Volume 1: The Battleship Yitian Changes into the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 Chapter 82: Discussion on Ship Types
Contestant Qianlong VS Contestant Yongzheng, Contestant Qianlong KO'd his opponent and won!
After many days of debate, the governors and governors-general of the coastal areas also submitted memorials, saying that once the navy is completed, the enemy can be defended at sea. Once the sea border is secured, the railway will not be occupied by the enemy. Ding Ruchang, the governor-general of Zhili and the minister of Beiyang, also pointed out that "the navy of the United States is not as good as that of Britain and France. Although we are across the sea from Britain and France, we are not afraid of them crossing the sea to seize our territory. Our navy is in the ascendant. Japan is not our opponent now. The Russians are afraid of the British power and dare not fight with us lightly. If the country does not take this opportunity to develop railways as the wing of the land army, when will it be?"
After this great discussion, Emperor Guangxu finally made up his mind. He did not listen to Master Weng, but established the "National Railway Supervisory Office" and ordered Li Hongzhang to be in charge of it, with "provincial governors and generals as assistants." China's railway industry could finally be officially launched across the country!
The railway plan that had troubled Li Hongzhang for many years, which ran across the northwest and across the northeast, finally had the possibility of being realized.
He was also very pleased to know that this was the final result of this great discussion.
However, Emperor Guangxu was still somewhat worried about the "national security" of the Beijing-Tianjin Railway. Although the railway construction plan was approved, the emperor still sent him a special edict, "The construction of a huge ironclad warship is related to the country's destiny. The ministers should do their best to complete it as soon as possible. Do not delay for a long time, or there may be extraordinary changes."
"Not only is the emperor anxious, I am also anxious." Sun Gang showed the imperial edict to Ma Yue and said, "Cousin Yi sent a telegram saying that the French fleet has arrived in Guangzhou and is preparing to come here."
"I know everything." Ma Yue said, "I asked someone to find out. The shipbuilding expert who came is named Henry Briand. I heard that he is one of the students of William White, the designer of the 'Sovereign'."
"That's great. He should be very familiar with our teacher's work, right?" Sun Gang said happily.
"Don't be too happy too soon." His beloved wife rolled her eyes at him gently and said, "I heard that they haven't built such an epoch-making battleship. After all, they are not the original creators. Some things can't be copied, my lord."
"Tsk, you've never eaten pork, but you've seen a pig run, haven't you?" Sun Gang said disapprovingly, "You won't feed your child if you don't have milk?"
He dared to say this because he knew that many countries had imitated things similar to the "Regal", both big and small. After all, China currently has an original French battleship. Couldn't it just refer to the design of the "Regal" in his hands and make some modifications?
Later I learned what kind of "terrible" and far-reaching impact his "flexibility" had on subsequent naval battles.
The day the French transport fleet arrived, he was dumbfounded again.
The French moved almost an entire shipyard's equipment here.
Later, Ma Yue told him that these equipment and steel alone cost more than two million taels of silver.
The French are too honest, aren't they? Even if it's not their own money, they can't spend it like this, right?
Looking at the long row of transport ships, he was indeed speechless.
After finally settling these guests from afar, Mr. Pei organized people to start unloading the cargo from the ship and transporting machinery and equipment to the factory for installation and debugging. All the work was carried out in an orderly manner. Sun Gang finally met the French shipbuilding master Henri Briand, who was said to be William White's apprentice.
Sun Gang arranged these French technicians in a "villa complex" built specifically for them. The French were surprised to see the beautiful buildings with a strong hometown style. They should have felt the Chinese welcome from this. "I am very moved by the Chinese people's hospitality." Briand said while looking at the fountain in the garden. Ma Yuchen beside him kept translating for Sun Gang. "Mr. Sun has built such a beautiful working environment for us. We have no reason not to devote ourselves to our work better."
Sun Gang carefully looked at this young-looking Frenchman. He had deep eyes, a high nose, grey-blue eyes, and a huge, fluffy beard, which reminded Sun Gang of a great revolutionary mentor.
"Mr. Briand is too polite." Sun Gang said, "Our country wants to fully develop its navy, and we need Mr. Briand's help. Mr. Briand is a famous expert in the French shipbuilding industry, and his reputation is known all over the world. He is willing to come to our country from afar, and it is very hard. Sun Gang would like to thank him in advance."
"Master Sun, you are welcome." Brian looked at him and said, "I heard that Master Sun has a lot of insights into shipbuilding, and he even participated in the Battle of the Yellow Sea. I admire him very much. I heard that Master Sun established the Beiyang Shipyard to build giant warships. Is it related to that naval battle?"
"Yes." Sun Gang nodded and said.
