Changsha is the place where the waterway from the Central Plains to Jiaozhou must pass. At its peak, it was known as "Above the Xiang River, all the big boats coming out will receive thousands of dendrobium."
Nowadays, the world is in chaos, roads are blocked, commerce is not smooth, and the number of ships floating on the Xiang River has been greatly reduced. However, because the current situation in Jingnan has been relatively stable, it can still be called prosperous compared with other places.
The continued prosperity of commerce will naturally give rise to a booming shipbuilding industry. From Linxiang to Dongting, three to four hundred miles away, there are hundreds of shipbuilding houses. Many of them have been engaged in shipbuilding since the Pre-Han Dynasty, and their craftsmanship has been passed down for hundreds of years.
Year.
"Book of Zhou Li Kao Gong Ji" says: "The skillful person describes and maintains it, and the world calls it work." "Guanzi Xiaokuang" says: "The teachings of his father and brother are achieved without seriousness; the learning of his children is achieved without hard work.
He is capable. Therefore, the son of a worker is always a worker."
In the eyes of the ancients, family craftsmanship has been influenced by people since childhood. It saves effort for teachers and makes scholars faster. It has unparalleled advantages. As a result, it has formed the tradition that "the son of a craftsman will continue the work" as mentioned in "Xunzi·Ruxiao".
The shipbuilding family is based on the family. At most, it recruits members of the same clan, and rarely recruits outsiders. The shipbuilding craft is regarded as a secret that is not passed down.
Not only is it difficult for outsiders to learn it, but it is also extremely difficult for the disciples of shipbuilders to learn the technology. This bad habit of fearing "teaching the apprentice and starving the master to death" is not only detrimental to the spread of technology, but also risks being lost.
After all, shipbuilders are basically illiterate. They cannot read or draw maps, and they all rely on oral instructions. If a shipbuilder suddenly has a problem, one or more unique crafts may be lost.
One day in early March, Liu Jing took Ma Zhou, Wang Qiang, Liu Zhu, and Liu Liang to a place thirty miles north of Linxiang. This place is one of the largest shipbuilding sites in Linxiang and even Changsha. It is located on both sides of the Xiang River.
There are as many as 20 shipyards, and from time to time you can see the remains of abandoned wooden boats. There are also some shipwrights knocking around the unfinished boats, creating a busy scene.
Liu Jing rode Chi Ji straight to his destination, Huang's Shipyard.
He ordered fifteen large ships from Huang's Shipyard last year, and the one with the fastest progress is almost completed. In fact, it is never the shipbuilding itself that restricts the speed of shipbuilding, but the wood. Shipbuilding wood needs to be dried in the shade or sunk in ponds, measured in years.
.Shipbuilding is much faster. For example, Xu Daofu of the Jin Dynasty, as long as he had enough shipbuilding wood, he could build a fleet strong enough to defeat the Jin army in just ten days.
Liu Jing was both a big shot in Changsha and a big financial backer. As soon as the owner of Huang's shipyard got the news, he immediately put down what he was doing and led his shipwrights to rush over to greet him.
"Liu Jun..." The owner of Huang's shipyard is an old man in his sixties. He is lean and has wrinkles on his dark face. His name has long been unknown. People are accustomed to calling him Huang Fanggong.
, combined with two ships, means that his shipbuilding skills are superb and he is far ahead of others.
Liu Jing handed the reins of the horse to Liu Zhu behind him and said with a smile: "Mr. Huang Fang, I have been waiting eagerly for you for the past five months."
Huang Fanggong grinned, showing his sparse teeth, and said in a very confident tone: "No one in Changsha can match this villain's shipbuilding skills, and he will definitely not disappoint Liu Jun."
Liu Jing nodded and said: "Without further delay, please ask Mr. Huang Fang to lead the way."
"promise."
The boats of the Han Dynasty had very distinctive characteristics, as Liu Xi said in his book "Shi Ming·Shi Chuan": "The board on it is called fu, which means fusi; the house on it is called hut, which is like a hut."
