The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 619 Strong Ships and Powerful Cannons are the Only Way
The maritime ban of the Ming Dynasty was actually lifted during the Longqing reign.

However, for various reasons, maritime trade in the Ming Dynasty did not flourish at that time.

Moreover, there were not many ships along the coast of the Ming Dynasty; the Ming navy had fewer ships than the pirates.

It's different now.

The Ming Dynasty's navy had tens of thousands of ships. Moreover, because the Ministry of Works' shipyards, large and small, as well as private shipyards, were building ships at a frenzy, the Ming Dynasty's coastline was already densely packed with ships, like stars in the sky.

The Ming Dynasty's inner sea, which used to be virtually devoid of ships, is now teeming with vessels. Especially after the Japanese pirates were wiped out, countless merchant ships, large and small, have gone to do business with their vassal states, Korea and the Eastern Ocean Commandery.

Around 9 a.m. that day, a huge black dot suddenly appeared at the mouth of the Haihe River, where ships come and go.

Before long, a huge, dark ship sped in from the inland sea.

This thing is truly enormous; an 800-ton shuttle looks like a chick next to its mother hen.

The key point is that this giant ship is also very strange. Not only is it completely black, but it also has no sails or oars, and only a huge smokestack on top.

The dark cabin seemed to be completely sealed, without even a door or window. The waterwheels on both sides were probably several feet in diameter, and they turned at a frightening speed.

The Ming Dynasty had never seen such a monstrous ship before. Ships traveling on the Haihe River were so frightened that they all gave way, and the people on board stared wide-eyed in amazement.

This giant ship sped in from the mouth of the Haihe River, leading a bunch of shuttle boats, just like a mother hen leading her chicks, heading straight for the North Canal.

Around 3 PM, the sun was blazing overhead.

Although there were many ships docked at the Tongzhou Canal Wharf, very few people were seen loading and unloading cargo.

The area where the massive warship was moored had been cleared out, and the area around the main dock was densely packed with Imperial Guards and Imperial Soldiers.

Emperor Wanli, accompanied by Zhu Changxun and Song Yingxing, stood under the canopy at the dock, eagerly awaiting their arrival.

It's already June, and it's incredibly hot.

Especially at this time, just past noon, the sun was scorching hot, making people feel painful. The laborers on the dock dared not work under such a blazing sun.

Even with two ice troughs placed around them and two rows of eunuchs constantly fanning the flames, it was still a bit hot.

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long.

They stood on the dock for about fifteen minutes, and the dark warship emerged as a massive silhouette from among the passing ships.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Zhu and Chang Xun couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, it's so big and impressive!"

This warship is truly enormous; its width is probably seven or eight zhang, and its length is estimated to exceed twenty zhang.

The key point is that this warship is also very fast. When it runs, it is as fast as a galloping horse. In less than a quarter of an hour, it arrived at the dock.

At this point, the giant ship stopped and slowly approached the dock, pulled by more than ten shuttle ships.

Soon, a hatch resembling a drawbridge was lowered on the side closest to the dock.

Yu Zigao seemed to peek out to check the height before ordering someone to bring down a suitable ladder.

Immediately afterwards, he helped Wang Zheng climb down the ladder.

The two men hurried to the canopy and bowed. Wang Zheng then explained somewhat awkwardly, "Your Majesty, this dock is too low."

If the dock were built to the height of this giant ship, then lowering the hatch would be like using a drawbridge, allowing one to simply walk out—very convenient.

This is not a problem.

Looking at the giant ship before him, Emperor Wanli nodded with satisfaction and said, "Not bad, not bad. It's even armored. It's truly impressive. From now on, this kind of warship shall be called the Weiyuan Warship."

Weiyuan warship.

That's a great name.

Wang Zheng repeatedly cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Emperor Wanli nodded slightly, then asked, "How many cannons are stored in these two compartments?"

