On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Lin Zhen stood with his hands behind his back, his dark figure casting a huge shadow on the port.

Iron-blooded means, thunderous deterrence!

A huge rock weighed down everyone's heart, and they no longer dared to hope for the slightest chance.

In the core area of ​​the shipyard, there is the heavily guarded temporary workshop of the Fenlei Division.

Chu Xiling was dressed in indigo work clothes, and her cold face was calm, as if the thunderstorm in the port square had nothing to do with her.

Three things were spread out on the long table in front of her: a piece of burnt dark blue coarse cloth with irregular jagged edges; a handful of ashes mixed with sea salt particles and some kind of black grease; and a torn piece of letter paper with burnt edges, which had been soaked in a special potion to reveal the writing.

On the letter paper were several lines of twisted and strange characters, which were neither Chinese characters nor the known languages ​​of Southeast Asian countries.

"The cloth," Chu Xiling tapped lightly with her fingertips. "It's rough and unevenly dyed. It's dyed with indigo grass, a species found only on the island of Java in Southeast Asia. It's commonly used by the locals."

"Ashes," she said, picking up a glass dish containing separated black grease. "Analysis by the Institute's spectroscope revealed palm oil, whale blubber, and trace amounts of saltpeter. Palm oil and whale blubber are commonly used waterproofing greases on South China Sea ships. The saltpeter may be the remains of the fire."

"Letterhead," she said, her eyes falling on the strange characters, "the character structure seems familiar."

She walked to a nearby bookshelf, pulled out a thick volume called "Nanyang Fengwuzhi," and flipped through it quickly. Finally, her fingers stopped at an illustration depicting a sacrificial ceremony on a Nanyang island. The altar stone in the illustration was engraved with similar distorted symbols.

"The secret ritual text of the Dayak tribe in Borneo." A glimmer of light flashed in Chu Xiling's cold eyes.

She took a pen and paper, and began to decipher the text with difficulty, referring to the simple character comparison table in the appendix of Fengwuzhi.

Time passed slowly. The only sounds in the workshop were the crackling of the charcoal brazier and the scratching of the pen across the paper.

Finally, she stopped writing. The ciphertext on the torn letterhead was translated into a fragmented sentence:

"The goods have been prepared for handover to Black Wind Island."

"The Dragon King urged for the next batch of kerosene."

"Daqian Shipyard Progress Report."

"The messenger of God will come to guide us."

Chu Xiling looked at the translated text, her cold brows slightly furrowed.

Dragon King - or refers to Chu Batian.

Kerosene - a highly flammable palm oil specialty of Southeast Asia that can be used for fire attacks.

Messenger of God - Unknown.

The most important thing is that Black Wind Island is the lair of the one-eyed shark tracked down by the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

The progress report shows that there are still secret agents inside Min Yue!

She immediately stood up, walked to the desk, and wrote a secret report.

The cold handwriting clearly and clearly states the findings and inferences one by one.

The conspiracy network of Nanyang is revealing a hideous corner through this torn letter.

Jinling, Purple Palace.

Murong Yan did not sit on the throne as usual.

She stood before a huge sheepskin map of the territory, the tail of her dark black robe inlaid with gold phoenix quietly spread out on the smooth gold brick floor.

The mountains, rivers, cities and sea borders on the map are all carefully marked with different colors.

Her fingertips were slowly moving across Lingnan and Minyue, which had just been incorporated into the territory, and finally stopped on the numerous South Sea Islands.

The eunuch silently presented two secret reports.

One letter came from Min Yue, written by Lin Zhen himself, detailing the port deterrent measures and subsequent arrangements.

A secret letter from the Fenlei Division, deciphered by Chu Xiling and its content and analysis.

Murong Yan's phoenix eyes were calm as she read them one by one.

Lin Zhen's iron fist was within her expectations. Chu Xiling's discovery made a sharp, cold light flash in her eyes.

"Nanyang," she whispered to herself, her fingertips lightly touching the area between "Borneo" and "Black Wind Island." "The Divine Envoy of the Chu Batian Dragon King is quite interesting."

She turned and walked towards the imperial desk, dipping her scarlet brush into ink beside the imperial seal.

"Pass on the order." Her voice was clear and melodious, with the calmness of someone in control of the overall situation.

"First, order the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Nanyang Division to fully investigate the connection between the Dayak tribe of Borneo and the One-Eyed Shark pirates of Black Wind Island, as well as the whereabouts of the so-called Divine Messenger. Any leads we find must be thoroughly investigated, no matter the cost."

