Chapter 363 Each has its own considerations

  After the ceremony

  A group of military and political officials flocked to the construction berth of the "Qinglong" heavy cruiser. Here, intensively trained shipyard technicians are under intense construction. A huge hull has already taken shape, which looks spectacular.

The ship was on the slipway to cut the first keel steel plate in May. It has been 4 months since it was built. It is expected to be launched around Christmas on December 25 at the end of the year. The construction period of the slipway is 7 and a half months. After 6 months, the actual delivery of the Borneo Fleet was obtained in June 1884.

  According to the equipment plan;

  The first two "Green Dragon" and "White Tiger" are all equipped with the Borneo Fleet, which serves as the main force of the fleet to deter the surrounding areas. Among them, the "Qinglong" is the flagship of the Borneo Fleet and the ship of the fleet commander He Fang, which is personally commanded.

The captain of the "White Tiger" has been designated Wu Gang by default. He is a graduate of the Manchester Naval Academy in England and the former captain of the "Haiyan". The "Lone Wolf Double Assault" tactics dealt a heavy blow to the Dutch landing ship regiment, forcing it to abandon its original landing plan and move to the unnamed bay overnight.

  As a result, the Royal Netherlands Army’s landing target was changed from Jayapura to Moresby, which is more than 2,000 kilometers away, and this has greatly changed the original battle situation.

In the subsequent first and second naval battles in Malacca, "Haiyan" played an important role and achieved impressive results. His performance was extremely dazzling. Lieutenant Colonel Wu Gang was a member of the Queensland Fleet. Dare to fight is known.

   Therefore, in the highly competitive selection of the captain of the "White Tiger" heavy cruiser, Lieutenant Colonel Wu Gang was able to defeat a group of colleagues and was selected after five passes.

  The person who made the final decision was Li Fushou, Lord Earl. Lieutenant Colonel Wu Gang was inexplicably grateful for this. This is another story.

  Subsequently, the third ship of this class, the "Suzaku", is equipped with the Shangri-La fleet. The "Suzaku" will be the seat of the fleet commander Li Jie and will be personally commanded.

  The fourth ship of this class, the "Xuanwu", is equipped with the Queensland Fleet, and the "Xuanwu", as a valuable seat of the fleet commander, is personally commanded.

  On the slipway

The hull of more than a hundred meters long is extremely spectacular, giving people a strong visual shock. At present, the heavy underwater armor belt is being hoisted. The new black reinforced armored steel imported from the United Kingdom is dense and heavy. The texture is extremely reliable. feel.

These Harvey steel plates are all of the highest quality products. There is no need to doubt their quality, because the second 10,000-ton battleship to be built for the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne will be on the berth in October, almost the same as the "Blue Dragon." Class heavy cruisers were built at the same time, and the new reinforced armor plates used were the same. The same batch of 5,500 tons was purchased. Who knows which ship it is installed on?

  With many years of technical accumulation, Hongshan Shipyard has tempered its technician team through the construction of "Qinglong" class heavy cruisers, and achieved a leap in the ability to build top battleships. Now it is full of confidence in the construction of 10,000-ton class first-class battleships and is preparing to show its talents.

"Hahaha... this behemoth is my old He's ship, brothers don't need to envy it, you will have it in two years." He Fang reached out his hand and stroked the cold steel armor plate, the thickness reached an astonishing one. There are many feet, and he can't laugh from ear to ear.

  The usual elegant demeanor has long been forgotten, and I can't touch my hands enough.

During this period of time, the war ahead has stopped completely. He Fang has been at the Hongshan Shipyard for more than two months, and he has to go to the slipway for a long time every day. I can feel it here and there. I can’t see enough of it. I really like it to the bones. went.

  Thinking that one day, I can drive this mighty and majestic warship to gallop through the seas of thousands of miles. Every heart is intoxicated.

   "Hey, don't you be so stinky, as to show off like this?" Geng Baogui looked at him with greed, and went to the shipyard every other day.

"Hehehe... don’t say that you don’t want to, if that’s the case, then I’ll report to Lord Earl, requesting that your "Xuanwu" be assigned to our Borneo fleet. The big deal is that we will take the Spanish Luzon The colony was defeated as a gift to Lord Earl. For the sake of the sincerity of our Borneo fleet, I think Lord Earl will definitely not refuse."

  "Don't be foolish, no one can take away my "Xuanwu"." Geng Baogui didn't dare to make this bet with him. No matter what he said, he would never risk his beloved ship.

   "Old Geng, you are boring, what about the blood of a soldier?"

"Don't come to this one, old man, the aggressive method doesn't work for me, you really want to exchange...The coast guard captain will do it for you, I will go to the Borneo fleet, and I will still be able to defeat Luzon. Just ask if you do it?"

