The advent of steam ironclad ships had significant implications for the future of the Ming Dynasty.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang began to think about expanding his territory again.

At this time.

The situation on Lan Yu's side has changed.

After leaving the jungle and arriving at the seaside, Lan Yu learned that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had directly sent a naval fleet over.

I was so angry that my teeth were itching.

If he had known this earlier, with these tens of thousands of troops, he would definitely be able to swallow up that elite army.

But now there is obviously no such opportunity.

If they fight again, they will have to directly declare war, which requires the permission of the court. It is not up to Lan Yu to decide.

But this is not the end of the story.

The Ayutthaya Dynasty was nominally a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, but a vassal state attacked the envoys of the Celestial Empire, and so many people died.

This is clearly a crime of insubordination and disrespect.

"Duke Liang, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has issued an order that we are under the Duke's control and are responsible for Siam."

The leading general said respectfully.

Lan Yu nodded and said, "In that case, let's send an order to the entire army to march to Ayutthaya. I want to ask that little prince in person why he dared to attack our Ming soldiers."

Lan Yu felt relieved. Now that he had the support of the Crown Prince and there were so many troops, he might as well march directly to the city to hold the enemy accountable.

He really hoped that King Wutong would be ungrateful and give him enough excuses to take revenge.

Even if the other party pleads guilty, he must be humiliated.

This time, the navy fleet brought enough supplies, and 50,000 troops immediately sailed on the sea towards the Ayutthaya Dynasty.

…

Ming Dynasty.

At the Zhengyangmen pier, a huge crowd of people gathered again.

Yesterday's Beijing Gazette had already published news about the Dinghai ship.

Most people don’t actually understand much about what is said above, but they know that this steam ironclad ship is faster than an ordinary ship and does not rely entirely on sails.

Today, Your Majesty and the Crown Prince will board the ship for inspection.

For the common people in the capital, any action taken by His Majesty or the Crown Prince would be a major event and everyone would have to watch.

Therefore, a large number of people had gathered at the dock very early on.

Since last night, the entire dock has been under martial law and is under the control of the Imperial Guards.

"It's said in the imperial newspaper that this steam-powered ironclad ship of our Ming Dynasty is covered with iron armor. It's so heavy, so how could it not sink?"

"These damn officials, have they ever considered the safety of His Majesty's grandson?"

"I came here today to see with my own eyes who dared to fool His Majesty's grandson like this."

A scholar in a green gown said to his friend next to him with disdain.

They were students of the Imperial Academy, so naturally they did not need to squeeze together with ordinary people. There was open space specially planned by the court.

In addition to being a ritual, martial law is also a consideration for the safety of His Majesty's grandson.

After all, there are so many people, who knows if there are assassins among them.

Here at the Imperial College, everyone knows your ins and outs well, and they will most likely become officials in the future, so things will be different for them.

"Say less. Since this matter can be published in the official newspaper, there will be no problem."

"Didn't you see it? By then, the steam ironclad ship will sail from the outer Qinhuai River to the dock, and then Your Majesty and the Crown Prince will board the ship."

"If it was true that it would sink as you said, how could it have made it here? It would have sunk halfway through the journey."

My friend was speechless and subconsciously took a small step to the side.

It's a bit too brainless to say this.

Of course, anything that can be published in the official gazette has been confirmed over and over again. Anyone who dares to deceive His Majesty and the Crown Prince will lose his head.

How a lump of iron can travel on water is indeed the most popular topic of discussion right now.

Many people think that it must be His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who cast some magic.

Compared with the people of the Ming Dynasty, those from all over the world merchants in the capital are more interested.

They had been sailing on the sea for a long time, and they found it incredible after reading the court bulletin.

If what was said in the court newspaper was true, then this iron ship was simply the invincible overlord of the sea.

How can wood fight against iron?

There is no need for artillery, they just charge forward recklessly like a tiger into a flock of sheep.

This time, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Ying boarded the ship and allowed envoys from all countries to watch.

A separate area is set aside for the front.

Next to them were ministers who were able to enter the Fengtian Hall.

Among the envoys from all nations, the most nervous was Kanaya, the chief envoy of the Ayutthaya dynasty.

Kanay's expression revealed a hint of nervousness.

Although the news about the attack on the Ming Dynasty's envoy to Zhenla had not yet been announced in the court gazette, he had already known about it.

