Chapter 196: When Zeng Shen Is Said to Kill, Yan Hui Is Seen to Steal Food

Ye Xianggao studied his granddaughter, thinking to himself: "This girl has been married for nearly a year now. Much of what Lin Qian has done was surely kept from her. Telling her about it might not be a bad idea — perhaps she can help admonish him."

With that thought, he had someone fetch a letter from the study.

"Take a look."

Ye Zhen took it and saw it was a letter from Hu Yingtai, Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi. The letter enumerated Lin Qian's offenses — smuggling maritime trade, promoting his own cronies, refusing to obey orders — and then asked Ye Xianggao whether there might be hidden circumstances behind Lin Qian's actions.

Ye Xianggao had known of Lin Qian's deeds before, but they had been confined to the single island of Nan'ao, where the harm was not great. Now, however, he was reaching into Zhangzhou, Chaozhou, and other places, his influence growing ever larger.

On the one hand, he did not wish to see a powerful minister grow too great; on the other, he felt a sense of having been deceived. Thus he was deeply displeased.

To his surprise, after reading the letter, Ye Zhen said: "This is nonsense."

"What?"

Ye Zhen said: "It is true that my husband has opened the seas and opened trade, and governs Zhangzhou — but what he does is absolutely not, as the letter claims, for private gain.

My husband lives frugally. The money from maritime trade does not go into private accounts, but rather to repairing bridges and roads, building ships and opening ports. Throughout Fujian and Guangdong, countless people depend on him for food and clothing. Take just a few months ago — when a merchant fleet docked, the common folk at the wharf worked day and night hauling cargo, utterly exhausted, yet unwilling to spend money on lodging, so they slept in the streets and filled their bellies with coarse grain.

When my husband learned of this, he built shelters for the people and provided meals, taking not a single coin in return.

The people were already fully satisfied with wages several times what they could earn on shore — what could my husband possibly be scheming for?

As for Zhangzhou, my husband's men have repaired bridges and roads, built waterworks, promoted sweet potatoes, and multiplied draft cattle — earning praise from every mouth among the people.

Though I am but a woman of the inner chambers, I know how hard the common folk's lives are.

A thousand words of talk are worth less than a single deed done.

Is my husband's conduct not a hundred, a thousand times better than those who merely prattle about serving the state while posturing with empty integrity?"

Ye Xianggao's eyes went wide, and he said in disbelief: "Did Lin Qian send you to plead his case?"

Ye Zhen shook her head: "Every word I have spoken comes from my heart. If my husband had asked me to persuade Grandfather, I would actually look down on him for it.

But my husband is open and aboveboard — honest with me, and deeply respectful of Grandfather. This is the bearing of a gentleman, and truly worthy of admiration.

In ancient times, when word spread that Zeng Shen had killed a man, his mother heard it three times and fled over the wall; when Yan Hui was seen grabbing food, even with her own eyes she still doubted.

Knowing a man is indeed difficult. I humbly beg Grandfather to accept good counsel, and not to repeat the tale of Bian He, whose feet were cut off again."

Ye Xianggao had excellent self-restraint and never used his elder's status to bully others with authority. He merely said: "You yourself say that knowing a man is difficult. You live in the inner chambers — how do you know the Lin Qian you know is the real one? As the saying goes: 'In the days of his fears, the Duke of Zhou was slandered; in the time of his humility, Wang Mang had not yet usurped.'

Reading a man's heart is not easy; buying a man's heart is not hard. How do you know that what he does today is not preparation for rebellion tomorrow?

Lin Qian grows ever more powerful. If one day — if one day he truly rises in revolt, what will you do then?"

Ye Zhen laughed lightly: "In the court today, the eunuch faction and the Donglin are locked in endless strife. If there were to be chaos, would it truly begin first in the southeast?

Besides, if my husband truly had rebellious intentions, why would he go twice to Liaodong, traveling a thousand li, to pacify and destroy the Jianzhou barbarians?

Would it not be better to drive out the tiger and devour the wolf, reaping the spoils without lifting a finger? Grandfather's words do my husband too little credit."

Ye Xianggao laughed: "Enough, enough. You girl have a sharp tongue — this old man cannot out-argue you!"

"Grandfather believes in my husband now?"

Ye Xianggao shook his head: "This man Ziyuan — his ambitions are not small. Though he is no traitor, neither can he be called a loyal minister. I failed to see it before; it was only after hearing your words that I realized it belatedly.

Had I known this earlier, I should never have married you to him. But alas, the wood is already carved — there is no taking it back.

