and based on the soft-sailed Fufune and Canton, it is planned to build it for one year, and then form a training period for one year to build a supply fleet at sea.

In normal times, he did business at sea, selling water, canned food, and medical supplies. That is, in the sea

On the trade line activities, some ocean-going ships, when they encounter a reputable merchant ship, they directly buy some supplies on the sea, and the price is often more than 5 times that of the land.

Wang Hongyu's supply fleet can usually be sold at sea, establish a reputation and make money, so that the supply fleet can usually have income.

During the Great War, the supply fleet was dedicated to transporting supplies to the fleet as a professional support force at sea.

Back to the tactical aspect.

The Dutch could not anchor, which seemed to be their biggest defeat in this naval battle, but even if they did anchor, there was no more powerful tactic.

Because before 1650, even the wealthy and powerful Dutch navy favored close-range melee battles, with medium-range naval guns going head-to-head rather than sailing in line formations, and the maximum effect of one-sided guns was exerted in order according to the queue.

Wang Hongyu wants to develop line-based battle tactics 50 years in advance. In order to make the most of the power of heavy artillery and to clean up the discipline of the fleet, line tactics were established as standard formations.

When the fleet operates, "line warfare" is the most basic tactic, which is an effective defensive formation, and it is of great significance to set the basic rules for ship maneuvering for the admirals.

With arrays, the fleet can concentrate its firepower to break down enemy formations, destroy individual ships, and prepare for broadside battles. However, since the warship needs to have early warning time, it is necessary to set up early warning clippers.

If the two sides of the battle are evenly matched, it is difficult for the battle to have a decisive result. If it is against a fleet that is in a downwind defensive position, the attacker will have a chance to retreat.

Generals and seamen should work together as one, and a council of soldiers and officers and counselors should be established on ships, officers and soldiers should be equal in peacetime, soldiers should play the role of supervising their superiors, and all actions in wartime should be under command.

The navy is not an isolated world, large or small shipboard groups, but a concrete and tiny society, with different ranks, ranks, different classes, statuses, different occupations, skills, and members of different ages.

Establish and master science and technology, a high degree of internal organization, unity and liveliness in peacetime, and a high degree of obedience to command in war.

This is the Navy.

There is still a long way to go from the naval division to the navy.

Now the new naval division, which is based on the new army, already has the shadow of the navy.

The Navy must have some scientific knowledge.

First of all, climate, navigation and hygiene,

Ships need to implement strict hygiene and cleaning measures, which do help prevent infectious diseases. Unclean bodies, dirty clothing, and "unhygienic behavior" are strictly prohibited.

Wang Hongyu's next step is to invest heavily in the navy, build hospitals, train doctors, and really care about the life, study and health of seafarers.

The navy of the Ming Dynasty is on the rise.