Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 526 The Rear (Part 3)

After four years of development, the Xuanhan (now Seattle) Shipyard, located on the south side of Xinhua Bay, has expanded to a fourfold size. The huge shipyard extends along the bay, the number of dry docks has increased from one to three, and the number of dry slips has increased from two to five, three of which are now capable of building large ships of 800 tons.

The air in the shipyard was always filled with the mixed smells of pine, tar, and seawater. Every day, the clanging of hammers, the roar of saws, and the workers' chants intertwined to create an industrial symphony.

On the two dry docks on the south side, two "Haiyan-class" cruisers under construction are already taking shape, with the sturdy and smooth-lined hulls of the warships, which are over thirty meters long.

The most eye-catching part is the steam-powered workshop in the northwest corner of the shipyard, where three huge steam saws roar and quickly cut thick logs into standard-thickness ship planks.

These machines are more than ten times more efficient than traditional hand sawing, and are the heart of the entire shipyard's efficient operation.

"Hurry up! The Navy Equipment Department is pushing us hard, requiring us to deliver two cruisers by the end of August!" Zhao Mingde, the general manager of the shipyard, stood on a high point in the dock and turned to instruct his technical assistant.

Years of experience have made him more shrewd and capable. Although a few wrinkles have appeared at the corners of his eyes, his gaze has become even sharper.

Standing beside him was a young technician, comparing the construction progress with the blueprints: "General Manager, the keel installation of Dock No. 8 is complete, and we are now laying the hull plates. Hmm, thanks to the introduction of standardized component production methods, our progress should be three weeks ahead of schedule."

Zhao Mingde nodded slightly: "Good! Tell the workers at those two shipyards that if the ship's construction is completed this month, each worker will receive an extra one to three silver dollars, depending on their rank!"

The news quickly reached the dock where construction was underway, and a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted.

With a stubble-covered face, Mao Chenghai chuckled and said to the two apprentices beside him, "Hey kid, see? War isn't all bad! If the navy hadn't been so desperate, where would we get so many bonuses!"

As apprentice Sun Wangquan skillfully drilled holes in the wooden board, he said with a grin, "Master, if this battle lasts for two or three years, won't we get bonuses every month? Hehe, just thinking about it makes life pretty good!"

"You son of a bitch..." Mao Chenghai was taken aback at first, then laughed and cursed, "War kills people! Our Xinhua population is only 300,000, how can we withstand two or three years of attrition?"

“Why not?” Sun Wangquan said, “We can build more warships in our shipyard and pile them all up at the doorstep of the Western barbarians, so they can’t even leave the port. We can hold them off for a few years, which will prolong their lives! Moreover, this way, too many government troops will die. When the Western barbarians can’t take it anymore, they will take the initiative to seek peace with our Xinhua.”

"Hmm, this is called... something like that... without fighting... basically, it means we don't have to fight them face to face, we just use warships to block them and suffocate them! You tell me, if we fight like this, wouldn't that be more cost-effective? We can also get more wages every month because we build more warships."

"You little brat, stop spouting nonsense!" Mao Chenghai spat. "So, you should be the commander-in-chief of the navy in this battle, and then Xinhua can easily defeat the Western barbarians!"

"Hehe..." Sun Wangquan chuckled and continued drilling holes in the ship's plank.

Although the monthly wages for apprentices were not much, the shipyard often had overtime work, and in order to meet urgent tasks, they would even work through the night by the light of kerosene lamps. As a result, they could earn a few extra dollars in "performance bonuses" and various food subsidies, which naturally made their lives more anticipated.

In the rope production workshop, another bustling scene unfolds.

Inside the spacious factory, more than thirty anchor cables are being woven simultaneously.

Workers operate complex rope-spinning machines, weaving hemp fibers into cables of varying thicknesses through a series of pulleys and spindles.

Master craftsman Liu Dazhuang was instructing a young apprentice: "Make sure the tension is kept even, otherwise the strength of the rope will be affected. This is one of the most important components on the boat, related to the safety of the entire vessel. If the rigging isn't strong, the entire canvas will be blown away by the sea wind!"

Although this production system was not completely free from manual labor, with the assistance of more than a dozen cable-weaving machines developed by Xinhua Heavy Industry, its production efficiency far surpassed that of its European counterparts at the same time (the most advanced shipyard in Europe, the Dutch Ostanburg, could only weave 40 anchor cables at the same time in 1660).

