Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 389 Where are my Zhenxi and Zhenbei?
Surrounded by his ministers, the King of Chu came to the command tower of the "Zhendong" class ironclad ship. From here, he could look down on the left and right with a very broad view.

If the foremast sail is not lowered, it would be a very pleasant thing to command from the armored conning tower.

In order to expand the range, the "Zhendong" class ironclad ship was equipped with two tall sail masts, one in front and one in the back. This is also the mainstream practice of ironclad ships in the world today, used as auxiliary power during navigation.

When sailing only with sails, the speed can reach five to six knots with the wind and current. If any of the conditions are not met, the speed will drop below level 4.

Although the auxiliary-powered sail has a low speed, it is of great significance in the actual combat deployment of the ironclad fleet.

In ordinary deterrence cruise missions, such as from Manila to the Tongzhou Islands, or in the Makassar Strait of East Malaya, the speed requirement is not high.

Does it matter whether it arrives in one day, two days or three days?

In these routine tasks
It is possible to not start the two horizontal steam main engines, and only use the sails to perform the mission, and maintain low-speed cruising in the strait mission area. This is a normal mission of the ironclad fleet.

In this way, a lot of precious coal can be saved.

You have to know that the landlords don’t have any surplus food, so they have to save where they can.

The "Zhendong" class ironclad ship has two large coal bunkers, one in front and one in the back, with built-in steam-driven conveyor belts, which can carry a total of 1900 tons of high-quality coal and 350 tons of heavy oil.

If it were to cruise entirely on steam power, it would use up all its energy in two weeks at most. When it was running at full power on the sea, it would consume more than 200 tons of coal every day.

Even though the Chu State produced high-quality coal at extremely low cost, it could not withstand such lavish spending, and people still had to live frugally.

Therefore, two steering wheel systems were installed on the ironclad ship "Zhendong", one in the command tower high above and one on the deck below.

The two sets of steering wheels are connected by a steel wire structure and several sets of bearings are added for rotation. When the upper steering wheel rotates, the lower one also rotates. The two steering wheel systems serve as backup for each other.

During daily cruising

The ironclad ship "Zhendong" was sailing by sails and was not allowed to use steam engine main power unless it was an emergency combat mission. This had to be recorded in the navigation log by the captain and the boatswain for inspection.

If the steam engine main power is used without authorization during non-combat missions.

Royal Navy regulations will impose severe penalties for this, including deprivation of captaincy, demotion by one grade, and the need to make up for the lost coal and heavy oil out of pocket.

In non-combat missions, the captain and helmsman command the warship from the deck control console.

In combat missions
The two main sail masts, front and rear, were stopped from use, and the sails that were in the way were rolled up, revealing a wide view ahead. The captain, cabin crew and officers were all in the armored command tower above, directing the battle and conveying the corresponding orders.

There are two huge copper speakers in front and behind the armored command tower, which are used to convey command orders. When the order is shouted loudly, all officers and soldiers on the ship can hear it.

The "Zhendong" class ironclad ship was also equipped with a complete set of power generation equipment, which could generate 6000 candlepower of electricity to supply the entire ship. This was quite advanced equipment.

This entire set of power generation equipment is equivalent to a city power plant today.

Six thousand candela of electricity is equivalent to lighting 6000 light bulbs. This is the unit of electricity measurement in today's era and is very characteristic of the times.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu took his ministers to inspect the officers' and soldiers' quarters, the main engine room, the equipment compartment, and the armored ammunition compartment. He talked and laughed all the way, looking very happy.

This huge thing, which is equivalent to seven or eight stories high, is still extremely shocking when it is driven to the sea.

His existence made any world power dare not act recklessly, demonstrating the deterrent and dominance of the Chu State's ocean, second only to the British Empire's Royal Third Battleship Fleet, and was also the pride of the Chu State's achievements in heavy industry development.

More than seven years since the founding of the People's Republic of China

Along the way, King Zheng Guohui of Chu has been quietly promoting the development of heavy industry, investing heavily in building several heavy industrial backbone enterprises that are famous in Southeast Asia, and his industrial products are sold far and wide at home and abroad.

Its crowning achievement is the intimidating ocean behemoth before us.

Beside him, the Huashan-class armored cruiser with a displacement of 2300 tons turned into a slender little girl, and the deterrent effect of its black and slender hull disappeared.

Comparing people with others will lead to death, and comparing goods with goods will lead to throwing away.

Seeing the smug Admiral Huo Haisheng left alone behind, his hand touching the huge barrel of the 305mm main ship gun, he was so gentle, even more careful than he was with a woman.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu said with a smile, "Lord Huo, since you like this main gun so much, I will simply arrange for someone to deliver it to your residence. What do you think?"

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for making you laugh. This is a precious weapon for the military and the country. I dare not accept it. My small shoulders cannot bear it."

"Hahaha... defending the sea is our top priority. In the future, the Royal Navy will have more cannons and ships. You will have your day."

"Your Majesty, on behalf of the over 16,000 officers and men of the Royal Navy, I express my gratitude. It is truly a lifelong blessing to possess such a powerful ironclad fleet, to roam the vast seas."

