Chapter 283 Northern Shipbuilding Company, the Starting Point of Navigation!

The spring breeze of March filled the world, and the vast army marched forward. The fields in the north were covered with green grass, and curling smoke rose from the villages of the civilian settlements, and the world was full of vitality.

Xiuluot stayed in the Hekou Fortress for more than half a month, and immediately sent a large number of scouts to the north. Afterwards, he summoned the priests from villages across the country and listened carefully to the details of farming and the progress of missionary work in each civilian settlement. Then, in front of many priests, the king appointed the monkey Kuluka as the general speaker of Hekou County, that is, the military and political chief.

The First Long Spear Corps obeyed the king's order and immediately garrisoned in the Hekou Fortress. They will be arranged to stay in farmland for a long time, and at the same time be responsible for the transportation of food for the king's army to the north. The civilian settlements in Hekou County were established earlier, and last year's autumn harvest was quite good. A batch of food and grass has been accumulated in the fortress, enough to supply the 6,000 soldiers of the Guards Corps to go to the Ottopan City-State Alliance. Xuluot would not rely on the Otomi people, who were always short of food, for the vital food and grass supply.

Afterwards, the king did not stop and inspected the estuary docks around the fortress. He summoned many craftsmen to explore the construction plan of new ships.

The estuary dock is actually located on the shore of Lake Quetzao in the south of the fortress. It is located in the inner lake, with a small area and simple facilities. It just has a lot of large wood that can build large canoes. The kingdom's large canoe can carry 40 people and requires at least 15 meters high and two to three meters in diameter of fir or oak as the hull. These woods have been dried in the shade for many years. They are the property accumulated by the Kingdom of Tarasco for decades, and now they are all cheap for the lake country.

Under the king's call, the inherited shipbuilding craftsmen of the estuary fortress and the master carpenters of the capital who came with the army gathered in the open-air dock to listen to the king's will.

The sun at noon was warm. The dock was full of warriors and guarded strictly. Xuluot looked around and examined the many senior craftsmen standing in the front row for a while. The master craftsmen were all wearing Purepesha costumes, all of them lowered their heads and looked submissive, showing full obedience. The king nodded slightly and spoke solemnly.

"May the Lord God bless you! Today, we have summoned all the master craftsmen here for a major event that concerns the gods, the alliance, and the people!"

"Quetzalcoatl rode a snake boat to the Great Lake in the East and promised revenge. He left the descendants of Quetzalcoatl on the Snake Island in the East and colluded with the white-skinned foreigners outside the lake. These foreigners may drive large ships from the distant East Lake at any time, bringing endless wars, diseases and disasters. For this reason, the Lord God sent down a divine decree, and the alliance decided to go east to find the traces of the descendants of Quetzalcoatl and build a large ship that can sail in the East Lake!"

Hearing this, the Purepesha master craftsmen present looked at each other. A low conversation soon sounded in the dock.

The myth of Quetzalcoatl going east has been passed down for hundreds and thousands of years, and all tribes in the world have heard of it. What feathered serpents, what white-skinned aliens, what building big ships, and exploring the distant lake. The master craftsmen of Purpecha actually didn't think much of it. But since building a big ship is related to the will of the Supreme God, it is a big thing that can destroy the family at any time. They have to be cautious and use their mind and strength.

After a while, an old man with a vicissitudes of life stood up. The old man's clothes were eye-catching, with tree patterns on his robe and a sandalwood necklace around his neck. He moved skillfully, looked respectful and confident, and saluted the king at the head on behalf of many master craftsmen.

"Your Majesty, when it comes to shipbuilding technology in the world, the Mayans in the far east are the first, and the Purpecha people in our lake are the second! In fact, as long as the copper material supply is sufficient, we can already connect the big wood and the planks to build a big ship that is several times larger than the canoe and pass through the lake!"

Hearing this, Xiu Luote was refreshed. He looked at the old man in the lead and asked.

"What is the name of the master craftsman?"

"Your Majesty, I am Pukuta, the 'carpenter of the lake', the chief shipwright of the estuary fortress! My family has inherited the shipbuilding technology of the people of the lake from generation to generation. Many of the large canoes of the kingdom's navy were made by me and my apprentices!"

Xuluo nodded. Pukuta means "forest wood, carpenter of the lake". In this era, senior craftsmen still maintain the characteristics of tribal inheritance. With their exclusive mastery of important technologies, they always have a certain influence in the local area or even in the kingdom. Their status is often equivalent to that of military nobles, and they can also command ordinary craftsmen in the industry.

"Good! When the army went north, they specially brought two thousand kilograms of copper materials, which were specially used for shipbuilding!"

