xymnovel Chapter 134 Ship and Man
Chapter 134 Ship and Man
Within a few days, the old brothers who had been scattered in Liujiagang and Taicang gathered together again.
Nothing special, Brother Shao has found work for everyone.
Wu Heizi, Gao Daqiang, and the others were not short of money and were practically wealthy, so they didn't need to do physical labor like moving greenware. However, since they had come over, it would be good for everyone to sit down together for a meal and a chat.
"Yu She, where are Brother Baijia Nu?" On the pier of the Old Locust Tree Wharf, Wu Heizi crossed his legs and asked with a smile.
"He took a ship to Suzhou to transport goods," Yu Yuan, who was supervising the loading of the bluewares, replied.
As for what specific goods were being transported, Yu Yuan didn't say, and wouldn't say.
Wu Heizi assumed that Shao Shuyi had gone to haul rice for Shen Niangzi's grain shop again and didn't ask any further questions. He simply said, "After resting for ten days, I'm itchy all over and want to go out and move around again."
Gao Daqiang sat down next to him, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth; he felt the same way.
He's been quite pleased with himself lately. After receiving the money, he first settled old debts, then repaired his house, bought furniture, and even helped some of his old friends and neighbors. In the end, he used it all to buy grain and stored it away.
He spent all his money, which seemed extravagant, but now it seems incredibly wise. Even Brother Shao jokingly called him the "big short seller" of the Da Yuan Bao banknote. Although he couldn't understand the meaning, it was probably a compliment.
Once those worries are resolved, one can arrange their life according to their own preferences, such as smuggling salt.
He wasn't entirely after money, nor was he solely motivated by his friendship with Shao Shuyi or by how others perceived him; the matter itself was quite intoxicating to him.
Therefore, after listening to Wu Heizi's words, he cleared his throat and asked vaguely, "Yu She, is there any plan for the next few days?"
Yu Yuan paused for a moment, then said, "Brother Shao didn't say."
"Okay, we'll talk about it when he gets back." Gao Daqiang didn't take it seriously.
There are so many people coming and going, it's really not a good time to discuss important matters.
"How is Liu Sandou's family doing?" Yu Yuan asked after remembering.
"The funeral is over. The widow and her children still have some money and a few acres of land, so they can manage," Gao Daqiang said. "It's alright. I don't live far from their house, so I can go visit them anytime. Besides, they have three brothers; Sidou is already a grown man, and Wudou will be fully grown in another two years. There's nothing to worry about."
"Oh, that's good." Yu Yuan nodded.
Bian Sandou had participated in ship hijackings, so he still had money to spend for the time being. He had two younger brothers and Gao Daqiang was nearby to visit him, so he shouldn't be bullied. In fact, his situation was similar to that of the Qi brothers.
"However," Gao Daqiang sighed, then suddenly said, "Sidou doesn't want to quit... he still wants to follow Brother Shao."
Before Yu Yuan could speak, Wu Heizi exclaimed in surprise, "Si Dou, that kid's got some nerve!"
Gao Daqiang nodded and said, "He just doesn't keep his mouth shut. After drinking a couple of ounces of wine, he spills everything out. Don't even mention that Brother Shao wouldn't dare use him, I'm afraid of him too."
"Then we'll have to recruit new people," Wu Heizi said. "We have enough equipment now, three teams should be enough, right?"
Gao Daqiang didn't speak, he just looked at Yu Yuan.
As Shao's representative, Yu Yuan did not give a clear answer, only saying, "Let's see if we can raise the money first."
Wu and Gao exchanged a glance, secretly feeling that there was a chance. Even if there weren't three teams, it would be good to actually form two teams.
Of course, they also know there are practical difficulties.
They live scattered in different places and rarely get together except to work. Even when they do get together, they can only practice a few times at most, and it's impossible for them to train for a long time unless you support them and let them not have to worry about making a living.
Just like this time, Zheng's Greenware Shop had a big job, so they called over thirty people to come and move things.
When they first gathered, they secretly practiced for a day in the reeds by the river, but they didn't dare to beat the drums or blow the horns, for fear that others would hear them.
At the end, they can probably have another day or two of intensive training, and then each person will receive some food or ten strings of cash as a reward to go home.
In reality, they're a bit like those characters in traditional operas who "serve as civilians in peacetime" and "become soldiers in wartime." They'll make do, as long as they're better than the archers in the patrol office.
"Yu She, where is he?" A voice called from afar. When the person approached, it was Wang Huadu, who had returned from Ma Tuo Sha.
"Dog...King..."
"You can just call me Dog Slave now." Wang Huadu gritted his teeth and punched Yu Yuan, then got down to business: "That Wang Dajiang you found out about, he agreed to sell the boats, but not just the Zheyang Shallow Boat, he also wants to buy two Yellow River cargo boats, otherwise he won't sell them."
"A Yellow River boat?" Yu Yuan was taken aback. "It's not listed in the grain transport register."
"His family was originally from Henan, and they were used to boating on the river. Later, they moved to Jiangnan. They had books and registers at home, so they had two Yellow River cargo ships built, each costing 300 liang. They couldn't pass through the narrow sluice gates, so they kept running on the Yangtze River and Taihu Lake." Wang Huadu said, "The three ships are priced at 100 liang each, not sold individually. Either you don't buy them, or you buy them all. There's no room for negotiation on this point."
Yu Yuan pulled Wang Huadu to the edge of the grove and asked, "What are the specifications of the Yellow River canal boats? How much cargo can they carry?"
Wu Heizi and Gao Daqiang also came over, listening with smiles on their faces.
Wang Huadu took out a piece of yellow paper from his pocket and said, "I had Master Li make a trip and write down these things."
