The sails are in the sky, and the drums are thundering. Above the Luoshui, the two teams of sailors were fighting with all their strength. "Mengchong" has a long and narrow hull and is covered with cowhide, like a shuttle. There is a parapet wall on the "Fighting Ship", and Feiyu can't avoid it and fight head-on. The "red horse" is small and narrow, swift as a galloping horse, and swims like a fish. Countless ships were scrambled together, and the battle was in full swing.
But the most eye-catching, or two handsome ships. One of them has a heavy building, ten feet high and divided into three floors. There are parapets on each floor with window openings for soldiers to fire crossbows. Flags and flags were planted all over the ship, and there were many swords and guns, and they were unstoppable. The other one looks like a battleship, but it is bigger, with dense paddle wheels, and behind the parapet, the gun mounts are like a forest.
The two giant ships are like dragons in the middle of the river, evacuating the waves and confronting each other. The boats below were fighting endlessly, and the formation of soldiers changed. They all wanted to break through the blockade of the other party and attacked Huanglong. Suddenly, the new warship moved, and the paddle wheel swayed, causing huge waves to dash forward at an astonishing speed. Drums sounded immediately on the building boat, and thousands of soldiers rushed to the side of the window, their bows and crossbows in full force, ready to engage in battle.
However, faster than them, the battleship was already flying horizontally, the gun mount on one side hummed, and dozens of artillery shells flew out and smashed towards the enemy! Even the trebuchet on the building ship has not yet entered the range. How dare this strange warship be thrown first? However, a crisp sound hit the deck, and red and cyan smoke filled the air.
Red means fire, cyan means the ship is broken. With a single blow, the giant ship began to turn and continue to charge forward. The towering bow of the ship protruded forward, decorated with copper and iron, and rammed into the enemy ship with ten thousand force!
"Ding ding ding", the crisp golden sound echoed on the river. Victory and defeat.
Sitting on the high platform by the shore, Liang Feng nodded with satisfaction: "Cars and boats are available."
It has been three years since the establishment of the Zhao State Water Army, and this is the first time he has personally reviewed it. The effect of this new warship is far better than expected.
The current mode of water warfare is far from what Liang Feng is familiar with. Without a reliable power source and effective attack weapons, water warfare is still about "many ships and soldiers". At the beginning, the famous Western Jin Dynasty general Wang Jun built the boat, "a hundred and twenty paces, receiving more than 2,000 people, using wood as a city, rising from the tower and scull, and opening four doors, all of which must be galloped." Sun Quan of Eastern Wu said. The "Chang'an" ship "carried 3,000 straight people."
For a ship of this size, the bow and crossbow are fired in unison, and the power is extremely impressive. Throwing rocks and pouring iron juice a little further away. Or attach a powerful rod to smash enemy ships to pieces. With the single-function boats such as "Mengchong", "Patting Ship", "Fire Boat" and "Red Horse", various water formations can be formed.
But such a building ship requires a very considerable number of skilled sailors. The Northern Army, which was good at bowing and horses, was inherently weaker than the Southern Army, which was good at water warfare.
To make up for this shortfall, Liang Feng ordered the ship to be improved. The ship is going in the direction of giganticization. The deck is nailed and tenoned to increase the strength, several sails are hung, a bed crossbow is installed, the tail rudder is added, and a watertight compartment is set up. There is also the promotion of the astronaut board and sextant to prepare for future ocean voyages.
Inland river boats, on the other hand, pay more attention to attack distance and boat speed. Two years ago, the Ministry of Industry designed a device that uses a human foot to turn the paddle, and made it into a "flying boat". After several improvements, it was finally extended to the main battleship, which is now the "car and ship".
Compared with a building ship, a car and a ship can carry a lot less navy, but the speed of travel is unmatched. It can go very fast in the absence of wind or even headwind. There is no heavy building on the ship, and there is space for a reduced version of the catapult, which can throw iron and incendiary bombs. The range and power are greatly improved, effectively increasing the attack range. The bow is also equipped with a ram, which can be used in conjunction with the paddle wheel to overturn even a top-heavy building ship. For Zhao, who had few navy troops, it was indeed a useful weapon.
What is being practiced now is also the formation that the navy has just perfected. If more than a hundred chariots and ships were built, they would certainly be of great use in the southern expedition against Jin.
"Let the car and boat dock, and I want to get on the boat and have a look." It was not enough to watch from the shore, Liang Feng stood up and walked towards the shore.
The emperor ordered that the car and boat soon came to the riverside. In front of the gangway, he supported Yi extension by his side, Liang Feng put his hand on his arm at will, and slowly boarded the boat. The size of the car and ship is not small, and they anchored on the riverside. After they boarded the deck, they could not feel any bumps. It was a bit like a battleship of later generations.
Liang Feng asked with a smile, "Is Bo Yuan still dizzy on such a ship?"
When the Navy was just established, Buqi had done a unified riding drill. As a result, the unparalleled hussar general became seasick, which made Liang Feng laugh for a few days.
Yi Yan smiled slightly: "If the boat starts to move, it will still be dizzy. I'm afraid Your Majesty won't be able to take it."
A person who is dizzy when riding in a carriage really can't laugh at others.
Liang Feng snorted softly and walked towards the trebuchet. In order to prevent turbulence and control the balance, gun mounts are erected on both sides of the ship's side, which are fixed on the ship's body and will not loosen even if a salvo is fired. Compared with the thunderbolt vehicle on land, this catapult is more like a ballista, using torque, so it is called "ballista". The gun body is short and the firing range is not large, but the projectiles on board are quite light and can shoot four or five hundred steps.
Liang Feng reached out and touched the dry gun body and asked, "Is this ballista easy to maintain?"
