169: Chapter 79 Naval New Elite

Jinling Naval Port, the spring chill was biting, and a thin layer of mist drifted over the sea surface.

The mist was grey-white, like a semi-transparent veil, shrouding the distant silhouettes of ships in a hazy, elusive manner.

A fine layer of frost covered the concrete ground by the pier, making it slightly slippery underfoot and producing a faint crunching sound with each step.

However, the naval port was already buzzing with activity. Thousands of workers and technicians were busy around the massive dry dock, moving with the organized precision of an ant colony—some operated giant cranes, their massive iron arms rotating slowly in the air to hoist steel plates weighing over a dozen tons; others hauled rivets and bolts, pushing carts loaded with materials through narrow passageways; still others were welding the keel, the blue flames from their welding torches flickering in the morning light like tiny suns.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of metal cutting, the acrid scent of welding fumes, and the unique aroma of sweat and machine oil emanating from the workers.

The entire dry dock resembled a breathing steel behemoth, every heartbeat accompanied by the roar of machinery and the clashing of metal.

Li Ling stood at the edge of Dry Dock No. 1, gazing at the massive object under construction before him, a surge of indescribable excitement rising in his heart.

It was the first of the Longjiang-class Battleship—the "Longwu".

Judging by its appearance, it was a size larger than any Dreadnought currently in service.

It was 185 meters long, nearly twenty meters longer than the "dragon soar"; 27 meters wide, with a draft of 8.5 meters; and had a standard displacement of 28,000 tons, with a full load displacement exceeding 32,000 tons.

The entire ship was like a floating steel mountain—the length of the keel alone was enough to make one look up in awe. At this moment, the skeleton of the hull had been erected, with countless rib-like steel frames extending from both sides of the keel, forming the prototype of a giant warship.

Welding sparks flickered incessantly between the steel frames, like the pulsing heartbeat of the steel behemoth.

Workers climbed, welded, and riveted between the steel frames, every movement precise and skilled.

Li Ling noticed one elderly worker—grey hair peeking out from the edge of his safety helmet, his face covered in wrinkles and burn scars—crouched on a beam, carefully filling a seam with his welding torch.

His focused expression was as if he were completing a work of art.

"System, report the specific parameters," Li Ling said in his mind, his eyes sweeping over the turret bases currently being installed.

[Longjiang-class Battleship, lead ship tentatively named "Longwu". Main parameters are as follows—standard displacement 28,000 tons, full load displacement over 32,000 tons; length 185 meters, beam 27 meters, draft 8.5 meters; propulsion system consists of four steam turbines, total power 85,000 horsepower, four-shaft propulsion, design maximum speed 23 knots; range 8,000 nautical miles (at 12 knots cruising speed); main armament consists of four twin 380mm 45-caliber turrets, totaling eight guns; secondary armament consists of sixteen 150mm 50-caliber quick-firing guns; close-in defense weapons consist of twenty-four 76mm dual-purpose guns and twelve twin 40mm autocannons; main armor belt thickness 350mm, deck armor thickness 150mm, turret face armor 400mm, conning tower armor 380mm; two carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft, one catapult; crew complement 1,200, including 80 officers.]

Li Ling was stirred with excitement as he listened.

380mm main guns, eight of them! 350mm main armor belt! A maximum speed of 23 knots! In the global naval landscape of 1900, these data points were absolutely overwhelming.

Whether it was the British "Formidable-class" Battleship recently launched or the German Empire's "Brandenburg-class", they were merely little brothers in front of this "Longwu"—in terms of firepower, protection, or speed, they were all at least one generation behind.

He remembered clearly that in his previous life's history, the naval Dreadnought race did not truly begin until after 1906.

But now, he had advanced the Longjiang-class to early 1900—this was not only a technological "dimensionality reduction strike" but also a strategic masterstroke.

While the great powers were still arguing endlessly about "all-big-gun" and "unified caliber" designs, his fleet was already equipped with modern capital ships featuring heavier armor, more powerful firepower, and higher speeds.

This gap would take at least a decade to close.

"Your Majesty, according to the current progress," Old Zhao said, standing nearby with a thick stack of construction logs, the edges of the pages frayed from constant flipping, "the 'Longwu' will take about three more months to launch. The second ship, 'dragon might', and the third ship, 'Longzhan', have also begun keel laying, and all are expected to be launched within the year. Additionally, the system has provided design blueprints for four supporting 'Longxun-class' battlecruisers—displacement of 20,000 tons, main gun caliber of 305mm, and a speed capable of reaching 28 knots. If everything goes smoothly, construction can begin next spring."