"I never thought that the first large-scale battle between fleets composed entirely of steam and steel warships in human history would actually break out in the East." Briand smiled. "The Western press has reported too much about this naval battle. The Chinese navy was able to win the victory with weapons that were almost ten years behind. What played a decisive role in it? I really want to know. It is my honor to meet Lord Sun today. I hope Lord Sun can give me the answer I want."
"What exactly does Mr. Briand want to know?" Sun Gang looked at the French shipbuilding master with a somewhat amused look and said, "If Mr. Briand knew the details, he would design a bigger and stronger warship for China, right?"
"The greatest happiness for a shipbuilder is to see his children win in battle." Briand said with a solemn look on his face, "In this naval battle, the three Japanese battleships designed and built with the help of the French (referring to the 'Matsushima', 'Iwashima' and 'Hashidate') were all sunk. As a Frenchman, I am very shocked. They were designed by our famous expert, Blanc. Why did this happen? I really want to know."
"The fault is not Mr. Bai Laoyi, but the unrealistic demands of the Japanese." Sun Gang said: "The Japanese were very afraid of the strong armor and huge guns of our navy's Dingyuan and Zhenyuan, but they did not have battleships, so they wanted to achieve their goal by installing larger caliber guns on cruisers. The starting point of this idea failed. The huge guns that only battleships have were installed on cruisers of less than 5,000 tons, which had a serious impact on the performance of the entire battleship. The seaworthiness was reduced, the stability was poor, and some protection performance was sacrificed. These are fatal defects, so it is easy to understand why they sank."
Briand looked at him in surprise and nodded subconsciously.
Seeing that he looked a little annoyed, Sun Gang couldn't help but laugh and said, "However, we can't say that Mr. Bai Laoyi's design has problems. He has tried his best. As far as I know, the prototype of these three Japanese cruisers is Mr. Bai Laoyi's famous work, the armored cruiser 'Huangquan' (the subsequent ships are 'Styx', 'River of Wail', and 'River of Hellfire'). Interestingly, our 'Pingyuan' is also based on the 'Huangquan'. In the naval battle, it was the 'Pingyuan' that sent one of them ('Yandao') to the bottom of the sea. They were born from the same mother but the results of the battle were very different. I wonder what Mr. Bai Laoyi would think after knowing this."
After listening to Ma Yuchen's translation, Briand laughed happily, almost crying. It took him a long time to stop laughing and said, "I will tell Bai Laoyi about this. I really want to know what he will say."
"I am surprised by Lord Sun's knowledge of warships." Briand continued , "Among the senior officials in China, there are probably too few people like Lord Sun. I am really happy to talk to Lord Sun."
"Mr. Briand, you are too kind." Sun Gang smiled and said, "I hope that the warships designed by Mr. Briand for our country will not encounter such a situation."
"Then, I would like to ask Lord Sun to tell me, what kind of warships do you want to equip your navy with? As far as I know, China has a long coastline and numerous ports that need to be defended. What kind of warships do you need me to design for you? Can you let me know something first?" Briand asked again.
"Your teacher has a very successful work, and I think Mr. Briand should know it very well." Sun Gang stared at him and said, "I hope it is a battleship like this."
"Oh, Lord Sun, you mean the battleship Monarch." Briand nodded and said, "But from what I understand, the Monarch is probably not suitable for Chinese waters. Many of her same type of ships have a full load displacement of more than 15,000 tons and a draft of 26 feet. As far as I know, the water depth of most Chinese ports is about 20 feet. Isn't such a battleship too big for China?"
As expected of a shipbuilding expert, the problem he pointed out was very crucial. Sun Gang was secretly surprised that he had actually overlooked this matter.
"I understand Lord Sun's eagerness to expand the navy." Briand looked at him and said sincerely, "However, the development of a country's navy must be in line with its actual situation. In my opinion, the main purpose of your navy is to protect the country's coastline from infringement and to protect the sea transportation lines . Giant main battleships like the Monarch are strategic forces used to attack other countries' navies. In fact, her deterrent significance is greater than the need for actual combat. Moreover, it is difficult for Britain to afford a fleet composed of such giant warships. I personally think that your country's financial resources are limited, and the navy should now consider realistic threats rather than strategic deterrence."
Well said! It really awakened the dreamer. Sun Gang nodded.
"I'm grateful for your advice." Sun Gang said admiringly, "I'll entrust you with designing advanced warships for our country's actual needs."
"My pleasure." Briand looked at him and smiled. "However, the Monarch does have many advantages. I will try my best to take them into consideration when designing it. Please rest assured, Lord Sun. I will prove to you that the warships designed by the French for China are by no means inferior to those designed by the British."
