Chapter 48: Felling Trees

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  Ying Tianlong told Feng Aijun that he had become the "Whirlwind Camp" leader and defeated Luo Guoyong, which made Feng Aijun very excited: "You're really something! I didn't realize your abilities were so great. And you've been hiding them so well. If it weren't for my sister Qiu Yu, I wouldn't have known that you're a master of both literature and martial arts, with such a remarkable talent."

  Yīng Tiān Lóng said: "Commander, are you praising me or mocking me? I couldn't hear a bit of sincerity in your words."

  Feng Ai Jun said: "You're doing great, keep up the good work. I'm telling you, Autumn Rain is writing letter after letter to me, asking about your news."

  Tianlong fell silent, and the image of Feng Qiuyu kept flashing before his eyes like a revolving lantern. A woman who was just as fierce and passionate as he was, loved him so deeply and persistently, but what was he doing? He was embracing red and hugging green, being unbridled... it's time to hit the brakes.

  Ying Tianlong returned to his residence and started packing things up. Alan looked at him in confusion: "Husband, what are you doing?"

  Ying Tianlong told her that he would not be back for a few days, as he had to organize people to go into the mountains to cut down trees and build ships.

  "Hubby, your eyes won't lie. Are you tired of me? Should I leave?"

  Ying Tianlong looked at her pitiful appearance and didn't know how to explain it to her.

  Depressed.

  Ying Tianlong could only explain to her like this: "Building ships is the top priority of the 'Whirlwind Camp', I don't show up, who will? You'd better not think wildly."

  Alan said: "I'll come visit you often when I have time, okay?"

  Ying Tianlong was speechless. Even he himself felt strange, as if in the midst of gunfire and bullets, he wouldn't bat an eyelid, regarding death as a return home. But it was precisely the sight of a woman's tears that he couldn't bear. When Feng Qiuyu first expressed her feelings to him, Ying Tianlong was truly frightened. One was the daughter of a commander, the other a soldier from a peasant background, and the two were worlds apart. Moreover, Feng Qiuyu, dressed in military attire, had a captivating beauty, with an elegant demeanor that was beyond ordinary. What did Ying Tianlong have to offer? Wasn't it just a lazy frog thinking of eating swan meat? Ying Tianlong repeatedly said it was impossible. But Feng Qiuyu insisted on turning this impossibility into an absolute possibility.

  Feng Qiuyu would also cry, and when she cried, Ying Tianlong would be at a loss, unable to do anything but coax her. At this moment, Feng Qiuyu wanted the moon in the sky, and Ying Tianlong really went to find a ladder. Heroes are hard-pressed by beauties, it seems that the ancients were not exaggerating, this is what Ying Tianlong felt most deeply.

  "Suit yourself." Tianlong said to Alan.

  Luo Guoyong is now a smooth ride, even sending an able craftsman, whose surname is Qian, Qian Fangkong. Before sentencing, he was an engineer at a private shipyard, best at building wooden boats. Tian Long looked him up and down, not tall, typical of southerners, with a wide forehead, big eyes, and a clean appearance like an intellectual. He committed rape, not only raping someone's daughter but also locking her in a room for over ten days, using whips, candles, and ropes to torture her like the Japanese devils. After being released from prison, he repeated his crimes, deceiving and raping young girls again, eventually crippling them. His crime was extremely evil, and he was sent to Death Island to fend for himself.

  Ying Tianlong looked down on people who bullied women the most, but this person really had some skills. He introduced himself and said his greatest skill was building ships without using a single iron nail. Speaking of which, Qian Fangkong couldn't help but talk endlessly: "Boss, do you know about the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda? It was built in 1056 AD, during the Song Dynasty. The pagoda is 67.31 meters tall, with a base diameter of 30.27 meters and a total weight of approximately 7,400 tons. It's the oldest existing wooden structure tower building in China."

  "The most remarkable thing about the Yingxian Wooden Tower is its ingenious design. Except for the brick and stone foundation and the iron tower spire, the entire structure is made of wood, without a single iron nail. The countless components are fixed together by mortise and tenon joints. According to expert examination and statistics, the wooden tower uses 54 different types of dougong (brackets). The connection between the upper and lower layers inside the tower adopts the method of chaji construction. Chaji construction is a technique where the bottom of the upper layer column has a cross-shaped opening that fits into the dougong between the lower layer columns, and the upper layer column is recessed by half a column diameter, creating a layered inward-receding effect. The mortise and tenon joints used in traditional Chinese wooden structures are not rigid connections. When encountering strong winds or earthquakes, the components produce some displacement and friction, which can absorb and dissipate part of the energy, playing a role in adjusting deformation. This increases the stability of the wooden tower and forms its flexibility. It is truly a marvel of ancient Chinese architecture."

