Chapter 219

One month later.

The chimneys of Great Qin's Tiangong Workshop went from one in Xianyang to dozens, spread all over the country's major industrial zones.

The steam engine models were updated for several generations, larger in size and stronger in power.

From only being able to drive forging hammers, to being able to drive textile machines, flour milling machines, water pumps, and even... letting giant steel monsters run in the water.

Gu Shanhe exchanged a "complete set of ironclad ship diagrams" from the system, from steam turbines (simplified version) to the manufacturing of rifled guns, detailed to an outrageous degree.

When the diagrams were placed in front of Qin Huali and Gongshu Chou, the two old men almost fainted on the spot, not out of fear, but out of excitement.

They led the most elite disciples of the Mohist and Gongshu families.

Plus the top blacksmiths and carpenters summoned from all over the country, they circled a larger piece of land by the largest shipyard in Kuaiji Commandery.

They hung up the sign of "Great Qin Royal Heavy Industry Shipyard" and began to toss and turn day and night.

Iron, they needed massive amounts of iron.

Fortunately, the giant iron mines discovered in the southern continent newly explored in Fusang and Australia, under Gu Shanhe's "suggestion," were discovered.

And several mines newly opened in the country, with the help of steam pumps and simple machinery, saw iron production rolling up.

Coke smelting was also popularized, and the quality and output of steel reached a new level.

Half a year later, Kuaiji Bay.

Ten steel behemoths floated quietly on the water.

The pitch-black steel hulls reflected a cold, hard light.

No sails, only thick chimneys.

The bow was a sharp steel ram, and on both sides of the hull, square shooting holes were opened, with black gun barrels extending from them.

On the deck were rotating turrets and watchtowers.

This was Great Qin's first generation of steam ironclad ships, although the tonnage was not large by later standards, in this era, it was a symbol of invincibility.

On the day of the sea trial, the bay was under martial law.

Ying Zheng, Gu Shanhe, and all the civil and military officials came.

The shore was crowded with people, all commoners who came to watch the fun.

"Set sail!"

On the flagship "Ding Qin," the newly appointed Navy Governor (Meng Tian concurrently) gave an order.

The steam whistle emitted a deafening long sound!

The chimneys of the ten ironclad ships spewed thick black smoke columns at the same time, the propellers stirred violently underwater, pushing the huge hulls to leave the pier slowly.

Then accelerated, drawing white wakes on the sea.

"Fast! Too fast!"

The people on the shore exclaimed.

This speed was much faster than the fastest sailboat with a tailwind, and it was not affected by the wind direction.

Next was the live ammunition test.

A scrapped old-style tower ship was towed to the distant sea as a target ship.

"Ding Qin" adjusted its course, the bow aimed at the target ship, and began to accelerate.

"Ram ready!"

The steel behemoth carried the momentum of ten thousand jun and slammed into the wooden tower ship!

"Boom crack—!"

A loud noise came.

The tower ship was like paper, torn from the middle, broken, wood chips flying, and instantly disintegrated and sank.

The ironclad ship only shook its hull, a little wood chip was stained on the ship's corner, and it was unscathed.

"Good!"

Ying Zheng on the viewing ship clenched his fists.

Next was the shelling test.

A deserted island was chosen as the target.

"Left-side artillery, target the beach of the deserted island, three rapid shots, fire!"

"Boom boom boom——!"

The earth-shattering artillery sound merged into one, fire flashed, and gunpowder smoke filled the air.

The shells whistled out, landing on the beach of the deserted island, blowing up soil, broken stones, and smoke columns that reached the sky.

After three volleys, that beach had been blown beyond recognition, as if it had been plowed once.

On the viewing ship, there was silence.

Everyone was shocked by this destructive power.

If this hit the city wall, what city wall could withstand it?

If it hit the army phalanx...

Ying Zheng took a deep breath, his eyes shining brightly, as if he were twenty years younger.

He turned around suddenly, looked at Gu Shanhe who was calm beside him, and laughed loudly,

"With this divine weapon, I want to see, within this universe, who else can stop my Great Qin's blade!"

Mediterranean, coast of the Greek Peninsula.

A huge fleet was approaching.

The flag was a red cross eagle flag (Roman military flag).

50,000 Roman legion soldiers, led by Consul Caesar, had just finished a "friendly visit" to Egypt,

And were returning with a full load of gold and slaves, passing by to deter those "disobedient" Greek city-states in the east.

Caesar stood on the flagship deck, full of ambition.

Rome is the hegemon of the Mediterranean, invincible.

The sentry on the watchtower suddenly issued a terrified shout: "East! An unidentified fleet appears in the east!"

