Concentricity

The guard at the gate reached out and stopped them.Jiang San then came over and handed a piece of paper to the concierge. The concierge looked at it and said, "My lords, please come in."

It turns out that most of the ships built by the Fuzhou Shipyard are warships, which are regarded as an important place for military strategists. Therefore, no one is allowed to visit casually, and they must be approved by the exclusive government office before they can enter.Of course, Yu Simian also has the right to approve the entry, but this time Jiangcheng arranged for Jiang San to lead the way for them, and the commander of the capital issued a certificate by the way.

The shipyard is built along the river, and mainly produces large-scale sea-going ships - "Dafu Chuan". Many large-scale ships are built directly on the Minjiang River. , saving time and effort.

Fuzhou Shipyard has unique advantages: Fujian is near the sea, with a well-developed navigation industry and rich experience; Quanzhou was once the largest shipbuilding base in the previous dynasty, so Fujian has a large number of skilled craftsmen with outstanding skills, combining the advantages of the right time, place and people.

The scale of Fuzhou Shipyard is second only to Longjiang Shipyard in Beijing, and the root of Jingcheng Shipyard also originated from Fujian, and many outstanding craftsmen were recruited from Fuzhou Shipyard.

Due to the ship ban movement and sea ban in this dynasty, a large number of shipbuilding craftsmen and skills in Fujian were lost, and the best craftsmen were transferred from the capital. Therefore, the scale and quantity of ships produced by Fuzhou shipyards each year are extremely limited. None are available.

But even so, Mo Jinyan longed for it for a long time. After all, this is an official shipyard, and it is reasonable and legal to build any ship, and it has rich manpower and financial resources, unlike private shipbuilding.And no matter how bad a shipyard is, there will definitely be a master shipbuilder with unique skills, and there will be something that others can't match.

When Yu Simian and his party entered the shipyard, a small official from the shipyard greeted them and wanted to guide Yu Simian.

Mo Jinyan looked at Yu Simian and said, "Brother Yu, can we watch by ourselves?"

Yu Simian then said to the official: "Don't bother Mr. Zhou, just find us a young man who is familiar with the terrain to guide us, and we can take a look by ourselves."

The little official surnamed Zhou hurriedly called a clever boy to lead the way, but he left by himself.

When Mo Jinyan entered the shipyard, it was like a fish entering the water, looking at the workshops one by one.

After all, it is a shipyard, and the scale of production is beyond the reach of others.Each type of ship is produced in batches, so the division of labor in the shipyard is also extremely detailed. For example, there are workshops that specialize in processing wood. There are workshops for boat canopies, sails, paints, and cables; there are also special iron workshops that produce all the iron tools needed on board, such as anchors and nails.

All the workshops are in order, each perform their duties, and all the goals are for the shape of the boat.

Looking at these, Mo Jinyan remembered that building a boat by himself was nothing but trivial work. Under such circumstances, the efficiency of finishing eight boats in three months was really too low.If this management and operation method is followed, more than eight ships will be built in a month.

Mo Jinyan's main focus is still on visiting ships. After all, only complete ships can see the advantages and disadvantages of these ships.

The hull processing workshop is located on the water. After all kinds of accessories are ready, they are all transported here and assembled by old shipwrights. This is the last few processes of shipbuilding. Once assembled, paint with tung oil and Raw lacquer, after the boat dries in the shade, it can enter the water.

When Mo Jinyan arrived at the workshop, he happened to catch up with the shipwrights who were assembling a warship.The boat is almost finished assembling, Mo Jinyan asked Yu Simian: "Brother Yu, can you go up and have a look?"

Yu Simian said to the boy: "Go and ask the shipwrights if you can visit them."

The boy left quickly, and came back immediately: "Master Lin said that the boat has not been loaded yet, so you can't go up, you can only look below."

Mo Jinyan felt a little regretful, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he walked around the boat, turned around and said to Yu Simian: "Brother Yu, this boat is too high, it seems that there is no water board, I'm afraid Not very safe in the wind and waves."

"Xiao Mo, in your opinion, the design of this ship is flawed?" Yu Simian asked.

