Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1711 - 1220: A Square-Bowed, Square-Sterned Vessel Called the Sand Ship

"What? A proper household must abide by heavenly rules? Women must listen to men, tribespeople must listen to the nobility, to be considered a good household? Those who don't listen are punished, even beaten to death on the spot with a wooden staff?... Old Jin, what kind of 'principles' and heavenly mandates are these? Clearly, it's your nobility leaders who set them up, just to make you obedient, bow your heads in homage, and pay tribute!"

"Old Corn is right! The great spirit had told the Northern Tribes to respect the divine nature of heaven and earth, to respect all beings and life, to continue the tribes' and their own lives, to strive to live on! At any time, we must strive to live on, how can anyone casually take a life? Even a tribal shaman like me, unless faced with a severe cold wave, faced with truly impossible circumstances, cannot abandon the lives of the tribespeople, let alone throw people into the lake arbitrarily... Besides, many tribal women are even more formidable than men! They can become grandmothers, female chiefs, female hunters, shamans, and herbalist wizards. In the divine sky's view, women and men are equally capable…"

The evening wind blew across the lake, the waves shimmering in gold and red. A square-headed, square-tailed Chinese sailboat sailed against the wind, returning to the shipyard on the North Coast. This ship, with the wind at its back, could cover more than forty miles in an hour, and now, against the wind with its sails half-folded, it could still cover nearly twenty miles in an hour. Its speed, requiring no human effort, was indeed astonishing.

At the forefront of the ship, Old Militia Chiwaco stood in a row with Cedar Shaman, watching the somewhat bowed Shipwright Kim Sun-su, clutching a gold talisman. The three of them chatted away, discussing the various rules of the Bright Great Tribe, raising their voices a notch. The Bright Great Tribe across the sea differed completely from Chiwaco's own Prepetcha tribes and Cedar Shaman's northern hunting tribes. The three seemed like projections from different eras; only after comparing the outlines did they realize those seemingly sensible rules were meant to blind people's eyes and exploit them!...

Old Militia Chiwaco shook his head, recalling the experience of family ruin, his gaze growing heavier, his voice deepening.

"Chief Divine witness! Dividing lives into four classes at birth? And a 'degraded rank' that's not even human? What is this? This is exploitation, just like Maya's Divine Descendant ant people!... Aren't the lords of your tribe just blatantly exploiting people? Only here, those being exploited know it, they grasp weapons to resist, they flee deep into the mountain forests... But over there, why do they not hate the lords above, don't know to escape, instead loath those of 'degraded rank', loath those who 'disobey the lords'?"

"Old Corn, can't you see? Their noble priests are much more capable than those priests around here! They've long used series upon series of doctrines to manipulate their thoughts, without needing to offer anything tangible, nor needing to intimidate with blades, axes, spears… A few words from the lords are enough to make their tribespeople hostile towards each other, unable to unite, obediently listening and behaving like dogs!"

At this point, Cedar Shaman sighed, stretching out his rough palm, and gently tousled Shipwright Kim Sun-su's hair. Kim Sun-su instinctively shrunk his head and bent down, his face wearing a smile.

"Cedar Lord…"

"Old Jin, don't call me lord! There's no such thing as a lord in the northern tribes, nor any master! There are only those capable, who can live well themselves and help their tribe live well, those warriors! You're a shipbuilder, skilled in your own right, even if you can't defeat a gray wolf or hunt a ptarmigan, you're still a true tribal warrior!"

Cedar Shaman spoke sternly, one hand pressing on Kim Sun-su's crown, while the other slapped firmly on his back, making Kim Sun-su stand upright instantly.

"Divine nature of heaven bears witness! As a warrior, you should straighten your back, trust your own skills! Forget your past, forget those broken rules of the Bright Tribe, stay here, and become a person as mighty as a red pine, soaring against the sky!... This is the great spirit of the North, I now pass it onto you! Ah ha yi ya wu hu hey ho..."

As he spoke, Cedar Shaman's voice gradually softened, slowly singing a shamanistic hymn. The song seemed to originate from the abdomen, deep and resonant, making the brain vibrate in resonance. Kim Sun-su stood there dazed, feeling the palm on his head, hearing Cedar Shaman's song, his gaze slightly scattered. At this moment, he felt the other was glowing, like a true Golden Body Bodhisattva, enlightening him…

"Forget the past, stay here?… Become a pine tree, a piece of ship timber… Ah! This is the vow I once made, this is the Bodhisattva coming to save me!... Bodhisattva who rescues and saves, ferrying people and disasters!..."

Shipwright Kim Sun-su was tearful, the hardships of the past forty years laid bare in his mind, so clear. Kneeling in Korea, begging for life, the lords were heaven. Then with the Japanese invasion, family scattered, abducted from Korea to Boundary Port, still kneeling for life, the Japanese lords were heaven. Beyond that, drifting in the cold North for two years, then captured by the sudden appearance of 'merfolk'. This time, he traveled over twenty thousand miles, with no chance of returning home…

"Chief Divine! All lost, all forgotten, none of it is mine… Let me stay here, live by my own skills, become a man standing tall!... Merfolk leaders gave me a wife, I married here, even became a Craftsman Master, took on over a dozen apprentices… My home is already here!... Ah, Bodhisattva!"

