The Young and Vigorous Eighth Prince

The voyage of the five giant ships was very successful. The power generated by the steam engines allowed the giant ships to reach a speed of twenty knots. Probably because they were wooden ships, the speed was much faster than Jiang Fan had imagined.

At first, Jiang Fan thought the speed might be only over 15 knots. And 20 knots was only the basic speed. If it was sailing at full speed, it should be able to reach about 25 knots.

However, in that case, the steam engine might be overloaded and prone to problems. Maintaining a speed of around 20 knots is the best.

One knot is one nautical mile, and one nautical mile is equivalent to more than 1.8 kilometers. A speed of 20 knots is close to 40 kilometers per hour. Having such a speed at sea is already very good.

Jiang Fan also had someone calculate the coal loading capacity and the loss during the voyage, and then calculated the time and mileage that could be sailed with a full load of coal.

He made countless calculations, such as the coal consumption after sailing at ten knots, fifteen knots, twenty knots, or even five knots after ten knots.

The slower the speed, the less coal is lost, and the faster the speed, the more coal is lost. If the speed is five knots and the ship is fully loaded with coal, it can sail for 5,000 nautical miles.

At a speed of 10 knots, it can travel about 4,000 nautical miles, at 15 knots it can travel more than 3,000 nautical miles, and at 20 knots it can reach about 2,500 nautical miles. It all depends on the utilization of coal.

If used well, the voyage can be even longer. Or, if more coal is loaded, the voyage can also be longer.

After more than ten days of experiments and data recording, Jiang Fan was very satisfied with the new steamship. During these ten days, the steamship not only tested various performances, but also equipped with naval guns.

In addition to the mountain guns previously available, a large 100mm caliber gun was installed. In addition, six machine gun ports were installed under the upper wheelhouse of the ship, ready to be used to install Maxim.

Gatling guns cannot be produced temporarily due to the substandard steelmaking technology, but heavy machine guns like the Maxim with a coolant pipe can be used barely.

Just be careful about the overheating of the barrel when shooting. Once the Maxim is installed, it will be a demon for the enemy.

In Huaining County, after receiving Jiang Fan's instructions, Chu Yan'er entered an emergency state of combat readiness in the production of steam engines, bullets, guns and other items.

She dragged her pregnant belly and joined Su Yuqing in the busy work. Fortunately, Su Yuqing had trained a group of chemical talents. Several maids under her could take charge of their own affairs.

Therefore, the production in Huaining County has been upgraded to a higher level. With more and more steam equipment, productivity is also increasing.

Chu Yan'er and Su Yuqing were very impressed by the emergence of the steam engine. Of course, the success of the steam engine was entirely dependent on the rubber juice sent from South Vietnam.

With Luo Yunxian in charge of the overall situation in Nanyue, many products of Nanyue were sent to Dayan, and Nanyue also ushered in rapid development. The people of Nanyue loved Luo Yunxian, the governor of Nanyue, more and more.

Of course, they also love Jiang Fan even more for bringing them all this.

After the first batch of Maxim guns and various artillery and ammunition were manufactured in Huaining, Chu Yan'er called over the siblings Qing Yucheng and Qing Lingxiu.

Since the two siblings came to Dayan, Jiang Fan arranged them to Huaining County because Jiang Fan had gone to Jiangyue City to drive out the enemy.

Qing Yucheng originally wanted to follow Jiang Fan, but was rejected by Jiang Fan. Although they and the young men from various tribes of Nanyue formed an elite force of 800.

But Jiang Fan didn't want to let these elites from various small tribes in South Vietnam die on the battlefield. After all, the future development of South Vietnam still depended on these people.

Therefore, Jiang Fan arranged for them to study in Huaining County. In addition to cultural knowledge, they also had to learn various skills. Jiang Fan hoped that they would return to South Vietnam in the future to develop South Vietnam's economy.

The eight hundred people were arranged to study in various industries, and some of them who had achieved success in their studies were sent back to South Vietnam by Jiang Fan.

Almost 700 of the 800 people left, and the remaining 100 or so decided to stay in Dayan. They wanted to follow Jiang Fan to conquer the world, and among them were the Qing brothers and sisters.

This time, Jiang Fan went to the coast to pacify the Japanese pirates. The two siblings had been looking for an opportunity to go there, and Chu Yan'er was ready to give the task of transporting supplies to the brother and sister.

These things were all what Jiang Fan needed. The two siblings and the remaining nearly 100 elites from various ethnic groups were also given to Jiang Fan for his deployment.

After systematic training, they are now able to work on their own. Jiang Fan should be short of people, so it is a good opportunity to assign them over there.

Qing Yucheng and Qing Lingxiu happily took the supplies and nearly a hundred companions and set off with the nearly a thousand-strong escort army.

After more than ten days of testing, Jiang Fan also received supplies sent by the two brothers and sisters. Maxim guns, artillery, etc. were installed on the warship.

After seeing Jiang Fan, the two siblings were very excited, especially Qing Lingxiu, who looked at Jiang Fan with a fiery look. If Zhong Ling hadn't been with Jiang Fan, she might have gone up to him and told him her true feelings.

Since the incident in South Vietnam, this girl has rejected everyone's pursuit and has been waiting for Jiang Fan.

It was a pity that she never had the chance to see Jiang Fan again. Moreover, the difference in status between her and Jiang Fan was too great, so she did not dare to express her feelings to Jiang Fan.

However, after seeing the two siblings, Jiang Fan arranged them to stay by his side, and also let Jiang Fan take the nearly one hundred elites from various ethnic groups who came from South Vietnam with him.

Jiang Fan decided to wait and observe for a period of time before arranging these people in appropriate positions. Although they were from South Vietnam, it did not mean that they could not become his confidants.

In this way, Jiang Fan stayed in Yongning Prefecture for nearly two months. Including the time he came to Yongning Prefecture, almost four months had passed.

Zhong Ling's pregnant belly was already very obvious. Most of the time, she stayed in a large mansion in Yongning Prefecture, with a hundred white-robed soldiers guarding her.

It’s not that Jiang Fan didn’t want to take Zhong Ling with her, it’s just that Zhong Ling was pregnant and it was not suitable for her to travel around, and Jiang Fan was afraid that she would have a miscarriage.

The brother and sister Qing Yucheng and Qing Lingxiu became Jiang Fan's personal bodyguards. During the time in Huaining Prefecture, the two siblings trained hard and their strength reached the level of first-class masters.

The Chu brothers are still in Liaoxia, and Zhong Ling was the only guard left by Jiang Fan. Now that Zhong Ling is unable to follow Jiang Fan, the two siblings have become Jiang Fan's most capable guards.

After several months of preparation, Jiang Fan took his 20,000 new troops and sailed to Dinghai Island.

Although he had his men go to Dinghai Island to gather intelligence, he also knew that the Japanese pirates' base camp on Dinghai Island had already evacuated.

However, Dinghai Island still had to be recaptured. After all, the Japanese pirates on Dinghai Island had not completely retreated, and some cannon fodder were still left there.