Chapter 21 Ambition

  The carriage was bouncing up and down on the uneven road, causing the people inside to sway back and forth. Shan Yaoyue was fine, she had martial arts skills and wasn't bothered by the bumpy ride. But Yang Songfeng and Michiru weren't doing well, both of their faces were a bit pale, and Michiru would vomit every now and then, even after throwing up bile water, he still wanted to throw up.

  But undoubtedly, both Michiru and Yang Xuanfeng were extremely delighted, with a feeling of regret for not meeting earlier. The various knowledge that Yang Xuanfeng brought from another world made Michiru, who had a strong desire for knowledge, admire him wholeheartedly, to the point where he could be described as worshiping him. In front of Yang Xuanfeng, his pride vanished, and he humbly sought guidance like a primary school student asking questions to a university professor. And Yang Xuanfeng was also delighted because he realized that only through Michiru's brain could he convert his knowledge into reality. After all, things known in theory may not necessarily be fully applicable in practice, as they must be subject to the constraints of the current situation.

  Fortunately, Yang Shuang learned from Michiru that the technological development level of this world seems to be a little bit ahead of Earth's. Although it is currently the Tianyuan era 1727, Watt steam engines, batteries, trains and railways have already appeared. Factories in various countries have widely adopted Watt steam engines as industrial power, and the total length of railway lines broke through 10,000 kilometers just a few years ago in 1725, with railway technology becoming increasingly mature.

  Mikhail was indeed an outstanding chemist. Although he didn't believe in the various chemical knowledge described by Yang Shuangfeng at first, he immediately changed his attitude after going through his own experiments. Nitrocellulose, smokeless gunpowder, fulminating silver, and black powder... all sorts of explosives became a reality under his patient and fearless spirit, greatly encouraging Yang Shuangfeng.

  After careful consideration and comparison with Mitchell, Yang Shuangfeng was fully confident in producing a crude semi-automatic rifle. Due to the influence of a series of problems such as steel production processes, bullet production processes, and propellant production processes, the produced rifles may have insufficient power, only one-third or even one-quarter of the real Type 56 rifle. However, for Yang Shuangfeng, all this was a new starting point, a new beginning. To reflect Mitchell's strong practical spirit, Yang Shuangfeng decided to name this possibly severely watered-down rifle the "Mitchell Rifle".

  Two people were having a heated discussion in the carriage, from *zha medicine to steel production, from rifle development to artillery manufacturing, from steam engines to trains, and from batteries to wireless telegraphs. The sparks flying around in their minds had reached a complete climax in this small carriage. If Mitchell hadn't specialized mainly in chemical knowledge and didn't have a deep understanding of physical knowledge, the discussion between the two would definitely be even more intense and fierce. On the other hand, Shan Yaoying, who was sitting between them, had no idea what they were discussing so heatedly about.

  Thirty years later, Yang Shuangfen said in response to a private question from a beautiful female journalist: "We had an ardent discussion on the horse-drawn carriage for half a month, almost forgetting everything until we no longer had fresh topics. After getting off the horse-drawn carriage, I was full of confidence in my future and felt that the Menes area was already within my grasp."

  Yang Jirui, who was also standing by, could only roughly grasp some of the discussion between the two, but he didn't need to know everything because every day he had to carefully record Yang Suofeng and Michell's conversations and inventions, as well as the various manufacturing process diagrams drawn up by the two, and then secretly transmit these inventions back to Menis through various channels in the distant South Sea region of Yiyunlu. After the convoy left Longchuan Road and crossed Tongguan, entering Fangchuan Road, the information that needed to be transmitted between the two became even more numerous, leaving Yang Jirui breathless. Due to funding issues, the Yang family had closed most of its intelligence stations on the continent of Yilan, and it was not an easy task to reopen them now.

  However, Yang Shuangfeng did not know about the hardships behind Yang Jirui. He is now desperately designing and building things according to his own needs. Having a series of new-type firearms does not represent everything, it must be applied to war. He needs to manufacture powerful rifles, manufacture artillery, manufacture ships, he has too many things to think about, need to sort out, he has completely forgotten everything outside, indulging in his own world. Of course, the good life is not always smooth sailing, and sometimes interrupted.

  "Maple, this is Fletcher's reply to you..." Yang Jirui often came to find Yang Suofeng with a cry of laughter, and then Yang Suofeng knew that there must be no good words in the letter. Every time this happened, he would first wipe his face with cold water, and then hold up Fletcher's letter high, using the sunlight, with one eye squinting, trying to find some useful information from those words that described himself as foolish and ignorant.

  In the Yang family, Fletcher is an oddity. In terms of kinship, he is Yang Su's husband's cousin, but in terms of family bloodline, he is a complete outsider. Fletcher's father, Frio, was an excellent captain who had saved Yang Jilong's life, so Yang Jilong strongly persuaded him to live in the Yang family's Danfeng White Dew Castle, and from then on, Fletcher became inseparable from the Yang family. Fletcher has unparalleled talent in naval warfare, controlling the last few warships of the Yang family, but he also seems to be quite skilled at mocking people. He strongly resisted Yang Su's various instructions, even publicly questioning whether Yang Su was a moron with an IQ of only 30.

