Dawn

"Why can't we see any paddle wheels on this ship?" Pauline looked around and asked.

"Paddle wheels? Such an outdated design, why would we use them?" Joseph said dismissively.

"Without a paddle wheel, how do you propel yourself through the water? Do you use a reciprocating lever to row?" Pauline said. "If that's the case, it seems quite aesthetically pleasing."

"Well... Pauline, perhaps you should also receive some education in mathematics and physics." Joseph shook his head. "Our ship uses a propeller. It's an underwater propulsion device, much more efficient than a paddlewheel, and ordinary waves won't lift it out of the water. Enemy cannons can't hit it either— the Britain's stupid paddlewheels are far superior!"

"Professor Bonaparte's propeller is indeed a brilliant design," Fulton said sincerely. "I never imagined there could be such a propulsion method, and it is certainly much more efficient than a paddlewheel."

"Actually, it's quite simple to come up with this idea," Joseph immediately adopted a boastful tone. "In fact, this design was originally derived from the water turbine in Zeus Plan. And the design of the water turbine actually developed from the windmill. Mr. Fulton, as you know, many processes in physics are reversible. Since a windmill can be moved by the wind, a windmill rotating in the opposite direction can produce wind; a water turbine can be rotated by the impact of water, so a water turbine rotating in the opposite direction can propel water. So you see, it's not a particularly difficult design. The problem of water leakage from the propeller shaft is much more complicated to solve."

Fulton's face immediately broke into a smug smile. The problem had been solved thanks to his and several other engineers' joint efforts. Of course, it wasn't completely solved; water still seeped in, but the rate of seepage was now under control, and with the addition of a small pump, the problem could be completely resolved.

Fulton then led a few men to the flat deck at the bow of the ship. There were chairs and parasols set up there, and champagne was laid out on the table.

"Professor, the sea trials can begin as soon as you give the order," Fulton said.

"Alright." Joseph stood confidently at the bow of the ship, waved his hand, and said, "Forward! Forward! Our goal is the stars and the sea!"

The boat shuddered slightly and then slowly left the dock. It first sailed westward with the current for a while, quickly overtaking several other boats it encountered along the way, before turning around and sailing eastward against the current.

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

"The 'Foolish Thing' can theoretically run at around thirteen knots," Fulton replied.

"What? How can this ship have such a strange name?" Pauline exclaimed in surprise.

Fulton glanced at Joseph remained expressionless. He would never admit that he had chosen the bizarre name; rather, he had chosen it because a text he had studied in his past life mentioned Fulton's steamship, which was known as "Fulton's Fool" but had achieved great success.

Considering that some traditional cultures he learned in his previous life in the great Eastern country mentioned that giving a child a humble name would make them easier to raise, and considering that "Fulton's Foolish Creature" was not the first steamship, but it became the first steamship to achieve great success, Joseph felt that this traditional superstition might actually be true... So he gave the ship the bizarre name "Foolish Thing".

But Joseph would never admit that he had chosen the name. So when Pauline asked the question, he didn't say a word.

"Ah, about this matter, well... here's the thing... we were arguing endlessly about the name, and finally... finally we decided to just look it up in the dictionary, and that's how we came up with this word. But we had already decided that whatever we found, we'd use it. A man's word is his bond; whatever word we said we'd use, we'd use that word. So that's how it was decided." Fulton explained, making up a reason on the spot. At first, he stammered, but the more he spoke, the more plausible it became. Eventually, he almost believed it himself. Yes, that's how it was.

By this time, the boat had turned around and began to accelerate against the current. Against the current, the boat's advantage became even more pronounced. Puffing out thick smoke, it quickly left one sailboat after another behind, and soon returned to its starting point.

"This ship is really fast. Is this their top speed?" Pauline asked again.

"No, today is the official test voyage. As for the high-speed flight experiment, it will not be conducted today," Joseph replied.

In fact, high-speed sailing tests have already been conducted during "informal sea trials." However, high-speed tests require increasing boiler pressure, which in turn increases the risk of boiler explosion. Therefore, such tests cannot be conducted today.

This successful trial came at a very opportune time, as Ireland had reached a critical juncture.