  Qian Fangkong spoke with spittle flying everywhere, his emotions running high.

  "Then can you guarantee that the wooden ships we are building now will not use a single iron nail?" Tian Long interrupted him.

  "No problem, I have this confidence."

  Ying Tianlong didn't say anything. Luo Guoyong had already made an evaluation of this person in the message he brought: skills can be used, but character cannot be used. Greedy, afraid of death, likes women. For such a person, there is no need to be polite, and having a steel knife by your side will make him listen to you honestly.

  As a return, Tian Long had someone send Luo Guo a lot of good wine. The two families are now living in harmony, and the unpleasantness of the past has dissipated.

  The logging team set out, led by Ying Tianlong himself, with dozens of sturdy men carrying axes, iron saws and ropes, passing through the "Black Wind Camp" defense zone to venture into the primeval forest. By noon, they arrived at the edge of the forest, carefully observing that the forest was located in the central part of the island, with a sunken terrain surrounded by mountains on all sides, blocking typhoons and keeping the trees inside the forest intact.

  It's a bit of an exaggeration to call it a forest, as it doesn't have the grandeur and majesty of a true primeval forest on land. It's more like a miniature forest, preserved in its original state due to the rarity of human presence. It looks quite mysterious. The woods are full of strange tree roots that resemble octopus tentacles, passing through the bases of other trees and stretching out along the ground. Sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled shadows, and the air in the forest is fresh, with a clearer scent noticeable from higher up.

  The team did not venture deep into the forest, where trees were densely packed, with lush branches and leaves blocking out the direct sunlight, and each tree occupied a large area. The trunks were mostly twisted and turned, either shooting straight up into the air or branching out from the same root, then tightly entwining together. The dense foliage formed a canopy that was impenetrable to the wind, completely enclosing the sky in front of them. The situation inside the forest was unclear, with many wild beasts, and on this island, there were many venomous snakes with potent venom, which posed a life-threatening danger if one was bitten even slightly.

  Ying Tianlong is now worried about not being able to find the wood for shipbuilding, but how to transport it.

  The distance from the forest to the campsite is not close, and there is no road. How can the thick trees be pulled back? Even Yin Tao was scratching his head.

  Qian Fangkong disagreed and replied to Tianlong, "Boss, what we need are materials for building ships, not whole logs. In my opinion, why don't we process them on the spot and turn the logs into usable materials? Except for the keel, there's no heavier load than that. After transporting them back, we can assemble them, isn't it both labor-saving and convenient?"

  Ying Tianlong thought this was the best plan. This Fang Kung I is indeed cleverer than ordinary people, unfortunately he used his cleverness for evil purposes, otherwise he should have been an extraordinary shipbuilding expert.

  They did it, Tianlong took the people who brought the belt to stay, Qian Fangkong as the chief engineer of shipbuilding, himself as the commander-in-chief, built a temporary residence on the edge of the forest, processed wood for shipbuilding, and all living supplies were handled by Wang Qing. Lu Guoyong also agreed to supply fresh water and some food here. Lu Guoyong was very clever, if the boat could be made successfully, it would be a good thing for him too, accumulating experience, and he would have the possibility of building bigger boats and finding opportunities to escape in the future.

  The planned logging went smoothly, with plenty of Shu wood and various timber in the forest, and without having to go deep, they found logs that could be harvested at the edge. Dozens of strong men under Qian Fangkong's command successfully felled the first Shu tree, cut off its branches, stripped off its bark, and Qian Fangkong grinned: "Good, good material, rare good material. Let's use it to make the dragon bone."

  As for the size of the ship, Tianlong has considered it. For shark hunting and not going out to sea, a length of 20 meters is sufficient. After discussing with Qian Fangkong, Qian Fangkong thinks it's too small, but Tianlong disagrees. Tianlong glares: "What do you want to do? Build a big ship to prepare for escape? Can you escape? Others will sink you with one cannonball. What I need is a sturdy shark-hunting boat, agile and fast, with people standing on the boat able to maintain their balance. Also, when a thousand-jin shark crashes into it, the boat won't capsize."

  Qian Fanghua replied, "I understand, how many ships is the master preparing to build?"

  First build two ships; if they are successful, then make further plans afterwards.

  In the forest edge, a temporary residence and construction site were built, and everyone worked enthusiastically. It's strange to say that no one complained of tiredness, knowing that these people were all idle rascals, and decent people would avoid them from afar, fearing bad luck. But here, they were unusually diligent, without needing anyone to supervise. The ship's keel was first made, quickly taking shape after being boiled and compressed in water, followed by the hull, deck, and other semi-finished products piled up on one side waiting for transportation.

  The plan went smoothly and Tian Long let out a sigh of relief.