It took a day to rush from the Lujiang River to the salvage ship in the South China Sea. After refueling the helicopter, Xie Daxia was about to leave, but was pulled by Wuyang and asked him not to leave for the time being, stay and work together, and let the helicopter come to pick him up on the third day.

Although it was already evening, the sun was still shining on the calm sea of the South China Sea, and the blue sea was sparkling, and these beautiful scenery had never been seen before in the afternoon sun.

Next to the two salvage ships, each moored a transport ship, the ship's boom will lift a group of wooden boxes, the salvage ship personnel, nervously busy, will be lifted from the sea sunken ship in the metal basket of the porcelain, while rinsing and wiping clean, while loading into the wooden box.

"Hero, when did you start packing?"

The hero smiled, "It only started last night, and it's been going on for 22 hours, about 160 boxes of a small fashion, and now it's about 3,500 boxes." ”

"How much porcelain is in the shipwreck?"

"There's no way to estimate. We directly found the cargo hold to pick up the goods, the hull is still relatively well preserved, and we don't know if there is cargo in the cabin that we have not been to. ”

"That's natural, I think, a ship, there must be a crew lounge, it can't all be loaded, and another one, this kind of wooden boat has a limited carrying capacity."

Xie Daxia said: "We measured the size of the ship after using a mud pump to pump out the sediment around the wreck. The ship was 27 meters long, 7 meters wide, and 5 meters high from the bottom to the side. ”

"Then isn't the wooden box you prepared enough?"

"It's definitely not enough. We didn't start estimating that the wreck was so big, and we didn't estimate that the cargo was so big. And it's basically all well preserved. Some of them are very large, and one wooden box can hold two, such as the plum bottle. After placing two flat, you can't put them away, and you don't dare to add other utensils, for fear of crushing them. I have already informed the people in the company to organize 10,000 plastic baskets as soon as possible, anyway, no matter how big or small, as long as the porcelain is not crushed. ”

"Hero, go find a wetsuit. I'll go down and take a look. ”

"Have you ever dived before?"

"I've dived, but I don't need to wear a wetsuit, I'm in a fish pond."

"Then wait a minute. Eat quickly, wait for the divers in the sea to come up and let them teach you, this is easy to learn. ”

"Are there no divers on board?"

"Yes. But they're all resting. It's hard to bother. We only have 15 divers in our company, and one is on top of the small submarine, and the other 18 people here are hired from a private salvage company. I divided them into 4 shifts, taking turns to work, changing every hour, and the oxygen cylinder was used for about an hour. ”

"Hero, a diver hired from outside. You're not afraid of leaks, aren't you? ”

"There's no way to leak secrets. I didn't alarm the bosses of their company, I dealt with them privately. But it's an open secret. Salvage companies in general. They don't have the strength to do such a thing, they can't invest so much money at once. Besides, whether or not you can find the wreck is entirely a matter of luck. ”

"Hero, how much have we invested this time?"

"Not counting the labor salary, our investment has exceeded 100 million US dollars, and if you add the previous exploration costs of small submarines, as well as wages, it will be at least 10 million US dollars. You think, we hire divers to give them $10,000, we don't care how many days we salvage, as long as the salvage is clean, we pay this amount, which is not something other companies can afford, and these divers are not just able to find such a job. If they go out and talk nonsense, we won't have this job for them to do in the future, won't their losses be great? ”

Wuyang smiled: "Hero, are you still going to do this thing for a long time?" Are you really not afraid of being discovered? ”

"If you find it, you find it, it's not a big deal. At present, countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines are fighting over the ownership of the South China Sea, and our country cannot control so much for the time being, and may not be able to really control us. Rather than being taken away by other countries, it is better for us to salvage it ourselves, and the meat is rotten in the pot. Of course, we have set up observation posts around us, and if we find any official ship of any country, we will evacuate it in time. You can't catch someone walking on the sea. ”

Wuyang said, "That's right. I think that with this harvest, these devices are just lost, and it is not a pity, just don't let people catch people. ”

Daxia said: "We have prepared two speedboats, but we will not lose these equipment unless we have to." ”

"You have to train a few responsible people among our staff, after all, we can't be involved in such things very often."

"Okay, you can wait and see if you like anything. Let's take a look at the porcelain to go. ”

Xie Daxia led the way to the cabin of the salvage ship. When I went in, I saw several wooden boxes on the ground in the cabin, all of which were opened there.

