The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 116 Mooring Against the Wind
"It's hung up, pull it up!"

"Slow down, don't spill it!"

As they were talking, they saw a craftsman standing on the deck on the port side of the St. Anna, using a simple pulley to pull up a bucket of something that looked like paint.

Lin Qian asked, "Is that tung oil?"

“Yes.” Dumb Huang’s apprentice responded and ran to the side, bringing over a bucket of tung oil.

The tung oil was yellowish-brown and viscous. As soon as it was lifted, a unique burnt smell wafted out, like the bitter smell of burnt Chinese medicine.

Jose exclaimed with delight, "Captain, this is a fine product!"

It's likely that tung oil doesn't exist in Europe, and José only learned of its existence upon arriving in South Australia, which explains his excitement.

In the southeastern part of the Ming Dynasty, almost everyone who sailed the ships knew about tung oil.

This stuff has a wide range of uses. Just apply a layer to wood, ropes, and ironware, and it will become waterproof, rustproof, insectproof, corrosion-resistant, heat-resistant, and acid-resistant.

It can be said that shipbuilding in the Ming Dynasty heavily relied on tung oil. Basically, anything related to seagoing vessels had to be coated with tung oil before being installed on the ship.

For Nan'ao Island, tung oil is also an important strategic resource.

If we hadn't come to the ship repair site today, we would have almost forgotten about the tung oil.

Lin Qian took a wooden stick and picked up a little tung oil.

Xiao Jiu said, "Captain, be careful not to touch it, it's poisonous."

Tung oil is slightly toxic, otherwise it wouldn't have an insect-repellent effect. Applying a layer to wood and letting it dry completely is harmless to humans, but direct contact with tung oil is a different story.

Lin Qian asked, "How long can tung oil be stored?"

Xiao Jiu replied, "Raw tung oil, if stored properly, can last for one or two years; refined tung oil lasts less than a year. This barrel contains refined tung oil, which was just rendered from raw tung oil."

Lin Qian thought to herself that she needed to get Hu Dongzhu to purchase enough for one or two years as soon as possible.

Lin Qian scraped the tung oil off the wooden strip on the side of the bucket, then took out the wooden strip, which was covered with a thin yellowish-brown film.

In the sea breeze, the film dried quickly and became one with the wooden strips.

Lin Qian tossed aside the wooden strip and asked, "How much tung oil is left on the island? Is it enough?"

"Master said that the current stock on the island is not enough to repair the large sailing ship, but painting and grouting are usually done last. After a while, Chen Sizheng will buy new tung oil."

Lin Qian nodded and then asked some questions about sails and cables.

These sails and ropes may look like ordinary linen or ropes, but they are actually made through many processes and are considered high-tech for this era.

Especially canvas; such a large piece of linen canvas, if you want it to withstand wind and rain, it's not something you can just sew up a couple of stitches for.

In Europe, there was a profession called sail maker, who made a living by sewing sails; and another profession called rope maker, who made a living by twisting ropes. Both of these, like the rope twisters of the Ming Dynasty, were genuine crafts with technical barriers.

That's why Lin Qian asked Zhou Xiucai to make the purchases when he went to Macau.

Dusk.

Cooks were being prepared over a fire at Qing'ao Bay. The cook simmered a pot of meat soup, and the entire beach was filled with the sound of people swallowing their saliva.

The repair work was on a tight schedule, so while it wasn't completely dark yet, they could get as much work done as possible, and no one was in a hurry to eat.

Lin Qian also wanted to return to Nan'ao City while there was still daylight.

"Captain, shall we finish our meal before we leave?" Jose was deeply versed in Chinese culture and was well-versed in Chinese etiquette.

Lin Qian smiled and said, "I won't eat. It's not good to sail in the dark."

After saying that, Lin Qian boarded the small boat she had come from and returned to Nan'ao.

As darkness fell, Lin Qian stepped onto the Houjiangwan Wharf. She was feeling hungry, and she imagined that the guards were as well.

Lin Qian planned to buy some Qilu biscuits from the roadside to give everyone a snack.