   "Don't tell me... I don't have the official position jealous of you!"

   "I am sincere, can you change it?"

   "Of course not. I did a good job in the Borneo Fleet. One day war will resume. Our Borneo Fleet will still be the first-class main force. I really broke my head before I changed it with you."

   "Hey... don't daydream about it. These four big guys were born. I dare say that within 10 years, no one in the entire South Pacific will dare to challenge our fleet. Where is the war?"

   "Hehe... hard to tell, hard to tell..."

  He Fang laughed and did not answer. He knew in his heart that Lord Earl was aggressive...Uh, he was keen to open up territories, and after digesting Borneo and Shangri-La, he might not take the initiative to attack.

   Secretly guessed that it was about 5 to 8 years.

Territories in the world nowadays have masters. Expansion will definitely offend people. He was blackmailed by Lao Maozi like Man Qing did. He lost 1.5 million square kilometers of land without a single shot. He could only shrink his head and grit his teeth. It’s unique.

Even if the Ottoman Empire, known as the sick man of West Asia, has gone through 10 **** battles with Russia in more than 100 years, it will only cede the land and pay compensation after the defeat. Regardless of the tens of thousands of casualties or tens of thousands, they want to blackmail without a single shot. There is no chance of success.

  The British had gone through two Afghan wars before they occupied the Kingdom of Afghanistan. They had gone through two Anglo-Burmese wars. They took a lot of money to occupy most of the coastal areas of Burma. Their control over the vast inland areas of Burma was almost zero.

  The Qing-French War was in full swing. The Huwei Zuo Army sent by the Qing Dynasty repelled the offensive of the French Expeditionary Force again and won the 3rd Shanxi Battle, forcing the French Expeditionary Force to suspend the land war.

  Because of repeated setbacks in the northern part of the Indochina Peninsula, the current French cabinet collapsed. It took responsibility for the successive defeats and shouldered the anger of the French people. This is the fragility of the democratically elected government.

anyway

Although He Fang does not know where the Lord Earl will expand in the future, Luzon is undoubtedly a soft persimmon, and the weak Dutch East Indies Governor’s House is also a soft persimmon. As long as it does not enter the Indochina Peninsula to stir the sensitive nerves of Britain and France, this You can choose one of the two soft persimmons.

  Specifically, it depends on whoever bumps into it without opening his eyes.

  The Dutch have suffered a lot before, and it is estimated that they will have a deep shadow on the Queenslanders. As long as they are not too much, they will bear a sigh of relief anyway.

Relatively speaking

  Where is more optimistic about the blind and arrogant Spaniards. The Spanish pirates are quite rampant in the South China Sea. They belong to the stupid guys who dance horizontally on the edge of the cliff and are likely to be lucky enough to win this prize.

  Geng Zhenzheng was stirred by He Fang’s mysterious smile, and guessed in his heart...He must have an idea, but it’s not appropriate to talk about it.

  As the top academic master and one of the most strategic people in Queensland, Geng Baobao sincerely admires He Fang's rich knowledge of Chinese and Western learning, and he does not adulterate at all.

   "Could it be..."

  Considering that Shangyi is a necessary quality for high-ranking military and political officials, Geng Gui gave him a thoughtful look and thought about it seriously in his heart.

It doesn’t matter where it is, strolling around the slipway with his back on his back, not at all disgusting with the deafening rivet gun crashing, the endless “ding and clanging” of steel percussive, even if it’s turned around for a whole day, He doesn't even get bored at all.

  Li Fushou and several senior government officials came from the bow chatting and laughing, and immediately greeted He Fang; “Brother He, speaking of you are a real expert, tell us the difference between riveting and welding?”

  "Master Earl tells me, whoever pleases it."

  Li Fushou waved his hand and said with a smile; “Brother He, just call Yuanding. They have been their own brothers for many years, and they have supported each other to do a career together. There is no need to be so inconsistent.”

"Then I would take the liberty, Yuanding-sama and a few dear friends, please see..." He Fang pointed to the long rivets on the hull and said; "In my opinion, the current welding process is not yet mature. It is used in the manufacture of freighters, because the steel plates they use are relatively thin, which can be welded through and firmly welded.

  But it can’t be used in the manufacture of warships. The hardness of the new armor plate is very high, and the thickness is more than one foot. Each piece of armor plate weighs several tons.

   installed on the outer side of the hull, it not only has to withstand the erosion of the harsh ocean environment for many years, but also withstand the instant explosive force of large-caliber heavy artillery. The unit area may be as high as tens of thousands of pounds.

