AWB Chapter 470 Little Lanlan
Chapter 470 Little Lanlan
Chapter 470 Little Lanlan
Wang Wenzhou did not linger in Dengzhou, because Fu Xingping secretly sent someone to deliver a message that they were already waiting for him off the coast of Dengzhou. Wang Wenzhou wanted to see the sailing warship he had designed, so he set off early.
The fleet consisted of more than 20 Fujian-style ships of various sizes.
The Fujian-style ship had a pointed bow and a wide stern, with both ends curving upwards and held high. Its sides arched outwards and had protective plating on both sides. In particular, the Fujian-style ship had a high bow, strong shock equipment, and a deep draft of up to four meters, making it the main warship of the Ming Dynasty.
During the reign of Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di), Zheng He led voyages to the Western Ocean. His fleet, known as the "Zheng He Treasure Ships," consisted of 62 ships, the largest of which was 148 meters long and 60 meters wide, making it the largest wooden sailing ship in the world at the time. The ship had four decks, nine masts capable of hoisting twelve sails, and anchors weighing several thousand kilograms. It required two to three hundred people to set sail.
Originally, the Ming Dynasty was already at the forefront of the Age of Exploration, but after the deaths of Zhu Di and Zheng He, the civil officials began to close the country off from the world. Not only did they not allow ordinary people to go to sea, but they also burned all the materials left by Zheng He, including the construction technology of "Zheng He's treasure ships".
Wang Wenzhou had only been on the ship for a short time when he began to feel seasick and vomited up everything in his stomach.
The babies all gathered around and lovingly cared for Wang Wenzhou.
Wang Wenzhou lay on the bed, his face pale and depressed. He never expected that he would get seasick, and so badly at that.
Wang Ying sat on the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of bird's nest porridge, and said softly, "Husband, please have something to eat."
Wang Wenzhou waved his hand with a wry smile and said helplessly, "My sister-in-law can't eat. She throws up everything she eats. What's the point of me eating?"
"Sigh..." Wang Ying sighed, saying with concern, "Even if you throw up, you still have to eat. How can your body take this?"
Chen Yuanyuan said irritably, "Sister, if he doesn't want to eat, fine. If he's hungry, he can eat it himself."
Wang Wenzhou laughed weakly and scolded, "Yuanyuan, you're so naughty. I think you'd love for me to die so you can find a pretty boy to remarry."
"Oh my!" Chen Yuanyuan said with a smile, "Husband, you are so amazing. You know exactly what I'm thinking."
Wang Wenzhou was too tired to argue with Chen Yuanyuan. He vowed in his heart that once they got ashore, he would make her suffer and teach her a lesson she wouldn't accept!
"Husband! Go out and see! A huge ship! Such a big ship!" Qi Siyan exclaimed as she ran into the room.
At this moment, the soldiers on Wang Wenzhou's fleet all saw the approaching fleet. They were all terrified, their faces turning pale, and they kept praying that it was not the Tartar fleet.
General Chen Hongfan, the commander-in-chief of Dengzhou and Laizhou, accompanied Wang Wenzhou to Korea. He was also covered in sweat and hurriedly went to Wang Wenzhou's room to ask for instructions.
"Lord Wang, a major battle may be imminent. I request that you take your leave first, while I lead my men to hold off the enemy." Chen Hongfan understood that Wang Wenzhou could not be harmed; if anything happened to him, Zhu Youjian would surely kill him to vent his anger.
Wang Wenzhou waved his hand with a smile and said weakly, "It's alright, we're all on the same side. Have someone signal to them to bring the flagship over to pick me up. I reckon a big ship will be better than a small one, so I won't get seasick and unable to get out of bed."
"Phew..." Chen Hongfan breathed a deep sigh of relief. Thankfully, they were his own men. He was quite puzzled; the most important naval base for the Ming Dynasty in the north was Dengzhou Garrison, and even he, the General Commander of Dengzhou and Laizhou, had never seen such massive ships. Where did Wang Wenzhou get so many giant ships?
