Daming: The system rejected my request for salted fish

After saying this, seeing Zhu Yuanzhang nod, Wei Wu continued:

"According to my calculations, including the baggage, we would need approximately thirty treasure ships to transport 30,000 people."

"Thirty?"

Originally, Zhu Yuanzhang thought that a dozen ships would be enough, but he didn't expect Wei Wu to ask for thirty ships.

But then Wei Wu explained it to him, and Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in agreement, and then asked another question.

"It took the Academy of Science and Technology three months to rebuild one treasure ship. Wouldn't it take seven or eight years to rebuild thirty treasure ships?"

"It won't take that long. Uncle Zhu, you actually miscalculated a little."

Wei Wu shook his head to deny what Zhu Yuanzhang said, and then immediately explained:

"Although Song Zhong and the others haven't reported the details to me yet, the real time-consuming part of the treasure ship renovation is the design."

"Based on the internal structure of the treasure ship, we designed the location of the steam engine, as well as the various pipes and transmission devices."

"It will take at least two months to properly arrange these things in the cabin and measure the dimensions."

Does it take so long just to design?

After hearing what Wei Wu said, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help feeling a little surprised.

In his opinion, design is just writing and drawing on paper, and should be the simplest thing.

However, what Zhu Yuanzhang didn't know was that design drawings were not just about measuring dimensions and drawing them on paper.

When Song Zhong was designing drawings, he needed to consider how to clearly express the three-dimensional structure on the two-dimensional drawings.

Secondly, Song Zhong also has to consider what materials are needed in certain positions and mark them clearly.

The key is that sometimes the design also needs to consider the feasibility of actual manufacturing and installation.

There are no shortcuts to these things, you can only rely on your brain to hone them out bit by bit, so naturally it takes more time.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't understand these things, but since Wei Wu said so, it must be correct.

So he didn't say much about it, but just listened quietly to Wei Wu's next words.

"Only by drawing the design first can we make the steam engine and various accessories according to the dimensions of the design."

"But with the machine tools I brought out, making a steam engine and its accessories is easy and won't take much time."

“The later installation work may be more troublesome, but practice makes perfect, and manufacturing and ship modification can be carried out simultaneously.”

"As long as we have enough manpower, it shouldn't take more than half a year to complete the transformation of thirty treasure ships."

While listening to Wei Wu's description, Zhu Yuanzhang was secretly pondering in his heart.

If this is the case, then we can advance the preparations for the eastern expedition against the Japanese pirates.

During this period, the training of the navy was strengthened. A batch of rifled flintlock rifles were first dispatched to allow the navy soldiers to familiarize themselves with the new firearms.

Thinking of the new firearms, Zhu Yuanzhang asked Wei Wu again.

"By the way, Xiao Wu, we plan to equip all 30,000 soldiers who will be sent east to fight against the Japanese pirates with rifled flintlock muskets."

"So they can become familiar with the operation of the weapon in battle. However, the current production of rifled flintlock rifles is too small to equip the entire army."

"The inventory is only enough for training. If we ask the Institute of Science and Technology to rush the work, will it affect the progress of the treasure ship renovation?"

Hearing this, Wei Wu lowered his head and calculated in his mind before speaking:

"Under normal circumstances, it would indeed affect the progress of the treasure ship, but the main reason is that we do not have sufficient electricity to supply the machine tools."

"In fact, most of the machine tools in the science and technology institute are in a state of suspension, and only a small number are used regularly."

"However, before leaving Beijing, I had the craftsmen make preliminary preparations, and I am ready to solve this problem when I return this time."

"If I succeed, then the electricity problem will be solved. At the very least, the Institute of Science and Technology won't have to worry about electricity anymore."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not expect that Wei Wu would give him another surprise.