Sail is a propulsion tool that drives the ship forward. It uses the natural wind as power to greatly expand the speed and navigation area of the ship, laying the foundation for the further development of ship technology. The emergence of sails can be said to be an important milestone in the history of ship development. The large-scale and ocean navigation have opened up broad prospects
Although the current shipbuilding technology of the Chinese tribes is limited to the lack of productive civilization and shipbuilding experience, they cannot build large ships. However, ships with stern rudders can be said to be a leap forward in the history of human shipbuilding! You know, although Our country's sails appeared later than those of foreign countries, but it is precisely because of the existence of the rudder and the cooperation with the sails that our country's ocean-going technology has soared and led the world. It is a pity that the gap between the national policies and adventurous spirits of the two sides has led to the The glory of ancient navigation was short-lived and gradually declined!
Before going to Sunset Fort, Hua Xi must do one thing
Due to the strong winds at sea, seagoing ships need sails with strong toughness. Ancient human sails generally used mats woven from natural plant materials such as bamboo leaves, leaves, branches and reeds. Until the Ming Dynasty, bamboo strips were used to weave mats. In addition to bamboo sails, there are also cloth sails. In ancient times, cloth sails were made of linen. Only the royal family and dignitaries used cotton and fiber fabrics to make sail curtains.
To make a sail, it was natural to go to Ma Village and ask them to go out to collect hemp fields, collect the hemp and transport it to a workshop outside Zhonghua City, so that the tribe could make the canvas. After all arrangements were made, Hua Xi immediately returned to Sunset Castle. middle
※※※“Chief, according to your instructions, two new transport ships have been built. Due to the rush of time, only one has been built so far!” Shuigu, Shuitong, Mulu and other people are in Huaxi. In front of me, he pointed in the direction of the ferry and said
"It's fast enough. I've only been away for a month. Thank you for your hard work!" Hua Xi put up a pergola with her hands and looked toward the ferry. She could vaguely see the blurry figures of three "big ships" docking quietly. Next to the ferry, there is probably a transport ship.
"Patriarch, the two new ships have been tested in the tiger's mouth. According to your instructions, patriarch, several modifications have been made to the hull. It is indeed much stronger," Mulu said happily.
"Haha, in the future, you must remember that the keels of ships going to sea must be in a V shape, so that they can draft deep water and their ability to withstand wind and waves is greatly enhanced. Ships sailing in river shoals, depending on the water area, go for a flat bottom !" Hua Xi nodded, made a V-shaped gesture with his right hand, and instructed.
"Yes!" Mulu and other shipwrights bowed and responded.
When he walked to the ferry and looked at the two new ships, Hua Xi found that the hulls of the new ships were exactly what he said. The angle from the side to the bottom of the ship was very large, and the hull of the 23-meter-high ship actually had a draft of one meter. Laishen, even if such a boat goes to sea, it can be like a small tree with its roots deeply rooted in the sea. Its resistance to wind and waves is greatly enhanced, and capsizing accidents will no longer occur as often as before.
The whole new ship looks like, although it is not big, it is quite solid.
Hua Xi specially boarded the ship and went to Hukou for a trial voyage. Sure enough, the ship was just as Muru and the others said. It was much more stable than the last trial voyage. After experiencing the dangers of Hukou once again, Hua Xi returned to the ferry and immediately started to build it. The matter of sail curtain
"Chief, this transport ship is big enough and very strong, but the sailing speed is too slow. To make the transport ship sail now, it takes more than 20 sailors to paddle to make the ship move." Shuitong said
One of the main persons in charge of the shipbuilding immediately pointed out the shortcomings of the transport ship, looking a little worried and troubled.
"Haha, don't worry, let's put a sail on the ship now to make sure the ship speeds up!" Hua Xi walked to the dock, turned around and smiled.
Sail curtains, it is obviously not the time to use cloth sails, so bamboo sails can only be used as a temporary replacement. Due to the strong winds in the sea, the material used to make the sail curtains must first be strong in toughness and not easily torn apart by strong sea winds when sailing on the sea.
