Chapter 791: Directly hanging clouds and sails to help the sea
Su Dingfang and others all had black lines on their faces. These two old people were fooling around without restraint. How could they be so chatty?
Fang Jun felt even more cordial. This was his old subordinate. Now that he saw him indifferently, he felt very relieved.
Liang Renfang interjected: "Chief Steward, how about we raise the sails and set sail first, and you two can talk in detail in the helm building later?"
Fang Jun waved his hand casually and said: "You can just raise the sail. What do I have to talk to this old guy about? There is a generation gap!" After saying this, he supported Zheng Kunchang and came to the helm together. Conversed in low voices.
Liang Renfang on the deck directed the craftsmen to take out the sails from the bilge, and it took a while to install the sails properly.
Liang Renfang tested the wind direction and found it was southeasterly.
From there, it's a tailwind when you go north along the Wusong River. When you leave Wusongkou, you turn along the river to the southeast and follow the river out to sea, you're right up against the wind.
Liang Renfang shouted: "Raise the sails and set sail!"
The huge sailing gear was raised up to the mast with ropes by craftsmen. Several sails were inflated by the wind as they were raised, and the huge hull slowly slid on the water. The small sail on the bow and the triangular sail on the stern were raised continuously. The sails were blown by the wind, and the speed of the ship became faster and faster.
The observation deck is at the stern of the ship. It is an open platform that surrounds the entire stern of the ship and is also the captain's residence. Su Dingfang and others followed Fang Jun to the observation deck. At this time, the sailboat was gradually accelerated by the wind. The bulging sail produced strong thrust, and the sailboat sailed quickly towards Wusongkou.
The bow of the boat broke through the river, riding the wind and waves, and the sound of wind came to my ears, as fast as a galloping horse!
Su Dingfang said excitedly: "It's really fast! With this speed, the whole sea is dominated by our navy. If we want to fight, we will fight, and if we don't, we will avoid it. However, the enemy wants to fight but cannot catch up, and wants to run away." If you don’t lose it, from now on, you will be able to conquer the ocean and be invincible!”
Liu Rengui lay on the edge of the observation deck, looked at the two decks below, and said, "Did you see that empty position? I heard the chief manager say that a new type of weapon that can kill enemies from a hundred feet away will be installed there in the future. Firearms, we were really invincible at that time, the ocean is so big, we can conquer it all!”
Liu Renyuan wondered: "What kind of firearm is this? It can kill an enemy from a hundred feet away? Does the imperial court allow us to put it on a battleship? You know that during this trip south, His Majesty mentioned to the General Manager the use of the 'Zhentian Lei' Much about the naval battle So worried, there is no decree yet whether to allow it or not. If there really is a firearm that can kill the enemy a hundred feet away, it is much more powerful than the "Thunder", will your Majesty agree? "< br>
The imperial court's strict control over anger was almost unprecedented.
Since the death of Changsun Chong without a trace, His Majesty has placed strict restraints on the Shenji Camp. He even transferred Li Daozong, King of Rencheng City, to the capital to take charge of the Shenji Camp and stayed in the Wei Palace to take strict precautions.
Although the preparation of gunpowder was handled by another department, and the secret recipe was known to no one except Fang Jun, Changsun Chong was in charge of the Shenji Battalion, the only firearms force in the empire, at that time. Who can guarantee that Changsun Chong did not get the gunpowder formula?
If Changsun Chong is able to prepare gunpowder, coupled with his familiarity with the palace, the consequences will be disastrous!
Among the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty, only Li Daozong, the "lone minister" of Ren City, could fully trust His Majesty Li Er...
Before Liu Rengui could answer, Su Dingfang had already smiled and said: "This is the responsibility of the general manager, what does it have to do with you? Now, let's recall your secret method of roasting sheep in Diaoyin, and show it to everyone tonight."
Liu Renyuan was stunned and felt that the whole ship had gradually swerved...
The wind inflated the sails, generating huge thrust. The sailboat turned right after arriving at Wusongkou, and the huge hull drew a huge arc on the river. In order to resist the strong centrifugal force, craftsmen acting as sailors drove the warship to make the ship The upper part of the body poured sharply inward, leaving a white arc-shaped water mark behind the stern.
After a quick turn, the hull slowly returned to the right direction. At this time, it still entered the Yangtze River waterway, and its course turned to the southeast, which happened to be against the wind.
Liu Renyuan became slightly nervous. His eyes looked at the fully bulging sails for a while, and then looked at the bow of the boat chopping the waves.
The headwind hit, and the boat's speed slowed down significantly...