Whether he is the Duke of Zhou or Wang Mang, only heaven knows. Fortunately, Grandfather can see that the fellow treats you well, so I can rest easy."

Ye Zhen's face flushed slightly: "Then this letter?"

"I had no intention of replying anyway. I have already retired from office — ignoring these idle court gossip-mongerings is only proper."

"Then I shall thank Grandfather on my husband's behalf."

Ye Zhen performed a formal bow with her hands folded at her chest.

Ye Xianggao said: "Enough, enough. Let's see what that fellow has sent. I hear the rhino-horn seals from the South Seas are quite fine."

"There are some, there are some. Rhino horn and ivory both — enough to carve any number of seals."

Ye Xianggao's face twitched, and he thought to himself: "I have been incorruptible all my life, yet now that I have retired, I find myself receiving such a costly gift.

But if I send it back, it will inevitably cause discord between the couple.

Well — though the gains of maritime trade are not the most honorable, they are far cleaner than embezzlement or extortion. I shall accept this once; never again." Just then, a servant carried in a massive rhino horn, over a foot and a half long.

Ye Xianggao's eyes went wide: "This—"

Ye Zhen said: "My husband did not know what size seal Grandfather wished to carve, so he sent the largest one."

Ye Xianggao felt uneasy at heart: "This is rather too precious..."

At that moment, a servant brought up another item — a round bundle of translucent strips.

Ye Xianggao said: "Is this chrysanthemum fin?"

Ye Zhen said: "This is clear starch, made from sweet potatoes. I bought it on my way through Zhangzhou.

Once dried, clear starch does not absorb moisture or mold, and can be stored for years. Moreover, eating fresh sweet potatoes causes stomach acid and bloating, but eating clear starch does not. Sweet potatoes have extremely high yields; Zhangzhou has much sandy soil and little water, unsuitable for rice, but ideal for sweet potato growth — they need little labor and ripen in all four seasons. So my husband has vigorously promoted sweet potatoes and clear starch in Zhangzhou, distributing tubers to farming households and purchasing clear starch from them."

Ran Qiu, as Lin Qian's secretary, knew a great many things, and it was through Ran Qiu that Ye Zhen had learned of matters like the sweet potato promotion in Zhangzhou. Ye Xianggao said: "That is a good policy."

Ye Zhen said: "My husband says that besides sweet potatoes, there are two other high-yield crops — potatoes and corn — which are equally tolerant of poor soil, but they are rather difficult to cultivate and require agricultural research, so they have not yet been promoted."

"Oh." Ye Xianggao waited quietly for her to continue.

"So I was thinking — does Uncle Xu not have considerable expertise in agriculture? I hear he is currently at home at leisure, compiling a book on farming. Perhaps he and my husband could help each other, and benefit the people as well, don't you think?

Besides, travel by ship between Songjiang Prefecture and Nan'ao Island is quick. And Grandfather is Uncle Xu's examination patron. Grandfather — isn't that convenient?"

"Hahaha..." Ye Xianggao laughed uproariously. "You girl — so this is what you were leading this old man to all along!"

The so-called "Uncle Xu" was Xu Guangqi.

He had resigned from office after being impeached by the eunuch faction, and was living in seclusion in his hometown of Songjiang Prefecture, compiling a book on agriculture.

This man not only had deep research in agriculture, but also profound attainments in Western learning.

Ye Zhen thought he would surely be of use to Lin Qian, so before coming she had already made her plan — to have Ye Xianggao invite him to Nan'ao Island.

That bundle of clear starch was no whim of Ye Zhen's — it was a conversational hook.

After Ye Xianggao finished laughing, he too felt the matter was feasible.

Xu Guangqi was highly ambitious. The agricultural treatise he was compiling would draw on the wisdom of many schools, surveying the strengths of agricultural works from every dynasty and gathering them all into this one book.

The costs for copying, collating, experimental fields, block carving, and printing were enormous.

And Xu Guangqi himself was an incorruptible official who simply could not produce such sums. At present, the funds for compiling the book came from his own savings and the support of his disciples and friends. Lin Qian was both wealthy and interested in agriculture—if he were willing to open his purse generously, it would be an act of tremendous righteousness.

If Lin Qian truly funded Xu Guangqi's work to completion, both Ye and Xu would owe him a debt of gratitude.

Such a good deed benefiting the common people of the realm was something Ye Xianggao would pursue even without Ye Zhen raising it.

Ye Xianggao said at once, "Prepare the brush and ink."

