Chapter 229 The Old Site of the Treasure Ship

Standing on a long-desolate ruin on the edge of the Yangtze River, Xiao Tianjian raised his eyes and followed him a Nanjing left-behind official. Now he has surrendered to Xing Tianjun. This man's surname is Huang. He carefully follows Xiao Tianjian's back, but he also wears casual clothes and looks very formal.

"Is this the shipyard where Zheng He, the eunuch of Sanbao, made the treasure ship seven times in Nanyang?" Xiao Tianjian walked slowly in this open space and looked around. Judging from the traces left from here, Xiao Tianjian could also see that this place should indeed be the site of a shipyard, and there were even many shanty houses around it, and there was an unmade boat by the river, so he followed him. The official surnamed Huang asked.

The old official surnamed Huang quickly bowed and replied respectfully, "The Holy One..."

"I haven't ascended the throne yet. Now I can't be called a saint. You're not too nervous. It's better to be casual!" Xiao Tianjian listened to his words, so he waved his hand.

"Yes!" The man surnamed Huang quickly agreed and then said, "This is indeed the place where the eunuch Zheng of the three treasures made the treasure ship!" In those years, in this area alone, tens of thousands of craftsmen were gathered here to build treasure boats for the imperial court... the Ming imperial court!

Later, after the Ming Dynasty sealed the sea, it was abandoned, and the craftsmen dispersed one after another, leaving only a few small boats to build for sailors. Until now, you can see that most of the huts over there are descendants of the craftsmen who built ship here in those years. Some people are no longer shipbuilding, but go there. Become a boatman of Caoyun!

Please take a look at the woods over there again. It is said that Grandpa Zheng ordered the planting of fir and pine trees for future shipbuilding because he cut too much wood in the surrounding area. Over the years, a lot has been cut down, but there are still some!"

Xiao Tianjian then walked to the edge of the forest and saw that most of them were fir and pine trees. Some trees have grown very thick. Counting Zheng He's age, it has been more than 200 years. It is very difficult for trees more than 200 years old to stay here.

"It's a pity! What a pity! Think about how high China's shipbuilding technology was in those years. It's a pity that we can build a huge ship like a treasure ship, but most of the ships we suffer today are only a few hundred ships!

By the way, among the descendants of those craftsmen, are there any smart craftsmen? Can the treasure ship of that year be recreated?" After sighing, Xiao Tianjian patted the trunk of a big fir tree a few times and turned his head to ask Huang.

The person surnamed Huang is obviously an official who used to be responsible for managing shipbuilding affairs around Nanjing. He knows more about this situation, which is why Xiao Tianjian sent someone to recruit him here today.

The Huang replied with fear: "Qizou... Back to the marshal's words, many craftsmen were dismissed after the sealing of the sea. There are not many craftsmen left in this area, and most of their descendants have also changed their ways. It's really not easy to find smart craftsmen! However, Weichen knew a person who lived not far from here. It was said that his ancestors were also one of the craftsmen who built treasure boats for Grandpa Zheng. They stayed here for generations to make a living! This man's surname is Liu, and his name is Liu Erbao. He is now in his forties. Some time, Ding Dushi... Oh, no, it was Ding Qirui who ordered someone to build a warship to deal with the army of the general. This man built a ship for the government in this area. It is said that the warship he led the craftsman was very strong, but he had never heard that he could build the treasure ship of that year. ! Weichen can find this person, and he should still be able to find him!"

Xiao Tianjian was overjoyed after hearing this, so he immediately waved his hand and said, "Go now!" You take Ben Shuai with you!"

The man surnamed Huang quickly bowed and agreed, trotting ahead to lead the way, while Xiao Tianjian followed him to a shabby shack.

Tietou was so nervous that he was about to die. Xiao Tianjian suddenly said today that he wanted to go out for a walk. Since the last time Xiao Tianjian was assassinated in Wuchang Mansion, although Xiao Tianjian did not have an accident because the lame scholar pulled the assassin in time, he still scared them to death. Since that time, they I didn't dare to let Xiao Tianjian wander around. Now that Nanjing is new, there must be a lot of people who hate Xiao Tianjian. No one knows who is waiting to assassinate Xiao Tianjian. Xiao Tianjian is going to go out of the city to hang out. Tietou didn't agree at the beginning.

In the end, after being scolded by Xiao Tianjian, Tietou had to nod and agree, but he gathered dozens of very good subordinates, Yu Linwei, who changed into casual clothes and followed Xiao Tianjian's surroundings. Everyone had a short blade and hand, scattered around one by one to maintain Xiao Tianjian's safety. .

Xiao Tianjian didn't have a lot of wisdom. He casually shook his arms out of Nanjing City, ran to the place where Zheng Hebao's boat was built, and also attracted this old official surnamed Huang to accompany him.

There are some low-ranking craftsmen living in that shack area, and there are also some displaced people living in this area. Some time ago, when the Xing Tianjun attacked the city, they all moved them away from here. Now Nanjing City has been settled, so these people have returned to this area to clean up their homes and start living again.

