At the end of April, spring and Jingming, everything is flourishing. Pillars of burnt smoke rose across the kingdom. Under the guidance of the village priest, the farmers leveled the land, prepared to grow grain, repaired farm tools, and nervously made various preparations for spring plowing. In order to complete the strictly required reclaimed area, some villages are even more impatient and have even started farming.

In this busy season, Xiulot is not idle. He took two hundred armored personal guards, left the river mouth fortress, and went straight to the dock on the river bank.

Not long ago, the Northern Shipbuilding Department sent good news. After more than a year of exploration and manufacture, the first galley of the kingdom is finally launched!

The king hurried all the way, stepping on the spring grass, and soon arrived at the dock at the river mouth.

The craftsmen of the shipyard had already been waiting outside. The leading master shipbuilder, Pukuta, had gray hair, an obsidian necklace around his neck, and a robe of a god-inspired priest. Yes, after the establishment of the Northern Shipbuilding Department, Pukuta, as the most senior master shipbuilder, has been promoted to the second-level god-inspired priest with great knowledge. He actually dominated the shipbuilding business in the north and became a member of the rulers of the kingdom.

"Your Majesty, Pukuta greets you!"

Pukuta knelt down to salute, and the shipyard craftsmen fell to their knees with a clatter. The senior shipwrights at the front also wore the robes of the explorers, the first-level god-inspired priests. With this status, they can reduce taxes and labor, and enjoy the same status as the preaching priests of the village.

Xiulot looked at the many excited shipwrights in the meeting, and nodded with a smile.

"Get up! Where are the newly launched boats?"

Pukuta got up from the ground neatly. He straightened his waist and smoothed the priest's robe on his body. The overall robe is plain in color, simple and elegant, with the hummingbird logo of the main **** painted on the left chest, and two small square characters of "Boshi" embroidered on the right chest as the symbol of the second-level priest. The senior shipwright behind him also got up together, revealing "Explore" with a neat chest.

The God-inspired robe was of course Xiulot's design. In fact, when designing the robes for the priests of divine enlightenment, the first symbol that appeared in his mind was the blue "beaker", and the second symbol was the "atom" with orbits. As a symbol of scientific research, these symbols represent the king's ardent hope for the god-inspired priesthood.

The reason why he broke the resistance and set up the system of god-inspired priests is to absorb craftsmen and scholars from various industries, so that they can rely on technological research to gain wealth and status, and become a source of power to promote the development of productivity.

Pukuta stretched out his hand confidently, and pointed to Lake Queteo outside the dock.

"Your Majesty, please follow me!"

Everyone moved their steps and soon came to the lake. The first thing that caught Shulot's eyes was a catamaran canoe. It consists of two small canoes on a wooden beam deck, which are carefully spliced.

"Your Majesty, the length of this wind canoe is about 7-8 meters, plus the two decks, the width is 2-3 meters, and it can carry 24 paddlers. If the extended deck is added, the load can be as high as several tons."

Hearing this, Xiuluo nodded. He pondered for a while and asked.

"The carrying capacity of this wind canoe seems to be similar to the kingdom's large canoe and warship."

"Indeed!"

Pukuta nodded. He gestured the distance from bow to stern and explained.

"However, this kind of catamaran does not need big logs. The large canoes in the Kingdom need tough logs with a height of more than 15 meters and a diameter of 2-3 meters. At the same time, the design of this catamaran makes the boat faster and more stable, and the draft is also very shallow.”

As he said that, Pukuta stepped forward two steps, boarded the catamaran, and explained to the king carefully.

"Please look, Your Majesty! The foundation of this boat is two canoes made by hollowing out the center of the trunk. Then, on the outside of the canoe, design an outboard oar rack. Then, connect the two boats with wooden beams , fixed with mortise and copper nails. After completion, the deck is laid between the two ships, the front and rear masts are erected, reinforced with rigging, and sails made of sisal are added..."

Shulot watched carefully, seeing the carpentry craftsmanship connecting the two ships, and nodded repeatedly. After a while, Pukuta stopped talking and asked expectantly.

"Your Majesty, do you have any inspirations to guide me about the craftsmanship of this ship?"

"Well... this ship is the same front and rear, symmetrical left and right, the bow and stern can be interchanged, and it is very flexible on the battlefield... the form of the sail can be adjusted appropriately, and you can try both the jib and the square sail..."

Shulot faltered a few words, then asked with a serious look on his face.

"Pukuta, what is the speed of this Wind Canoe?"

"...Your Majesty is wise."

Hearing this, Pukuta lowered his head and flattered him with a compliment. Then, he suggested.

"As for the specific speed of the ship... the apprentice craftsman in the dock is familiar with the ship, so he can demonstrate it for His Highness."

