Nanjing Waiguo City Wall has been annihilated in later generations, at that time it was the largest city in the world, the total length of Waiguo is estimated to be about 60 kilometers, it combines the existing topography, rivers and new earth walls, almost can now be a whole Taipei City size of the whole circle. The city gate is called the outer (Guo) eighteen, the inner (city) thirteen, the population has been one million people in the 30th year of Hongwu, the common people mainly live in the two parts of the outer Guo and the inner city, and then the inner is the imperial city and the forbidden city. Li Hongyuan and his entourage entered through the fence gate on the west side of Waiguo, and walked north from this side to the Longjiang Shipyard by the river. Because Li Hongyuan's long-time friend Liu Bin carved the current position of Dushui Langzhong, and recently served as a concurrent promotion in the Longjiang Lifting Division, he did not live in Nanjing, and asked for a few rooms in the West Garden of the branch of the factory. On this day, when Liu Bin's official business was over, he asked Li Hongyuan to drink in the promotion office. Ma He took Ah Xian and Li Jian out of the front door, and walked along the Qinhuai River to the riverside to relax. For Li Jian and Ah Xian, who have lived by the sea since childhood, the Yangtze River estuary from the front door of Longjiang Shipyard does not look very imposing, but I heard Ma He say that the Yangtze River can go around Fujian several times all the way, and for Ah Xian and Li Jian, who are going out for the first time, they can't help but stretch out their tongues. Ma He grew up next to Dianchi Lake and lived in Nanjing for a few years, so he took the two of them to find food nearby.

It is said that He Yizong took Sheyang and his entourage into the city from the small elephant taming gate in the southwest corner, and the Jinyi Guard elephant training place was not far from the city gate, and he recognized the officers and soldiers guarding the city gate of the elephant training institute, and was busy saluting loudly. He Yizong arrived but immediately went to see his top boss to report and invite merit, followed by the handling of the musk private goods brought back in private, because this time it is not a big ship, the size of the cabin that the general flag can get is not large, but it is still a business that can make dozens of times, and a group of people went to find a Qinglou to celebrate, She Yang is not familiar with the place, naturally he was left aside and could not say anything, left and right to buy Ming people's clothes, and took his entourage to the street to sneak around.

The horse and the three of them were tired of shopping, and were eating and resting in a small restaurant, Ah Xian mentioned that the elephant's intelligence may not be very high, and Sheyang, who happened to be sitting on the side, turned his head and interjected: "This little brother is so bad! The elephant is the only one that can be drawn by any tamed animal that has ever been tamed! It's not too high!' Ma He and the three of them looked at this scholar who had a strange tone and used a lot of words, and Ma He was originally generous, so he invited him to sit and chat. When Sheyang was in a depressed mood, he didn't shirk it, sat down three cups of yellow soup and gradually let go, and said that he was from the Champa country, this time he was from the sea road to the Ming Dynasty to offer the white elephant to the emperor, Ma and the three of them knew that the road was far away, and there were many risks in sailing at sea, and a big wave would not care if you were the king of a big country or the prince of a small country, so they were all in awe, Ah Xian and Li Jian heard more stories about the strange people of the sea who traveled to and from the East and West Oceans, and they wanted to know more about the East and West countries, and they also felt that this Champa prince had a kind attitude, Compared with the sword, sword and shadow as the main axis of the Japanese warrior and the Ryukyu fierce sister is too much easier to talk to, Ma He in order to avoid trouble, but did not reveal his official identity as the Yan Wangfu, and also followed the interest to understand the situation of the city. The more they chatted, the happier they became, and the four of them coaxed together to find a side room, and they could see another restaurant with a view of the Yangtze River. At this time, Ah Xian asked how to find the white elephant, and Sheyang should have talked about how he had been looking for it for a while in Zhancheng, and later heard that it was held by the Zhenla Kingdom, so he bought this white elephant from afar through a relationship. Zhenla is in the north-west of the Champa country, which was originally very rich and powerful, and is known as the golden Zhenla. In recent years, the state of Chenla has weakened, and the capital of Angkor has even been captured by the Siamese, and selling white elephants for gold and silver is a choice. He also mentioned that the locals, both men and women, were probably wearing shirtless shirts because of the hot weather, and Li Jian and Ah Xian both laughed and said that it was hard to believe. Sheyang also said that although Angkor Thom is not as huge as the city of Nanjing, the beauty of the stone carving architecture mixed with the influence of Shivaism is a different kind of scenery. Seeing that the three of them listened attentively, they said that they would have the opportunity to go together in the future. Ah Xian was very excited when he heard this, and began to call Brother Sheyang, and said that brother, you can't call the little brother! Ma He shook his head when he heard it. But Sheyang should act with Jinyiwei, always feel that the other party is polite on the surface, but the official authority is very strong, and there has always been a sense of inferiority, at this time with Ma and the three of them are close in age to talk happily, then I feel that the mood is very good, this is the heavy rain outside the splitting mile, looking at the river in the distance is full of mist, there is a different scenery. When Sheyang said that every year in the rainy season, the water of the lake rises sharply in the rainy season, and the lake can grow to nearly ten times the size of the dry season. She Yang should say that ordinary people live by the water in simple thatched huts, and can only go to the mountains to avoid water during the rainy season, and this has been the case for generations, but because of the abundance of fish, they are still inseparable from this life circle. The world is so big that people of all ethnic groups always have the wisdom to survive with the surrounding environment. Ma He couldn't help but talk about his life in the north, and when he arrived at the Great Wall, there was a northern scene of the sky, the wilderness, the wind blowing the grass and the cattle and sheep, Li Jian, Ah Xian and Sheyang should all be fascinated, and they admired this senior brother who had started early and had gone out to serve in the palace. When it was getting late, I made an appointment to go to Longjiang Shipyard the next day to talk again, so as to see the shipbuilding technology of Daming!

