Hongwu Survival Guide

Chapter 77 Lighthouse
After the lunch break, one of Zhu Yuan's main plans in the afternoon was to build a lighthouse navigation system.

In this era, there are already prototypes of lighthouses.

A few days after Zhu Yuan arrived in Mingzhou, according to the information he had read before, he built a simple beacon on Zhaobao Mountain outside Dinghai City, which was also the "lighthouse" of this era.

It has a similar appearance to the Border Beacon, but the Border Beacon is for warning purposes, and should not be lighted without hostility.

The coastal beacons are lit around the clock, smoke during the day and light at night to guide ships approaching Dinghai.

But this is far from enough.

The goal Zhu Yuan hopes to achieve is to spread the lighthouse navigation system all over the Daming sea area.

Or the phrase 'fear stems from the unknown'.

If a navigator travels everywhere, especially in an emergency, if he can see a lighthouse to guide his direction, it is like a drowning man grabbing a long pole handed over from the shore.

Can save lives.

In addition, the reason why it is a lighthouse and no longer a beacon is also a necessary improvement.

The structure of the beacon is too simple. Once encountering severe weather such as storms, the open-air beacon will no longer be able to ignite fireworks, and severe weather is precisely the time when ships at sea need pyrotechnic navigation most.

Therefore, Zhu Yuan hopes to build a lighthouse like in memory.

Also adapt to the times.

While igniting at night, this kind of lighthouse must also be able to ignite beacon smoke during the day, and must have a certain ability to resist severe weather.After all, later lighthouses were mainly used to guide the way at night, but in this era there were no modern equipment, and daytime navigation was also very important.

Let's talk about the present.

The long-term goal of letting lighthouses spread all over the sea area of ​​Daming is put first, and the first thing is to serve the immediate food transportation.

Therefore, referring to the drawings he gave and discussing the general construction plan with the craftsmen selected by Yao Feng, Zhu Yuan discussed with the staff of the surveying and mapping office and planned to lay out two lighthouse navigation routes first.

The first route is off the coast of Mingzhou, extending from Dinghai Port all the way to the northeast until the Shengsi Islands area.

According to the recent surveying and mapping results, the Shengsi Islands are about [-] miles away from Mingzhou.

After passing the Shengsi Islands and going further east, the grain transport fleet has almost reached the open sea with northwest currents, and can turn north and reach Shandong directly.

It is too far to reach, but since the beginning of this section can be realized through the layout of lighthouses on Zhoushan, Daishan, Shengsi and other islands to realize full-line navigation, of course it must be done.

In addition, the island where the lighthouse is planned to be built must also be selective. One of the key conditions is that it must have a natural harbor, so that in case of an emergency, the grain transportation fleet can be docked and repaired as long as it moves towards the lighthouse.

The second line is in the states and counties along the eastern seaboard.

I don't consider the south for the time being, but go north from Mingzhou all the way to Jiaozhou.

The location chosen to build a lighthouse must also have a harbor, and a certain in-depth survey will be carried out on the corresponding coastal area to determine the entry route to avoid grounding and hitting rocks.

When the grain transport fleet is traveling in the open sea, it is certain that the lighthouse on land hundreds of miles away cannot be seen.

However, it is still the same reason. In case of an emergency, the entire fleet, or some ships, can directly turn to the west and enter the port to dock according to the guidance of the coastal lighthouse.

Not only that, Zhu Yuan also plans to set up rescue guards on the two lighthouse networks.

Ships in open seas can also send fireworks signals. As long as they receive the signal, the relevant guards must take the initiative to rush to rescue.

How dangerous is it to travel to sea in this age?
First of all, as Zhu Yuan has learned more recently, he has gradually realized that the drift of marine sports is less than [-]%, which is obviously exaggerated.

However, even if it is only [-]%.

Behind the loss of [-]% of the grain, there is a problem that has been deliberately ignored by many historical materials.

What about people? !
Zhu Yuan planned to transport 20 shi of grain at a time, and 1 people were needed to escort soldiers and civilians.Based on this calculation, if you want to reach the level of 300 million stones in Yuanting, you need 15 people to escort soldiers and civilians.