Yang Hui, the commander of the Navy, said, "Report to Your Majesty, this cannon is small, and it is not easy to get wet when twisted. It can fire two hundred times without damage."
The lifespan is only 200 times, which is really not long. But compared to the cost, it is still bearable. In the era of cold weapons where science and technology have not yet reached the standard, the range and lethality of artillery may not have an absolute advantage, and the price is ridiculously high.
"Cannon should be practiced or practiced. Gunners should also practice diligently to improve their accuracy." Liang Feng commanded.
Yang Hui took the order, and then said: "There is always a shortage of fierce firearms in the army, please send more of your majesty."
This fierce fire bomb is actually an incendiary bomb made of petroleum. If gunpowder is added, its power is even more amazing. But oil is not something that can be obtained by accident. It was only after Liang Feng sent people to investigate in various ways that they discovered a surface mineral vein near the Yanhe River in northern Shaanxi. It's just that this place belongs to the Qiang Hu territory, and after Yongzhou was won, a large-scale collection of manpower was organized. The combustion effect of oil is much better than the original coal tar. All armies are looking forward to changing equipment.
"I have ordered the Ministry of War to step up mining, and in another two years, it will be sufficient." Liang Feng promised.
The meaning of the emperor's words, is it going to expedition to the south in two years? Yang Hui's face showed joy: "As long as the Ministry of Industry can build enough vehicles and ships, within two years, I will be able to train usable soldiers!"
He and Lu Kai of the North Sea Mariner were fighting hard. Now that the ships built by the sea are bigger than the other, if they set sail to the south and go straight to Jianye from the mouth of the river, wouldn’t they be credited? Now that the navy has vehicles and ships, the formation is more changeable, and he doesn't want to be left behind!
Liang Feng smiled slightly: "The usefulness of the navy is not just to conquer the south. Now that the Fen water is open, the navy can go straight to Yongzhou. The transportation of troops and food can be of great use. fight."
Whether it is Yongqin or Youbian, they are the front lines to guard against nomads. Luoyang is located in the Central Plains. If you want to effectively control these areas, you must work hard on the operation of troops. Road construction is the second priority, and smooth waterways are the key. Now it is possible to sail directly from Yecheng to Youzhou, and from Jinyang to Chang'an. There is a lot of room for mobilization of troops. In the future, if the south is pacified, I am afraid that we will have to find a way to repair the canal that connects the Yellow River to the Huaihe River. In this way, the North-South Grand Canal also took shape. However, these are not something that can be accomplished in one or two generations. He did not mean to imitate Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty.
Hearing this, Yang Hui was a little disappointed, but immediately cheered up again. Isn't the military training for the Southern Expedition? The more prepared you are, the better it will be for the navy!
After reading the ballista, Liang Feng came to the paddle wheel warehouse on the lower floor. The space here is not small, each blade is connected to the wheel, and the paddlers can push the ship forward rapidly by means of pedal wheels. Unexpectedly, the bicycle has not yet been seen, and the pedal boat has already been trial-produced. Liang Feng nodded with satisfaction: "This is a powerful weapon of the navy, you should study it carefully and avoid weaknesses."
Cars and boats are not without their drawbacks. If they are approached by a building ship and start a battle, the military disadvantage will not be easy to solve. In addition, the enemy also has small offensive boats such as fire boats and boats. Vessels such as vehicles and boats that store a large amount of flammable and explosive materials must also guard against fire attacks. There is no invincible weapon in the world, so the art of war is especially important.
All the generals around him take orders.
After visiting the new ship, Liang Feng received the victorious navy again. Not to mention the reward, he also inquired about the ancestral home of everyone, and it turned out that Qingzhou and Jingzhou were the most populated.
"It seems that it will take time for Beidi boats to develop." Liang Feng sighed, "Boyuan, how are you training the 'Flying Leopard' in your army?"
"Flying Leopard" is actually the ancient version of the Marine Corps. Only those who can swim, ride horses, and excel in martial arts and archery can be selected.
"There are already 2,000. There are many people in the army who are good at horses, but few are good at water." Yi Yan was not used to riding a boat himself, and it was not easy to train such a strong soldier in the army.
Liang Feng nodded slightly: "Choose another 3,000 people who know water and go to the water army to practice. Yang Qing, these soldiers are all handed over to you. If they are trained, they will all belong to you!"
Yang Hui was overjoyed: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Back then, Lu Kai had acquired a thousand "Flying Leopards", and his combat power was unparalleled. But he was greedy. Now give yourself 3,000 strong soldiers in one breath, as long as you cultivate properly, isn't it another pick? For him, sailors are easy to practice, but bowing horses is difficult!
Yi Yan had a secret thought in his heart, I am afraid that the lord wants to attack Qinzhou. He knew best the strategy formulated by the Privy Council, first to pacify Qinzhou, then to advance to Jingzhou, Xuzhu, and then to conquer Liangzhou. Step by step, the small court in the south was compressed, causing it to self-destruct. Water battles are meant to be fought, but they must not be rashly fought like Wei Wu.
Therefore, whether it is Qinzhou or Jingzhou, you must first take the navy to practice. I don't know how useful this attack will be.
However, before the State of Zhao launched its troops, news came from the south first. The severe drought in Jiangdong continues, and it seems that there is a New Year's trend. The fields were not harvested, and there were two solar eclipses. Wang Dun finally couldn't sit still, and raised his troops in the name of "Qingjun's side". Today, Wang Dun can be said to be the most capable person in Jiangdong, and he has tens of thousands of soldiers. Destroying all the way, killing towards Jian Ye!
The author has something to say: The inventor of the car and boat is actually Zu Chongzhi, but he hung it up, three generations ahead of schedule XD