Ming East India Company

Once the casting was complete, the factory area fell silent, with only the crackling of the furnace fire. No one dared to relax. Bronze cannons are most susceptible to damage from rapid cooling; if exposed to wind or splashed with water, the uneven internal stress of the metal would cause the cannon to crack, rendering all previous efforts futile.

Bu Jialao stood by the pouring pit, letting his clothes soaked with sweat, and personally watched as the craftsmen gently surrounded the clay mold with dry grass and ash, allowing the cannon to cool naturally.

For the next three days, he ate and slept in the factory area, never leaving it for a moment.

On the morning of the third day, as the sea breeze swept across the factory area, Bu Jialao finally waved, signaling the craftsmen to begin work.

With a gentle tap of a wooden hammer, the outer layer of clay mold peeled away piece by piece, gradually revealing a smooth, lustrous bronze cannon barrel. The cannon barrel was thick and smooth, the bronze gleaming with a warm, dark golden luster. There were no sand holes or cracks, the walls were of uniform thickness, the trunnions were straight, and the straight barrel exuded a natural, exquisite craftsmanship.

Bugalao walked up to the bronze cannon, his fingertips gently stroking the smooth bronze surface, his tense brows finally relaxing. After a few months of rest, the Bugalao artillery factory was finally producing cannons again.

In the first month of the 24th year of the Wanli reign (1565), amidst the cold wind, twenty brand-new 18-pound Korfflin cannons were transported to Ryukyu Island. The moment the cannons arrived at Naha Port, Shirano raised his arms and shouted:

"Our time is coming."

Simultaneously with the casting of the Köfflin cannons, the Bai family was also undertaking another project: the construction of the Calais galley.

For Shirayuki at this time, there was still a long way to go in developing the galleon sailing ship. If he wanted to quickly form combat power, then the simple and easy-to-build galley sailing ship was the wise choice.

Contrary to popular belief, the initial beneficiaries of the deployment of cannons on ships were not the seemingly imposing galleons and carracks, but rather the seemingly unremarkable oar-powered ships.

Before the advent of gun ports and sliding rails, broadside gun mounting was not the mainstream, and the tonnage utilization rate of large sailing ships was very low. The number of cannons on a galleon was roughly equivalent to that of 15-20 ordinary galleys.

However, its cost and construction period are equivalent to at least thirty or forty oar-powered sailing ships.

Even more critically, the excessively tall superstructure and hull of large sailing ships made it easy for their cannons to be positioned too high when fighting against galleys.

In the era before rifling and sights, the hit rate of muzzle-loading cannon shells was basically proportional to the firing distance.

Because of their low gunwales, galleys are easily in a blind spot when firing at close range at large sailing ships, thus avoiding attacks from the cannons of the large sailing ships.

On the contrary, its bow gun could threaten the sides and even the waterline of large sailing ships at relatively close range.

The biggest advantage of early large sailing ships over galleys was actually their ability to board at close range. Because of their tall superstructures, they could use firepower such as breech-loading guns from a superior position.

Moreover, galleys are very agile in close combat, and can maneuver quickly without changing sails, making it easy to gain the upper hand.

Finally, and most importantly, this thing has an extremely short construction period, very low cost, and can be quickly completed.

In the Battle of Brest in 1512, six French galleys killed the commander of the British Royal Navy and nearly captured Henry VIII, demonstrating the superiority of galleys at that time.

Specifically in the starting areas of East Asia, oar-powered sailing ships have another important advantage: they are better suited for attacking surface forces like the Ming Dynasty's Eastern Ocean, which have many small boats.

A single Cofferin cannon can arm a galley, and currently, no ship in East Asia can withstand the direct bombardment of a galley at close range. Compared to the "anti-aircraft guns killing mosquitoes" of a large Galleon-Krak fleet, galleys are clearly more suitable for beginners to start their adventures in the newbie village.

Of course, galleys also have a major problem: as a type of vessel specialized for the Mediterranean region, their long-range capabilities are extremely poor; a single large wave can capsize them. They are a complete "green water fleet."

Therefore, while large Western sailing ships were dominating the colonies in the early days, galleys could only serve as "mobile defensive towers" to guard their own high ground.

However, at this time in East Asia, the shortcomings of oar-powered sailing ships were not yet apparent.

On the one hand, Shirane did not intend to travel thousands of miles to the ports of various European countries to be killed, so the galley ships spent most of their combat area in the near sea.

On the other hand, Shirano's large fleet of Japanese-made boats could serve as "loyal bodyguards" for the oar-powered sailing fleet, accompanying it and overcoming its tendency to capsize.

……

Inside the dry dock of Naha Port in Okinawa, countless craftsmen are preparing to start work. They first clear away the rubble and silt in the dock, compact the ground, and lay flat oak bases to ensure that the ship will not tilt during the entire construction process.

Since the teak was not yet fully dried, Shirano had to settle for using softwood for shipbuilding. Elm was used instead of teak for the keel, camphor wood, which is commonly used in Fujian ships, was used for the ribs and other parts, and cedar was used directly for the mast.

After the timber arrives at the shipyard, it is first processed by loggers and carpenters to remove branches and cut it into regular pieces.

Meanwhile, the blacksmith's furnace worked day and night to forge fasteners such as nails, wooden pegs, hinges, and iron hoops; the lacquerers prepared waterproof fillers such as hemp fiber and pine resin in advance; and the rope makers wrung out strong ropes. All kinds of materials were sorted and piled up, guarded by special personnel, waiting for work to begin.

Once everything is ready, the ship officially enters the hull frame construction phase, which is the foundation of the entire ship and determines its strength and shape.

The first step was to place the keel. The craftsmen worked together with logs, ropes, and winches to place the smooth, straight, and slender oak keel steadily on the dock foundation and secure it firmly with wooden bolts and iron hoops.

The keel, the "backbone" of the entire ship, is over seven zhang long. The craftsmen repeatedly checked its levelness, as even the slightest error could cause the ship to become unbalanced. Subsequently, a sharp, upturned bowpost was installed at the front of the keel to house the ram and bow platform; an arched sternpost was installed at the rear of the keel to house the stern command cabin and steering gear. Both the bowpost and sternpost were tightly connected to the keel using mortise and tenon joints, and then reinforced with thick camphor wood bolts, forming the basic outline of the hull.

Next came the installation of the ribs, which was crucial in shaping the Calais's long, streamlined hull.

The ribs are made of bent camphor wood, which is pre-shaped by steam heating to soften the wood. The wood is then bent into a shape that conforms to the curvature of the hull using a mold, and installed after cooling and setting.

In Europe, the builder of a warship constructed this way would probably have his head hung from the mast by the captain. However, given that the navies of Japan, North Korea, and South Korea are practically "naked," Shirano permitted this "shoddy workmanship." So be it, they can't fight back anyway.