From Robinson Crusoe

The growth of the labor force is like fertilizer in the fields, giving life to everything on the island.

More and more students are coming and going from the school. The new island natives are gradually integrating into the community, and like the veterans of the past, they are passionately discussing chess, ancient poems, and mathematical formulas that are difficult to understand.

Centered around the execution square, the buildings are similar in design, but different small wooden houses rise up one after another inside.

Many paths, trampled and barren, appeared in the lush primeval forest.

The flock of sheep grew larger and larger. On the other side of the mountain, Niu Yang, the old shepherd who managed the largest flock of sheep on the entire island, often drove his oxcart through the forest, transporting barrels of fermented cheese and fresh milk to the port or factories.

In addition to the oxcart, Niu Yang also commissioned Zebra to customize a "sheep cart" for him. The cart was powered by five castrated rams that had been trained since childhood and were easy to use.

Compared to a host of pedal bicycles, both the massive oxcarts and the relatively small sheep carts looked much more stylish.

Unfortunately, even if others envy them, they cannot possess such a privilege.

There are currently four cows on the island. Apart from the breeding male and female cows that are dedicated to breeding calves, the other two cows have their own tasks, such as pulling carts or plowing fields. No matter how much sugar others offer, Niu Yang would never rent them out.

Moreover, Niu Yang was only responsible for helping the leader manage the cattle and sheep herds; he had no authority to do so.

……

Along with the islanders' lives, the behemoth in the shipyard also grew.

Amidst the flashes of electricity during welding, transported up and down by pulley systems, nourished by the sweat of workers and nurtured by Chen Zhou's wisdom, it developed a strong skeleton and muscles containing boundless power.

On one side of the factory, the furnace inside the forging room is always red-hot, and neither the rainy season nor the dry season can affect the casting of ship hull components.

Heavy, black metal parts were manufactured one by one on a simple lathe, and then transported to the shipyard for further assembly under the dazzling light of welding.

Although the islanders usually call this large ship the "Iron-Bones Giant Ship," if we're being precise, it should be called the "Steel-Bones Giant Ship."

Modern steel outlines the entire internal framework of the ship, and every key load-bearing part was hand-welded by Chen Zhou and several of his most trusted veteran workers. In special areas, rivets and angle irons were even used for reinforcement to ensure that the entire ship could withstand the wind and waves at sea and enemy fire.

Under the heavy protection of the "steel skeleton", a huge composite steam engine stands prominently at the bottom of the ship's cabin.

This steam engine uses multi-stage expansion technology, which greatly improves thermal efficiency.

Its boiler was not the bulky cast iron boiler of the late 18th century, but a new type of boiler with high-pressure steam technology.

If 18th-century steamships were not mature enough, too cumbersome, lacked flexibility, and had limited range, then Chen Zhou's "steel-framed giant ship," based on the mature steamships of the 19th century, can be called "trimaran technology," completely crushing the wooden sailing ships of the same era.

As for the ship's propulsion technology, Chen Zhou never considered using paddle wheels from the very beginning.

The propulsion technology of paddle steamers is inherently cumbersome and bulky, and the paddle wheels on both sides of the hull make them very easy targets. In addition to these two drawbacks, the maintenance and repair of paddle wheels is also a significant problem.

Despite having so many drawbacks, paddle wheels are less efficient than the more concealed propellers in terms of propulsion.

Taking all factors into consideration, as a modern person, Chen Zhou would never abandon propellers and choose paddle wheels as the means of propulsion for his ship.

In theory, Chen Zhou's "steel-framed giant ship" could have been powered entirely by steam, completely abandoning sails and becoming the first sailless monstrosity at sea in the 17th century.

However, Chen Zhou did not give up on the useless sails. Instead, he installed three huge masts on the ship and a triangular sail at the stern.

On a traditional multi-masted sailing ship, these complex sails would be a considerable test of the sailors' skill in handling the ship.

Once a naval battle breaks out, ships need to be able to change direction flexibly, either to get away or to pursue. If the sailors make even the slightest mistake, the opportunity will be lost in an instant.

While the islanders currently participating in sailor skills training are all good swimmers, they are still quite far from being qualified sailors.

After all, they had only ever sailed canoes before and had never operated complex sailing ships. Without any experience, even if they were given a top-of-the-line multi-masted sailing ship, they would not be able to maneuver it across the vast ocean.

This is also why Chen Zhou insisted on building a steam-powered ship.

He simply cannot train a group of qualified sailors.

The Spanish, Dutch, and British who roamed the seas in the 17th century had extensive experience in sailing ships, and Chen Zhou felt he had no chance of winning against them in the same field.

However, things are different when it comes to steam-powered ships. In this unfamiliar territory, the ships he personally designed and built will surprise those who consider themselves invincible at sea.

