roccoschili Chapter 16 The Ming Dynasty Navy Gets a New Look!
Chapter 16 The Ming Dynasty Navy Gets a New Look!
three days later.
Nanjing, Longjiang Shipyard.
This is the largest and most technologically advanced shipbuilding base in the entire Ming Dynasty.
Established during the Yongle era, it was the largest of the massive fleet used by Zheng He during his voyages to the Western Ocean.
It was born here.
But that happened during the Yongle reign.
Today, although the shipyard is still in operation, it is no longer as prosperous as it once was.
At that moment, all the shipyard's craftsmen knelt respectfully on the ground, not daring to breathe.
Three people stood in front of them.
The regent, the eldest grandson of the emperor, Zhu Zaiyi, the newly appointed commander-in-chief of the Jizhou garrison, Qi Jiguang, and the Minister of Works, Lei Li.
Qi Jiguang had just been ordered to come from the north.
The general, who was historically known for his strict military discipline and outstanding military achievements, looked at Zhu Zaiyi with eyes full of fervent admiration.
A message transmitted over a thousand miles reversed the course of the battle.
"Get up, all of you," Zhu Zai Rui said calmly.
The craftsmen then stood up tremblingly, but still kept their heads down, none of them daring to look directly at the legendary regent.
Zhu Zaiyi said nothing and walked straight to the shipyard. He walked to the frame of a Fujian ship under construction, about fifteen zhang long, and tapped the solid keel.
"Thump."
The voice was muffled.
Zhu Zaiyi shook his head.
"Too slow, too brittle."
Upon hearing this, Minister of Works Lei Li gave a wry smile. He stepped forward, bowed, and explained, "Your Highness, this is already the best warship we can build. The keel of this Fujian ship is made of thousand-year-old ironwood transported from the deep mountains of Fujian. The wood is as hard as iron; ordinary swords and knives cannot even leave a mark when they cut into it."
He paused, then continued, "But this kind of timber is extremely rare. The logging and transportation alone will take half a year. From material preparation to completion, a Fujian ship takes at least a year. This is already the speed at which the most elite craftsmen in the entire shipyard work day and night."
"A year?" Zhu Zai Rui frowned slightly.
He was silent for a moment, then said something that made everyone present widen their eyes.
"That's too long. I need thirty of these warships a month, and each one must be ten times stronger than the last."
"What?!"
Minister of Works Lei Li almost lost his footing.
Thirty ships?
A month?
Ten times stronger?
All the craftsmen were stunned; some even subconsciously thought they had misheard.
Qi Jiguang also looked puzzled.
Zhu Zaiyi offered no explanation.
He simply turned and walked toward the workshop next to the shipyard where iron materials were piled up.
There, hundreds of blacksmiths were shirtless, sweating profusely.
Stop.
Zhu Zaiyi waved his hand.
Everyone was stunned.
Zhu Zaiyi walked to a huge iron smelting furnace, looked down into the furnace chamber. The surface of the ore had begun to melt, but the inside was still a dark, solid substance.
"The temperature is too low, and there are too many impurities."
He shook his head again.
After saying that, to everyone's astonishment, he stretched out his right hand and pointed lightly at the iron smelting furnace.
A ball of blue flame shot out from his fingertips.
The flame was only the size of a fist, yet it was so bright that it was impossible to look directly at it. It traced an arc and instantly disappeared into the furnace.
"boom!"
The entire blast furnace suddenly trembled.
The furnace fire, which was originally orange-red, turned from red to blue in an instant, and then from blue to white! The temperature suddenly soared to an unbelievable level, and the scorching heat wave rushed over, forcing the blacksmiths who were nearby to retreat one after another.
The thousands of pounds of iron ore in the furnace melted rapidly, like ice and snow meeting boiling oil, at a speed visible to the naked eye. The hard black outer shell of the ore peeled off, and the iron inside turned into a pot of blue-green, boiling molten iron, bubbling and gurgling.
Countless black impurities, scorched by the blue flames, turned into wisps of black smoke, which rose from the furnace mouth and dissipated into the air.
