My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 326 Don’t put eggs in one basket
After Zhuge Jin returned to Wu County to personally guide the work, the construction progress of the Wu County Shipyard headed by Lu Yi also accelerated a lot.

The construction of the infrastructure took more than half a year from April to November, and there was no new technology. After Zhuge Jin came, the craftsmen figured out many difficult problems in just half a month.

Of course, the time spent laying the foundation before this was not wasted. If the foundation was not laid well, even if Zhuge Jin taught from the beginning, the progress would not be fast.

For example, regarding the design idea of watertight bulkheads, the craftsmen had only heard of such a requirement, but they had no idea how to design it specifically after months of thinking about it.

After Zhuge Jin saw the direction of the craftsmen's efforts, discussed with them in depth, and understood their specific difficulties, he casually pointed out a few tips, such as:

"Don't think about dividing the cabins horizontally, that would be too detailed. Just divide the cabins vertically in sections."

"Don't open the hatch to enter or exit the underwater part of the cabin. All people and cargo must go in and out directly from the deck using ladders. It's okay if you can't handle it."

These are just simple truths that are just a piercing of the window paper for people in later generations, but they were enough to make the shipbuilders of the Han Dynasty suddenly realize the truth.

Are these two details difficult?
From the perspective of technical feasibility, it is not difficult at all.

But shipbuilding is a typical complex and systematic project.

Many small advances and improvements are worthless when taken individually, and they only become valuable when combined together into a system.

It is also because of this that it is difficult for those craftsmen to think of working in these "useless directions" without a high level of global understanding of the entire system.

Before the Han Dynasty, if the cabin of a ship was flooded, it would basically sink, unless it was a minor issue that could be fixed or drained. Therefore, no one struggled with the way to get in and out of the cabin, and they just opened the door at will.

The hasty removal of some transverse hatches and the use of only vertical shaft openings and ladders for access will undoubtedly greatly increase the cost of loading and unloading. When there is no hope of watertight compartments, this "useless work" is purely harmful and useless.

So what Zhuge Jin did was to remind the craftsmen to put together a bunch of troubles that would be "harmful and useless, increasing costs but bringing no benefits" if taken separately. In the end, they found that after these troubles that increased costs one by one were combined, a beneficial miraculous effect actually emerged.

This miraculous effect is enough to cover the cost of every little effort made before, making everything worthwhile.

And that's not the end.

With the emergence of watertight bulkheads, the safety of ships has been improved, and the hulls have been built larger and with a more slender length-to-width ratio.

At this time, many sailing and steering operations, as well as loading and unloading of people and cargo through shafts and ladders, will become arduous. For example, because the mast is raised and the sail becomes larger, the size and weight of a single sail can no longer be controlled by one or two sailors manually.

This requires the introduction of a labor-saving pulley block for the first time in a sail-handling structure on a seagoing vessel.

Similarly, when it comes to steering, the rudder cannot be controlled by directly shaking the tiller - readers who have read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" should be familiar with this. After Cao Cao "cut off his beard and abandoned his robe", when Xu Chu protected Cao Cao from seizing the boat and avoiding arrows in the Wei River, he used both hands to hold the shield to help Cao Cao block the arrows and used his legs to clamp the rudder to steer the boat.

This is of course fiction, but the technical background is correct. In the Han Dynasty, ships turned the rudder directly by operating the rudder pole. However, it was not something that could be turned by one person. Only a super strong man like Xu Chu could control it by twisting his legs, and it had to be a relatively small ship.

The ship that Zhuge Jin was going to build now had bulkheads, was heavier, narrower and longer, and would be more difficult to steer. Therefore, a belt-driven steering wheel that saved effort and wasted distance would be even more necessary.

The thick wooden spokes on the steering wheel can play the role of teeth on a gear. Then holes can be punched in the belt, or a chain-like interlocking belt can be used to pass through the spokes extending from the steering wheel to control the transmission ratio.

Pulleys for sailing, pulleys for steering, and shaft loading and unloading that completely eliminate horizontal hatches... It's not difficult to take each small point out separately, assign tasks and have people do them. The difficulty lies in combining them together and thinking of doing them.

Zhuge Jin personally took charge of the matter and focused on it for more than 20 days. As a result, the design and engineering capabilities of Wuxian Shipyard have undergone significant qualitative changes.

Lu Yi, who was in charge of the relevant work, followed Zhuge Jin throughout the process and learned from him.

He thought he knew a lot about navy and warships, but after watching the whole thing, he realized how big the gap in intelligence was between him and Zhuge Jin.

Zhuge Jin did not rely on his extensive knowledge or direct answers to many things. He also found and solved problems after in-depth research. Lu Yi saw the entire solution process and the direction of thinking. It is this kind of close observation that can easily show the speed of a person's thinking and the agility of his reaction.

……

"Your Excellency is truly capable of doing anything. You have pointed out so many key points to the shipyard accountants and craftsmen. I think we will see some results within a year or so as we wait for them to implement them.

It's a pity that the envoy is so busy that he doesn't have enough time to focus on shipbuilding. Otherwise, this new type of fast ship can definitely be mass-produced and put into combat within two years, or even faster."

