Chapter 280: Pros and Cons

"Yes, understood."

Mi Wen likewise said in a low voice to Zhao Xu.

The two exchanged a glance; everything was self-evident.

After giving Mi Wen a few more instructions, Zhao Xu, Chen Shou, and the others returned to Fanyang City.

Because the day was growing late, they would only be able to return to Yancheng tomorrow.

He simply called for Chen Shou to discuss the construction details of the Sailing Warship by candlelight.

For Chen Shou, although Yan Wang had given him the blueprints,

he did not quite agree with the existence of some of the unique structures on the Sailing Warship.

Thus he said, "Your Highness, this subordinate does not understand why the sails on this ship must use Soft Sails instead of Hard Sails; it seems Hard Sails require fewer people to operate."

Zhao Xu nodded slightly.

After a detailed discussion, he was quite certain of Chen Shou's shipbuilding craftsmanship.

Chen Shou could basically explain one, two, or three things about the structure of the warship.

He also understood the different functions of Hard Sails and Soft Sails.

What the two had a dispute over was which structure was superior.

"Hard Sails indeed require fewer people to control the sails, but Hard Sails have a drawback: they have a small wind-catching area and cannot increase the warship's speed. Soft Sails have a large wind-catching area and can increase its speed on the sea much higher," Zhao Xu said.

In the contemporary ancient era and the Great Song, the ships generally used were all Hard Sails.

This kind of Hard Sail has dense keels, so the sail will not deform significantly when the wind blows.

Whereas Soft Sails have fewer keels, and when the wind blows, they will present a large arc; in this way, the area receiving the wind is larger.

This is just like a kite; a single-sided kite certainly does not have as much force as a tubular kite when flying.

It is the same principle.

On the sea, Soft Sails will provide greater power to the warship.

"So that's how it is." Chen Shou suddenly understood.

He continued to ask, "Then why have the structures on the warship all been moved to the hull?"

"This is a matter of the center of gravity.

With the center of gravity low, the base will be more stable, and the ship can better resist wind and waves while sailing on the sea," Zhao Xu explained patiently.

The ships of the Great Song have a characteristic, such as the Tower Ship.

This kind of ship builds house-like structures on the deck.

This leads to it being heavy on top and light on the bottom.

This structure can carry more soldiers to fight boarding battles, but it is prone to capsizing when encountering large wind and waves.

Therefore, this structure is fine for sailing in inland rivers and near the coast, but it won't do for ocean voyages when encountering large wind and waves in the sea.

"Center of gravity?" This term was very fresh to Chen Shou.

Seeing Chen Shou's confusion, Zhao Xu then explained what was meant by the center of gravity.

Upon hearing this, the look in Chen Shou's eyes as he gazed at Zhao Xu gradually changed.

Just a moment ago, when Yan Wang asked him about the construction of the warship, he had spoken eloquently and was still somewhat proud.

Now, after two questions, he discovered that Yan Wang was hiding his true depth.

These were things he did not understand either.

His own master had never taught him these things.

"If this subordinate has any places he does not understand in the future, I must often go to Yancheng to seek your guidance, Your Highness." Chen Shou was like a student at this moment.

Zhao Xu laughed: "That is certainly fine, but Master Chen should not belittle yourself. Your shipbuilding craftsmanship is indeed not bad; it is just that the ships of the Great Song have always traveled either on inland rivers or near the coast, and there has never been a need to sail far across the ocean, so you shipwrights have simply not considered these structures."

Chen Shou nodded; he had to admit that Yan Wang had truly hit the nail on the head.

Including himself, he had never thought about heading into the deeper parts of the ocean.

That was why, upon seeing the blueprints for this warship that Yan Wang said could go deep into the ocean, he had been moved and wanted to try to challenge himself.

"Please, Your Highness, continue to clear up my confusion: why does this warship not adopt watertight compartments?" Chen Shou pondered for a while and then asked.

Yan Wang was going back tomorrow, and he did not want to miss this opportunity.

He not only wanted to be able to build it, but he also wanted to understand everything about this warship.

