On a high platform at the mouth of the harbor, a group of people stood here, and then looked at the prince and the others.

saw the prince explain to Song Yingxing, and Song Yingxing sent a signal not far away. Then the familiar sound of a steam engine was heard, and black smoke was coming out of a nearby ship's shed.

Everyone looked over there with a little curiosity, imagining what a steamship would look like.

That's right, when they came over, they already knew that they were coming to see the steamship, but specifically, because they weren't in charge of these, no one except Emperor Chongzhen knew about it.

After a while, I saw the steamship emerge from the shed, reflecting the luster of metal in the sunlight.

"Hey, no, is this a ship made of iron?" When Cao Huachun, the eunuch of the master of ceremonies, saw it, he immediately cried out in surprise.

It stands to reason that with his experience, his position and his city government, it is absolutely impossible to make such a fuss!

However, who made this ship a good thing under the guidance of the emperor himself and the prince in charge!

"yes, it looks like it's really a ship made of iron!"

Cao Huachun's Bingbi eunuchs are all waiting for people to come out, how could they not know Cao Huachun's true meaning, and they also echoed and amazed. Only Lan Tianbao and Chen Baoting, the two youngest eunuchs with a pen, showed an expression of "I guessed it a long time ago" and smiled silently.

On the civil official's side, Xue Guoguan and others watched Cao Huachun and other eunuchs perform there, but after all, they were a little thin-skinned, and they didn't dare to use the way to show their ignorance to pat the emperor's ass and please the prince.

This may be the reason why they come from different backgrounds!

Finally, the whole ship was exposed, driving on the river surface of Tongzhou Bay. The most important feature is that there is a large chimney on the ship, which is full of smoke, but there is no mast and no paddle wheel. Wood can still be seen on the inside of the ship, but on the outside, it is indeed made of iron.

At this moment, even Xue Guoguan said in surprise: "What's going on, there are no sails, no paddle wheels, how did this ship move?" ”

"yes, I didn't see the paddle either, what's going on?"

"Are the wheels of this ship below the water's surface? Doesn't that mean it's easy to run into other boats or reefs under the water? ”

“……”

Watching the steamship moving back and forth on the water is a bit contrary to the perception of people of this era, and many people are surprised. Although there is still the meaning of patting the emperor's sycophants and pleasing the prince, it really surprised them after all.

The crown prince Zhu Cihong was twenty-one years old at this time, he had not experienced wind and rain, he belonged to the flowers in the greenhouse, and he still belonged to the age of liking to listen to praise. Hearing that these ministers who were rich and wealthy were so surprised, he was also very proud in his heart.

Looking at Emperor Chongzhen, seeing him smiling and nodding, he coughed, attracting the attention of the ministers, and then explained: "The drive of this ship is not a wheel, nor a wooden oar, but a propeller, which was instructed by my father. ”

Xue Guoguan and the others didn't need to think about it to know that the strange things, or the fresh and useful things they saw for the first time, were definitely from the emperor's incredible brain. But when they heard it at this time, they pretended not to know, and expressed their surprise in front of the emperor one by one, admiring the benefits of the propeller that they didn't know.

Zhu Cihong didn't dare to interrupt this praise. After waiting for a while, when the surprise of these ministers finally calmed down, he continued: "According to my father's instructions, this propeller has been tested at least fifteen times in total, so that the shipyard is familiar with the performance and advantages of this propeller, and some difficulties of the propeller have been improved. For example......

At this point, he pointed to the steamship that continued its demonstration voyage on the surface of the water and said: "The vibration of this propeller on a wooden boat will have a very big impact on the hull. In addition, propeller shaft bearing wear, propeller shaft sealing, thrust bearing, etc. are a lot of problems, and it took a lot of effort to solve or slow down. For example......

After breathing a sigh of relief, he continued: "...... In fact, not all of this ship is made of iron, so the wooden boat is wrapped with iron sheets, one is to reduce the damage to the wooden boat caused by the propeller, and the other is to increase the protection of the hull......"

Hearing this, these eunuchs and civil officials finally understood that this ship was a ship covered with iron sheets, so it was okay, but it would be strange if it was really a ship made of iron.

They were thinking of this, but they heard Zhu Cihong say there: "...... Of course, all ships made of iron are already being tested and making progress. It is estimated that there may be an experimental ship coming out around the next year. ”

"His Royal Highness the Prince, the slave maid has a problem, I can't figure it out!" Hearing this, Fang Zhenghua suddenly asked.

When Zhu Cihong heard this, he seemed to enjoy answering people's questions, and when he saw that Emperor Chongzhen had no opinion, he nodded and said, "You say!" ”

Cao Huachun looked at Fang Zhenghua with a smile, but he secretly cursed in his heart, if you stay by the emperor's side every day, it's strange that you have so many doubts!

