(0691) At the same time, Xu Xingxia decided to set up two warship technology divisions under the Navy Command, which were specifically responsible for solving various problems of warships. [No pop-up novel network] at the same time, all warships are improved in an all-round way. Xu Xingxia rewarded them heavily. As long as their suggestions for improvement are indeed effective and feasible, they will be rewarded handsomely. On the contrary, if there are no research results for a long time, then you can only drink the northwest wind.

The person in charge of the Technical Department of the First Battleship is called Zhao Baolai. He turned out to be the shipyard manager of the Fujian Navy Division, and he was quite familiar with the various warships of the Daming Navy Division. At the same time, he also knew some information about the warships of the Western powers. The head of the technical department of the second battleship was a Portuguese named Figo Cannes. He has been in China for more than ten years to pan for gold, and has been engaged in the design and manufacture of warships, and has a lot of experience.

In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, many Westerners came to China to pan for gold. Since Marco Polo's travelogues circulated in Europe, the Western powers have been very curious about what this eastern country is like. They have always wanted to set foot on this magical land and see it. As the forerunners of the Age of Discovery, the Portuguese were the first to arrive in China. The first Westerners the Chinese encountered were the Portuguese.

In the context of the struggle for hegemony among the Western powers, the Portuguese appeared to be somewhat different. They controlled a small number of colonies, and their military power was not strong enough to confront the British, Dutch, and Spaniards. However, they are very fond of teaching firearms technology everywhere. In fact, as long as it can make money, whether it is the Portuguese own technology or someone else's technology, the Portuguese dare to sell it. Say, British artillery.

Whether it is China, or the capital, or North Korea, or the South Seas, there are a large number of Portuguese technicians. Whether or not they really know firearms technology, they are not humble enough to call themselves technicians. They have brought a lot of advanced weapons and technology to the eastern countries, and they have also brought great impact to the military thinking of the eastern countries. A considerable part of the artillery of the Ming Dynasty army was sold by the Portuguese. And his musket was also sold by the Portuguese.

Why did Xu Xingxia set up two technical divisions? Nature is for the sake of competition with each other. People in this era generally lack a sense of competition, and there is always a kind of thinking that they can get by and do not want to forge ahead. Guided by this kind of thinking, it is basically impossible to achieve outstanding results. The navy is a branch of the armed forces that is advancing rapidly in technology and changing with each passing day. Without strong scientific and technological support, it is simply impossible to build.

But if someone is snatching a job from them, it's different. As long as it involves a job, no one can take it lightly. This is especially true for Chinese people. Xu Xingxia took advantage of this characteristic of the Chinese people. He wants to make a fierce competition between the two warship technical divisions in order to solve the technical difficulties of the warship as soon as possible.

"Chief, we have a kind of warship in Portugal that is perfect for you. You see, it's this kind of battleship......" Figo Cannes saw Xu Xingxia and immediately enthusiastically recommended his country's battleship. In fact, it is difficult to say whether such a battleship is Portuguese or not. Everyone knows that the Portuguese don't have much dry goods, and they don't have any warships themselves. But there's a lot they can get.

The battleship recommended by Figo Cannes to Xu Xingxia had a displacement of about 600 tons and a total of more than 30 guns. Judging by the drawings, this is indeed a very professional battleship. Its internal structure, as well as the arrangement of its guns, were not much different from those of mainstream battleships. It's not very expensive either. Zhao Baolai made a preliminary estimate that the cost of each ship was about 6,000 taels of silver.

But its displacement is by no means comparable to that of a battleship. It's just that the Portuguese think that all Chinese are idiots, so they will talk about it. Of course, Xu Xingxia didn't need to break the other party. He estimated that such a battleship drawing, even the Portuguese, would not dare to bid too high. What price can the battleship blueprints of the rotten street sell for?

Sure enough, the price offered by Figo Cannes was 30,000 taels of silver. This in itself is an outdated battleship blueprint, and it is true that it will not sell for a decent price. Besides, on Xu Xingxia's land, he didn't dare to fool too much. Xu Xingxia is a person with a very mysterious background and great ability, if he gets angry, he will lose his job. He still wants to stay in China. It's much easier to make money here than at home.

"Alright! 30,000 is 30,000! Xu Xingxia didn't say much.

