Moma Liangshan

Chapter 159 The Dragon Has Nine Sons, Fleet Planning

Neither goat milk soap nor glass mirrors were necessities. Given the technological level of the Northern Song Dynasty, their production processes were complex, raw materials scarce, and required extensive manual labor. Furthermore, the various merchants in Jiaozhou operated independently. Therefore, Wang Hao directly set the ex-factory price of goat milk soap at five strings of cash per pound. As for glass mirrors, the ex-factory price varied from ten to one hundred strings of cash depending on size. The high prices did not deter the strong demand. Within six months, it had become commonplace for high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants in Bianjing (Kaifeng) to use goat milk soap for washing their faces and bathing. Glass mirrors became a new symbol of wealth. Women from wealthy families spent lavishly on all kinds of glass mirrors, while daughters from ordinary families would save money to buy a mirror as part of their dowry.

After arranging all matters, Wang Hao finally set sail south on March 26th. The new ships from Jiaozhou had completed their near-shore trials and were taking advantage of the journey south to Fujian to conduct long-range trials. New ships needed escorts from older vessels, so Wang Hao drew another warship from the Jiaozhou navy. Gunpowder weapons had already appeared in the Northern Song Dynasty, but their actual power was not significantly superior to the ballistae and catapults of the time. Moreover, ancient cannons were mostly made of bronze, a material used for minting coins, making their extremely low cost-effectiveness difficult to promote among the Song army. Although the development of cannons was limited by many conditions, the use of gunpowder was widely adopted. The gunpowder workshops in Dongjing alone had five thousand workers, and the most typical examples of gunpowder weapons were the "rocket" and the "fireball." Rockets used the thrust of gunpowder to launch traditional arrows, relying on the arrow's kinetic energy to kill the enemy, while fireballs were bombs made of gunpowder. The catapults and ballistae were undoubtedly the pinnacle of heavy weaponry in the era of cold weapons. Because catapults were too inaccurate, they had to be used on a large scale to truly unleash their power. In addition, the stone projectiles used in combat could not be sourced locally during naval battles. Therefore, the warships in Jiaozhou were only equipped with ballistae.

Compared to the ballistae used in land battles, the ballistae on warships had an additional winch for cocking them. In land battles, with a large number of soldiers, multiple people could work together to cock the ballistae, which not only ensured the rate of fire but also reduced the manufacturing cost of the ballistae. However, on warships, manpower was limited and each person had their own duties, so a winch had to be installed for cocking.

To better distinguish each warship, the original three were named Qiuniu, Yazi, and Chaofeng, while the newly launched warship was named Pulao. The Qiuniu and Pulao warships accompanied Wang Hao south to Fujian. Zhao Long was the captain of the Qiuniu, and Wei Xu was the newly appointed captain of the Pulao. Wang Hao and Yang Zhi traveled on the more technologically advanced Qiuniu, while Di Gongkao, as the chief designer of the Pulao, naturally conducted an on-site inspection.

The seascape was breathtaking, but after a while, it grew monotonous. On the deck, Zhao Long asked, "Why did you choose Qiuniu as the name of your warship, young master?" Wang Hao slowly replied, "Have you ever heard of the nine sons of the dragon?" The sea was calm, and most of the soldiers were sunbathing. Hearing Wang Hao's question, they unconsciously moved closer, but everyone looked blank. Finally, Zhao Long could only say, "This subordinate is ignorant; please enlighten me, young master!" Wang Hao explained, "The dragon has nine sons: the eldest is Qiuniu, the second is Yazi, the third is Chaofeng, and the fourth is Pulao."

Everyone suddenly understood. Zhao Long said, "Brothers, we used to think the name Qiuniu sounded a bit petty and didn't reflect the might of our Jiaozhou Navy. But now that you mention it, Qiuniu is a divine beast, much more imposing than jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards!" At this moment, another soldier said, "The dragon has nine sons, and you've only mentioned four. What are the other five called?" Wang Hao replied, "The fifth son is Suanni, the sixth is Baxia, the seventh is Bian, the eighth is Fuxi, and the ninth is Chiwen." The soldiers nodded repeatedly. Zhao Long then asked, "So, when we launch more warships, will we use Suanni, Baxia, Bian, Fuxi, and Chiwen as their names?"

Wang Hao nodded and said, "Don't you think it's good?" Another soldier said, "It is good, but a dragon only has nine sons. Does that mean our Jiaozhou Navy can only have nine warships?" Wang Hao said, "Of course not. We will build nine fleets, and only the flagship of each fleet can use these names!" The soldiers were all filled with longing after hearing this. Another soldier said, "Does that mean we lowly soldiers might become captains in the future?" Zhao Long thought his subordinates were too rash and scolded, "One should never be too ambitious!" Wang Hao interrupted and said, "A soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier. Young people should have dreams and then strive to realize them!" Then he looked at Zhao Long and said, "I hope you will first set your sights high!"

Soon after, a wind picked up at sea, and Wang Hao entered the cabin. At this moment, Yang Zhi said, “Throughout history, those in power have always feared subordinates with treacherous ambitions, yet you, sir, demand that they aspire to great things. If this continues, some may become restless!” Wang Hao held a completely different view, saying, “Do you know that the world will inevitably progress and become better than it is now?” Yang Zhi shook his head, saying, “I’ve never heard of that!” Wang Hao asked again, “Do you understand its meaning?” Yang Zhi said, “I understand a little!” Wang Hao continued, “The world progresses because everyone yearns for a better life. Therefore, as rulers, we should lead the people to strive for a better life, not cling to old ways or even act against the tide. Otherwise, the people’s hearts will be scattered, and we will only bring about our own destruction!” Yang Zhi agreed with Wang Hao’s point of view, saying, “The progress of an ordinary soldier is from private third class to private second class, from private second class to private first class, until finally standing out and becoming a general!”

Wang Hao nodded and said, "If every soldier can realize their value in our army, then what reason is there for the Jiaozhou Army not to be united and invincible?" Yang Zhi said, "Young Master's insights are quite unique!" Wang Hao smiled slightly and said, "The duty of soldiers is to protect their country. Therefore, if we want to build an invincible iron army, we must make these soldiers love this country immensely. And achieving this goal cannot be accomplished by relying on sweet talk or elaborate pretense." Yang Zhi pressed, "If that's the case, how exactly can it be achieved?" Wang Hao replied, "Governing a country is a continuous process of exploration..." "In the process, what we can do is always keep the people in our hearts and ensure that every policy we formulate reflects the will of the vast majority of the people!" Yang Zhi suddenly said, "Young Master is benevolent and talented, worthy of governing a region, but unfortunately the Emperor has only given you a seventh-rank county magistrate!" Wang Hao, however, did not think so, saying, "Don't forget, I am not yet of age. To hastily place me in a high position is not necessarily a good thing for myself or for the people under my jurisdiction!" Yang Zhi immediately said, "Your subordinate knows his fault; he should not have spoken ill of His Majesty!" Wang Hao casually said, "Since we cannot silence the people's voices, why not let them speak freely? Perhaps this will make it easier for policies to be implemented?"

//

Website:

Mobile site: