When Du Shizhou saw the two people coming back, he immediately shouted:
"My lords, my lords, I have a way to help this shark!"
Hearing him shouting like this, the Yamen servant immediately darkened his face and said to Ye Ming and Miaotong:
"Two adults, this man is an incompetent maniac. He talks nonsense and nonsense. I will drive him away now!"
With that said, he called another yamen servant and planned to take the person away.
Du Shizhou refused to leave and shouted that there was a way.
Seeing this, Miaotong thought this person was interesting and said:
"Wait a minute, let him go, and let him talk about what he can do."
"Did you hear me? Let me go. Come on!"
Du Shizhou broke away from the two yamen servants and quickly said to the two adults who looked like boys and girls in front of him,
"Two adults, my solution is to install an iron tail fin on him!"
As soon as this was said, the onlookers burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, it's started again, Master Du started talking crazy things again."
Everyone laughed and regarded his words as crazy talk.
Du Shizhou looked a little embarrassed and said:
"Why are you laughing? What's so funny? If I say yes, then it will be yes!"
Seeing him say this, everyone laughed even more happily.
Miao Tong was a very adventurous person, so after hearing what Du Shizhou said, she found it very interesting.
"Are you telling the truth? Can a tail fin made of iron be useful?"
"It's useful, it's definitely useful!"
Du Shizhou said with great certainty,
"Trust me, I can do it."
Someone nearby saw that Miao Tong seemed to believe it, and quickly told Du Shizhou that his words were not credible, and also told him about his family's situation.
The Du family was originally the second in command of the ship merchants among the four merchants, and was considered a prominent family in the entire Pingbo Mansion.
Originally, such a big family would not easily collapse without unexpected circumstances.
But Du Shizhou's father was bold.
As a ship merchant for generations, his father suddenly had the idea to build a ship out of iron one day.
All current ships are wooden ships. At most, the hull is covered with a layer of iron. There has never been a completely iron ship.
At first, his father just tried to make an iron model. When he put it on the water, he found that it actually floated.
This gave him great encouragement, thinking that if he could build a large iron ship, the Du family would definitely leave a name in history.
So he tried to build an iron boat as big as a small fishing boat.
This time, it actually succeeded.
His father was overjoyed when he saw this and thought there was no problem in doing so.
He immediately spent a lot of money to build an iron ship the same size as a merchant ship.
As a result, this time, for some unknown reason, the iron ship sank into the sea and failed to make the trip.
But his father did not give up and did not hesitate to spend money to build another iron ship. This time it failed again.
But after seeing that a small iron boat could float on the water, he was willing to give up and started trying again and again.
Du Shizhou also studied the manufacture of iron ships with his father since he was a child.
But for some reason, as long as the iron ship reaches a certain size, it will not be able to travel and will sink.
Neither father nor son gave up and kept trying.
The result was that before a large iron ship that could travel on water was fully developed, the Du family couldn't sustain the expense and collapsed.
Because his long-cherished wish for an iron ship was not realized, his father became depressed and became ill, bedridden, and died soon after.
His wife was originally a rich lady, but when she saw that the Du family was ruined by the father and son, she also abandoned Du Shizhou and left in disappointment.
In this way, the good Du family was just gone.
Although the Du family collapsed, Du Shizhou still did not give up.
Not only because his father told him before he died that he must build a large iron ship, but also because he himself was unwilling to do so and wanted to prove that his father and son were right.
People around him talked about this matter very mockingly, thinking that Du Shizhou was just an ignorant fanatic who had gone crazy.
But after hearing this, Miaotong asked with great interest:
"Did you really make an iron ship that can float on the water?"
"Of course, I still have several small models in my house!"
Du Shizhou suddenly became excited when he saw that the mage seemed very interested.
In fact, not only Miaotong, but Ye Ming was also very interested in this so-called iron ship.
Seeing Du Shizhou's vow, he said:
"Permit you to measure the giant shark's severed tail first."
Hearing this, Du Shizhou happily climbed over the fence, took out a cloth ruler, wooden board, and charcoal pencil, and stepped forward to measure the size of the giant shark's severed tail.
The giant shark was very cooperative, even if he accidentally pressed the wound during the measurement, he remained still.
Du Shizhou wrote down the dimensions of the severed tail on the wooden board with charcoal. After writing it down, he nodded with satisfaction.
He climbed out from the fence again and said to Ye Ming:
"Sir, I have already measured the dimensions. Now I only need enough iron to make an iron tail fin."
Ye Ming smiled and asked, "Don't you have enough iron?"
Du Shizhou was a little embarrassed and said:
"All the iron at home is used to build ships, there is nothing left..."
Ye Ming smiled and said: "Then I will provide you with enough iron and see how you do."
"Okay, thank you sir, thank you sir!"
Du Shizhou was very happy when he heard this and nodded repeatedly.
Ye Ming immediately ordered the government officials to notify the smelting plant to make preparations, and then let Du Shizhou try.
When everyone around heard this, they all stopped him.
"Sir, the Du family has ruined their own family by causing chaos. If they are allowed to cause chaos again, I'm afraid the smelting plant will also be destroyed!"
Ye Ming smiled and said:
"Let him try this once. Even if there is a loss, it won't be too big."
When everyone saw this, they knew they couldn't stop it, so they could only admit it.
In fact, it's hard to say how much they care about those things.
The main thing is that being able to cause a little trouble for others gives me a sense of accomplishment.
Du Shizhou was very happy to see that Ye Ming and the others were willing to support him, and invited them to his home on the spot.
Ye Ming happily agreed, and Miao Tong couldn't wait to see those small iron boats.
Du Shizhou's residence was not far from here, and he arrived with the two of them not long after.
The Du family's house and the like had been sold long ago, and now all that remains is a shipyard and a small house next to it.