Lin Qian didn't bring any cutlery, so she bought a few rough porcelain bowls from the vendor and asked the stall owner to put the Qilu cakes in the bowls and distribute them to the guards.

While picking out the cakes, Lin Qian chatted with the stall owner: "Uncle, are you from Chenghai County?"

"Yes, I heard that it's easy to make money on Nan'ao Island, so I set up a stall."

"Does it earn more than in Chenghai?"

The stall owner laughed and said, "There are so many more than in Chenghai! Take a look!"

Although Lin Qian's guards carried knives, it wasn't unusual for everyone on the island to carry knives. Moreover, Lin Qian seemed easygoing and unpretentious, so the stall owner spoke to him more often.

Although Nan'ao Island is isolated overseas, it shouldn't be able to earn so much more than the mainland.

Lin Qian understood that this was inflation quietly taking effect.

His subordinates, including officials, craftsmen, and laborers, were all paid high salaries, and the crew members who participated in the operation received bonuses of tens or hundreds of taels of silver at a time.

With such limited productivity on the island, it's no wonder there's inflation.

However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. It is precisely because of this inflation that people are willing to risk colluding with pirates to do business on the island.

Otherwise, relying solely on the produce of Nan'ao Island, the islanders would have to eat boat porridge every day, and his crew would have nowhere to entertain themselves, inevitably leading to a rush to defect.

Although the Ming Dynasty was a feudal society, there was still a significant difference between feudal society and primitive society.

"Alright, gentlemen, here you go!" The stall owner distributed the pancakes to the guards.

Lin Qian took it and casually asked, "What's the surname of the new magistrate of Chenghai?"

The stall owner was taken aback: "Is a new county magistrate coming? When I get back, I'll inquire about him for my lord."

Lin Qian smiled and thanked her, then took her leave.

It seems that Chenghai County has not yet appointed a new magistrate, so Nan'ao Island can continue to develop for a while longer.

On the way back, Lin Qian took a bite of the Qilu cake and tasted the aroma of flour, caramel, and a slightly sweet fragrance.

Qilu bing is a type of filled white flour biscuit with a little brown sugar and sesame seeds. It is fragrant, sweet and filling, and is very popular among people in Fujian and Guangdong.

This pancake is made with very high-quality ingredients, entirely of white flour.

Lin Qian had only eaten half a pancake when she felt slightly full. She thought that if she ate the whole pancake, she would be full.

It was already evening, and the streets were pitch black, illuminated only by the lanterns of the roadside vendors.

The patrol officers of the Criminal Justice Department can be seen on the streets from time to time. Thanks to this, there have been far fewer petty thefts under the cover of darkness recently, and the security level of Nan'ao City has improved considerably.

Lin Qian, with a Qilu biscuit in her mouth, turned a corner.

Just then, I saw a brightly lit teaching stall set up in the middle of the road. The teacher at the stall was holding a water-dipped brush and teaching people to write the character "义" (yì) on a stone slab.

Five or six students sat at the desk, holding twigs, and wrote on the sand tray.

More than a dozen people were standing outside the stall, listening with great interest.

Lin Qian took the Qilu cake and approached the crowd. He glanced at the person giving the lecture and recognized the lecturer as Wang Hao, who had been delivering official newspapers to him recently.

Lin Qian ate her pancake while listening to Wang Hao's lecture.

Wang Hao said, "The character '义' (yì) is composed of 'sheep' on top and 'I' (wǒ) on the bottom."

The sheep kneels to suckle in gratitude to its mother, which is filial piety; its horns are curved and inward-curving, which is harmony; and the sheep is used as a sacrifice in sacrifices to heaven, earth, and ancestors, which is auspicious.

Therefore, those who sacrifice their personal interests for the greater good are virtuous.

This was the first time Lin Qian had heard someone talk about traditional Chinese characters like this, and she felt that what they said made a lot of sense.

A local islander scratched his head and asked, "Sir, is it the 'yi' in 'to be loyal and righteous'?"

Wang Hao sighed almost imperceptibly: "Yes."

"If you had said so earlier, I would have understood."