Of course, before engaging in battle, the enemy could not possibly understand the advantages and disadvantages of steamships at first glance.

Therefore, Chen Zhou installed sails on this ship that "did not need sails".

Those massive masts standing on the deck, besides providing backup power when the ship was out of fuel and exhausted, also served to mislead the enemy.

As the Spanish armed merchant ships approached the massive steel-hulled vessel, firing chain shot to destroy the masts and rigging, preparing to crush this "lamb to the slaughter," the surging steam power would teach them a lesson they would never forget.

This lesson is the fundamental reason why Chen Zhou insisted on installing a mast on the ship; he really wanted to see those sea pirates look like they'd seen a ghost.

Like that Spaniard we caught a few years ago, the expression on his face when he saw that a flashlight could emit a bright light with just one press was truly fascinating.

……

Chen Zhou's plan to encase the wooden hull with iron armor ultimately failed due to a lack of thin iron sheets.

In order to protect the core power room as much as possible, he chose a slightly "compromising" approach, making use of all the sheet metal sent as rewards to cover the power room and the bow and stern of the ship.

17th-century cannonballs had very poor penetrating power and posed a significant threat to wooden ships, but a thin layer of metal could reduce their lethality by 80-90%.

With its streamlined hull and thin metal plates covering certain areas, the ship's defensive capabilities are significantly enhanced. Unless one is extremely unlucky, it can essentially withstand enemy fire and launch a counterattack.

As for the all-steel frame inside the ship, it is even more unbreakable.

It is no exaggeration to say that as long as the ship is not sunk on the spot by concentrated fire and its power plant is not damaged, it can manage to retreat back to the port.

After undergoing repairs at the shipyard, it will be fully recovered and ready to return to the battlefield in just a few days.

The reassuring hull interior protects numerous mechanical structures, such as condensers, ventilation ducts, piping systems, drive crankshafts, propellers, and more.

These interconnected mechanical systems convert steam thermal energy into mechanical energy, driving the piston to move. The piston, in turn, converts linear motion into rotational power through a crankshaft connected by a connecting rod, thereby driving the propeller.

Matching this sophisticated steam power system was a gear set for adjusting the direction and speed of the ship, which helped the captain to maneuver this huge and heavy vessel and control its speed.

Chen Zhou estimated that if the fuel tank is full of fuel and the sea weather is relatively calm with no strong winds or waves, the ship's maximum range should be around 260 kilometers.

When the wind is favorable, the steam engine can be turned off and the sails can be used for power, which can greatly increase the voyage.

260 kilometers isn't much in this vast ocean, but with a nautical chart, it's enough to reach the next supply point. Unfortunately, Chen Zhou is only skilled in design and manufacturing; he doesn't know much about 17th-century history or the world order, and he doesn't speak Spanish.

The location of the island is never specifically described in "Robinson Crusoe", and he never had any close contact with the outside world.

These reasons resulted in his ship being not only unique in appearance ("scorpion poop"), but also in its isolated position at sea. Once it left the island, the steel-hulled behemoth could not find another supply point.

Therefore, as things stand, the ship's current task is basically to travel between the main island and the archipelago. The hope of it venturing across the ocean to plunder wealth from afar like the maritime overlords of the time is slim.

……

The island does not produce coal, and the steel-hulled giant ships use high-quality charcoal as fuel.

For metallurgy and forging, Chen Zhou built three new charcoal kilns far from the residential area, one of which was specifically responsible for supplying fuel to the steel-framed giant ship.

From the start of construction on the massive steel-framed ship until the end of December 1665, the charcoal produced by that kiln had piled up into a small mountain.

Chen Zhou specially built a warehouse to store the charcoal, which would be put to use on the day the steel-framed giant ship was completed and launched.

……

Equipped with a more advanced power system and a superior streamlined hull, this steel-framed behemoth, which is over 30 meters long and has a displacement of about 150 tons, can reach a speed of 22 kilometers per hour when the sails are not raised.

In modern terms, this ship is essentially a case of "a large horse pulling a small cart."

The advanced power system, combined with the small hull, allowed the steam engine to achieve 120% of its power.

Chen Zhou didn't know the speed of sailing warships in the same period, but based on the descriptions in Robinson Crusoe of sailing times that often lasted one or two months, he estimated that 17th-century sailing ships, even with a tailwind, would probably have had a speed of less than 20 kilometers per hour.

If it's against the wind, you'll be lucky if you don't go backwards, and your speed will be as slow as a snail.

From this perspective, his steel-boned behemoth not only has an overwhelming advantage in defensive capabilities, but also boasts monstrous speed and power.

……

Of course, no matter how strong the defense or how fast the speed, without the support of artillery, it is just a sitting duck, at most a sitting duck that is a little more resistant to beatings and a little faster.

Only by combining offense and defense can one truly defeat three or even five enemies at once, crush the enemy in naval battles, and strike fear into their hearts.