"28 knots?" Li Ling's eyes lit up, his gaze shifting to the stack of blueprints, "Doesn't that make them faster than the vast majority of Cruisers?"

[Yes, Host. The design philosophy of the Longxun-class battlecruiser is "high speed and heavy guns," specifically intended to hunt down enemy Cruisers and merchant fleets. Before the main fleet engages in a decisive battle, the Longxun-class can serve as an advance force, scouting enemy movements, harassing enemy supply lines, and creating favorable conditions for the main fleet's decisive battle. Additionally, it should be noted that the Longxun-class utilizes lighter armor protection—the main armor belt is only 200mm—to trade for higher speed. Therefore, it is not suitable for direct artillery duels with enemy Battleships, but when executing commerce raiding and reconnaissance missions, its speed and firepower are enough to crush any Cruiser. Its 305mm main guns can easily penetrate the armor of most Cruisers within normal engagement ranges, while its 28-knot speed allows it to retreat calmly when facing Battleships.]

Li Ling nodded, a clearer vision for the entire navy now forming in his mind.

The Dreadnoughts would serve as the core of the fleet, responsible for decisive battles; the battlecruisers would act as the advance force, responsible for reconnaissance and commerce raiding; and the Cruisers and Destroyers would serve as auxiliary forces, responsible for escort and patrol duties.

The three would each perform their own duties, forming a complete, closed-loop maritime combat system—once this system was perfected, it would ensure his navy had a countermeasure for any scale or type of naval battle.

He walked a large circle along the passageway by the dry dock, carefully inspecting every area under construction.

In the artillery assembly area, he saw workers installing hydraulic recoil mechanisms on a 380mm main gun.

The barrel of this gun was fourteen meters long, thicker than a person, and the entire body shimmered with a dark grey alloy luster.

The inner wall of the barrel was engraved with fine rifling, drawn using a special processing technology provided by the system, achieving a level of precision unimaginable for this era.

Li Ling walked over and reached out to touch the cold metal surface; his fingertips felt a fine, hard texture—the unique sensation of alloy steel that had been tempered a thousand times.

"What is the muzzle velocity of this gun?" he asked the technical supervisor nearby.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the muzzle velocity is 850 meters per second, with a maximum range of 32 kilometers," the technical supervisor straightened his back, his voice filled with unconcealable pride, "The armor-piercing shell can penetrate 500mm of vertical homogeneous armor at a distance of 3,000 meters. In other words, within normal engagement ranges, no active warship can withstand its strike."

Li Ling nodded with satisfaction.

850 meters per second, 32 kilometers of range—this meant that the Longjiang-class main guns could open fire at a distance where the enemy could not even reach them.

This was an overwhelming advantage, almost worthy of being called a "dimensionality reduction strike."

In the armor plating area, he saw several massive armored steel plates being hoisted onto the side of the hull.

Each of those steel plates was over three meters wide and more than a dozen meters long, with a thickness exceeding the width of an adult's palm—350mm.

They were smelted using a special alloy formula provided by the system, containing rare metals such as chromium, nickel, and molybdenum. After undergoing special quenching and tempering processes, their strength was more than double that of ordinary shipbuilding steel.

In other words, the 350mm-thick Longjiang-class main armor belt had an actual protective effectiveness equivalent to over 500mm of ordinary armor steel.

This meant that in this era, no active naval gun could penetrate its main armor belt within normal engagement distances, not even the latest British 305mm armor-piercing shells.

"System, is the production cost of this special steel high?" Li Ling asked, his gaze lingering on those armored steel plates for a long time.

[The cost is about three times that of ordinary shipbuilding steel, but the overall cost-effectiveness remains very high. Because its protective effectiveness has more than doubled, it means the Host can achieve stronger protective effects with lighter armor weight, thereby saving tonnage to increase firepower or speed. From this perspective, the investment in this special steel is worth more than its price. The system has completed the technical transformation of the production line; currently, it can produce 3,000 tons of special steel per month, and it is expected that with further optimization of the production process, this can be increased to 5,000 tons per month within half a year.]

"That is enough." Li Ling nodded with satisfaction, "The first batch of three Longjiang-class and one Longxun-class will start construction simultaneously, forming initial combat capability within this year. Next year, we will start construction on another three Longjiang-class and four Longxun-class, and by the year after, they will be fully commissioned. By then, the total tonnage of My navy should exceed 200,000 tons."