Wang Zheng explained in detail: "Your Majesty, a 500-jin cannon is a bit too big, and it would also require a metal cart to move it back and forth, so these two compartments can only hold a total of eighty cannons."

Eighty cannons, each weighing 500 jin (approximately 250 kg), were loaded, making their firepower terrifying.

Emperor Wanli nodded with satisfaction and said, "Yes, very good. Such strong ships and powerful cannons are the way to go. We should build these kinds of ironclad gunboats in the future."

Uh, don't just stand there and talk.

After waiting for a while, Xiao Zhu Changxun finally couldn't help but ask, "Father, shall we go up and take a look?"

Oh, I've been so busy looking at it from the outside that I haven't gone inside yet.

Upon hearing this, Wanli nodded slightly and said, "Yes, Liangfu, Kemai, come with us upstairs to take a look."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zheng touched the sweat on his forehead and said, "Your Majesty, it's too hot today."

"It's alright when it's open, at least there's some ventilation inside. But now that it's stopped, it gets very hot inside. Your Majesty, I dare to suggest that you have some ice brought up first?"

This is a problem.

There's no air conditioning now, and this giant ship is equipped with boilers and many steam engines. In the middle of summer, when it's already over 30 degrees Celsius outside, you can imagine how hot it is inside after the giant ship stops.

Upon hearing this, Wanli nodded slightly and said, "Yes, Uncle, have someone bring up more ice and ice troughs, and give some to the soldiers inside as well."

After saying that, he stared at the giant ship and pondered it.

Seeing this, Xiao Zhu and Chang Xun were so anxious that they started scratching their heads.

Song Yingxing even seemed impatient.

They all really wanted to go inside and take a look.

Wanli thought for a moment, then asked, "Liangfu, how many boilers are inside, and where are they located?"

Without hesitation, Wang Zheng replied, "Your Majesty, there are two boilers inside, both installed below the deck, roughly five zhang from the bow and stern. This will save a lot of copper steam pipes."

Yes, this makes it easier to install a fan.

Wanli nodded slightly, then raised his hand and gestured, "Chang Geng, we can make some automatic fan devices to dissipate heat inside. This thing is called a fan."

The fan's structure is very simple: a steam engine drives a large sprocket, and blades are mounted on one side of a smaller sprocket. The speed at which the fan can rotate is determined by the speed at which the blades rotate.

An automatic fan device?
Upon hearing this, Song Yingxing became interested again.

Upon hearing this, Wang Zheng's eyes lit up. By this time, the Imperial Guards had already carried up all the ice blocks they could, and many ice troughs had also been handed up.

Seeing this, Wanli waved his hand and said, "Let's go up and take a look. Uncle, you carry Xun'er up."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhu Changxun immediately spread his arms and said, "Uncle, Uncle, quickly carry me upstairs."

Seeing this, Li Xuancheng affectionately picked him up with one hand, then strode over, grabbed the stairs with one hand, and quickly climbed up.

Wanli also climbed up.

This cabin floor is a large open space, but it has many supporting pillars, and oil lamps similar to palace lanterns are installed on the pillars.

Although the oil lamps weren't very bright, their sheer number illuminated the interior, making the entire cabin clearly visible.

Right now, the naval soldiers are standing neatly on both sides of the cannons, with four gunners for each cannon.

Next to the cannons were rows and rows of fixed benches and iron boxes, all neatly arranged.

However, something seems to be missing.

Wanli examined it carefully and then asked, "Liangfu, why are there no beds? How will the soldiers rest?"

Wang Zheng quickly explained, "Your Majesty, the bed takes up too much space and is in the way."

I provided them with mats, blankets, and quilts, which can be easily stored in an iron box.

It's hot here all year round anyway, so sleeping on the floor is no problem at all.

It's really hot in here; even with several ice tanks, it's still hot.

Wanli nodded slightly, then instructed, "Chang Geng, get the fans ready as soon as possible, and equip each cannon with one so that the barrels can be cooled."