The hero picked up a plate, the afternoon sun looked, its porcelain color was blue in white, white in the green, the tire was as thin as paper, the glaze was very light, the hero picked it up and looked at the light, you can see his fingers.

"Wuyang, this is Jingdezhen's porcelain, you look at the shape, porcelain color, glaze color, tire thickness, are all the best choice, each piece is priceless."

Wuyang also picked up a plate, touched it carefully in his hand, and looked at the inscription at the bottom, "Daxia, it's a thing from the Yuan Dynasty, it's been 800 years since the Shun Dynasty, and it's still so good, it's the same as new." Is there a lot of this kind of thing? ”

"I don't know, it's stored in the small cabin at both ends, but I don't know if there is still a big cabin in the middle. This cyan porcelain is slightly more abundant, and divers have found both medium compartments inside. ”

"Hero, do you know what kind of porcelain this is?"

"I don't know, where do you let me know about these things?"

"I also saw it on the Internet after the last time you sued sù that I was going to salvage a shipwreck. This kind of porcelain is called egg-white glazed porcelain. It was produced in a fixed kiln and was generally used as porcelain by nobles. The highest grade of these is 'Taixi', which was used for royal sacrifices. A little lesser, it was used by the royal family and the ministers, called the 'Privy House', but we certainly couldn't find it on the ship. The Yuan Dynasty fired a large number of this kind of porcelain, as an export porcelain, and the income obtained accounted for a considerable proportion of its financial revenue. ”

The hero said, "So to speak. Are these things worthless? ”

Wuyang smiled: "How can it not be worthless?" It was worth a lot back then, and now it's worth even more after 800 years. You look at these shapes. Whether it's a plum bottle or a sake jug, how beautiful the shape is. Hero, is there a lot of this kind of blue and white porcelain? ”

The hero said: "This is blue and white porcelain?" I saw porcelain with my grandmother's collection of moldy dried vegetables and white peppers, and I thought they took up too much space. I'm glad there aren't many of them. I didn't expect it to be the famous blue and white porcelain. The divers said that there were still some damaged parts of the wreck that had not been picked up, and that I would arrange for them to bring them up. ”

Wuyang said: "Hero, this shipwreck is 800 years old, everything in it is a treasure, and it must be brought up." You say that there are not many of these things, but the most are these black pottery? ”

"Yes. There's a lot of stuff here, and it's the stuff in several large cabins. Afternoon Sun. Is this black pottery worth anything? ”

"There was no black pottery found out of the water before, only unearthed. This kind of bowl is about 100,000 yuan, and this kind of clay pot is between 500,000 and 1 million, depending on the situation of the buyer and seller. The water must be cheaper than the unearthed price, and the other one, there are more things, and the price will not go up. ”

Daxia smiled: "It doesn't matter if he can go up or not, you won't sell it anyway." Wuyang, there are too many of these things, and it's hard to find a place to store them. ”

"How many do you estimate?"

"If half of the space on the ship is loaded with cargo, it should be about 200,000 pieces, if it is more, it will be 300,000 pieces at most, it is impossible to have more, and there will be no place to live and store fresh water and food."

"Leave it to chance, there's always a place to store something. Hero, you bought those boats to transport them directly back to Lujiang, right? ”

"Yes, we don't have a thousand-ton wharf in Lujiang, but I estimate that it can be passed during the current wet season, and in autumn and winter, there is still no way, so I have to unload the goods at the wharf of the Yangtze River. Let's go, let's go up to eat, and after eating, we go down to the sea to have a look. ”

Back on deck, the divers who went to sea have returned, and the divers who are resting have also gotten up partially. Meals were served in pots and placed on iron shelves on the deck. The staple food is rice and steamed bread, and the dish is two meat and one vegetable, and one soup. Wuyang and Xie Daxia approached, and a chef-like person gave them an enamel basin and a pair of chopsticks. "Eat as you like, don't fight too much, you have to finish it."

Wuyang filled the soup, grabbed a steamed bun and nibbled on it. At this time, two women approached them, one was a blonde and blue-eyed Caucasian, about 1.80 meters tall, Wuyang couldn't tell how old he was, and the other was a yellow man, a few centimeters shorter, much slimmer, goose egg face, big eyes, wheat-colored skin, 25 or 6 years old.