The king said loudly. Hearing the number of two thousand kilograms of copper materials, the master craftsmen all took a breath. At this time, the value of two thousand kilograms of copper materials is about the same as two thousand kilograms of gold sand!

"Pukuta, you said that you can build a boat several times larger than a canoe and pass through the lake. Do you have a real object or a blueprint?"

Hearing the king's question, Pukuta hesitated for a moment, then took out a treasured leather scroll from his arms and handed it to the king carefully.

Xuluot touched the material of the leather scroll, which turned out to be a fig bark scroll. This kind of bark scroll is similar to the bark paper used by the Mayans. After the initial soaking, steaming, drying and other papermaking processes, it is quite strong and durable. However, the raw materials are relatively scarce and the manufacturing cost is very high.

The king opened the leather scroll and looked at it carefully, and soon he uttered a light exclamation.

"Huh! A double-hulled canoe similar to the Polynesians? And a multi-hulled canoe similar to the New Guineans? Well, this design idea is very similar to the iron chain chain in the Red Cliff water battle."

Shulot moved his eyes and saw two canoes side by side painted on the top of the scroll. The two boats are connected in parallel with wooden cross beams, and wooden boards are laid on the cross beams to carry goods or people. There is a tail rotor installed at the stern end of the two boats to control the direction of the boat.

Under the leather scroll, there are multiple canoes drawn side by side. Similarly, the canoes are connected in parallel with wooden beams and fixed into one. On the outside of the multihull canoe, there are also simple transverse rows of extended connections. Floating horizontally in the water can further increase buoyancy and improve the ship's transportation carrying capacity. Of course, the speed of the ship will also be reduced accordingly.

"Your Majesty, the Wind Canoe above moves very fast and is designed for water warfare and marching. The wooden planks between the two boats can carry multiple warriors and provide a shooting platform for archers! And the Snake Canoe below The load is very heavy, and it is designed for the transportation of people and materials. It can carry people on the horizontal row, or place goods that are not afraid of getting wet! Of course, expensive copper nails and copper chains are needed to firmly connect the boats. The good thing is that you don’t need real big wood to build a usable big boat.”

Pukuta raised his head, his eyes were bright, he looked up at the king, his words were full of confidence.

Shulot nodded slowly with admiration on his face. This method of connecting two or more bodies, or even installing outboard brackets, can not only increase the carrying weight, but also greatly improve the stability and resistance to wind and waves of the canoe. The improved canoe will have basic ocean navigation capabilities, which is the ultimate development of canoes under current technology.

The Austronesian tribes relied on this type of canoe to sail continuously and conquered islands throughout the Pacific Rim. They went from Yizhou to Luzon, from the Indonesian islands to New Zealand, from the New Guinea islands to Fiji, Tonga, Honolulu, and even Easter Island. There was even one group that went west from Sumatra and drifted across the entire Indian Ocean. Establish your roots in Madagascar!

After thinking for a moment, the king referred to the Polynesian design and made a pertinent suggestion.

"Pukuta, a very good design! For this kind of catamaran canoe, you can erect two cotton sails that can be adjusted in direction on the head and the middle connecting beam! This way you can sail with the help of the wind."

Shulot took out a pen and paper and drew a simple diagram. Pukuta was surprised to hear such professional advice. He looked at the improved icon carefully, thought for a while, and then nodded sincerely.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right!"

Shulot smiled with satisfaction and patted Pukuta on the shoulder.

"Pukuta, the water is the home of fish and the habitat of water snakes. From this drawing, I know that you are not a short-sighted river fish, but a water snake that can swim and hunt! Since Prepecha's big The craftsmen have such exploration ability and sufficient experience in metal riveting, then I can safely leave the important task to you!”

As the king spoke, he took out three drawn drawings from his arms. He waved to the master craftsmen around him, and several of the most senior shipwrights came forward to watch with Pukuta.

Pukuta looked carefully and saw that the first painting was a large flat long ship with a slender hull, shallow waterline, and low freeboard.

The marked dimensions of the vessel are approximately 18 meters long and 3 meters wide. The longship is divided into upper and lower sides by the deck. On both sides of the bottom layer under the deck, a dense row of paddles protrudes, and there is a tail rotor at the tail to adjust the direction. In the middle and head of the deck, two sails, one large and one small, were erected. The sail in the center has a larger area and is the main sail; the sail at the head has a smaller area and is the auxiliary sail. On the head of the longship, a shining and sharp metal collision angle is also marked.

"This kind of ship is a galley warship! Below the deck are rowers, and above the deck are used to carry soldiers and supplies!"

