plumnovel Chapter 103 Engineering Plan
Chapter 103 Engineering Plan
Linqing Prefecture, canal wharf.
Lu Yan stood on the dock, looking at the scene before him with a furrowed brow.
On the dock, dozens of giant Phoebe zhennan logs were piled up haphazardly, like small mountains. The largest one was ten zhang long and more than three chi in diameter, weighing at least tens of thousands of jin.
These logs were transported from Sichuan and Hubei, thousands of miles away, and each one is priceless.
But now, they sit on the dock like a pile of waste, unable to move.
"Lord Lu, as you can see, this is the situation."
A minor official from Linqing Prefecture stood beside Lu Yan, his face full of worry.
"These royal timbers are too large; ordinary barges simply can't fit them. Even if they could manage to load them, the water is too deep and the river too shallow, making it impossible to move."
"Where are the laborers?"
"They've all run away," the clerk sighed. "Transporting imperial timber is hard work—low pay, strenuous labor, and dangerous. A few days ago, a laborer was crushed to death by falling timber, and when the others heard that, they all fled."
Lu Yan nodded without saying anything.
He walked around the dock, carefully observing the terrain and hydrology.
The canal makes a bend here, narrowing the channel and lowering the water level considerably. Ordinary barges with a draft of three feet could barely pass through. But after being loaded with imperial timber, the draft increased to at least five feet, making it impossible for them to pass.
"Zhao Tie."
"Your subordinate is here."
Zhao Tie stepped out from the crowd. He was Lu Yan's chief ordnance officer and also a shipbuilding expert.
"Take a look at this river. Could we build a special kind of barge with a shallower draft and a larger carrying capacity?"
Zhao Tie squatted down, probed the water depth with his hand, and then looked at the width of the river.
"Master, the shallowest part of this river is only four feet deep. To cross, the barge's draft cannot exceed three feet."
"But the imperial timber is so heavy that a barge with a draft of three feet simply cannot carry it."
"unless……"
"Unless what?"
"Unless we use a flat-bottomed boat," Zhao Tie said. "Flat-bottomed boats have a shallow draft and can carry a large load. But their disadvantage is that they are unstable and prone to capsizing."
"Could you improve it to make it more stable?"
Zhao Tie thought for a moment and said:
"You could try a catamaran. Two flat-bottomed boats tied together side by side, with a platform in the middle. This is both stable and has a shallow draft."
Lu Yan's eyes lit up.
"Great idea! Can you build it?"
"Yes, we can," Zhao Tie nodded, "but it will take time and money."
"How long will it take?"
"One month."
"Too slow." Lu Yan shook his head. "Eunuch Liu gave us three months; we don't have that much time."
"Then... half a month?"
"Half a month." Lu Yan pondered for a moment. "Okay. Don't worry about the money, I'll figure something out."
"yes."
Zhao Tie accepted the order and left.
Lu Yan continued walking along the dock and came to an open space.
There were some old lifting equipment piled up here—a few thick wooden poles, a few hemp ropes, and a few old pulleys.
"What are these?"
"Your Excellency, these were used for loading and unloading goods before," the clerk replied, "but the imperial timber is too heavy; these things simply cannot be lifted."
Lu Yan squatted down and examined the pulleys carefully.
The pulleys are made of wood and are roughly made; the bearings are also made of wood and have a lot of friction.
No wonder it couldn't be lifted.
"Zhao Changying."
"Your subordinate is here."
"Find a few blacksmiths and have them forge a batch of iron pulleys. The bearings should be made of copper, the smoother the better."
"yes."
Zhao Changying accepted the order and left.
Lu Yan stood up, looked at the dock in front of him, and a complete plan had already formed in his mind.
First, build catamarans with flat bottoms to solve the transportation problem.
Second, use iron pulley systems to solve the loading and unloading problem.
Third, segmented relay transportation improves efficiency.
Fourth, work relief was provided to organize refugees to carry out construction projects.
These four steps are interconnected and none can be omitted.
"Manager Hu."
"I'm here."
Hu Jingshui walked out of the crowd.
"Go to Linqing City and find out where there are refugees gathered. We need to hire workers."
How many people do you want to hire?
"We'll recruit five hundred people first," Lu Yan said. "Food and lodging will be provided, and the daily wage will be twenty coins. Those who perform well will receive additional bonuses."
"yes."
Hu Jingshui accepted the order and left.
……
three days later.
Linqing Prefecture, Lu Ji Carriage and Horse Shop Branch.
Lu Yan sat in the back room with a blueprint spread out in front of him.
The drawings show the design of a catamaran flat-bottomed boat, as well as the schematic diagram of a pulley system for lifting.
"Master, how about this?"
Zhao Tie pointed to the blueprints and explained:
"A catamaran consists of two flat-bottomed boats tied side by side, with a wooden platform in the middle. The platform is five zhang long and two zhang wide, and can carry a medium-sized imperial timber."
"Where's the water?"
"When empty, the draft is one and a half feet; when fully loaded, the draft is three feet."
"Okay." Lu Yan nodded. "Let's build them according to this plan. Let's build ten first and see how it goes."
"yes."
After Zhao Tie left, Lu Yan looked at the blueprints for the pulley system again.
The pulley system was designed based on his knowledge from his previous life. It consists of four iron pulleys forming a fixed pulley system and a movable pulley system, which theoretically can save four times the effort.
In other words, a 10,000-jin (5,000 kg) piece of royal timber can be lifted with only 2,500 jin (1,250 kg) of force.
Ten strong men can easily complete the loading and unloading.
"Master."
Hu Jingshui pushed open the door and entered.
"We've recruited 530 refugees in total. They all fled from Liaodong, mostly young and strong, and capable of working."
"Alright." Lu Yan nodded. "Divide them into ten teams, fifty people per team. One team will be responsible for building the boats, one team for building the pulleys, and the remaining eight teams will be responsible for transporting and loading/unloading."
"yes."
"Also, give each of them a set of cotton-padded clothes, and three meals a day, all they can eat."
"Boss, this is quite an expense," Hu Jingshui said, feeling a pang of regret.
"You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub," Lu Yan said. "If we use these people well, they'll all be our people in the future."
Hu Jingshui thought for a moment and nodded.
"The master is right."
……
Three more days passed.
Linqing Prefecture, canal wharf.
The first catamaran flat-bottomed boat has been launched.
Lu Yan stood on the bank, watching the boat slowly sail into the river.
The boat is wide, stable, and has a shallow draft.
"Boss, shall we try loading the goods?"
Zhao Tie asked.
"Pack."
Several laborers used a pulley system to lift a medium-sized piece of royal timber and slowly lower it onto the boat.
The boat sank slightly, but quickly stabilized.
How much water do you need?
"Two and a half feet."
Lu Yan's lips curled up slightly.
"Okay. Insert another one."
Another piece of royal timber was hoisted onto the ship.
The ship sank again, but remained steady.
How much water do you need?
"Three feet."
"That's enough." Lu Yan nodded. "Follow this standard: two pieces of royal timber per ship."
He turned around and looked at the crowd behind him.
"Gentlemen, the plan for transporting the royal timber has been finalized. Now, it's up to us."
"We need to complete the three-month deadline within two months."
"Those who do a good job will be richly rewarded. Those who don't do a good job..."
He paused, his gaze sharpening.
"Court-martial."
The crowd responded in unison:
"yes!"
Lu Yan turned around and looked at the canal in the distance.
Transporting royal timber is just the first step.
Even greater challenges await him.
"Eunuch Liu, you just wait."
He muttered to himself.
"I, Lu Yan, accept this credit."