SWDnovel Chapter 115 The Black Ships Incident of the Ming Dynasty!
Chapter 115 The Black Ships Incident of the Ming Dynasty!
Chapter 115 The Black Ships Incident of the Ming Dynasty!
"The three of us?"
"Go to Jinmenwei?"
"To welcome a governor?"
Before Ling Luoshi could even refuse, Shen Ying had already asked three questions in succession.
It wasn't that Shen Ying was arrogant, but rather that in the army, power and rank were absolute.
A higher-ranking official can crush you.
Let them—a minister, a governor-general, and a general—go to Tianjin Gate to welcome a governor.
Is that correct?
Although Jinmenwei is indeed not far, it shouldn't be their responsibility to go to Jinmenwei to greet a lower-ranking official.
Isn't this creating chaos?
Ling Luoshi also looked at Wang Shouren, wondering what he was really up to.
Wang Shouren laughed heartily: "You two are unaware of the truth. His Majesty trusts General Qi greatly, places high hopes on him, and gives him his full support."
"I dare say that the Ming Navy, under General Qi's command, will become the most powerful fighting force in the Ming Dynasty."
"The Ming Dynasty Navy?"
Shen Ying exclaimed in surprise, "His Majesty has reactivated the Ming Dynasty's navy?"
"But the Ming Dynasty's navy has been neglected for many years. Even with His Majesty's strong support, it will still take a considerable amount of time to restore its fighting strength, won't it?"
"The Ming Dynasty's navy doesn't even have a single Zheng He ship from the Yongle era, let alone be the strongest force in the Ming Dynasty."
Shen Ying shook his head repeatedly, clearly having reservations about Wang Shouren's words.
But Ling Luoshi's heart skipped a beat, because he thought of the flintlock musket and breech-loading cannon he had just witnessed.
If Zhu Houzhao had given these powerful weapons to Qi Jingtong, perhaps the Ming Dynasty's navy would actually have been able to put up a fight.
Wang Shouren smiled and said, "General Shenying, times have changed."
"Although the Ming Dynasty's navy has only been rebuilt for a short time, its combat power is astonishing."
Before Shen Ying could say anything more, Ling Luoshi stepped forward and said, "General Shen, General Wang must have his reasons for making this arrangement."
"I am willing to accompany General Wang to visit Jinmenwei."
"Are you going too?"
Shen Ying looked at Ling Luoshi in surprise, then at Wang Shouren.
In his memory, Ling Luoshi was not an easy person to talk to.
After a moment, Shen Ying smiled wryly and said, "Since General Ling has said so, then I will go with you."
Wang Shouren laughed heartily: "Let's go, General Shen, this trip has definitely been worthwhile!"
Filled with intense curiosity, Shen Ying and Ling Luoshi, accompanied by their entourage and guards, followed Wang Shouren from the Xishan military camp all the way to Jinmenwei.
Zhuge Zhengwo and his entourage, however, had other responsibilities to fulfill and chose to return to the capital.
A journey of three hundred li is neither long nor short.
The group stayed overnight at the post station and arrived at Jinmenwei early the next morning.
Upon arriving at Jinmenwei, Wang Shouren made no stop and instead led Ling Luoshi and Shen Ying directly to the port of Jinmenwei.
Before even approaching the port, Shen Ying and Ling Luoshi could see two enormous ships moored beside the port of Jinmenwei from a distance.
They are entirely black, encased in hard steel, and reflect a cold light in the sunlight.
Its massive body, towering hull, sturdy steel armor, and countless cannon muzzles faintly visible on the ship's sides.
Everything was impacting Shen Ying and Ling Luoshi's senses and challenging their understanding.
Shen Ying's heart surged with emotion. Pointing in astonishment at the giant ship in the distance, he asked Wang Shouren beside him, "Minister Wang, what is that?"
"Is that Zheng He's treasure ship from the Yongle era?!"
Even Shen Ying didn't notice that his voice trembled slightly.
Ling Luoshi gripped the reins tightly, gritted his teeth, and stared intently at the two steel warships.
He kept blinking, trying to make sure that what he was seeing was real.
Xiao Jianseng and Tang Dazong couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, staring at the two steel warships with shocked expressions, speechless for a long time.
The existence of these steel structures was completely beyond their comprehension; they had never seen such a steel behemoth in their entire lives!
Upon seeing these steel warships, they subconsciously began to calculate what kind of combat power such steel warships would unleash when fighting at sea.
But they couldn't estimate it at all because they had absolutely no knowledge of it.
All they knew was that wherever these warships went, there was no battle they couldn't win, no one they couldn't kill, and no country they couldn't conquer!
Shocked!
Shocked!
Shocked!
This scene completely overturned their understanding!
At this point, they had to force themselves to reassess the power of the imperial court and Zhu Houzhao!
The strength of the Ming Dynasty is now completely different from what they thought!
It's no wonder that these generals, who had experienced many great battles, were deeply moved.
Even Wang Shouren himself, though he had seen these steel warships many times before, was always deeply moved and overwhelmed with emotion every time he saw them again.
Their shock is entirely understandable.
