The Ming Dynasty 1626 Enlightenment

Chapter 18 The Craftsmanship of Zhu Youxiao of the Tianqi Era

At this very moment, a sky storm is about to strike from the dark fog.

Wind, clatter clatter clatter; Thunder, crackle clatter clatter clatter;

The rain pattered down; lightning flashed.

Zhu Ming was sailing on the endless ocean in his dilapidated Ming Dynasty ship, wearing a tricorn hat askew with the brim pulled low, covering half of his eyes, looking every bit like a medieval captain.

"Full speed! Full speed!"

He staggered on the boat, rhythmically swaying his body to maintain his balance as the boat rocked, shouting at the top of his lungs.

The ship's first mate, Zhu Ming, was lying on the gunwale when a wave crashed over him, causing him to fall backward and nearly tumble into the sea.

He grabbed the rope, his whole body billowing like a flag in the wind, shouting, "Captain! We can't find our way in the fog!"

"We were on a one-way trip from the start! Do you understand?!" Captain Zhu Ming kicked his first mate Zhu Ming aside and gave orders as he walked, "Raise the jacking line! Release the sail rigging line!"

"Yes, Captain!" a shirtless sailor named Zhu Ming, clinging to the ropes, shouted back, then turned and yelled down, "Hurry up and loosen the sail rigging! Don't dawdle!"

"Yes, Captain!" the sailors below responded in unison, busily getting to work.

Captain Zhu Ming staggered to the bow and roared at the muscular helmsman, Zhu Ming, "Hard to port! Full speed ahead into the storm!"

"Roger that, Captain!" Helmsman Zhu Ming gripped the helm tightly with both hands, veins bulging on his arms. Rain soaked his face, but he grinned, his face full of excitement.

"Adjust the auger! Hook the triangular sail!"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Yes, Captain!"

.....

The responses rose and fell in the wind and rain.

Captain Zhu Ming ripped off the brim of his hat, rain pelting his face, but he paid no heed, staring intently at the churning darkness ahead.

"The Ming Dynasty's treasure ships, charge in!"

The wrecked ship plunged headlong into the storm.

The world spun around.

Waves crashed in from all directions, making the ship feel like it was being torn apart. The mooring lines lashed wildly against the mast in the wind, emitting a sharp whistling sound.

Helmsman Zhu Ming gritted his teeth and gripped the helm tightly. Rain and sweat mixed together and dripped down his tense jaw.

The shirtless sailors clung tightly to the ropes, their bodies tossed about like a string of bells jingling in the wind.

The ship's first mate, Zhu Ming, was knocked down on the deck by a wave. He got up, fell down again, and got up again!

"Hold on!" Captain Zhu Ming's voice pierced through the storm. "Don't let go! Don't let go!"

Then, after who knows how much time had passed!

The wind stopped, the rain stopped, and the waves calmed down.

The ship emerged from the fog.

The sunlight was blinding, and the sea was as calm as a mirror.

Blue sky and white clouds, calm as if the storm had never happened.

On the deck, Zhu Ming leaned against the mast, took off his tricorn hat, looked back at the road ahead, and behind him was a thick, impenetrable dark fog, like a high wall stretching between the sky and the sea.

He froze, stunned.

A city.

A complete, enormous city built of wood and stone stands silently between the sea and the sky.

Vermilion palace walls, golden glazed tiles, flying eaves and upturned corners, layer upon layer, stretching from the sea to the horizon.

Isn't this the Forbidden City?

"This dream felt so real! It's like I've had it so many times before!"

Zhu Ming looked at his modern clothes with a puzzled expression.

The next moment, he appeared in front of the Forbidden City gate.

The vermilion wooden door was tightly shut. He walked over and prepared to gently push it open.

With a creak, the door opened automatically before he could even touch it.

"Automatic doors? That's ridiculous!"

Zhu Ming muttered something and went inside.

The plaza behind the gate was empty, with a thin layer of dust covering the gold brick surface.

"Taihe Gate?"

