Chapter 585

When Qin Huan received Lu Xiangsheng's Memorial, it was October. The autumn harvest in the southern provinces of the great Qin Dynasty had passed, and Qin Huan had already returned to Nanjing from Shanghai.

Because the cruiser built with reinforced concrete keel was completed as early as three months ago. After a trial voyage, the reinforced concrete keel is completely feasible, and the ballast stone is omitted. The speed is not much slower than that of the wooden keel cruiser.

Therefore, the third batch of warships will all use reinforced concrete keel, which will greatly reduce the construction cycle and cost of warships.

Because a huge tree in the sky is cut down, dried in the shade, then transported to the river by nine cattle and two tigers, and finally arrived in Shanghai. It can be as short as half a year and as long as a year. It can be poured with reinforced concrete in half a month.

However, although the keel problem was solved, Qin Huan did not continue to build warships on a large scale. Instead, after the second batch of warships were launched, he began to build various merchant ships. Since each merchant ship can only build one first ship, the third batch of more than 50 warships are still under construction.

When it is completed and launched at the end of the year, the navy of Daqin will have 25 500 ton cruisers, more than 50 300 ton destroyers, more than 160 100 ton frigates, a total of more than 240 warships.

So many warships pay attention to controlling all the sea areas around China and defeating any maritime opponent, so Qin Yucai plans to stop construction after the third batch is completed, because in the next few years, what Daqin needs is not warships, but merchant ships, thousands of merchant ships and hundreds of thousands of river flat bottom transport ships.

The chamber of commerce also ended in May. Three Yangtze River transport fleets, including the Royal Bank, have been established. Other rivers have also supported one or two transport fleets. Hundreds of large and small shipyards along the coast have supported them. The Royal Bank has lent a full 50 million liang of silver at low interest.

The management department under the Government Affairs Council and the navy of the coastal provinces and major rivers are also being established. Qin Huan has long shared the manufacturing drawings of various merchant ships to the shipbuilders for free, and asked them to go back and recruit craftsmen to do it.

Because the ship business tax collection system will be implemented next year. As for the new customs tax system and the unified replacement of standard merchant ships, it will be implemented in five years. This was already advertised when the chamber of Commerce was held. At the same time, Qin Huan also issued relevant documents to inform the world, so that those maritime merchants and businessmen in all provinces can be prepared.

Therefore, in the past six months, the shipyards have received overwhelming orders. The first to bear the brunt is the Shanghai shipyard. Some wealthy Jiangsu, Zhejiang and sea merchants have ordered one or two ships, some three or four ships, and even more than a dozen ships, all of which are large sea ships of more than 200 tons.

There are three types of seagoing ships, all of which are transformed from warships. Compared with warships, these seagoing ships are wider and shorter, and the deck is relatively low and high. There are two large built-in cargo tanks at the bow and stern respectively. There is a door that can be opened on both sides of the ship's side. Normally, they are closed and rubber rings are added to prevent seawater from penetrating when the waves are large and opening when loading, The frame can be directly pushed into the warehouse with a special cart, which is very convenient. The boxes can also be stacked on the deck above the warehouse, but they should be tied tightly and covered with tarpaulin.

The smallest 100 ton seagoing ship, with cargo tanks at the bow and stern, can also put down 100 frames two meters long, one meter wide and one meter high. With the space on the outdoor deck, it can reach 200 frames, but generally it's best not to put them outside. After all, pirates are popular and have to fight at any time.

Secondly, there are large seagoing ships of more than 200 tons and more than 400 tons respectively. The light warehouse room can hold more than 300 and 500 frames respectively.

The selling prices of these three types of seagoing ships are not expensive. Because they are also assembled in a standardized division of labor, the cost is very low. The external selling prices of more than 100 tons are 5000 Liang, 10000 liang of more than 200 tons and 20000 liang of more than 400 tons.

Four kinds of river flat bottomed ships are cheaper, 5000 liang of more than 200 tons, 2000 liang of 100 tons, 1000 liang of 50 tons and 500 liang of 20 tons.

The Xiao family is also desperate this time. They don't understand the sea trade and don't dare to step in rashly, but they understand the Yangtze river transportation. They spent a million taels of silver to set up a shipyard, recruit troops and buy horses, order River flat bottomed ships, and prepare to do a big job next year.

Obviously, everyone was attracted by the scene depicted by Qin Huan. Daqin's warships will fight in the world, Daqin's warships will gallop on all oceans, and Daqin's goods will be sold to anyone on the earth.

In the imperial study.

Looking at Lu Xiangsheng's letter, Qin Huan was lost in thought. At last, he understood why successive emperors did not directly manage those Territories far away from the Central Plains.