Three hundred and fifty years later, four American black ships sailed into Edo Bay in Japan, shocking the entire nation of Japan.
On the day the black ships arrived, Edo Castle was thrown into chaos.
When the Japanese people on the shore saw this "monster" appear in the sea, they were so frightened that they ran away in terror, spreading the word and exclaiming that the end of the world was coming!
Temple bells rang in unison in Edo, women and children hid in their homes in fear, the wealthy fled in droves, rice prices in Edo skyrocketed, and large numbers of samurai gathered on the coast but were helpless. The samurai class suffered a mental breakdown, filled with deep despair!
This event is historically known as the "Black Ships Incident".
How long were the four American black ships at that time?
The flagship, the Susquehanna, is 78 meters long and is a steam-powered, paddle-wheeled, wooden-hulled frigate with a displacement of 2,450 tons.
The other secondary ship, the USS Mississippi, was 70 meters long and was also a steam-powered paddlewheel wooden-hulled frigate with a displacement of 1,692 tons.
The remaining two are both sail-powered wooden-hulled frigates, each about fifty meters long and with a displacement of no more than one thousand tons.
These two large ships, with wooden keels, wooden hulls, and steam power, entered Japan 350 years later, terrifying the Japanese to the point of utter panic and running away in terror.
What kind of ships are currently docked at Jinmenwei Wharf?
They were two steel monsters, each 150 meters long, with steel keels, steel hulls, wooden linings, and steam power.
Its displacement reaches an astonishing 13,000 tons, more than five times that of the Susquehanna!
And now, it is only the first year of Zhengde, the beginning of the sixteenth century!
Wang Shouren smiled and explained, "General, this isn't Zheng He's treasure ship from the Yongle era. Have you ever seen Zheng He's treasure ship made of steel?"
"Although they are about the same length, this ship's combat power is far superior to Zheng He's treasure ships."
Ling Xiaodao didn't think as much as they did. Originally, she was quite unhappy about being forced to come to Tianjin after finally arriving in the capital.
But when she saw the enormous steel warship, she gasped in astonishment, exclaiming, "What huge ships!"
"Father! I want to go see that big ship!"
After saying that, Ling Xiaodao flicked his whip and galloped quickly toward the port.
"A knife!"
Ling Luoshi frowned and called out anxiously.
Wang Shouren chuckled and said, "Hehe, it's alright."
"Since your daughter wants to board the ship, General Ling, General Shen, let's board it together and take a look."
Upon hearing that they could board the ship for a closer look, Ling Luoshi and Shen Ying were thrilled and quickly cupped their hands in greeting, saying, "That's wonderful! General Wang, please!"
"Generals, please!"
Soon, the group arrived at the port.
The closer one gets to this steel monster, the more terrified one becomes by its enormous size.
Upon arriving at the port, the group discovered that beside the two enormous steel ships, there were also eight smaller steel warships.
Although it is called a small boat, it is actually eighteen zhang long, which is more than fifty meters.
In other places, these ships might have caused some kind of "black ship incident," scaring the local indigenous people so much that they ran away in terror.
But placed next to these two behemoths, it really looks rather inadequate.
"Minister Wang, why have you come in person?"
Having received the scout's report, Qi Jingtong was already waiting at the port. Upon seeing the group arrive, he quickly stepped forward and bowed.
Wang Shouren returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "General Qi, you command the strongest military force of the Ming Dynasty. I would also like to come and see for myself."
"Come, let me introduce you. This is Ling Luoshi, the chief of the ten generals of the nine border towns, the commander-in-chief of Datong, and the fearsome general."
"This is Shen Ying, the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu and the Western Front General."
"General Ling, General Shen, this is Qi Jingtong, the Governor of Jilu and Admiral of the Ming Dynasty Navy."
"Your humble servant Qi Jingtong greets General Ling and General Shen."
The young Qi Jingtong was the first to bow to Ling Luoshi and Shen Ying.
At this moment, Ling Luoshi and Shen Ying had long since put aside their contempt and returned Qi Jingtong's greeting with utmost solemnity.
What a joke! A general who wields such a powerful weapon, even if he is young and his official rank is lower than theirs, is enough to show Zhu Houzhao's high regard for him and his trust in him.
A young general who wields real power and enjoys the Emperor's deep trust has a promising future; who would dare to antagonize him?
While everyone was talking, Ling Xiaodao looked up at the huge steel warship in front of him with longing in his eyes.
Wang Shouren asked, "General Qi, would it be convenient for us to tour the giant ship?"
Qi Jingtong's gaze swept across everyone's faces. After a moment's thought, he finally stepped back and said, "Of course, please, generals, board the ship!"
"Thank you, General Qi."
Led by Qi Jingtong, the group went up to the spacious deck and began to observe closely.
Being inside, everyone can truly appreciate the terrifying nature of this steel warship.
Ling Luoshi noticed that this warship was equipped with over a hundred breech-loading cannons!
Horrible, truly terrifying!
Just then, Shen Ying asked Qi Jingtong curiously, "General Qi, has this warship ever been used in actual combat?"
Upon hearing this question, Ling Luoshi withdrew his gaze and listened intently to Qi Jingtong's answer.