In the early Ming Dynasty, in order to consolidate the newly established Zhu family dynasty and prevent overseas invasions, a strict maritime ban policy was implemented, stipulating that "not a single plank is allowed to go to sea." Therefore, to date, archaeological discoveries have revealed more shipwrecks from the Song Dynasty than those from the Ming Dynasty.
In addition, some relevant documents provide extremely detailed descriptions of the design features of Song Dynasty ships, so Zhuang Rui concluded that this underwater shipwreck should be a merchant ship from the Song Dynasty.
As the deep-sea robot drew closer, the entire ship became increasingly clear. Its bow and stern were pointed, and it was about thirty meters long and ten meters wide. However, the height of the ship could not be measured because half of it was buried under the sand on the seabed.
"Thirty meters long? This...this is even bigger than the Nanhai No. 1 shipwreck that the government announced a while ago?"
Zhang's job involves working at sea, so he is no stranger to news about shipwrecks. He was referring to the Nanhai No. 1, a Song Dynasty shipwreck discovered by the state in the waters off Yangjiang in 1987.
In 2002, more than 4,000 artifacts of gold, silver, bronze, iron and porcelain were salvaged from the Nanhai No. 1 shipwreck. All of them were rare treasures, which caused a sensation in the world archaeological community at the time.
Although that ship is still sunk to the bottom of the sea, according to the data from the investigation, the ship was only about thirty meters long, perhaps not even as big as the one shown on the screen in front of us.
"It's entirely possible. That ship sank in the inland sea, while this one is clearly an ocean-going vessel, and could even be larger..."
Zhuang Rui knew about the Nanhai No. 1, but it was a salvage operation funded by the government. It was said that they spent 160 million yuan but still couldn't salvage it. Zhuang Rui didn't want to get involved in that, since he wouldn't benefit from it even if it was salvaged.
As the submersible approached, the ship became clearer. Its massive hull took on a slightly reddish hull under the lights, and even the broken mast was clearly visible.
The mast broke, presumably due to a storm that prevented the sails from being lowered. Judging from the ship's condition, it is highly likely that the entire ship was capsized, as apart from the broken mast, the hull appears to have suffered no other damage.
"There's something there, something on the boat, and something in the mud and sand beside it..."
A staff member pointed at the screen and shouted loudly. Without him saying it, everyone else saw it too. In the cabin, which should have had a roof, countless pieces of porcelain with a faint luster were densely packed together.
Moreover, on the flat seabed around the ship, some vessels can be vaguely seen stuck in the sand. They are not only porcelain, but also gold and silver artifacts, judging from the luster of some objects under the light.
Engineer Zhang carefully maneuvered the submersible around the Song Dynasty shipwreck, taking numerous photos from different angles.
It was clear from the screen that there were at least tens of thousands of ceramic and gold and silver artifacts in the center of the cabin, which captivated everyone in the room. Although they were not collectors, they could still sense that this was an extremely large fortune.
"Mr. Zhuang, you've had a great time..."
Zhang Gong's face was full of envy. He was familiar with the relevant rules in the salvage law published by the International Maritime Organization. All the shipwrecks salvaged from this sea area would belong to Zhuang Rui. Although these were shipwrecks from the Song Dynasty in China, the state could not take them back.
In other words, this ship full of treasures of immeasurable value, once salvaged, would all be Zhuang Rui's private property. It would be impossible for Engineer Zhang not to feel a little envious and jealous.
"These belong to China; they are treasures left behind by China..."
Zhuang Rui was also somewhat excited. The richness of the collection on this ship far exceeded his previous expectations. Judging from the quantity of gold and silver artifacts and salvaged porcelain he could see, it was probably no less than the collection salvaged from the Nanhai No. 1 shipwreck.
It's worth noting that, according to archaeologists' assessments, the Nanhai No. 1 shipwreck is comparable in value to the Terracotta Army in Shaanxi, so the value of the Song Dynasty shipwreck discovered by Zhuang Rui is self-evident.
