The Wulong River in May is when the water level is at its highest.
The mighty river water was extremely turbid, and the vast river beaches on both sides were submerged. The river surface expanded to at least 200 meters. The turbid waves rolled with thunderous sounds. From time to time, thorns, weeds and dead wood floating down could be seen in the middle of the river.
Broken tree.
On the riverside, the water waves have approached the foot of the mountain, submerging a large thorn forest. It is less than ten meters away from the roadbed of Bawu Avenue, and even closer to the newly built shipbuilding shed, less than two meters away.
This distance was also a location Xu Chen specifically chose after observing the rising river water every year. It is just below the Bawu Avenue outside the entrance of the valley. Not only is it convenient to come and go, but it can also avoid floods.
There is no need to lift the finished wooden boat. Just use two pieces of wood to slide down the wooden frame of the boat and just land in the water.
The brand new boat looks a bit weird, with a square head and a square head like an uncovered coffin. It is not the pointed head, wide tail and slightly tilted head that was originally designed.
Although it was ugly, the boat did not disappoint Xu Chen. It floated steadily on the water after it was launched.
Although the flow speed in the center of the river is rapid, the areas on both sides of the river are relatively calm.
Xu Chen personally went into battle, stripped off his clothes and wore only a pair of big underpants, sat on a wooden boat, and paddled precariously near the foot of the mountain with a stick of wood pulp.
By the time the messenger arrived with a large group of people on horseback and in vehicles, Xu Chen had already paddled several times back and forth in the turbid river water.
"Wow..."
"Chen Ga, come back, it's dangerous!"
A large group of hunters and the little witches and Ye who came with them all abandoned their horses on the road and rushed under the pavilion to watch Xu Chen rowing alone in the turbid flood. They all screamed in fear.
The boat was rickety and its center of gravity was not good, so Xu Chen rowed back and forth and docked the boat in front of the pergola. A group of people hurriedly swarmed up and stabilized the wooden boat. Xu Chen got off the boat and stepped on it.
Ashore on the river.
"Moxy Gaga?"
Several carpenters rushed over to inquire about the situation.
"It's not bad. It's a little wet, but it's not a big problem. It will probably stop leaking after soaking in water for two days. The biggest problem right now is that the center of gravity is not low enough, and the wood is too thick and heavy, resulting in poor load-bearing capacity. I guess there is only
It can seat two people, but the shape is also a problem and it is very laborious to row..."
Xu Chen gave an overview of his rowing experience and observations, but he was still very happy to say that the boat was built successfully and that he would prepare to start building the second boat as soon as possible.
"Again?" A group of people were all surprised.
"Yes, we'd better build two or three large wooden boats that can carry more than ten people before the Witch Lord Conference to completely replace the rafts. Although the construction of this boat is not satisfactory, as long as we continue to build according to this idea
If you improve it, you will soon be able to build a nice big ship."
Xu Chen waved his hand, turned around and went into the pergola to tell the carpenter to continue carrying the wood in and start sawing the boards.
At this time, there were tribesmen running behind to watch the fun. Within an hour, the entire carpentry shed was completely surrounded by water.
Mo waited for a group of hunters who often rowed rafts to and fro. The hunters from the Yu Gong clan and the Gonghuo clan gathered around the boat to comment. After obtaining Xu Chen's consent, a group of people pushed the wooden boat into the water again. The bold ones stood up and held it.
Mu Pang imitated Xu Chen's example, sat inside and started paddling.
“Fun Gaga!”
As soon as the rowing guy got started, he couldn't help but let out a scream of surprise.
There are more than just a few differences between wooden boats and rafts.
Because the wood of the raft is almost entirely soaked in water, the carrying capacity is good, but it is very difficult to paddle alone. It is okay to go with the current, but it depends on the crazy output of force in the reverse and still water. Once you stop, it will stop instantly.
But the wooden boat is different. Although Xu Chen seems to have many problems with this boat. The size and shape are not satisfactory. Except for not leaking much, it is undeniable that it is already a boat. It only needs to be slid with wood pulp.
The boat can glide smoothly in the water.
Mo waited for a group of hunters who had several years of experience in operating rafts. It was fast to start rowing, and this feeling of relaxation was even more obvious. With just one stroke, the wooden boat could float forward and continue to move. If it was paddled continuously,
Wooden boats move more easily and are not as rigid as rafts.
The biggest difference is that the boat is very empty and dry, so your clothes and shoes will not get wet while sitting inside.
In the past, when using rafts, no matter how cold the winter was, you basically had to go barefoot, and even if you bumped and swayed a few times, you would get soaked all over.
As a result, a group of guys who often row rafts seemed to have found a new toy, and they started fighting one by one to row the boat in the gentle waters of several hundred meters around the mouth of the river. The scene was quite lively.