Ye Zhen said, "Granddaughter will grind the ink for you."

During this period when Ye Zhen had returned to her natal home,

Lin Qian remained extremely busy, with large and small meetings one after another every day.

Often the meeting in the main hall had not even finished before people were already waiting in the study, and sometimes a third wave had nowhere to sit and stood waiting in the courtyard. Lin Qian now had under him the charcoal works, sugar refinery, shipyard, standard workshop, and other enterprises. The Guangning coal plant was working on an investment plan.

For infrastructure, the Zhangzhou roads and bridges and the docks were under construction, and he also had to promote sweet potato cultivation and the breeding of plow oxen.

There were also the new flagship, two yachts, and three whaling ships—six vessels in total under construction.

Indeed, matters weighed on him from every side.

Apart from affairs at the residence, he also had to visit the Yandun Bay shipyard every few days to inspect the progress of the new flagship's keel and the experimental progress of several different types of ribs.

The direct reason Lin Qian was in such a hurry was the changing situation in the wider world.

According to merchants who had returned to the Great Ming from Luzon, after the loss of the Santa Ana, the Spanish crown had dispatched five large galleons to defend Manila's safety.

This move sharply elevated the Spanish military strength.

At the same time, although the Dutch had suffered a disastrous defeat in the Macao naval battle, they had not lost their vital strength and still had a large navy prowling Southeast Asia.

Compared with these two great powers, Nan'ao Island was without question the weakest.

Lin Qian had the grudge of plundering a galleon with the Spanish, and the old enmity of the Macao naval battle with the Dutch.

Moreover, Lin Qian's severing of the trade route from Batavia to Hirado made the Dutch feel as if thorns were pricking their backs.

To survive in the cracks between two great powers, he had to be cautious and careful, and develop as rapidly as possible by every means.

Lin Qian's next target was to eliminate Li Dan.

Only by destroying this thorn to the north could he free his hands to contend with the two great powers of Southeast Asia.

The three-year pact had a little over a year remaining, and that would be the time to strike.

Before that, he had to make every effort to develop his strength!

The three horses of economy, politics, and military all had to have their whips cracking loudly.

That day, Lin Qian had just finished a discussion meeting on the new flagship's design and returned to his room in the middle of the night.

He saw a bowl of millet porridge on the table, with a few almonds scattered on top.

Behind the rising steam, Ye Zhen sat at the table and smiled: "My husband is back. Drink the porridge—it will calm your mind."

Lin Qian picked up the millet porridge, blew on it, and took a mouthful. There was a very faint sweetness in the porridge—white sugar must have been added.

"Back so soon? Why didn't you stay a few more days?"

Ye Zhen joked, "Grandmother and Mother chased me back."

After a moment of silence, Ye Zhen said, "My husband, there is one matter on which I took the liberty of acting on my own. Please do not blame me."

Lin Qian said gently, "What matter?"

Then Ye Zhen told him about Xu Guangqi, glossing over Ye Xianggao's rebuke with just a single simple sentence.

"Uncle Xu's learning surpasses all within China and beyond, and he is devoted to agriculture. I thought he could surely be of help to you, my husband. It was only on the road home that I remembered I had not discussed it with you beforehand…"

Lin Qian interrupted her: "No need for the rest. When will he come?"

Ye Zhen was startled and said, "Uncle Xu lives in Songjiang Prefecture. It would take at least half a month to reach Nan'ao Island. Counting the time for sending word and packing his things, I'm afraid it will be one to two months."

Lin Qian rose directly and pushed open the door to go out. A moment later, his voice came from outside the courtyard: "Geng Wu! Geng Wu!"

Footsteps ran from far to near: "Coming."

"Immediately dispatch five eagle ships to the Songjiang Prefecture docks to bring Xu Guangqi and his family here! And send five more Haicang ships to carry the luggage." "Yes!"

"Set sail at once!"

Geng Wu ran off at a quick pace.

Lin Qian strode back in through the door, his face full of delight: "My good wife, you have won over a talent for your husband."

Not to mention the importance of the Complete Treatise on Agriculture.

At present, Nan'ao Island had no shortage of skilled craftsmen—what it lacked was scientists.

The flagship blueprints involved knowledge of curved geometry, statics, elementary geometry, mechanics of materials, and elementary algebra, and no one on the island understood any of it. Even the simplest bending stress formula σ=(M·y)/I—not a single person on all of Nan'ao Island could comprehend it.

Even the Portuguese shipwrights built ships by experience alone.