Judging solely from the treasures found in the shipwreck, this ship may not be the most valuable shipwreck in the world.
During Spain's colonial history in the Americas, a total of 250 ships laden with treasure sank off the coast of the Americas, including three large fleets that sank in 1622, 1715, and 1733 respectively.
Almost all of these ships that sank on their way back to Spain were laden with gold, silver and diamonds plundered from the Latin American colonies, with a total value of tens of billions of pounds.
These shipwrecks are also Zhuang Rui's next salvage targets. "Back then, the Eight-Nation Alliance looted our Beijing. Today, I, Zhuang Rui, am going to your high seas to steal your treasures. You can only watch helplessly."
The most valuable shipwreck recently salvaged was the Central America, which was recovered from the coast of South Carolina in the 1990s. The treasure on board was worth as much as £800 million, which would probably be worth at least 20 billion RMB today.
However, this Song Dynasty shipwreck is of extraordinary significance to the Chinese and world archaeological communities because there are very few records of maritime history from more than a thousand years ago in any country. It plays an invaluable role in studying the social structure and navigation technology of that time.
Of course, Zhuang Rui did not intend to donate the shipwreck to the country, because the discovery of this Song Dynasty shipwreck will have a huge impact and far-reaching influence on underwater archaeology in China and the world.
Zhuang Rui believes that as long as he salvages the shipwreck and displays it in the museum, it will definitely become a new attraction of the Dingguang Museum. With this shipwreck and the items on board, Zhuang Rui is confident that he can make his museum the best private museum in the world.
"What I'm after is being able to help ordinary people learn about the history of shipwrecks while also filling my own pockets. Besides, I'm a poor guy too..."
Zhuang Rui, who still had over 100 million euros in bank drafts left over from this gamble, thought to himself with a wicked grin.
"Damn it, we can't let those pirates ruin our salvage plan..."
After thinking for a moment, Zhuang Rui instructed Engineer Zhang to continue taking photos, then got up and left.
"Li Zhen, have they made any moves?"
Zhuang Rui called Xiu Luo via walkie-talkie.
"No, Brother Zhuang, don't worry, I'll let you know immediately if there's any movement..."
Li Zhen was also a little puzzled. According to the conversation he overheard, the pirates should have been able to confirm that there were no weapons on their ship. He didn't know why they were still staying put and not heading towards his waters.
"Okay, continue monitoring. This shipwreck is very important; we can't afford any mistakes..."
After seeing the sunken ship, even if Zhuang Rui had been told there was danger, this guy probably wouldn't have wanted to leave. Faced with such wealth and such a significant discovery, no one could remain unmoved.
However, the safety of the workers and himself was also important, so Zhuang Rui decided that if there was any disturbance, everyone should be evacuated back to the cabin immediately.
After hanging up the phone, Zhuang Rui walked into the platform room and looked at Engineer Zhang, saying, "Engineer Zhang, check the depth of the hull's indentation and see if the drilling platform's power can pull it out. After the inspection, retrieve the submersible first, and then we'll have a meeting to discuss the specific salvage plan..."
There are too many items on this shipwreck. If traditional salvage methods are used, the porcelain may be damaged during the salvage process. Therefore, Zhuang Rui plans to make a big move and lift the entire ship up from the seabed in one go.
However, this will increase the technical difficulty of the salvage operation, posing a huge challenge to Zhuang Rui and the existing equipment.
Chapter 938 Gunshots Before Dawn (Part 1)
“Engineer Zhang, this won’t work. Even if the power of the floating crane and platform can pull the sunken ship up, we shouldn’t force it. Although the wood on the surface of the sunken ship is still very hard, it absolutely cannot withstand that kind of pulling force…”
In the monitoring room on the platform, a heated discussion was taking place, with disagreements arising regarding the overall salvage plan for the sunken ship.
Since the underwater robot was retrieved yesterday, Zhuang Rui and the experts working at sea have been discussing specific salvage plans for the sunken ship. However, more than a day has passed and they still haven't reached a consensus.
