On the calm Bohai Sea, a steam iron armored ship with black smoke was sailing in the wind, and the green dragon flag hanging on it sounded in the sea breeze. Behind the steam iron armored ship, there was a white wave mark.

"fire!"

When the steam ironclad ship entered the waters without fishing boats, the naval officer issued an order for artillery.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The 40-pound cannons on the side of the ship were fired in sequence, and a volley was fired down. The smoke from gunpowder covered the upper deck, seriously affecting the sight of the naval officers on the upper deck.

But for these naval officers in the age of sailing warships, the white smoke produced by black gunpowder is commonplace.

"The range of the forty-pound cannon is indeed almost the same as the arsenal reported. I just don't know how hit rate is. I will test its accuracy when we do the drill."

Nelson put down his telescope and he was able to judge the range of the cannon by the water columns stirred by the shells in the telescope.

"In order to make this warship stable and reliable, our shipyard has carefully studied its ability to resist wind and waves, and its structural strength should be lower than that of ordinary storms. Unless it encounters hurricanes and killing waves, it will not be easily destroyed. There are watertight compartments on the bottom floor, and even if some compartments enter water, they can still sail to nearby ports." The engineer of the Iron Craft said proudly.

Building such ironclad ships for war gave them a greater sense of accomplishment than building giant cable ships like the Orient.

Military ships often require a stronger hull, and their performance also requires the limits that can be achieved by current technology and materials.

"In order to operate this ship, our Admiralty Department drew troops from each fleet to form the operation team of this ship. Next, it will be fine-tuned."

Officers from the Admiralty inspected the ships everywhere to see if the planned crew configuration is redundant or missing.

"Our Nanyang Fleet is assisting the 12th Corps in the South China Sea to launch an offensive against the indigenous kingdoms, and at the same time manage the fleets of various provinces and countries that trade in the South China Sea, eliminate the indigenous pirates in the South China Sea, and also send a squadron to the Mughal Empire. Therefore, the subordinates believe that this ironclad ship should belong to our Nanyang Fleet to help us complete complex tasks." Naval officers from the Nanyang Fleet took the lead in starting to compete for the ownership of the first ironclad ship.

No one will doubt the combat capability of the strong ship and the giant cannon after seeing the real object.

"The Beiyang Fleet wants to maintain the reputation of our navy in the Yellow Sea and the Sea of ​​Japan, and to intimidate the Japanese warriors who are rebellious, and also need a warship that makes them desperate. I look at the Beiyang Fleet that an ironclad ship should give us." Zheng Zhilong, who returned from Goryeo, also joined the battle for the ironclad ship.

The Empire had four fleets, and each fleet wanted to be the first to have such an ironclad ship to increase the reputation of its own fleet.

The topic of senior officers of these fleets is to compare the number of ships and the weight of cannons in each other's fleet. The hottest thing in front of them is this ironclad ship. If it is taken down by a fleet, it can brag about it in front of the officers of other fleets for several years.

"I proposed to the military leader the construction of a steam iron armored ship. Now that the iron armored ship is built, it should theoretically be allocated to our Zhili fleet to protect the safety of the imperial capital in Weihaiwei."

Nelson was also shameless and wanted to leave the Steam Iron Craft. Having an invincible warship is undoubtedly the lifelong dream of all the navy generals. He really doesn't want to give it to his subordinates easily.

"The commander-in-chief has personally competed. How can we fight for it?"

"The Zhili fleet already has several powerful sail battleships, including the Victory, and several other sail battleships that are only one smaller than the Victory. The number of ships and firepower are enough. With a ironclad ship, our other three fleets will not be able to compete in the future."

Zheng Zhilong also had a group of naval officers from other fleets envied the Zhili fleet. The Zhili fleet was almost all sail battleships from later generations. If the ironclad ship was added to the Zhili fleet, the gap between the Zhili fleet and the other three fleets would widen.

The Secretary of the Navy also served as the commander of the Zhili Fleet. Nelson wanted to win this ironclad ship for the Zhili Fleet, but no one could steal him.

"When the crew was training in Dalian Port for half a month, they went to Tianjin Guard to wait for the military master to review, and asked the military master to name the ship, and the military master to distribute it. What do you think?" Although Nelson was jealous of the iron armored ship, he still wanted to seize it in a fair way.

"It's great." Many officers replied.

Although Chu Yun may favor Nelson who is absolutely loyal to him, the other three fleets still have the opportunity to dispatch the ship to their fleet.

"Sir, are you satisfied with this ironclad ship?" asked the director of Shipbuilding Factory No. 1.

"We are all satisfied with the performance and design." Nelson did not retain his compliment.

"So the matter of new orders..." the factory manager greeted with a smile.

Shipbuilding Factory No. 1 focuses on the production of steamships, requiring a large number of ship designers and skilled shipwrecks. These people all have to make a living. If they can't afford the wages, they may be poached by other rising shipyards.

To maintain the normal operation of the shipyard, continuous shipbuilding projects are required.

"The Admiralty intends to order a steam trainer from your shipyard, two steam cruisers of about 1,200 tons, and four steam gunboats of about 400 tons. As long as you can come up with a design plan that satisfies our Admiralty within three months, we will hand you the order for these 7 ships." Nelson said.

The factory manager couldn't help but lit up when he heard the Navy's headquarters take down seven ships in one breath.

Although these seven steamships are much smaller than the Secret Class Iron Crafts, the seven steamships combined are still a big order.

"It should be no problem to complete the design of coach ships, patrol ships and gunboats within three months. We already have the technology of manufacturing 3,000 tons of ironclad ships, and we only need to divide the designers into several groups to design at the same time. The coach ship is used to train sailors to adapt to ironclad ship combat, but what are the uses of two 1,200 tons of steam cruise ships and four 400 tons of gunboats? If we know the main purpose, our designers may add this consideration when conceiving the blueprint." asked the factory manager.

"It's okay to say that, it is mainly used to patrol the coasts of some important facilities in the South China Sea to prevent pirates from invading important facilities and ports, and to seize spice smuggling ships." Nelson said.
Chapter completed!