When he got up early the next morning, Ma He mentioned to Li Hongyuan that Sheyang should visit, and Li Hongyuan agreed that they should make more overseas friends, but they had to say hello to Liu Bin first! Ma He answered the call and knew that he went to look for Liu Bin. For Li Hongyuan, who has been alone for many years, there are suddenly three more juniors around him, and he also feels a lot more lively. remembered that Liu Bin and himself were ranked in the same year, and then the distribution unit was different, so they worked hard. Later, Liu Bin was not very ambitious, and occasionally heard about it, and this time he went to Longjiang Shipyard to take up the new position, he should want to do a big job!

Ma He was only a few steps away from the branch division to the lifting division, and he heard Liu Bin's loud voice and shouting and scolding from afar, and when he got closer, he only heard Liu Bin say: "The work of these four hundred warships is two thousand five hundred and eighty-seven cents, and the silver is seventy-four taels and six cents. The book of the boat (Note 1) is already clearly written and clearly written, and if you come to tell me now that 850 carpenters are not enough, then I will only think that there is a problem with you, the carpenter's captain, who has been able to do it in the past 15 years, why can't you? If you have a problem with the woodwork today, how can I make up for the woodwork by the iron or the gun, and how can this be done?" After a long pause, Liu Bin stopped scolding loudly, and saw forty box chiefs with various expressions on their faces walking out one after another, and each of them scattered to the front and back of the factory, among which the most stinky one muttered while walking: "The timber we want this month alone still has to be purchased from the timber merchants in Shangyuan and Jiangning counties, and the veneer alone (Note 2) will cost thousands of pieces. Last time, the batch of Sichuan fir trees sent by Cai's family insisted that I sign for it, and I told you, whoever receives it is unlucky." The person next to him said, "Okay, okay, you just don't have to say a few words, isn't it not easy for Lord Liu!" You have this kind of thing, go to Vice President Rong to talk to Lord Liu in private! Isn't Vice President Rong your fellow Shandong?" The two of them walked to Ma He's side as they spoke, and when they looked up and saw that it was a new face, they both stopped talking, nodded slightly, and flashed away. Ma Hexin said interestingly, and secretly wrote down all these shipbuilding-related figures, maybe it would come in handy that day.

The drumming sound in the shipyard sounded, and I saw that there were people in each wing room calling for the assembly, and the craftsmen dressed in different ways walked to their respective assembly places in twos and threes, the blacksmith who struck iron, the bamboo worker who made the canopy, and the captain of the box each loudly explained the progress of the day's work, and the scene of hundreds of people moving up was not lively. Then they dispersed, and the whole shipyard began to move lively, with the sound of iron, sawing, paint, and oyster ash.

Ma He entered the Lifting Division and mentioned to Liu Bin about the prince of Zhancheng, Liu Bin smiled and said to see what the problem was, and he was not afraid that he would learn something if he saw it. Liu Bin knew that Ma He served in the Yan Wangfu, so he asked about the situation in the north, although Ma He was not long in the first mansion, but he saw things very clearly, and said that there is no big problem at present, but the north still has to force troops to exert pressure and strike, if the Mongols can be dispersed into small tribes, it is okay, plus my Daming firearms are advanced, so as not to cause chaos, and then the Yan King is heroic, and the outside of the Saiwai tribe is also very fine, there should be no major problem in the border in recent years, I am afraid that I am afraid of Nanjing. Liu Bin nodded, this kind of topic can be pointed, and he said that King Yan and King Ning are brave and good at fighting, which is famous all over the world. Saying this, he also asked Li Hongyuan to come over and go to the front factory to see the 400-material battle-seat ship that was about to be built.