The good work of Amona, the leader of Zhenla, who once mocked him, is gone forever.

It is obvious that the Ming Dynasty will definitely hold someone accountable. The reason why it has not taken action yet is to let Lan Yu take revenge first.

Being able to come to Ming Dynasty to garrison, Kanay certainly knew the situation in this regard.

And now, the Ming Dynasty has developed a steam-powered ironclad ship.

If what was said in the court bulletin was true, then Siam would be right under the nose of the Ming Dynasty.

It is even closer than other territories of the Ming Dynasty.

It can be reached in a few days, which means that the Ming army only needs a few days to reach Siam.

This matter is extremely serious.

Kanay has already made up his mind that after seeing this steam ironclad ship today, he will write a letter to His Majesty the King, telling him not to make an enemy of the Ming Dynasty.

Unlike Kanay, Amona was in a very beautiful mood.

The more powerful the Ming Dynasty is, the more protection Zhenla can get.

Especially Princess Sultana, who has now given birth to a child for the Ming Crown Prince. The future of Zhenla is bright.

He only needed to wait until the princess's son came of age, and then he could return to Zhenla and participate in the government in the name of the princess.

Envoys from other countries did not have so many thoughts.

Most people are just there to watch the fun.

For example, in Annan, there was an envoy in name, but in fact the entire Annan was managed by the Ming Dynasty, and he was just a title.

That’s good, life here in the capital is quite comfortable.

The Champa envoys were even more depressed.

Champa is in such a mess now. The king is powerless, and the nobles are also powerless. It would be better for it to be under the control of the Ming Dynasty like Annan.

“The iron…iron ship is really floating!”

"It is really an iron ship. What the newspaper said is true!"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is truly a deity descending to earth, making the iron ship float."

Exclamations continued to ring out, and the crowd became turbulent and excited.

This completely broke their cognition, and the impossible became possible.

Common people love to attribute things that they cannot understand and that go against common sense to the affairs of gods and ghosts.

Even though there had been explanations about the steam engine in the official newspaper, the people still believed in what they believed, which was the magic of the gods.

The student who previously said in the Imperial College that officials deceived His Majesty's grandson.

At this moment, his eyes widened and his mouth opened subconsciously, with a look of disbelief on his face.

Although it was difficult to see clearly due to the distance, the iron ship glowed with a metallic luster under the sunlight, with a texture that wood did not have.

This is totally untrue.

At this time, loud shouts came from Zhengyang Avenue.

"Long live His Majesty!"

"Long live the Crown Prince!"

Wave after wave of people continued to shout loudly.

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Ying, who were sitting in the dragon chariot, could not hear clearly.

There was no organization in the people's shouting; they just knelt and shouted voluntarily.

This resulted in people here already starting to shout "Long live the emperor" before they had even finished shouting "Long live the crown prince" over there.

All kinds of sounds are intertwined together, forming a noisy sound.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang enjoyed this feeling very much.

This shows that the people still love us very much.

"Look, grandson, as long as we are sincere to the people, they will have us in their hearts. Such enthusiasm is not something those officials can show us."

"No matter how many corrupt officials we kill, it's all for the good of the people. The honest officials left behind truly serve the people, and they will remember our kindness in their hearts."

Zhu Yuanzhang said with a hint of pride.

There are only a few emperors in history who are so loved.

Zhu Ying naturally flattered the old man's words.

While chatting, the dragon chariot soon arrived at the dock.

This process and ritual are all very particular.

The Dinghai ship cannot keep His Majesty and the Crown Prince waiting, so it naturally has to arrive early.

It's not good to do it too early, otherwise you won't get such good results.

Being able to correspond to the time in this way, everything must have been arranged.

"Yu Jing, the commander of the Dinghai Fleet, and his naval officers and men pay their respects to Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Yu Jing had been waiting with his men early in the morning, and when Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Ying arrived, he immediately went forward to pay their respects.

"Stand up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

A wooden ladder has been set up next to the Dinghai ship.

Yu Jing bowed and led the way, and the grandfather and grandson, accompanied by dozens of Jinyiwei, boarded the fleet.

"After these few days of training, I have become familiar with the Dinghai Ship."

"We are going to board the ship this time to experience the speed of the Dinghai Ship. Please don't let us down."

Zhu Yuanzhang said to Yu Jing with a smile.

