The sea was immediately shrouded in cloud-like dense smoke.

A moment later, the golden Iris Flag on the bow of the steam battleship emerged from the thick fog, followed by the bow sail, the main sail, and the smokestack.

The sailors standing solemnly on the deck simultaneously stood at attention and saluted towards the "Poseidon."

Queen Mary, dressed in guard attire, looked at the steam battleship passing by in the distance, then glanced at the main sail of "Poseidon" where she was, and said to Kesode in confusion: "That new ship doesn’t seem to be bigger than this old one."

The latter, having some understanding of battleships, quickly explained in a low voice: "Ma’am, although the ’Decisive’ isn’t large, it’s a battleship that opens a new era!

"It relies on the steam engine to provide a powerful thrust of 230 horsepower, capable of racing at a speed close to 13 knots, and can complete a turn with a radius of only 300 meters."

Queen Mary blinked and responded with a smile: "Ah, that is truly remarkable."

Joseph turned his head and said in a low voice: "Currently, the strongest British battleships, under very favorable winds, can only reach a speed of 11 knots. Well, it’s said that they have now improved their sails to reach 12 knots.

"And their turning radius, even for the most skilled helmsman, would exceed 500 meters."

Queen Mary looked towards the "Decisive": "So, it’s more agile."

"Yes, very agile."

"But it’s still a small ship."

"Uh, that’s right..."

Joseph hurriedly stopped the awkward conversation: "They have different purposes, ma’am."

He spoke, suddenly thinking of something.

Building a single "Decisive" could still be done in absolute secrecy, but by the time a large-scale construction of steam battleships began, it would surely not be hidden from the British spies.

So it might be better to deliberately release the news to guide the British’s attention.

He turned his head and signaled to the Navy Minister standing on the other side: "Marquis Leesar, it’s time to ’arrest’ Admiral Silvaux. During the investigation of the embezzlement case, it was revealed that he used his influence to have the Navy draft a plan to build a large number of ’useless’ Fourth-level Ships. Be sure to repeatedly criticize that the Fourth-level Ships wasted valuable funds."

Poor Admiral Silvaux was the one who sold France’s navy stock oak to the British at a high price last time.

Leesar immediately understood and added: "Your Highness, we can also remove a large number of officers and technicians involved in this case from the shipyard, and secretly transfer them to build the ’Decisive-class.’

Half an hour later, the navigation display of the "Decisive" ended and it docked at the easternmost berth of Brest Port.

Joseph then took a small boat towards the brand-new steam battleship.

On the way, the shipyard director Woklair introduced the latest construction plan to the Crown Prince: "Your Highness, we have redesigned the ’Tunis-class.’ After acquiring the LJ115 type steam engine, requiring only one unit to perfectly propel this cruiser.

"The simplification of the mechanical structure has shortened the construction time by 20% and significantly reduced the cost. The ship’s shell in crucial parts such as the command cabin has also been thickened."

Yes, although the output power of a single LJ115 is less than that of three 52-horsepower steam engines, the structural weight is also significantly reduced. Coupled with avoiding power loss caused by the transmission mechanism, the actual power-to-weight ratio even improves.

This allows the improved "Tunis-class" to carry two additional 24-pound cannons without any change in speed.

This is the combat advantage brought by cutting-edge technology.

Marquis Leesar added: "The new ships plan to build 26 units.

"For the previous 12 ’Tunis-class,’ we also plan to replace them all with a single 115-horsepower steam engine."

While cruisers cannot be used for fleet battles, their role in reconnaissance and harassment is still significant.

Especially when British reconnaissance ships encounter steam cruisers, they can’t even escape.

This will greatly limit the British fleet’s situational awareness on the battlefield.

As for the smaller "Light of the Mediterranean"-class steam frigate, they have now all been allocated to the Mediterranean Fleet—the high winds and waves of the Atlantic Ocean are not suitable for such small ship operations.

Soon, the ferry stopped next to the "Decisive," and Joseph, accompanied by a group of naval officers, boarded the world’s first steam battleship via the boarding plank.

Meanwhile, Queen Mary, along with a few attendants, quietly returned to the dock. Continuing to stay on these sea giants was simply torture for her. Additionally, she was somewhat superstitious, believing that women would bring bad luck to ships, and since this was a new battleship that her son placed great importance on, it was better for her to stay away.

Joseph simply toured the engine room and then proceeded straight to the upper gun deck.

On the spacious gun deck, 26 carronades were neatly lined up along the sides. Eight 24-pounders and eighteen 32-pounders.

The short barrels looked a bit comical, but these guns could deliver devastating firepower.

One must know, even in this era, the upper gun decks of most third-class battleships were mostly equipped with only 18-pound guns, at most carrying six to eight 24-pounders.

Although the carronade has a short range, once it enters the attack range, it could rely on its terrifying caliber to firmly suppress enemy ships.

Currently, even the inventors of the carronade, the British, only installed carronades on open decks. Using short-barreled guns on the upper gun decks was still under study.

Joseph, however, was well aware that the comprehensive installation of carronades was the trend of the wind-powered battleship era.

This time, the French Navy had taken the lead over the British.

Joseph walked between the cannons, raising his hand to touch the cold iron ribs of the ship, feeling a surge of security in his heart.

In fact, the enhancement in combat performance from the iron keel and iron ribs on this battleship was not far inferior to the steam engine.

These hard steel frames could make all cannons below 24 pounds useless.

Even 32-pound cannons would have to get within 400 meters to possibly harm the "Decisive"—and that would depend on luck because if a cannonball hit the ribs exactly, not even 300 meters could penetrate.

Joseph instructed Woklair: "Please cover all outer iron ribs with a thin wooden board. Even during construction, this should be done."

Although he believed that with the current British forging level, they couldn’t temporarily imitate the iron ribs usable for the battleships, it’s still better to take precautions.

"Yes, Your Highness."

While speaking, Joseph went down the stairs to the lower gun deck and immediately saw the immensely imposing 32-pound cannons.

Indeed, the lower gun deck is the core firepower area of a battleship. The heavy cannons must be placed as low as possible to avoid affecting the ship’s center of gravity.

Joseph walked forward and soon discovered a problem, frowning as he looked at Woklair: "If I’m not mistaken, the 24-pound cannons are installed on the bow and stern sides of the ship?"

Woklair quickly replied: "Yes, Your Highness. There are 10 32-pound cannons in the middle, and the remaining sixteen are only 24 pounds."