in2ebook Chapter 507 Giant Ship
Chapter 507 Giant Ship
The sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy smell, lapped against Ying Wuyou's brocade cloak, ruffling it with delicate folds. The cloak was made of cloud brocade, a tribute from Shu, woven with a phoenix in a dark pattern. The wind lifted the phoenix's feathers, making them seem as if they were trying to break free from their threads, trembling gently with the sound of the waves. She stood at the highest point of Langya Terrace, the bluestone beneath her feet smoothed like jade by the waves over thousands of years, with some gleaming white seashells embedded in the crevices. Pressing her fingertips against it, she could feel the coolness of the seawater.
The sight before them was enough to make anyone tremble – five colossal ships lay still in the bay. They were not the light, floating vessels of ordinary ships, but rather like five lurking, dark-colored behemoths, half-submerged in the azure waves. The superstructures above the water numbered five stories, with upturned eaves like the wings of a roc about to take flight. The lowest deck was even level with the stone steps on the shore, as if one could step onto them with a simple step.
Ying Wuyou remembered that when the craftsmen measured the ship last year, twenty strong men pulled a hemp rope from the bow to the stern. The rope was taut for a full seventy paces—nearly twenty paces longer than the Hall of Supreme Harmony in Xianyang Palace. The palace was supported by beams and pillars, but this behemoth could float on the capricious sea with only wood and iron.
“Princess, look at that mainsail!” The maid Cui’er’s voice trembled slightly with the sea breeze as she pointed to the “Zhenhai” ship in the center.
Ying Wuyou raised her hand and held up the telescope. The copper tube felt heavy in her palm, and the fine threads engraved on the tube pressed against her fingertips. She slowly turned the adjustment ring. Although the edges of the newly made lens from the glass workshop were still a bit rough from the grinding, the center was as smooth as ice that had been quenched in water. The distant scene came into view—the mainsail was as big as half an acre. The canvas, woven from twelve layers of linen, was slightly browned by tung oil. The copper rivets inlaid on the edges shone like scattered gold in the setting sun. A dozen or so masts, as thick as bowls, supported it like the arms of giants. When the vermilion painting of the rising sun on the canvas billowed in the wind, it really looked like a red sun breaking free from under the fabric, about to leap into the real sea and sky.
"This canvas has been soaked in tung oil three times and coated with a layer of fish glue. The old boatman said that even a Force 10 storm wouldn't tear this material." Another maid, Lan'er, held up the list. The sea breeze made the corners of the paper flutter, and her voice swayed along with it. "There's also sheet metal nailed to the bottom of the boat. They say it can prevent barnacles from eating the wood, making it at least 30% lighter and faster than ordinary wooden boats."
Ying Wuyou lowered her binoculars, the afterglow of the setting sun reflecting off the lenses shimmering on her face like gold dust had been casually sprinkled. She suddenly recalled the scene a year ago in the Ministry of Works' main hall when she had just laid out the blueprints for the colossal warship—the group of elderly craftsmen with graying temples nearly knelt on the spot, the head foreman's hands trembling as he held the blueprints: "Princess! Wood floats on water only by buoyancy; where would you find such a large piece of timber to support a thousand tons? If this ship is built, won't it sink to the bottom of the sea?"
The old carpenter next to him sighed as well: "Seawater is salty, iron will rust, and wood will rot. Even if you're lucky enough to get it into the water, it will fall apart in less than six months!"
She didn't speak then. She knew that the steel behemoths of later generations could carry tens of thousands of people across the ocean, but she didn't mention how many lessons learned by her ancestors through shipwrecks were hidden in these "whimsical" designs.
She drew only fragmented memories such as "the keel should be three times thicker," "the cabin should be divided into twelve compartments, one compartment should leak but not sink," and "use triangular sails instead of square sails to sail with crosswinds" on a silk scroll. She also had someone find the most knowledgeable captain of the sea from Langya Port. A group of people stayed up for more than thirty nights around the drawings. The revised design drawings alone piled up to half a person's height. The ink smudged and dried, dried and smudged again. Finally, the five behemoths lying in the bay before us came into being.
"Tap tap tap." Unconsciously, she tapped the bluestone beneath her feet with her binoculars. The dull thud of the copper tube striking the stone was particularly clear amidst the sound of the waves, as if gently questioning this ancient sea. The binoculars were heavier than she had initially imagined. The fine copper tube was engraved with geometric patterns by the craftsman, and the "click" of the threads meshing when it rotated revealed the wondrous connection between glass and metal.
Three months ago, when the glassworker carried this "copper tube" into the Xianyang Palace, the reaction in the court was even more intense than when they first saw the blueprints for the giant warship. The craftsman was a young man with deep-set eyes, his hands sweating nervously as he held the copper tube. He said that this thing could "see the shadow of a sail three li (about 1,200 meters) away." Before he could finish speaking, an imperial censor sneered: "Spiritual nonsense! Even an eagle's eye can't see things three li away. How could a copper tube have such ability?"
It wasn't until the craftsman set up a telescope, allowing the King of Qin to clearly see the windows of the painted boat on the Wei River three miles away, and even the difference between the light green and moon white gauze covering the windows, that the doubts of the court officials turned into gasps of amazement.
The Imperial Censor tremblingly took the bronze tube, gazed out of the palace for a long time, then suddenly turned around, his white beard shaking: "Such an instrument for peering into the heavens may harm the harmony of Heaven!"
Even the usually enlightened King of Qin frowned, stroking the geometric pattern on the bronze tube, and said in a low voice, "If you can see a person's face clearly from three miles away, what secrets are there inside and outside the palace?"
Ying Wuyou stood below the steps, inwardly sighing that this was merely an object that even children of later generations could play with. She stepped forward, curtsied, and said, “Father, although this object can be used for distant observation, if used properly—for example, in naval battles, it can detect enemy ships ten miles in advance; or during patrols, it can spot beacon fires on distant mountains—it is truly a powerful tool for protecting our borders. If there is concern about its misuse, a special person can be appointed to safeguard it, and strict laws can be established so that it may not be used except in matters of great military and national importance.”
The King of Qin sat upright on his throne, his face ashen, listening quietly to the reports below. As time passed, his tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and a slight smile slowly appeared on his usually stern face.
His gaze slowly swept over the assembled officials below the steps, finally settling on her. She stood tall and elegant among the crowd, like a crane standing among chickens.
Just then, Right Chancellor Meng Tian seemed to have seen through the King of Qin's thoughts. He quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
The King of Qin nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.
Meng Tian straightened up and said loudly, "Your Majesty, the warship and telescope I saw today are truly rare treasures! This warship is enormous, capable of carrying two thousand soldiers and ten thousand bushels of grain, sailing thousands of miles without fear of wind and waves; and that telescope is even more magical, able to discern the enemy's moves and anticipate their moves. If these two are used together, they will surely unleash astonishing power."
At this point, Meng Tian paused, observing the King of Qin's reaction. Seeing that he seemed quite interested, he continued, "In this way, our Great Qin can not only expand its territory and trade with distant states, but also protect its homeland and ensure that its people live in peace and prosperity. The might of Great Qin will surely extend to all corners of the world, and that will be just around the corner!"