Munitions Empire

But this was not a real train cannon, but rather a beggar’s version of a prototype train cannon. In fact, these C80 howitzers were all towed artillery, equipped with wheels.

Tang Mo had only produced some flatbed train cars and then simply fixed these artillery pieces onto them.

This maximized the flexibility of using these cannons but sacrificed the protective capability of the train cannon.

In theory, Tang Mo could have created an armored train by mounting cannons and various weapons on it to surprise the enemy.

However, it should be noted that armored trains consumed a significant amount of steel and also had great limitations in their use; in actuality, Tang Mo could not fully exploit the advantages of armored trains.

In comparison, conserving steel was a practice more in line with Tang Mo’s current situation. After all, he now had to allocate his limited steel production capacity to more useful places.

Because Tang Mo was now seriously considering whether he should try to get his hands on that distant land, Black Dragon Island, rich in oil.

After all, oil as the lifeblood of modern industry is extremely valuable and of paramount importance. Securing an oil field in advance was absolutely crucial for Tang Mo’s strategic planning.

Knowing about the existence of Black Dragon Island, he naturally hoped to take control of this island himself.

In his plan, conquering and controlling Black Dragon Island, the Navy was absolutely the core combat force. Merely relying on his dozen or so sailing ships to dominate Black Dragon Island was nothing short of a fool’s dream.

Even if he truly occupied Black Dragon Island, those few small vessels could neither support his maritime transport needs nor defend his island assets!

Therefore, in Tang Mo’s plan, expanding maritime forces was also very important and urgent.

Against this backdrop, Tang Mo did not invest all the limited steel into armored trains but saved where he could, turning his train cannons into a simplified model.

Where was the steel saved being used? It was used for a brand-new vessel in the shipyard—a truly modern ironclad warship powered by steam.

The design of this warship was based on the renowned Jiyuan-class cruiser, except that due to the times and Tang Mo’s current capabilities, it had undergone some minor modifications.

First was the warship’s protective capabilities; due to a lack of steel, there was a considerable reduction. The originally more numerous and dense watertight compartments were greatly simplified.

At the same time, the famous German barbette horizontal defense was completely abandoned, leaving only a steel plate under the deck for defense.

After all, in this era’s naval vessels, which still used muzzle-loading cannons, almost all used solid shot. Under this premise, increasing the armor of an ironclad warship had no meaningful purpose.

After eliminating horizontal armor and reducing internal defense armor, Tang Mo’s warship length was increased by 10 meters, reaching an astonishing length of 89 meters and a width of 11.5 meters.

The primary reason for these modifications was to save on materials. Aside from ensuring the ship’s structural strength, all extra defense designs were reduced.

Even the conning tower, originally designed to withstand direct strikes from large-caliber cannons, had its armor thickness reduced to half of its original size.

With so much steel usage reduced, the ship’s displacement was lower, the design’s center of gravity was unstable, so the hull had to be expanded, increasing the reserves of drinking water and coal inside—used as ballast.

To achieve these improvements, Tang Mo hired nine skilled ship designers at a high price and used the computer in his mind for simulation calculations before completing the ultimate modification of this vessel.

Thus, the endurance of this modified Jiyuan-class warship on the high seas was greatly enhanced, and its speed was increased to a terrifying 40 kilometers per hour.

For easy calculations, Tang Mo did not stubbornly adopt the "knot" as the unit of measurement but continued to use the metric kilometer on the sea as on land.

Forty kilometers an hour is roughly equivalent to a speed of about 22 knots, an advantage that came from the lighter warship and the use of a more mature steam engine.

To deal with the more advanced boiler and the greater heat generation of the steam engine, an additional funnel was installed in the elongated midsection of the warship.

Because there was no need for so many watertight compartments and there was ample coal and freshwater, the standard of living on the warship was also significantly improved, allowing for more food to be carried and more spacious living conditions for the crew.

Regarding weapons, this modified Jiyuan-class warship, or rather severely scaled-back warship, had many novel features canceled.

Tang Mo did not have such novelties to heap onto the warship, so the torpedoes originally planned for the warship were all canceled.

After all, Tang Mo presently didn’t even have a workshop for producing torpedoes, let alone torpedoes. He was not in a position to undertake the production of so many weapons, and his workers didn’t even know what a torpedo was.

Since torpedoes could not be produced, the related compartments could be repurposed as living quarters for the crew.

At the same time, Tang Mo also had no way of using the numerous Hotchkiss quick-firing guns that were equipped on the Jiyuan-class.

