diymy Chapter 78 Undermining the Dengzhou Navy
Chapter 78 Undermining the Dengzhou Navy
Chapter 79 Undermining the Dengzhou Navy
Chapter 078 Chen Ying wasn't bragging. The plate armor he developed had already been tested in the capital. With its five-millimeter-thick high-carbon steel, it could indeed withstand direct fire from matchlock muskets at a distance of more than three meters. Even the Spanish heavy matchlock musket couldn't penetrate the plate armor plates, leaving only a concave bullet mark.
However, while this plate armor wouldn't be able to penetrate lead bullets fired from granulated gunpowder, Chen Ying's Shahe Gunpowder Bureau produced granulated black powder. Under the same formula, because powdered black powder burns in a progressive manner, it cannot fully utilize the energy of the gunpowder, whether used as propellant in fire control systems or as propellant in artillery.
Theoretically, one gram of black powder can release 3,138 joules of energy in a gun barrel. However, powdered black powder can only release 1,800 to 2,000 joules, while granular black powder can reach 2,800 to 3,000 joules. The same mass of smokeless powder has an energy of about 3,500 joules, and TNT has an energy of about 4,200 joules.
Particle black powder now has slightly less energy than smokeless powder, almost twice that of powdered black powder, and a higher detonation velocity, resulting in a faster muzzle velocity for bullets.
Taking a muzzle-loading smoothbore musket as an example, the propellant charge is typically about one-third to one-half the mass of the bullet. For instance, when firing a lead bullet weighing about 28 grams, the propellant charge is about 10-15 grams.
The muzzle velocity of these lead bullets is approximately between 150 and 200 meters per second, typical of long-barreled smoothbore guns (such as the 17-
The 18th-century Brambeth rifle, when using powdered gunpowder, had a muzzle velocity in approximately this range.
Powdered gunpowder burns extremely fast and has a steep pressure curve, but the peak pressure is maintained for a short time, resulting in insufficient acceleration of the projectile in the barrel, low energy utilization, and poor initial velocity consistency.
Until the late 19th and early 20th centuries, granular black powder projectiles had speeds ranging from approximately 300 to 400 m/s.
Between meters per second. Commonly found in long-barreled rifles, such as the Kentucky Rifle and the Sharps Rifle, the combination of a tightly packed bullet and a long barrel can achieve a muzzle velocity close to 400 meters per second.
Some heavy or competition-grade charges may even exceed 400 m/s. Under the same conditions of charge mass, firearm and projectile, the muzzle velocity of granular black powder is usually about 50% higher than that of powdered black powder.
Even when facing Mao Chenglu's personal guards, Chen Ying's revolver still held a 250-point advantage.
With an initial velocity of up to 300 meters, even if a bullet cannot penetrate armor at this initial velocity, it can still severely damage the enemy due to its powerful kinetic energy.
Many people don't actually have an intuitive understanding of the power of gunpowder. To give a very simple example, one gram of granular black powder has the energy equivalent to lifting a one-kilogram weight 280 to 310 meters.
The plate armor produced by Chen Ying has no filler material, which means it cannot absorb force. Once hit by bullets fired by the granular black fire system, it will be like a hammer hitting them hard, breaking their bones and instantly rendering them unable to fight.
To date, no crossbows have been developed because he has developed granular gunpowder. In addition to bayonets, scimitars, and armor, he has fully developed firearms.
Armor can protect against slashes and stabs from knives and spears, but it cannot stop bullets. More importantly, Chen Ying is also developing hand grenades.
Particle-type black powder is nearly half as powerful as TNT, about one-third of it. He chose to use a large amount of black powder to achieve a miracle. For example, the Type 67 wooden-handled grenade contains 38 to 40 grams of TNT, while Chen Ying directly uses four ounces of particle-type black powder, which is 149.2 grams. Theoretically, the power is nearly twice that of the Type 67 wooden-handled grenade.
Yongning Shipyard is under construction day and night. Massive amounts of steel, cement, sand, and timber are being transported from Dalu Island and loaded onto the ship. Thousands of workers are working in two shifts around the clock. The bustling scene is truly inspiring.
This shipyard is to build a total of eight dry docks, each of which must be capable of producing giant ships of five to eight thousand tons. Of course, the Ming Dynasty has now lost the ability to build such warships.
According to the History of Ming, the largest treasure ship was "44.4 zhang long and 18 zhang wide." Converted to Ming dynasty construction measurements, this equates to approximately 125-151 meters in length and 50-61 meters in width. Its displacement is estimated to be between 5000 and 10000 tons, comparable to a modern light aircraft carrier.
The largest ship that the Ming Dynasty can currently build is the Fengzhou, which represents the imperial court's investiture of vassal states. The Fengzhou built by Xia Ziyang represents the most advanced shipbuilding technology in the Ming Dynasty. This type of Fengzhou is approximately 4,400 liao.
As for whether it is possible to build a giant ship of 8,000 tons in the future, Chen Ying believes it is possible. The Ming Dynasty just doesn't have the money to support these shipbuilding craftsmen, and most of the technology has been sealed away.
Chen Ying stood at a distance, watching the bustling work scene, and looked at Su Mei, saying, "Su Mei!"
"I am here!"
"Send people to poach talent from several established shipyards in Fujian, Guangzhou, Nanjing, and Tianjin!"
