Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 545 Shipbuilding Reform
On November 15th, the second year of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, 4052 AD (1355 AD), Lu Jin led his officials to the dock west of Jiankang City, waiting for the return of the Yuanwang ship.

At this moment, Lu Jin was talking to two veteran naval officers, Sang Shijie and Miao Youzhen, as well as Xia Yu and Bao Yu from the Privy Council, Tao Guangyi, the Minister of the General Armaments Department, two prime ministers from the Cabinet, and Guo Zixing from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. They were surrounded by guards, and four newly built warships were moored on the dock.

Two of these four ships were 74-gun battleships, which were main warships with three masts and double main gun decks. In Lu Jin's classification of naval vessels, they were classified as third-class ships, specifically used for fleet battles, and were the mainstay of naval warfare.

The other two are 46-gun warships, also with three masts, but only one main gun deck. In the classification of naval vessels, they belong to the fourth class of cruisers, and can also be called frigates.

This type of ship is similar in nature to the USS Constitution frigate. Compared to capital ships, it has a very high speed, even faster than first, second, and third-class battleships, but its firepower is relatively weak. If it encounters a proper battleship with a hundred or eighty long guns, it cannot defeat a single one.

Such ships are of little use in large-scale battles along the battle line, but they are very useful for guarding low-threat areas. They are also relatively inexpensive to build and can be considered a type of colony cruiser.

It belongs to the kind of boat that is disgustingly versatile and lazy, where "those who can beat me can't outrun me, and those who can catch me can't beat me."

After studying the matter, Lu Jin, along with several members of the Privy Council and the naval commanders, discovered that this type of fourth-class ship was actually the most suitable for the current situation.

Thanks to Lu Jin's extraordinary insight, the Ming Dynasty navy was already several versions ahead of the rest of the world in terms of equipment and tactics. At that time, Europe was still using the Clark ship and had not even developed the galleon. It would be at least another hundred years before Spain and Portugal began their Age of Exploration.

The Ming Dynasty navy's ship technology had already reached the peak level of wooden sailing ships in the mid-19th century. However, its artillery technology was still slightly inferior to that of the British navy during the Second Opium War. The British army during the Second Opium War had already used breech-loading cannons, which Lu Jin could not yet manufacture.

However, at this stage of the mid-14th century, even a cruiser with 46 guns could easily dominate the small countries of Southeast Asia or the Korea and Japan in Northeast Asia. Europe was not yet capable of reaching the Pacific, and even if it did, it would be no match for the Ming Dynasty's navy. Under such circumstances, building more second- or third-tier battleships with 74 or 96 guns would be a waste of resources.

It's a very simple problem. It's not that Tier 2 and 3 battleships can't be built, but looking at the world, there's simply no adversary that can stand up to scrutiny. So, if you spend so much money building them, who are you going to fight? This is a very real problem: you build them but have nowhere to use them; you can only spend money to show off.

Finally, the group decided to adjust the proportion of naval vessels. The navy will have three major fleets, and each fleet will be equipped with only one or two 96mm gun battleships of the Yuanwang class, which will be used as the flagship of the major fleet. There will be only five or six such ships in the whole country.

Each major fleet's subordinate squadrons are equipped with two to four 74mm gun battleships, which serve as the squadron's flagship and main force core. The remaining fleets are all filled with fourth-tier cruisers.

This would save a lot of military spending. A fleet of ten ships would have a configuration of about two Tier 3 ships and eight Tier 4 ships; or four Tier 3 ships and six Tier 4 ships. The specific allocation could be based on the threat level of the deployment area. More chaotic areas would have two more Tier 3 ships, while more stable areas would have two fewer Tier 3 ships.

Nanjing Longwan Shipyard has two dry docks. In the first year, only one Yuanwang ship was built. In the second year, as the shipyard's equipment gradually became more abundant and the workers gained some experience, construction began to accelerate. Two ships were built in the second year, one third-class and one fourth-class.