As a result, every time the new flagship's design drawings changed, Lin Qian had to be on site in person to make the revisions.

Once the people's wisdom was opened and scientific shipbuilding talent was systematically cultivated, Lin Qian's burden would lighten considerably.

As for Xu Guangqi himself, until he proved his loyalty and reliability, Lin Qian only planned to have him handle the compilation of the Complete Treatise on Agriculture, draw the Zhangzhou water conservancy design plans, and translate Western books.

Even just these few tasks would be enough to keep him running nonstop.

Counting only what Lin Qian had collected in Macao, there were Clavius's Algebra and Practical Geometry, Viète's The Restitution and Correction of Equations, and other such books.

Ye Zhen said happily, "Is that so? It's wonderful that he can help."

A moment later, the room's lamp was extinguished. In the darkness, Ye Zhen said shyly, "My husband, Yue Yi taught me a convenient position… lie down…" After a while, a voice came from the room again: "Hey, no, not that position…"

By the time Xu Guangqi arrived at Nan'ao, it was already mid-September.

In the bleak autumn wind, Xu Guangqi disembarked and stood at Qianjiang Bay dock. Seeing the prosperous town before him, he was momentarily stunned.

Ye Xianggao had described the situation on Nan'ao Island in his letter, but words and seeing it with one's own eyes were two completely different things.

Lin Qian was already waiting on the shore with his men. He stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting: "Junior Vice Minister Xu."

Before him stood a man of about sixty, thin and small of stature, with dark skin and a spirited, vigorous bearing.

Xu Guangqi sized up Lin Qian, then clasped his hands and said with a smile, "So you are General Lin. I have heard of the great victory at Fuzhou, but regrettably never had the chance to meet you. Now that I see you today, you are indeed a young hero of remarkable ability."

This praise was due not only to Lin Qian's military achievements, but also because Lin Qian was the grandson-in-law of his revered teacher, and even more because Lin Qian was to sponsor the compilation of an agricultural treatise.

"You flatter me. Vice Minister Xu, please." Lin Qian walked ahead, heading toward the general's residence.

Along the way, Xu Guangqi said, "The ships of Nan'ao Island perform excellently—their speed far surpasses that of Fujian junks. I am full of admiration."

Lin Qian said, "Unfortunately, limited by the strength of the sail surface, we can only build them this large. They serve well enough for reconnaissance and relaying orders. I deeply apologize that you, Vice Minister Xu, had to endure such a tiring journey aboard this vessel."

"Not at all..." Xu Guangqi was silent for a moment, then said, "Perhaps one could use hemp or cotton as a base, and in the areas of the sailcloth bearing the greatest stress, substitute or interweave with boiled silk."

Lin Qian had thought of this method himself, but it had never been realized due to cost, and because there was no need for larger hulls. Since Xu Guangqi had raised it, perhaps someday this project could also be handed over to him.

As they spoke, the party arrived at the main hall of the general's residence.

After taking his seat, Lin Qian went straight to the point: "I hear that you, Vice Minister Xu, are compiling an agricultural treatise. This work benefits the present age and profits a thousand generations. May I ask how many hands and how much silver you need?"

Xu Guangqi knew that Lin Qian had a maritime merchant background and knew he was not short of money, so he gritted his teeth and quoted an exorbitant price: "Approximately two thousand taels of silver." "What?" Lin Qian was greatly astonished.

According to historical records, the *Complete Treatise on Agriculture* contains approximately seven hundred thousand characters, divided into twelve major categories, covering nearly the entire field of agriculture—it is the most comprehensive and systematic summary of Chinese agronomic knowledge before the seventeenth century.

Such a monumental work, and it only costs two thousand taels of silver?

The construction cost of a single yacht was enough to fund eight copies of the *Complete Treatise on Agriculture*.

This knowledge was far too good a bargain...

Of the two thousand taels needed, engraving blocks and printing probably accounted for the largest share, and of the remainder, most would go to searching out ancient texts and purchasing experimental fields. There probably wasn't much left for hiring assistants—how could this be acceptable!

Lin Qian knew that the most important expenditure in compiling this agricultural treatise was Xu Guangqi's personal investment, and he did not pay himself a wage. To save funds, he did many things himself.

From an economic perspective, the opportunity cost was astonishingly high—this was a tremendous waste!

Seeing Lin Qian's reaction, Xu Guangqi assumed the price was too high. After all, a third-rank official of the Great Ming received only about ten taels of silver per month in salary. An ordinary book from Jiangnan, from completion to printing, cost at most one or two hundred taels.