The original Zhiyuan warship was armed with eight 57mm single-tube Hotchkiss guns and six 37mm quick-firing guns... Tang Mo was likewise unable to directly produce and equip his warships with this assortment of weapons.

Whether they were useful or junk, Tang Mo had no intention of pursuing that matter since he had never witnessed their combat performance, but the truth was he lacked the production lines for these weapons.

It was simply not feasible for Tang Mo to establish new production lines dedicated to two special types of weapons just for a single warship.

Every one of his production lines was precious, and they had to account for the Army’s needs as much as possible while also considering future sales and promotion. Thus, he couldn’t afford to waste resources on specialized 37mm caliber naval quick-firing guns that were lackluster.

As a result, the warship was ultimately fitted with ten uniform 75mm caliber rear-loading field guns that Tang Mo could produce...

These cannons had a limited firing arc and were all deployed along the sides, incapable of providing any firepower to the bow.

However, relying on the warship’s terrifying speed, it could comfortably adjust its position outside the enemy warship’s range to meet the enemy with its most powerful broadside.

The cannons used on the bow and stern weren’t the Zhiyuan’s slow-firing 210mm caliber main guns, but rather an improvised version of the 120mm caliber field gun.

After all, in these times, naval guns capable of firing beyond 5 kilometers didn’t exist yet, and a 120mm caliber gun that could fire high-explosive shells was overwhelmingly dominant at sea.

Moreover, the reduction in caliber brought more obvious advantages; the improved warship had a triple turret at the bow and a twin turret at the stern!

Thus, the overall design of this new vessel featured its main armament of five 120mm caliber guns and twelve 75mm caliber secondary guns, making it far mightier in terms of gun count alone than any destroyer.

Nevertheless, due to the immature technology of searchlights, Tang Mo had to honestly scrap the design for searchlights, which meant this giant warship, like other naval vessels, wasn’t capable of night battles.

Moreover, a dozen or so old-fashioned Gatling guns, originally equipped on the Zhiyuan, were discarded by Tang Mo. In their place were six more powerful Maxim water-cooled machine guns.

Since the machine guns were still under development, the new vessel, during construction, only reserved their mounts without installing them.

Similarly, as there was no need for focused ammunition protection, most of the ammunition stores were dispersed and designed near the gun positions, which inadvertently reduced the overall weight of the firepower system and correspondingly increased the speed at which shells could be accessed.

The lack of defense was effectively countered by the subpar opponents of today; the solid shots that could only reach one kilometer were incapable of piercing the thin side armor and penetrating the ironclad’s ammunition storage.

In fact, this colossal warship displacing 3700 tons was unquestionably the most advanced and powerful warship in the world. The sail-powered ships of war from other nations stood no chance against it.

Despite its numerous imperfections, its creation was destined to be recorded in history books, and its presence was bound to redefine naval warfare across the world.

Tang Mo was confident that, once this warship was launched, he would nearly have the capability to secure his own sea transport routes.

When that time came, establishing Black Dragon Island would become a top priority. Therefore, he found it necessary to scout Black Dragon Island in advance and ensure his sailors were skilled in long-distance voyages.

So, looking at Roger and the others, he inquired about the activity of his fleet, "How are things with the fleet?"

Roger immediately answered his question, "We’ve sent two ships to the south, carrying 1000 K1 Quick Guns and 50,000 rounds of ammunition. If all goes well, they should be able to sell these weapons."

Li’ao also added, "They’ve been gone for just over a month and we’ve received no news yet."

"If we can successfully market the bolt-action rifles, then next time all our ships can head south together," continued Roger.

"That’s good news," Tang Mo nodded.

After six months of training, his fleet had finally begun engaging in oceanic activities. This would not only train the sailors but also generate greater profits for Tang Mo.

Simply operating within the borders of the Leite Kingdom was clearly insufficient to satisfy Tang Mo’s ambitions for expansion. He needed to secure more trade routes and sell more products.

"Until they return, this isn’t good news," John interjected from the side, cautioning, "Sea trade is a very dangerous affair."

He glanced at Tang Mo and furrowed his brow, "You’re beginning to look more like a man; did something happen on your trip to the Northern Ridge...?"

"Don’t make wild guesses!" Tang Mo laughed as he glanced at John, explaining, "It’s good news that our sailors have the courage to fight on the high seas."

"If we don’t send them out, they might indeed fatten to death at the port," joked Bernard, who was in charge of the Navy.

"Hahahaha!" Everyone burst into laughter.

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