Du Shizhou now lives in a small house next to the dock.
As soon as he opens the door to his house, he can see that there are various models of ships scattered inside, mostly made of wood and iron.
Miaotong took a fancy to one of the iron boats that was half a man tall.
Although it is just a model, the various internal structures are completely scaled down according to those of a large ship. This model ship also has all the things that a large ship should have.
"This ship really looks like it. If it could be built, how big would it be?"
Miao Tong couldn't help but admire.
Seeing that his work was recognized, Du Shizhou proudly puffed up his chest and said:
"This ship is an absolutely successful ship that I have developed. As long as there are enough materials to make it, it will never sink.
This ship has three levels: upper, middle and lower, and can carry 500 people! "
"Is it so powerful?"
Miao Tong's eyes lit up as she looked at it. She was very curious about this new thing.
"Of course, my father and I failed so many times and finally succeeded. Now we just need the final materials and manpower support.
If it can be done, it will definitely go down in history! "
Du Shizhou said, with infinite yearning for the future in his eyes.
Ye Ming poured cold water on him unceremoniously:
"You'd better finish the iron tail fin thing first and prove your ability.
Otherwise, your idea may never come true in this life. "
Hearing what Ye Ming said, Du Shizhou was immediately brought back to reality.
But instead of feeling depressed, he said full of fighting spirit:
"It's just a tail fin, it's a trivial matter!"
As he said that, he cleared away the tabletop that was filled with various iron parts, made some space, took paper, pens, rulers, etc., and started writing and drawing according to the dimensions of the broken tail noted on the wooden board.
Ye Ming and Miao Tong both looked at his painting curiously.
I found that this man's drafting skills were quite good. After a while, he drew a tail fin pattern and marked various sizes, materials, etc.
Miaotong took a closer look and found that his so-called iron tail fin was not entirely made of iron, but also used some oak glue, cowhide, etc.
He immediately asked in confusion:
"Don't you mean the iron tail fin? Why do you need these things?"
“Iron is the main body, but it cannot be entirely made of iron, otherwise it will wear out easily and need to be replaced soon, which is too troublesome.
Use some glue and cowhide to make it last longer. "
Miaotong looked at the tail fin in the picture and couldn't help but nodded:
"If it can really be made, maybe it can really allow the sharks to swim normally in the sea."
Du Shizhou patted his chest and said:
"It's definitely possible!"
As he spoke, he heard his stomach growl.
Miaotong heard the sound and asked:
"Why. Haven't you eaten yet?"
"I want to study iron boats. I spent all my money on buying materials. Now I only eat one meal a day."
"a meal?"
Miaotong took a look at Du Shizhou's thin figure, thought for a moment, handed him the intact roast chicken wrapped in her hand and said:
"This is for you. Remember, it's not given to you for free. You must do what you say and make an iron tail fin."
Du Shizhou was not polite and quickly took it, confidently promising:
"Don't worry, it's no problem."
As he said that, he couldn't wait to eat the roast chicken.
Miao Tong drooled a little when she saw how delicious the food was. She suddenly regretted giving it to him and felt that she might as well keep it for herself.
Ye Ming smiled and patted Miaotong on the shoulder, pointing to the snack street along the coast in the distance.
Seeing this, Miaotong beamed with joy, held the corner of Ye Ming's clothes with her backhand, and walked quickly to the snack street...
When they came back, Miaotong was very satisfied with a large bag of delicious food in her hands.
Du Shizhou had finished eating the roast chicken. After eating, he felt full of strength.
Without any urging from others, Du Shizhou said impatiently:
"The design drawing is ready. Let's go to the smelting plant."
The smelting plant in Pingbo was used to manufacture iron parts for ships and weapons.
Facing the design drawings Du Shizhou took out, he was a little helpless.
Without him, there is no suitable mold.
In this regard, Du Shizhou said that he can make molds by himself, but he only needs a few helpers and a smelting room.
Fortunately, Ye Ming was appointed by Yuan Chixin and had great authority. He directly allocated a smelting room and seven helpers to Du Shizhou.
The smelters in the smelting plant were different from others in that they respected Du Shizhou.
In their words, only those who work in this field know how good the Du family is at building iron ships.
Many old smelters admire the Du family's skills very much.
Seeing the design drawing of the iron tail fin that Du Shizhou took out, several smelters were amazed at the ingenuity of its conception.
Some old smelters said that if the smelting skills had not improved in recent years, they would not be able to make this thing.
Speaking of which, the defeat of the Liang people outside Lumen Pass in the north was based on weapons made with new smelting technology.
The core point of the new technology is that today's smelters only use coal.
The so-called charcoal is carbon naturally produced in some special mountains.
After the coal is burned, its temperature is far beyond that of traditional charcoal.
In addition, the bellows technology has been greatly improved compared to the past, and the wind power is stronger.
In this way, the smelted iron is purer and tougher.
If the standard swords smelted today were brought hundreds of years ago, they would definitely become a magical weapon that everyone in the world would kill to get.
But these things now are just junk items used by soldiers.
Once the smelters focus on something, others will be ignored.
Miaotong was very interested in watching it at first, thinking that this behavior was very mysterious.
But after watching it for a while, I felt bored and started to yawn.
Not long after, he said to Ye Ming:
"Big liar, how long will this take?"
Ye Ming smiled and said: "The mold has not been made yet. It will take at least half a month to complete it."
"Ah, so long? Then do we still have time to save the Sharman tribe?"
"Anyway, the Sharks are all like this. It doesn't make much difference if we play a few days earlier."
"Uh~~ It makes sense."
"It's useless for us to stay here. Let's go and find the giant sharks. In the past two days, try to awaken more bloodlines and learn to communicate with the sharks."
"No problem, I guarantee it will be completed within three days!"
...
