novelSusiti Chapter 61 Shipyard Acquisition and Departure to the Qing Dynasty
Chapter 61 Shipyard Acquisition and Departure to the Qing Dynasty
Chapter 61 Shipyard Acquisition and Departure to the Qing Dynasty
the next day.
The people sent by Vallejo arrived on the island with trepidation.
You can't be too careful.
The gunshots from last night drifted along the Napa River and into the city.
In the dead of night, the sound echoed across the water; the dense explosions nearly jolted half the residents of Vallejo awake from their beds.
The mayor, along with several city council members, were shaken awake by their servants in the middle of the night. When they gathered at City Hall in their bathrobes, they were all dazed.
Have the British invaded? Or are the Mexicans still up to their old tricks, trying to take back California while the United States isn't looking?
Considering that the gunshots only lasted a short while, they ultimately did not choose to flee in the middle of the night, but instead sent police officers from the local police station to the island early the next morning to check the situation.
The unfortunate chosen one, after cursing all of his boss's female relatives, rowed onto the island.
As the oars sliced through the calm water and the boat approached the dock, the two policemen simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.
Navy sailors wearing dark blue short-sleeved shirts and white trousers were on duty at the pier, indicating that the island still belongs to the U.S. Navy.
After the soldiers checked the municipal documents they brought and asked them what their purpose was, the two men were brought before their commander, Colonel David Farragut.
Although they didn't see many naval soldiers along the way, they assumed they were on duty in various places and didn't think much of it.
Commander David Farragut stood in the center of the square.
His uniform was crisp and clean, the epaulets gleaming bronze in the morning light, and his expression was somewhat somber.
Dozens of corpses were neatly arranged on the ground in front of him, some covered with tarpaulins, others with their faces exposed, their complexions ashen.
The two policemen took off their hats, trying not to look at the dead bodies, and forced themselves to step forward and pay their respects.
"Colonel, we are police officers from Vallejo. The mayor sent us to inquire about what happened last night."
Farragut said slowly, "As you have seen, an unfortunate disturbance occurred last night."
"Several soldiers, due to excessive cowardice, sleepwalked at night and shot their comrades, thus triggering a mutiny in the camp."
By the time the situation was brought under control, dozens of soldiers had died. The soldier who caused the incident was also killed by others in the chaos.
The two policemen took notes quickly, their pens scratching on the paper.
They didn't dare ask for details. After all, riots were not uncommon in military camps, and if one happened to be involved, one could only accept their bad luck.
After asking the questions, the two bowed and took their leave.
After watching them leave, Farragut made a gesture, and the marines not far away came over, laughing and joking as they dragged the corpses off the ground into the distant woods.
There, a large pit, ten meters long and wide and several meters deep, has been dug.
Hundreds of bodies were dumped into the pit like garbage, and more bodies were being thrown in continuously.
Farragut didn't look back. He strode towards the shipyard under construction on the east side of the island.
It was a shipyard with a 100-meter-long dry dock, steam pumps, ship chutes, and other equipment, capable of accommodating all types of major warships from around the world at that time.
Near the dry dock is a dry-ton steam hammer with a maximum drop of three meters, responsible for forging and repairing various ship transmission shafts and rudder components.
Daqi stood at the edge of the dry dock, his hands behind his back, looking up at the steel frame roof that had not yet been sealed.
"How long will it take to complete the shipyard?" he asked without turning his head.
"If you had asked me yesterday, it would have taken about three more months," Farragut said. "Today, let's postpone it indefinitely."
Dutch paused for a moment, then immediately understood what Farragut meant.
Arthur and his men were too ruthless last night; they left no one alive on the island, inside or out. The naval barracks on this side of the island are empty, and the shipwrights on the other side have all been thrown into the large pit in the woods.
With no one to do the work, it will naturally be postponed indefinitely.
Dutch laughed: "I can't guarantee anything else, but if you need people, don't worry, I have plenty!"
As he finished speaking, 512 burly men appeared out of thin air inside the shipyard.
"If 512 people aren't enough, we'll have another 512 tomorrow!"
Dutch paused, then asked, "Now, how many more months?"
Farragut did a quick mental calculation and said, "One month is enough."
Meanwhile, in Chinatown.
Zeng Tai was in high spirits upon acquiring the Mare Island Naval Shipyard.
This is the most valuable strategic asset the United States has on the West Coast, which means that Zeng Tai can use American money to build his own ships.
