Ming East India Company

Inside a small house in Naha Port, Ryukyu, Shirano was sitting in the main hall.

Below the hall were a large group of carpenters, stonemasons, and bricklayers that Bai Wenzheng had painstakingly gathered from all over the island.

In front of each person was a construction drawing that Bai Ye had drawn overnight, which detailed the construction requirements and technical specifications of the dry dock.

"Everyone, you've all been watching for half an hour. Can you draw a conclusion now?" Bai Ye asked the group.

The crowd looked at each other, none of them daring to answer in advance.

Baiye waved his hand:

"I know you're hesitant to draw conclusions. Here's what we'll do! There are twenty-three of you in total. Starting now, each of you will take turns coming into my room to talk to me. I'll collect your suggestions individually."

Bai Ye knew that it wouldn't be easy for him to hear the truth given his current position, so he could only work hard and treat each person with respect.

The group left the room, and as the first carpenter entered, the remaining people began to whisper among themselves:

"I've heard that this Master Bai is usually decisive and extremely strict with those who make mistakes. We'd better be careful later, or we might say something that could cause trouble."

Do you think this ownership plan will work? I feel like there shouldn't be any major problems.

"It shouldn't be a problem. What's this place called, boss... right, a dry dock. From my perspective as a civil engineer, it's just digging a big pool, right? As long as we have enough manpower and don't rush the schedule, it's a piece of cake!"

"From a stonemason's perspective, I think it's about the same. Laying a layer of gravel and sand at the bottom shouldn't be too difficult, and there's also a sloping sump, so preventing seepage might be a bit challenging, but we can always use a stone as a base. Anyway, the owner didn't restrict the depth, so I don't think it'll be a big problem."

"The gate seems pretty good too. It's a wooden gate with an iron cladding, so the waterproofing is definitely good. Lifting the gate might be a problem, but if you have enough manpower or livestock, adding a winch will be more than enough."

"If you ask me, we should just stick to the same story. The owner seems really invested in this. If he thinks it can be done, we should all say it can be done too. If anything goes wrong, we'll all share the responsibility. There are only a few craftsmen on Ryukyu Island. Does he think the owner can punish us all at once?"

……

The group discussed the idea animatedly, and almost unanimously agreed that Bai Ye's method was feasible.

Wang Shisan, standing to the side, really wanted to chime in, but didn't know how to start...

Gradually, fewer and fewer people participated in the discussion, and everyone who entered the room would leave through another door, never to rejoin the discussion.

Finally, it was Wang Shisan's turn.

Wang Shisan walked slowly into the conversation room. Bai Ye was already a little thirsty after talking with dozens of people.

But seeing Wang Shisan come in, she still mustered her spirits and started talking to him.

"What do you do?"

"A mortician, someone who mends the seams of a boat."

Shirano seemed to remember something:

"Oh, I remember now, if I remember correctly, I'm the one who gave you this name."

Wang Shisan nodded in agreement:

"Thank you, sir."

What are your thoughts on my dry dock proposal?

Wang Shisan gave a hesitant answer:

"I have no objections; the master's plan is flawless..."

Bai Ye's eyes were fixed on the other person, while Wang Shisan's gaze kept darting away under his watchful gaze:

"You're lying. You must have something to say."

Seeing that the other party didn't respond, Shirane said again:

"I, Baiye, never blame those who offer serious opinions. Feel free to speak your mind, whatever you say, I will consider you innocent."

Wang Shisan hesitated for a moment before finally speaking:

"I've reviewed the owner's plan. To be honest, I can't find fault with the other earthwork and carpentry, but there's just one problem: I'm afraid this large pool won't be able to hold back the water!"

"It can't keep out water?"

"That's right. According to the owner's plan, the two sides are reinforced with stone strips, but the gaps between the stone strips are very large. If it is high tide, seawater will seep in through the soil."

At that time, water will continuously seep into the pit. At best, it won't be completely drained; at worst, the stone slabs will fall, and the entire dock will collapse.

"I've been a mortar and mortar worker for many years, so I'm quite skilled at handling these small details and gaps."

Bai Ye's face darkened; he had to admit that Wang Shisan was right.

The thought of the dry dock that had been planned for so long going to fall through filled Shirono with frustration.

"Thank you for your suggestion. I'll reward you with twenty taels of silver. You can go now!"

Bai Ye waved his hand, and Wang Shisan got up and left.

"Master." Wang Shisan, who had walked halfway, suddenly turned around:

"There is a method we can try. I heard from the bricklayers that they use glutinous rice mortar to reinforce the city wall when it is built. If we add some glutinous rice mortar to the gaps between the stone blocks, the effect will probably be better."

However, the grain production on Ryukyu Island is insufficient, and there isn't enough glutinous rice, so whether this method will work is still a question.

Bai Ye's eyes lit up when he saw the glutinous rice mortar. Since the glutinous rice mortar could reinforce and waterproof the surface, why didn't he use traditional cement?

Thinking of this, Bai Ye called out to Wang Shisan.

……

"Master, what are you collecting so many seashells for?"

"No need to ask, just do it."

Wang Shisan carefully began to swing the stone mortar, continuously smashing the seashells in the earthenware bowl until the seashells were broken into pieces.

"Throw these shell powders into the kiln and fire them for a day and a night, making sure the fire is at its highest setting."

Although the Ryukyu Islands lack limestone and loess, they have plenty of seashells and volcanic ash, which is enough to make some homemade cement.

Around noon the next day, Wang Shisan took out the whitish shell powder and, under Bai Ye's orders, began to add water to it continuously.

When water and quicklime react, they immediately become steaming hot...

After adding water without releasing heat, Shirane took out quicklime, mixed it with volcanic fire, and then added broken ceramic pieces. Before it dried, he smeared it onto the prepared stone strips.

After drying for a day and a night, Shirane began to examine his results.

The mold was a water pit more than ten feet high. As Bai Shisan poured water into the mold, the water level reached the top of the mold, but the gaps between the stone slabs remained completely still...

Seeing how effective the homemade cement was at waterproofing, Wang Shisan couldn't help but exclaim:

"Master, your method is truly miraculous! It's even more effective at waterproofing than glutinous rice mortar!"

Then he added with a sigh:

"If these fasteners could be used when repairing ships, it would save so much trouble!"

Baiye laughed heartily:

"Don't try anything drastic. This makeshift cement may be waterproof, but if you fill all the gaps in the ship with this stuff, it'll sink as soon as it sets sail..."