The Irish Independence Army) recently repelled a new round of Britain sweeps and achieved considerable success in the counter-sweep. During this counter-sweep, the Irish Independence Army demonstrated its strong offensive capabilities for the first time, employing a special explosive launcher that rendered the defensive structures previously provided by the Britain for their outposts virtually useless.

This so-called "explosive projectile launcher" was actually a "Flying Thunder Cannon" used by a certain Eastern army in later generations.

A large metal tube is filled with propellant, and then a dynamite charge about the same size as the tube is inserted inside. When ignited, the dynamite charge can be launched nearly 200 meters.

This device launches a powerful 10-kilogram explosive charge, which can demolish Britain outposts and their walls. However, its range is limited. During the day, defenders can effectively stop the Irish Independence Army's "explosive launchers" with volleys of rifle fire. (This device requires digging a pit in the ground, placing the launcher inside, and adjusting the angle.)

However, the cunning Ireland would take advantage of the cover of night to secretly set up and disguise the "explosive projectiles" near the Britain outpost walls. At dawn, they would make a show of attacking, luring the Britain defenders to the walls on that side, and then ignite the "explosive projectiles," sending the hastily arriving British Army and the walls flying into the air.

Using this weapon, the Ireland, who had broken through the flanks, quickly seized several crucial outposts at a speed exceeding the Britain's expectations, and even approached Dublin at one point. However, the Britain still maintained a considerable mobile force in the rear, so the British Army immediately mobilized reserves to launch a counterattack.

A unit of the Irish First Division Irish Independence Army) encountered a British Army of about 1,000 men near a supply depot more than 60 kilometers from Dublin. The battle ended with the retreat of the Irish Independence Army of approximately 1,000 men, but the casualties on both sides were roughly equal. The British Army suffered more than 200 casualties, while the Ireland casualties were probably slightly higher, but not exceeding 400. This result naturally shocked the Britain.

Although the British Army fighting the Ireland in this battle were mainly new recruits, they were still regular troops, better equipped for frontal combat. They also possessed cavalry, which should have inflicted heavy casualties on the Ireland during Ireland retreat. However, even so, they gained little advantage in this skirmish of relatively even numbers. The cavalry, in particular, fell into an ambush of Ireland Claymore Mine while pursuing the Ireland, losing nearly a hundred men in one fell swoop. This result made the Britain acutely aware of the growing strength of the Ireland rebels.

Meanwhile, in their base area, the Irish Independence Army, with the cooperation of local rebels, constantly attacked the "security forces" and British Army were carelessly maintaining their distance from their allies. They repeatedly used sniping tactics—firing shots to lure the British Army into pursuit and then ambushing them with Claymore —to bully the Britain and their "black dogs." As a result, although no large-scale battles occurred in the base area, the British Army and "security forces" suffered considerable losses every day.

In the past, the Britain would have retreated by now. But this time, Britain gritted their teeth and continued to hold on. Britain discovered that the Ireland rebels were running out of weapons and ammunition. Especially in recent days, there were fewer reports of their troops being attacked by Claymore Mine. And reports of the Irish Independence Army using Flying Thunder Cannon had also decreased significantly. This indicated that their France supplies were dwindling.

"I know that our troops have suffered heavy losses both in the non-police zones and in the police zones. But this time, we must grit our teeth and hold on. The enemy's strength is now clearly waning. If we hold on a little longer, they will be finished. Now it's a matter of who can hold on longer. And the one who is more resilient will win all of Ireland." The Duke of Norfolk said this to his subordinates in the beautifully decorated conference room of the Governor's Palace.

"Now, our struggle has reached a critical moment. We must hold on, for perseverance is victory. We are now facing a shortage of supplies, especially weapons. This is indeed a problem, but without the new weapons sent by our France comrades, can we not fight the enemy, and cannot defend our base areas and the people there? Now, on the one hand, we must conserve weapons, and on the other hand, we must improve the efficiency of their use, ensuring that every bullet eliminates one enemy. On the other hand, we must also make as much use as possible of captured weapons and homemade weapons to strike the enemy."

"We are in trouble now, but the enemy is in trouble too. As long as we hold on, we will see the dawn of victory..." In the swamp camp, Russell, with his trousers rolled up and barefoot, said this to the Independence Army soldiers surrounding him.