Liu Renyuan snorted twice and said displeasedly: "Aren't you bragging that you can sail in the wind on the water? Mother! You know that old Heizi is lying and telling lies. He must let him roast ten or eight sheep at night..."
< br>
In his heart, there was no joy or happiness in winning the bet, only disappointment and sadness...
If there really were warships that could sail against the wind, we could completely get rid of the dependence of sea-going ships on the monsoon. Since ancient times, ships sailing on the sea have relied on monsoon winds to achieve their purpose of voyage.
In ancient times when there was no mechanical power, sailing ships mainly relied on changes in monsoons and ocean currents, with monsoons being the decisive factor. "When ships go in November and December, they get north wind; when they go in May and June, they get south wind." Whether they are going to Nanyang or sailing from the south of the Yangtze River to Goguryeo and Japan, they must rely on the monsoon to provide power. If you miss the wind season, you will have to wait another year...
But if there are sea ships that can sail against the wind, they can go north and south all year round. For merchant ships, they can go back and forth between Goguryeo and Japan several times a year. The profits brought by this are almost ten times or even An increase of dozens of times!
For naval warships, it means that they can go to sea to destroy pirates anytime and anywhere!
Liu Renyuan was extremely disappointed, tutted his tongue, and complained: "What he said seemed to be true, I almost deceived someone..."
Before he finished speaking, the ship suddenly shook!
Immediately afterwards, Liu Renyuan felt that the warship under him was running wildly like a war horse that had been severely whipped, and suddenly the speed was increased to the limit!
Liu Renyuan opened his mouth wide and stared dumbfoundedly at the warship beneath him sailing forward in a strange trajectory on the wide river, drawing a zigzag, running faster and faster, running faster and faster, like a galloping horse!
Liu Renyuan said consciously: "Mother...cough cough cough!"
But a breath of river wind was poured into his mouth, and he almost choked and lost his breath!
Su Dingfang was also dumbfounded. He could really sail against the wind...
Liu Rengui looked excited, but Pei Xingjian had already shouted to Xi Junmai: "Go into the wind! Go into the wind! You can indeed sail into the wind! Hahaha, the chief manager is a genius, he can really sail into the wind!"
Su Dingfang punched the fence hard and let out a long breath. The river wind blew in his face, his face was refreshed, his clothes were fierce, and his spirit was high!
With such a sharp weapon, why worry about not being able to navigate the seven seas?
Liu Renyuan had already dived into the cabin under the observation deck, grabbed Liang Renfang who was talking to Fang Jun, and shouted excitedly like a child: "You can really sail against the wind! Hahaha! I didn't say anything, a certain thoroughness I’m convinced, I’ll cook the whole lamb myself tonight, I’m willing to admit defeat, haha!”
In fact, strictly speaking, this is not sailing into the wind in the true sense.
According to the principle of aerodynamics, as the fluid speed increases, the pressure will decrease. To get around the outward-curving surface of the sail, the air must speed up, so the pressure decreases, creating a suction force that pulls the sail to one side. The suction force caused by the reduced pressure on the leeward side of the sail is quite large, and can be twice as strong as the force pushing the sail on the windward side.
The suction and thrust generated by the wind on both sides of the sail make the ship move sideways; but there is a device on the bottom of the ship to prevent the ship from moving sideways. Therefore, the wind force is decomposed into two components, one component pushes the sailboat forward, and the other The component force causes the ship to tilt to the leeward side, but such force obviously will not cause the huge hull to capsize...
To be precise, it should be sailing with cross wind.
But this is not a problem at all!
As long as the speed can be maintained or even slightly accelerated when facing the wind, it doesn't matter whether it is facing the wind or against the wind?
Liang Renfang smiled and said: "Liu Lieutenant, please don't let me down. Whether it is the structure of this ship or the design of the triangular sails, they are all made by the chief steward. If you want to roast a whole lamb, you should offer it to me." Give it to the chief manager!”
Liu Renyuan laughed and said: "No problem! Tonight, I will go out of my way to be a cook, so that everyone can enjoy the taste of roasted sheep! Chief Manager, you are really amazing! The speed of this ship is simply too fast. Previously, Mr. Liang said that a round trip from Laizhou to Liaodong only took seven or eight hours. I thought he was bragging, but now it seems that it is true. It really makes me gain experience!”
Fang Jun smiled and said: "Are you excited? This kind of ship is indeed very fast, but I value its flexibility and maneuverability more. It is very suitable for a warship. If we look at speed alone, there are others faster than it! ”
There will be another chapter later.
(End of chapter)