Zhu Ming continued walking, passing through several gates, and then looked up at the plaque in front of him.

He continued walking through the Gate of Supreme Harmony, through the Hall of Supreme Harmony, through the Hall of Central Harmony, and through the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

Every door was open, and every hall was empty.

There was no one, no sound, only the echo of his own footsteps on the gold bricks, one after another, like someone beating a drum.

Click. Click. Click.

He stopped in his tracks.

It wasn't footsteps.

It was rhythmic, one beat at a time, like someone sawing wood, coming from the direction of a side hall in front.

Zhu Ming followed the sound.

Walk through a long corridor, turn a corner, and push open an inconspicuous side door.

This is a huge, empty hall.

Sunlight streamed in through the high window panes, falling on a huge object in the very center.

Zhu Ming initially thought it was a house, but it wasn't; it was a boat.

A huge model sailboat, three or four meters long, about the size of a room.

The hull has already taken shape; the keel, hull, deck, and mast are all polished smooth as jade, with the wood grain clearly visible.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of pine, and wood shavings and sawdust were piled up at my feet, like a thin layer of snow.

There was a person standing below the boat.

A young man in plain clothes, with his back to Zhu Ming, was slowly pushing a plane across the hull of the boat.

The wood shavings rolled out of his hands, as thin as paper, curled into a beautiful arc, and fell to the ground.

The young man stopped what he was doing, straightened up, looked at the block of wood in his hand, and said with satisfaction, "Good. It should be suitable now."

Zhu Ming, not understanding why, stepped forward and walked to the young man's side.

His pupils suddenly contracted.

This ship looks familiar.

This...this is Zheng He's treasure ship!

"Yes! It's Zheng He's treasure ship!" the young man's voice rang out again, seemingly already aware of Zhu Ming's arrival. "My craftsmanship is not bad, is it?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his head and glanced at Zhu Ming.

That face looked exactly like Zhu Ming's.

Zhu Youxiao, this is the original soul of the Ming Dynasty's incarnation, Emperor Tianqi, Zhu Youxiao.

"..."

Zhu Ming opened his mouth, but the sound got stuck in his throat, as if something was blocking it.

He stared at the face that looked exactly like his own for three seconds, and suddenly realized that this wasn't actually that shocking.

After all, I've already traveled through time, so I can accept any kind of nonsense now.

"You're late this time!" Zhu Youxiao gestured with his chin towards a wooden stump next to him. "Sit!"

Zhu Ming didn't stand on ceremony and sat down!

Zhu Youxiao sat down, brushed the wood chips off his clothes, and asked with a hint of pride, "How is the restoration of Zheng He's treasure ship?"

"Very good!" Zhu Ming replied calmly, without much surprise.

Zhu Youxiao, the Tianqi Emperor, is also recorded in history for his superb skills and ingenious ideas.

According to records, he once built a small palace out of wood, which was only three or four feet high (about 1 meter), and its interior was exquisitely furnished.

This ingenious skill earned him the reputation of being the "Lu Ban of the Ming Dynasty".

In that case, making a model of Zheng He's treasure ship would be a piece of cake.

The plot is reasonable, so Zhu Ming has no reason to be shocked.

"Ah! Shouldn't you be a little shocked?" Zhu Youxiao said, somewhat displeased.

"..." Zhu Ming has been extremely tired in the past year. In the midst of strategizing and planning, he rarely shows his joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness. All he shows is the majesty of the Tianqi Emperor.

"That's true! You're from the future, you've seen too many sophisticated machines! Enough! Enough!"

He paused, then reflected on his words.

Zhu Ming did not deny it.

"Why...why are you doing this?" Zhu Ming asked warily. After all, having his identity exposed, especially by the original owner's soul, was embarrassing!

That was extremely embarrassing!

Of course, Zhu Ming, whose mind was working very fast, could only awkwardly bring up questions that did not involve the future, and then continued the topic of Zheng He's treasure ships.