People go to the seaside jungles and riversides to collect natural plant materials such as bamboo leaves, leaves, twigs and reeds.
Not long after, the first batch of raw materials for bamboo sails were collected. Because there were so many people collecting them, the materials piled up around the dock were like a small hill.
"Ah, clan leader, can these things speed up the boat?" Shuitong asked in confusion.
"Well, come on, come over and help me, let's weave these things into a canopy together," Hua Xi waved and shouted.
Then, Hua Xi began to teach everyone step by step how to weave a mat, which is also a bamboo sail! The method of weaving a bamboo sail is similar to that of a bamboo mat. Hua Xi only said it a few times, and the tribesmen looked at it after a stick of incense.
Find a seat to weave by yourself. There are many people and strength, and it doesn't take an hour. Dozens of mats of different sizes were woven. Hua Xi took the mats from everyone's hands with a smile, looked carefully, and found that the mats woven by the tribesmen were
The mat is better than me. I feel embarrassed for a while. Even something as simple as weaving a mat requires experience and skills.
The mat canopy has been made, and the last process is to connect these large and small mat canopies together to form a large bamboo sail. Although the process of connecting seems simple, it requires that the connection position must be tight and solid enough.
This takes some time
Taking advantage of the time when the tribesmen were assembling the bamboo sail, Hua Xi found dozens of ropes and bamboo strips more than three meters long. Soon, the bamboo sail was announced to be completed. Hua Xi took the ropes and bamboo strips, and together with the tribe, he made the new
The bamboo sail that came out was carried to a new ship
"Chief, bamboo sail, is it a bamboo sail?" A sailor was about to ask the clan leader, but suddenly he was not sure whether the newly made thing was called a bamboo sail, so he quickly asked the sailor next to him.
"Haha!" The sailor's funny behavior caused everyone to burst into laughter. The atmosphere on the ship also changed from excitement and excitement to a trace of joy and relaxation.
"Yes, this thing is called a sail. Because it is made of bamboo stool material, we call it a bamboo sail!" Hua Xi raised a corner of the bamboo sail and shouted to the crowd.
"Bamboo sail! Bamboo sail! Bamboo sail!" Everyone shouted in unison. The loud and powerful voice was like the sound of metal and stone. It was deep yet loud. This series of shouts also announced to the world a new era of Chinese tribes.
Coming soon!
"Chief, the bamboo sail is ready. How can we make such a big ship sail faster?" Shuitong asked anxiously.
"Also, patriarch! Why did you bring so much rope and bamboo?" The sailor just pointed at the pile of things at Hua Xi's feet and asked doubtfully
"Haha, you will know it once you do it. Let me tell you something, and maybe you will understand it!" Hua Xi said with a smile, and walked straight to a raised side of the ship and sat down.
After thinking for a moment, Hua Xi asked: "When you are walking, if a strong wind comes towards you, how would you feel?"
"Ah, no need to ask, of course I find it difficult to walk!"
"Yes, if the wind is very strong, children may be blown backwards!"
"Hey, don't tell me. When I went to Iron Wall not long ago, I passed a mountain pass and was blown by the mountain wind. I had to exert enough strength to move forward!"
"Yes! Yes! What you said is..."
After everyone heard Hua Xi's question, they all started talking about it. For a while, there was a lot of discussion on the boat and on the ferry, and they all discussed the impact of the headwind on their walking.
"Haha, be quiet! Then let me ask you again, what if a strong wind blows you from behind?" Hua Xi saw that everyone's active thinking had been aroused, and she seized the opportunity to ask.
"Of course it's much easier to pull. If the wind is strong, you won't even have to walk!" This time, everyone almost shouted out in unison!
"Yes, the sail we are going to make now goes out to sea in this way. You also know how strong the sea wind is. If it is farther away, the sea wind will be even stronger. As long as we hang the sail on this mast, the sea wind will blow on the mast of the ship.
The sails on it can make our ship sail faster." Hua Xi revealed the answer and explained with gestures
"Ah, the stronger the wind, the faster our ship will go! I understand, I understand, haha!" An old sailor slapped his head several times and jumped while shouting
"Haha, I understand too. So this is how the sail is used!" Gradually, more and more sailors seemed to understand the power principle of the sail from Hua Xi's explanation.