However, building the ship's hull is one thing, and improving the weapons is another.

Chen Zhou dug out all the information he had about modern artillery, and carefully recalled the artillery structure he had observed on the wrecked ship at the beginning of the challenge. After studying it for a long time, he still couldn't find a suitable solution.

According to his ideal requirements, since the steel-hulled behemoths could overwhelm all 17th-century sailing ships in terms of defense, power, and speed, they should not lag behind in terms of firepower.

Putting aside other factors, its range was at least twice that of 17th-century artillery, and its accuracy and lethality should also have seen a qualitative leap.

However, to manufacture advanced weapons, in addition to solving the problems in technology, it is even more important to solve the problems in materials.

Unfortunately, the island lacks materials, especially raw materials for manufacturing high-energy explosives such as nitroglycerin-based explosives or trinitrotoluene.

Besides the lack of raw materials, the safety risks in manufacturing explosives are also a problem that cannot be ignored.

Chen Zhou valued his life very much.

Everything is going well right now. Once the steel-hulled behemoth is built, he can send armed men to the island to search for the treasure buried by the Spanish, and even patrol the archipelago and collect tolls.

With immense wealth within reach, if he were to accidentally blow himself up while manufacturing explosives at this critical juncture, there would be no recourse.

The awkward thing is that chemistry is not a simple subject, and there is no such thing as a quick way to learn chemistry.

It might be possible to teach the natives some mathematical calculation methods quickly, but expecting them to become chemical geniuses is an impossible task.

For the time being, Chen Zhou will still need to personally handle the task of manufacturing explosives.

……

Not wanting to risk his life, Chen Zhou ultimately decided to use the safest method first.

For example, the finished TNT product can be disassembled and used as raw material.

TNT, being an extremely stable explosive, was trusted by Chen Zhou. He was apprehensive about using black powder to manufacture shells, but he had fewer concerns about using TNT to manufacture weapons.

Chen Zhou planned to manufacture naval guns that were roughly at the level of the mid-18th century, and he expected to produce three types.

One type is a long-barreled heavy gun that uses shells weighing over 24 pounds with a caliber of 20 to 30 times. Its purpose is to strike enemy ships' hulls and masts at long range with precision, with an estimated range of 1000 to 1500 meters.

Another type is the short-barreled gun, with a caliber similar to that of the long-barreled heavy gun, a length ratio of 10 to 15, and a range of 300 to 500 meters. Its main advantages are its loading speed and barrel weight, and it is mainly used for fire suppression before boarding operations.

The last type of gun was the mortar, with a caliber of about 200-250 mm. It fired explosive and incendiary shells, used indirect fire, and had a range of 500-800 m. It was used to damage the decks of enemy ships and cause fires.

17th-century sailing ships were all made of wood, and to make them waterproof, the hull layers were filled with large amounts of flammable materials such as asphalt or tar. Once hit by incendiary or explosive bombs, the fire would spread in an instant. In naval battles, these mortars posed a deadly threat to enemy ships.

The manufacturing processes required for these three types of naval guns are largely the same, all involving segmented casting and heating jacket processes, and made of iron. Currently, the small workshops on the island are fully capable of manufacturing and assembling the three types of naval guns, and can even further optimize them.

For example, cast iron cannon barrels are prone to bursting. Chen Zhou can separate the cannon barrel into an outer tube and a bore tube, cast them separately, and finally wrap them with steel wire to form a composite structure, which increases the strength of the cannon barrel and thus extends the service life of the cannon.

For example, polishing the inside of the gun barrel to increase the accuracy of the artillery, and manufacturing four-wheeled artillery vehicles to increase the maneuverability of the artillery are all effective ways to improve the performance of artillery.

If the milling machine provided by the mysterious reward hadn't been so lacking in functionality, Chen Zhou would have even considered carving helical rifling inside the cannon barrel, thus elevating the cannon to the level of a 19th-century rifled cannon, or even developing it into an Armstrong rapid-fire cannon, unleashing a storm of attacks on enemy ships.

……

By the end of 1665, the assembly of the steel-framed giant ship was nearing completion.

Large quantities of carefully selected hull timber, along with gleaming stainless steel plates, were painstakingly pieced together by workers using rivets and welding torches to attach them to the frame.

Its massive body cast a large shadow in the shipyard, like a fully armed giant, ready to take up arms and face its enemies at any moment.

The core power system has already been completed.

Once the final parts of the hull and deck are completed, this "child," which has been gestating in the shipyard for nearly a year, will proudly sail out to sea under the eager gaze of the islanders and Chen Zhou.

Whether it will become famous or remain unknown in the future depends on what kind of claws Chen Zhou ultimately designs and installs for it, and whether the first batch of inexperienced sailors on board are fierce enough and live up to expectations. (End of Chapter)