This kind of tonnage warship is indeed more suitable for the needs of the current white-coated navy. Because the first enemy of the White Army Navy was his own warship. He said that his warship did not have much combat effectiveness, and this tonnage of warships was enough to deal with. The most optimistic estimate is that as long as there are 100 such warships in the White Coats Navy, they will basically be able to cut off the connection between the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese Peninsula, and all the Japanese who have landed on the Korean Peninsula will die.

"This kind of battleship is called the Seawolf class!" Xu Xingxia said casually.

The biggest feature of the Seawolf-class battleship is that it is flexible and fast. At the same time, it is also quite sturdy. Small size, compact structure, naturally strong. When the body is strong, the ability to resist blows is strong. In addition, each Seawolf-class battleship only needs a hundred people to work, which is relatively effective in terms of saving manpower. Of course, all Xu Xingxia needs is the hull. The guns originally equipped with the Seawolf-class battleship were not needed by Xu Xingxia.

According to Xu Xingxia's plan, the Seawolf-class battleships must be equipped with the latest artillery. According to his request, the artillery foundry in Ningxia Town, Leifu Fort, is working overtime to study a naval gun with a caliber of 60 mm. This naval gun was completely different from other naval guns in the world at that time. It used flowering shells, the precursors of modern artillery shells. As long as this kind of naval artillery and shells are successfully studied, it will greatly improve the combat effectiveness of the white-coated navy.

At that time, naval artillery warfare was generally used with solid bullets or grape shells. The power of these two shells is actually very limited. Under normal circumstances, sinking an enemy ship requires a lot of solid and grapeshot bullets. As a matter of fact, some large warships, especially those with a displacement of more than 1,000 tons, will not sink even after receiving hundreds, even thousands, or thousands of rounds of solid and grapeshot shells.

It is precisely because of the ineffectiveness of the naval guns that the broadside battles and gang-jumping operations have never been withdrawn from the battlefield of naval warfare. Even if Nelson was so strong that he needed to capture an enemy ship, he would have to engage in bloody and brutal broadside battles. And he himself, in the battle of the broadside, was hit by the enemy's musket, and died of his wounds.

However, flowering bombs are quite different. A more accurate name for a flowering bomb would be a blasting bomb. With the white explosives, the white-clothed army can use blasting shells to directly inflict damage on a wide range of enemies. Wooden battleships are very vulnerable in the face of blasting shells. Even a large battleship with a displacement of more than 1,000 tons is hit by a blasting projectile with a caliber of only 60 mm, which is estimated to be enough to choke. With just three or five shots, it was enough to blow up and sink a huge battleship. Even if it does not sink, it will definitely lose its combat effectiveness.

In the case of a 60-mm naval gun, the warhead can contain at least two catties of white explosives. The explosive power of white explosives is much stronger than that of black gunpowder. Two catties of white explosives are basically equivalent to twenty or thirty catties of black gunpowder. A shot has passed, exploded, and it is sure to blow up a big hole in the deck. If it explodes on the side of the side, it will also seriously damage the side side. As long as there is a follow-up attack, the damage will inevitably continue to deepen.

If it weren't for the recoil problem, Xu Xingxia would have been ready to use a 120-mm naval gun. It's a pity that the Seawolf-class battleships can only withstand the recoil of naval guns with a caliber of 60 mm. Moreover, the number of naval guns cannot exceed eight. If the caliber of the ship's guns is too large and the number is too large, it will inevitably cause damage to the battleship due to recoil problems. In other words, there were only four guns on each side. However, in Xu Xingxia's opinion, this is enough.

In the naval battles of that time, why did you fire a salvo? The fundamental reason is that the hit rate is too low, and the damage effect of the shells is too poor. It is necessary to drop as many shells as possible on the enemy's battleships in the shortest possible time in order to have any hope of victory. At that time, the primary goal of naval warfare was not to sink the enemy's warships, but to render the enemy's warships incapacitated.

And the blasting shell is completely different. Explosive shells only need to hit one to deal serious damage to enemy ships without consuming too many resources. Even if you hit me with dozens or even hundreds of solid or grape bullets, you will not be able to inflict fatal damage on me. But if I get lucky enough to hit you, you're done.