Xie Daxia said: "This is the hired expert, Miss Stephen Jones, this is the translator Miss Shu Peipei, she is also Miss Stephen Jones's younger sister. Two young ladies, this is Mr. Zhang, whom I invited to take over my work, working in a factory in my hometown, this time using annual leave to earn extra money. ”

Because Xie Daxia had the requirement of Wuyang's confidential identity, he introduced the truth and falsehood. In China, the surname Zhang surnamed Li has the most surnames Liu, just say one, no one doubts it, anyway, after a few days, they will go their separate ways.

"Two beautiful young ladies, it's a pleasure to meet you." Wuyang said with a smile.

Shu Peipei said: "Hello, Mr. Zhang, I am also glad to meet you. ”

Miss Jones said, "This Mr. Zhang is as handsome as Mr. Xie. ”

It was spoken in English, and Wuyang pretended not to understand and did not respond. In China today, not everyone, especially an ordinary worker, understands English.

"You haven't eaten yet, let's eat quickly." Wuyang said.

"Okay." After Shu Peipei finished speaking, she went over to load the rice.

After eating the steamed buns at noon, he went over to pretend to cook again, and came to Xie Daxia's side, "Daxia, is there still someone eating on that boat?" We don't have a lot of people here. ”

"Yes. If you count the helicopter crew, we are now 7 people. Two salvage vessels, 3 transport vessels. There are also onshore procurement staff. The total number is almost 200. ”

Shu Peipei came over with a bowl and looked at the two of them and smiled, "Two handsome guys." It's really handover. ”

Daxia said: "I have a lot of work, I can't be busy, I was supposed to leave today, there is no way, Xiao Zhang is not familiar with the situation, so I have to stay for another day." ”

"What more important thing do you have, such an underwater archaeological discovery. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Shu Peipei said.

Xie Daxia smiled, "Miss Shu, you are Yangchun Baixue." We are Lower Riba people, we don't understand archaeology, and we are entangled in mundane affairs. ”

"Mr. Xie, don't be presumptuous, let's be in the spring and snow. Again, it's up to you to provide archaeological opportunities. Otherwise, my studies would still stay in books. ”

Wuyang said: "Miss Shu should have studied for a few years, does it mean that she has no chance to participate in practical work?" ”

Shu Peipei smiled, "Mr. Zhang, you don't know the difficulties of underwater archaeology, so you said that." For example, if one of these excavations were to be carried out, it would take a few years of private exploration, and then it would be necessary to raise funds. Don't think it's easy to raise money, in fact, this is the hardest part. You don't look at the money in Western countries. But the money cannot be raised from enterprises, only by the government. Again, the Government can only mobilize extrabudgetary funds. Coming and going, a few years have passed. ”

"If it's so difficult, why did you choose this major?"

"I chose for two reasons, one is because of the elders in my family, and the other is because of my personal hobby. My family is in a port city in the southeast, according to genealogical records, my family has been engaged in foreign trade since the Tang Dynasty, and has been on the Maritime Silk Road for more than 1,000 years, and it has not been engaged in modern times. After the reform and opening up, my people began to carry out this work again. ”

"Then your family must be a big family."

Shu Peipei said: "How to say it, it can only be said that it has risen and fallen several times." In ancient times, if you can run a few times, the family can prosper for decades, and sometimes the ship is wrecked and people die, and you have to recuperate for decades. In modern times, wars are frequent, the family business slowly declines, and the population has increased a lot. But the blood flowing in the veins still has the element of ancestral restlessness. The elders of the family want someone to learn underwater archaeology, and the main thing is to find the bones of their ancestors, and of course, if they can find the lost wealth, it is even better. ”

Xie Daxia said with a smile: "You yourself love this major, and you also have this goal." But if you don't practice optics, isn't it still a fake style? ”

"What can I do? Professor George Bass is one of the world's most renowned experts on underwater archaeology, and this is the first time I've had this opportunity in five years under his tutelage. Usually, almost all countries do it directly by themselves, and ask Mr. Bass to take a look, just to determine the legitimacy of this archaeology and prove that it is not a theft of antiquities. ”

Wuyang said: "Is our excavation an archaeological excavation or a theft? ”

Shu Peipei said, "Half to half." We are here on behalf of Mr. Bass's institution, and your cultural relics have been registered and photographed by us, and if they are exhibited in the museum or used as the museum's inventory, it is legal in this respect; But after all, you have not passed through the recognition of the sovereign state in this sea, and it is illegal. We will also follow your request, as long as the Chinese government does not pursue you, we will keep it confidential for you, and if you are prosecuted, we will issue a certificate. ”

Wuyang said: "I see, then thank you so much." Miss Shu, since you don't have such an opportunity, and we need experts in this area, can you work for us? ”

"Mr. Zhang, I have to think about it, if it can meet my requirements, I will definitely be willing."