Shipwright Kim Sun-su wanted to kneel and bow to Cedar Shaman, but was firmly supported by him. With this strength, for the first time in his life, he truly straightened his back, his face losing the obsequious smile, gradually revealing rare radiance. Old Militia Chiwaco watched from the side, eyeing the mysterious old shaman and the mysteriously transformed old Jin, couldn't help but click his tongue.

"Tsk tsk! That Old Woody, as expected of someone with a shaman's title, truly has a bit of a mystical touch!"...

The schooner continued to sail forward, but the wind direction changed once again, causing the ship to tilt. The old militia member Chiwaco adjusted the sails while shipwright Kim Sun-su, having finally come to his senses, rushed over to help. Watching him walk, sometimes instinctively hunching over, and other times trying hard to stand straight, he looked positively like an awkward lobster.

"Ha! Alright! These sail ropes might seem complex at first, but really, it's just a matter of a few simple things... When the wind is slightly following, the sails shouldn't face it directly. In a crosswind, any extra force translates into the ship's tilt. A headwind with angled sails is basically the same as a crosswind, just less wind to catch, so the ship tilts even more deeply..."

"Indeed! Praise the Chief Divine! Captain Qi, you are incredibly smart, every word hits the nail on the head! I've taught many sailors, but none as diligent and smart as you!"

"Haha! So Old Jin, tell me, compared to Old Woody, who's smarter?..."

"Uh? Well!... I..."

"Old Corn, why make it difficult for him? Why not come and ask me!"

"Ask you? Is there even a need to ask? Old Turkey flies to the heavens, Old Woody turns to smoke, they're all splendid and glowing in flight!"...

Hearing this, Cedar Shaman chuckled, holding his scepter, he approached the Gold Shipwright. He pointed forward and back with the scepter, and then seriously inquired.

"Old Jin, when you reported to Priest Mekate at the shipyard, what did you call this ship, hmm, 'Woody Sand Ship'?"

"Ah! Honorable Master Cedar, this ship's name is called 'Two Hundred Timber Sand Ship'. It's made from two hundred logs at least twenty feet long, forming a 'sand ship'!"

"Oh! A ship made from two hundred logs... Hmm, why is it called a 'sand ship'? Is it for carrying sand?"...

"Ah? Master Cedar, the style and name of this ship, including its construction method... actually originates from the Upper Country Ming! As for why it's called a sand ship, it's probably because the ship's bottom is wide and shallow, allowing it to navigate shallow waters near coastal sandbanks... Chief Divine as my witness! This is almost the most useful and most widely used type of ship. Whether it's on a Great River, Great Lake, or near the coast, it works, and it's not afraid of wind and waves..."

Speaking of shipbuilding, shipwright Kim Sun-su's eyes finally gleamed with confidence. Among the thousands at the shipyard of the kingdom, he was the most formidable master shipwright! Although the kingdom's great shipyard was slightly incomparable to the Long River Treasure Shipyard of his dreams and aspirations... But here, he truly could speak his mind, take full charge of the ship's construction from start to finish, and use the best materials he never had before, truly showcasing his talents!

"Chief Divine's protection! Master Cedar, the sand ship is the most practical, not too difficult, and indeed the first type I built at the shipyard! It has a flat front and back, no central keel is needed, only the side planking keel. While the strength of these plank keels on the sides is a bit less than a central keel, it requires no large timber, is not only affordable to build but also very labor-saving, and can be constructed very quickly!"...

"The sand ship's deck is wide, its shape deep and small, with low freeboards on both sides, and its capacity is above average. It withstands wind and waves by using large side beams to help the deck shed waves quickly. If the waves are too big, it sits flat-bottomed on the beach to avoid them. The watertight compartments in the hold are similar to those on an Ocean Shielding Ship... The best feature of the flat-bottomed square stern is when there's no wind, oars can be used on both sides, an advantage over the Ocean Shielding Ship which only relies on sails!"...

"Chief Divine as my witness! It's the most suitable ship design for the kingdom, simple and useful, feasible for rivers, lakes, and near the sea! The shipyard's craftsmen still need quite a bit of practice, as an Ocean Shielding Ship isn't stable enough, we might only be able to build this kind to start practicing... Priest Mekate said the first batch should have twenty ships! But Priest Mickey disagreed, saying more should be built and sent north, at least forty ships!... But where to find so many hands? I can supervise at most five ships at once, and only when other master craftsmen get familiar with the construction method can we start building more. Materials and manpower, however, aren't a concern, since there are several thousand people, even bigger than Jianghua Island's shipyard!"...