According to Engineer Zhang, the drilling platform and floating crane installed on the cruise ship have enough power to salvage the sunken ship. As long as underwater robots are used to reinforce the area around the sunken ship, it can be lifted directly.
However, Zhuang Rui rejected this plan. He needed a complete Song Dynasty shipwreck, not a pile of broken wood that would be salvaged, and that would also damage the items on board.
"Mr. Zhuang, the shipwreck isn't sunk very deep into the seabed. With the pulling force of the floating crane, the damage can be minimized..."
Mr. Zhang insisted on his opinion. He wasn't an archaeologist, and from his perspective, this was a good opportunity to test his company's equipment.
“No, the floating crane can only be used as an auxiliary device. How about this, we don’t have a semi-submersible barge this time, but we brought a lot of buoys with us. We can use the buoys to loosen the hull first... If we can get the sunken ship off the seabed, then we can use a submersible robot to pull a net from the bottom of the sunken ship. Only then can we use the floating crane to pull it to the surface…”
After thinking for a long time, Zhuang Rui came up with a solution that was clearly superior to Zhang Gong and the others' forceful approach.
The semi-submersible barge that Zhuang Rui mentioned is specifically built for ocean salvage and tugboat operations.
Semi-submersible barges and submarines have similar functions. They can submerge in water, secure salvaged items, and then raise the water to the surface to use buoyancy to lift sunken ships from the seabed. However, semi-submersible barges are technically complex and expensive, so Zhuang Rui did not consider them this time.
The principle behind the pontoons is even simpler: the air inside the pontoons is simply removed, and after the sunken ship is secured, it is thrown into the sea. Then, an automatic inflator is used to inflate it, which utilizes the principle of buoyancy to pull the sunken ship out of the water.
After gently lifting the sunken ship with buoyancy, a large net is laid underneath it. This will undoubtedly protect the ship and minimize the loss of items from the ship.
Both of these methods are relatively gentle, unlike floating cranes which use brute force to pull. Furthermore, the salvage process can be controlled based on the magnitude of buoyancy. Therefore, when Zhuang Rui said this, most people nodded in agreement.
"Mr. Zhuang's method is excellent. Although the salvage process may take a little longer, it will preserve the ship's integrity. Let's discuss the specific operational details of this plan now..."
Zhuang Rui is the boss, and he wants to implement a time-consuming and laborious salvage plan. Naturally, Engineer Zhang will not refuse. He works at sea and not only receives a salary from the company, but Zhuang Rui will also pay him a generous labor fee.
Moreover, deep-sea salvage of sunken ships is a highly technical project that requires multiple rounds of demonstration and repeated research before a solution can be determined.
Therefore, Zhuang Rui spent the entire day in his office working with everyone to overcome difficulties and determine the salvage plan.
"Brother Zhuang, Brother Zhuang, something's happened, call back immediately..."
Just as Zhuang Rui was about to get into another argument with Engineer Zhang over the issue of gradually inflating the floating crane, Li Zhen's voice came through his earphones. Zhuang Rui could tell that the kid's words were full of excitement.
"Zhang, you guys discuss this first, I have something else to attend to..."
Zhuang Rui realized that the gang of ruthless pirates had finally made their move. After leaving the office, Zhuang Rui shielded his eyes from the setting sun and said, "Li Zhen, what is it?"
"Hey, Brother Zhuang, business has come in. The other party has already set off from the Malaysian island and is currently 358 nautical miles from here. Based on their speed, they should be able to reach our ship's location by 5 a.m. tomorrow..."
Li Zhen laughed gleefully into his earpiece. He had carried out many missions before, but this was the first time he had ever fought pirates at sea.
Having encountered such an exciting event after leaving the army, Li Zhen wished the pirates would appear before him immediately.
"I understand. Tell Peng Fei to keep a close eye on Jack and not let him know we're on guard. I also need to make some arrangements on my end..."
When the moment came, Zhuang Rui calmed down. He had considered making an attempt to alert the pirates by capturing Jack and scaring them away.
