latelenovela Chapter 20 Relocation
Chapter 20 Relocation
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Due to insufficient prior preparation, the shipyard dormitories in Bofu could not be built in time. To accommodate these shipwrights, trees were temporarily felled and planks were used to build wooden huts for shelter from the wind and rain. They would move in after the brick houses were built. The timber from the huts could also be dismantled to make auxiliary facilities for the dock. Although the huts were simple, the climate in Qiongzhou was warm all year round, so it didn't matter.
Shipyards were crucial to Liu Ye. Maritime trade and warship construction were indispensable parts of his plans. A tall building starts from the ground up, and shipwrights were the foundation of a shipyard. Winning them over was one of the most important tasks at present. With the spoils from Tangjiazhuang and the profits from Wanhualou, Liu Ye was confident, and he chose the quickest way: to use money.
He gave a speech in the open space in front of the wooden house that was under construction.
"Fellow craftsmen, although the shipyard is nominally government-run, I will not hide it from you; I am the one in charge here. It's a good thing you've avoided going all the way to Fujian, but you still need to support your families if you stay. The government has reported you as having encountered danger at sea, and your names have been removed from the household register. In any case, you can't go back to Tiaolou Village, and without the government's protection, you can't go anywhere else. You might as well settle down and work here. I will not treat you unfairly. I don't know how much you can earn in a year building fishing boats in Tiaolou Village, but I can guarantee you a monthly wage and a year-end bonus, which will definitely be more than your previous income!"
For these people, "bonus" was a new concept. Someone asked, "How much is the wages the employer mentioned, and what are the terms for this bonus?"
"The craftsmen are divided into three grades according to their skills. The best craftsmen earn three taels of silver per month, the second best earn two taels, and the worst earn one tael. The grades are reassessed every six months, with the capable rising and the incompetent falling. Bonuses are calculated based on the total weight of the ships built, with one hundred taels awarded for every five hundred taels of silver, distributed according to the number of people and their grades."
This compensation system has everyone excited.
Tiaolou Village has been renowned for shipbuilding since the Yuan Dynasty, with the craft passed down through generations. In the early Ming Dynasty, the income was quite good. However, the maritime ban imposed by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang dealt a severe blow to the industry. Although private shipbuilding remained thriving in Guangdong and Fujian, Tiaolou Village was too remote. Aside from building a few fishing boats, there was little outside work available. A shipwright, even after a year of hard work, could earn at best a dozen taels of silver, barely better than a traveling peddler.
These shipwrights had been in this trade since childhood, and they had no other skills, nor could they farm. Without work, they would go hungry. After receiving the government's conscription order, they were prepared for no return, but unexpectedly, they were sent to this so-called government-run shipyard. They thought that working for the government would be a losing proposition, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
According to the owner's rules, skilled craftsmen could earn at least thirty-odd taels a year, which already exceeded the best years of the past, not to mention the "bonus". With so many shipwrights gathered, the shipyard must be quite large, and the number of ships built must be considerable. At one hundred taels for every five hundred pieces of material, several thousand pieces of material of ships would generate several hundred or even a thousand taels in bonuses each year. Even if it was divided among everyone, it would still be quite substantial.
With such favorable conditions, some quick-thinking individuals have already begun planning for their families. One person asked, "Master, shipbuilding can't be done by master craftsmen alone; apprentices are indispensable. Outsiders can't do it. In our Tiaolou Village, there are many apprentices who haven't completed their apprenticeships and aren't on the government's conscription list. Would you be willing to take them in? We don't need wages, just enough to eat."
Upon hearing this, everyone echoed his sentiments. In reality, these so-called apprentices were all sons of local families. Tiaolou Village had been engaged in shipbuilding for generations, and it was a relatively closed-off place. Generally, the business was passed down from father to son; the father taught the son step by step, and when the father could no longer work, the son would take over. Now that the heads of the families had all come to the shipyard, their own sons, left at home, would not be able to find work before completing their apprenticeships and would only go hungry. It was better to say a few nice words to the employer and come work here so that at least they could have enough to eat.
Liu Ye slapped his forehead. "That's a great suggestion!" he thought. Shipbuilding was a complex undertaking; it couldn't just have masters, it needed apprentices too. Building on that, why not go a step further and relocate the entire Tiaolou Village here? That way, all the shipwrights could work here in peace. It's just a matter of employing a few more people, right? I'm short of manpower and resources, but I'm not short of money.
He announced, "Not only your apprentices, but your families can also come. The entire Tiaolou Village can be relocated here. I'll put in a good word with the government, and they won't make things difficult for you. In addition to being fed, apprentices will also receive a monthly wage of five qian of silver."
The host was so generous that everyone exclaimed, "The host is so kind! The villagers of Tiaolou Village are all very grateful!"
Liu Ye pointed to the person who made the suggestion and asked, "What's your name?"
The man replied, "My name is Lin Yishan. I am usually called Lin Machine by my colleagues because of their respect for me."
Lin Yishan was the best shipwright in Tiaolou Village. He was highly skilled and loved to come up with new ideas. He was always "full of ingenuity." Because the Red-haired Devil also used their shipwright's place to replenish fresh water and repair damaged ships, he had come into contact with Western ships and had his own independent insights into shipbuilding. His nickname "Machine" referred to the fact that his shipbuilding material cutting was as precise as a Western pendulum clock.
“Very good, there will be plenty of opportunities to see if your nickname is well-deserved. Now I’m giving you a task: take some people and bring your entire village here.”
Lin Yishan respectfully replied, "Picking up people is not a problem. There is another matter to report to the master. In our Tiaolou Village, every household makes a living by their crafts. We don't have any other valuable household items, but we have a lot of timber, tung oil, jute, hemp, anchors, and nails that have been passed down from generation to generation. These are all essential for shipbuilding, especially the timber, which is already dried and ready to be used as soon as it is brought over."
Although Liu Ye didn't understand ancient shipbuilding techniques, he knew the common sense that freshly felled timber couldn't be used directly to build ships.
Fresh wood cells are not completely dead, and when soaked in water, they will swell. Over time, this will cause the hull to deform, creating safety hazards, and in severe cases, the ship may fall apart. Therefore, timber used for shipbuilding must be air-dried before use. The fact that Tiaolou Village has readily available timber is an unexpected bonus, which can greatly accelerate the construction and commissioning of the shipyard.
He waved his hand and said, "That's great. But I won't take advantage of you; the timber and other accessories will be paid for at market price."
The decision to relocate Tiaolou Village was made amicably. Xia Tiannan sent Tan Shan back to Tiaolou Village with Lin Yishan to assist with the relocation arrangements and to take stock of assets such as timber and accessories.
As for the transportation of people and property, it is not a problem. Tiaolou Village has plenty of boats, mostly fishing and cargo boats of several tens of tons known as "Lingao Tuofeng", which can travel directly to Bofu by waterway.