"Well, for the Great Chu Kingdom, and indeed for the Land of Ten Thousand Islands, coastal defense is of paramount importance. The orderly planning and construction of coastal defense batteries in important prefectures and counties along the coast is a long-term task that requires decades of unremitting efforts."

"We, the ministers, respectfully receive the imperial edict and shall act accordingly!" Accompanying the inspection were a number of important officials from the Cabinet and the Prime Minister's Office. King Zheng Guohui of Chu instructed Li Hezhang:

"Lord Li, within the annual government budget, coastal defense fortresses must be given top priority. Only by persistently building a maritime Great Wall can we secure the kingdom forever."

"I will obey your order and give priority to you."

"Yeah, Dashan."

The ironclad ship "Zhendong" was equipped with two main masts, one in front and one in the back, with huge main sails, but a large number of secondary sails, side sails and triangular sails were simplified, and the sail control device was also greatly simplified.

The direct benefit is the reduction in the number of crew members. The entire ship is equipped with 405 officers and soldiers. Compared with the British ironclad ship "Warrior" with a displacement of 9600 tons, the number of crew members has been reduced by more than half.

Britain is the world's maritime hegemon today. It emphasizes global presence, global reach, and global deterrence. It is the first choice for the British Empire to project external power and the vanguard in safeguarding British interests.

Precisely because of this demand, the British Royal Navy's ironclad ships have a huge displacement, far exceeding French, German and Chu-made warships, and have more stringent requirements for ocean voyages.

Most British ironclad ships had high freeboard to adapt to the harsh sea conditions in the Atlantic and other oceans, and possessed heavy firepower and a long range. Ironclad ships that could meet the above harsh conditions naturally had a large tonnage.

The "Zhendong" ironclad ship partially absorbed the advantages of British warships and also adopted a high freeboard design to adapt to the winds and waves in the ocean. It belongs to the category of ocean-going ironclad ships, but its tonnage is slightly smaller.

After visiting the ironclad ship, King Zheng Guohui of Chu looked back deliberately.

The envoys from various countries who also came down from the ironclad ship had different expressions, especially the Argentine diplomatic envoy, whose face was full of shock, which took a long time to disappear.

This made King Zheng Guohui of Chu very satisfied. Throwing out such a powerful giant must have some effect, right?

These Argentines need to re-recognize the powerful military strength of the Chu State, which is what he hopes to see.

The Dutch diplomatic representative was in the rear, and King Zheng Guohui of Chu did not see his performance. This was not a big problem, as a detailed report from the Ministry of the Interior would be submitted later.

There are observed expressions and private discussions, which are all very important information.

From this information
It can sort out the latest attitudes of European countries towards the powerful force of Chu State, which has a strategic reference value and is worth spending some effort to collect and analyze.

Who says the main ironclad ship needs to meet the challenge?

If a naval war really breaks out, the situation will be so bad that it cannot be made any worse. Resolving it only through the use of force, which is not the best option.

The greatest role of the main ironclad warships is deterrence and defeating the enemy without fighting, which is also the main purpose of inviting envoys from various countries to watch the ceremony together.

It won't take long

The news about the Chu State launching a new class of main ironclad ships will quickly spread to Europe and the United States, attracting the attention of major powers and raising the deterrent level of Chu State's military power.

If it was once a third-rate world power, it is now at least a second-rate world power.

By the time the four main ironclad ships were launched and put into service, Chu had secured its position as a second-rate power in the world. Strength determines the attitudes of various countries.

Back to the launching ceremony tent
King Zheng Guohui of Chu was not in a hurry to leave, but sat down and leisurely sipped tea with his ministers, admiring the oppressive giant figure of the "Zhendong" warship moored at the dock.

This behavior is very similar to that of a child proudly showing off his new toy.

……

"Well, can the Zhennan be launched before the end of the year?"

"Your Majesty, the construction of the ironclad ship Zhennan at the Jinsha Shipyard is proceeding smoothly. It is scheduled to be launched sometime in early November. It should not be a problem."

"What do you mean it shouldn't be a problem? We must keep an eye on this kind of major event. There is only one main battleship, the Zhendong, on the sea of ​​Chu State. I am still worried."

"Your Majesty, this is my fault. I will ensure that the ironclad ship Zhennan is successfully launched before November 11th to protect the vast seas of our kingdom."

"Well, be careful next time. You can't use such ambiguous words to deal with tasks. Two ironclad ships are not enough. Where are my Zhenxi and Zhenbei ships?"

"Your Majesty..."

The uncontrollable smile on the face of Admiral Huo Haisheng, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, coupled with the loud discussion of King Zheng Guohui of Chu, was heard by all the foreign envoys who pricked up their ears.

In fact, this matter has been reported to His Majesty a long time ago, including the corresponding construction period, launching and installation time, etc., and even the service time has been determined.

But don’t the foreign envoys know this?
When encountering such a suitable opportunity, it is natural to show off. Military and national treasures must be displayed openly. Can't we wear gorgeous clothes at night?

(End of this chapter)