Chapter 949 Emerging from the Sea (Part 2)
"Mr. Zhang, please keep an eye on things while I go out to meet someone..."
Although he was inwardly complaining, Zhuang Rui still had to greet the teacher when he arrived. Besides, he was the only one on the ship with an archaeology background, and there was a severe shortage of related technical personnel.
Once the sunken ship surfaces, tens of thousands of ancient artifacts on board will need to be sorted and organized. Even if Zhuang Rui worked himself to death, he couldn't finish the task. Therefore, seeking help from within the country is essential.
Of course, the ownership of these shipwreck artifacts still belongs to Zhuang Rui. The most these people can do is add the title of participating in China's first successful deep-sea salvage, but Zhuang Rui doesn't really care about such honors.
"Brother Zhuang, they even brought a tugboat with them?"
Peng Fei also came up from the monitoring room to the deck and stood with Zhuang Rui on the ship's side next to the spiral staircase to welcome the experts from China.
"That's their problem, we don't need to..."
Zhuang Rui curled his lip upon hearing this. Some relevant departments in China just don't act with any sense of magnanimity. It's ridiculous to even look at them. Using a tugboat to tow a sunken ship? They might be willing to do it, but they wouldn't be willing to do it themselves. How could those people even think of such a thing?
After waiting for about twenty minutes, Professor Meng and his group transferred to a small boat and finally boarded the deck. Zhuang Rui hurriedly went to greet them, saying, "Professor, I was so worried about you coming here in person..."
Professor Meng was originally leading the excavation of Liu Xiu's tomb in Henan Province, and the work had made great progress, with more than ten discoveries that could fill gaps in domestic archaeology, attracting considerable attention both at home and abroad.
However, when Professor Meng heard that Zhuang Rui was salvaging a shipwreck in the South China Sea and received Zhuang Rui's distress call, he immediately put down his work, gathered a group of domestic underwater salvage experts and archaeologists, and rushed here overnight. Putting everything else aside, this friendship is indeed very touching.
"Don't speak to the teacher like you're a businessman..."
Professor Meng looked at Zhuang Rui with feigned anger, then said, "But Zhuang, after these items are salvaged, you need to let us study them properly first, there's no rush to put them in the museum..."
Professor Meng wasn't really angry. As a teacher, seeing students succeed makes one feel incredibly happy, like they've eaten honey. Moreover, Zhuang Rui's project will fill a gap in the country's underwater archaeology. At this moment, Professor Meng was filled with joy.
"I'll do exactly what you say, teacher, I'll do it your way..."
Professor Meng's words made Zhuang Rui smile wryly: "Well, he was just saying he was a businessman, and now he's starting to haggle..."
However, Zhuang Rui had no reason to refuse his teacher's request, as it was as if someone was dating these shipwreck artifacts for him for free.
"Yes, you already know these people, so I don't need to introduce them. Tell us about the salvage operation..."
Accompanying Professor Meng were not only people from the archaeological community, but also several experts in the appraisal of antiques and ceramics. Zhuang Rui had been in this field for several years and was quite familiar with these people.
Behind the experts were seven or eight young people who looked to be in their early twenties. Zhuang Rui knew that these were probably students from the school who had come for an internship. For them, such an opportunity was rare.
"Xiao Zhuang, you never make a move unless you're really going to cause a big commotion..."
The speaker was an old acquaintance of Zhuang Rui, Professor Tian from the Palace Museum. Since the "Cizhou Official Kiln Incident," Zhuang Rui and Professor Tian had become close friends despite their age difference, and their relationship was quite good.
"Hehe, Teacher Tian, now that you say that, I'm going to get really proud..."
Zhuang Rui smiled and ushered the group into the monitoring room inside the platform. Of course, the students were left outside, watching the floating crane work with curiosity. Everything at sea was new and exciting to them.
"Old Tian is right, Xiao Zhuang, you've given us quite a few surprises these past two years..."
Professor Meng and Zhuang Rui walked side by side, their hearts filled with many emotions.
Zhuang Rui's initial acquisition of the Dingguang Sword confirmed the existence of the legendary ancient imperial sword. Later, his discovery of pirate treasure overseas brought great fame to the Chinese archaeological community on the world stage.
The recent discovery of a Han Dynasty imperial tomb in Henan Province is also related to Zhuang Rui. If he hadn't followed the clues and had the two brothers, Da Niu, lead the way, the imperial tomb might have been destroyed by tomb robbers.
Now Zhuang Rui is even more remarkable. Deep-sea archaeology has always been a blind spot in the Chinese archaeological community. The country has spent more than ten years and still failed to salvage the Nanhai No. 1, which had already been surveyed.
Zhuang Rui's first operation involved salvaging a shipwreck at a depth of 3,000 meters, highlighting the immense technical challenges involved and making it a rare feat in the history of deep-sea salvage worldwide.
"Engineer Zhang, this is my mentor, Professor Meng. Professor, this is the chief commander in charge of this salvage operation, Engineer Zhang..."