The group of guys behind the wooden boat were even more looking forward to the next boat built by Xu Chen.
Because it is said that the next ship will be larger and can carry ten people.
Although a group of women such as Mu Ba and Ye were also happy for Xu Chen's success, their excitement about the boat was far less than the uncontrollable excitement and joy after the success of the wheelbarrow and carriage, and even a little bit.
disappointment.
Because this wooden boat is not too surprising in terms of style or size. In their eyes, it is just a wooden version of a small raft, not even as good as a real raft.
You must know that as long as the raft is larger, it can accommodate seven or eight people, and rowing in the water is much smoother than a small wooden boat.
But only the little witch has full confidence in Xu Chen. She believes that with this success, the wooden boats built next will definitely be different and will definitely surprise people.
Because it was the same when building the carriage. The longer Xu Chen brewed something, the more experience and time he spent on it, the greater the surprises and gains it would bring in the end.
The surprise brought by the successful construction of the small wooden boat did not last long. After a few days, the men, women, and children of the Ba ethnic group returned to their usual state. They seldom discussed and paid attention to it as before. Xu Chen returned to his daily life again, spending time in the compound every day.
Traveling back and forth between Taniguchi and Taniguchi.
Although the small wooden boat disappointed many tribesmen, a group of hunters discovered its unique and wonderful use under Xu Chen's guidance, that is, it is much better for fishing than a wooden raft.
One person can row a boat along the banks of small rivers and large rivers, lower the net to catch fish, and then catch the fish and put it directly in the cabin of the boat, which is convenient and safe.
As a result, this boat quickly became the exclusive tool of a few fishing hunters. They paddled it around inside and outside the valley every day, allowing the tribe to have a lot more fish and shrimp every day.
With the success of the first boat and a certain amount of mature experience accumulated, building the second wooden boat will be much smoother.
In less than half a month, the main body of the second ship was completed, and after several days of caulking, it was completed and launched.
This ship is five meters long and about one and a half meters wide. Although it still has a square head and square head, it is smoother overall. The bow is slightly narrowed and upturned, and there is a slight arc on both sides. It looks similar to Xu
The schematic diagram of Chen's painting is closer.
The completion of the second ship was relatively low-key, and the sensation it caused was far less than that of the first ship. But in Xu Chen's eyes, this ship marked the complete success of his shipbuilding skills, and he only needed to keep adding more points in the future.
Already.
He does not seek steel ships, but in the field of wooden ships, he believes that as long as he continues to develop according to his idea, he will gradually reach the level, and it will only be a matter of time before large battleships of tens to hundreds of meters can sail across the rivers and seas.
.
And that is both an expectation and a luxury hope, but these are not important. What is important is that the field of human existence will be broader in the future, and the great rivers and seas will no longer be able to stop the pace of human development.
The second boat was successful. It was already mid-June, and the violent rainy season was about to pass. Although the Wulong River was still rushing mightily, the water level had dropped a lot since mid-May. The large thorny slopes that were submerged near the foot of the mountain were gradually exposed.
come out.
And this wooden boat, which can carry five to six people, has really shown its advantages. Under the operation of a group of hunters like Mo, it successfully crossed the Wulong River, which is more than 100 meters wide, completing another human conquest of nature.
A great initiative.
Because no one from the Ba or Wu ethnic groups has ever crossed the Wulong River in summer.
Two years ago, no one had successfully crossed it even in winter.
The last time I took a raft was in autumn.
The three tribes of Ba, Hu, and Wu are watching next to each other. As the leader, every move of the Ba tribe cannot escape the attention of the Wu and Hu tribes. The three tribes now communicate frequently, and hunters come and go almost every day. Therefore,
The news of Xu Chen's successful shipbuilding has long spread throughout the three clans, and even the Cang clan of the Ji clan has heard about it.
This summer crossing of the Wulong River was jointly carried out by the Ba and Wu ethnic groups.
Since the launch of the second wooden boat, as the water of the Wulong River slowly began to recede after June, a group of hunters from the two tribes who were good at water-based fishing discussed trying to cross the river. After obtaining Xu Chen's consent, they passed
After several days of practice and preparation, the river crossing was uneventful and uneventful. The six hunters paddled across and reached the other side in one go.
There were not many people watching, and there were no cheers from men, women, old and young, only the excited roars and roars of a group of hunters after their success.
For men, every success in conquering harsh nature is the time when they are most worthy of passion and pride.
The successful crossing of the Wulong River this summer also aroused their desire to explore and conquer the outside world. Feng Helong excitedly requested to build more large ships and go to war after autumn to conquer the Cicha tribe near the big lake downstream.