On the surface of the Bohai Sea, Qi Jiguang led the mighty Ming Navy straight to the Tsoma Strait.
In the past few months, especially after the battle with the Folang Squadron, the Ming Navy's combat power had increased dramatically.
The main warship had been equipped with armor, and the hull had been lengthened to 280 meters and 62 meters wide. The spacious deck could be used for horse racing…
As the Ministry of Works 'cannon manufacturing technology improved, the number of cannons increased to eighteen. The black muzzles stared at the turbulent sea.
As long as the fleet lined up and fired at the same time, no ship could resist.
Other than the main warship, the shuttle ships, guard ships, and assault boats were patrolling around, observing the situation on the surface of the sea at all times.
These small boats were also equipped with small cannons, which could be used to warn the enemy of the battle and support the main warship, ready to engage in battle at any time.
"The navy of the empire is invincible!"
The construction of this mighty navy had cost close to 10 million taels of silver, which was five times the income of Japan!
It was also the sum of the gross national product of the European countries of the same era!
For thousands of years, the Central Plains had been the wealthiest country in the world. It was only during the era of wild boar skin that the barbarians began to open the door to them with their strong ships and cannons, and the situation continued to deteriorate…
Zhu Houjin would not give the barbarians such a chance, let alone the wild boar skin.
Now, Qi Jiguang had brought 20,000 navy soldiers to fight in the Tsima Strait. The other navy soldiers were training and patrolling the long coastline of the Empire...
The twenty thousand navy led by Qi Jiguang were the elites among the elites, they already had actual combat experience.
Not only were they not afraid of war, but they would also embrace cheers and even yearn for the arrival of war.
As a soldier, he could only prove his ability and value on the battlefield!
……
On the main battleship, Qi Jiguang knelt on the deck in full armor and kowtowed to the north,"
"Your Majesty, the combat power of the Ming Navy is no longer what it used to be. I will lead the navy to the outer seas of Koryo to publicize the national prestige of the mother country. I will definitely defeat the Japanese warriors and win glory for the empire!”
The soldiers knelt down together.
"Let's fight! General Qi!"
"Let us use our cannons to show the Japanese the power of the Ming Navy!”
"Good! Then let the Japanese test out the Ming Navy's newest combat power and let them know His Majesty's fury!”
"When the emperor is angry, millions of corpses will fall!"
"General Qi, after we defeat the Japanese pirates in Korea, shall we go straight to their country?”
……
In fact, the Japanese did not have any decent navy. The main force that participated in the invasion of Korea was the Japanese pirates who made a living by robbing.
Most of these pirates modified the merchant ships they had robbed, supplemented by some small fishing boats. Most of the pirates on the ships still used samurai swords, and there were also a few bird guns. There were very few cannons, and they could not fire at will. Once they fired, they would explode…
Compared to Japan, Korea was even poorer. There was not a single warship equipped with cannons in the country.
In this era, the cannons of the Ming Empire Navy were like gods in the eyes of the pirates!
Because Japan's forging technology was very backward, imitating a cannon would cause the entire team of craftsmen to be wiped out.
This was the reason why the pirates didn't have cannons.
On the Bohai Sea, the Great Ming Navy marched forward in a mighty manner. Behind the fleet were large pontoons in charge of logistics and supplies. Behind the large pontoons were fishing boats. These fishing boats were sent by Tan Lun to transport supplies. It could also be considered a military and civilian cooperation training for an expedition.
——
When Qi Jiguang was on the deck paying his respects to the Emperor of Ming Dynasty and swearing to attack the Japanese, Zhu Houyu, who was in the Yangxin Hall of the capital, was listening to Yu Lizhao, the minister of the Ministry of Works, report his joy.
The new cannon had been developed!
Less than a month had passed.
" Your Majesty, the craftsmen of the Ministry of Works have conducted a thorough research on the Folang Machine Cannon. They have now developed the breech propulsion cannon. The most important data was given by Your Majesty…"
As he spoke, the Minister of Works, Yu Li Chao, presented the blueprint of the new cannon to Zhu Hou.
Zhu Houzhen unfolded the blueprint on the Dragon Book table and looked at it carefully.
"Your Majesty, the craftsmen have been working day and night. They have repeatedly researched and produced many types of cannonballs. The materials used are gold, silver, copper, and iron. In the end, they chose brass because it is of good quality and is much cheaper than gold and silver.”
As he spoke, a eunuch carried the yellow cannonball into Yangxin Palace Hall.
Zhu Houjin looked at the yellow cannonballs and felt that it was quite interesting. Such cannonballs were precious!
Especially for some poor countries, they couldn't differentiate between gold and brass.
When the cannon was fired, those who didn't die and saw the shell would think that the Ming Empire had smashed them with gold.
"Reporting to the emperor, we have also improved gunpowder. Black gunpowder is too easy to explode, and the impact is not enough.”
Zhu Houjin knew that the impurities in the black gunpowder were the main reason why the cannons were prone to exploding.
"What I want to know is, what is the range of these cannons?”
"Your Majesty, this cannon has a range of 14 miles, which is more than double the original range of 6 miles. It can be installed on warships or placed on the city walls to bombard cavalry.”
"Good! Minister Yu, you have made a great contribution this time, and I will reward you heavily. This cannon must be manufactured day and night. The navy needs this cannon, and the northern nine sides of the empire also need it very much. How many have been manufactured now?”
The Minister of Works, Yu Li Chao, broke out in cold sweat when he heard the Emperor ask about the number of new cannons.
" Your Majesty, these cannons were only developed the day before yesterday, so there are less than 10 of them…"
"Go back to the Ministry of Works immediately and pass down the decree. We need to manufacture 100 cannons every day. The other matters in the Ministry of Works can be put aside.”
"Yes!"
The Minister of Works, Yu Li Chao, was about to leave and return to the Ministry of Works to deliver the decree, but he was stopped by the eunuch at the door.
"Lord Yu, His Majesty wants to see the power of the new cannon. His Majesty wants you to pull a cannon to the hunting ground in the eastern suburbs.”
"This lowly subject obeys the decree!"
After receiving the decree, the Minister of Works, Yu Li Chao, jogged back to the Ministry of Works.
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