"Speaking of shipbuilding, once you acquire a shipyard, can you directly bridge the 50-year technological gap and build a dreadnought?"
He was genuinely curious, and also wanted to discuss what kind of ship to build, so he simply called over all the scientists and engineers related to shipbuilding.
Soon, scientists and engineers from five fields—chemical engineering, materials science, machinery, power engineering, and military engineering—gathered in Zeng Tai's small house.
After listening to Zeng Tai's description of the Dreadnought, all the scientists and engineers present fell silent.
What does it mean to build a steel behemoth with a full load displacement of 20,000 tons, a speed of 20 knots, a length of 160 meters, and a width of 25 meters?
Is this something that current human technology can achieve?
"My lord, can you accept that this ship won't be launched for another ten or even twenty years?" a scientist among the assassins asked rhetorically.
It seems that it is indeed very difficult.
Zeng Tai blinked and changed his words: "Then the next best thing is to build a dome-armored cruiser?"
The first armored cruiser in history was built in 1881, which is 26 years ago.
The Zhiyuan, commanded by Deng Shichang, was this type of warship during the Sino-Japanese War.
After hearing Zeng Tai's definition of an armored cruiser, the scientists and engineers present breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, a project that I can achieve with a little effort has arrived.
The materials scientists asked, "If the exterior is armored, could the hull be made entirely of wood to reduce weight and increase speed?"
The military engineer did some calculations and said, "All wood is absolutely not an option. If we want to install dome armor on both sides, then the keel and ribs of the hull must also be metal, otherwise it won't be able to bear the load."
Another scientist in the materials group said, "All-steel is also an option. Our group recently bought a batch of nickel ore from Norway and is preparing to extract it to make nickel-steel alloy, which is lightweight and high-strength, perfect for use on ships."
The materials scientist frowned. "Are we out of business? A ship weighs at least a thousand tons, and that idiot Norwegian mining company only produces a few dozen tons of nickel a year. We need it for gun rifling and boiler steel plates. You think you can just pop it all into the ship's hull with a few words?"
"Use nickel-steel for critical parts, and pure steel for scraps." He wouldn't budge an inch. "Who said the whole ship has to be made of nickel-steel alloy?"
"The rolling mill is also a problem."
One of the mechanics interjected, "The armor requires steel that is over ten meters long and curved. The rolling mills currently on the market simply cannot do that. We need to develop a new, massive machine."
"Why is everyone talking about steel? What about the power system? A protected cruiser can't still be using a sail and steam engine design, can it?"
What happened to the steam engine?
His colleague immediately retorted, "The internal combustion engine and diesel engine that our lord ordered you to develop have gone through seven or eight iterations, and their thermal efficiency still can't catch up with the steam engine, plus they're a whole size bigger. Without a steam engine, what will we use to propel the ship?"
"Exactly," another person chimed in. "Our group just finished iterating on a triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine, and the measured thermal efficiency is 17%."
"Around 20%, it's only a matter of time before it reaches 20% after optimization. What's the thermal efficiency of your internal combustion engine now? Is it even 10%?"
Zeng Tai, who had been listening nearby, became interested and asked, "A triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine, what's that?"
The engineers in the power unit immediately stopped their discussion, and one of them replied, "My lord, that's a new type of steam engine that we've recently developed."
Steam exits the boiler, first rushing through the high-pressure cylinder, then through the intermediate-pressure cylinder, and finally through the low-pressure cylinder. This three-stage expansion and utilization then drives the piston movement within the steam engine. This is currently the most thermally efficient and powerful steam engine we have.
Zeng Tai asked, "Is this the same thing used on the Chengfeng and Polang ships?"
The engineer shook his head: "No, the triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine is too big; those two 400-ton merchant ships can't fit it."
"To fit it in, we would have to scale down the steam engine and recalculate the gas distribution phase, but that would take several months. Considering efficiency, we installed a regular single-expansion engine."
Zeng Tai nodded, then asked, "If it were installed on an armored cruiser, how fast could it go?"
The power engineer did some calculations and then said, "Assuming the armored cruiser weighs 5,000 tons, it would need two triple-expansion engines and eight boilers, and its speed should be around 17 to 18 knots."
Sections 17 and 18?
Zeng Tai's eyes lit up. This speed could outrun all the ships in the world!
Currently, the speed of warships from countries such as Britain, France, and the United States is generally between 9 and 11 knots. Even in a few years, it is estimated that the speed will be around 13 knots.