  This is a huge challenge for today's immature welding technology. The strength is not enough. It still has to rely on the traditional riveting process to take on this important task.

  Warships pay attention to reliable combat power, and they will not easily try new technologies in manufacturing, which may cause unpredictable operational risks to warships. Therefore, every detail must be carefully and carefully considered, and then considered.

  The advantages of welding are fast speed, low cost, and less labor, which is suitable for civil freighters built in large quantities.

  For the manufacturing of warships in various countries, cost has never been the first point of consideration. Its construction is much more difficult than civilian freighters. Reliability and durability are the top priority to avoid being dragged down in battle. We cannot afford such a painful price. "

These remarks were reasonable and well-founded. Li Fushou nodded frequently when he heard it, and threw out his fist to beat the steel plate forcefully. He didn't even make a sound, but it shook his hands in pain; Watching the excitement, there is an explanation from our brother He, a talented Chinese and Western scholar, so we can understand it."

   "Master Yuanding is too humble, you are Haoyue Guanghui, how can we compare with Firefly?"

  "Hehehe...you are not the light of fireflies, I am afraid that the fire at Muda Port in the match will not be too much."

   "Master Yuanding, it seems that this fire has left you deep in your memory!"

"It's not only a deep memory. According to a follow-up report by civil affairs officials, Semuda Port was destroyed in ruins, and almost no intact wall still stood. The fire in the port burned more than a thousand meters of soil, which was all pottered and thick. The ashes are more than two meters deep. The army's grandsons fought so hard, no wonder the Dutch defenders on the fort were so scared that they immediately surrendered in two battles..."

  Speaking of this, Li Fushou said nothing, and shook his head with a wry smile.

  The military will only consider achieving the purpose of the battle in the war, and will not consider the reconstruction of the town and the recovery of the society after the war.

  It is also necessary to have scruples when speaking as a superior. As the first Kalimantan Division of the entire army to receive the honorary title, people now talk about it as "Tiger Division", but the original designation is rarely mentioned.

  Master Earl made some random comments. If you hear it in the ears of the Tiger Master, it may cause a lot of harm to the fragile little mind of the Tiger Master.

Li Fushou immediately changed the subject and asked something lighthearted; "Brother He, I heard that you have been at the Honghe Shipyard for the past two months. There has been no past in Hefang Town, the ranch has not been visited, and the home has not been returned. Shouldn’t it be right? Take time to go back and have a look?"

  "Master Yuanding, there is an old housekeeper taking care of them. The dog He Jiaju and He Jiajin are all 20 years old and have achieved success in their studies. The relevant matters can be handled roughly. I don't need to be distracted elsewhere."

   "If you say that, you can't ignore it."

"In my mind, the "Qinglong" is more important than everything. The construction work involves a lot of things. I want to witness his growth with my own eyes and participate in every detail of the construction, instead of feeling disgusted afterwards. Modify it properly." He Fang said, pointing to the chimney in front of him when he said that;

  "In the original design, there are two chimneys, but after I have calculated many times, the 12 boilers of the "Qinglong" are burning at full capacity, and the huge smoke generated by the two chimneys is stretched, and it is easy to cause poor power output.

  Therefore, I propose to modify it into three chimneys, one chimney for every 4 boilers, and install a hot water recovery device on the side wall, and use the hot water pipe to transport heat to the living cabin to enhance the combat capability in cold areas.

  This point was not considered in the original design.

In the process of laying armor plates, I suggest that steel riveting and welding should be used at the same time. The armor plates are laid by traditional riveting methods, and welding processes are applied around them. This can improve the fit of the armor plates and prevent the waves from attacking or ship collisions. Damage to the rivet structure, resulting in looseness and friction damage, although one more process is added, the reliability is improved.

  In addition, such as the angle design of the bow chain cabin, the adjustment of the officer’s cabin, and the arrangement of the combat cabin, we, as users of warships, can put forward more suggestions for improvement, and participate in the construction of the shipyard to carefully build this great power.

  This is a century-old plan and cannot be taken lightly.

  Compared with this, how can some children's affection stand too far? "

After hearing this, Li Fushou held his fists in a solemn expression; "Listening to the Lord's words is better than reading for ten years, and Yuan Ding has been taught."

  "How dare you, from a private point of view, the Azure Dragon will be a companion to get along day and night in the future, from a public point of view, this is a humble duty." He Fang clasped his fist in return.

  Li Fushou lightly patted him on the shoulder, did not say much, everything was silent.

  　The 4000-word chapter should not be too short, and it feels quite powerful, so I took the courage to ask for a monthly pass, a recommendation, a collection, a strong and powerful evaluation, ha ha...

  　　

  　

  (End of this chapter)