After everyone arrived at the front factory, Liu Bin began to introduce and said: "These 400 war-mounted ships have a surface from head to slightly, eight zhang and nine feet five inches, and the bottom of the ship is six feet and five inches from the head to the plateless place, and the mast is nine zhang high. Ma He asked, "I've been to Jeju Wei, and the largest of their warships is 100 materials, but who in the world can use 400 materials of warships?" Liu Bin replied with a smile, "It's still a fist-big talk!" Li Hongyuan also laughed! The horse and a little bit of it is transparent, and the sound of the Tao is so. Liu Bin then talked about the different uses of various ships, such as carrying rice by sea and transporting soldiers, so it is just a common name for materials to facilitate everyone's understanding. For those who carry rice grain, 400 materials are equal to 400 stone (Note 3). While he was talking, Yang should have arrived, still pretending to be a scholar, Liu Bin waved his hand magnificently, led the way and left, and everyone went to the newly built ship to see and see!

The newly built warship is a sharp-bottomed Fu ship, which is docked by the Qinhuai River. After everyone boarded the ship, the smell of wood from the new ship came to their nostrils, and there were still boatmen on the ship doing some minor repairs. Liu Bin first introduced that the boat is equipped with water panels on both sides, which can be used for balancing when the wind and waves are strong. Although this warship is currently used for patrolling the Yangtze River and coastal waters, the stability of this warship will not be less than that of ordinary seagoing ships when the waves are strong, and the secret lies in these two water-covered boards. Everyone stood on the side of the boat and looked down at the height of three or four feet, which was quite condescending. He began to introduce the facilities in the ship, saying that there are two official cabins, seven soldiers' cabins, and eight work cabins, which can carry more than 100 officers and men.

The most important thing is that the bilge has a watertight compartment, even if the bottom of the ship is partially damaged, it will not sink immediately, which is highly confidential in terms of construction method, and then looked at Sheyangcai with a smile. She Yang didn't expect Liu Bin to have this "hope", and he hadn't figured out what the clear water secret compartment meant, so he muttered praise twice to cover up the past, Ma He saw that he was embarrassed, so he asked how many such warships could be built in the year, Liu Bin gave a soft nail and said that this is a state secret, that day you did the head of the Daming Sailor, what do you ask, I answer! Ma He was not angry, at this time Li Hongyuan did not agree, and said How do you know that I can't do it in vain, and then your 400 boat may not be able to get on the table, and you will talk again with one more zero. Liu Bin said with a smile, when you prepare the timber for Lao Tzu, I will build a few big ships of 5,000 materials for you to see, and they are complaining to each other, at this time, the outside came to report, saying that it was the prince of Li Fangren of the Xianguo who sent someone to send an invitation to the people of Yanwangfu, and Ma He hurriedly withdrew. She Yang should have wanted to see the emperor's grandson several times but could not enter the door, presumably Annan was a hindrance from it, to see if everything was done, leaving a piece of jade pendant to Li Jian and Ah Xian, saying that there was a chance to come to the city of Zhancheng that day, and the three of them cherished each other and said goodbye.

Note 1: The ship book is a ship engineering manufacturing management document, which records the engineering measurement required for the construction of various types of ships, and the data here is based on the information of the Longjiang Shipyard Chronicle, which was originally a precedent in the 16th year of Hongzhi (1503). The author has not yet found the data in the Hongwu period!

Note 2: The thinking of standardizing shipbuilding parts in the shipbuilding history of the Ming Dynasty. The method of veneer is one zhang long, one foot wide, and one inch thick. Individual, piece also!

Note 3: The definition of the material is different, the statement taken here is the restoration research article published by Taiwan Cheng Kung University in 2006 in the first issue of the 25th volume of the Chinese Journal of Shipbuilding and Turbine Engineering, "The Creation Model and Performance Analysis of the Battleship of the Battleship", which is based on the existing historical materials and modern shipbuilding simulation software, and the inference that the usable space of the 400 battleship is about 400 stones after reconstructing the model, and those who are interested can Google to see!

[The first time I uploaded a work in the mainland, I don't know what the tastes of the officials are, but I just wrote it according to my heart. At the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, the seas of Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia suddenly became lively, and everyone rolled up their sleeves and wanted to do something about it, whether it was active or passive. 】