[Host, a total naval tonnage of 200,000 tons is entirely possible within five years. But the key lies in personnel training and logistics support. Ships can be built, but qualified crew members and officers need time to be trained. The system suggests that the Host immediately initiate a naval reserve system—recruiting reserve talent from coastal fishermen and merchant sailors, and conducting basic training, including navigation skills, artillery operation, damage control, and emergency response subjects. Only in this way can you avoid the embarrassment of "having ships but no one to sail them" when the fleet undergoes large-scale expansion.]

"This is a good proposal." Li Ling immediately summoned the head of the Naval Department—a middle-aged general named Lin Yongsheng, who had followed Li Ling since the first volume and was one of the most senior and experienced commanders in the navy.

Li Ling gave instructions on the spot for the preparations of the reserve system, requiring the recruitment and organization of the first batch of 3,000 people to be completed within three months.

After inspecting Dry Dock No. 1, Li Ling went to the adjacent fitting-out pier.

There, several old-style warships under repair were quietly moored—"warship", "dinghai pre-dreadnought", and "Pinghai"—these old ships that had joined the fleet in the early days of his trans-migration still bore the scars from the last naval battle on their hulls.

Some armor plates were dented and deformed, as if struck by a hammer; some turrets had been patched with welds, the weld lines crawling across the steel surface like centipedes; some chimneys were missing a corner, the edges of the gaps charred black by smoke and fire.

Those scars were like silent medals, recording the days of bloody battles in the past.

"Your Majesty!" A captain currently overseeing repairs saw Li Ling and quickly stood to attention and saluted. His face bore traces of oil and sweat, but his eyes shone with pride, "Please rest assured! Although we old fellows are getting on in age, we can still fight for a few more years!"

Li Ling walked over and patted the cold side of the warship: "Repair it well. Once it is repaired, I still have missions for you. Old ships can still perform new feats; as long as you are still here, the soul of the fleet remains."

When he left the dry dock area, the sky had already darkened.

On the sea surface, the last rays of the sunset were sinking below the horizon, dyeing the entire ocean a golden red, shimmering and beautiful like an oil painting with rich colors.

In the distance, seagulls circled in the twilight, emitting long cries, as if saying goodbye to this sea.

Further away, fishing lights flickered on, appearing like golden flowers blooming on the sea surface.

Li Ling stood at the end of the pier, not leaving for a long time.

He looked at the massive object under construction—the hull of the "Longwu" was reduced to a huge silhouette in the twilight, like a dormant steel dragon, gathering strength in the darkness, waiting for the moment to break through the water.

"System," he said softly in his mind, "Tell me, on the day the Longwu is launched, what kind of ceremony should I hold for it?"

[The system suggests that the Host hold a large-scale naval review and invite foreign envoys stationed in China to attend. This is not only to display military force but also to send a clear signal to the outside world—the navy of the Qingxia Kingdom is no longer the weak force that could be bullied in the past. When those envoys see the 380mm main guns, 350mm armor, and 23-knot speed with their own eyes, the governments behind them will recalculate the cost of confronting the Qingxia Kingdom. Additionally, the system has detected that when the first batch of Longjiang-class ships are all commissioned, an achievement called "Great Wall at Sea" will be triggered. The reward content includes complete technical blueprints for a new type of shipborne weapon—although the system cannot reveal the specific content at this time, it can inform the Host that the emergence of this weapon will completely change the combat mode of coastal defense, turning passive defense into active denial.]

Li Ling's eyes brightened in the twilight.

A new type of shipborne weapon? What could it be? Torpedoes? Mines? Or something more advanced?

He suppressed the curiosity in his heart and did not ask further.

The system said it would give it when the time came, so there was no point in rushing.

He took one last look at the giant ship under construction and turned to walk toward his carriage.

Behind him, rows of lights lit up on the dry dock—the workers had begun the night shift rotation, and the massive cranes rotated slowly under the moonlight, casting moving shadows.

The clanging of metal and the sizzling sound of electric welding intertwined in the night, merging into a nocturne belonging to the industrial age.

The sound gradually faded behind him, but left an increasingly clear echo in his heart.

"Three months…" he whispered to himself as he boarded the carriage, "I am waiting for that day."

"Giddy up!" The coachman cracked his whip, the horses' hooves shattering the night as they drove toward the direction of Jinling City.

The lights of the naval port behind him grew more distant, but in Li Ling's heart, the outline of that giant ship became clearer and clearer.

He knew that when that nocturne reached its climax, the landscape of the entire world would be shattered by it, just as the shelling of a Dreadnought would shatter the calm sea surface.