Yu Yuan took it and examined it carefully.
Wang, Wu, and Gao huddled closer, but after looking at it for a while, they couldn't quite recognize the characters. Frustrated, they scratched their heads and looked at Yu Yuan. Seeing this, Yu Yuan read it aloud to them: "Forty feet long (12.44 meters), twelve feet wide (3.73 meters), eight feet five inches wide (2.61 meters), three feet deep (0.93 meters)..."
After hearing the data, everyone showed no interest in it and only asked, "How much cargo can it hold?"
An experienced shipwright can estimate how much cargo a ship can carry based on its size and design. The estimate may not be perfectly accurate, but it will be pretty close.
"Master Li said this is not as good as the canal boat," Yu Yuan said. "A two-hundred-ton canal boat can carry more than two hundred shi of grain, while a three-hundred-ton Yellow River cargo boat can only carry less than two hundred and eighty shi of grain."
"Only this much?" Wu Heizi clicked his tongue. "Which family is this? Where do they live? I'll go meet them. Isn't this forced buying and selling?"
"No!" Yu Yuan hurriedly said, "Bullying seafarers, what about Brother Shao's reputation? Don't be in such a hurry, let me ask my brother when I have time." "Buy it." Gao Daqiang said from the side, "Just consider it a bonus for the shallow-water boat. Anyway, it's fine for the Yellow River cargo boat to travel on the Yangtze River."
Yu Yuan agreed with his opinion, and then described the design of the shallow boat that sheltered the ocean.
It takes 1,000 laborers and 1,000 materials to make it. The base is 60 feet long, the head is 11 feet long, and the tip is 11 feet long, for a total length of 80 feet and 2 feet (25.5 meters).
The wind beam was made 15 feet wide (4.67 meters) and 4 feet 8 inches deep (1.49 meters).
The beam has sixteen sections and seventeen compartments. According to modern calculation methods, the square coefficient is 0.7, the displacement is 69.1 tons, and the carrying capacity is 48.4 tons, which is 806 shi (weight shi). The Yellow River cargo ship has a square coefficient of 0.75, a displacement of 22.2 tons, and a carrying capacity of 16.6 tons, which is about 277 shi. The drilling sea loach has about 27 tons and 452 shi.
In terms of materials, the sea bream seems to offer the best value for money.
The ocean-diving boat uses 1,000 units of material, while the wind-drilling boat uses 400 units, but the former's carrying capacity is less than twice that of the latter, indicating that the design of this type of boat still has some problems.
Even Yu Yuan, who didn't understand shipbuilding, could see that. However, this was the official ship design at the time—and it remained so until the late Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, following the old system of the Yuan Dynasty and adhering to the tradition of not changing it if it could run.
"One hundred..." Yu Yuan put the paper away and said, "Brother Shao will probably have to negotiate the price, but he probably won't be able to get it down much further. He still has to consider his reputation."
"Lu Sichang is a master at bargaining when buying seafood," Wang Huadu said, pursing his lips. "You should tell Shao Ge'er as soon as possible. He's always holed up at the docks, you never see him. What if someone else buys the ship?"
"Brother Wang, what's the situation with this Wang Dajiang's family?" Wu Heizi seemed to still have the idea of meeting him, and asked. "He just came back from transporting grain, and he's out of money. I heard he's a gambler, with a lot of debts, and people are coming to his door to collect." Wang Huadu sneered, "A complete scoundrel."
Upon hearing this, Wu Heizi laughed and said, "I'm afraid it's hard to negotiate the price. He's selling it for one hundred ingots, so he must have a reason. I reckon that's the amount owed outside. Good lad, you've really gambled big. You've been ripped off, haven't you? This matter should be dealt with sooner rather than later. The people at the gambling den are shrewd. If you delay any longer, they might take it away to settle their accounts."
"Who dares?" Wang Huadu was anxious when he heard this and said, "Let Brother Shao gather his brothers, grab their weapons, and beat the gambling den bastards until they shit themselves."
Yu Yuan seemed to have been assimilated by these vulgar words and didn't notice anything amiss. He simply said, "I'll go find Brother Shao this afternoon and let him make a decision." "Hurry up," Wang Huadu said. "I'll go to Taicang again after I finish eating. Qi Erlang said there's a man named Hou Tai selling a boat in Gutang, a shallow-slope boat that can cover the ocean."
"There are so many people selling their boats. How much grain can the imperial court transport next year? Will they have to issue boat registration certificates again?" Wu Heizi chuckled. Upon hearing this, Governor Wang Hua's face fell.
Jiang Sanbao had just received a letter from his brother-in-law, who rushed from the county government to the village, saying that Songjiang Jiading had issued Jiang Bayue's certificate as a seafarer and that he would be officially registered by September or October at the latest.
My uncle was furious. I heard he had been seriously ill and only recovered a few days ago. Since then, he has been cursing all day long, and even making disrespectful remarks.
Wang Huadu was also very angry, but he didn't know what to do. He couldn't just have his whole family run away, could he? What about the magnificent house his uncle had just built with most of his savings? What about the ten acres of vegetable fields? What about the mulberry orchard? What about the few acres of land they had just reclaimed this year?
Abandoning one's family and career is not so easy.
The only solution now seems to be to keep my uncle from going to sea and continue with things as they were before. This is the best outcome under these circumstances, but why? Do you know anyone?
Will Zheng Guozhen, who participated in the customization of the grain transport list, help you?
Will Ye Shijian, the commander of Songjiang Office who reports the grain transport register, help you?
After letting out a sigh, Wang Huadu composed himself, glanced at the ship owners busily unloading porcelain, and took his leave. In this world, one must always strive to make more money.
With money, at least they could bribe others to take their place, thus avoiding a maritime incident.