Ming East India Company

Moon Harbour, at the mouth of the Kowloon River.

The once bustling Yuegang Port at the mouth of the Jiulong River is now deserted. Since the Ming Dynasty officially closed Yuegang Port, most of the Yuegang merchants have moved to Fuzhou, the tribute port of Ryukyu, to conduct their trade.

Therefore, Bai Wencheng bought the port land in this area at a very low price.

The timber official, leaning on a gleaming jujube wood cane, squinted at the sky above and called out to Zhang Feng, the servant at his feet, "Boy, take down the tarpaulin—it's a blessing from heaven that the sun is shining today."

Zhang Feng responded and quickly reeled in the rope. The moment the tarpaulin was lifted, a scent mixed with the salty smell of seawater and the fresh aroma of wood wafted out.

That was top-quality Burmese teak, a "tough nut" that Cheng Keqin's fleet traded from Siam last month. There were more than three thousand pieces, each thicker than Guo Zheng's waist, with an amber-colored sheen on the surface.

Of all the tech trees in the sailing warships, the others can be learned quickly, but there is one that must be learned step by step: ship timber.

During the Age of Exploration, sailing ships had to be supported by hardwood for the keel and mainmast, and this hardwood had to be thoroughly dried.

Complete hardwood logs can take anywhere from one to three years to ten or even twelve years to dry.

The average drying period for the timber of the main warships of the Royal Navy in later generations was as high as fifteen years, which ensured the high quality of the raw materials for the main fleet.

Therefore, the drying of the boat timber must be carried out quickly and cannot be delayed for even a moment.

In the previous life, Europeans had already exhausted almost all the available timber for shipbuilding.

Basically, all ship timbers are either too hard, resulting in poor maneuverability, or too soft, unable to withstand artillery fire. Only two types can strike a balance between weight and hardness, while also being plentiful and readily available—oak and teak.

While searching for these two types of wood, Shirono discovered a tragic fact: there were no suitable tree sources within his territory.

Oak trees are located in the subarctic and frigid zones. In East Asia, they mainly grow in Northeast Asia and Siberia. Even in neighboring Japan, they are mainly concentrated in places like Hokkaido.

Teak is primarily found in the south, generally in Myanmar, Siam, Phnom Penh, and small islands throughout Southeast Asia.

The origins of these two types of timber perfectly illustrate what resource mismatch means.

The China-Japan-Korea region, with its large population and need for access to the sea, lacks suitable shipbuilding timber.

Regions with shipbuilding logs are generally underdeveloped and are not used at all.

The direct consequence was that when Western warships entered East Asia, they discovered that all kinds of ships here were made of cork, and the ship cannons blew them up one by one like a can opener.

Located in Tokushiro, Okinawa, the island lacked the resources and ambition to develop Hokkaido and Siberia. They also couldn't find enough cold-climate oak, so they had to settle for Southeast Asian teak as the primary material for shipbuilding.

Teak is naturally oily, and the moisture content of freshly felled timber can soar to over 30%. If it is used to build ships, within three years, the sea breeze will cause the hull to crack due to thermal expansion and contraction, resulting in the destruction of the ship and loss of life.

Based on the 18th-century British experience in teak shipbuilding in Southeast Asia, teak has a higher moisture content than oak. Therefore, it requires a longer drying time…

"The owner has arrived."

Guo Zheng and Zhang Feng looked up and saw a black flag with a skull and crossbones hanging on the distant horizon.

Although the traditional pirate flag appeared in the 18th century, this did not prevent Hakuno from applying it to his flagship ahead of time.

Over time, the ports under the Bai family's control knew that Bai Ye was coming as soon as they saw the black flag.

Guo Zheng and Zhang Feng immediately put down their work and directed the boatmen to line up to welcome Bai Ye.

As the sampan was slowly lowered, Shirano walked barefoot on the soft sand.

Following behind him was Bai Wencheng, the head of the Bai family in Yuegang.

The reason he insisted on setting up the drying plant in Yuegang was so that he could have the opportunity to come and inspect it in a timely manner.

"Master, what brings you here?"

Bai Wencheng quickly cupped his hands in welcome to Bai Ye's arrival.

"Is the drying yard finished?"

"It's finished. As the owner instructed, all the giant trees on the beach are wood that needs to be air-dried."

Baiye looked at the open-air drying yard in front of him, and his face gradually darkened:

"Where is the timber official?"

Guo Zheng hurriedly knelt down:

"I am the timber officer here."

Shiro glared at the other person:

Did I say that the boat timber must be air-dried in the shade and not air-dried or exposed to direct sunlight?

Guo Zheng was stunned for a moment:

"We did receive orders from the owner, so we usually use a tarpaulin to cover the plants and let them air dry. If the weather is nice, we let them sunbathe to speed up the drying process."

"Nonsense, you're clearly trying to cut corners and line your own pockets by saving the money you'd spend on building the drying room."

Guo Zheng was terrified.

"Master, you've been wronged! I had no such intention; I was simply trying to save you money. Please, Master, see the truth."

Zhang Feng, the deputy standing nearby, quickly retrieved the account books from the warehouse:

"Master, this is our detailed breakdown of income and expenses during the drying process; we had absolutely no intention of embezzling any funds!"

Shirano, too lazy to listen to such sophistry, immediately gave the order:

"Guards, seize these two scoundrels who embezzled military funds and endangered the entire army, and execute them."

Guo Zheng and Zhang Feng knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Our lord is wise; we have absolutely no such intentions!"

Bai Wencheng, standing to the side, also looked troubled:

"You wild child, give me some face and let them off this time. I'll keep a close eye on them from now on."

Bai Ye stared intently at Bai Wencheng for several seconds, then gritted his teeth and said:

"Since your second uncle has come forward to plead for you, I will let you off this time. However, from now on, immediately build me a special drying room, with bricks on all sides and three layers of rainproof cloth on the bottom to prevent mold."

Regardless of wind, rain, or bright sunshine, they must be dried indoors in the shade. Each tree must be framed and positioned with vermilion. I will inspect them every few months, and if the vermilion shows any signs of wear or dragging, you two will be executed without mercy.

Guo Zheng and Zhang Feng quickly kowtowed to express their gratitude and then led their men to carry out the rectification.

After the two of them left, Bai Ye turned his gaze to Bai Wencheng:

"Second Uncle, you did this, didn't you!"

Bai Wencheng gave an awkward smile:

"Wild Boy, you have a good eye. It was indeed my idea. I looked at the method you posted and discussed it with some old ship owners in Hong Kong. They all said it wasn't necessary to go through all that trouble. Just cover it with a tarpaulin and it will be half sun and half shade."

Our Bai family has only been rich for a few years now, there's no need to spend all our money on these things, let's save where we can..."

After hearing this, Shiro felt a splitting headache.

"Second Uncle, you're being foolish! This teak is not like the softwood commonly used in shipbuilding in our Great Ming Dynasty; it absolutely cannot be exposed to the sun! If it's exposed to the sun for too long, it will immediately crack and become unusable for shipbuilding!"