"You tell me your request, while Mr. Xie is here, we will obtain his consent and reply to you as much as possible, so as to show our sincerity." Wuyang said.

"Actually, it's very simple, that is, if you find the relics of our ancestors, no matter what their value is, you must hand them over to me, and provide convenience for me to transport the relics and bones."

"Gone?" Xie Daxia asked.

"It's gone."

"That's easy, I can give you a clear answer right now, I agree. But I would like to know what is the sign of your family's ancestral relics? ”

"It's a gold belt, it's made of twisted gold wire, the weight is about 500 grams, and there's a 'Shu' word engraved in the place where the knot is buckled, except for this, nothing else is needed."

"Okay, that's it. When do we sign the contract? ”

Shu Peipei smiled: "Mr. Xie, you are in a hurry to pay my salary." In fact, there is no need to be in such a hurry, after we finish this time, we will return to the mainland, and we will discuss it slowly. Even if according to what you said, there is no need to negotiate, I will go back to finish my doctoral dissertation, and I can't do without the degree that I have already received. Besides, the typhoon season is coming soon, so I can only rest. ”

Xie Daxia said: "Miss Shu, I'm sorry, we haven't cooperated yet, and the disagreement has come." I think that as long as we find a shipwreck, it doesn't matter what season it is, and the more typhoons blow, the less government ships will come. Once we know the forecast for the typhoon, we will return to the mainland immediately, and when the typhoon passes, we will come back immediately. ”

"That's fine, you set up a basket under the helicopter ladder, I'll sit in it, and you pull it up. I'm still young, and I don't want to go to see my ancestors so early. ”

Xie Daxia smiled: "This situation is impossible. When a typhoon is generated, we retreat, and besides, we not only have helicopters, but also high-speed speedboats, which can reach a speed of 60 kilometers per hour, which is faster than a typhoon. ”

Wuyang said: "I also have to buy a big insurance policy to be in order." ”

Shu Peipei said: "What is the use of an insurance policy? ”

Wuyang said: "At least you can avoid the emptiness of people and money." ”

Shu Peipei gave a pair of hygienic eyeballs and buried her head in eating.

After eating, Xie Daxia found a diver and taught Wuyang how to wear a diving suit and how to breathe in the water. These things are easy to learn, but they are not completely learned on the shore.

"The rest of you go down first, just leave one person to go into the water with this Mr. Zhang, don't waste time." Xie Daxia urged.

Shu Peipei said: "Mr. Xie, you let them all go down, and I will take Mr. Zhang into the water together." ”

"Miss Shu, you can dive too?" Wuyang asked.

"Diving is our first lesson in underwater archaeology, can we?"

When Wuyang was clumsy and dressed, Shu Peipei was already waiting there. came over to tell him how to turn on the lights and how to look at the watch of the oxygen cylinder, and after Wuyang understood, she jumped down first.

Wuyang jumped down and looked at the indicator on the diving suit, and when he reached 30 meters, it was already the deck of the wreck. The wreck fell slightly to the bottom of the sea, and the surrounding area was originally silted by sediment, but now two or three meters around, the sediment has been pumped away by the mud pump, and the bottom of the wreck is clearly visible.

Wuyang did not go to the deck, but turned around along the place below the waterline of the sunken ship's hull, and saw that the hull was intact, and it was estimated that the ship was overturned and sank in the water when it encountered a strong wind and waves. Using the strong light of the lamp, I saw that there were a few copper coins on the bottom of the sea and at the bottom of the ship, and I grabbed them and saw that they were the Kaiyuan Tongbao of the Tang Dynasty. The afternoon sun searched along the bottom of the boat.

After a while, I couldn't hold it in my hand, and suddenly it occurred to me that in the process of pumping the mud, they would definitely draw copper coins, why didn't the hero mention the copper coins just now? (To be continued......)