He suddenly remembered something else and asked, "Are the eight boilers still burning coal? Can they be switched to burning oil?"
California has oil, with deposits in places like the San Joaquin Valley and the Los Angeles Basin, but it remains largely untapped, allowing this industrial lifeblood to lie dormant beneath the earth.
If coal were replaced with refined heavy oil, the warship would not only produce far less black smoke when operating at full speed, but would also save a considerable amount of space.
The dozen or so power engineers looked at each other, and finally one of them raised a practical question.
"My lord, let's set aside the various stages from oil extraction to refining, and let's not even mention the technologies under development such as oil fractionation and fuel injection. Let's just talk about one thing."
"A ship is meant to sail long distances, and that requires refueling along the way."
"If you plan to keep this ship circling the California coast for the rest of its life, then running on gasoline is fine. But what if one day you need to sail to Hawaii, to Japan, or even to Qing Dynasty China? Where will you refuel with heavy fuel oil?"
Oh right, I forgot about that.
Zeng Tai scratched his head and stopped talking, letting them discuss it among themselves.
An hour later, their argument gradually subsided.
A feasible design solution was also presented.
Displacement of 3,000 tons, with a steel structure and wooden hull, and coal bunkers located above the sloping ramps on both sides of the deck. Equipped with four 180mm doors.
Main guns: two 100mm rapid-fire guns.
Starting from the forging of the keel, it is estimated that the launch will take one to two years, requiring several thousand people.
Zeng Tai looked at the plan and nodded.
"Then do it this way. Remember to have Farragut apply for funding from the federal government. Use as little of your own money as possible."
In the afternoon, at the shipyard on Davis Street.
The Wind Chaser and the Wave Chaser are berthed side by side, making final preparations before setting sail.
Fuel was loaded into the coal bunker, goods were stuffed in, and food and sealed fresh water were placed in the warehouse. To prevent scurvy, Hongwu and his men even brought a lot of beans to sprout.
Yung Wing stood on the dock, holding the heavy bill of lading in his hand, going through each item one by one.
Footsteps came from behind.
"Rong Hong."
He turned around and saw that it was Zeng Tai. He quickly tucked the order slip under his arm and stood up straight with his hands at his sides.
Zeng Tai walked to his side and looked at the two ships that could be cast off at any time.
"You already know Hongwu and Zhao Sanjin well, so I don't need to give you any further instructions."
He said in a calm tone, "Leave the navigation and foreign negotiations to them. You just need to focus on selling weapons and bringing back refugees."
"This trip will take at least several months, and no one can predict what will happen at sea. Take care of yourself."
Rong Hong joked, "My lord, what if I bring back too many refugees on this trip, and the ships can't hold them all?"
"Can't fit it all?"
Zeng Tai raised an eyebrow: "Then let Hongwu and the others go and rob a few more of those foreign ships!"
He paused, then added, "Once you reach the territory of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, remember to observe more and speak less. Also, don't flaunt your goods; find someone who knows their value."
Rong Hong was taken aback: "I thought all we had to do was show off the weapons when we got to Tianjing."
Zeng Tai shook his head and said, "The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom bestowed titles upon one or two hundred kings. But those who had actually seen foreigners, understood Western affairs, and knew how to open their eyes to the world could be counted on one hand."
"So, before you go to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, you need to find someone."
"Hong Rengan".
Rong Hong repeated the name, feeling a sense of unfamiliarity: "My lord, who is this person?"
"He is a cousin of Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King. He missed the Jintian Uprising and fled to Hong Kong. He stayed in Hong Kong for six or seven years. He can speak English and has read many books by foreigners. The two of you should have a lot in common."
"As long as you offer to take him to Tianjing to see Hong Xiuquan, these weapons will naturally be easy to sell."
Zeng Tai recalled that Hong Rengan should still be in Hong Kong at this time. Last year, he wanted to travel from Shanghai to Nanjing to join Hong Xiuquan, but he failed due to the Qing government's blockade.
It wasn't until four years later that he successfully joined their cause.
He paused, then called out, "Zhao Sanjin!"
Zhao Sanjin, who was not far away, immediately walked over and respectfully said, "My lord."
You should know some members of the Heaven and Earth Society in Hong Kong, right?
Zhao Sanjin replied, "Yes, when I came to San Francisco, I took a ship from Hong Kong. It was through the connections made by fellow members of the Hongmen."
"Once you get to Hong Kong, ask the members of the Hung Society there to help you find a man named Hung Yan-kan. He is very important."
"Yes, my lord."