According to the proportion of food loss, and considering that half of the people can be rescued, and the remaining half, it is equivalent to losing 7500 people every year.

Note that there is 'person-time' before and 'number of people' after.

Still according to Zhu Yuan's plan, 3 people will go back and forth twice a year. If all goes well, they can transport 120 million shi of grain.To achieve 300 million shi per year, it is easy to calculate that a team of 7.5 people is needed.

Therefore, the loss of manpower happened to be [-]%.

On the surface, it seems that the annual loss of [-]% of the manpower does not seem to be much, but the transportation of grain is not only for one year. The destruction lasted for more than half a century.

Not to mention decades, even if calculated on a 10-year basis, the 7.5-person grain transportation team loses 7500 people every year. After ten years, the original 7.5 people in theory will all have to be replaced.

Because, it's all gone!

With such a risk factor, one can imagine the degree of resistance of coastal residents to participating in the northward transportation of grain.

Daming could not afford Yuan Ting’s high grain transportation price, which was more than twice the price of grain itself and could make people ignore life and death and take risks. In fact, Yuan Ting himself could not afford it. Still financially unsustainable.

Then, what Zhu Yuan can do is to provide the maximum security guarantee for the maritime grain transportation team under the existing conditions.

Don't say any beautiful words of compassion, the simplest logic, the safety is guaranteed to the greatest extent, and the participants no longer feel that going to the sea is a narrow escape. Then, all the soldiers and civilians responsible for transporting food will be more coordinated and maximize efficiency. , make the whole thing the best it can be.

And, sustainable.

It was just a preliminary discussion with a few officials and craftsmen, and it took more than half an hour to send them to carry out. Zhu Yuan stood at the door and looked at the sky. It should be four or five o'clock in the afternoon.

Another day is coming to an end.

Seeing that Zhu Yuan finished handling the matter, Zuo Qi and Li Gui brought a group of people over together, it was Liu Laoqi's family.

Apparently there was a lot of waiting.

Liu Laoqi and the three sons of the Liu family brought all five of their grandchildren here for Zhu Yuan to have a look at.The youngest boy was only three years old, and he was held by a girl with bright eyes.

After Zhu Yuan asked a few questions, he confirmed that the eldest sons of the three Liu family brothers were all old enough, the oldest was 13 years old, and the youngest was seven years old, both of which were suitable for schooling.

As for the others.

For example, a girl from the Liu family with a younger brother is the daughter of Liu Da, and she is also a "second mother". At the age of 11, Zhu Yuan thinks she is very smart. She is suitable to be sent to Jinling to enter Houhu Medical College, and she will be trained as a female doctor in the future. official.

However, in order to avoid further discord between the Liu family father and son brothers, it was not mentioned.

Do not suffer from widowhood but suffer from inequity.

Brothers are not up to date, and the Liu family can only lose this blessing.

During the conversation, he learned that none of the three boys had proper names, which is very common in this age, so Zhu Yuan thought about it a bit and named them on the spot, from big to young, Liu Chaosheng, Liu Chaoqi, Liu Chaoping.

Liu Laoqi was obviously very satisfied with the name, and asked his three grandsons to kowtow to Zhu Yuan.

In this day and age, apprentice apprenticeship should not be too hasty. After meeting people, Zhu Yuan let them arrange the following matters. For this reason, he even asked someone to give Liu Laoqi three months' salary in advance.

When the Liu family left, Li Gui followed Zhu Yuan into his office with an inquiring expression on his face.

After Zhu Yuan came to the desk, he did not sit down, picked up a charcoal pencil and lay down on the table to continue studying a map of Mingzhou offshore islands, and said to Li Gui: "Learning should be done step by step. For three children, the key is to first Let's teach the word 'Li'."

Li Gui was chosen for this reason.

Brothers Li Gui and Li Bie, the third child and his sister have somewhat similar personalities, probably due to their similar ages, they were influenced by similar families during a certain period of their growth, which is a bit roundabout.Of course, Li Gui is not stupid compared to Qingniang who is not enlightened, but just abides by Confucian etiquette, so Zhu Yuan is more at ease and quickly uses it.