This year marks the end of the third year of the shipyard's operation. It's already mid-November, and two more new ships have been launched. These are all the new warships of the Ming Dynasty, a total of five. Apart from the Yuanwang, which is currently on a mission, the other four new warships are all docked here.

Longwan Shipyard is still building new ships at a steady pace of two per year. The keels of two more new ships have been erected in the dry dock, and two more new ships will be added by next September.

In addition, Fujian and Guangdong have also secured contracts this year, and the Longwan Shipyard is now on the right track. Therefore, Lu Jin decided to add several new shipyards in the coastal areas to accelerate the construction of the navy and lay the foundation for future maritime trade.

Feng Guoyong personally held up a map in front of everyone, and Lu Jin pointed to the coastline and said, "First of all, the three major fleets of the navy must have their own main bases, at least capable of repairing warships. Guangzhou will definitely be opened as a port in the future, and it is one of the bases of the South China Sea Fleet, so a new shipyard will definitely be set up in Guangzhou."

"Furthermore, Fujian has been known for its shipbuilding since ancient times, so we should definitely build a shipyard there. Let's put it in Fuzhou, where the Minjiang River flows into the sea. The Minjiang River originates at the border of Fujian and Jiangxi and runs through the entire Fujian province. This way, we can harvest timber from all over Fujian and transport it downstream along the Minjiang River to Fuzhou, where we can build ships."

"The main base of the East China Sea Fleet is located in Ningbo, with three sub-fleets deployed in Ningbo, Hangzhou, and Liujiagang respectively, to protect the Yangtze River estuary and safeguard the security of the capital."

"There are two shipyards in the north, one in Fushan (Yantai) in Shandong and the other in Dalian in Liaoning. The timber is harvested from Changbai Mountain in Liaodong, and transported down the Yalu River to the estuary, and then shipped to Dalian and Fushan. The main base of the North Sea Fleet is located in Lushun."

"For now, let's set up these four new shipyards. With the addition of the Longwan Shipyard in Jiankang, all five shipyards will be under construction at the same time. Each shipyard can launch a new fleet every year. In less than ten years, we can establish the framework of the Navy's three major fleets."

Everyone nodded in agreement. According to calculations by their various departments, a second-class battleship like the Yuanwang, equipped with all its weapons, especially the 96 heavy cannons, would cost around 45 to 50 taels of silver. Based on this estimate, a first-class battleship with over a hundred cannons could cost 60 to 70 taels of silver, which was simply not cost-effective.

In comparison, the Tier III battleship with 74 guns cost only about 70,000 to 80,000 taels, which was much more cost-effective. The Tier IV cruiser with 46 guns was even cheaper, costing only about 12,000 to 15,000 taels. The specific price difference mainly depended on the fluctuation of timber prices.

In this way, according to Lu Jin's shipbuilding plan, two third-class ships and eight fourth-class ships would be built each year. Two third-class ships would cost 150,000 taels of silver, and four fourth-class ships could be built for 50,000 taels of silver, so eight ships would cost 100,000 taels of silver, totaling 250,000 taels of silver. With the navy allocating 250,000 taels of silver for shipbuilding each year, a fleet of ten ships with a total of 516 cannons could be obtained. Over ten years, there would be one hundred ships and more than five thousand cannons.

Moreover, the annual shipbuilding cost of 250,000 taels is not high, and the imperial court can afford it. Spending 25 million taels to buy 100 ships and build a navy over ten years is really cost-effective.

At this moment, Guo Zixing, who was temporarily acting as Minister of Industry and Commerce, suddenly asked, "Your Majesty, should these shipyards be placed under the General Assembly of the Privy Council or under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the State Council?"

Lu Jin thought for a moment before saying, "Let's put it under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, establish a state-owned shipbuilding corporation, with five shipyards as wholly-owned subsidiaries, and set up the headquarters at Longwan Shipyard in Jiankang. The five subsidiaries will operate independently."

“We will definitely build warships, but we can’t keep building warships all the time. The size of the navy is limited. In the future, these shipyards will definitely have to switch to building civilian ships. They will only build some warships occasionally to replace old ones. At that time, it will be inconvenient to keep them in the Privy Council.”