Although Xinhua's shipbuilding industry started relatively late, it has developed rapidly.

Although there were only two shipyards in the country, Qiming Island and Xuanhan, from the very beginning, their production organization and technology application far surpassed those of traditional shipyards in the Ming Dynasty and early European handicraft shipyards.

Thanks to the "prophetic" advantage of the time travelers, Xinhua's shipbuilding industry skipped the decades-long trial-and-error phase in Europe from "manual workshop shipbuilding" to "semi-mechanized production," and also avoided the inefficient predicament of Daming Shipyard relying on craftsmen's experience and building one ship at a time. Instead, it directly anchored itself to the most mature shipbuilding technology and design concepts of the mid-19th century.

In terms of production organization, Xinhua Shipyard adopts a "standardized prefabrication of parts + modular assembly system". The ribs, beams, and hull plates required for the ship are all prefabricated in the shipyard's dedicated workshops according to unified drawings. Thanks to the standardization of Xinhua's weights and measures and the improvement of the precision of machine processing, the steam-driven band saw can control the log cutting error within 0.5 centimeters, the hydraulic press can also press iron ribs with the same curvature in batches, and even ship bolts and rivets are forged in batches according to several unified specifications, avoiding the waste of "modification as construction progresses" in traditional shipbuilding.

Once the components are transported to the slipway, workers only need to assemble them according to their numbers. The slipway assembly cycle for a 1,000-ton ship is shortened from 18 months to 5 months, and the labor cost per ship is reduced by 50%-60%.

In terms of technological application, shipyards were the first industry to popularize steam-assisted equipment. Steam forging hammers can easily forge auxiliary iron keels for ships with a diameter of one foot, and precision lathes can process marine main shafts with an error of less than 0.2 centimeters, completely getting rid of the precision bottleneck of relying on blacksmiths' manual forging.

Such processing capabilities were unmatched even by the largest and most technologically advanced shipyard in Europe, the Dutch Ostanburg Shipyard, and the Ming Dynasty had never even seen blueprints for similar equipment.

In terms of design philosophy, safety and high speed are the core priorities. It draws on the Eastern "transverse watertight compartment" model, dividing the hull longitudinally into 5-7 independent compartments. Even if two compartments on one side are damaged and flooded, the ship can still maintain buoyancy and not sink (this design was not gradually promoted in Europe until the late 18th century).

In addition, the "clip bow wave-breaking design" and the streamlined design with a high length-to-width ratio make the Xinhua ships generally reduce water resistance by more than 25%. With the superior mechanical sail handling, the thousand-ton class ships can reach a cruising speed of 8-10 knots or more, which is 2-4 knots faster than similar European ships. The journey between Xinzhou and Daming can save nearly 30 days.

This combination of "improved production efficiency, pragmatic technology, and forward-looking design" enables the two Xinhua shipyards to produce more than 30 ships of various types with a displacement of 200 tons or more each year. The ships they build are suitable for both coastal shipping and the complex sea conditions of the Pacific Ocean.

Currently, the only factor restricting the development and growth of Xinhua Shipbuilding is the shortage of human resources.

According to rough estimates, Xinhua Shipbuilding directly employs more than 3,000 people, accounting for 1% of the national population.

If related industries such as timber processing, asphalt production, canvas textiles, rigging and cable processing, and hardware manufacturing are included, the number of employees in these industries exceeds 7,000, making shipbuilding the largest industry category in Xinhua's domestic sector.

With the booming development and increasing scale of the shipbuilding industry, the overall economy of Xuanhan County has also developed rapidly.

The county town's population has increased from 1,200 four years ago to nearly 5,000, making it the fourth largest city in Xinhua after Shixing (now Victoria Harbour), Guangfeng (now Sanich City), and Fenzhou (now Nanaimo City). Most of the new population consists of craftsmen, apprentices, technicians, and their families who are involved in shipbuilding.

In the city, related industries such as timber processing, hardware manufacturing, canvas processing, and flax production have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, greatly boosting the city's development.

Near the shipyard, a special "shipwrights' street" even formed, with small shops, restaurants and inns on both sides of the street serving the workers.