"That's right. When making a living at sea, loyalty is the most important thing. We must remember this word well!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Hao looked up at the sky, feeling utterly helpless, as if he were talking to a brick wall.

Anyway.

The islanders' enthusiasm for learning has been aroused.

Everyone stood still and listened to Wang Hao say a few more words.

During this time, some people left, while new people stood aside and listened.

Wang Hao said to the people standing, "You can use the sand table and tree branches on the table as you like. Everyone can sit down and try writing something."

After he finished speaking, seven or eight people sat down at the desk and began writing with twigs.

Lin Qian finished eating the Qilu cake and left satisfied.

Back in the temporary shelter.

The house is a three-bay structure with one main room and two enclosed rooms, typical of southern Chinese dwellings. It is entirely made of wood, with stone foundations and a thatched roof. It is very low and has a compact layout.

Most houses on Nan'ao Island are of this structure, which has the advantage of using local materials and being simple to build.

The downsides are low comfort and poor protection against typhoons.

This construction was a last resort due to a shortage of bricks and tiles.

Fortunately, there are still large open spaces south of Nan'ao City.

Lin Qian plans that once there are enough bricks and tiles, the subsequent residential buildings will adopt a courtyard layout, with the main house, gatehouse, and east and west wing rooms forming a courtyard structure, leaving a central courtyard.

This layout is somewhat similar to the traditional courtyard houses in northern China, while in the south it's called "Four Points of Gold".

The Four-Point Gold building can also be expanded to include two rows of long houses on the east and west sides, called the Protectorate.

The side houses and the main house are connected by a corridor, forming a complete large courtyard house, which is the Minnan-style large house.

Lin Qian had some knowledge of traditional Chinese dwellings, and with enough building materials, she could build a large mansion like the Lin family mansion.

Lin Qian entered the temporary house. The main room was simply furnished with only a table, chairs, bookshelves, and a washbasin stand.

The furniture on the St. Anne's was left in Qing'ao Bay, as it would be inconvenient to transport it here. This furniture was originally on the island and was only temporarily moved here for use.

Lin Qian returned to the table, lit the white beeswax, opened the nautical log, and found a list of supplies that Hu Dongzhu needed to purchase in bulk. Lin Qian added tung oil to the list.

Just then, someone outside reported, "Master, the stonemason has arrived."

"Enter."

Two men entered from outside. The one in the lead was over forty years old, with dark skin and a strong build. He was dressed in cloth and linen clothes and was the stone carver on the island.

Behind the stonemason was an apprentice, a teenager with a childish face, who was curiously looking around. The apprentice was carrying three wooden buckets, which were filled with a grayish-white paste.

"Sit down," Lin Qian said.

"I dare not, the captain has ordered that I should stand and answer," the stonemason said fearfully.

Lin Qian smiled and said, "I'm afraid we can't finish talking in a short time. Let's sit down and talk."

The stonemason could not refuse, so he sat down slightly. His apprentice, knowing the rules, did not dare to sit with his master and stood aside.

Lin Qian looked at the three wooden buckets the apprentice was carrying and asked, "Is this mortar?"

The stonemason said, "That's right. As ordered by the boatman, these three buckets of mortar were just mixed out by the old man this afternoon."

“Tell me in detail,” Lin Qian said.

The stonemason had his apprentice place three buckets of mortar on the ground and introduced them one by one: "This bucket is lime mortar, which is not water-resistant and is mainly used for plastering interior walls."

This bucket of glutinous rice mortar is waterproof and durable, and it's mainly used for heavy-duty work, but it's a bit expensive.

This bucket contains tung oil putty, used for applying to the ground.

Ground layer is a base coat applied to wooden structures to prevent corrosion and moisture, similar to the application of tung oil to ship planks.

These three buckets of mortar were equivalent to cement and paint in the Ming Dynasty.

Currently, Nan'ao Island is about to undergo another major construction project, but key materials such as bricks, tiles, stones, and tung oil are being cut off by the mainland. Therefore, we specially invited the stone carver here today to understand the construction level of this era.

Lin Qian asked about the performance of the mortar in detail.

Having worked as a stonemason for most of his life, Chu Shijiang was quite knowledgeable about mortar and answered the first few questions fluently.