The words were not whispered, and the busy master shipbuilders around heard them. A young master in his thirties looked at Mo Jinyan and the others several times, and said dissatisfiedly: "Don't pretend to understand, This is the latest warship designed by our master Lin, and there is already a ship that has been tested in the water, and it is the safest, so there are no flaws."

As soon as he finished his words, he was scolded by a teacher: "Liu Zi, don't talk nonsense." The teacher came over and said to Mo Jinyan, "My lord, you said that the boat is defective, you can tell me about you. What do you think?" He had heard from the boy that several adults had come to visit his ship, so he also thought that Mo Jinyan was a court official.

Mo Jinyan blushed and waved his hands again and again: "Master, I'm not an adult, this is the one. I just know some boat-making skills. Most of the boats produced in Fujian are lucky boats with wide bottoms and wide tops. , this kind of boat has a deep draft, so it is very stable when sailing in the sea.

"It's just that the boat in front of me is a combination of the shape of the building boat and the blessing boat. The hull is extremely high. I looked at it and found that it has at least six floors. The bottom layer of the boat must be compacted with earth and rocks, so the draft is about three floors. The height is actually very safe. It’s just that the boat is three floors above the water surface. If there is no strong wind and waves, then it’s okay. If there is a strong wind and waves, the boat will be very bumpy. Adding water draping boards on both sides of the boat will greatly improve the stability of the boat.”

The old master listened quietly to Mo Jinyan, and nodded again and again: "This little master is very good at analyzing, and he must also be a master of shipbuilding. Dare I ask the name of the little master Gao? The old man's surname is Lin. This boat belongs to me and a few others. It was designed by two masters, and it is also the first construction, and there are still many shortcomings, if the young master appreciates you, please come on board to have a look and see what needs to be improved, please feel free to advise.”

Mo Jinyan quickly waved his hands and said, "I really don't dare to teach you. The boy's surname is Mo, and his name is Mo Jinyan. Master Lau Lin is leading the way."

Yu Simian followed behind Mo Jinyan and whispered in his ear: "Little Mo, you are really amazing."

Mo Jinyan turned around and smiled at him, but he had mixed feelings in his heart. Before, he heard Zhuang Xu talk about the loss of shipbuilding caused by the escape of the shipbuilder in the previous dynasty. At that time, he just sighed, but now he has witnessed this fact with his own eyes.

It has been hundreds of years since the invention and use of water boards on sea-going ships, but it has been neglected by shipbuilders today. It is really a retrogression of history.

Mo Jinyan followed Master Lin from the wooden ladder to the boat. The shape of the boat was quite similar to that of a building boat. There were two ostrich buildings on the deck. There was a parapet beside the parapet, and there were arrow stacks on the parapet.

Mo Jinyan looked around, pointed to the stairs on the side of the ostrich building and said: "This staircase can be set on the side of the ostrich building, but it's better to add guard boards to it, so that it will have the effect of a parapet. It can be attacked and defended."

Master Lin looked at it: "Master Xiao Mo is right. Although it is a small detail, it cannot be ignored. We will add it later."

Mo Jinyan continued: "Nowadays the use of cannons and blunderbusses is becoming more and more widespread. I'm afraid there will only be more and no less in the future. Cannon ports and blunderbuss ports can be added on both sides of the cabin."

Master Lin hesitated for a moment: "I have also considered this issue, but the range of artillery and firecrackers is very short, only within ten feet. If it is a sea battle, it is usually not so close, so it is not very useful. "

Yu Simian said at the side: "Although the firing range of the firecracker is short now, it is constantly improving. In a few years, its firing range will be greatly increased, and our ship is not just used overnight to set up the artillery port and the firecracker. Mouth, it can be regarded as a rainy day.”

Master Lin thought for a while: "Your Excellency's words are very reasonable. I will add the muzzle of the cannon and the muzzle of the muzzle later."

Mo Jinyan walked to the side of the boat: "It's good to set the cannon port four feet above the water surface, on both sides of the ship, so that the stability and balance of the ship can be enhanced after the cannon is added. It can be set to open and close the door, and when not in use, you can close the door without worrying about the wind and rain. And the gun mouth does not need to be so particular, and it can be used with the archery port.”