  "What does Yang Shuangxu think?" Every time he finished reading the letter, Yang Shuangfeng would ask in a expressionless tone. Before he officially returned to Menis and took over as the lord, the actual power of the Yang family was still in the hands of Yang Jirui's eldest son, Yang Shuangxu, and Fletcher. Yang Shuangxu was a very capable person, and outsiders had always referred to him, along with Dong Zhongshu of the Dong family and Lü Zhenyu of the Lü family, as one of the three heroes of Menis. His attitude towards Yang Shuangfeng played a crucial role. Fletcher almost brazenly suggested replacing Yang Shuangfeng's idiot lord position, but was ultimately vetoed by Yang Shuangxu.

  Yang Jirui sighed and said, "Ah Xun also had some doubts, but he still executed it without hesitation. You have to understand that the things you proposed are really too novel, they won't believe them until they see the actual product or try it out themselves. Now they no longer doubt the *zha medicine, but they're not quite convinced about the so-called Michel rifle either. The chromium-molybdenum steel alloy used for making gun barrels can only be produced by the Ronisia Federation and is very expensive, we have to import it. Ah Xun is worried that importing chromium-molybdenum steel alloy will be a waste of money, our burden is really too heavy... now even your mother can only provide one meal of rice per day..."

  Yang Shuang said unequivocally, "No need to doubt, it must be implemented, even if everyone drinks porridge together. Since we can't produce it, we'll temporarily import it from the Ronisia Federation, no matter how expensive it is. At least five tons of chromium-molybdenum steel alloy must be purchased."

  Yang Ji Rui nodded and smiled wryly: "So, regarding Fletcher... selling the last three warships..."

  "Yang Suofeng said without hesitation: 'Sell! Resolutely sell off! Tell Fletcher not to hold onto his own things and not let go! I am absolutely not going to cancel our Yang family's navy, but make it even stronger! Phoenix Nirvana, fierce fire rebirth, we must be willing to give up! I can guarantee him that by next May, I can give him five brand new Longyao warships. Each one has the combat power of two Wutai Mountain-class battleships, and is faster, with fewer sailors, and more flexible operation. He doesn't need to doubt whether I am telling lies or not, he just needs to do his job solidly and wait for their appearance. He must seize the time to investigate and study the naval situation of surrounding countries, as well as maritime trade situations, and pirate situations...'"

  As if there was a flame burning on his heart, Yang Suofeng unbuttoned the chest buttons of his uniform, letting the gentle breeze blow across his body. With a confident and excited voice, he said: "With his three broken ships, it's already a problem for him to dominate the sea in Nice, let alone other seas. But the warships I provide for him can make him sail across the seven seas! Although there are only five Dragon Tooth warships for now, after installing the new large-caliber cannons, they will be enough for him to dominate the sea in Nice. Isn't he fond of competing with pirates? The Dragon Tooth warship I provided is his best weapon. Once our Yang family's overall strength increases in the future, I will provide him with more and better advanced warships. What he needs to do now is lay a solid foundation for future glory."

  Yang Jirui hesitated for a moment, and said with half-doubt: "Feng, do you want to modify the data provided to Fletcher? Can the Krupp cannon really reach a range of over 6,000 meters? That's basically the limit of visibility at sea. If it really has such a long range, Fletcher can sink all enemy warships outside the enemy's gun range... But, is there really such a powerful cannon in the world?"

  Yang Songfen said calmly, "If the quality of steel is a bit better, the endurance of warships is stronger, and I can provide longer-range cannons. Six thousand meters range is nothing. However, this Krupp cannon has a large recoil force, and wooden battleships may not be able to withstand too many salvoes, so tell him that in terms of ship gun salvo training, it's no need to train too rigorously, mainly focus on training the hit rate."

  Yang Ji Rui said with some concern: "Fletcher is probably not easy to believe your data, it's really too scary. Also, Old Frio said that after a week of recruitment, they only gathered less than 500 people, far exceeding our estimates. The vast majority of people were so scared when they heard they had to fight against the catcher that they didn't dare sign up..."

  Yang Shuang said casually, "Tell him not to be discouraged. Whether it's 500 people or 300 people, the foundation must be laid well, and don't rush for success. The main training in the early stage is physical training, and we won't train with weapons. Our Blue Feather Army will no longer use knives, guns, swords, and halberds. It's completely unnecessary. The Mitchell rifle is our basic weapon equipment."

  Yang Ji Rui said: "I'll give him the information right away and pass on all your instructions to him..."

  Days passed like this every day, Yang Shuangfeng was working hard to realize his plan of recovering Menis through debate and counter-debate until one day...

  "Rain! Rain! Come and see!"

  His old and hoarse voice sounded so weak and lonely on the desolate land, but it was enough to cause a sensation.

  Yang Shuangfeng was the first to jump off the carriage, and immediately felt the chill of the rain. Raindrops fell on Yang Shuangfeng's face and neck, and that kind of refreshing coldness ignited the flames of excitement in his heart.

  It's raining!

  It's finally raining!

  Yang Shuang stood beside the carriage, gazing at the gloomy sky. The rain grew heavier and the droplets denser, transforming from a gentle patter to a torrential downpour. The world around him turned into a grayish blur, with only the sound of raindrops filling his ears. He lowered his head, looking at the parched earth, as the rainwater slowly seeped in, silently driving away the prolonged drought. The sudden deluge proved too much for the long-drought-stricken land to bear, and puddles began forming in low-lying areas.