"To sail the Western Ocean!" Zhu Youxiao replied. "Currently, the ships of the Ming Dynasty can barely reach the Southeast Asia! According to our plan, to save the Ming Dynasty and spread its might across the land, Zheng He's treasure ships are indispensable!"

"Huh...?" Zhu Ming was a little confused.

Us? Our plan? It seems this isn't the first time I've encountered Zhu Youxiao, the original owner of this body.

Also, didn't he just say he was late?

What's going on?

"With the technology of the Ming Dynasty now, it would be a piece of cake for those people in the Ministry of Works to replicate Zheng He's treasure ships!" Zhu Youxiao stood up, walked to the side of the treasure ship, and patted the hull.

The ship emitted a deep, resonant echo.

Zhu Ming nodded, agreeing with Zhu Youxiao's words.

After all, the treasure ships that Yongle was able to build could be easily replicated by the Ming Dynasty with a little manpower and resources, but there was no rush.

What Zhu Ming is most anxious about now is having strong ships and powerful cannons to fight battles.

"Hmm! So you're late this time!" Zhu Youxiao looked at Zhu Ming with a smug expression.

"Is it too late?"

"That's right!" Zhu Youxiao raised his hand and waved it gently.

The light and shadow in the main hall suddenly changed.

Next to the treasure ship, several more ship models appeared.

They come in all shapes and sizes, some with iron shells, some with wooden shells, and some with sails and chimneys.

Zhu Ming, a newly minted content creator with 800 followers and a seasoned military history enthusiast, immediately recognized the origins of these warship models:

The French ship "Glorious" was an ironclad ocean-going warship with a hybrid power of sails and steam. It had a wooden hull with a 100mm thick iron belt and was equipped with eight 239mm guns and six 190mm guns.

HMS Bellerophon, the world's first ironclad warship with a gun emplacement, was armed with four 229mm rifled guns and twenty 178mm rifled guns, and powered by four boilers driving two steam engines.

HMS Devastation, the world's first capital ship to completely abandon sails and adopt pure steam power, saw its guns concentrated in the middle of the hull and its armor thickened.

Wait, warship models...

"If you had come earlier, you could have helped me choose which one to make first!" Zhu Youxiao said. "So, I simply made a model of all the steam warships suitable for this era."

"Oh! That's great! The Ministry of Works' research on steam engines is almost fruitful!" Zhu Ming paused for a moment, then replied, "It's also time to upgrade our Ming Dynasty's warships!"

Yes, shortly after arriving in the world, Zhu Ming, with the help of Wei Zhongxian, immediately took complete control of the Ministry of Works.

With the help of the Ministry of Works' talented personnel and Zhu Ming's innovative ideas, research on the steam engine was launched immediately.

Now, a year later, the first phase of improvements is complete, and the second phase of application has begun...

He was stuck on the question of "what kind of ship to build." He knew what warships looked like after the Industrial Revolution, but he didn't know the blueprints—it was difficult!

If the Ministry of Works were to study this, it would take decades, by which time it would be too late!

When the time comes, he'll have to take Chongzhen's place and hang himself on that crooked tree in Meishan.

As the words fell, Zhu Youxiao's figure and the model of the warship before him transformed into a sky full of starlight, flooding into Zhu Ming's mind...

Zhu Ming woke up in Kunning Palace with a splitting headache.

He covered his head and closed his eyes.

pain..

pain…

pain…

My mind was filled with many things—blueprints, blueprints accurate to every single rivet, from the keel to the mast, from the boiler to the propeller.

Every component, every joint, and every process of those steam warships was clearly etched in his memory, as if he had drawn and built them himself.

"Your Majesty, were you having a nightmare?" Zhang Yan's voice was filled with worry. "You kept shouting something like 'Full speed!' 'Charge!'..."

Zhu Ming sat up, took Zhang Yan's hand, and suddenly smiled.

There was no weariness or anxiety in that smile, only a sense of relief.

"No," he said. "I had a wonderful dream."

He turned to look out the window.

It was already daylight.

Wang Tiqian is back today; those things should have been found by now.

Well then, it's time to get to work.