After the rectification work was completed and the internal summary meeting was over, Lu Yi was sincerely impressed and praised.

At this meeting, Zhuge Jin's old classmate, Lu Yi's direct superior, and former contact person Bu Zhi also attended. Bu Zhi was also an expert in navigation and coastal territories, so the two of them were a perfect match.

Zhuge Jin was not proud of his subordinates' flattery, he was used to it, and he just said matter-of-factly, "Two years is fast enough, we should proceed step by step and have more time to adjust and adapt, but haste makes waste.

Ships sailing across the sea must be reliable to reassure the soldiers and not affect the morale of the navy. I have sent Zizhong and Ziyi to manage the Liaodong trade for nearly two years, and they are well-informed in Liaodong.

There are some things I won’t tell outsiders, but Boyan is not an outsider, you just need to know it in your heart, don’t go and verify it.”

As Zhuge Jin was talking, he suddenly looked around subconsciously to confirm that there was no one around.

Boyan is naturally Lu Yi's pen name. It has been twenty days since Zhuge Jin first came to Wu County, and it is almost the New Year of the seventh year of Jian'an. Lu Yi is also twenty years old. Of course, he actually had his coming-of-age ceremony earlier. Not long after the extermination of Sun in the first half of the year, when the Lu family was officially cleansed in Wu County, Lu Yi had his coming-of-age ceremony and also took his pen name. Seeing Zhuge Jin's seriousness at this moment, Lu Yi immediately changed his expression to show that he would never tell anyone.

On the other hand, Bu Zhi, who had been listening quietly at the side, did not say anything. He did not need to say anything either. The mutual trust between him and Zhuge Jin was even deeper and more thorough, so there was no need to perform those empty formalities.

Zhuge Jin then revealed the truth in a mysterious voice: "The spies sent by Zi Zhong and Zi Yi to Liaodong and deep into Xiangping have recently learned that Gongsun Du seems to be ill and has become increasingly violent and suspicious. He has killed innocent people in Liaodong to maintain his power.

Although Gongsun Du's illness is not as serious as Yuan Shao's, he is old after all. Calculating the time, Yuan Shao will most likely not survive the next year. Cao Cao will definitely make a breakthrough with Yuan Shang within one or two years. All we can do is to gradually control Yuan Tan.

Once Cao Cao is free to deal with Yuan Tan, he will definitely try to contact Gongsun Du and offer him a higher title. At present, Gongsun Du is only the General of Wuwei and the Marquis of Yongning Township appointed by Cao Cao, and has no other positions.

His post as governor of Liaodong was conferred by the previous emperor, and it had been twelve years since he was removed. During these twelve years, Gongsun Du acted unlawfully and conferred himself the title of governor of Pingzhou and used the imperial carriage, all of which Cao Cao had never recognized.

If that moment comes, Cao Cao might recognize the title of "Pingzhou Mu" and promise Gongsun Du to take back Donghai and even Beihai, so that Gongsun Du can attack Yuan Tan. All our deployments must be made before that, and we will attack Gongsun Du first.

Therefore, whether it is a new large ship with watertight compartments or the supporting sea-going navigation and navigation technology, we must prepare everything within this period of time, just don't miss this important event, there is no need to rush. Two years is enough. "

Some of what Zhuge Jin said were actually heard by Mi Zhu and Taishi Ci, and some were historical knowledge that Zhuge Jin brought along on his own.

But he was very careful about the way he smuggled information. For example, he knew Mi Fang was in Wujun, so he said that any discrepancies were from Taishi Ci, and did not use Mi Zhu as an excuse, so as to avoid the brothers Mi Zhu and Mi Fang finding discrepancies when they reconciled their accounts in the future.

As for Taishi Ci, Mi Fang would definitely not seek confirmation, and Lu Yi would certainly not do so either. One or two years later, everything Zhuge Jin said came true, and this was the real information.

The people below have a sense of purpose in doing things and know which phased project to strive for. They will be more motivated and have plans, and Lu Yi can also control the progress of key nodes.

It doesn’t really matter what Gongsun Du’s condition is like now. The key is his age, which is well known to everyone. Gongsun Du was born after 40, that is, in the 140s. It is almost 202 years old now. He is already in his sixties, only two or three years younger than Liu Biao.

This age was considered old for people in the Han Dynasty, especially in the bitterly cold Northeast, where living conditions were poor. Although wealthy families could have enough food and clothing, they still relied on large amounts of meat and fat to keep warm.

During the Han Dynasty, people in the north did not have the habit of drinking tea to relieve greasiness. The agricultural conditions in the northeast at that time were such that people could not eat fresh vegetables for half a year, or they could only eat pickled vegetables. The rich and powerful did not know the harm of greasiness, and basically ate only staple foods, meat, and dairy products, which was similar to the living habits of the Xiongnu and Wuhuan nobles.

Gongsun Du's life span should have been much shorter than that of Liu Biao, a famous scholar who lived a simple life.