Shulot smiled faintly. This is an ancient ship type that he roughly recalled based on film and television works. It was formed in the ancient Greek period, that is, the historic Galley galley. Galleys relied on both wind power and manpower, and the manufacturing technology was relatively simple. They were used from the 10th century BC to this time in the 15th century. It was a warship used in early Mediterranean naval battles, and now it is mostly used as an offshore trading ship.

"The one above is a simple single-row galley, that is, the oarsmen rowing on both sides line up in a horizontal row. It is easier to make. The one below is a two-row galley. That is, the sides of the ship are built with arcs. Placing two rows of rowers of different heights can increase the number of rowers and increase the rowing speed! And so on, there are faster triremes.”

At this point, the king paused and his expression became serious.

"Pukuta, these are the divine revelations given to me by the ship owners. I can only draw a rough outline and point out one direction! As for the specific hull design and the connection of the components, you have to explore and realize it yourself. For this Do you have the confidence to build a galley?"

In the dock, a group of master craftsmen discussed in a low voice in Prepecha for a while, and then asked Pukuta to reply as a representative.

"Your Majesty, the Mayans have similar giant paddle boats. Although not as complicated as this drawing, the basic principles are still similar. We Prepecha people have experience in splicing hulls. As long as there are enough copper and wood, we can It will not be a big problem for us to make a qualified prototype ship after about a year of exploration!”

Pukuta is bright and energetic. Although his words are a little cautious, he is still confident.

Shulot nodded in approval, not hiding his joy.

Shipbuilding is a difficult job that requires a lot of technical exploration and practice, and it cannot be easily accelerated by one or two people. Even if he, as a time traveler, knew the shape and general structure of the ship, it would be extremely difficult to make it if the craftsmen did not have sufficient technical accumulation. Pukuta was overjoyed to be able to promise to trial-produce a paddle boat within a year.

Immediately, the king unfolded the second volume of drawings and looked expectantly at the master craftsmen present again.

The second volume of drawings shows a sand boat that was common in the Celestial Dynasty. It was also a flat-bottomed canoe used in large rivers or offshore waters. It was generally formed during the Tang and Song Dynasties. It has a square nose and square tail, a spacious deck and low freeboard. The most striking feature is that it has multiple masts and sails, and is wide and shallow. Because of the multi-sail design, the boat speed is faster. There is also a lifting rudder at the stern. More importantly, the sand ship adopts the flat keel pioneered by China, which is both wide and thick, able to withstand wind and waves, and travel unimpeded in the sea!

Shulot couldn't remember the complete structure of the sand ship. He just drew the five masts "three in front and two in back" based on the fragments of the Jiangnan water town in his memory, then drew the rudder at the stern of the sand boat, and finally highlighted the flat keel of the hull.

The marked dimensions of the sand ship are 20 meters long, 4 meters wide, and 1.5 meters high, which means the total volume is about 120 cubic meters, and the effective transport capacity should be 50-60 cubic meters, which is about 500-600 shi in the Ming Dynasty. This kind of sand boat usually only requires seven or eight people to operate it freely. It is the most classic Chinese sailing style. Different sail surfaces can take advantage of the wind in all directions, the transportation is extremely cost-effective, and the carrying capacity has far exceeded the needs of the Alliance and the Kingdom.

Pukuta's eyes widened and he looked at the ship map of "Shenqi" carefully. He scanned every corner of the ship map and saw many unclear labels and large blank spaces in the connecting parts. He couldn't help but frown.

"Your Majesty, does this ship map have more detailed internal illustrations?"

Shulot was slightly embarrassed and shook his head calmly.

"Divine revelations are always fleeting, just like the unpredictable divine will. This kind of sand ship is mainly used for transportation. It can sail in the big lake and resist strong winds and waves. The most noteworthy among them is the rudder at the stern that controls the direction and the shaped keel of the hull. "

"Tail rudder? Keel?"

Pukuta chewed on these two unfamiliar words, his eyes full of exploration.

"Please give your Majesty's detailed instructions."

Shulot thought about it carefully, recalled the principles he had learned in the physics textbook, and then explained it aloud.

"The function of the stern rudder is actually similar to the paddle at the stern of the canoe that controls the direction. It includes the rudder blade in the water, which is the tail rotor in the steering direction. Then there is the rudder stock that transmits power, and the rudder that is controlled by people at the stern. Horizontal rudder. If the sand boat wants to turn left when sailing, turn the rudder left and drive the tail rotor to the right, and then the water will hit the hull to the left."

