At noon, thirty or fifty horsemen rushed out of the backyard of Chaifu.

The first one is the host Chai Jin, this is a man of his word, and it was an accident to drink too many fragments yesterday. Wake up and deal with the concierge who made a mistake, and then bring up the old story again and talk about the unfinished topic of last night.

Ships of the sea are expensive to build, unlike money, grain and horses.

Therefore, Chai Jin invited everyone to go to the shipyard and conduct a field trip. Wang Jin readily agreed, and had a hasty lunch, and everyone beat their horses and whipped them.

When you pass by a fork in the road!

Wang Lun led the team, and more than 30 people parted ways, took the letter of recommendation to Wugang Town to contact the head of the horse gang, purchase good horses and negotiate follow-up transactions.

Considering that the location of Wugang Town is in the buffer zone of the Song and Liao borders, it is relatively special. Hong Qiang's state was a little poor, so before leaving, Wang Jin asked Chen Dameng to follow, and specially invited Wu Song, a master, to sit in charge.

He followed Chai Jin all the way to the shipyard by the sea in the afternoon.

Although the Chai family has changed hands, many people think of the good of the Chai family. Don't underestimate the Chai family, even after more than a hundred years, the influence is still there. Later Zhou Shizong Chai Rong attached the most importance to the navy and encouraged the shipbuilding industry, which made the shipbuilding industry develop unprecedentedly, and there were many favors left.

"Brother, there's a shipyard thirty miles to the east, mostly small boats." Chai Jin led the team to his own industry and was in a very good mood. In front of the shipyard, pointing in one direction and talking eloquently, talking about shipbuilding.

Wang Jin knew something about the history of the development of ships.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, China's shipbuilding industry was ahead of the world, and later even in the Wei and Jin dynasties of the Three Kingdoms, the kind of building ships that overturned when the wind and waves were blowing. Because there are several floors high

, carrying two or three thousand people, was touted. Even if it is five generations and ten countries, this kind of large building ship is also regarded as a flagship.

There are several old building ships still in use in Yangshan.

Of course, at present, the major shipyards of the Song Dynasty no longer produce such ships. Because at this time, the shipbuilding industry ushered in a peak stage of development. The successive use of advanced technologies such as watertight warehouses, compasses, and balance rudders laid the foundation for the Song Dynasty's maritime trade and inland transportation.

When the fleets of the Song Dynasty passed by, almost all of them were called Shenzhou by the locals. Before the riveting technology was used, the sea ships of the Song Dynasty did not have a single nail. It is conceivable that the Mulan Boat was built just by the connection between the wood and the grooves of the wood, and the skill was exquisite, which was unimaginable to later generations.

"Shipbuilding is very knowledgeable!" Chai Jin was full of interest and popularized for everyone. The cottage master Pingjian has just arrived, and he hasn't made any real achievements yet. Wang Jin really didn't know the specific situation, so he listened attentively and didn't interrupt.

This shipbuilding industry is indeed very particular, especially for seagoing ships, the materials used are extremely harsh, and there are many particulars in the selection of wood. For example, it is not necessary for ancient trees to be suitable for shipbuilding, nor is it possible to use trees after cutting, and after cutting, they need to be dried for a long time, baked and other dehydration treatments.

Ancient ship wood can withstand the erosion of seawater, wind and waves for decades or even hundreds of years, which has a lot to do with its materials. There are many types of trees used as large sea vessels, and most of them are high-quality tree species with high density, high hardness, oily or waxy texture. Among them, Pontianak wood, catalpa wood, teak, pineapple lattice, iron pear wood and so on. Iron birch trees are the most suitable for warships.

"This kind of iron birch wood is difficult to cut, and it takes twice as long to build one

and at a high price. Even if it can effectively reduce the risk of running aground, caravans do not choose, and large sea ships are currently replaced by spruce wood.

In addition, the vessel itself is large, and the wood used is hard and full of grease. Therefore, after long-term immersion in seawater, the waves have washed countless times. After treatment, the ship is becoming more and more tough, wear-resistant, waterproof, insect-proof, anti-corrosion, etc., a high-quality sea ship will not be damaged for a hundred years......"

Chai Jin gushed endlessly about the performance of the sea boat, and did not forget to praise himself. Riding a horse at the front, leading the crowd into the shipyard perched on the seashore.

Knowing that the big owner came to inspect in person, the person in charge of the shipyard hurriedly came to greet him. Seeing the team coming from afar, the enthusiasm of the attitude is embarrassing. took the initiative to take over the hospitality and lead, avoiding the Chai officials from doing it themselves.

There are not many shipyard buildings, except for a few rows of houses on the shore, and the most striking thing is that there are more than a dozen large docks located on the islands and reefs connected to the land.

