Chapter 218: Ford River
The Governor’s residence was bustling with noise as Simon returned.
Many commoners and merchants stopped to watch, their faces lighting up with excitement upon learning that Prince Simon had come back to Brambleford.
Everything they had now was given to them by Simon, so naturally, they hoped he would stay in Brambleford to continue providing them protection and convenience.
"What joyous news?"
Back in Eldora, Hughes’s ’four great threats’ had weighed heavily on Simon. Aside from the reavers, there were also two troublesome neighbours along the coast. It seemed he was truly beset by misfortunes. Now, any good news was crucial to him.
"Harlan came yesterday to report that the first galleon is nearly complete. He asked when Your Highness would return, little did he expect you’d arrive today."
"The galleon is almost finished?" Simon exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes."
Baldwin replied. He didn’t have much of a reaction to the galleon, but seeing Simon so excited, he knew it must be important.
"Hahaha... Wonderful! Harlan promised to deliver three galleons by the end of the year. After all these months, we’re finally seeing progress!" Simon said.
His excitement wasn’t just because the galleon would enable long-distance voyages; it was because its completion meant Brambleford could now build galleons.
More importantly, it signified that Brambleford had cultivated a group of skilled shipwrights capable of constructing large warships. This was an invaluable asset. With these craftsmen, he could formally expand and standardise the shipbuilding industry, laying the foundation for a future naval fleet.
At the same time, the training of specialised naval personnel needed to be put on the agenda.
Recently, the Oxford Academy has been focused on recruiting talent, but many specific courses hadn’t been established yet. After all, everything had been geared toward the war in Dunmere. Now, it was time to prioritise education.
The true advantage of the System lay in education.
With the galleon making progress, Simon was naturally thrilled. However, like Baldwin, Lancelot and Liam showed little reaction. To them, a galleon was just a ship, nothing particularly special.
This attitude was precisely why the Eldorian Empire’s naval development had always lagged: a fundamental lack of emphasis on maritime interests.
But this was understandable. Northern soldiers were traditionally weak in naval warfare, so it was natural for them to feel indifferent toward ships.
Simon, however, came from a modern background. He deeply understood how the sea could bring wealth and power to a nation, with trade routes being the most critical factor.
Now that the Silk Road was occupied by reavers, cutting off trade between the Eldorian Empire and other nations, a maritime route had become essential.
After a brief exchange with the officials at the Governor’s residence, Simon had Ysabeau and Joan return first while he and Baldwin headed straight for the shipyard downstream of the Ford River outside the city.
Lancelot, Liam, and the cavalrymen returned to the Brambleford military camp.
Since assigning Harlan to build the galleon, aside from allocating slaves and providing woodworking lathes, Simon had rarely interfered. From his perspective, he didn’t want to micromanage his subordinates’ responsibilities.
Doing so would not only exhaust him but also prevent them from truly mastering the technology he provided.
Thus, for the galleon, he had only supplied a set of blueprints. At the Machinery Department, he primarily taught in lecture format, leaving the practical application for them to figure out themselves.
"Your Highness, we’re here." After half an hour on horseback, the two arrived at a bend in the river.
Here, the Ford River took a sharp turn, its surface swelling, wide in the middle and narrow at both ends. The water here also appeared deep, making it an ideal location for a shipyard.
Standing on the riverbank, Simon looked down. Moored in the river bend were three galleon hulls. On the vast riverbank, craftsmen were busy at work, while slaves transported logs, rivets, and other materials back and forth.
Near the riverbank stood a long, peaked brick building about a hundred meters in length. Craftsmen moved in and out, carrying processed wooden planks, while the sound of sawing wood came from inside; this was the main structure of the shipyard.
At the moment, Harlan was on the riverbank, holding blueprints and pointing at the hull, seemingly correcting some issue.
Exchanging a glance with Baldwin, Simon descended the slope toward the shipyard.
The guards at the shipyard immediately opened the gates upon seeing Simon and Baldwin.
"My Lord."
Harlan noticed their arrival and hurried over, his face beaming.
"Not bad. You’re almost ready to install the sails, right?" Among the three galleons on the riverbank, the first one was nearly complete, with craftsmen applying tung oil to the hull.
Wooden ships sailing in water faced significant corrosion, especially galleons at sea, where saltwater accelerated decay.
Thus, after completing the hull, craftsmen coated it with tung oil to waterproof it and extend the ship’s lifespan.
"Your Highness’s words only make this old slave feel more ashamed. Completing three galleons by year’s end will be difficult, but even if I have to forgo food and sleep, I will ensure it’s done for Your Highness." Instead of being pleased, Harlan seemed uneasy.
The three walked around the hull as they talked. Privately, Simon hadn’t held much hope for launching three galleons, but he couldn’t say that aloud.
Otherwise, morale would drop. So, he couldn’t relax the target.
"In that case, you’ll have to work harder."
"Yes, my Lord," Harlan replied respectfully. As a slave still under punishment, he didn’t dare slack off.
At the base of the ship, Simon patted the wooden scaffolding on either side.
These supports were built from timber, similar to construction scaffolding, a method explicitly detailed in the blueprints.
Traditionally, shipbuilding relied on A-frame ladders, but these were impractical for large vessels. Thus, scaffolding was erected first, allowing craftsmen to climb up and down easily to install planks, hammer rivets, and apply tung oil.
"My Lord, this so-called ’scaffolding’ is indeed very convenient. It has significantly sped up the shipbuilding process." Harlan said, his tone carrying admiration. He had no idea how Simon had come up with such a method.
"Naturally. Once the tung oil is applied, dismantle this scaffolding and reuse it for the next galleon. This is called ’assembly-line work ’; it saves materials and time."
On the riverbank, all three galleons were surrounded by scaffolding over ten meters high, no small feat in itself.
Harlan nodded. By now, he was used to hearing unfamiliar terms from Simon. However, he hadn’t summoned Simon just to deliver good news, there were also some troubles to report.