Chapter 602: Big boat faction and small boat faction
The Qin navy was suppressed by the Chu navy. Perhaps it is inevitable. This inevitability lies in the natural difference between the "sea" and "water" armies. The navy was established based on the Yangtze River. From the very beginning, the Qin Navy treated going to sea as its historical mission. But one fact is. The combat area takes place on the mainland's freshwater waterways. Namely on the Yangtze River system. Rather than the sea surface that the navy planned from the beginning. This gap in the combat area gave birth to two factions within the Qin State Navy.
Big boat faction and small boat faction. The big ship faction is mainly based on the unilateral opinion of the high-level. This understanding may come from Shangwen's strategic planning. Qin's ultimate goal is to go to sea, and going to sea means that a larger ship is needed. Small ships cannot meet the requirements for going to sea.
In combat. Qin Haijun believes that the bigger the ship, the better. In this way, more artillery can be installed. they think. Artillery superiority is the greatest advantage of the Qin Navy. In particular, the accuracy of artillery has been improved. The appearance of Qin's steel cannon greatly increased the accuracy. This accuracy can directly sink the opponent's wooden boat. Exaggerated speaking. One shot should be fine.
The idea of simply building big ships and installing artillery should be correct. But it actually is. Qin's shipbuilding industry has just started. and. The number and quality of sailors seriously affected the development of the navy. Especially the shipbuilding industry. They are used to making small boats. Large ships require a period of research to be manufactured. Moreover, with the refreshing artillery technology. Especially the emergence of some new features. For example, shells need dry storage space. And just to be safe. Generally, the shells must be separated from the artillery. This requires a good delivery device.
This requires changes in the space settings and layout of the ship. Especially the overall design of large ships. These are all requirements that Qin State's shipbuilding technology cannot meet. Facing this circumstances. The lower-level officers put forward their views. That is to use a boat.
The starting point of Qin State's shipbuilding industry has been lowered. One or two cannons are installed on a ship. Then install more machine guns. And it is better to use mechanical power. Install diesel engine. Improve the underwater propulsion device and so on. such. The problem of shipbuilding is solved. Qin relies on new technology to make up for combat missions.
The idea is that large ships cannot adapt to the current requirements of fighting on the river. Although his firepower is strong. But there are also requirements that cannot be met at present. Number of artillery. Qin can produce as many as hundreds of artillery pieces in one month. But the number of artillery delivered here is very small. The traffic here is extremely underdeveloped.
In addition, because the combat area is on the river surface. The width of the channel does not allow a large number of surface ships to appear at once. The firepower advantage cannot be deployed. Unless it is a shore attack. therefore. The number of large ships should be reduced a lot. Instead, more energy, financial resources, and material resources should be concentrated on small ships. Especially fast gunboats. This kind of ship has both speed and firepower advantages. There is another reason. Build small ships and use Qin to accumulate shipbuilding experience. From simple to easy. In training, sailor command and understanding can be greatly eased. Most of these fishermen-born sailors will not adapt to the operation of large ships. Sometimes they don't even know their position. The use of small boats can greatly ease this situation.
But this situation is not recognized by the above. Especially the small boat factions are all low-level officers. They simply cannot convince the above meaning.
No matter how the two factions argue. However, the status quo of Qin's navy Shangwen still cannot be changed. The control of Qin's military expenditure was done according to actual needs. For example, although the army's military expenditures have been cut on a large scale several times. But the proportion is still very large. And it can't be shaken in a short time. This is because more than 98% of Qin’s current resources come from land development. In other words, the army occupied a large area of Shangwen. These areas are very important to Qin. Railways, highways, steel plants, power plants, etc. all exist on the land of Qin State. Horses are also the main Shangwen combat transport platform. The enemy is mainly concentrated on the Eurasian continent. Even the Celestial Army has its immense use.
Laying cables, telephone lines. Erection of various overhead devices. Especially the development of air transportation. Areas that cannot be covered by roads and railway networks. The airship can be completed. It is faster than a carriage in terms of speed. The most important thing is that his course can be straight. But the carriage is much inferior. Demands will give birth to the needs of its powerful Shangwen military. Security in transportation requires military protection. The navy's needs are latent. It doesn't happen in reality.
The supply of resources in the south mainly depends on the supply of Chu. For example, copper ore comes from the Jiujiang area of Chu State, and tungsten ore doped in this ore. The non-ferrous metal mines in the south are what Qin needs most. All these things were shipped across the river from the Jiujiang area by the Chu State. Then arrived at Xinzheng by ox cart transportation. Transported by train from Xinzheng to iron and steel plants in the north, Taiyuan and other places. over there. Qin State produces all kinds of steel. Then it is used for the domestic construction of Qin State. Or part of it is exported to six countries. Among them, the Yangtze River waterway transportation plays a very important role. It is precisely because of need. There is a necessity for Chu's navy to exist. On the contrary, the existence of the Qin State Navy is somewhat redundant.
Chu State occupies a prime position in the middle and lower reaches. The fishery there can feed the entire waterway area. The position of Qin's navy is high. The population living here is medium. But there is no need for transportation. The most is the upstream timber transportation. But this is not enough to support the needs of a huge navy. At most, it is enough to have a navy similar to the Chu Army.
If it needs to be changed. It is necessary to change the transportation. Convenience of using water channels. Change horizontal transportation to vertical transportation. The State of Qin used convenient railway transportation to directly connect to the naval base. The non-ferrous ore in Jiujiang area is directly loaded on the train from here to the factory in Qin State. Then come back to various products. Only in this way can the Navy survive, develop and grow.
The underdevelopment of the South is the root of the problem. Shang Wen is changing this situation. The State of Qin wants to build railways and highways in the south. Cables must be laid in order to control the south. In addition, the southern development is also steadily advancing. Sugar cane has been planted in a certain area in Bashu area, and oranges are also being transplanted. Due to the special geographical environment, wheat is expected to be harvested for the first time in April and May. The two-cooking system a year was first born in the Bashu area. All these are changing the economic situation in the south of Qin. This is the direct economic reason for improving road conditions. The Qin State Navy will benefit from this.