"Second, secretly order the coastal navy to strengthen the blockade and reconnaissance of the waters around Black Wind Island. Refrain from attacking forcefully for now, and wait for the enemy to become disorganized."

"Third, instruct the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works to expedite the preparations for the Nanyang Development Office. Select personnel knowledgeable in maritime affairs and familiar with the Nanyang region to prepare a merchant fleet. Using trade as a vanguard, infiltrate the islands and establish a wide network of spies."

"Fourth," Murong Yan paused, her cinnabar leaving a bright red mark on the rice paper, "Inform the Ministry of Rites to prepare for the grand ceremony of the pilgrimage of all nations. Send letters to the rulers and kings of the islands of Southeast Asia to come to Nanjing for an audience in the spring of next year. Those who come will be given generous gifts as a token of God's grace. Those who do not come..."

She raised her phoenix eyes slightly, looked at the vast sky outside the palace, and said in a calm voice: "I will regard it as a traitor."

The eunuch bent over and took notes, not daring to make a sound.

Murong Yan put down the red brush and her fingertips brushed across the jade seal on the table, which symbolized the highest authority of the empire.

......

The sea breeze from Quanzhou Port, carrying the smell of rust and salt, blows across the huge plaque of the newly built "Zhenhai Shipyard".

Inside the vast dry dock, the keel stretched out into the deep water like the skeleton of a sleeping giant. When the black iron carriage, adorned with coiled dragon patterns and flanked by black-armored guards, entered the shipyard, the craftsmen paused their work and gazed in awe at the dark figure.

Lin Zhen slowly got out of the car, his black cloak fluttering slightly in the wind.

He ignored the officials who bowed and looked straight into the depths of the dock.

There, the outline of an unprecedented giant ship has begun to take shape.

It is longer and wider than the "Zhenhai-class" ironclad ship anchored in the port. Its streamlined hull is covered with shiny black steel plates, and there are more and larger gun positions reserved on the deck.

Chu Xiling, the head of the Thunder Burning Division, was wearing an indigo work suit, with oil stains on her cold face. She was discussing in a low voice with several engineers around a huge blueprint.

"Husband." Chu Xiling nodded slightly when she saw Lin Zhen, her voice calm.

"How's the progress?" Lin Zhen's eyes swept across the giant ship.

"The keel is laid, and the outer deck riveting is 70% complete. The first ship of the Thunder Dragon class, the Wavebreaker." Chu Xiling pointed to the blueprints. "It's 120 feet long, 20 feet wide, and has a draft of 60 feet. The main armor belt is six inches thick, covering the core area. It's equipped with 24 new-style Burning Heaven Divine Thunder main guns with a range of five miles, capable of firing explosive and armor-piercing rounds. It also has 40 auxiliary secondary guns and 60 close-range fire guns."

"Motivation." Lin Zhen asked.

"Twin high-pressure steam turbines specially built by the Institute of Gewu drive twin propellers. Designed to sail at a speed of no less than ten knots against headwind and current. With tailwind and current, it can reach fifteen knots." Chu Xiling spoke steadily. "Currently, the engine room is in place, and the steam pipes are being laid. The biggest challenges lie in the sealing and load-bearing of the main turret's rotating mechanism, as well as the explosion-proofing of the high-pressure steam pipes."

She pointed to the large circular base reserved in the middle of the ship. "Here, the first triple-mounted turret will be installed. It will rotate 360 ​​degrees and elevate 45 degrees. The existing sealing materials are prone to aging and failure in the high-pressure steam environment. The turret also vibrates violently when it rotates, causing severe wear on the bearings."

Lin Zhen took a few steps closer. The dark figure seemed small in front of the huge ship, but it carried an invisible sense of oppression.

He reached out, his cold fingertips brushing across a thick riveted steel plate, feeling the hardness and coldness of the metal.

"How long?" He said in a low voice.

"The main turret sealing material has a new formula, and the Institute of Materials Science has developed one, and it's currently being tested. Regarding the bearing issue," Chu Xiling's cold eyes flashed a glimmer, "I propose the use of multi-layer composite nested bearings, with vulcanized rubber shock-absorbing rings embedded inside and a carburized steel wear-resistant layer on the outside. The drawings have been drawn, and the samples are being forged. The results should be available within ten days."

"Okay." Lin Zhen nodded. "On the day the Wavebreaker is launched, I want to see it with my own eyes, firing its cannons and slicing through the waves."

"I will definitely live up to my husband's expectations." Chu Xiling's voice was still cold, but with a hint of imperceptible certainty.