"This...this is..." An old craftsman with white hair and beard seemed to recall some ancient legend, and his cloudy eyes suddenly flashed with a horrified light, "This is Samadhi Fire! It's the Samadhi Fire of the immortals!"
He knelt down with a thud, trembling all over, tears streaming down his face.
Zhu Zai Rui ignored their shock.
He raised one hand in mid-air.
That huge pot of incredibly pure molten iron seemed to come alive, bursting out of the furnace and transforming into a blue fire dragon in the air! The fire dragon circled once, emitting a deep roar, and then swooped down, precisely pouring the keel and hull frame of the Fujian ship!
"Sizzle—!"
Smoke rose and filled the entire dock.
The molten iron, as if possessing its own will, spread rapidly along the wooden frame.
The one-piece steel shell perfectly encloses the entire ship's skeleton.
This is not over yet.
Zhu Zaiyi formed a mudra with his hands and muttered incantations.
Golden runes flew from his hand, shimmering and colorful, like golden butterflies, gracefully landing on the newly formed steel warship.
"Water Control Formation, capable of breaking through waves!"
The first rune landed on the bow of the ship, flashed with golden light, and disappeared into the steel.
"Gathering Wind Formation, can increase speed!"
The second rune landed on the horizontal bar of the sail, and the entire mast emitted a crisp hum.
"The Vajra Formation can withstand cannon fire!"
The third rune landed on both sides of the ship's side, and a faint halo spread along the hull.
It took no more than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
A wooden Fujian-style ship that originally took a year to build was transformed into a "steel behemoth" right before everyone's eyes!
The shipyard was deathly silent.
All the craftsmen, including Minister of Works Lei Li and Qi Jiguang, were dumbfounded.
Their mouths were agape, their eyes were wide open, and their minds were blank.
This...this is shipbuilding?
This looks like something a god is making clay!
Qi Jiguang was the first to regain his senses. This renowned general, who had never wavered in the face of thousands of troops on the battlefield, was now trembling in his voice.
"Your Highness...Your Highness..."
He walked step by step toward the "new ship," reached out, and carefully touched the cold, hard steel hull.
Qi Jiguang's eyes immediately reddened.
He had commanded a navy before; he knew all too well what this meant. The Japanese pirates' ships were like paper before this steel behemoth. No, they didn't even need to fire a cannon; a mere ramming would shatter them to pieces!
With such warships, what need is there to fear the Japanese pirates! What need is there to fear the unrest across the seas!
With a thud, Qi Jiguang knelt heavily before Zhu Zaiyi, his head hitting the ground with a loud thud.
"This humble general, Qi Jiguang, is willing to die for Your Highness!"
His voice was hoarse with excitement, yet it resonated deeply: "For my Great Ming, I will gladly die a thousand deaths to pacify our coastal borders!"
Zhu Zaiyi looked at him, a hint of satisfaction finally appearing in his eyes, and nodded.
"This is just a prototype." His tone remained calm. "The materials are too poor, and the formation is too crude. It's barely usable. Within a month, I will personally oversee the forging of thirty such 'Divine Ironclad Ships'."
He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the craftsmen and Minister of Works Lei Li, who were still immersed in shock.
"As for you—"
"I will pass on to you a simplified method for forging iron armor. You will not need the Samadhi Fire; with ordinary fire and manpower, you can slowly forge iron armor. Although the results will be much less effective, it will be more than enough to build ordinary 'ironclad warships'."
He paused, then said in an unquestionable tone, "From now on, the minimum configuration of the Ming Dynasty's navy must meet this standard."
Upon hearing this, Minister of Works Lei Li and all the craftsmen trembled with emotion, tears streaming down their faces.
This is not just shipbuilding; it is a miraculous skill capable of changing the fate of a nation!
They all knelt down, touched their foreheads to the ground, and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"
However, just as the Longjiang Shipyard was bustling with activity, preparing to launch the Ming Dynasty's "industrial revolution"...
A military report is rushing towards the capital from the northern border, traveling 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers) by express courier, day and night.
Anda Khan has assembled 100,000 iron cavalry, and his army has already passed Datong, heading straight for the capital!