Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 341 Maritime Patrol Ship
"When will these two ships be completed?"

"Your Majesty, the shipyard is working overtime to expedite the completion of the project. We expect the underwater habitat to be launched before the end of the year and deployed to the Navy's ironclad fleet early next year."

"Well, pay attention to technical improvements in warship construction. After your navy commissions the Huashan, don't be reluctant to use it; instead, send it on more long-distance missions. If you discover any shortcomings, promptly report them to the shipyard for improvement."

"Your Majesty is wise and wise, and we shall obey."

"Any latest news on the torpedoes developed by the British?"

"Your Majesty, the Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of the Navy is focusing on tracking this advanced technology. According to the current intelligence, the first torpedo, called the "Whitehead" torpedo, was successfully developed by British engineer R. Whitehead in Fiume three years ago. Specifically, it uses compressed air to drive a piston engine to drive a propeller, and the horizontal rudder is controlled by a hydraulic valve to control the depth of the torpedo, but the direction of the torpedo cannot be controlled. We are tracking this latest technological trend, but we have not yet obtained the actual product." Lieutenant General Huo Haisheng reported with some regret.

"We can't relax. It was with the ironclad warships, a sharp weapon, that our Chu State defeated the Spaniards, caused great trouble to the British and French, and established its position as a regional power. We must not take the latest developments in military equipment lightly." King Zheng Guohui of Chu gave another instruction.

Lieutenant General Huo Haisheng and a group of senior naval officers who accompanied him followed behind with serious expressions, nodding their heads in agreement repeatedly.

Originally they were not paying much attention to it, because they had been winning battles in a row and were a little bit carried away by the victory.

Secondly, people are not very sensitive to this so-called new torpedo technology. No matter how powerful a torpedo is, can it be as powerful as a cannon?

Hearing that His Majesty attached so much importance to this, these senior military officers all paid attention to it, and the intensity of the manpower and material resources they would devote to this in the future would naturally be increased.

In the spacious and bright conference room of the shipyard

During a break in his inspection, King Zheng Guohui of Chu brought a large group of naval officers who accompanied him to this place to rest for a while, drink some tea, and relax.

The tea he drank was hot water stored in a thermos brought from the palace, carried by the royal aide-de-camp, and the division commander, Major General Zheng Shan, personally supervised the tea-making process.

The water, snacks, and soups the king drank while on his inspection tours were all brought from the palace and carefully stored in thermal boxes; he would not use any food from outside.

Inviting the officers to sit around him casually, King Chu Zheng Guohui talked to everyone with a warm expression. Laughter could be heard from the room from time to time, and the atmosphere seemed extremely harmonious.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu often went deep into the army and showed concern for his officers, which was very touching.

"Everyone, tell me, what are you dissatisfied with after trying on the new uniforms that the navy has modified this time? Feel free to give your suggestions. When many hands make light work," said King Zheng Guohui of Chu with a smile.

In the new naval uniforms, officers are dressed in all white and wear wide-brimmed hats, while sailors are dressed in white on top and blue on the bottom, wear brimless hats and sailor shirts, which look very similar to the naval uniforms of later generations.

In particular, the Royal Navy officer uniforms are made of thin woolen fabric, which looks stiff and stylish. The cuffs are distinguished by gold and silver edges, and are also decorated with fleet badges and logos.

Lieutenants wear silver armbands, with one for second lieutenants, two for first lieutenants, and three for captains.

Field officers wear gold armbands, with one for major, two for lieutenant colonel, and three for colonel.

Generals wear golden rice ear armbands, with major generals wearing one, lieutenant generals wearing two, and generals wearing three.

With epaulettes, royal cap badge and handsome wide-brimmed military cap, he looked really heroic, handsome and cool, and was unanimously welcomed by naval officers.

The same was true for the new uniforms for army officers, except that the army uniforms were gray-green, the same color as the later German M36 combat uniforms.

Perhaps King Zheng Guohui of Chu very much agreed with Xiao Hu's aesthetic taste, so the new military uniforms equipped to the Chu Royal Army also used gray-green uniforms.

The only difference

This set of military uniforms uses traditional Tang-style horizontal buttons, an element that highlights Chinese characteristics. The uniform style was decided personally by King Zheng Guohui of Chu.

All officers were issued leather shoes, and soldiers were issued rubber shoes. The original thick-soled cloth shoes and straw sandals gradually became history.

The reason why the Chu army was not equipped with long military boots was because it was located in a tropical region and long military boots were too stuffy and not suitable for use.