The reason he had quoted two thousand taels was mainly out of self-interest—he was nearly sixty and felt his time was short. Spending more silver would speed up the book's completion, so he might live to see it printed.

But seeing Lin Qian so astonished, Xu Guangqi immediately changed his tune: "One thousand taels would also do—it would just mean more copying by hand."

"Copying by hand?" Lin Qian frowned.

Xu Guangqi explained: "For instance, books like *Shu Pu* and *Guanzi: Diyuan Pian* have no printed editions in circulation; on the market they exist mostly as unique copies or incomplete fragments. To obtain even a hand-copied version is already extremely rare. Copying a text once by hand is better than reading it ten times—the act of transcription is itself scholarship."

"No!" Lin Qian's brow furrowed more and more tightly. "I greatly admire your scholarly attitude, Vice Minister Xu, but this method of research is absolutely unacceptable!" Xu Guangqi also began to feel some irritation, thinking to himself: "Everyone says that when maritime merchants go to sea, each ship earns tens of thousands in profit. If he won't even part with a thousand taels, he's being far too stingy.

An agricultural treatise is not like other miscellaneous books—it requires drawing on extensive sources and verifying through actual farming. Naturally the expenses are higher. If not for the sake of future generations, would I humble myself before others for a mere thousand taels of silver?"

Lin Qian murmured: "Unique copies and incomplete fragments? Since they are unique copies and incomplete fragments, naturally they must be purchased and preserved—how could one allow them to be lost and scattered!" "Ah?" Xu Guangqi was momentarily unable to react.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Qian said, "Let us first allocate ten thousand taels of silver."

"Ah?" Xu Guangqi was dumbfounded.

Lin Qian said apologetically, "Recently the island has had many demands on its funds, and our resources are not abundant. I can only ask you to bear with me, sir—purchase the most essential unique copies and fragments first, and for those that truly cannot be bought, send people to copy them by hand.

As for the engraving workshop and the library, those will have to wait until we have the silver to build them.

Of course, though the silver is modest, you must not be frugal, sir—for any task that can be delegated to others, please by all means hire someone to do it. As long as you can complete the book as quickly as possible, I can provide however much silver is needed."

To publish an agricultural treatise, one only needed to hire craftsmen to carve the blocks—why establish an entire engraving workshop?

And besides, buying up unique and fragmentary copies as if sweeping up goods was one thing—but he even wanted to build a library?

For a moment, Xu Guangqi began to doubt Lin Qian's comprehension.

Lin Qian continued: "I will assign thirty attendant boys, thirty farmers, and ten mu of farmland. Do you think that will be sufficient, sir?"

In Xu Guangqi's imagination, having someone pay for scribes to copy books was already very generous—and now he was even assigning attendant boys on top of that?

Did that mean the ten thousand taels did not include the money for hiring people and buying land?

Then how was the ten thousand taels supposed to be spent?

Although the agricultural treatise Xu Guangqi was writing had its merits, the mainstream books of officialdom remained Confucian classics and moral essays. Moreover, with the state treasury under strain and factional strife within the court, there was simply no research funding being allocated.

The entire court and country, himself included, regarded compiling agricultural treatises as a miscellaneous pursuit—a personal undertaking.

When had he ever received such attention, such an allocation of resources?

Lin Qian said, "Oh, right—also assign an accountant. Do not worry, sir—this is to help manage the silver, so that you may devote yourself wholly to writing." "Geng Wu!" Lin Qian called out toward the door, "Prepare a large mansion on the island for the gentleman's family to reside in."

Military orders were like mountains—by that very afternoon, everything Lin Qian had requested was prepared.

A steward was showing Xu Guangqi around the courtyard and introducing his staff.

This large mansion was even bigger than Xu Guangqi's ancestral home in Songjiang Prefecture. As he strolled through it, he felt a dreamlike, disorienting sensation.

The steward led Xu Guangqi all the way to the study, then bowed and said with a smile, "Master, this is the study. Oh, those few books were brought over by the helmsman's orders—he said they were for you to peruse at your leisure, to while away the time."

Xu Guangqi flipped through them—he could not understand most of the titles, unsure what language they were written in. A few written in Latin were called *Algebra*, *Practical Geometry*, *The Arrangement and Correction of Equations*, and so forth.

A smile spread across Xu Guangqi's face. It seemed that what Lin Qian had said about establishing an engraving workshop and a library was not mere talk.

At this moment, a feeling of having found a kindred spirit suddenly welled up in Xu Guangqi's heart.

Mid-October.