Master Lin clapped his hands and praised: "Wonderful. Xiao Mo's knowledge of warships is far superior to that of old people."

Mo Jinyan blushed slightly: "Master Lin has won the award. I just summed it up based on actual combat. In many aspects, I am far less experienced than Master Lin, and I still have to learn."

Master Lin smiled and said, "Master Xiao Mo is a graduate student. Are you interested in coming to our Fuzhou shipyard to build ships?"

In the past, Mo Jinyan would have agreed to this question without saying a word, but now he turned his attention to Yu Simian.

Yu Simian smiled and said: "Thank you, Master Lin, for your love. Xiao Mo is now an indispensable member of our Fuzhou navy, and he is indispensable in the fight against the Japanese. But in the future, he will often come to Fuzhou Shipyard to learn from the masters."

Master Lin said with a little regret: "Well, if Master Mo came to our shipyard, the shipbuilding technology will be improved a lot. To be honest, since the last time the imperial court transferred a large number of master shipbuilders from us, The masters here are no longer available, and there has been no fresh blood for a long time."

Mo Jinyan heard inexplicable sadness from Master Lin's words, and he himself felt a little uncomfortable.How excellent the shipbuilding technology was at the beginning, but now it is regressing. This must not matter in the eyes of others, but as a descendant of a shipbuilder, he feels a little ashamed to meet his ancestors.

When he came out of the shipyard, Mo Jinyan's excitement when he first arrived was gone, a bit like a frost-beaten eggplant, wilting.

Yu Simian walked to his side: "What's the matter, Xiao Mo?"

Mo Jinyan raised his head and looked at Yu Simian, his eyes seemed a little wet: "Brother Yu, I feel a little uncomfortable."

Yu Simian patted his head: "What's the matter? Do you want to go to the shipyard to build ships?" Out of his own selfishness, Yu Simian declined Master Lin's invitation. He didn't discuss this matter with Mo Jinyan because he didn't want to be with him again. Xiao Mo separates.

Mo Jinyan shook his head: "It's not that, but I feel that the shipbuilding technology of the current shipyard can't even catch up with my grandfather's. The boats built by my grandfather and father are better than them."

Yu Simian was surprised: "What's the matter, they are not as good as you, aren't they better?"

Mo Jinyan sniffed and shook his head: "Not good. The technology that my grandfather and the others worked so hard to create was lost by later generations. People now have to follow their old ways and explore again. Isn't that too wasteful?"

For the first time, Yu Simian was so touched by Xiao Mo's heart that he wanted to cry, his eyes were moist, and he smiled with relief: "My Xiao Mo is really great. Brother is really proud of you."

Mo Jinyan lowered his head in embarrassment: "Brother Yu, when I went to my house to pack things, there were still a few model ships left. You have seen them before, and there are also some blueprints for shipbuilding. Not to be sent to the shipyard."

Yu Simian held Mo Jinyan's hand: "Xiao Mo, thank you."

Mo Jinyan smiled: "Thank you for what I'm doing? I just don't want to see Master Lin and the others follow the old and crooked paths. My ship models and blueprints are also very old, and some of them may not be as good as their technology. But at any rate, it can provide some references.”

Yu Simian rubbed Mo Jinyan's head: "Those were left for you by your ancestors, you should keep them. I'll help you make a new copy and send it to the shipyard."

Mo Jinyan laughed: "That's great, thank you Brother Yu."

Yu Simian looked at the person in front of him, his heart was so soft that this child was simply a treasure, how lucky he was to get it.These days, who doesn't hide their secrets? How many people would rather bring their unique skills to the soil than let others learn them, but he didn't hide it, just thinking about letting the predecessors learn it. The skill is passed on.

Mo Jinyan didn't notice the flash of water in Yu Simian's eyes, immersed in his own thoughts, and said excitedly: "Brother Yu, I can make a new copy of those ship models. And those boats I made myself , I can also make a ship model."

Yu Simian's throat slipped a little, and he choked up a little, he smiled and said: "Okay, you can do as much as you want, I will help you."