Bu Zhi and Lu Yi firmly believed that "Gongsun Du will only be around for one or two years, or at most two or three years", and they had a rhythm for the subsequent arrangements in their minds.

After thinking it over, Bu Zhi, because he had a closer relationship with Zhuge Jin, said without hesitation what Lu Yi actually wanted to say but didn't dare to say:

"In that case, these new sea vessels must be developed and manufactured as soon as possible, or at least not too late. However... Brother Ziyu is really a capable person who dares to take on too much responsibility. If we had anticipated this day earlier, and had not sold the 'plank boat' to Gongsun Du in exchange for war horses, and had not helped Gongsun Du to advance quickly along the coastline to Lelang and Daifang, we would not have to work so hard in the future."

Zhuge Jin, however, had no regrets about the decision that had already been made: "There is nothing to regret about this matter. I originally wanted to drive the tiger to devour the wolf. If we were to conquer the Three Kingdoms of Korea in the future, the local resistance would be fierce and it would take a long time for the people to gain their support.

Let Gongsun Du go in and wreak havoc for a few years first, and kill those who resist most fiercely. Even before Gongsun Du dies, the natives of Lelang, Daifang and even the Three Han in the future will definitely think that the opportunity has come and want to start an uprising again. At that time, Gongsun Du will inevitably launch a dying counterattack and massacre to deter them.

In this way, when we destroy Gongsun Du in the future, we can also clean up the Daifang area at the same time, so that we can achieve twice the result with half the effort. The remaining people in the area will also be more inspired by the lord's benevolent governance. Anyway, don't worry, I dare to set up such a big stall because I am confident. For every move I make, I have at least two or three follow-up moves that can counter my previous moves. "

Lu Yi, who was standing by, still felt uneasy after hearing this, but he was very tactful and didn't dare to ask any more questions. Bu Zhi was still not shy and pointed to the watertight bulkhead keel structure model that the craftsmen had just built in the past few days:
"Is that all? Forgive me for being frank, but I have traveled all over the East China Sea. The sea conditions south of the Yangtze River estuary and north of the Yangtze River estuary are very different. There are more shallow shoals and rolling waves in the north, and more deep water in the south. In particular, there is the Black Water Ditch in central Fujian. When Boyan and I went to help Wang Lang, it was a risky voyage and we were very nervous.

If these new ships were to be used in the north, they would have to sail from the Yangtze River estuary, not further north than Haixi, along the open sea, first to the Donglai Peninsula, and then directly to the Three Kingdoms of Korea. If they tried to sail a few hundred miles closer to the coast, they would likely run aground or be harmed by rolling waves.

So, in addition to having a boat, you also need a set of navigation methods that no one before you have thought of, so that you can stay on the vast ocean without seeing any land for more than ten days without getting lost. "

Bu Zhi is now regarded as the most experienced "navigator" in Liu Bei's camp. Although this is only one of his identities, his main job is still as a county magistrate.

Don't be fooled by his young age. His feat of detouring 3,000 miles, bypassing the Sun family's territory from the north of the Yangtze River estuary and going back to central Fujian to reinforce Wang Lang is something that few people in that era could do - of course, the actual operators of that voyage were Lu Yi and the Lu family's sailor team, and Bu Zhi was just the "team leader".

But Bu Zhi's vision is absolutely on point. He can see the resources needed for this project and how many shortcomings it still has.

Fortunately, Bu Zhi's request did not surprise Zhuge Jin. Instead, he was pleased that his junior brother had such a down-to-earth and comprehensive vision.

Zhuge Jin said with relief: "I know all this, so after the shipbuilding is sorted out and the first batch of experimental ships are launched, I will select capable pilots and elite soldiers from the navy to practice new navigation methods, using the height of the sun/stars to ensure that the north and south will not deviate in the vast ocean.

After learning this secret method, in the future, as long as you sail due east, not south or north, you will be able to reach Gongsun Du's rear hinterland smoothly! And this method is not only for you to practice, but also for Gongjin, Yigong and others.

Counting the days, Gongjin and Yigong should have paid their respects to the lord and returned to report. I have kept Zijing in Danyang until now, and also to let him participate in this matter, so that he can mediate and observe, and unite the people. "

Zhuge Jin's geographical knowledge was at least passable. He knew how to use the simple "latitude navigation method" for navigation positioning. His geographical knowledge plus knowledge of mathematical trigonometric functions were enough.

This thing has been popular since the early days of the Age of Discovery in history. It's not difficult to understand the basics. Just brush up on your math basics, and if that doesn't work, you can just memorize it.

Moreover, Zhuge Jin did not intend to rely solely on Bu Zhi and Lu Yi for learning. As long as Zhou Yu and Han Dang were reformed well, they could also be taught step by step as appropriate to let them roll up. By then, Gan Ning, Bu Zhi and Lu Yi would be responsible for Nanyang, while Lu Su, Taishi Ci and Zhou Yu would be responsible for Beiyang. The division of labor would be clear and neither side would be delayed.

If there is an opportunity on either side and the investment cost is not high, you can give it a try. Anyway, it will not delay the main line.

(End of this chapter)