It's not that I don't like it, but it's too difficult. The cost is much greater than the harvest. The gain is not worth the loss.

At present, the communication conditions and transportation capacity of Daqin are limited to Jiayuguan in the West and Baikal Lake in the north.

The situation is good without accident. It takes at least three months from Baikal Lake to Wuhan. Building post stations along the way can reduce the time to one month, but it is not cost-effective at all.

Seeing that the date on the memorial was written in May, five months had passed and it was not delivered to him until October. Qin Huan was helpless.

But he knew that the situation was good. If it was winter, it might not be delivered to him. Even so, the 20 person team sent this time also lost seven or eight people on the road. It can be seen that the distance was really an insurmountable gap in ancient times.

Thinking of this, Qin Huan wanted to invent steam engine and electric power all the more, because only by making these two things can he continue to develop trains and telegraph machines.

"Your Majesty, why bother so much? But for the Korean War? "

Seeing Qin Huan staring at the globe on the table, Zhang Yan slowly approached and asked softly.

"The Korean War is developing as I imagined. Why bother?" Qin Huan waved his hand, took her into his arms and handed her the notes on the table.

In the Korean War, the two sides are now in a stalemate in Seoul. He is not worried about transporting supplies by sea, so the number of troops has increased to 200000.

The strength of the Japanese has reached 300000. With the war damage in the past half a year, it is close to the limit of the country. Therefore, next spring, he plans to start, dispatch 100000 troops, land directly from the southern tip of Korea by sea, attack north and south, and completely annihilate the effective strength of the Japanese near Seoul. Finally, he will get twice the result with half the effort when he kills the Japanese island.

After fighting for more than half a year, Qin Huan also felt that the strategy of attracting snakes out of the cave was correct and necessary.

Because the warriors of Japan are really ferocious and extremely desperate. They fight so hard abroad. If they are in Japan, it can be imagined that they will stimulate the combat effectiveness. After all, there are families and relatives to protect in China, but North Korea has no such concerns.

"Your Majesty, the western regions are thousands of miles away. You must be careful when dispatching troops to go!"

After reading it, Zhang Yan took a breath and said with a worried face that Lu Xiangsheng was crazy. She even asked her majesty to send another 50000 troops and 50000 people to the western regions for reinforcements.

Not to mention the food consumed by 100000 people on the way, I don't know how many mules and horses are needed. Even if we arrive in the western regions, the later supply is also a bottomless pit. It's still two different whether we can transport it across the desert.

"Alas, I also know that it is difficult to mobilize the army, but if it were not for this, it would be even more difficult for this large area of land in the western regions and to the west to really be incorporated into the territory of our great Qin Dynasty."

Qin Huan sighed. In fact, he agreed with Lu Xiangsheng's suggestion to find a place in the western regions to farm and build a city.

The big deal is that in the future, there will be a rotation of six years, sending national guards to defend the country, garrison and farm.

Although Lu Xiangsheng said something vague about this place, he speculated that it should be roughly the Ili River Valley. That place is really suitable for farming. It is known as the south of the Yangtze River. It is not a problem to blossom well and feed millions of people.

Of course, as long as 50000 national guards are self-sufficient while farming and providing 50000 cavalry field troops, it will be enough to deter all ethnic groups within 2000 miles around. At that time, whoever dares to disobey and rebel will not need 100000 field troops and national guards at all. Just recruit soldiers of all ethnic groups and countries to destroy them.

"Your Majesty, although Lu Aiqing is loyal and patriotic and has a strong character, after all, those Mongolian cavalry are far away. It would be inappropriate to send another 100000 children of our Han family to the western regions."

Zhang Yan said carefully.

Qin Huan was not as implicit as she was. He said directly, "are you worried that that guy will crack the earth and seal the king and be the earth emperor in the western regions?"

"Your Majesty, if you are a king, you must guard against it!" Zhang Yan said with a worried face. In fact, she wanted to dispel Qin Huan's idea of sending an army to the western regions.

Now, there are nearly 200000 soldiers fighting the Japanese in Daqin in North Korea, and dozens of large ships are required for material supply every month. Your majesty plans to order the navy to go to Nanyang in winter to fight the Spanish and Dutch. If you send 100000 troops to the western regions, her head will be dizzy.

Even the Qin emperor and Han Wu, who were most keen on opening up Xinjiang and expanding territory in history, were not so bellicose as to be so belligerent?

"Well, sister Yan is right. You really can't guard against it." Qin Huan nodded solemnly, then got up and walked back and forth in the hall with his hands on his back. After a while, his eyes brightened.

"Somebody, let the imperial concubine come to the study to see you immediately!"

Zhang Yan heard the speech and fell back. Qin Huan hurried forward and held him.