Upon hearing this, Tao Guangyi, the Minister of the General Armaments Department, asked again, "Your Majesty, how is the quality guaranteed when building warships?"

Lu Jin immediately added, "The shipyard's operation is managed by the state-owned company, but when it comes to orders for building warships, the Navy and the General Armaments Department each need to send a military representative to the shipyard to supervise the construction and ensure quality and quantity. After completion, the Navy and the General Armaments Department will jointly send an acceptance team to the shipyard for inspection and acceptance. If anything fails to meet the requirements, the acceptance team has the right to refuse to accept the ship and order the shipyard to make rectifications until the Navy's requirements are met!" "I understand then." Tao Guangyi and Guo Zixing nodded. This way, the responsibilities of both parties are clear, and whoever makes a mistake will be held accountable.

Sang Shijie then asked, "Your Majesty, what should be done with the navy's ships now?"

Lu Jin thought for a moment before saying, "All the inland river boats of your Second and Third Regiments should be sold at low prices to private merchants. Bai Guangtai's First Naval Regiment and Fang Guozhen's fleet together have over a thousand large and small seagoing vessels. Select some of these vessels to form a transport fleet."

"My requirement is that this fleet should be able to meet the consumption of the Liaodong garrison for a year in a single transport. After that, the supply of Liaodong military supplies should be temporarily solved by sea transport, and the grain from the south should be stored in the warehouse at Liujiagang in normal times."

“Every year after the typhoon season ends in October, the transport fleet will be dispatched together to form a convoy, and several warships will be sent to escort it along the way. This can prevent the phenomenon of drifting and sinking to the greatest extent possible.”

At this point, Lu Jin immediately swept his sharp gaze across the crowd and said, "I know that some of you are always worried about the safety of maritime transport. Shipwrecks are common, whether it's being capsized by storms, being robbed by pirates, or getting lost at sea."

"It's hard to say whether it's true or not. It's not impossible that someone embezzled and sold it. But that was in the past. In the past, you didn't know about the ocean climate and you couldn't avoid encountering storms. But now you should understand that there is absolutely no possibility of storms in the western Pacific Ocean from October to May of the following year, just like it's impossible for snow to fall during the hottest days of summer. If there are still drifting incidents in the future, then there is absolutely no storm involved. It must be because someone embezzled and sold it!"
"I hereby establish a rule: from now on, when military supplies are transported to Liaodong, the entire fleet shall travel together. We shall have people familiar with sea routes and astronomy guide the way, along with naval warships that will escort us and drive away pirates. We shall deliver a year's worth of supplies at once. At least one general and one minister shall accompany the ships on the journey. Anyone who dares to lose even a single shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain will have their head chopped off!"

Everyone was startled upon hearing this, and immediately agreed.

Then Lu Jincai continued, "As for the remaining ships, this transport fleet will have about three or four hundred ships, so there will be more than seven hundred extra. All of these ships will be sold at low prices to private maritime merchants, and only officially registered trading companies will have the right to purchase them and operate maritime trade. These certificates will also be required when declaring customs at the Maritime Trade Office; otherwise, they will not have the right to operate overseas trade."

Everyone nodded in agreement. By disposing of such a large number of ships, the imperial court could recover some funds, accelerate the standardization of maritime trade, bring all maritime merchants under the control of the court, and strengthen the court's tax collection capabilities.

At this moment, Li Shanchang also spoke up and asked, "Your Majesty wants to vigorously develop maritime trade. These few hundred civilian ships should be enough for the short term. But as maritime trade grows and these ships become old and damaged, new ships will be needed to replace them. However, the four shipyards Your Majesty has newly established along the coast only build warships. What will happen when maritime merchants need new ships in the future? Should we allow private individuals to run their own shipyards?"