At this time, Fang Zhenghua said seriously: "It is a well-known situation that wood floats in water. In the same way, it is also common knowledge that heavy objects such as stones and iron sink when they fall into the water. This iron-clad ship on the water, the slave and maid can also understand. But if all the ships were made of iron, would they float on the water? ”

Emperor Chongzhen watched from the sidelines, and he didn't expose the goods. Just looking at this product, it looks like I'm a eunuch, and I don't understand how normal it is.

Zhu Cihong didn't notice this, and replied with great interest: "You usually have to read more books." In fact, in the fifth lecture of the third book of physics written by my father, the real reason why objects can float on the surface of the water is ......"

Then, he gave the founder science popularization in a barabala.

Among the civil officials, in fact, many people have read the works of Emperor Chongzhen. Although some of them couldn't understand it, it didn't prevent them from going to see it all, so as not to be asked by the emperor and couldn't answer.

Therefore, when the prince mentioned this, they also remembered it. But when they think about it, they didn't study deeply, so in the end, they were still surprised.

“…… According to the buoyancy formula given by our father, we have verified the weight of the iron ship and the buoyancy of the shape on the water, so the next step will be to start building a real ironclad battleship based on the results of the calculations. Zhu Cihong introduced this with a fluttering eyebrow, still not forgetting the existence of Emperor Chongzhen, and finally said, "Of course, all this must continue under the guidance of my father, so as to avoid many detours." ”

"Your Majesty Shengming!" Hearing this, there were no exceptions, whether it was a eunuch or a civil official, they all complimented sincerely.

At this time, the steamship on the surface also completed a circle of navigation according to the predetermined plan and began to return to the shed.

Seeing this, Emperor Chongzhen smiled and said: "This kind of propeller ship, in fact, does not have a high utilization of the power conversion of the steam engine, and it can be said that it is not as good as the paddle wheel. In other words, the speed of the ship is a bit different. Therefore, in the future, it is better to use more steamships in inland rivers. This kind of propeller steamship will be used at sea, and its resistance to wind and waves will be stronger than that of steamships. ”

Next, the war of the Ming Dynasty's foreign expansion is to fight across the ocean. The improvement of the warship has also reached an urgent time. Steam battleships with propellers can also have sails at the beginning, and when the wind is downwind, use the sails to blow the wind as the battleship power. There is no wind, or when there is a headwind, it will be replaced by steam power, not seeking to be ahead of this era for many generations, only need to be ahead of one level, and it will have a very important role in improving the strength of the Ming Navy.

Today, Emperor Chongzhen brought over the celebrant and the six cabinets, and no one from the navy has come yet. If Zheng Zhilong and the others were here, they would definitely be able to see how powerful the propeller warship would be.

The Naval Armament Academy in Jingshi has almost been prepared, and it is certain that Emperor Chongzhen himself will be sacrificial wine. As for the deputy, he is ready to transfer Zheng Zhilong back to serve as the deputy. The other instructors are from experienced admirals in the Navy.

In a few years, Da Ming is fully capable of starting a violent army, and now, they are all preparing for that time.

After that Anders came over, with the guidance of Portugal, Colombo was no problem as a base for the Ming Dynasty, and his goal was to occupy the Arabian Peninsula. On the American side, there is no hurry, you can send a fleet over first, and then attack the entire American continent after gaining a firm foothold in North America.

When Emperor Chongzhen was thinking about this, the steamship had already docked and turned off. So, he smiled slightly, and took his officials aboard the ship and began to visit.

The most important purpose is to open the eyes of these most important helpers, so that they will not make any mistakes when they usually do things. And Emperor Chongzhen himself also inspected the steamship and inspected some key parts, asked some questions, and even put forward some suggestions for improvement.

Subsequently, Emperor Chongzhen took them to inspect several other docks, including the research work of ironclad warships, and also gave some instructions. To put forward the current points, it is not to do too much, and the gun position is not too much, but to make the battleship first, and then you can improve it on the basis of what you have made.

It was not until the evening that Emperor Chongzhen returned to Beijing with the eunuchs and civil officials.

Sitting on the train, enjoying the sunset, a group of eunuchs and civil officials were whispering, talking about today's feelings, or exchanging the affairs of the yamen.

Emperor Chongzhen looked at the Jingshi who was getting closer and closer, and was about to be shrouded in darkness, and suddenly, he opened his mouth and said with a smile to his courtiers: "Ladies and gentlemen, in two days, I will open your eyes again!" ”

An eye-opener? Is that something new? The courtiers couldn't help but be very curious.

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