As evening fell, He Cuizhi was tiptoeing as she placed the last bucket of cooking oil on the wooden shelf inside the "Mao Ji" department store.

The shop's signboard was brightly lit by lanterns, and the shelves were crammed full of items, including cotton cloth from Songjiang and silk from Suzhou, but mostly local products such as woolen fabrics, pottery, hardware, paper, soap, leather, boots, cookware, glass, and candles. In front of the counter were files, drills, and sandpaper commonly used by craftsmen, and even in the corner were several bags of fried beans for the workers to eat late at night.

The aroma of stewed fish wafted from "Zhang's Restaurant" across the street, and the owner's voice pierced the twilight: "Master Mao, are you done work? Would you like to come and have some late-night snacks to fill your stomach?"

He Cuizhi peeked out and saw her husband, Mao Chenghai, and several coworkers slowly walking towards them, their bodies weary. Ever since the war with the Spanish began, the shipyard had been working non-stop, with them spending more than ten hours a day in the dock, often collapsing into bed exhausted when they got home. "Master's wife, get me a bar of soap!" Apprentice Sun Wangquan grinned and handed over a few coins, their serrated edges gleaming from wear.

He Cuizhi smiled and handed over the soap: "Oh, Wangquan, how come you're willing to buy soap?"

Sun Wangquan glanced at his mentor Mao Chenghai, his face full of smugness: "The factory said they'd give us extra bonuses at the end of the month! I was thinking, the soap smells so nice and pleasant, I wonder what it smells like on my skin. Hehe, I thought I'd try it out and see if it could cover up all the body odor!"

"Don't worry, after you wash with soap, I guarantee you'll charm all the young women and wives on the street!" He Cuizhi said with a smile as she picked up a bar of soap.

“Hehe…” Sun Wangquan blushed upon hearing this. “Master’s wife, please don’t make fun of me.”

“Wangquan, your master’s wife would never make fun of you. You know, there are few women in Xinhua. If you take a fancy to one, hurry up and gather the betrothal gifts so someone can arrange a marriage for you. Otherwise, all the good girls will be taken by others, and you’ll end up only being able to look among the local women.”

“…” Sun Wangquan scratched his head, his eyes subconsciously looking around.

Hey, believe it or not, even though it's dark now, Shipwright Street is bustling with people. Some are buying fabric at the cloth shops, some are drinking and having late-night snacks at the restaurants, some are looking for handy tools at the hardware stores, and some are even getting shaves and haircuts at the barbershops. But as far as the eye can see, they are all shipyard workers and apprentices, and there are very few women.

"Heh, Master's wife's business is doing quite well today..." Sun Wangquan changed the subject, looked up and saw his master beckoning him to come in for a meal, so he waved his hand repeatedly to refuse, "I'm going back to the shipyard dormitory first, so I won't bother Master's wife."

"What's there to bother you about!" He Cuizhi said, tugging at his arm as she chatted with several customers. "There's some leftover food heated up inside. Go in and have a bite with your master. I don't think I'll be busy for long..."

“Look, our shipwright street is getting more and more lively. A clothing store just opened up ahead, selling everything from adults to children, men to women, in all styles and sizes. I’ll close the shop later and go take a look to see if I can buy Guizai some suitable clothes. It’s not good for him to always be wearing his dad’s altered work clothes!”

Sun Wangquan looked in the direction she pointed and indeed saw a large crowd gathered at the end of the street. A shop banner was hanging above the door, but the light was too dim to see clearly.

“What Master’s wife said is really true. Our Shipwright Street is getting more and more lively. I heard from the old masters in the shipyard that four years ago, the area around the shipyard was just a wasteland with only a few thatched huts. Now, however, there are so many shops and stores, it’s like a big market.”

"That's right!" An auntie selling ginger candy nearby chimed in. "Actually, everyone on this street relies on the shipyard for their livelihood. Look, even though Xinhua is fighting with the Western barbarians to the south, the streets don't feel chaotic at all. Instead, they're like a burning furnace, getting hotter and hotter. Hehe, even those of us who run small businesses can earn a few extra dollars!"

Upon hearing the phrase "fighting with the Western barbarians," He Cuizhi nodded in agreement, but a sense of unease swept through her heart.