Xiulot nodded in agreement. The two stepped off the boat and replaced with two teams of 24 craftsman apprentices as rowers. Soon, Pukuta waved the command flag with his own hands, and the apprentices puffed up their cheeks and tried their best to paddle towards the lake. From time to time, the boat will turn flexibly, even change its head and tail, and row backwards.

The king stretched out his arm, measured with one eye closed, and roughly estimated the speed of the ship.

"The paddlers are trying their best to advance, and the limit boat speed is 20 kilometers per hour, which is about 6 meters per second. Of course, this kind of boat speed lasts for a moment at most, and the normal speed should be half of the limit. The current of Lake Queteo Basically still, the speed of the boat in the downstream and upstream should be subtracted from the current speed. The rotating sail can use the wind force to save the paddler's physical energy consumption..."

"In general, this is a flexible and stable small boat, similar to Polynesian catamarans, mainly in rivers and lakes, and can also try to sail in offshore waters. Archers can also be carried on the deck for water warfare."

After watching for a moment, Shulot nodded in satisfaction.

"Pkuta, you did a great job! This kind of ship costs less, can be manufactured on a large scale, and can be added to the Royal Navy. I will give rewards to all craftsmen!"

Then, he looked to the other side of the dock and asked impatiently.

"That large long ship is the newly launched galley?"

"Exactly!"

Pukuta nodded proudly. He first waved the command flag to signal the canoe of the wind to return. Then he himself led the king to the brand-new galley.

"Your Highness, this is the result of the shipbuilding department's hard work over the past year. It is a powerful warship that has never appeared in the Kingdom, the Crocodile Galleon!"

"...a crocodile galley?"

"Yes! Its shape is as graceful as a crocodile in the Leman River, and it is also as strong and brave as a crocodile! And its speed far exceeds that of a crocodile!"

Shulot stopped, squinted his eyes, and looked at the "huge" ship in front of him. The galley was much larger than he had estimated. Its shape is long and slender, with a very shallow draft, like an enlarged version of a giant canoe, and there is a long mast in the middle of the boat with sails hanging on it.

"...Isn't this the Viking longship? The 'Skei' that rides the wind and waves..."

"Your Highness is wise! The crocodile longboat that rides the wind and waves!"

Pukuta stood by and raised his head proudly after listening for a while. He stretched out his hand and introduced it to His Majesty.

"Your Majesty, this large galley ship is about 20 meters long and 5.5 meters wide in the middle. It can accommodate 40 oarsmen on both sides of the hull. It can carry 40 soldiers or 30 tons of cargo in the middle! Its maximum speed is even Exceeding the canoe of the wind, the average speed is 10-16 kilometers per hour!"

"A warship that can accommodate 80 people, with a load of up to 30 tons, and an average speed of 5-9 knots!"

Hearing this, Xiulot was a little moved. He immediately stepped forward and carefully inspected the structure of the ship. Pukuta also stepped forward and explained everything proudly.

"Your Majesty, according to your guidance, we first selected a large oak with a length of more than 20 meters from the dock inventory as the main keel that runs through the front and rear. It took several months to process this oak alone! Then, the craftsman It took us several months to rely on the main keel, mortise and mortise the keel frames on both sides, build symmetrical bows on both sides, and fix them with copper nails. After all this was done, the craftsmen could rivet the deck to the frame. And add supporting ribs..."

"Furthermore, I personally erected the mast and sail mast in the center of the galley, which are fully 10 meters high! At the stern, according to the rudder idea you mentioned, I set up two fixed rudder oars, It is easy to turn. Then, after constant tests and adjustments, I finally completed this unprecedented 'giant ship' and named it the Crocodile Galley!"

Pukuta introduced his masterpiece with the momentum like a crocodile.

Xiulot listened intently, didn't say anything, just nodded. Although this kind of long ship was widely used by the Vikings more than a thousand years ago, shuttling in the waves of the North Sea, but in this era, in the world of Central America, it is indeed a powerful "giant ship" that has never been seen before. ", can crush the navy of all parts of the world!

It wasn't until Pukuta finished speaking that the king handed him his water jug ​​and said with a smile.

"Pukuta, don't let someone show you one or two!"

"Okay! Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Pukuta unscrewed the kettle and drank a few sips, which turned out to be hibiscus flower tea with honey, sour and sweet, which quenched his thirst. After drinking, the old boatman waved his hand.

"You, you, you... all go up and row the boat, and demonstrate it to His Majesty!"

Forty apprentices boarded the ship immediately. They turned their backs to the bow and sat down on the wooden piers on both sides of the ship. The apprentices held the several-meter-long wooden oars in both hands, stretched their legs slightly, and kicked on the edge of the wooden pier in front of them for strength. On both sides of the ship's side, there are small racks specially designed for placing wooden oars. In wartime, a row of shields can be tied to the sides of the ship.