The fourth son, Li Bian, is too quick-witted and needs to sharpen it a bit.

Zhu Yuan didn't do this to cherish the feathers or anything else, but to a large extent, it was for the good of those around him.

Because of Lao Zhu.

Lao Zhu is very tolerant towards his relatives, and when he is really offended, he is more inclined to use his relatives' close followers for surgery.

In the most typical unofficial history, Li Wenzhong kept admonishing Lao Zhu to reduce the use of eunuchs to avoid the disaster of eunuchs interfering in politics in the previous dynasty. All the doormen of the nephew's house.

If you don't let me use eunuchs, don't use doormen either!
In the official history, some of Lao Zhu's sons did absurd things, the princes were fine, and the heaviest punishment was to shave all their hair, but the unlucky ones were the officials of the palace.

Zhu Yuan has big goals now.

Some people couldn't find a flaw from Zhu Yuan, so they inevitably turned to those around him.Zhu Yuan didn't want certain things to happen, so he had to plan ahead.

Hearing Zhu Yuan's order, Li Gui probably understood what to do, so he agreed.

Just as they were talking here, Zhao Xu hurried over.

A group of pirates turned themselves in, about 100 people.

The notice was posted, except for the group brought back by Huagao, this was the first batch of people who came to report in the past few days, and Zhu Yuan immediately decided to go and see for himself.

The person is next to the Mingzhou Wei garrison on the banks of the Yongjiang River in the east of the city.

In the process of going out of the city in a sedan chair, Zhu Yuan also got a general idea.

This group of pirates...in fact, they are not considered professional pirates, but islanders near Daishan. They usually go fishing, and they only do some illegal things when they encounter them occasionally.

Recently, I saw the notice and saw the mighty and majestic naval fleet stationed in Mingzhou. The more I thought about it, the more afraid I was. I was worried that I would be reported by the people around me, and I missed the opportunity. All the men in the village ran over.

After hearing this, Zhu Yuan almost wanted to go back directly.

Very unfulfilling.

However, it was still outside the east city.

After briefly seeing a group of islanders who were simply tied up in a string and covered in rags, as well as the crying elderly, women and children outside the camp, Zhu Yuan didn't bother to ask any more questions, so he decided directly that all of them would serve a year of hard labor.

Then they wrote it off and went back to their homes.

It was the evening when the smoke was rising, and Zhu Yuan called the highest military attache who was stationed here, commanding Zhang Yi, and asked him to arrange meals, not only for the group on the ground, but also for the young and old outside, and then quickly put the tent away. Put it up so that people can't freeze it at night.

After Zhu Yuan finished giving orders, he found that Xue Shu and Liu Lian had come together at some time.

Seeing that there seemed to be something wrong in Liu Lian's expression, Zhu Yuan said, "Speak up if you have something to say?"

Liu Lian cupped his hands: "Hanlin, in troubled times... use heavy codes, this treatment is too rash, at least we need to screen it out."

Zhu Yuan smiled but said: "Use heavy codes in troubled times? Okay! I have a task for you. I live next door to a big boss who was born as a water thief. Go and 'severe codes' for him. If you agree, I will call now." How about a thousand elite soldiers for you?"

Liu Lian immediately turned bitter.

This……

Unreasonable!

Who dares to "re-code" from the first-rank naval captain!
Seeing that Liu Lian was silent, Zhu Yuan turned to Xue Shu: "You are flexible, don't get too close to him, be careful not to be fooled."

Xue Shu just smiled without saying a word.

Zhao Xu and others beside Zhu Yuan also suppressed their laughter, it was very hard work.