He knew Yu Jing, after all, he was the son of Yu Tongyuan, Marquis of Yuexi.

Yu Tongyuan was also involved in the Hu Weiyong case, but Zhu Yuanzhang did not blame him because of the contributions of his father Yu Tingyu and his brothers Yu Tonghai and Yu Tongyuan.

Hearing His Majesty's question, Yu Jing immediately clasped his fists and said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. The officers and soldiers have been familiar with each other for three days, and there will be no mistakes."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "Okay, then let's set sail and see how fast this steam ironclad ship is."

As Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, Liu He, who followed him on board, immediately shouted: "Your Majesty's order, hoist the sail and set sail!"

"As you wish!"

As the navy on the Dinghai ship shouted loudly.

The soldiers in the cabin below immediately began to shovel up large pieces of coal and put them into the boiler.

The steam engine started running, and the powerful power drove the gears, making a rumbling sound.

Black smoke rose from the chimney above, and the propeller at the back began to turn.

The soldiers above also began to operate the sails to gain leverage.

The Dinghai ship slowly sailed away from the dock and gradually went away under the gaze of hundreds of thousands of people.

The destination of this voyage is Shanghai, hundreds of miles away.

In other words, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Ying will take the Dinghai ship and go directly to Shanghai County.

According to the current speed, it will take about three or four hours to reach Shanghai County, which is 600 miles away.

Such a speed undoubtedly breaks the limits of this era.

The sailing speed of a sailboat is about 25-30 kilometers per hour.

Of course, the actual speed of the ship is not specific, it mainly depends on the weather.

If there is a tailwind and the wind is strong, it will naturally be faster.

If it's against the wind and the wind is light, it will naturally be slower.

The steam ironclad ship built by Zhu Ying this time can only be considered a semi-finished product if you really want to be precise.

It is indeed covered with iron sheets, but it is just iron sheets. It looks intimidating, but the thickness is pitifully thin.

Not to mention cannons, even muskets can be penetrated and a single cut with a knife can make a hole.

The main hull is made of large timber, and this is the true body of the Dinghai ship.

However, laying iron sheets will ultimately provide stronger defense.

Then there are propellers and steam engines.

Strictly speaking, it is equivalent to adding steam power to the propulsion of a sailboat.

This also involves the issue of battery life and water depth.

If the ship is overloaded and the draft is too deep, its speed will definitely be affected.

The coal loaded in the ship's hold now can only last for 20 to 30 hours at most, which is a little more than two days. Any more than that will affect the ship's speed.

It was impossible to go on an ocean voyage. Even if there was more cargo, it could only reach Champa, and coal would have to be added for replenishment. Otherwise, it would be completely powered by sails, and the steam engine propeller would become a decoration.

At present, the significance of deterrence is far greater than its practical significance.

This will only be possible once the steam engine has been sufficiently improved.

This Dinghai ship was not even equipped with cannons, it was built purely for speed.

In fact, the Dinghai ship still has many disadvantages.

For example, the problem of steering.

Due to the influence of the propeller, it is naturally not as flexible as a sailboat in turning.

And there is no way to stop it quickly. Even if the steam engine is turned off, it will still drag for a long distance before gradually stopping.

Of course, these disadvantages are insignificant compared to the speed advantage.

"It's really fast."

Standing on the deck covered with iron sheets, Zhu Yuanzhang felt the strong wind and couldn't help but sigh.

"It will take several hours to reach Shanghai County."

Hearing His Majesty's question, Yu Jing, who was accompanying him, immediately replied: "Your Majesty, we will arrive at the port of Shanghai County in another three hours."

Zhu Yuanzhang heard this and calculated in his mind and said, "It is indeed more than twice as fast."

At normal ship speed, it takes about seven or eight hours to travel from Nanjing to Shanghai County along the Yangtze River.

The Dinghai ship will arrive in three hours.

It is morning now, that is, morning.

Three hours later, Zhu Yuanzhang was able to enjoy dinner in Shanghai County.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang could not help but recite: "I left Baidi in the morning amidst the colorful clouds, and returned to Jiangling a thousand miles away in one day."

This poem by Li Bai seems exaggerated, but it is actually not.

A sailing ship can travel a thousand miles in a day in twelve hours.

Zhu Yuanzhang also recited the same poem, but he could sail thousands of miles away in broad daylight.