When he saw the dock, Han Du was shocked again.
"This is a pond, twenty feet wide and one hundred and seventy feet long, reaching straight to the Yangtze River." Tang He waved his hand and explained to Han Du, "There are seven ponds like this in the Bao Shipyard."
"Over there are the three warships that will be completed. Let's go over and take a look."
Tang He pulled Han Du over.
"This is the largest warship in the Ming Dynasty. It is three feet wide and fifteen feet long. It has four thousand materials. It is more than enough to hold hundreds of cannons and gunpowder."
Han Du was speechless for a while as he listened. What I mean is that installing a dozen or so cannons is enough to destroy the opponent. Now Tang He actually built a ship that could carry hundreds of cannons. Even if today's cannons are stupid, big and black, a cannon only weighs one ton. And a large ship with four thousand materials can carry thousands of tons.
Compared with those small sampans of Japanese pirates, this is an aircraft carrier.
Han Du followed Tang He all the way and listened to the introductions made by him, the cabin chief, Zuotou and others.
It turns out that compasses, watertight warehouses, pointed-bottomed ships and other technologies are already widely used. If the Ming Dynasty's shipbuilding technology can be pushed to a peak, it can truly lay the foundation for leading the world in the next three to four hundred years.
When you are reborn, you must let the great voyage begin with the Ming Dynasty!
Standing on the warship several feet high, Han Du couldn't help but feel his heart surge when he was blown by the river wind.
Han Du looked back and saw countless craftsmen surrounding the warship. It was like a swarm of ants surrounding three giant beasts lying prone on the ground.
Han Du took a look with satisfaction. These craftsmen gave Han Du full confidence. The Ming Dynasty had the best shipbuilding technology, the most diligent craftsmen, and the most brave and fearless soldiers. Why couldn't it start a great voyage and occupy the golden waterway?
Han Du salivated when he thought of the wealth that those golden waterways could bring. But then he thought that such a golden waterway was all occupied by others. Not only could he not get a penny of benefit from it, but he would also be grabbed by the throat viciously. Thinking of this situation, Han Du seemed to be suffocating and his face turned red.
"What's wrong with you?" Tang He couldn't help but asked with concern when he saw Han Du's expression was wrong.
"It's nothing," Han Du said with a smile on his face, "I'm fine."
Tang He nodded when he heard this. He didn't think anything would happen to Han Du. It's not like Han Du has never been on a ship before. Although this warship is taller than the last one, judging from Han Du's performance last time, he shouldn't be uncomfortable.
"It's fine," Tang He said, thought for a moment, and asked, "Would you like to go behind the boat and take a look?"
"good."
Just now, Tang He and Han Du took a look at the top and bottom of the ship, except for the rudder.
The group got off the boat, chatting and laughing, and walked to the back.
"Look, that's the rudder, can't you imagine it?" Tang He raised his hand and pointed, "The rudder alone is eight feet long, and it requires the combined efforts of five or six people and the help of a winch to move it. "
Han Du looked up with interest and suddenly felt something was wrong.
Why is the rudder just a long piece of wood? Not even a horizontal board?
"Is this the rudder?"
Tang He thought Han Du had never seen it before, so he smiled and nodded and said, "Yes, this is the rudder."
Han Du slowly frowned and asked in confusion: "But why is there no transverse plate under the rudder?"
"The rudder...has a transverse plate?" Tang He asked puzzledly. What kind of horizontal plank, he has never seen it before in all his years of commanding the navy.
A carriage captain who followed everyone bowed his hands to Han Du and couldn't help but said loudly: "My lord, I wonder if I can allow the little old man to say a word?"
"Please tell me, father-in-law." Han Du stretched out his hand to signal.
"Sir, please let me say something unpleasant. I have been working on this pond since I was eight or nine years old. I have been working on this pond for more than half my life, but I have never seen a ship with a transverse plate under the rudder. .”
Faced with the box chief's blunt remarks, Han Du was not angry. Craftsmen don't have the complicated complexities of civil servants, so it's understandable that they speak straightforwardly.
"I haven't seen it, but it doesn't mean there won't be one." Han Du said with a smile.
Tang He's eyes lit up when he saw this, and he quickly asked: "What good idea have you come up with again?"
"What makes me think of a good idea?" Han Du couldn't help but explain, "Actually, this kind of rudder already existed in the Southern Song Dynasty, and it was called a balanced rudder."
Before anyone could ask about the purpose of the balanced rudder, Han Du said directly: "The balanced rudder is a necessary rudder for large ships, because there are undercurrents with fixed directions under the seemingly chaotic sea surface. These undercurrents are extremely strong, and with This kind of balanced rudder just allows a large ship to sail smoothly when there is no wind or headwind.”
"This is a necessary rudder for a long-distance voyage. The reason why the Southern Song Dynasty was able to sail overseas was because of this kind of rudder."
"It was there in the pre-Song Dynasty? Why have I never heard of it?" Tang He looked puzzled. In terms of knowledge, he thought he was no worse than Han Du. Why has he never heard of many of the things Han Du said?
"Is it true that it existed in the pre-Song Dynasty?" Han Du nodded, "This kind of balanced rudder is recorded in "History of Song Dynasty. Food and Huo Zhi", and it is also recorded in Shen Kuo's "Mengxi Bi Tan". According to rumors, Song Shenzong sent The envoys entered Goryeo and built two divine boats in Mingzhou. According to historical records, they were: 'as tall as mountains, floating on the waves, with brocade sails holding their heads high, surrendering to dragons.' Goryeo people 'looked over the city' and 'cheered and sighed' "
When everyone heard it, they couldn't help but be fascinated!
Tang He was the first to react, and quickly grabbed Han Du's arm and asked, "Do you know how this kind of balanced rudder is made?"
"Of course." Han Du nodded slightly.
"Quick, bring me pen and ink." Tang He immediately ordered Yuan Wailang beside him.
"Okay, okay." Yuanwailang was even happier than Tang He and quickly ordered people to get pens, ink, paper and inkstones.
It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see such a secret skill as the balanced rudder. Even for Longjiang Bao Shipyard, it was a great contribution to the imperial court. And as a Yuanwailang, he will get a share of this credit.
How could he not be happy when he could achieve meritorious service for no reason?
Yuan Wailang not only brought pen, ink, paper and inkstone, but also polished the ink for Han Du himself.
"This is what it looks like," Han Du pointed at the picture with a brush. "This is the balanced rudder. The horizontal board below can be moved horizontally or vertically very flexibly. And the cross-border wood above, also called the winch wood, is It is used to control whether the balanced rudder is horizontal or vertical. It can be used as an ordinary rudder at ordinary times to control the direction of the ship. When there is no wind, the balanced rudder can be placed horizontally and move forward with the help of undersea currents."