After joking a few words, Zhu Yuan rolled up his sleeves and watched the officers and soldiers come to untie the ropes behind a group of islanders, escort them to set up tents by themselves, and some people called the women and children in, sighed softly, and said in a tone Resuming the serious way: "It's true to use heavy codes in troubled times, but it also depends on the situation. Some things, if you don't understand them clearly, will only become more chaotic. We will cut through the mess quickly and solve the pirates as soon as possible. This will benefit the people in the southeast." It has been chaotic for decades, and the people want stability, not black and white. Moreover, if this matter is resolved, our food transportation will be less disturbed."

Liu Lian quietly listened to Zhu Yuan's words, then paused, and still cupped his hands and bowed: "Hanlin, I'm an official to be taught."

Just as they were talking here, another soldier escorted a group of civilian husbands.

Zhu Yuan looked over.

Seeing this, Zhao Xu leaned over and explained in the ear of his little official.

This is the group of Zhang Shicheng's old troops that he brought back with Huagao when he went to sea last time.

Zhao Xu also pointed to one of the big men, indicating that it was the leader that Qiao An had captured. He was also a descendant of Yan Shu, a famous official in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Zhu Yuan became interested and asked someone to call for a banquet.

Yan Xun noticed a group of officials from a distance, and one of them was a young boy who was still wrapped in fur clothes in the spring. He guessed that he should be the rumored "gifting 500 years of Guozuo" to the outsider.

It's just...too small.

Hearing that the young man wanted to see him, Yan Xun dared not disobey him, and hurriedly followed an officer and soldier over, and offered to meet him without introduction.

Zhu Yuan asked Yan Xun to get up, looked at the former general of the Zhang family, and asked, "Are you a descendant of Yan Shu?"

Banquet Xun clasped his fists: "I am the seventeenth grandson of the Yan family, so I am unworthy, and it really insults the reputation of my ancestors."

Zhu Yuan wanted to say that it's a pity that you are not the 23rd generation grandson, or else it would be a coincidence.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yuan changed his mind and asked again: "Have you read the book?"

Yan Xun nodded: "I have read it."

Zhu Yuan thought for a while before asking: "Do you want to revive your ancestor's reputation?"

Yan Xun hesitated.

If the Zhang family was destroyed, if he wanted to surrender to Western Wu, he would not lead his people out of Pingjiang and escape into the sea.

However, recently...

At that time, he had no choice but to choose to surrender. He thought that after being taken to Mingzhou, he would encounter some embarrassments, and even his life. He didn't dare to fully believe in Huagao's promise.

Therefore, I have discussed it with several brothers in private, and if I have to, I still have to find an opportunity to escape again.

Unexpectedly, things were much better than expected.

For example, he himself soon had results, ten years of hard labor.

Yan Xun felt that it was not too much.

Except for him, none of the brothers below were over ten years old, and even the women and children who brought them here didn’t even have an explanation. They were only sent to light tasks such as sewing sails and weaving cables, and the women’s family members did not encounter any harassment.

Living next to the camp of Mingzhou Wei, except for the daily ointment and a few pairs of eyes around them when they work, they don't feel like convicts at all.

Because those jobs are not too heavy.

Yan Xun could understand that it must be that Mingzhou was taking them as human beings, but in just a few days, many brothers below gradually lost their other thoughts.

Everyone thought that after serving the military in this way, leaving their family behind, and having a safe and stable future, it was much better than drifting at sea with no life or death in sight.After all, if you only look at the forest-like sight of sails and masts in Dinghai Port, how can you go to sea to make a living in the future?

Yan Xun thought so too.

Unexpectedly, suddenly, the little adult in front of him... seems to have the intention of recruiting him.

Yan Xun was not happy, more alert.

Recently, the Navy Governor's Mansion sent people to lobby several times, hoping that he would provide information, or write a letter in person to help recruit the old Zhang's troops at sea, but he chose to refuse.

He felt that the person in front of him might still have the same idea.

After a short silence, Yan Xun was about to speak when Zhu Yuan waved his hand to interrupt: "I am not trying to recruit you, nor am I trying to use you to recruit other pirates, but another opportunity. However, I just had an idea just now, you don't have to Answer, think about it first, even if you don’t want to and plan to settle down, you can ask your other brothers if they are willing to go to sea to fight for a fortune of."

(End of this chapter)