Boats in the Han Dynasty were generally equipped with decks and high-rise buildings, and the ultimate development was the tower boat. The tower boat recorded in "Historical Records" was more than ten feet high, and with the flag on top, it was extremely spectacular.
Liu Jing was brought to a typical Han Dynasty boat by Huang Fanggong. This boat was twelve feet long and two feet five feet wide. There were twenty-five oars on each side. There were two towering rafts on it, and a big canopy to block out the sun.
, the tail tower has three levels, more than two feet high, and looks like a mountain.
The ship Huang Fanggong was built according to Liu Jing's requirements and to the specifications of a battleship. As long as a parapet is set up on the side of the ship and a war shed is set up inside, it will be the same as a battleship.
Because the buildings were too high, they were prone to capsizing in storms, making them inconvenient for military purposes, and they had greater symbolic significance. The main warships of the Han Dynasty were mainly warships and fighting ships.
For this boat, Liu Jing spent hundreds of thousands of money. To put it more intuitively, Liu Jing's family sold all its paddy fields worth 70 dan and more than 230 acres, and could not afford this boat.
Although it was expensive, Liu Jing stood under the ship and looked up at the huge ship. He felt that it was very worth it. Unfortunately, due to financial constraints at the time, only three of the fifteen ships ordered were of this specification, and the rest were of this specification.
They are all "small boats" six to seven feet long.
Seeing the happy look on Liu Jing's face, Huang Fanggong felt proud and asked: "Is Mr. Liu satisfied with the boat that I built?"
"Very satisfied." Liu Jingjing nodded and praised: "Huang Fanggong has been building ships for decades, and his craftsmanship is well-known in Changsha. It is indeed well-deserved."
Hearing Liu Jing's praise, Huang Fanggong laughed from ear to ear.
Next, Liu Jing was invited by Huang Fanggong to visit the boat. He knew nothing about boats, but with Wang Qiang, an expert beside him, Liu Jing could understand more or less when he listened to his explanation.
As a layman, Liu Jing comes from later generations. Any idea is revolutionary for the present, such as watertight compartments. Of course, Liu Jing did not disclose that new technologies often require repeated experiments, and he is pressed for time and urgently needs
There is no time for him to take care of the boat for the time being.
After getting off the ship, Liu Jing asked Huang Fanggong: "When will the other ships be completed?"
Huang Fanggong knew it well and replied: "It won't be later than late April at the latest."
Liu Dingding nodded, which meant that in less than two months, he would be able to get all the ships. It seemed that the recruitment of men was about to be put on the agenda. Men are the oars, and men are the people who row the oars.
Just the big ship in front of us requires fifty men, and fifteen ships require up to four hundred men.
Fortunately, Changsha is a water town, so it is not difficult to recruit hundreds of men.
In the eleventh year of Jianwu's reign, Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu sent Grand Sima Wu Han, General Cen Peng to conquer the South, General Liu Long to punish the captives, General Zang Gong to assist Wei, and General Liu Xin to conquer Shu, and ordered Changsha, Lingling, and Guiyang to conquer Shu at once.
Tens of thousands of people were killed in the defeat. It can be seen from this.
Before Liu Jing left, he promised Huang Fanggong that he would settle the balance tomorrow. After hearing this, Huang Fanggong secretly breathed a sigh of relief and thanked his disciples and grandchildren profusely.
Liu Jing said goodbye to Huang Fanggong, walked out of Huang's shipyard, and said to Liu Zhu: "Wenxiu, I intend to let you command the fleet."
Liu Zhu was very surprised. It turned out that this was Liu Jing's arrangement for him. The problem was that he had been living on land since he was a child and had only taken a few ships. Can he lead the fleet well?
Liu Jing saw through his inner thoughts at a glance and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter if you don't understand, just learn slowly. Moreover," Liu Jing pointed at Wang Qiang and said, "Didn't I find a helper for you?