The more questions Lin Qian asked, the longer the stonemason had to think, and many questions left him speechless. After asking all the questions, Lin Qian had gained some understanding of mortar. As a binder, Daming mortar could be said to have excellent performance.

It is especially superior to modern cement in terms of toughness and durability.

Many ancient buildings have stood for thousands of years thanks to the bonding of glutinous rice mortar.

However, in terms of compressive strength and hardening speed, mortar is far inferior to cement.

However, there is a key technical challenge in manufacturing modern cement, which is the firing temperature, which needs to be stable at a temperature of over 1,450 degrees Celsius.

Lin Qian asked, "Do you know anything about kiln firing?"

The stonemason was taken aback, not expecting Lin Qian's question to be so far-fetched. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "I've never fired one, but I've seen others do it?"

"What temperature can the kiln reach when firing porcelain?"

The stonemason thought for a moment and said, "It can reach an orange-yellow or bright yellow flame color."

A flame heated to 1400 degrees Celsius should appear bright white, which was beyond the furnace temperature of that era.

His carbothermal agent can generate temperatures of over 1,000 degrees Celsius, but the reaction duration is too short to reach the stable temperature required for modern cement firing.

Lin Qian sighed inwardly, realizing that cement was indeed too far ahead of its time.

Fortunately, Lin Qian knew a method for making cement using traditional methods. It wasn't as good as modern cement, but it would do.

Lin Qian said, "I'll tell you a mortar recipe, please write it down."

"it is good."

Chu Shijiang agreed verbally, but inwardly he disagreed. The glutinous rice mortar and lime mortar were things passed down from their ancestors for thousands of years, and the ingredients had long been set, leaving no room for change. However, since the captain had given the order, he couldn't refuse him, so he pretended to listen attentively.

“Take quicklime to a stone pit, slowly add fresh water, let it stand for several days, and you can get lime paste.”

The stonemason interjected, "The boatman is talking about the method of making quicklime, isn't he? This old man understands."

Lin Qian nodded in satisfaction. Quicklime releases heat when it comes into contact with water, so its production requires great care. I would have liked to go into more detail about the precautions, but I can skip that now.

It's definitely more convenient to talk to professionals.

Lin Qian continued, "Take broken bricks, broken tiles, and discarded pottery, grind them into extremely fine powder, and when you rub them between your fingers, there should be no grainy feeling."

Take one part quicklime, two parts pottery shavings, and five parts river sand. Spread them on a flat wooden board, slowly add fresh water to mix, and stir with a shovel until they form a paste-like consistency, which is then ready for use.

This mud paste must be used up within two hours, otherwise it will dry out and form a crust.

After the brickwork or plastering is completed, it should be covered with damp straw mats or burlap and kept moist for at least seven days. After seven days, it will reach initial strength, and after one month, it will reach its maximum strength.

The biggest advantages of this traditional cement method are its fast hardening speed and low cost.

In layman's terms, it's a type of cement made using traditional methods, which allows for faster construction and is cheaper.

It should be noted that the glutinous rice used in glutinous rice mortar is a staple food, and the price of one shi (a unit of dry measure) of glutinous rice is much more expensive than one shi of lime. There has always been a saying among the people that "building tombs with glutinous rice is extravagant and wasteful."

Therefore, traditional cement is very suitable for building ordinary houses, while glutinous rice mortar is suitable for constructing permanent fortifications, and the two complement each other perfectly.

After explaining the method, Lin Qian said, "Repeat it."

"Yes, take broken bricks and tiles..." The stonemason could not make a perfect word, but he did not miss any key details in the process.

Lin Qian was very satisfied and said, "Go ahead and do it. Call me when the project is inspected."

"Yes."

After the stonemason left, Lin Qian took out the list again and added key materials for making cement using the earth-based method, such as lime, clay, and river sand.

……

Once winter arrives.

Two major events occurred in Chenghai County, Chaozhou Prefecture.

First, there was a heavy snowfall, with snow accumulation reaching several inches.

This is the coastal area between Fujian and Guangdong, where snowfall is a rare occurrence.