As they entered the monitoring room on the platform, Zhuang Rui introduced the staff members inside to Professor Meng and the others. When it comes to salvaging the sunken ship, it's these people who are the key.
"Professor Meng, I've heard so much about you. Now that you're here, I'll hand over the reins of command..."
After Zhuang Rui introduced Professor Meng to Engineer Zhang, Engineer Zhang immediately prepared to relieve himself of his burden. He had been paying close attention to the underwater situation day and night for the past few days, and he looked much more haggard than when he arrived.
"No, everyone has their own area of expertise. I can talk about history, but this old man doesn't understand these things. Engineer Zhang, you continue to direct. What happens after the ship is salvaged is my job..."
Professor Meng waved his hand and said with a smile, but he took a few quick steps and stared at the ancient shipwreck that was slowly rising.
At this point, the ancient shipwreck was still a couple hundred meters below the surface of the sea. Even without a strong light, the outline of the shipwreck could be vaguely seen.
“That’s right, it’s a Song Dynasty shipwreck. Look at the high bow and smooth lines; those are definitely characteristics of Song Dynasty ships. Xiao Zhuang, you’ve filled another gap in the country’s deep-sea archaeology this time…”
Professor Meng stared intently at the ancient ship wrapped in fishing nets on the screen. Putting aside the value of the artifacts inside the shipwreck, the shipwreck itself was of considerable value to the study of ancient Chinese maritime history.
"Those people in the Ministry of Transport could all go home and grow sweet potatoes, they're a disgrace..."
Professor Tian suddenly said something from the side, which surprised Zhuang Rui, who asked, "Professor Tian, what does this have to do with the Ministry of Transport?"
"How can it not be their business? The salvage operation can only be carried out with their consent and guidance. But the Nanhai No. 1 has been discovered for more than ten years, and a lot of things have been salvaged from it, but the entire ship has not yet been brought to the surface. Compared to you, this is just a bunch of people who are taking advantage of others' positions..."
Professor Tian was somewhat indignant. He himself was a researcher of ancient ceramics and naturally wanted to find more physical examples of Song Dynasty export porcelain. However, over the years, the amount of these items salvaged by the government was less than what private fishermen had managed to retrieve.
Zhuang Rui only learned from Professor Tian's explanation that salvaging sunken ships in China requires approval from the Ministry of Transport, and that experts dispatched by the Ministry must be in charge of the salvage operation.
As for those qualified salvage companies, nine out of ten are subordinate enterprises of the ministry. Their professional skills are not very good, but there are plenty of people who do nothing.
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui felt incredibly fortunate. "Luckily, I didn't try to take advantage of the situation back home, or those old men would have skinned me alive."
After sitting in the monitoring room for a while, Engineer Zhang stood up and said, "President Zhuang, Professor Meng, the sunken ship will surface in about half an hour. Let's go outside and wait..."
"Okay, everyone get out. Be careful and don't lean against the ship's side..."
Zhuang Rui nodded and gave a few instructions to the experts. The ship was tens of meters high, and if someone fell off it, even if it was seawater below, they would be seriously injured if not killed by the shock.
Hearing that the sunken ship was about to be brought to the surface, everyone became excited and walked out of the monitoring room to the deck between the platform and the floating crane.
The cruise ship's floating crane and platform form a triangle, with the wrecked ship being brought to the surface in the middle. The deck is now filled with people.
Not only the platform staff, but also the crew members were seeing this for the first time, and they all gathered around to watch the excitement. Even the bearded captain came over in person, taking out binoculars and observing the sea surface as if it were a serious matter.
But the most eye-catching of all was the King Kong duo. A little guy was sitting on one of King Kong's shoulders, excitedly weaving in and out of the crowd. This guy was a real attention-seeker; the more people there were, the happier he became.
Zhuang Rui had no time to teach Jin Gang a lesson at the moment. His eyes were fixed on the sea, and he used his spiritual energy to sense the rising sunken ship.
"Fifty meters..."
"Forty meters..."
"Twenty meters..."
"Ten meters..."
Real-time data kept coming from the walkie-talkie, and when it reached five meters, the calm seawater began to churn, and a tall wooden pole appeared on the surface. Zhuang Rui knew that this was the broken mast.
"They're out."
"Look, a big ship is coming out..."
"It's all made of wood, and there's quite a lot of stuff on the ship..."
After more than a week of intense work, the ancient shipwreck from the Song Dynasty finally surfaced, revealing its mysterious veil.
In an instant, all the staff on the cruise ship cheered, and many people took off their hats and threw them high into the air.
The recovery of the sunken ship not only signifies the completion of their work, but also sets a new record in China's deep-sea salvage history. At this moment, everyone's heart is filled with joy.
Through the gaps in the fishing net, you can clearly see that the wood of this ancient ship has a slight reddish tinge, and the parts of the hull that are not rotten, except for the broken mast, are basically well preserved.
Chapter 950 Picking the Fruit? (Part 1)
On the vast sea, the roar of the cruise ship was deafening. After the sunken ship was brought to the surface, the platform and floating cranes were under immense pressure, bearing hundreds of tons of weight, and were operating at almost maximum power.