"Watertight compartments can certainly allow a warship to resist sinking, but this leads to an inability to thicken the hull and an inability to lay multiple decks; thus, the warship's ability to withstand strikes is weak, and the Artillery it carries is also reduced."

The blueprints he gave Chen Shou this time were actually designed with reference to a galleon.

This kind of ship possesses a multi-layered hull, the hull is half a meter thick, very sturdy, and has a strong ability to resist artillery fire.

At the same time, it uses a diagonal rib structure, which can lay multiple decks, and each deck can be equipped with a large amount of Artillery.

Adopting soft-style sails, the wind-catching area is large, and it can sail at an extremely high speed.

The drawback is that soft-style sails are troublesome to operate and require a large number of skilled sailors.

Simply put, this kind of warship is suitable for ocean voyages and suitable for naval artillery battles.

However, near the coast, where wind directions change relatively quickly, this kind of warship is not as good as the Great Song's Hard Sail ships.

Therefore, in the end, the functions of the two types of ships are different.

One is suitable as a warship, and one is suitable for commercial use.

The Great Song had never thought about conquering the ocean or exploring other continents.

Successive emperors thought that Zhongtu was the world.

Naturally, they would not let craftsmen explore ocean-going ship technology; it really was not that the craftsmen of the Great Song were incapable.

It lasted until midnight.

Seeing Zhao Xu constantly yawning, Chen Shou felt truly embarrassed, and only then did he leave satisfied.

The next day, although Zhao Xu was very sleepy, he still got up early.

Chen Shou escorted Zhao Xu to the west gate of Fanyang City before reluctantly turning back.

To him, he had finally found a kindred spirit in the matter of shipbuilding.

After more than a day, Zhao Xu arrived at Yancheng.

Upon returning to the Prince's Mansion, Luan'er took off his fox-fur cloak and brought him a hand warmer.

He sat down, and she kneaded his shoulders and pounded his back, acting very obediently.

At this moment, Feng'er also came over, her pretty eyes containing a hint of sternness.

But upon seeing Zhao Xu, it immediately melted into tenderness.

Seeing this, Zhao Xu teased, "Oh, who has provoked Steward Feng again?"

"Pfft..." Hearing this, Feng'er could not help but laugh.

She came over to knead his right arm and said in a coquettish voice, "Your Highness, you don't know, but yesterday people from the Xie Family came to deliver gifts. There was a vase inside, and a maid accidentally broke it just now. I scolded her a few times, and she even talked back to me."

"People from the Xie Family came?" Zhao Xu heard the key information in Feng'er's words.

"Giggle..." Luan'er covered her mouth and laughed, saying to Feng'er, "Look, I told you His Highness wouldn't care about such trivial matters."

"You're the only one who knows everything." Feng'er reached out to tickle Luan'er, and the two of them frolicked for a while.

Then Feng'er acted spoiled and said, "Your Highness, matters in the Prince's Mansion are matters too."

Zhao Xu came back to his senses and laughed, "Since I have already called you Steward Feng, the affairs of the Prince's Mansion are naturally for you to decide. A state has state laws, a family has family rules, and the Prince's Mansion naturally has its own rules; if someone needs to be disciplined, then discipline them."

Feng'er smiled; this title of Steward Feng was very gratifying to her.

However, at the time, Yan Wang had only casually said she should manage the Prince's Mansion.

Now, many servants in the Prince's Mansion thought she was just meddlesome because she was Yan Wang's personal maid.

So, she told him about this matter.

Hearing this, Zhao Xu finally understood why Feng'er had been feeling so aggrieved.

He said, "Fine, I will write a personal decree to officially make you, girl, a steward, so you can enjoy the thrill of being one."

Luan'er had a quiet temperament and only liked doing needlework.

But Feng'er could not sit still; if he did not give her something to do, she would only stir up trouble.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Feng'er was overjoyed, and her kneading of his arm became much more enthusiastic.

Zhao Xu shook his head helplessly and said to her, "Then, as your first order as steward, I command you to invite the people from the Xie Family to the Prince's Mansion."

"Yes, Your Highness." Feng'er acknowledged the order and left with light steps.