According to the elderly, when they were young, Chenghai County would not see snow for more than ten years, and it has only snowed more in recent years.

The second thing is that Mr. Hu, who makes Chaozhou silk, has returned to his boat.

In Chenghai, this is a major event comparable to snowfall.

Everyone knows that a few years ago, Mr. Hu built a three-masted Fujian ship, but he dared not go to sea and could only rot in the harbor.

Such a cowardly and incompetent person, who only knew how to lend money and cheat weavers, was able to successfully go overseas and make a fortune, which made many people both envious and jealous.

Despite the wind and snow, many people flocked to the pier to watch the large ships dock.

Some vendors took the opportunity to set up stalls and sell their wares, making the docks bustling with activity.

The ship docked at the port, a Cangshan-style boat with two bright red sails billowing. Facing the northwest wind, it looked like an osprey skimming the sea, sailing at full speed against the wind.

The wind and snow were heavy, and the boat on Cangshan Mountain tilted slightly to the left.

Compared to the Haicang boat, the Cangshan boat is smaller and faster, and it does not lower its sails even when it is only three hundred steps away from the port.

Those watching from the shore felt tense.

Someone mocked, "The boat manager of the Chaozhou silk company really likes to show off. It would be interesting if he crashed into the shore."

"As the saying goes, skill breeds daring. If we lower the sails later, we can get closer to the pier and pay less for towing."

A vendor selling oyster omelets chimed in, “This gentleman is right. I’ve been buying oyster omelets at this dock for over ten years and have watched countless ships dock. None of the skilled ship owners lower their sails more than three hundred paces away. The last one to lower his sails was even within a hundred paces.”

After saying this, the pancake seller glanced at the approaching boat.

The red-sailed boat had already traveled about 230 paces, its two sails still wide open, sailing at full speed.

From this distance, the blurry figures of the shipwrights on the deck could already be vaguely seen. The crew members were all performing their duties without any panic.

The onlookers were all silently cheering in their hearts.

In Fujian and Guangdong, where arable land is scarce, people rely heavily on making a living by going to sea. Everyone loves seagoing vessels, and in no time, the number of people gathered at the dock has increased considerably.

Master Hu Zhaoyuan, leading more than ten servants, stood in the middle of the dock, head held high and chest out, his face glowing, feeling exceptionally invigorated.

On the pier, laborers were already waiting to tow the cables.

Historically, when large sailing ships docked, for safety reasons, the sails were lowered from a distance, and mooring lines were thrown out so that the workers could pull the ship to the pier. This is called towing.

Sometimes, if the boat is moored too far away, a small boat has to be used to tow the large boat to the pier before the mooring rope is thrown.

Towing fees are based on the size of the vessel and the towing distance.

Some boat owners, in an effort to save money, will moor very close to the pier, which puts their boat handling skills to the test.

If things go wrong and the ship crashes into a pier or the shore, the embarrassment is secondary; the entire ship could take on water and sink.

Therefore, the arrival of ships at the port has always been the most interesting thing to see.

Among the surrounding crowd, some people had already opened secret gambling dens, and they were just trying to figure out how close the gambling ship could get to the port.

Currently, the most common bet is 50 steps, but there are also bets of 40 or 30 steps.

Upon hearing the calls to place bets, Master Hu instructed his steward, "Give me five taels of silver and bet on thirty steps."

"Yes."

A moment later, An Zhuang called out loudly, "Master Hu, five taels of silver, thirty steps as stake!"

The surrounding crowd exclaimed in unison, "Indeed, he is highly skilled and daring."

Old Master Hu's face glowed even brighter, and he no longer felt cold despite the wind and snow hitting his face.

As everyone chatted and laughed, the red-sailed Cangshan boat was already within a hundred paces, its sails still wide open, and its bow not pointing towards the pier. It didn't seem like it was going to dock, but rather like it was going to sit on the beach.

The oyster omelet vendor also became interested, staring intently at the approaching boat.

The sounds of betting in the dark and the shouts of merchants faded as the Cangshan boat drew closer.

