CHAPTER 288: CHAPTER 180 SHIPYARD_2

Jiang Xuan laughed and said, "Such a big ship, relying on burning wood and those stone axes, definitely won’t work. We need new tools, better and more convenient than stone axes!"

"Where can we find new tools?" Jing Jie felt like his brain was not enough.

"Don’t worry, our tribe will soon produce a batch of new tools. We’ll use them at the shipyard first, which will definitely be an eye-opener for you."

"However, these new tools are a tribal secret and must not be known to too many people."

"Therefore, you need to select a few warriors in your fishing team who have the most shipbuilding experience and the tightest lips. I will pick some people from other places to be responsible for shipbuilding."

Jing Jie hurriedly nodded and said, "Okay, leader, I’ll go pick people now."

Jiang Xuan hurriedly stopped him, saying, "No rush, no rush. The new tools are not yet made, so take your time to choose."

Only then did Jing Jie sit back down, listening to Jiang Xuan continue to talk about the shipyard and the fleet that might be formed in the future.

Jiang Xuan told him that this world wasn’t just the small rivers like Feiyu River, but also had surging big rivers, and even vast seas.

If the Vine Tribe could form a huge fleet, they could follow these waters to very distant places, obtain vast resources, and aid the tribe’s development...

Jing Jie listened to Jiang Xuan’s descriptions and felt a surge of excitement. The seed of longing for voyage quietly took root in his heart.

...

Jiang Xuan went back into the smelting workshop and started making various shipbuilding tools.

First, he used the lost-wax casting method to produce a large batch of clay molds for various sizes of hammers, saws of different lengths, chisels of different models, planes for smoothing wood, bronze nails, and even small anchors...

Finally, he made a few clay molds for scissors and kitchen knives for himself and Chi Shao.

If the Vine Tribe becomes strong enough in the future, not fearing the exposure of bronze artifacts, he hoped everyone in the Vine Tribe could use convenient and quick everyday tools like bronze scissors and kitchen knives.

He then started pondering the copper-tin ratio for various tools.

Having already done many experiments to make the bronze short knife, he had records of the effects produced by different copper-tin ratios.

So this time when making tools, unlike before, he wasn’t working blindly. No matter if the tools turned out well, they would definitely be useful.

For instance, the saw: it was specifically for cutting wood, didn’t need much toughness, only needed enough hardness to ensure it was sharp enough.

So Jiang Xuan used a copper-tin ratio of five parts copper to one part tin on the saw.

During tool making, Jiang Xuan ordered an artificial lake to be dug at the second settlement, away from the crowds by the riverbank, built houses, and even walled off that area.

With the artificial lake, once the ship is made, it can be directly tested in the water. If the ship is large, it can sail directly into the river via the artificial lake.

More than half a month later, various shipbuilding tools were made one after another, the artificial lake was completed, and river water was introduced.

A long wall enclosed the artificial lake and a wide stretch of riverbank land.

Guard Team Two dispatched some warriors to this area specifically to guard it, prohibiting unrelated personnel from approaching.

Jiang Xuan summoned three apprentices from the Stone Workshop who had a knack for woodworking, plus three warriors from the fishing team skilled in shipbuilding, totaling six people as the first batch of shipyard personnel.

On the fifth day of June, the Vine Tribe shipyard officially began operation.

On the opening day, only Jiang Xuan, Chi Shao, Gou Teng, Shi Qiu, Nan Xing, Jing Jie, and the six chosen people attended.

Beside the artificial lake, there was a large open space. Tall houses, all made of clay bricks, were built on both sides of the ground.

Jiang Xuan stood on the open space, with Chi Shao and others behind him, and the six shipyard workers in front of him.

Jiang Xuan started speaking.

"Today is the day our Vine Tribe shipyard starts work. It should be bustling, but for confidentiality, we can’t let others come here."

"Can anyone tell me, what is shipbuilding for?"

A warrior thought for a moment and said, "For fishing, for crossing rivers."

Jiang Xuan smiled and said, "That’s correct, but do you know how big the biggest fish is, how wide the widest river is?"

The warriors looked at each other and then shook their heads.

Jiang Xuan pointed to Feiyu River and said, "The river of our Vine Tribe is a small river. It flows downwards and joins with other small rivers to become a big river. The big river continues to gather other streams, becoming bigger and bigger, beyond what you can imagine."

"Put it this way: if you row a small boat on a big river trying to get from one side to the other, you might not make it in half a day, or might even be swept away by big waves, capsizing the boat."

"Is the big river the largest body of water? No, many big rivers flow into the sea. The sea is a million times bigger than our entire Southern Wilderness, with truly large fish living in it."

"How big is that big fish? As big as a mountain. If it swims here, Feiyu River cannot contain it."

Jiang Xuan’s description left the six warriors dumbfounded, their limited knowledge restricted their imagination, making it impossible for them to picture what a big river or a sea was truly like.