Of course, from the point of view of the hit rate, the more new naval guns, the better. If the number of naval guns is large enough, maybe the first salvo will pass, and a considerable part of the enemy's battleships will be eliminated. The first voice is taken, and the next battle is without suspense.

It's a pity that, affected by the recoil, the dream of installing dozens of new naval guns on the same battleship is just out of the question. Even a battleship with a displacement of two thousand tons could not install more than thirty new naval guns. Even twenty new naval guns, if fired in a salvo, would cause serious damage to the battleship.

Fortunately, in terms of firing rate, the new naval gun can completely throw off other naval guns a few streets. The shells and propellants of the new naval guns are one, and the bullets of the Han-style rifles are the same. Breech guns again. The speed of reloading, naturally, will be greatly accelerated. In general, under normal conditions, firing three shells per minute, there should be no problems. A well-trained gunner, who can fully compensate for the number with speed.

"Let's build the first batch of fifty!" Xu Xingxia said decisively.

According to Zhao Baolai's estimates, if only the hull is built, the Seawolf-class battleship will only take about five months. Together with the time for the installation of artillery, it should be about half a year. Now, the shipyard in Dengzhou, with a total of five docks, can start construction of five Seawolf-class warships at the same time. In addition, there are more docks in the process of expansion.

Eventually, the number of docks at the Dengzhou shipyard will reach a staggering thirty, and the construction of thirty large warships can begin at the same time. According to the plan, it will take about two years for all 50 Seawolf-class warships to be completed and launched. In addition to the necessary familiarization, training, and drills of the navy, it will take about two and a half years to fully form combat effectiveness.

Of course, the first batch of five Seawolf-class warships launched can also form combat effectiveness in a short period of time. Putting the built warship in the harbor is not Xu Xingxia's style. Even if there is only one warship, it has to go out and wander. And even more so five ships? The five Seawolf-class battleships, after being equipped with new naval guns, should be more powerful in combat power than twenty other warships of the same class. Before the Dutch completely crossed the island of Taiwan, in the waters of the Yellow Sea, the white-clothed army and navy should still have no opponents for the time being.

…… Suddenly, Zhang Tianhao hurried over and whispered to Xu Xingxia: "My lord, the envoy of the Koreans has come ashore in Dengzhou. He heard that you were in Weihaiwei, and he wanted to come directly to Weihaiwei to meet you. I replied that he was waiting in Dengzhou for the time being. ”

Xu Xingxia said with some surprise: "The North Koreans are coming quickly!" It seems that they are also quite well-informed, and they immediately sensed that they were going to be unfavorable to them again. Well, let them wait in Dengzhou first, we are not in a hurry. ”

North Koreans can't help but be unhappy. They were already scared by themselves. With their national strength, they simply cannot fight against this alone. Knowing that there were signs of regrouping of the army, the first reaction of the Joseon king Li Hui was to ask the Ming Dynasty for help. However, he soon discovered that the Ming Dynasty could not help him at all. The only one who could help him was the white-clothed army led by Xu Xingxia. There was no way, so he had to send someone to test Xu Xingxia's tone first.

Xu Xingxia smiled and said casually: "Ask them to send some beauties over!" ”

In fact, he deliberately made an excuse to perfunctory the North Koreans. Didn't you want to test our mouth? That's my reply. If you can accept it, accept it, and if you can't accept it, get out. The incumbent king of Joseon, Li Hui, has always had a bad relationship with the Ming Dynasty, and he violated the will of the Ming Dynasty in many things. Xu Xingxia just wanted to disgust him. Regardless of the relationship between the White Army and the Ming Dynasty, it must be the same externally.

In Xu Xingxia's opinion, Li Hui is definitely unwilling to hand over the domestic beauties, what a shameful thing. Since he refused to agree, the white-clothed army could stand by and watch. Let the Japanese invaders land on the Korean Peninsula and fight slowly with the Koreans, and the white-clothed army will sit on the side and watch the tiger fight. When Li Hui can't hold on, his posture will definitely be lowered.

Zhang Tianhao agreed. After a while, he came back and said to Xu Xingxia urgently: "My lord, the latest information, Nurhachi is marching towards Guangning City!" ”

Xu Xingxia Huoran stood up and said in a deep voice: "Liu Chuang! Let's go! Go to Quang Ninh City! ”

(To be continued)