The workers operating the machines were very careful, slowly moving the boom of the floating crane. The sunken ship was rising almost inch by inch, slowly moving towards the already empty cruise ship deck.
When the leaders of the relevant domestic departments saw the sunken ship, they immediately looked embarrassed. The tugboats they brought were not even as big as this ship, and seeing how carefully others were handling it, they knew that Zhuang Rui would definitely not share the credit with them.
"A little higher, a little higher, good!"
"A little to the left, a little more, gently, don't break anything on the ship..."
"Slow down, slower, Lao Yu, aren't you supposed to be able to lift a cigarette with a crane arm?"
These workers all knew that Zhuang Rui had given them a raise, so they worked very carefully. Instructions were relayed from the ship to the operators, and all the work was carried out in an orderly manner.
After more than three hours of work, the ancient shipwreck, which had been submerged for over a thousand years, was finally safely placed on the deck.
The ship's hull, gleaming with a faint reddish sheen, exudes a sense of vicissitude under the direct sunlight, as if it has weathered a thousand years of storms.
To facilitate future transportation, the fishing nets were still in place, but the ropes on them had been removed. Zhuang Rui walked in the front row, standing side by side with Professor Meng next to the ancient shipwreck.
"Clang... clang clang..."
Zhuang Rui tapped the hull with his hand, producing a metallic clanging sound. This Song Dynasty ship, after a thousand years, not only showed no signs of decay, but its hull seemed even sturdier than before.
"It has great historical significance, great archaeological significance, and great cultural value!" Professor Meng gently stroked the shipwreck, his face unusually excited, uttering three important words in succession. Even when Liu Xiu's tomb was unearthed, Zhuang Rui had never seen his teacher so distraught.
Seeing that his teacher was emotional and had traveled overnight by boat, Zhuang Rui was worried that something might happen to the elderly man's health, so he quickly said, "Teacher, why don't you rest for a while before we start cleaning?"
Because direct sunlight can alter the wooden structure of the shipwreck, workers are currently setting up a makeshift sunshade on it. Zhuang Rui's idea is to wait until they finish their work before proceeding with the shipwreck cleanup.
It should be noted that even with a rough visual estimate, there are at least tens of thousands of artifacts on the ship. The porcelain pieces alone, densely packed together, are countless, not to mention the numerous gold and silver vessels scattered throughout the ship.
The work of cleaning cultural relics is not just about taking things out randomly; it also requires numbering and classifying them, which is very tedious. Zhuang Rui estimates that it would take at least ten days to half a month to complete this cleaning work alone.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Professor Meng waved his hand and said, "No need, let's start now. Xiao Zhuang, you haven't realized the importance of this ship yet. Its value is no less than that of the Terracotta Army in Shaanxi..."
According to Professor Meng, the discovery and salvage of this early Song Dynasty shipwreck is significant not only because it contained tens of thousands of rare treasures, but also because it holds unimaginable information and extraordinary academic value.
Because the shipwreck was located on the "Maritime Silk Road" route, and because its collection was exceptionally rich and valuable in both quantity and variety, it provides the most credible model for the study of this period of history.
Furthermore, the exploration and excavation of this shipwreck can restore and fill a historical gap closely related to the ancient Chinese "Maritime Silk Road".
It's important to understand that this maritime trade activity predates Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean, and it also demonstrates China's powerful manufacturing capabilities at the time. Its Age of Exploration far surpassed that of medieval maritime powers such as England and Portugal.
Professor Meng and Zhuang Rui had different perspectives on the shipwreck. After Professor Meng finished explaining the value of the shipwreck, Zhuang Rui stuck out his tongue a little embarrassedly. It turned out that even as an archaeology professional, he had become obsessed with money and only judged it based on its cultural relic value.
"That's right, Xiao Zhuang, is the room for storing these items ready? Remember, the room needs to be dry, otherwise the glaze on these porcelain pieces will oxidize and fade..."
Professor Tian was also eager to participate. These Song Dynasty export porcelains are of great significance to the study of the history of ancient export ceramics and maritime trade in the South China Sea.
The world generally believes that the Tang Dynasty was the pinnacle of China's feudal dynasties, but this is not the case. From a commercial perspective, the Song Dynasty was one of the most economically prosperous, technologically advanced, and culturally flourishing dynasties in Chinese history, and it was also the country with the most inventions and innovations in the world at that time.
Song Dynasty porcelain, apart from some Yuan Dynasty porcelain that has become almost unique pieces, is the most sought-after porcelain on the international market, and its price has always remained high.
Therefore, Professor Tian was eager to observe the differences between these export porcelains and domestic official and folk porcelains from the Song Dynasty.
"Alright, the rooms are all ready. Everyone can board the ship, but be careful, there's some seaweed on board that can be slippery..."
Seeing that both teachers said so, Zhuang Rui had no reason to stop them. After he nodded, someone immediately set up a ladder and boarded the ancient ship in batches.