Chapter 389: Trial Run of the New Ship
Chapter 384 of "The Great Ming in the Box" kicks off revealing secrets: Li Daoxuan couldnât help but chuckle at that explanation. Since this ship wasnât made of... Keep reading!
Li Daoxuan couldnât help but chuckle at that explanation. Since this ship wasnât made of plastic but sheet iron covered with a sun-shielding composite material board, it needed repainting for aesthetics.Cai Xinzi had applied wood-grain finish to the ship model to achieve an ancient tower ship look.
Who knew such a normal color would seem abnormal to the small people?
âBoard the ship. Head to the captainâs chamber.â
Li Daoxuan displayed the large paper sign.
Bai Yuan immediately dismissed his chaotic thoughts and led the group to the vesselâs side.
Though an inland river craft lacking the high bulwarks of seafaring ships, its sides remained dauntingly tall for the small people. Climbing required an undignified posture, leaving Bai Yuanârenowned for suave displays, not awkward scramblingâfrozen in placeâŚ
A servant shouted nearby, âMaster, thereâs a ladder here!â
Bai Yuan focused his gaze: a small ladder extended from the shipâs flank to the deck. Every detail had evidently been considered during constructionâtruly impressive.
Now Bai Yuan could ascend. He climbed gracefully, swiftly navigating to the captainâs chamber. Spotting the circular helm, he instantly knew it controlled direction. Beside it lay a familiar switch, identical to the small trainâs.
âIsnât this patently obvious?â Bai Yuan chuckled. âPress this switch to move forward, turn the helm to steer, press again to stop. Simple!â
Zhang Yuanwai marvelled, âSo easy to operate? No sails or oars needed?â
Bai Yuan grinned. âHeh! Gifts from the Deity always work this way! Powered by immortal forceâbeyond mortal comprehension!â
Zhang Yuanwai dared not question this. But as one raised by the Yellow River, he understood boats: âEven with immortal power replacing sails and oars, maneuvers like turning or docking remain challenging with such a large vessel. Brother Bai, restrain that trigger finger.â
Bai Yuanâs hand hovered over the switch. Heeding the warning, he withdrew it cautiously. âTrue. Mastering vessels escapes my gentlemanly skills.â
A servant stepped forward. âMaster, I know a little about rowing.â
Beside Bai Family Fortress lay Horseshoe Lake. Most servants grew up swimming there and could handle little fishing boats. But none had commanded such a sizable ship. Tentatively, they offered to try.
Rushing with pride, Bai Yuan declared, âExcellent! All oarsmen prepare! Weâll test this mighty ship! Brother Zhang, arenât your Heyang County fishers Yellow River veterans? Summon them aboard! Master this craft, and river pirates lose their terror!â
Zhang Yuanwai beamed. âBrother Bai speaks wisdom!â
He yelled toward Qiachuan Portâs fishing fleet, âAll skilled swimmers and boat handlersâreport to the big ship! Advise Mr. Bai!â
The fishersâlong curious about the vesselâsprang into action. Over a dozen scrambled aboard, dashing about the deck, marveling at fittings they touched.
Li Daoxuan watched intently, one hand poised near the four buttons labeled north, south, east, and west outside the box.
The Yellow River stretched so wide it consumed his entire viewing space. The five-meter-wide box meant a ship mid-river lay beyond his reach. Any capsizing could drown the small people before rescue. His fingers constantly adjusted the directional buttons to keep the vessel box-hem-adjacentâwhere his hand could intervene.
Both inside and outside the box, tension hummed.
Amid this suspense, Bai Yuan clicked the electric switch.
The small motor spun the propellers, churning white foam at the stern. A fisher there cried, âSomething whirls behind usâitâs pushing the ship!â
âA ship like this?â
âItâs celestial, naturally!â
âTurn! Port now! With this current, waiting delays avoidance of those rapids!â shouted a veteran River-watcher.
Bai Yuan focused entirely on rotating the helm. Sweat beaded his brow initially, but calm settled within minutes as he spun the wheel deftly. âEasier than expected! More freedom than driving the small train! Tracks bind that one; this celestial ship rules the Yellow River!â
A fisher leaped joyfully around the deck. âBeats little fishing boatsâsteady, swift! Casting nets here would soar efficiency!â
âStill stuck on fishing while owning such wealth? Haul grain to Northern Shaanxi! Where grain prices spikeâone dou of rice costing one thousand coins! Fortune awaits!â
âHah! That road belongs to us? Bandits claim your life before your coin!â
âPirates frightened the helpless old us! In this armored ship? None daunt us! Trade routes open everywhere!â
âEven government navy ships couldnât intimidate me now!â
âCareful! Thatâs near-treasonous talk!â
The fishers burst into laughter.
After his trial run, Bai Yuan steered back to Qiachuan Port. Fishers slung a long rope toward the dock, coiling it around a wooden post. But seeing the mighty ship against the tiny pilings usually mooring boats, one cried, âA lone rope wonât hold her! What if midnight currents sweep her off?â
âAnchor! We need the anchor!â hollered an old fisher. âOfficial ships use four-clawed iron anchors! Ours must have oneâfind it!â
Soon they located a massive anchor mounted on a stern frame. Pressing its mechanism released it with a splash. Ship securely moored.
Cheers erupted. âSuccess! Success! Weâve mastered this vessel!â