At present, the new military uniforms are only produced on a small scale, and are being tried out to seek the opinions of the majority of officers and soldiers.

The State of Chu won the war against Britain and France. In addition to rewards for military merit, the upcoming distribution of new military uniforms was another major benefit for all officers and soldiers of the army.

In addition to wearing iron hats during combat, army officers and soldiers are usually issued with wide-brimmed military caps, while soldiers are issued with cowboy hats.

The gray-green cowboy hats that army soldiers usually wear are lighter and more suitable for blocking the strong sunlight in tropical areas. They are convenient for aiming guns in combat without being dazzled by the glare.

When talking about the new military uniforms that will be distributed soon, the officers' enthusiasm was even higher. They expressed their opinions one after another, and their words were full of love for the new military uniforms.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu smiled and nodded after hearing this. He knew that there would be no dissenting voices here, and no one really wanted to seek opinions.

It's just a random topic to discuss in a harmonious atmosphere.

He casually glanced out the window. Workers on the slipway were busy working on the ship. Two huge ironclad ships had already taken shape, which made people happy.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu asked, "In addition to producing warships, how capable is the shipyard in building civilian ships?"

The owner of the Royal Manila Naval Dockyard is a member of the Zheng family, descended from the fourth master Zheng Shouye. Several Weiyang salt merchants and people with military backgrounds also have invested in the company, which is why the shipyard has been able to grow bigger and bigger.

The shipyard manager was named Huang Renshan, the brother-in-law of the fourth master, Zheng Shouye, and he was also born into a merchant family in Rugao County.

The fourth master, Zheng Shouye, had been engaged in shipping for more than ten years. He changed his career and became an assistant to Zheng Guohui. Now he is still in charge of Jinling City, safeguarding the interests of the Zheng family.

His branch of the Zheng family mainly runs a business in shipping. He is a major shareholder of Fushun Da Shipping, one of the three largest shipping companies in Chu, and also has investments in the shipbuilding industry.

Huang Renshan immediately stepped forward upon hearing this, bowed humbly and replied:
"I bow to Your Majesty and wish you long life and good health!

Reply to Your Majesty

Our shipyard is one of the five largest shipyards in China. It now has 13 slipways, employs 2282 workers, 37 Western technicians and 4 experts, and can build more than 40 large and small iron ships every year.

The largest iron ship can be built to 5,000 tons, and under normal construction conditions, it can be completed in a little over a year.

The small steamer of about 100 tons can be completed in February.

On a slipway east of the shipyard, up to six small steamers could be built simultaneously, but such small vessels were not profitable, and we no longer accept orders. Currently, the shipyard is building six large iron ships, all 6-ton iron ships, three of which are custom-built immigrant ships, each capable of carrying over 6 immigrants at a time.

The immigrant ship has two large kitchens that can cook meals for a thousand people at the same time. The steam can be used to steam the rice, and the condensed water can be used for drinking. These are all original technologies invented by our shipyard."

As expected, the Chinese people’s intelligence and wisdom are endless.

As long as enough space is given, the Chinese people's intelligence and talent will burst forth and will definitely bring surprises.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu raised his eyebrows and asked with great interest, "Oh... utilizing steam in this way, both for steaming rice and for condensing water, is indeed a very good idea. So, have these technologies been applied to warships?"

When asked this question, Huang Renshan's face froze for a moment. He looked at the senior naval officers standing next to him with some fear, and was afraid to speak.

Major General Nie Tongsheng, standing to the side, watched with amusement, then scolded, "What are you looking at with those dog eyes of yours? Just report the truth to His Majesty. Is someone trying to silence you? You're acting so sneaky, is someone taking kickbacks from you?"

"I dare not," Huang Renshan said, waving his hands in panic. He then bowed and saluted before replying, "Your Majesty, the navy's custom-made warships did not make such a request, so the shipyard did not install them."

"Well, I can't blame you. Since this new technology is available, it can improve the living conditions of naval officers and soldiers. Just install a set on the warships." King Zheng Guohui of Chu didn't know much about technology. After giving his instructions, he asked, "Will the modification be troublesome?"

Huang Renshan quickly replied, "Your Majesty, it's not a big deal. We can just run a line down from the navy's high-pressure steam pipeline and install a few valves. When sailing at high speeds, we can use less or no valves, which won't affect the ship's speed."

King Zheng Guohui of Chu said with satisfaction, "Well, that's quite thoughtful. Your navy should investigate and introduce these technologies if they are suitable. Don't forget to reward the inventors of these technologies. The more new technologies like this, the better."