Lu Jin thought for a moment before saying, “From now on, private shipyards will only be allowed to build small single-masted boats for fishermen. Large ships with two masts or more will not be allowed to be built by private individuals for a short period of time. This way, even if fishermen want to smuggle, they will not be able to go too far and will be easily intercepted by the anti-smuggling patrol boats of the coast guard, which will make it easier for the court to manage them.”

"Moreover, the ships along the coast now, whether they are Fujian ships or Guangdong ships, lack the ability to sail across the ocean. They carry little cargo and have slow speeds. They are useless and a waste of the country's timber resources."

"In the future, the two academies of science and technology will establish a new classification society to be responsible for formulating construction standards for various ship types and developing new ship types. When the time is right, private merchants will be allowed to set up their own shipyards to build civilian ships, but all ship types must be certified by the classification society and can only be built according to the types of ships specified by the imperial court."

"In addition, we should find skilled craftsmen among the existing shipbuilding artisans along the coast and recruit them all to the newly established shipyards of the imperial court. This will prevent them from losing their livelihoods after the construction of civilian ships is stopped. We must leave them a way to make a living. If there are any surplus shipbuilding artisans who have nowhere to go, we should relocate them to other places and allocate land for them to cultivate."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded again. Their emperor had ambitions to conquer the world. The existing Fujian and Guangdong ships could indeed be used for transoceanic trade, but they could only travel along the coast.

However, in the harsh sea conditions of the Aleutian Islands, Fujian and Guangzhou ships would be unable to operate; they would surely perish. Even in the mildest summer, the Aleutian Islands have waves over three meters high. Fujian and Guangzhou ships with low freeboards would be useless there and would capsize if they were not careful.

The most intolerable thing is the slow speed. In the time it takes a Fujian ship to make one trip, a fast ship can make two trips. Time is efficiency, and the more trips you make, the more money you earn. Moreover, the slow speed means that more supplies are needed when sailing on the high seas. The ship's capacity is limited, so if you carry more supplies, you can carry less cargo.

Therefore, from any perspective, it is not advisable to continue building Fujian and Guangzhou ships, since the country's timber resources are limited and cannot be wasted.

Lu Jin and a group of important officials finalized the future shipbuilding reforms in just a few words, while behind them, a group of civil and military officials in the capital stood there whispering and chatting among themselves.

Regarding Lu Jin's previous dispatch of Wang Dayuan to explore Lizhou across the East China Sea in search of some hidden continent with high-yield seeds, although Lu Jin held a grand sacrificial ceremony to send off Wang Dayuan and others, he deliberately emphasized that it was not to go to sea to seek immortality, nor did he want to follow Qin Shi Huang's example of seeking immortality, but for the sake of the common people and the country, and for high-yield seeds.

But in the end, this matter is only Lu Jin's side of the story. Some people are just simple-minded and only believe what they see with their own eyes. They won't believe anything they are told until they see it for themselves.

Fortunately, Lu Jin didn't go too far, only sending one ship with more than 700 people to sea, so even if they lost money, the losses wouldn't be too great.

As a result, the Yuanwang ship was gone for two years without any news. Many people were already talking in private about whether Wang Dayuan was dead or had followed Xu Fu and taken a ship full of people to a small island to escape.

Some people believe that what Lu Jin said is true, that there must be fairy islands overseas, otherwise how could there be legends of Penglai Fairy Island and Fangzhang Fairy Mountain? Since there are fairy islands and fairy mountains, then the high yield of fairy grains must also be true!

Just as these people were whispering amongst themselves, news suddenly arrived that the Yuanwang was returning home. Now, His Majesty the Emperor had personally brought them to the dock to welcome them. What about the Lizhou Continent, what about the paradise on earth, what about Fangzhang Immortal Mountain? Once they saw the Yuanwang and Wang Dayuan, everything would be revealed.

They wanted to see what kind of mess this emperor and that Wang Dayuan, who was good at diving into the sea, could make.

Just as everyone was eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Yuanwang, its tall white silhouette finally rounded the bend in the Yangtze River at Nanjing and appeared on the river west of Jiankang.

Everyone's expression immediately changed.

"I'm coming!"

(End of this chapter)