Because of the relationship between Chai Rong and Shizong of the Later Zhou Dynasty, most time-honored shipyards will give some face, and the Chai family has been in contact with shipyards around the country for so many years, and the relationship is close. There are not a few old shipbuilders hired from Deng, Lai, Ming, Yang and other places, and there are at least 2,000 skilled craftsmen.

Responsible for the construction of large sea vessels, as well as supporting lifeboats.

In addition to the shipbuilding of its own caravan, the shipbuilding of Chaijin Shipyard is sold to the outside world.

The person in charge of the shipyard, surnamed Liu, is a middle-aged man in his forties, with slightly chubby cheeks and a kind smile. I learned about the situation from my own benefactor, and he made a very talkative offer: "Most of the timber from our Cangzhou shipyard is shipped from Liao, Goryeo and other countries, and the wood is of high quality, and the distance is long, and the price is very expensive.

In general

, a thousand material ship 3,500 yuan, two thousand material 5,000 yuan. As for the larger the carrying capacity, the price will increase accordingly. As for the kind of big ship with more than 10,000 yuan, let alone 20,000 yuan. ”

"Tsk, the price is expensive, it's better to grab it."

Ruan Xiaoqi was speechless when he heard this, and muttered when he remembered his deeds in Dengzhou. But the person in charge, Lao Liu, was taken aback, and hurriedly explained: "Aside from raw materials and labor costs, the shipyard basically didn't make money before. ”

Wang Jin glared at Ruan Xiaoqi, and hurriedly played a round: "Master, don't listen to his nonsense, we are mixed with the rivers and lakes, and we have done a vote, this kid is worried." This large-scale purchase was discussed with the big officials. ”

"Oh, I see." The chubby middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Jin diverted the topic, pointed to the direction of the deep-water port, and asked suspiciously: "Hey, why didn't the shipyard moor the ships, didn't there get a single ship?" ”

"Haha, the officials don't know." The person in charge hurriedly answered and explained: "According to the rules, the ship will test the water after it is built, and it will sail nearby for at least half a month, so it is invisible in the shipyard." ”

"I see, but I'm speaking in layman's terms." Wang Jin suddenly realized.

Next, under the leadership of the person in charge surnamed Liu, everyone entered the dock. In comparison, the dock built by Liangshan himself is too shabby.

At present, the smallest of these docks is divided into several levels, and the water is beneath the hollowed-out wooden frames. Hundreds of people are busy, each doing their job, with teams on the side of the ship, teams on the stern, and teams standing on the high platform below to take care of the bottom of the ship. They took all kinds of instruments to cut planks, chisel holes, etc. One

Pieces of wood are spliced together and repaired until they become ship-shaped......

"Hehehe...... the wages of the big officials are high, and the craftsmen work hard. At present, our Cangzhou shipyard produces at least 10 thousand-class sea vessels every month. In other coastal shipyards, it is impossible to be a shipbuilder. "The captain in charge was high-spirited and patted without a trace.

"Yes, there are many talents under the hands of the big officials!" Wang Jin witnessed the busy scene of the craftsmen, and listened to Chai Jin and the person in charge, Lao Liu, deliberately talking about various matters related to the construction of the ship, and sighed from the bottom of his heart.

To be honest, coming to Cangzhou Shipyard was an eye-opener for him. I never thought that the ancient craftsmen built such a huge scene of big ships, and the wisdom of the ancients is amazing, which can be called turning decay into magic. No nails, no welding techniques. During the Song Dynasty, ships were not only large, but also sturdy and durable.

The ocean-going caravans of the Song Dynasty once reached Southeast Asia and the Middle East, and sold the precious ceramics and silk goods of the Northern Song Dynasty to all over the world. The prosperity of maritime trade has a serious relationship with the "lack of territorial expansion", which also caused the Song Dynasty to attach importance to overseas markets, and it is recorded that more than 50 countries such as the Wa Kingdom, Goryeo, Boni, and Dashi were all trading partners of the Song Dynasty, and the farthest place could even reach Africa.

This kind of shipbuilding industry developed to its peak in the Ming Dynasty, and it was the foundation laid by the Song Dynasty in the Age of Discovery that Zheng He's seven voyages to the South Seas were as brilliant as that. Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou led the sailors to exterminate the Japanese and Dutch bandits. At that time, the shipbuilding industry was still far ahead in China.

It's a pity that the emperor of the Ming Dynasty was so happy that he didn't need money to show the prestige of the country, which led to national strength

Emptiness, gradually declining. In the Qing Dynasty, it was completely castrated, there was no opportunity to adapt to improvement, and the shipbuilding industry was backward.

Until the outbreak of the Opium War, the country was opened by the bombardment of Western ships. Such technologies completely declined until they died out in the face of the outlawing of foreign gunboats.

Throughout the history of shipbuilding, we can see the rise and fall of ancient Chinese dynasties. In a word, if you fall behind, you will be beaten. Unwilling to forge ahead, greedy for pleasure, sooner or later abandoned by the world and the entire era.