The Fox of France

"Where's the ship's paddlewheel?" Polina looked around and asked.

"Paddlewheel? What a backward design! Why would we use one?" Joseph replied with disdain.

"No paddlewheel? How do you propel the ship then? Do you use a reciprocating lever to row?" Polina inquired. "If so, it seems quite artistic."

"Polina, perhaps you should consider some education in mathematics and physics," Joseph shook his head. "Our ship uses a screw propeller. It's an underwater propulsion device, much more efficient than a paddlewheel. It doesn't get disrupted by normal waves, and even enemy cannon fire can't hit it. The British are stuck with their outdated paddlewheels."

"Professor Bonaparte's screw propeller is indeed a magnificent invention," Fulton sincerely stated. "I never thought such a propulsion method existed, and it's significantly more efficient than a paddlewheel."

"In fact, coming up with this idea is rather straightforward," Joseph began to boast. "This design was originally derived from the hydraulic turbine used in the Zeus project. And the hydraulic turbine design was an evolution of the windmill. You see, many processes in physics are reversible. If a windmill can be turned by the wind, then turning the windmill in reverse can generate wind. Similarly, a hydraulic turbine can rotate due to the force of water, so if you reverse its rotation, it can propel water. So, you see, it's not a particularly difficult design. The tricky part is solving the water leakage issue around the propeller shaft."

Fulton had a proud smile on his face. This problem had been addressed with the combined effort of him and several other engineers. While they hadn't completely solved it, they had managed to control the leakage rate to some extent, along with the addition of a small bilge pump to completely address the issue.

Fulton led a group of people to the ship's forward deck, where seats and sunshades were set up, and champagne was ready.

"Professor, whenever you give the word, we can start the trial voyage," Fulton said.

"Alright," Joseph stood confidently at the bow and waved his hand. "Forward! Forward! Our destination is the Starry Sea!"

The ship gently trembled and slowly departed from the dock. It initially followed the current, heading west for a while, quickly overtaking several other ships on the way. Then, it turned around, sailing east against the current.

"How fast can this ship go?" Polina asked.

"The 'Ridiculous' theoretically can reach around thirteen knots," Fulton replied.

"What? How did the ship get such a peculiar name?" Polina was taken aback.

Fulton glanced at Joseph, who remained expressionless. He certainly wasn't going to admit that he came up with this odd name. He named the ship 'Ridiculous' because in his previous life, he had read about Fulton's steamboat, which was referred to as "Fulton's Folly" but turned out to be a tremendous success.

Considering some traditional beliefs he had encountered in the Eastern Empire where it was said that giving a child a humble name would bring them good fortune, and the fact that 'Fulton's Folly' wasn't the first steamboat but was the first to achieve great success, Joseph thought this traditional superstition might actually have some merit. So, he decided to name the ship 'Ridiculous.'

However, Joseph would never admit to naming the ship. Therefore, when Polina asked the question, he remained silent.

"Oh, about that, it's... it's like this... when we were deciding on the name, we had quite a heated debate. In the end... well, we decided to let a dictionary decide. And that's how we came up with this word. But everyone had agreed beforehand that we would use whatever word the dictionary gave us. A man must keep his word, you know, so we're sticking with this name. That's how it happened," Fulton improvised an explanation, stuttering at first, but as he continued, it sounded more and more plausible. In the end, he almost believed it himself.

By this time, the ship had turned around and was accelerating against the current. In reverse flow, the ship's advantages became even more apparent. It spewed thick smoke and quickly left one sailboat after another far behind, returning to its starting point in no time.

"This ship is so fast! Is this its top speed?" Polina inquired once more.

"No, today is the official trial voyage. High-speed experiments aren't part of the plan for today," Joseph explained.

In fact, during the "informal trial voyage," high-speed tests had already been conducted. However, increasing the boiler pressure for high-speed testing also increased the risk of boiler explosions. So, such experiments were not carried out on this day, for safety's sake.

This successful trial came at a crucial time as Ireland faced a pivotal moment. The Irish independence army had recently repelled a new wave of British raids and achieved significant victories. In this counter-raid, the Irish independence army demonstrated impressive siege capabilities for the first time. They utilized a special explosive launcher that rendered most of the previously fortified British defensive structures useless.

This so-called "explosive launcher" was essentially a "flying thunder cannon," much like the one used by an Eastern army in a future era. It consisted of a large metal tube filled with propellant and a similarly sized explosive package. Igniting it could project the explosive nearly two hundred meters.

The ten-kilogram explosive projectiles wreaked havoc on the walls and defenses of British military posts, rendering them almost powerless. During daylight, defending soldiers could counteract the "explosive launchers" by concentrating rifle fire on the launch sites, which required digging a pit to set up the firing tube at the right angle.

However, crafty Irish rebels utilized the cover of darkness, secretly placing the "explosive launchers" near British military post walls and camouflaging them. When dawn broke, they simulated an attack, luring British troops to the walls. Then, they ignited the "explosive launchers," causing both the hastily arriving British soldiers and the fortifications to be launched into the air.

Thanks to this device, the Irish rebels, rising from the trenches, swiftly captured several strategically vital military posts, even momentarily closing in on Dublin. However, the British maintained significant mobile forces in the rear, promptly launching counterattacks.

The First Division of the Irish independence army clashed with a thousand British soldiers near a military post about sixty kilometers from Dublin. The battle concluded with the withdrawal of the Irish independence army, numbering around a thousand, but both sides suffered nearly equal casualties. The British lost more than two hundred men, while the Irish casualties were slightly higher but didn't exceed four hundred. Such results left the British astonished.

Although most of the British soldiers in this battle were new recruits, they still constituted regular forces with better equipment suited for conventional warfare. Additionally, they possessed cavalry, which should have caused significant harm to the Irish during their withdrawal. However, even with these advantages, they failed to gain a significant upper hand in the close encounter, particularly due to the cavalry walking into a hidden ambush of Irish sword mines and losing nearly a hundred soldiers.

The British realized the growing power of the Irish rebels. In their safe zones, the Irish independence army, with the cooperation of the local guerrillas, continuously harassed "policing forces" and British troops who carelessly strayed from their allies. They made use of guerrilla tactics, using firearms for bait, luring British troops into pursuing them, and then ambushing them with sword mines.

If it were in the past, the British might have considered a retreat at this point. However, this time, they gritted their teeth and persisted. They found that the Irish rebels were gradually running short on weapons and ammunition. Particularly in recent days, there were fewer reports of raids involving sword mines. This indicated that their supply of French-made equipment was dwindling.

"I understand that we're facing losses, both inside and outside the secure zones. But this is a critical time, and we must endure. The enemy is weakening, and if we hold on a little longer, they'll be done for. It's a matter of who can persevere the most. The side that endures will win all of Ireland," the Duke of Norfolk addressed his subordinates in the lavishly decorated meeting room of the Governor's Palace.

"Currently, our struggle has reached a crucial moment. We must hold on, for holding on is victory. We're facing difficulties with our supplies, especially weapons and ammunition. It's undoubtedly a problem, but should we not fight our enemies, protect our base, and the people without the new weapons our French comrades have sent us? We must conserve our ammunition while increasing its efficiency, ensuring each bullet eliminates an enemy. Moreover, we must utilize captured weapons and our homemade ones to strike back at the enemy.

We're going through tough times, but the enemy faces similar hardships. If we endure, we'll see the first light of victory..." In the swamp camp, Lazarus rolled up his trousers, barefooted, addressing the independent army soldiers gathered around him.

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