"Your Majesty, we are following your Majesty's instructions. Your Majesty is kind and considerate of the hard work of our officers and soldiers. We are deeply grateful." Lieutenant General Huo Haisheng and a group of naval officers saluted in unison and said with gratitude.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was already accustomed to these shows. He waved his hand and said softly;
"The navy officers and men guard the kingdom's frontiers, dedicating their youth, blood, and lives. You should focus more on the needs of the officers and men, and take good care of this matter for me.

As a superior, you should care for your officers and soldiers like an older brother.

Treating your subordinates with sincerity and consideration is the right path."

"Your Majesty's instructions are correct, and we must obey them without hesitation." Everyone answered in unison.

At this moment

Huang Renshan suddenly stepped forward, bowed, and reported, "Your Majesty, I have the audacity to report that our shipyard has already completed the design drawings for the ironclad patrol ship project recently released by the Ministry of the Navy. They are awaiting approval. Could I have a look at some of them?"

After he said this, Lieutenant General Huo Haisheng walked over to King Zheng Guohui of Chu and explained.

It turned out that the Navy Department did have this plan. The reason was that the Chu State had a vast maritime territory and numerous islands. If the main ironclad ships of the navy were used to patrol the maritime territory, it would be a waste.

Not only did it consume a lot of coal, but the officers and soldiers of the main ironclad ships were also very tired, having to travel on the sea all year round.

Referring to the practices of old colonial powers such as Britain and France, the Navy Department came up with the idea of ​​developing a type of ironclad patrol ship.

The tender should be of a minimum tonnage of 300-400 tons, powered by a medium-sized naval steam engine. The main specifications required a range of 1800 kilometers, a crew of 33 officers and enlisted personnel, and two eight-inch rifled guns, one fore and one aft. The purchase price should not exceed 2.2 silver dollars.

This type of patrol ship can patrol in the middle and near sea areas for 6 to 7 days at a relatively low cost.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was very interested after hearing this. This was indeed a good way to save the naval budget.

The purchase cost of a "Huashan" class ironclad cruiser is about 16.5 silver dollars, which can buy 8 patrol ships.

These patrol ships do not require strong armor defense, strong firepower, or fast speed. Everything is based on cost saving.

A patrol ship with more than 30 officers and soldiers only needs two or three cabins to live in. The remaining space can be used to accommodate two large coal bunkers, providing ultra-long-range cruising capabilities.

When cruising at low speed, the amount of coal consumed is less, and the ship can cruise in the middle and near sea areas for a long time.

"In that case, let's bring the drawings over for a look." King Zheng Guohui of Chu became interested and gave the order.

Huang Renshan is good at finding opportunities and is indeed a capable person in running a shipyard.

Although the unit price of these patrol ships is low, the large number of them purchased still represents a considerable income.

Given the size of the Chu State, the purchase plan made by the Royal Navy would require at least 42 to 45 ships to meet basic needs.

For outlying islands such as Guam, Saipan, Midway Island, Wake Island, and the Solomon Islands, one or two ships should be deployed depending on the situation to patrol the sea areas under control.

For example, for a vast territory like Shangri-La Island and East Malaya, it is quite necessary to deploy about 10 patrol ships just to sprinkle water.

In addition to the mainland islands and the control of strait traffic, so many patrol ships are indeed needed.

Daily maintenance of maritime borders, combating pirate ships, combating smuggling ships, maintaining port customs order and other complicated matters can all be handed over to patrol ships.

The navy's main fleet only needs daily training and focus on truly fierce naval battles.

According to the recent order of the Royal Government
The Royal Navy is about to organize a fleet to sail north to the Ryukyu Kingdom, enter and station at Naha Port, in order to deter the somewhat restless Fuso Satsuma Domain in the north.

The civil war in Fuso is nearing its end, but the Japanese on this island are really restless. Recently, small boats have frequently drifted into the waters of the Ryukyu Kingdom, provoking disputes.

It seems that he still has evil intentions towards the Ryukyu Kingdom.

In addition to the fleet heading north
The Royal Navy fleet also regularly visited the Kajongtan area of ​​Sumatra to intimidate the Dutch and remind the British and French that the Chu State had a powerful naval force.

Don't let time pass and you forget about this.

The undercurrent of conflict between countries is not as simple as it seems on the surface, and they still need to show their presence from time to time.

It became a routine task to send a fleet to frequently visit the Jiarongdan area to cheer and support the reorganized 6th Expeditionary Division.

Therefore, the Royal Navy fleet should be used in important areas and not be hindered by daily trivialities. Those tasks can be left to offshore patrol ships.

(End of this chapter)