"But chief, what are you bringing all these bamboos and ropes for?" Shuitong asked again, pointing to the pile of things at Hua Xi's feet.
"With clear water, these things are naturally tools for hanging bamboo sails!" Mulu said with a smile. It seems that Mulu, a shipbuilder with rich shipbuilding experience, already understands the general principles of sails!
"Ah!" Shuitong looked at Mulu in surprise.
"Yes, as Mulu said, these are the things to hang the sail. I will teach you how to hang it." Hua Xi struck while the iron was hot, bent down and started to install bamboo on the bamboo sail.
Installing bamboo strips on the sail has several advantages. It can increase the weight of the sail; it can also be folded easily when the sail is furled.
Limited to technological civilization, things like hemp ropes, iron wheels, and cloth sails have not yet come out. The operating system that saves effort and maximizes efficiency has been forced to shelve the most primitive and laborious sail raising and reefing system.
I can only make do with it.
The ship's mast is thick enough and erected in the center of the transport ship. It is four meters high from the deck to the top, which is enough to provide sufficient power for this small ship, but in the eyes of primitive people, it is a huge sea castle.
Because it is a bamboo sail, the placement of the bamboo strips is very different from that of the cloth sail in setting up the furling operation. The bamboo sail is not as light and convenient as the cloth sail, so it has poor performance, so Hua Xi installed the bamboo horizontally.
On the bamboo sail, a piece of bamboo was installed every half meter! When the bamboo sail was really seated, Hua Xi, with the help of the sailors, tied ropes to the two ends of the bamboos at the top of the bamboo sail.
We worked together to pull the bamboo sail onto the T-shaped mast of the ship.
"Is everyone ready?" Hua Xi asked energetically to the group of sailors behind him who were holding on to the ropes.
"Ready, chief! You give the order!" the sailors responded in unison.
"Okay! Get ready, I'll call 1.2.3, and you guys will pull up, you know?" It was the first time to raise the sail. Like other sailors, Hua Xi was very excited.
"Yes! Shout!"
"Shout, patriarch, we really want to take a look!"
The sailors on the ship and the sailors, shipwrights and other tribesmen who were watching on the ferry were making noises, and their voices were obviously full of excitement and pride!
"One, two, three, pull!" Hua Xi shouted in a long voice.
"Hey -" As soon as Hua Xi said the word "L", dozens of sailors on the boat hummed in unison, pulled the reins in their hands behind them, and leaned back
"Alas, alas, alas! Stop, that's not the case!" The ship's mast suddenly made a sharp sound. Hua Xi knew it was caused by inconsistent strength and hurriedly asked everyone to stop!
"Clan leader, isn't that how you pull it?" Bucket behind Hua Xi asked in confusion.
"Of course not. When we raise the sail, we should be like rowing an oar. When I call out 1.2.3, pull back. Then wait for me to call again and you pull again, so that the mast supporting the sail will not be seriously damaged!" Hua
Xi knew that she had explained clearly, so she was not angry. On the contrary, her face was filled with excitement and excitement.
"Oh, this is it!" Everyone suddenly realized
"Get ready... one, two, three, pull!" Hua Xi shouted the command again
"Hey..." This time, the sailors understood how to pull it, and the bamboo sail rose to a good height.
"One, two, three, pull!"
"Hey..."
"One, two, three, pull!"
"Hey..."
After going back and forth several times, the bamboo sail was quickly raised.
"Oh, it's risen, haha--" When the bamboo sail was raised, everyone was so happy that they started jumping for joy before even tying the reins to a wooden stake at the stern.
"Crash - crash -" The reins of the bamboo sail were not tied, and most of the sailors let go of their hands holding the reins out of excitement, so the bamboo sail fell down with a few clatters.
"Ah - haha!" Seeing the fallen bamboo sail, Hua Xi and the sailors were stunned for a moment, looked at each other, and burst into laughter. Not long after, the bamboo sail was raised again, and
The reins that pull the bamboo sail are tightly tied to a wooden stake.