The person surnamed Huang is really familiar with this area. He took Xiao Tianjian into the shack area and casually grabbed a person to inquire about it, so he said to Xiao Tianjian with a smile, "Kai, it seems that we are lucky. Liu Erbao is still here and hasn't left. His house is in front!"

Xiao Tianjian was also very happy, so he followed the surnamed Huang to the front, and the Yulin guards quickly ran to the front one by one, forming a strict vigilance on Xiao Tianjian's path.

This Huang walked to the front of a house and said it was a house. In fact, it can be called a bigger shack at best. It doesn't even have an earth wall. It is basically built with tattered wood, which looks very inconspicuous.

Xiao Tianjian stood in front of this shed, looked at it, and frowned slightly. He didn't think it was too dirty here. After all, people like them have never stayed anywhere! So a little dirty doesn't affect anything, but Xiao Tianjian feels that this surnamed Huang is a little unreliable. Since Liu Erbao is said to be very good at shipbuilding, he does it casually and cleans up the house for himself. The house is not so dilapidated!

The man surnamed Huang stood at the door and coughed, straightened his waist, and asked loudly, "Is Liu Erbao at home?"

At this time, a voice came from the room: "Yes! What's the name of the ghost? Did you call me by my name?" Before long, a unkempt middle-aged man came out.

Xiao Tianjian saw that Liu Erbao was actually a camel. He bent his waist and his face was full of wrinkles, but his hands were very big. Judging from Xiao Tianjian's years of experience, this person is by no means a person who often holds knives and guns. His hands are very in line with the characteristics of carpenter.

As soon as the man saw the surnamed Huang, his face was suddenly shocked, and his face changed to a humble look. He quickly knelt down and kowtowed, "I don't know that Lord Huang is coming!" The small exit just now was so offensive. I hope Lord Huang can forgive me! Huh? Is Lord Huang still in Nanjing now?

The man surnamed Huang was quite embarrassed and quickly said, "That's all! I don't know if it's a crime. Huang has now defected to Xing Tianjun. At present, he is working in Xing Tianjun for the time being. He happens to have something to do with you today. This is..."

Xiao Tianjian didn't wait for Huang to introduce his identity, so he immediately interrupted him and took the initiative to hold his fist and said, "My surname is Xiao. I just heard that Lord Huang say that you are the best shipbuilder in the surrounding area, so he came to visit him. What a lot!"

Liu Erbao took a look at Xiao Tianjian. Originally, he did not dare to be rude to Huang. Now he heard that Huang had joined Xing Tianjun, so he was more and more afraid to be rude to him. The person who could be an official surnamed Huang must not have a low status, and Liu Erbao saw that this Huang was respectful to Xiao Tianjian. Bi Jing, it was obvious that Xiao Tianjian's identity was much higher than that of the one surnamed Huang, so he quickly practiced not dared to speak, and his waist and back were bowed much more powerfully, and gave Xiao Tianjian and Huang into the room.

Tietou was afraid that Liu Erbao's identity was unknown, and Xiao Tianjian would be in danger after entering the house, so he took a look at the room first. He saw that there was no one in the room, but it emitted an unpleasant smell. Obviously, the man surnamed Huang could not stand the dirty smell here. After arriving at the door, he covered his nose and said, "Take a chair and said, Come out and talk outside!"

Xiao Tianjian didn't mind so much, but he thought that it would be dark in the room, so he nodded. Liu Erbao did not dare to neglect. He quickly ran to the room and took two benches and asked Xiao Tianjian and Huang to sit down. Of course, Huang did not dare to sit down, so he stood beside Xiao Tianjian. Xiao Tianjian was careless. Then he sat down.

Liu Erbao was more sure that Xiao Tianjian's identity was not ordinary, so he became more and more nervous. He bowed his waist and stood in front of Xiao Tianjian, just wanting to kneel down and speak.

Xiao Tianjian smiled indifferently and said, "Master Liu, you don't have to be so nervous. Xiao came today and just wants to talk to Master Liu casually!" I heard that Liu Dajiang's ancestor was the master who built a treasure ship for Grandpa Zheng, the eunuch of the Three Treasures. Is this true?

Liu Erbao quickly knelt down and nodded, "In my words, the little ancestor is indeed a boatman. I heard from my ancestors that he really built a treasure boat for Duke Zheng!"

Xiao Tianjian was happy when he heard this, so he continued to ask, "So are you still making a living by shipbuilding for generations?"

Liu Erbao quickly lowered his head and replied, "If you are an adult, it is true. The little ancestors have such a little craftsmanship, which has been passed down from generation to generation. In the younger generation, they have been making a living by shipbuilding! Lord Huang knows the craftsmanship of small ones, and the small ones dare not boast, but in this area, the small ones dare to say that all small boats are absolutely solid and durable!"

"Ha ha! OK! So what kind of boats do you usually build? Xiao Tianjian was very happy and continued to ask.

"Small ones can build a lot of boats, ranging from small fishing boats to hundreds of material boats, including warships that can carry hundreds of people, small ones can be built!" Liu Erbao is not very modest.

(Today, I thank the reward of the two friends of Baiyun Guogao and lujunqi006! Ha ha! It's cliché to say thank you too much! But I still want to say thank you!)