As the command flag was waved, all the apprentices pulled the wooden oars to paddle, pushing the boat forward. Then, the wooden paddle rises out of the water, is pushed through a half-arc, and falls into the water again for paddling. This cycle goes on and on, and the long boat cuts through the water like a sharp arrow and rushes forward!

"Haha, good, good!"

Seeing the long boat moving fast, Xiulot waved his arms excitedly and laughed heartily.

The appearance of this long ship means that the kingdom has finally broken through the limitations of the times, and has the first ship that can truly sail on the sea! The Lower California Islands, the Isthmus of Panama, and even the Caribbean Islands, the coast of the Inca... The magnificent sea world, the endless hope for the future, finally embraced the king.

After a while, Shulot turned around in satisfaction and looked at Pukuta who was equally excited.

"Pukuta, I want to reward you generously! Witnessed by the Lord God! From today onwards, as the head of the Shipbuilding Department, you will be the third-level god-inspired priest, the log driller! Within the kingdom, your status will be the same as that of the second-level hereditary Nobles are equal, granting 2,400 acres of land!"

"Ah! Praise the Lord God! Thank you, thank you for your generous reward!"

Pukuta was startled, overjoyed. He suddenly fell to his knees and paid homage to the king. Since then, his family has jumped up and completely entered the ranks of the upper-class nobles, resting with the kingdom.

Hearing such a reward, the craftsmen behind were all red-eyed. Xiulot glanced at them and promised generously.

"The Shipbuilding Department has contributed to the development of the new ship, and all craftsmen will be rewarded! The kingdom will give you gold, silver, gemstones, cotton cloth and cocoa! And in order of credit, the best three will be promoted to the second-level wood driller, and the next seven will be promoted to the first-level Explorer!"

A low exclamation sounded among the craftsmen. The king's reward is extremely generous! As long as they obtained the position of priest, the craftsmen could change their status and become a member of the ruler of the kingdom. This is a smooth way to change destiny!

Shulot looked at the crowd with a smile, hoping to flow in his heart. Afterwards, he asked expectantly again.

"Pukuta, how is the research on the scroll of sand boats I gave you?"

"His Majesty..."

Pukuta hesitated for a while, and said bluntly.

"The shipbuilder can't make your second volume of ship plans."

"Um?"

Shulot frowned slightly, and looked at Pukuta calmly.

The heavy pressure rushed to the face, making people's knees weak. Pukuta gritted his teeth, still straightened his waist, and shook his head affirmatively.

"Your Majesty, the shipbuilder can't understand the flat keel you mentioned, so he can only slowly try to figure it out. Shipbuilding is a job of experience and technology. Without experience and technology, if you can't make it, you can't make it. Unless there is a more powerful Master Shipwright joins."

Having said that, Pukuta looked confident. In his view, the only people in the world whose shipbuilding technology may surpass that of the people in the lake are the Mayan tribes in the far east. Among the people in the lake, there is definitely no one who can surpass him in shipbuilding.

"The only way is to keep trying to build new ships, and then improve and rebuild after trial and error. I have carefully studied the ship type you mentioned, and I want to have a rough finished product, at least ten years to start!"

Afterwards, Pukuta paused, looked at the face of the king, and said cautiously.

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, the current crocodile galley still has a lot of room for improvement. The shipbuilder is sure to continue to improve and make it bigger, faster, and stronger! As long as you can always provide sufficient manpower , wood and copper..."

Xiulot was silent for a moment, and UU Reading www.uukanshu.com let out a long breath. He also understands that the shipbuilding industry is the industry with the heaviest accumulation and the most difficult to overtake in corners. Now relying on the copper materials and craftsmen of the Kingdom of the Lake, being able to build catamaran canoes and Viking longships is already a huge progress, and it can even be said to be the pinnacle of the world's shipbuilding industry!

The king showed a gentle smile, stretched out his hand, and pressed Pukuta's shoulder.

"Pukuta, do it well and think carefully! Professional people manage professional departments. Since the shipbuilding department is in your hands, you should practice shipbuilding more, accumulate more wood, and don't worry about the consumption of materials. As long as I am here, the kingdom I will always support you! I still say the same thing, the shipbuilding industry is very important, and the future of the kingdom is in your hard-working hands!..."

"Your Majesty, you are the real sun!"

Hearing this, Pukuta showed rare respect on his old face. He knelt down, bowed his head deeply, performed a ceremony of allegiance, and gave his hair to the king.

With a solemn expression, Xiulot stretched out his hand to hold the old boatman's gray hair. The old and the young face each other, but Bole looks after the horse, and the monarch and his ministers get each other. And the sailing era of the people of the Americas is waiting for the opening of the two!

Please remember the first domain name of this book: . :