Three years ago, she and her husband personally experienced the Luzon Spanish massacre of Chinese people, and what they saw and heard still haunts her.

At the time, her husband was a shipwright working at the Spanish shipyard in Cavite, and she lived with him near the shipyard.

That year, the Spanish suddenly turned on them and launched a bloody massacre against tens of thousands of Han Chinese outside Manila. They slaughtered everyone, regardless of age or gender, turning the entire Manila Bay red.

Her parents and two brothers also met a terrible end. Then, not long after, the sound of Spanish horses' hooves echoed from near the shipyard, each hooves feeling like they were pounding on her heart.

Fortunately, the Spanish manager in charge of the shipyard stopped the butchers from raising their knives, declaring that the Han Chinese craftsmen in the shipyard were still useful and needed to be spared to continue building ocean-going ships for the governor.

During that time, she, her husband, and their children huddled together in their small wooden house, trembling with fear, resignedly awaiting their final misfortune.

Not long after, the Xinhua Army stormed into Cavite, occupied the entire shipyard, and rescued them from their nightmare.

Following this, they joined forces with several Chinese uprising groups in Luzon to repeatedly defeat the Spanish colonial army, besieging the remaining few thousand Spaniards in Manila.

After a siege lasting several months, the Xinhua Allied Forces finally broke into Manila with the help of Han Chinese collaborators within the city, killing most of the Spanish and avenging the tens of thousands of Han Chinese who had been massacred.

The craftsmen and their families from the Cavite shipyard were loaded onto ships and taken to the New World shortly after the war. They were eventually assigned to the Xuanhan shipyard, finally escaping their life of displacement and living a happy life.

"Honey, I'm a little scared..."

Late at night, He Cuizhi shook her sleeping husband awake, her voice filled with a hint of panic and unease.

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Mao Chenghai was woken up and looked impatient. He turned around and muttered, "Is it because the goods in the shop are not selling well? It's okay, my wages have increased a lot this month, enough for you and your children to have enough to eat."

"Honey, do you think our Xinhua can defeat the Western barbarians?" He Cuizhi nudged her husband again.

"Why are you, a woman, worrying about this?" Mao Chenghai said, getting a little angry. "Of course our Xinhua can defeat the Western barbarians, there's no doubt about that. It's the middle of the night, go to sleep. Tomorrow I'll be busy all day, I don't have the energy to chat with you like this!"

"Master..." He Cuizhi's nose twitched twice, "I heard that the Western barbarians in the south are hundreds of times more numerous than those in Luzon, said to number in the millions. Can our Xinhua win?"

“You stupid woman…” Mao Chenghai turned around helplessly, “Our Xinhua will definitely beat the Western barbarians. Don’t you think about what I do? Our shipyard has taken on the construction of several naval warships in one go, just waiting for them to be launched to fight the Western barbarians. The shipyard on Qiming Island may be building even more warships. If we add them all together, won’t we crush the Western barbarians?”

"The population of the Western barbarians is ten times that of our Xinhua..."

"What good is it if the Western barbarians have a hundred times the population of our Xinhua? As long as we have enough warships, they simply can't defeat us! Besides, the other day, didn't the newspapers and street propagandists all say that our Xinhua army has already invaded the Western barbarians' territory and defeated tens of thousands of their troops? You can rest assured, maybe in a few days, the Western barbarians will be forced to sue for peace by our defeat!"

"Really?" He Cuizhi looked at her husband with a skeptical expression.

"You woman, you don't believe the government, you don't believe the newspapers, and now you don't even believe what your husband says?" Mao Chenghai turned around angrily again. "Instead of worrying about this, you should go to the shop and do some good work organizing the goods, so you can earn more money tomorrow!"

"..." He Cuizhi fell silent in the darkness.

She envisioned the bustling street scene, where the lights would remain on even after dinner, as workers would finish their shifts, buy small odds and ends, have a late-night snack, drink some liquor, and enthusiastically discuss how to furnish their own homes after receiving their wages.

Tireless children played and frolicked on the street, their laughter filling the air and creating a lively atmosphere throughout the market.

Furthermore, the family's savings are increasing, and life is becoming more and more promising.

"We must not let the Western barbarians ruin such a good life..." she murmured to herself as she listened to her husband's snoring.
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(End of this chapter)