Song Yingxing repeatedly cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I understand."

At this moment, Li Xuancheng carried Xiao Zhu Changxun to the cannons and artillery carriages next to him to take a look.

Wanli walked over and took a closer look, and couldn't help but nod slightly.

These cannons were all mounted on cast iron carriages, which had thick iron plates underneath, as well as sliding tracks and locking devices, making them look very sturdy.

He examined it carefully, then asked, "Liangfu, has the cannon been test-fired? Can the ship's deck withstand it?"

Wang Zheng nodded repeatedly and said, "The cannons have been test-fired many times and there are no problems. The ship's deck can withstand the load without any signs of cracking."

That's no problem.

Wanli looked up again, then walked towards the bow of the ship.

There seemed to be a large empty area at the bow of the ship, which was not equipped with cannons. Apart from a ladder leading to the second floor, there were rows of iron boxes about half a person's height.

He looked at the iron boxes and couldn't help but ask, "Liangfu, what are these boxes for?"

Wang Zheng quickly explained, "Your Majesty, these are for cooking. The wider ones are for holding pots, pans, and fresh water, while the narrower ones are for charcoal stoves."

Oh, the soldiers still need to eat and drink.

Wanli nodded slightly, then said without any hesitation, "Liangfu, this is a giant ship specially designed for long-distance voyages at sea. The soldiers may stay on board for several days or even dozens of days."

If we really go to sea to fight, the soldiers will definitely have to eat, drink, and relieve themselves on the ship. They'll eat and drink here, but where will they relieve themselves?

Uh, that seems a bit indecent.

Wang Zheng paused for a moment, then pointed to the stern and said, "Your Majesty, the toilet is at the stern. There's a large pipe over there that leads directly into the sea, as well as a waterwheel and iron bucket for drawing water to wash it."

Yes, that's good.

Emperor Wanli nodded slightly, then climbed the stairs and went to the second floor.

The second floor seems similar to the first floor, except that there are no iron boxes at the bow, but instead two rows of large chairs and a large table.

Moreover, the armor on the bow of the ship was flipped up most of the way, allowing a clear view of the outside world.

This is roughly the cockpit.

When Wanli peeked out, he suddenly realized something.

He pointed to the huge window and said, "We need to install glass windows here, otherwise when we encounter storms at sea, rainwater will be blown in by the strong winds, and the cabin will become a river."

Oh, that's something I didn't consider.

Wang Zheng nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty is wise, I understand."

The driver's cab was completely different from those of later generations; it didn't even have a steering wheel.

Wanli then looked around and asked, "How do you navigate this ship? How do you control the direction?"

This boat is not for me to pilot.

Wang Zheng simply looked at Yu Zigao.

Yu Zigao quickly explained in detail: "Your Majesty, when the ship sets sail, my order is for the guards to line up from the bow to the stern, and from the second floor to the bottom floor."

"My orders must be relayed through them to the helmsman at the stern and to those in the hull who tend the boilers and control the valves."

This is too complicated.

However, one shouldn't have too high expectations these days. In any case, something is better than nothing.

We need to build more ships with such powerful cannons.

Emperor Wanli nodded slightly, then decisively said, "Alright, let's build two hundred ships according to this design first, and then we'll sail together to the South Seas to fight a battle before considering how to improve them."

Does this mean you're going to take this sample ship to Southeast Asia?
Upon hearing this, Wang Zheng thought for a moment, then pointed to both sides and said, "Your Majesty, I have actually considered building bedrooms and studies for the officers in charge on both sides."

However, I was in a hurry and haven't had time to set it up yet. Perhaps I could find someone to set it up for you right here?

Of course we need that.

I am, after all, the emperor; I cannot sleep on the floor. That would be unbecoming.

Wanli nodded slightly and said, "Yes, let's improve this ship here. Send orders to the Longjiangzhou Shipyard and the Xinzhou Shipyard to start mass production immediately."

(End of this chapter)