Chen Ying said calmly, "Those skilled veteran craftsmen can be offered wages they can't refuse. Tell them that as long as they are willing to help me build ships, I will not only give them wages but also share land with them!"
"land?"
"Yes, it's in Yongning!"
Chen Ying pointed to the wasteland not far away and said, "Craftsmen who can build ships of three thousand liang will be allocated fifty mu of land, and those who can build ships of five thousand liang will be allocated one hundred mu!"
"Yes, sir!"
Chen Ying thought for a moment and said, "If the old craftsmen are unwilling to come, their young nephews and nieces will do. They've been exposed to the craft since childhood and have learned how to build ships at a young age. It doesn't matter if these young people lack experience; they can learn!"
Many giant logs were dragged down the river, and a gantry crane with pulley system was built on the dock. The gantry crane was used to lift the timber from the sea onto the dock and pile it up like mountains in the dock's warehouse area.
The craftsmen transferred from Dalu Island are busy processing these timbers. After confirming that there are no wormholes, they are transported to the drying room to dehydrate and dry them.
This is a technical job. The timber used for shipbuilding needs to be dried for several years before it can be used. If it is too dry, it will swell and become heavy after being soaked in seawater. If it is too wet, it will dehydrate under the scorching sun at sea, which will damage the entire hull structure. Both too dry and too wet can be fatal.
Chen Yingke didn't have time to dry the wood in the shade as in the traditional way. Instead, he adopted a drying room, which was actually a room with a heated floor to create absolute dryness. He had already built this method when he was making gunpowder.
However, this method of drying wood is very technical, and only experienced craftsmen know how to keep the wood in its best condition to ensure the stability and sturdiness of the ship's structure.
Su Mei asked cautiously, "Sir, how many craftsmen do we need to recruit?"
"You can hire hundreds or thousands of people, I won't think it's too few; even tens of thousands, I won't think it's too many!"
"ah----"
Su Mei asked in surprise, "Tens of thousands of craftsmen, how many ships would that take?"
"We don't need too many, a few hundred or a thousand ships will suffice!"
Chen Ying pointed to the prepared blueprints and said, "Our warships will mainly consist of 3,000-ton destroyers, equipped with twelve 3-inch breech-loading guns on the broadsides, and eleven-cell trebuchets at the bow, with each ship carrying twenty-six guns!"
Chen Ying's claim of twenty-six naval guns is not entirely accurate; the two linked thunder cannons are actually twenty-two small cannons. He does want to gradually increase the size of the cannons, as he is currently a big guns enthusiast.
The Ming Dynasty is currently short of food, but the problem is that Annam and Luzon are not short of food at all. More importantly, the Spanish will carry out a large-scale bloody massacre of the Chinese in Luzon in the near future. At that time, the Ming Dynasty will be beset by internal and external troubles and will be powerless to intervene.
Chen Ying needed Luzon's food supplies, but even more so the Chinese people on the other side of Luzon. He desperately wanted a powerful navy.
Su Mei went to arrange for people to dig up craftsmen, while Chen Ying looked at Chen Yongren and asked, "Yongren, when will the Dengzhou navy come again?"
"Today or tomorrow!"
"Whoever comes here, let them come before me!"
Chen Ying now needs to recruit not only shipbuilding craftsmen, but also sailors. The Dengzhou Navy is his ideal target, and Chen Ying has no qualms about poaching Ming Dynasty personnel.
The Dengzhou navy is currently not receiving military pay from the imperial court and is entirely dependent on Chen Ying for sustenance. The imperial court has already forced the navy soldiers to go ashore to seize knives and kill people. Can't Chen Ying recruit them?
The next morning, Yongning Port was bustling with activity at the dock.
On the distant sea, more than twenty ships were slowly approaching the shore, the flags of the Dengzhou Navy's Left Battalion fluttering in the sea breeze. The leading ship, a 400-ton warship, was the flagship of Lieutenant General Zhang Guoxun.
"Lord Chen, this humble general was ordered to escort supplies, totaling 15,000 shi of grain, 3,800 craftsmen, and over 20,000 pieces of various tools. All have arrived; please check them, sir!"
"General Zhang, you've worked hard."
Chen Ying smiled and helped him up: "Let the subordinates handle the inventory. Come, come, I have already prepared a banquet in the city to welcome you generals!"
At this time, Yongning City was just an outline, with the city wall less than three feet high. However, it reassured the craftsmen, as the presence of the city wall meant they had the ability to protect themselves.
Yongning City adopts a layout of six vertical and four horizontal lines. The banquet was held in the newly built council hall. Although it is called a council hall, it is actually a newly completed three-story wooden building. The downstairs is a hall, and the upstairs can overlook the entire port.
Three tables were set up in the hall, with an extremely lavish spread of dishes. Since the start of trade between Shuangchengwei, Chen Ying had never lacked meat. The best mutton was used to make canned goods, and there was also a lot of wild game. This table of dishes would be enough to get him shot in later years. As for Erbao, there was plenty of white rice and several jars of liquor transported from Dalu Island.
After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, Chen Ying put down his wine glass and suddenly sighed.
Zhang Guoxun was taken aback: "Why did Lord Chen sigh?"
Chen Ying smiled wryly and said, "These days, I've been thinking about one thing. Yongning Port has been built, and the dock has been built, but we're missing one very important thing."
"What is it?"
"people."
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