The rib-structure experiment, originally scheduled for three months, was reaching its final stage.

On the beach of Yandun Bay stood more than a dozen ship ribs of completely different sizes, structures, and workmanship—like the remains left behind after some sea beast had died and rotted away.

Accompanied by a group of shipwrights, Lin Qian examined them one by one.

Xiao Jiu said, "According to the helmsman's wishes, four or five ribs would have been enough. But Master said we might as well test more types of wood at once, so we added ribs of different woods and different joining methods. For example, this one is made of lychee wood."

This was a naturally curved piece of timber, deep reddish-brown with fine grain, and no trace of seams could be seen on its surface—no bolts, no fasteners. The rib was 8 meters long, up to 30 centimeters thick at its thickest point, and about 35 centimeters wide. A person standing beneath it would have to crane their neck to see the top. Xiao Jiu introduced it: "Lychee wood is also an extremely hard wood. Made into ribs, it is no worse than teak in dynamic structural strength, dynamic fatigue performance, and impact resistance. Unfortunately, its corrosion resistance is poor—look here, helmsman—it would probably start cracking within a few years."

To Lin Qian's eyes, the spot Xiao Jiu was pointing at merely looked slightly drier—there was no sign of cracking whatsoever.

But every craft had its masters; presumably this was the shipwrights' skill in distinguishing woods.

Xiao Jiu continued leading Lin Qian through each rib, detailing the strengths and weaknesses of every version.

To make it more intuitive, he used the naturally curved teak rib as a baseline of 10 points, scoring each rib against it.

The lychee wood rib he had just shown scored 6 points—and seeing that score, it was already considered high.

From the processing techniques of the various timbers, it was also clearly evident that naturally curved timber had the highest strength, followed by curved spliced planks, then diagonal butt joints, with heat-bent timber having the worst strength.

Xiao Jiu explained, "Rib timber of this size is extremely difficult to heat through thoroughly—let alone bending it, just managing not to crack it is already a blessing." Lin Qian asked, "Curved spliced planks also require heating to bend—how do you manage that?"

"We still rely on the steam-bending method the helmsman mentioned earlier—we place the planks in the fire-baking chamber, heat them with steam, then take them out to set, air-dry them in the shade, and only then use them."

The technical difficulty of steam-bending planks lies in uniform softening, requiring precise temperature control and even heating.

These requirements happened to match those of the fire-baking chamber—by improving the fire-baking chamber, the steam-bending technique was unlocked.

Xiao Jiu then introduced the teak ribs: "Diagonal butt-joint ribs perform at about 7 points. Curved spliced-plank ribs score 8 points—among all the experimental groups, the curved spliced-plank rib is the best overall performer."

The curved spliced-plank rib had a grayish-brown exterior, made from teak heartwood, with an extremely smooth surface where the seams were nearly invisible. Since Great Ming adhesives were weak and not moisture-resistant, the rib was fastened throughout with large numbers of wooden dowels, bolts, and clench nails.

These fasteners were not installed haphazardly like patches—each one's position was carefully designed, appearing as one integrated piece with the rib. Xiao Jiu explained that within the seams between planks, the caulkers had also added an extremely fine thread of waterproof caulking compound, which neither compromised structural strength nor allowed moisture to seep in and degrade the adhesive bond.

Additionally, the adhesive between planks had been improved, with the addition of boiled tung oil, rosin, beeswax, alum, and other ingredients—enhancing waterproofing while also resisting rot and mildew. Moreover, when joining the pieces, the shipwrights had accounted for the difference in strength between grain-aligned and cross-grain laminations, alternating the grain direction of each layer so that the rib's strength and stiffness were balanced, preventing splitting from transverse forces.

It could be said that this single rib was the combined product of Great Ming shipwrights' mortise-and-tenon techniques, caulking techniques, and wood knowledge, Portuguese shipwrights' shipbuilding techniques, Lin Qian's knowledge of materials science and structural engineering, the design experience of the Tianyuan's second gun deck, and Dumb Huang's fire-baking chamber experience. It was a cross-era product fusing future knowledge with the pinnacle of contemporary technology.

Placed in this era, it could already be called black technology—even if handed to the Dutch to reverse-engineer, they wouldn't figure it out in less than five or ten years.

After the inspection concluded, all the shipwrights' eyes fell upon Lin Qian.

Over these three months, the new flagship's keel had been fully laid, and the next step was to install the ribs—everyone was waiting for Lin Qian's order. He spoke slowly: "Construction of the new flagship may continue."

Yahei

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