Chapter 44 Shipbuilding Timber

  Sun Changhao was stunned for a moment, and he entrusted himself with such a heavy responsibility. Two thousand large cannons, twenty thousand fire guns, how big would the gunpowder workshop be? Saltpeter 1 tael 5 mace, sulfur 2 mace, willow charcoal 3 mace, is this ratio better than mine?

  "Haifeng!"

  "Master, Wanyan Young Master has gone to the Zhang's residence."

  Yin Zhen lightly patted his forehead and smiled self-deprecatingly, "I'm all muddled, Da Chun. Inform Lord Xu to have him accompany Sun Changhao to select a location for building the gunpowder workshop. Also, find a place for Sun Changhao to settle down, with a monthly allowance of ten taels, pay three months' worth in advance as a settlement fee. Assign two attendants to him and appoint Ma Ming as his deputy."

  Ma Ming was dug up by Yin Zhen from the Ministry of Works, a talent in the field of firearms, a Han Chinese, not yet thirty years old, with some more tempering, he might become a first-rate talent.

  A monthly salary of ten taels of silver! Sun Changhao was startled, he only earned eight hundred wen in a month at the firecracker workshop, and didn't expect Yin Zhen to consider him so thoroughly. His heart suddenly felt hot, "Fourteenth Master is so generous, I have no way to repay you, I will definitely do my best to handle the task."

  "Although the task is important, you also need to take care of your body. In the future, I will be relying on you to make great efforts." Yongzheng said warmly and kindly, "The gunpowder workshop should be far away from populated areas. You only need to open your mouth for people and money. Also, go and settle your family down, it's better if they move to Shanghai, so that you won't have to run back and forth. Don't worry about the silver for your family, I will take care of it."

  Watching Sun Changhao's flushed face follow Dachun retreat, Yin Zhen secretly reviewed himself. Why didn't he think of building a gunpowder workshop from the beginning? Was there anything else that was overlooked? Don't let Xu Shizhen go through the land again, or it would be a joke.

  Two shipyards, a foundry, an armory, an ironworks, a gunpowder workshop, and a naval academy. Ah, it would be great to have a uniform factory too. With plans to recruit 20,000 sailors, the current military uniforms are not suitable for wear on warships. Each person needs several sets of clothes, hats, shoes, socks, and quilts per year. It seems that having our own uniform factory is necessary. What else is lacking?

  Just as he was lost in thought, a report came from outside, "Master, Miss Zhang has arrived."

  Yuan Zhen was overjoyed, and in a few steps he reached the door, where he saw Zhang Mengjiao walking towards him with a smile that seemed to be both a smile and not a smile. She said with a playful laugh: "The ancients said, 'A day without seeing each other is like being separated for three autumns.' It's really not an exaggeration at all."

  Zhang Mengjiao slightly frowned and said, "Less nonsense, if you have something to say, say it. On a snowy day like today, going back and forth, do you want to exhaust me to death?"

  Yuan Zhen didn't mind at all, "Hehe, I'm in a hurry, there's something I want to ask you about, come in quickly, don't catch a chill."

  As Zhang Mengjiao entered the house, Yin Zhen spoke up and said: "Although I am in charge of shipbuilding in Shanghai, I am a complete outsider in this regard. The master craftsmen invited from various places are likely to arrive only after the beginning of the year, but I cannot wait idly by now. There are some things that need to be planned ahead of time. Although I have many people at my disposal, there is really no one who can tell me anything about shipbuilding. That's why I had to invite you, a great expert. What I want to understand is what kinds of wood are used for shipbuilding and where they generally come from?"

  Zhang Mengjiao casually glanced around the study, and after Yi Zhen finished speaking, she chuckled and said: "What? Even the Fourteenth Master has a day when he's been choked by someone?"

  This woman's thoughts are too careful, hearing the lyrics and knowing the elegant meaning, Yin Zhen had already learned a lesson, "Can you say what you're thinking?"

  "This is not simple, just separated and asked people to come and ask for wood, isn't it worried that the wood will be blocked?" Zhang Mengjiao showed a disdainful expression and asked curiously, "Didn't you offend all the foreign sea fleets?"

  "I just want to offend everyone, but I have the ability to do so." Yunzhen put on a face of impatience, "Just call me aunt and be done with it, stop being coy and speak up quickly."

  "Go, whoever wants to be your aunt." Zhang Mengjiao snorted and said seriously: "Shipbuilding generally uses local materials. In our southern region, the main material used is Nanmu wood. Nanmu wood has the characteristics of being easy to process, resistant to corrosion, light in weight, soft in texture, and resistant to moisture. It is an excellent material for shipbuilding. The most important thing is Ge wood, also known as iron wood. Ge wood is hard and heavy, with high strength and resistance to insect damage. Since the Ming dynasty, large ships, warships, and other important parts such as keels, ribs, and rudders have been made of Ge wood. If you are building a large warship, then next would be Youmu wood and Songmu wood. Youmu wood has moderate weight, is not easily deformed or worn out, and has good corrosion resistance, making it the most ideal material for decks. Songmu wood is also known as 'thousand-year-old sea-bottom pine' and has high strength, wear resistance, and is not afraid of water immersion, making it suitable for deck or structural boards. Nanmu wood, Huamu wood, Yuemu wood, and Huai wood are generally used for beams and frames. Yuemu wood, Oumu wood, Huamu wood, Zhoumu wood can also be used for rudders and door handles. Bo wood and Qiu wood are used for oars, and the mast is made of straight Nanmu wood. As for other materials, it doesn't matter."

  My goodness, listening to her rattle off the characteristics and uses of various types of wood like a machine gun, I couldn't help but secretly admire her. No wonder she's from a family of wealthy ship merchants - she can recite such detailed information off the top of her head! Can't delay any further, tomorrow I'll have someone go to their house to propose, first secure the engagement and then take care of the rest.

  Zhang Mengjiao didn't know the sinister thoughts in his heart, and continued to say, "Nanmu is easy to find, it can be found in both inland rivers and seas. However, the origin of other types of wood is more specific. For example, Huamu mainly comes from Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, and Taiwan. Youmu comes from Siam and Burma. Songmu is abundant in Zhili and Guandong. As for other types of wood such as Hui, Qiu, Nan, Jia, Yu, and Huai, they can be found in Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, and Guangxi. If you want to build a fleet of ocean-going warships with hundreds of large and small ships, the consumption of wood will be staggering. If one route is cut off, your shipbuilding plan may come to nothing."

  Stillbirth? Grandpa finally saw a glimmer of hope for the Ocean Empire, how could it be stillborn? The inland rivers are no problem, after all, there are so many relatives and imperial clansmen who have connections, those external officials are not all vegetarians. The problem is the outer sea, and Yunzhen knows nothing about the situation of the fleet on the sea. "The inland rivers are no problem, the problem is the outer sea, what is the situation with the trade fleets in the outer sea?"

  "Sailing on the high seas is not like sailing on inland rivers. Small fleets are usually attached to large fleets, and when they go out to sea, they basically travel in groups. A small fleet going out to sea alone is no different from sending money to pirates. Your large-scale timber transportation can only rely on large fleets. In fact, each large fleet is composed of countless small fleets with backgrounds, and the relationships among them are also complex and intertwined. They have their own spheres of influence, trade routes, objects, and goods, and they also squeeze, suppress, and swallow each other up. But to outsiders, they are absolutely united, so it can be said that large fleets are all powerful entities with deep backgrounds." Because she didn't understand where Zhang's worries came from or what the specific situation was, Zhang stopped talking here.