But Zhuang Rui thought about it another way. These days, it's not the thieves you should fear, but the ones who have their eyes on you. If you don't catch these people, you'll always have to be on guard when you go out to salvage shipwrecks. It's better to deal with them this time. "Engineer Zhang, everyone has worked hard these past two days. Let's discuss the plan tomorrow. I haven't been able to spend time with my wife and kids these past two days, so I'll take a day off from today to tomorrow. But these workers will have to work a little harder to bring the drilling platform and floating crane back..."
When Zhuang Rui returned to the room, the discussion was still in full swing. Everyone was stunned when he said this.
You should know that Zhuang Rui pays them in US dollars every day. With dozens of people like this, that's at least $100,000 a day. It's rare to see a boss who gives everyone paid leave.
"Mr. Zhuang, it's alright, you go ahead and have some fun, we'll continue our discussion..."
Zhang is a very practical worker. He receives nearly five thousand yuan a day in sea allowance, and he won't feel at ease if he doesn't do some work.
"It's alright, let's have a cocktail party tonight, everyone drink until they drop, let's all relax..."
Fearing that these people might be disturbed by the pirates and suffer casualties, Zhuang Rui decided to hold a party that night so that they could drink too much and go back to sleep. He believed that by the time they woke up the next day, the problem would be mostly resolved.
"Okay, thank you, Mr. Zhuang..."
"Thank you, Mr. Zhuang. A big boss is truly different..."
"But think about how much fuel this ship costs in a day! What are our meager wages compared to that?"
The technicians were excited about the paid leave and the drinks. Women were extremely rare at sea; sometimes it would be difficult to see one for a year or two.
Working at sea is very boring, and it can't continue after dark, so most people like to drink. These technicians and experts are no exception, and Zhuang Rui's words were a way of appealing to their tastes.
That evening, in the cruise ship's luxurious restaurant, cases of Moutai liquor were brought out. Neither the Chinese staff nor the crew members usually had the opportunity to drink Moutai.
A few hours later, the restaurant was littered with empty bottles and staff members slumped on the floor. Even several security guards seemed drunk, slurring their English in a way neither side could understand, as they tried to get Captain Clyde and First Mate Jack to drink.
"Boss, don't worry, everyone's asleep. There was a party on the ship today, and the security guards are pretty much done drinking. The security won't be very tight tonight..."
In the first mate's cabin on the third floor of the cruise ship, Jack was covering his head with a blanket and quietly talking on the phone with the third brother of Liu Minghui.
First Mate Jack was very dutiful. In order to welcome the pirates tomorrow, he didn't drink much today. Normally, he would have gotten himself drunk no matter what, even if the alcohol was free.
"Go out and check again to make sure everything is perfect. We'll be at your ship's location around 4:30 to 5:00 AM. Then, secretly lower the spiral staircase..."
Upon hearing Jack's words, the third brother was overjoyed. Could it be that God was on their side? He knew the nature of these sailors; they were more attracted to alcohol than women, and it would be difficult for them not to get drunk.
"Don't worry, boss, I'll go out and check it out. When you arrive, I guarantee you'll see the spiral staircase has been lowered..."
Jack was very familiar with the ship, and putting down the spiral staircase was a trivial matter for him.
After hanging up the phone, First Mate Jack stared at the ceiling, already dreaming of becoming a captain, because the generous boss had promised to recruit him into the organization and make him their captain.
"Li Zhen, are the defensive weapons ready?"
Just as Jack hung up the phone, Zhuang Rui asked Li Zhen with a gloomy expression. This matter made him very angry. If it weren't for Li Zhen's information defense system, he probably wouldn't even know if someone slit his throat in the middle of the night.
"Brother Zhuang, you can rest assured. Go back and be with your wife. We'll take care of everything. You can come and check the prisoners tomorrow..."
Li Zhen wore a nonchalant smile. Having weathered many storms, this little incident was merely adding a touch of spice to his otherwise peaceful life.