For a time, the only sound at the dock, where hundreds of people had gathered, was the howling of the wind and snow.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the Cangshan boat had already come within fifty paces.

They still didn't lower the sails, nor did they turn the boat sideways.

The oyster omelet vendor muttered, "Does it need to be moored? Even if it is, the sails should be lowered."

Mooring, in this context, refers to anchoring perpendicular to the shore, and is mostly used for small boats.

These days, large ships are moored parallel to the shore; this is called berthing.

Once a large ship is moored, it becomes very inconvenient to go out to sea again. If there were enough berths, no one would know how to use them.

It's the perfect time to go to Southeast Asia right now, and there are plenty of berths at Chenghai Wharf. Forcibly mooring them can only be explained as a show of skill.

In the blink of an eye, the Cangshan boat was only forty steps away from the pier.

The people at the dock could already see the bow of the Cangshan boat.

The boat on Cangshan Mountain did not lower its sails, turn around, or aim at the pier; it simply rushed straight toward the shore.

It's too late to lower the sails now; we're about to crash.

On the pier, the laborers hurriedly ran towards the shore.

The people facing the bow of the boat also quickly moved aside.

Master Hu's joy froze on his face. He turned his head with difficulty to look at Scholar Zhou beside him, wondering if this man's brother had gone mad.

Unexpectedly, even Scholar Zhou looked nervous, and Master Hu's heart sank completely.

He had hoped to make a name for himself in front of his fellow villagers in Chenghai County today, but little did he expect that he would end up making a huge fool of himself!
"Look!"

A gasp went up from the crowd.

Master Hu hurriedly turned his head and saw that the Cangshan boat was ruddered to the right, with most of the sails lowered, and was sailing against the wind by inertia.

The remaining sail caught the northwest wind, and the entire ship creaked as the wood groaned.

Sailing against the wind was unheard of, and the people at the dock were all horrified.

The children on the shore stared blankly at the scene, oblivious to the candy falling from their hands to the ground.

The boat was sailing against the wind, and its speed suddenly decreased.

With the rudder fully to starboard, the boat spun sideways, and the resistance from the water surface reduced some of the inertia.

Less than twenty steps from the pier, the Cangshan boat lowered its sails, turned its rudder, and anchored in one smooth motion.

Due to inertia, the Cangshan boat, with its port side aligned with the pier, slowly moved sideways towards it.

Until it came to a complete stop, the ship's side was only five steps away from the pier.

At such a close distance, there was no need for laborers to tow the mooring lines. The ship's anchorman threw out a knotted rope, which was then attached to the general's pillar of the pier, and the ship was towed to the pier and brought to a stop.

Then the boatmen laid the gangway in an orderly manner, disembarked, tied the mooring lines, and unloaded the cargo.

A cold-faced man disembarked, placed five taels of silver in the foreman's hand, and said, "Please unload the cargo."

At this moment, the onlookers realized what was happening and burst into deafening cheers.

"it is good!"

The crowd cheered and applauded, their faces flushed, their expressions even more excited than if they had just watched a segment of the opera "The Peony Pavilion".

A burnt smell wafted over, and the oyster omelet vendor looked down to find that the whole pot of oyster omelets had been fried until they were blackened.

Master Hu, beaming with pride, stepped forward and greeted him with a smile, bowing respectfully and saying, "Brother Bai's skill in maneuvering this boat is truly admirable. I grew up in Chaozhou and this is the first time I've ever seen such a remarkable feat of maneuvering a boat against the wind. Today has truly broadened my horizons."

Upon hearing this, the onlookers praised him, congratulating Master Hu on having such a capable person under his command, a competent ship manager, and so on.

Logically speaking, Zhou Xiucai, Bai Langzai, and Master Hu were partners, and Bai Langzai was not considered the boat manager of the Hu family.

But Mr. Hu didn't argue. When people congratulated him, he just smiled and pretended to be confused.

Zhou Xiucai and Bai Langzai also gave Master Hu a lot of face. They didn't care at all about being called servants of the Hu family. They gave all the limelight to Master Hu and even took a half step back when walking or standing, so as not to walk alongside Master Hu.

(End of this chapter)