"Quantity... a lot, the appearance of the ships... never seen before!"

"They are black! Smoking!"

Caesar frowned, picked up a monocular telescope (a rare item from Egypt) and looked.

I saw a low black ship shadow on the horizon, approaching at an astonishing speed.

No sails, but smoking, the hull reflecting the luster of metal.

"Is it the new warships of the Carthaginians? Or the Persians in the east?"

Caesar was suspicious in his heart, but not very panicked.

The Roman navy was not vegetarian, and he had 50,000 battle-hardened legions on the ships.

"Order! Fleet turn, meet the enemy! Let the barbarians of the east see the power of Rome!"

The two fleets met in the sea area not far from the coast.

The Roman fleet set up a traditional boarding battle formation, the rowers rowing hard, trying to get close to these strange black ships.

Great Qin fleet flagship "Ding Qin" command room, Meng Tian put down the telescope, sneered: "Turtle speed."

"Order, each ship keeps its distance, side facing the enemy ships."

"Rifled artillery, load solid bullets, target the enemy ship's waterline, free fire."

"Send these barbarians to feed the fish."

The order was issued through flag signals.

The ten ironclad ships easily kept their distance, aiming their sides at the Roman warships that were rowing hard to get close.

"Fire!"

"Boom boom boom boom——!"

The artillery fire was more dense and fierce than during the sea trial!

Solid iron balls flew out at a speed invisible to the naked eye, precisely smashing into the fragile wooden hulls of the Roman warships.

Wood chips flew, ship boards broke, and seawater surged in frantically.

One after another, Roman warships began to tilt and sink.

The Roman soldiers on the ships cried and jumped into the sea, but they were met with more dense musket fire, and a blood-red patch soon floated on the sea.

Caesar's flagship was also hit by a shell on the side, breaking a large hole, and seawater surged in.

Caesar, under the desperate protection of his guards, changed to a small boat and fled in a mess to the Greek coast not far away.

50,000 troops, before landing, first fed the fish in the sea, leaving only less than 20,000 people following Caesar to flee ashore, still terrified.

They had just barely formed a team on the beach, still terrified, when they saw those ten black devil ships actually... storming the beach too!

The heavy steel ship bows dug into the sand, lowering the baffles.

Then, something that made them even more terrified happened.

Groups of soldiers in dark red military uniforms, holding strange iron pipes, walked down from those big ships in neat formations.

Immediately after, were even stranger things—

Several square-headed, black-smoke-emitting "iron cars" that didn't need horses to pull themselves moved down from the specially made wide gangplanks, the tracks rolling over the beach, leaving deep ruts.

The iron cars had black, thick pipes extending from the front (early steam tank prototypes, equipped with machine guns and short-barreled cannons).

"This... what exactly is this?!"

Caesar and the surviving Roman officers had their worldviews shattered.

Meng Tian didn't give them too much time to think.

The Qin army quickly deployed its formation.

Musketeers in front, lined up in three rows.

Those few "iron cars" drove to the front of the formation with a rumble.

The remaining Roman legions, after all, were battle-hardened elites, under Caesar's roar and the officers' whips, barely formed their proud "tortoise shell formation"—

Soldiers held large shields over their heads and around them, closely connected, forming mobile steel fortresses, advancing slowly.

At the same time, the javelin throwers in the rear began to throw javelins.

"Raise guns! Fire!" Qin army officer ordered.

"Bang bang bang bang——!"

The sound of gunfire like beans popping rang out.

Lead balls hit the Roman shields, making a dull impact sound.

The wooden iron-clad large shields had stronger protection than expected when facing the lead balls of flintlock muskets, but they were not invincible.

Many shields broke after being hit continuously, and the soldiers behind fell with screams.

More importantly, the continuous, deafening gunfire and the constantly falling companions were a devastating blow to morale.

"Don't be chaotic! Keep the formation! Get close to them! Close combat!" Caesar roared hoarsely.

The Roman tortoise shell formation pushed hard against the rain of bullets, moving forward slowly but firmly.

The two sides closed to fifty paces.

Just at this moment, the few "iron cars" in front of the formation let out a roar.

The shooting holes on the top and sides of the cars sprayed out more dense tongues of fire! That was an early prototype of a Gatling machine gun (hand-cranked), with a rate of fire far exceeding single-shot muskets.

A rain of bullets poured toward the Roman army formation.

"Puff puff puff puff——!"

Wood chips mixed with flesh and blood flew.

The seemingly sturdy tortoise shell formation, in front of this metal storm, melted and collapsed like ice under the sun.

Large shields were beaten into sieves, and the soldiers behind fell in patches.

The formation was instantly in chaos.