Chapter 466 Warships and Strategy
Although Luo Shengdong had a successful career as a private salt dealer and had long since left the profession, he was a soldier after all and still had a great interest in weapons and equipment. Being so sternly rejected by the military, Luo Shengdong felt a little disappointed. After all, when the "Exploration-class" and "Explorer-class" warships were built, he was given special privileges to enter the dock to visit. At that time, people from the military and shipyards even asked him for advice on some detailed issues. It can be said that he, Luo Shengdong, also played a role in the smooth launch of the "Exploration-class" and "Expedition-class" warships. . But it was obvious that the Haihan people had no intention of letting him participate in the construction of new ships, and even all technical details were kept secret from him. This gap in treatment made Luo Shengdong very unhappy.
"What's so great, isn't it just a big ship!" Seeing that there was no one around, Luo Shengdong spat fiercely in the direction of the dock, and then left angrily.
But what Luo Shengdong didn't know was that there were some great new improvements on this ship. In addition to the larger hull and more gun positions arranged on the ship, the most important change is that this model of new ship will no longer rely solely on wind power as the driving force for sea navigation, but will begin to use more advanced propulsion system.
The Ministry of Industry has built multiple batches of steam engines of different models in the past two years. Although the operation of early models was not stable, with the increase in manufacturing experience, the trouble-free operation time has become longer and longer. Can meet the requirements of the military. The Military Commission has long had plans to build steam warships, but the tonnage of the two previously built warships was relatively small. If steam engines were to be put on board, some of the gun emplacements on the ship would have to be sacrificed to free up tonnage. The power system and coal combustion must increase the speed but must face the situation of reduced firepower. After repeated deliberation, the military gave up this plan and decided to install the steam-powered propulsion system in the next generation of main battles with larger tonnage and stronger loading capacity. on board. After more than two years of actual operation, the shipyard's personnel, technology and space are no longer problems. We are just waiting for the steam engines from the Ministry of Industry to be in place.
On October 17, a large flatbed truck pulled by twelve oxen appeared outside the Victory Port Shipyard. There are numerous wheels installed under the body of this flatbed truck, but the goods loaded on the truck are tightly covered by black tarpaulin. Six drivers worked together to ensure that the vehicle's speed and direction were always stable. Some people carried sand and soil in front and quickly filled in any uneven spots on the road to prevent the vehicle from bumping. There is also a full platoon of armed militiamen on the periphery to protect the vehicle from irrelevant personnel.
"Slow down when turning! Pay attention to safety!" Bai Kesi held a tin horn in his hand and shouted loudly to the drivers responsible for operating the bullock cart. This thing on the car is a treasure that took the Ministry of Industry three months to build, and there is nothing careless about it. In order to transport it to the Shengli Port Shipyard intact, we did not even consider the train with greater vibration. Instead, we specially asked the woodworking shop to build a large flatbed truck, and it took two days to transport it from Tiandu's factory. To Port Victory.
The manufacturing process of this marine steam engine basically focused on the strongest technical force of the Ministry of Industry. Bai Kesi, Roger, and Shi Diwen served as the backbone and spent a lot of effort to complete the design and construction of the steam power system. If marine steam engines can prove the reliability of their performance in the coming years, Haihan's maritime strength will usher in a wave of explosive growth in the next few years.
Of course, the cost of using a steam warship is much higher than that of the original sail warship. Apart from this carefully built steam engine, the coal and fresh water consumed in daily use is a troublesome thing. The shipyard specially designed a supply ship for this purpose. Its appearance is consistent with that of the "Exploration-class" warship. The second deck and gun emplacements on the ship are canceled and replaced with sealed water tanks and cargo holds. When it goes to sea, it follows the steam warship. maintain its endurance at sea.
According to the design of the Military Commission, the main warship of the militia navy in the future will be this kind of steam warship that uses both wind and steam power, and it will be assisted by the "exploration-class" warship. As for the smallest tonnage of the "exploration-class" Warships will gradually withdraw from the combat ranks and will only be used as supply ships in the fleet and training ships at naval bases.
The impact of the emergence of large combat ships is not only in the industrial and military fields. Even the Annan Port and Hong Kong Island Port, which are still in the planning stage, must be designed and built according to standards that can accommodate large ships. .
The sailors and crew members responsible for operating the ship have now entered the selection stage. Compared with the previous selection of crew members, this selection takes a lot more consideration on political attitudes and background. Of course, this is mainly due to the need for security and confidentiality. All crew members must be selected from active service in the Navy, and those with previous meritorious service and awards will be given priority. In addition, Navy Commander-in-Chief Wang Tom has reserved the captain position of this ship in advance. In his words, this ship is the first real warship built after time travel.
While the navy was quietly expanding its strength, the army was not idle either. Some time has passed since the Executive Committee passed the "Army Expansion Plan" proposed by the military. The newly recruited 1,200 young men are receiving recruit training at the military base on the east coast of Victory Port. After the training of these new recruits, the Military Commission will adjust the original militia organization, establish a regiment-level headquarters, and increase the establishment of the third battalion directly under the base camp. From now on, the name of the Haihan Militia Group will finally be worthy of its name. .
On October 20, in a mountain col north of Fort Victory.
Tao Donglai and Yan Chujie came here together after receiving the notice from Hao Wanqing. This is not their first time visiting the Security Department, but they have never taken the initiative to visit - perhaps because of the department's functions, this place always gives people an eerie feeling.
Hao Wanqing, who works here every day, does not seem to have such a view. He invited the two of them to sit down in the office, then asked his subordinates to bring hot tea, and finally handed a document to the coffee table in front of them: "Our people have never been here. Batavia sent back the first report, which is the edited content. "
It has been several months since the Ministry of Security sent an advance team to Batavia, and the maritime merchant Zhan Gui, who cooperated with the Ministry of Security during this period, has already returned. But Zhan Gui is not a professional spy, and the information he can provide is very limited, especially there is not much valuable military information. Therefore, the Ministry of Security can only wait patiently for the personnel who accompanied Zhangui to Batavia this time to send back intelligence after they have taken root in the local area.
Although this process took a long time, there is no doubt that people from the Ministry of Security have successfully settled in the area in the name of opening a business store, and in accordance with the deployment of the Ministry of Security, began to collect information from the local executive committee and the military. All kinds of information required. "Judging from the information we have learned now, the Dutch have noticed our existence. There are also many industrial products and agricultural products produced in Sanya for sale in the local market in Batavia, most of which are from Daming Shipping." Hao Wanqing took advantage of the two people to watch the report and explained the situation to them: "But it seems that they have no plans to contact us directly yet."
"It's not surprising to know that we exist. The Dutch have established a stronghold on the island of Taiwan. The key area of trade with Ming Dynasty is in Fujian. Xu Xinsu's main customers are also Dutch. It makes sense that they can buy our products from Fujian. "Tao Donglai expressed his opinion on the situation introduced by Hao Wanqing.
"It would be better not to have contact. Sooner or later we will have to fight with the Dutch. It is better to wait until we are convinced before talking." Yan Chujie's tone was very unkind.
For Haihan, among the several major Western countries that have entered the Far East and established strongholds in the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal, the Portuguese have already reached a trading partner relationship with Haihan and are now riding the 30-year journey of Europe. With the opportunity of war, they used arms to make a fortune. Spain's stronghold is far away in Manila, separated from Sanya by the entire South China Sea, and has no substantial influence. The people who have the greatest conflict of interest with Haihan and are most likely to have large-scale armed conflicts are the Dutch.
The foundation of Haihan's founding is the control of the sea, and controlling the main choke channel from the Indian Ocean into the South China Sea has long been in the plan of the Executive Committee. At present, the Manchuria region is still under the control of the Portuguese, and the relationship between the two parties is quite harmonious, and it is unlikely to break up if there are no major changes. Another important chokepoint, the Sunda Strait, is located right next to Batavia. This is a good place for the Executive Committee to seize it quickly.
In addition, the Dutch established a stronghold on Taiwan Island, and relied on Taiwan Island to control the Taiwan Strait waterway, and then control the trade between Ming Dynasty, Ryukyu, and Japan. This will definitely extend its tentacles to the north in the future. It is simply a big stumbling block on the way forward. Even leaving aside trade with Japan, Haihan will land and establish strongholds in the coastal areas of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, North China, and even Northeast China in the future. He will never allow other forces to threaten our long maritime supply lines. When Haihan's sphere of influence expands to the Taiwan Strait, there will inevitably be a battle with the Dutch to determine maritime supremacy in the Far East.
Of course, by that time, the Haihan Militia may not only have to deal with the Dutch family, but also the "Eighteen Zhi" pirate gang, a maritime armed force that cannot be ignored. The military is so anxious to build large steam-powered warships because it wants to prepare early for the war that will inevitably break out in the future. According to Wang Tom's estimation, if we can have about ten steam warships at the beginning of the war, plus five to six times the number of "exploration-class" warships, then it should be easy to kill these two powerful enemies entrenched in the Taiwan Strait. I have a greater degree of confidence.
However, Wang Tom's plan did not get much support from the Executive Committee. The reason is very simple. To build such a large fleet, both the cost of shipbuilding and the daily maintenance consumption will be a terrifying astronomical figure. Based on the current military budget level of the Haihan Militia, even if the navy transfers all the army's budget, it will still be impossible to realize Wang Tom's almost crazy idea of forming an army in a short period of time.
Naturally, Wang Tom would not give up. Privately, he was constantly lobbying all parties, especially the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Shipping, which were not so firm in their stance and had common interests with the military. These departments all have voting rights in the executive committee. As long as they vote in favor, plus the votes of the military itself and Tao Donglai, the bill can basically be passed. Wang Tom was very confident in this, because in the several large-scale military operations against Annan, these departments all occupied the main battle side in the end, and later they did share part of the benefits brought by the war. I have truly tasted the sweetness.
The biggest problem at present is not the stance of these departments, but the channel through which this astronomical military budget can be resolved. Although Yan Chujie spoke very forcefully, it is still unknown whether he will be able to bring out a powerful fleet to confront his opponent head-on.
"Judging from the situation in the report, the Dutch are very careful in their management of Batavia! They need forts and forts, warships and warships, and there are troops stationed there. It is a standard colonial stronghold!" After reading the report, Tao Donglai sighed: "The number of warships exceeds twenty. No wonder they dare to intercept the Spanish in the South China Sea."
The interception Tao Donglai refers to refers to the Dutch intercepting merchant ships bound for Manila on the southeast coast. In this way, they cut off the trade channels between Spain and the Ming Dynasty. Although the Spaniards have responded to this, it is obvious that the Dutch have no intention of stopping such hostilities. This is of course because they have a strong maritime armed force in the Far East to back them up, and they can attack Spain as far away as Manila. People don't have much fear.
"Because our people have just been stationed locally, the military intelligence they can obtain is also very limited. It is estimated that some specific information will take time to be collected slowly." Hao Wanqing also knew that there was not much information in the report, so he took the initiative to make explained.
"There's no need to worry about this. In intelligence work, we still need to strive to be safe and secure." Tao Donglai waved his hand and said it was okay: "How many manpower has the Ministry of Security deployed locally?"
Hao Wanqing responded: "A total of seven people were sent there, four of them went to open a business store locally in the name of Zhan Gui's subordinates, and the other three were secret agents who followed other maritime merchants without Zhan Gui's knowledge. "
(End of chapter)