In a short while, the "Little Lanlan" came alongside.
"Xiao Lanlan" is the name Wang Wenzhou gave to his flagship in memory of his baby Gao Guilan.
The "Little Lanlan" was modeled after the "Victory" more than a century later. It had a displacement of 3200 tons, a crew of 980, a length of 67.8 meters, and a beam of 15 meters. The ship was equipped with three masts, with the mainmast reaching a height of 62.5 meters. It had three gun decks, capable of mounting 102 cannons.
Chen Hongfan felt like he was dreaming; such a massive warship only existed in dreams. He pinched himself hard—it hurt! It wasn't a dream!
With the help of Wang Ying and Chen Yuanyuan, Wang Wenzhou boarded the "Little Lanlan".
"Your subordinate greets Your Excellency!" Fu Xingping hurriedly bowed.
Wang Wenzhou waved his hand and cursed, "Damn it! How come we're still seasick even though we've switched to a bigger ship!"
Chen Hongfan ran to Wang Wenzhou, knelt down, and solemnly said, "My lord! Could you grant me a warship like this as my flagship?"
"Pah!" Wang Wenzhou said irritably, "Why should I give them to you? These eighteen ships are all my private property!"
"Pfft..." Chen Hongfan was stunned. He had only heard that Wang Wenzhou was a mad dog, but he never expected that Wang Wenzhou was richer than a country. Such a huge warship could not have been built without hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.
In fact, the cost of building the "Little Lanlan" was not low. If you include the cost of materials and labor, it would have cost at least two million taels of silver. Of course, Dorgon provided the materials and manpower for the ship's construction, and Wang Wenzhou did not spend any money.
Like a warrior who has seen a peerless sword, Chen Hongfan wished he could have a warship like that himself.
Chen Hongfan thought for a moment and then quickly said, "This humble general is willing to follow your lead, sir. I only ask that you give me a warship like this to command."
Wang Wenzhou glanced at Chen Hongfan, smiled slightly, and thought, "My domineering aura has finally appeared. Finally, a subordinate is kneeling and bowing." Taking on another subordinate isn't so bad. Besides, Fu Xingping has no experience commanding the navy, so having an experienced general like Chen Hongfan as a deputy is a good choice.
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Alright, Fu Xingping, you take him to the 'Minmin' ship. From now on, Chen Hongfan will be the captain of the 'Minmin' ship."
"Yes!" Fu Xingping nodded in agreement.
"Minmin" is the sister ship of "Xiaolanlan". Wang Wenzhou built a total of 4 large battleships, named after his deceased baby. The remaining two are "Ruirui" and "Weiwei".
In addition, 10 Sea Serpent-class medium battleships were built, each with a displacement of 1500 tons, a crew of 400, two gun decks, and the ability to mount 80 guns.
The fleet also has three "jumbo" class supply ships with a displacement of 4000 tons. Although these three ships are large, they have no combat capability and are mainly used to transport supplies and soldiers.
There is also a landing ship named "Shifang" after an ugly monster.
The "Shifang" has a displacement of 3800 tons and can carry a thousand cavalrymen when fully loaded. It was designed by Wang Wenzhou himself and was mainly used for rapid landing operations. Once the ship docked, the fully armed elite cavalrymen could directly charge the land from the "Shifang".
Although Wang Wenzhou was seasick, standing on the deck of the "Little Lanlan" and looking at his fleet, he was filled with pride. With such a powerful fleet, he was not afraid of either the Ming or the Qing Dynasty!
"Yuanyuan, bring some wine. I want to have a drink," Wang Wenzhou said with a smile.
"Sigh..." Wang Ying sighed and complained, "Husband, you get seasick, so don't drink!"
Wang Wenzhou hugged Wang Ying and kissed her, then said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, I'm in a good mood today, how can I not have a drink? With this fleet, we have our last resort."
Wang Ying frowned. She found it strange that Wang Wenzhou didn't trust Zhu Youjian and always felt that Zhu Youjian would harm him.