Volume 1: The Battleship Yitian Changes into the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 Chapter 7: Shell Exchange and Sea Power
Ding Ruchang's face changed slightly , and he looked at Deng Shichang. Deng Shichang looked at Sun Gang and said, "Black gunpowder has many disadvantages. In the previous test firing of our navy's naval guns, some of them hit the target but did not explode. Shichang has also heard of this new yellow gunpowder, but I have heard that the navies of Western countries did not dare to use it because of its unstable properties..."
"I think the Japanese dared to adopt it first, so they must know that the properties of the gunpowder tend to be stable after passivation. As long as it is properly stored and the ammunition is not piled up in one place during the battle, there should be no danger." Sun Gang took out the two small bottles from his pocket and said, "I carry a few with me, and I would like to demonstrate to the general and the commander-in-chief to compare the explosive power of black gunpowder and yellow gunpowder!"
Ding Ruchang was stunned for a moment, looked at Deng Shichang, then at Sun Gang, and nodded slowly. Sun Gang put the small bottle of picric acid aside, lit the fuse of the small bottle of black powder first, and threw it out of the window. A crisp "bang!" sound came from outside the window, attracting the astonished gaze of the guards in the yard.
"This is the explosive power of black powder." Sun Gang said, picking up the vial of picric acid, "General, please let the people in the courtyard take shelter temporarily to avoid accidental injuries."
Ding Ruchang stood in front of the window and waved his hand to let the guards in the yard retreat. Sun Gang made sure that there was no one in the yard, lit the fuse of the bottle, and threw the bottle into the lotus pond in the yard, then hid by the wall with lingering fear.
Flames burst out and there was a loud bang. The bricks and stones beside the pool were blown into the air, as if there was a rainstorm. Several broken lotus leaves flew with water droplets and hit the faces of Ding Ruchang and Deng Shichang who were standing by the window, but the two of them were unaware of it. They just stared blankly at the burning pool and were speechless for a long time.
"There's an assassin! There's an assassin!" The guards outside didn't know what was going on and rushed in. When they saw the scene in front of them and the two superiors who had been petrified, they stood there in a daze, not knowing what to do.
"Please ask the army to retreat, the smoke is poisonous." Sun Gang's calm voice pulled them back from their petrified state. "Please forgive me for destroying your flower bed."
Ding Ruchang looked at Sun Gang for a long time without saying a word. Deng Shichang's eyes met Sun Gang's and he nodded slowly.
It can be seen from the shocked and horrified expressions on Ding and Deng's faces that there is no need for him to say anything more at this point.
Things went much more smoothly than expected. I don't know how Ding Ruchang applied, but the imperial court still didn't allocate money. However, Li Hongzhang squeezed out some money for him from somewhere and asked the ordnance office to cooperate fully. Perhaps the loud noise shook the old general's soul, and Deng Shichang's successful coordination among the captains of the ships, the shell "blood transfusion" plan was successfully launched, allowing Ma Yue to make a small fortune, but her raw material inventory was far from enough (after being passivated by military workers, it was barely enough to replace 50 rounds of 305mm shrapnel, because one shrapnel charge required 10 kilograms), which made her send people to contact dye shops like crazy. Later, other officers in the Beiyang Fleet helped to contact the source of goods, and then the raw material problem was solved.
The following should be considered good news. The Beiyang Fleet, equipped with a small amount of modified ammunition, performed fiercely in the naval review in May and made a big comeback, which shocked the foreign delegations that came to visit. It may be that the test firing of the new shells gave Lord Zhongtang a strong shot of confidence. Sun Gang could see from a distance from the old man's face with his eyes almost popping out that Lord Zhongtang would not be forced to adopt any "protecting ships and defeating the enemy" strategy in future wars, and of course he would not be scolded by future generations.
This shell "blood transfusion" plan also brought an unexpected side effect, that is, when disassembling the old shells in stock, a large number of shells filled with sand and coal ash were found. When the Lord Zhongtang learned about it, he was furious and scolded all the officials in charge of military supplies. He ordered them to rectify and investigate within a time limit, otherwise they would all be beheaded! The military supply department did not dare to neglect it and immediately took swift and resolute action. As a result, many Chinese staff members who were bribed by Japanese spies were found. After a large number of traitors were beheaded, the efficiency of the military supply logistics department was unprecedentedly improved. Whatever you ask for, you get it. That enthusiasm made the officers and soldiers of the Beiyang Fleet unaccustomed.
Sun Gang couldn't help but smile bitterly after hearing this. Is this also part of the butterfly effect?
One morning in , Ma Yue came to see him.
"…Refitting old shells can save a lot of money compared to buying new ones from foreign countries. There are actually talented people in the Ordnance Department who have come up with a better passivation formula. They also add wax oil or something, and paint the inner wall of the shell to isolate it from the metal, which greatly increases the stability of the explosives and the sensitivity of the shells. They will explode even if they hit the rope. Now we have successfully modified 360 rounds of 305mm shells, 200 rounds of 210mm shells, and 200 rounds of 150mm shells, but it seems that it is not enough. General Ding said that we should focus on Dingyuan, Zhenyuan and Jiyuan first." Ma Yue said to him, "Other ships should load a few less first. I went to see that the newly modified shells were painted with red marks and stored in categories on the ship. The sailors called them "red shells". I heard that Jiyuan is still conducting test firing in Dalian Bay, and the results are very good."
"Very good, very good. We have thrown out the first soybean successfully. Now, it's time to throw the second one." Taking advantage of the fact that the girl was in a very good mood because she had dealt with the "hot potato" in her hands and made money, Sun Gang pulled her into his arms. While talking and laughing, his hand had unknowingly attacked her chest.
"Hate it! Have you forgotten where you are? It's in broad daylight and people can see you!" She jumped away like a frightened deer and said with a smile, "Don't always look like you're obsessed with sex. Think about how to do your job well."
"I'm doing my job well, right?" He looked at her blankly. "Is there anything wrong with being your what?"
"Are you still sleepy?" Ma Yue picked up the cup on the table and posed like a "Goddess of Dawn" pouring water. He quickly dodged.
"How can we have a home when the Japanese invaders are still alive? Don't forget your new identity, my senator." She smiled at him mischievously, made a face, and ran out of the house.
He was stunned. Yes, he was now the trainee counselor of the Beiyang Fleet Admiral, responsible for intelligence collection and organization. Although he had a position but no title and was not paid much, he was much freer than other naval commanders, and he also had the right to communicate directly with Ding Ruchang. Although he could not enter the core decision-making level of the Beiyang Fleet, he was actually very satisfied with the role he played now.
He had never expected to command the Beiyang Fleet himself.
I also don't expect myself to be like the protagonist in some fantasy books, leading a fleet to conquer the world and be invincible.
The fact that a bank clerk in the future world can command naval battles and win is just like Chinese football winning the World Cup. This is a huge joke in itself.
As for intelligence work, it is still so-so.
In fact, he didn't need to collect any information. Many details of that heavy history were deeply engraved in his mind.
What other issues should be addressed next?
At that time, China's understanding of the ocean was still vague, so when the Qing government established the navy, its purpose was purely defensive, as a supplement to land defense, and there was no unified ocean strategy.
In fact, the Chinese later had similar ideas. The navy at the beginning of the founding of the country was nicknamed the "Army Marine Corps". Even in his original era, ordinary people's understanding of the ocean and sea power was very limited. Compared with the Americans who have a global navy, the gap is immeasurable.
Perhaps a victory in a naval battle will change the Chinese people's understanding of sea power and reawaken the Chinese people's ocean consciousness, thus influencing future generations!