Pukuta thought for a moment, and his many years of shipbuilding experience and what he saw at this moment were all confirmed. He soon realized it and praised loudly.

"Your Majesty is wise and enlightened! However, this kind of rotation requires great force, so the rudder stock needs to be made of high-quality hardwood. Well, birch, red oak, and rosewood can be used for this keel. What kind of bone is it?"

Shulot shook his head and laughed. he said with a smile.

"The keel is just a metaphor, meaning a strong skeleton of a giant beast. It is actually a longitudinal structure at the center line of the bottom of the ship that runs from stem to stern. If a strong material, such as a long-standing log, is used to run through the entire hull, it will It can make the ship very strong and stable in the wind and waves of East Lake.”

Having said this, Shulot paused momentarily. He only knew the basic concepts, but did not understand the specific details of the keel. After a while, the king spoke in slight embarrassment.

"A flat keel is a keel made of flat plates. As for the specific structure, you just have to try it and explore it hard!"

Pukuta looked at the king's face and suddenly understood. He lowered his head and saluted, then discussed with the master craftsmen for a while before carefully replying.

"Your Majesty, this kind of sand boat is quite new. The style has never been seen before. It also has a stern rudder and a keel. It needs everyone to think about it. If you are lucky, maybe it can be built in four or five years. If you are not lucky. Maybe ten years or more.”

Hearing this, Shulot's expression changed. He stared at Pukuta with sharp eyes, like a majestic eagle. Pukuta bowed calmly and bowed his head deeply. The surrounding master craftsmen also bowed their heads and saluted.

After a long time, the king thought about the difficulties of exploring the shipbuilding industry, and then he sighed softly and finally made a decision.

"Pukuta, in that case, you should explore carefully! From today on, the Northern Shipbuilding Department will be established, directly subordinate to the Divine Inspiration Institute in the capital, with you as the director! Copper materials from the south will be given priority to you. First, start with the two-body shipbuilding department. Start with multi-body canoes, familiarize yourself with the craft of connecting ships, and upgrade the kingdom’s navy. Then, you will hurry up and explore the process of making paddle boats. I want to hear good news from you within a year!”

"As for the more complex sand ships"

Shulot pondered for a moment and made a generous promise.

"I will not limit the time for your exploration. As long as you can build a qualified prototype ship, the leader will be given the title of hereditary noble and a 2,400-acre hereditary fiefdom in Hekou County! The rest of the subordinate senior craftsmen can be promoted to military honors Nobles, rewarded with gold, silver, feathers and fields!”

Upon hearing such a generous reward, the craftsmen's breathing suddenly became heavy, and even their eyes shone with light. Pukuta took two deep breaths and kept his face calm. His eyes were sharp as he looked at the last album in the king's hand.

"Your Majesty, what kind of ship is drawn in this last volume of atlas? Can you let me see it?"

Hearing this, Xuluot lowered his eyes, his mind drifting away. He seemed to hear a neat trumpet sound in his ears, followed by the roar of artillery fire. The towering sail battleship opened its sails and slowly crossed the hull, revealing several rows of neat gun barrels. Thunder erupted in an instant, destroying all enemies on the shore and on the sea!

After thinking for a long time, the king shook his head. He put away the last ship map and said with a smile.

"This is a gift from the goddess of truth and justice. It is far from the time to open it! I hope that I can see it coming in my lifetime and bring the vast truth to the alliance. Pukuta, do a good job! The vast future of the kingdom is in your hard-working hands!"

Hearing the king's high hopes, Pukuta knelt down and saluted, saying "I dare not" repeatedly. Many shipbuilders also knelt on the ground, looking uneasy.

Xuluot left the ship map and slept by the dock that night. Then, he discussed with senior craftsmen for several days and personally presided over the establishment of the shipbuilding department. He did not leave until the first catamaran canoe began to be improved.

March came to an end in a blink of an eye. The banks of the Leman River were full of swaying green reeds and the chirping of birds. The envoys of Ottopan City had been waiting in the river mouth for a long time, asking the great prince to go north as soon as possible.

Xiuluot was as steady as a mountain. He first summoned the scouts who returned from the north to understand the situation around Ottopan. Then, he summoned the monkey Kuluka for the last time. Kuluka had preliminarily sorted out the government affairs of the river mouth county and arranged the transportation of logistics and food.

The king expressed his satisfaction and approval, and then led the 6,000 guards corps, took the navy's small boat, crossed the surging Leman River, and went north of Ottopan again. A few days later, the mighty Royal Guard of the Kingdom arrived at the foot of the impregnable mountain city under the respectful yet wary gaze of the Otomi people along the way.