Chapter 297 New Ships and Black Pottery

After the drought ended, the Teng tribe took the opportunity to reclaim wasteland on a large scale and plant fast-growing crops and vegetables.

If all goes well, these vegetables will mature before the snow falls in winter, providing the Vine Tribe with some food for the winter.

After destroying the Locust Tribe, the strength and reputation of the Vine Tribe reached its peak.

If the captives and newborns are included, the population of the Teng tribe has approached 10,000, which is an extremely astonishing number.

You know, one of the signs of becoming a large tribe is a population exceeding 10,000.

Of course, Jiang Xuan did not get carried away by this, because he knew very well that a truly large tribe had a very profound foundation, and the Teng tribe was established too recently and had too little foundation, so it still had a long way to go before it could become a truly large tribe.

On the first day of September, the Teng tribe fleet set out again on the Feiyu River.

“Clatter…”

On the river, nine large wooden boats were lined up in order, and the totem flags on the masts fluttered in the wind.

Among these nine wooden boats, three are new ships built by the shipyard this year, and the other six were built last year and have been sailing for some time.

The new ship is larger than the old one, being fifteen meters long, and has four sails, a rudder, an anchor, a sealed cabin, and other facilities. It has also been improved to address problems that may arise during navigation, and has a larger carrying capacity and more stable performance than the old ship.

“Finally we can sail again!”

On the new boat, Jingjie stroked the bronze rudder, looked at the waves on the river, and then looked up at the totem flag above. He felt his heart surging and he couldn't wait to set sail.

As the leader of a fishing team and a fleet, the three months of drought were the most difficult for Jingjie.

Because of the drought, the water level of the river dropped so much that the fleet could not travel far and could only sail nearby.

Now, after several days of heavy rain, the water level of the Flying Fish River has returned to normal. The fleet has also added new ships that have been tested, so he can lead the fleet to sail far away again.

Jiang Xuan was also standing on the deck. He said to Jing Jie, "This time when you set sail, you should first go to the Otter Tribe and ask them about the water route they took when they migrated from the Great Swamp. Then follow the water route and enter the Great Swamp."

"The Great Swamp is extremely vast, and it contains countless prey and various resources. I hope you can return with a full load."

Jing Jie nodded heavily and said, "Don't worry, leader, we will definitely return with a full load!"

Jiang Xuan added: "Although the Great Swamp is rich in resources, the dangers inside should not be underestimated, so I have invited someone to go with you."

"Who is it?" Jingjie asked curiously.

Jiang Xuan turned around, looked at the hunched figure walking towards him on the shore, and said, "That's him."

Jingjie looked over there and saw the old witch leaning on a bamboo stick, walking slowly towards this side, and following him was the huge eagle.

"Old witch, are you going with us?" Jing Jie asked in astonishment.

Jiang Xuan smiled and nodded, saying, "That's right, the old witch wants to go to the Great Swamp to find some new medicinal herbs, so it's just right for me to go with you. With the old witch here, the giant eagle can also guide you and warn you in the air, so it will be much safer on the way."

Jingjie hesitated for a while and whispered, "But the old witch is too old. Can he withstand the bumps on the boat?"

Sailing is not as pleasant as imagined. The boat keeps shaking on the water. If there is strong wind or heavy rain, there is even a risk of capsizing.

Jingjie was very worried that the old witch was too old and could not endure life on the ship.

"Look down on me, an old man?"

At this moment, the old witch who had just walked to the side of the boat glared at Jing Jie and continued, "I have traveled all over the country riding a giant eagle. I have experienced all kinds of hardships. Are you afraid that I can't take the boat?"

Jingjie didn't expect the old witch's hearing to be so abnormal. He smiled awkwardly and didn't dare to refute.

The old witch boarded the boat leisurely, greeted Jiang Xuan, then walked into the cabin, found a good seat to sit down, and put away his luggage.

On the deck, Jiang Xuan said to Jing Jie, "There are too many things to do in the tribe. I won't go with you this time. Remember, be careful. If you really run into big trouble, immediately pray to the Vine God for protection!"

Jingjie nodded solemnly and looked up at the largest totem flag on the mast.

On that totem flag, there is a branch of the divine vine, which is the trump card that saves the fleet.

After explaining the precautions, Jiang Xuan patted Jing Jie on the shoulder, then got off the boat and waved goodbye to the fleet.

“Wuwuwu…”

On the big boat, a warrior blew a horn made from a mountain goat horn, and the loud and melodious sound floated back and forth on the river.

"Weigh anchor!"

Jingjie shouted and went to the bow to pull up the anchor with a capstan.

“Clatter…”

As the capstan turned, the bronze chain made a crisp clash of sounds, and the heavy bronze anchor slowly rose from the mud at the bottom of the river, freeing the ship.

"Set sail!"

After Jingjie pulled up the anchors at the bow and stern, he shouted again, and then raised the sails together with the soldiers of the fleet.

After the sail is raised, the angle needs to be adjusted to use the wind to propel the boat forward. This is a job that requires experience and is done by the most experienced soldiers.

After all the sails were raised, Jing Jie stood on the boat and shouted excitedly: "Set sail!"

“Wuwuwu…”

The horn sounded again, and the nine large ships slowly moved forward under the push of wind and water. It was a very spectacular scene.

"Cry!"

The giant eagle also flew into the air, circling slowly around the fleet to escort it.

On the river bank, Jiang Xuan watched the fleet gradually go away, then turned around and returned to the tribe.

Today, the Teng tribe has grown to a very large scale. With more people, there are more things to do. As the leader, Jiang Xuan is very busy.

He first went to the second residential area on the other side of the river and inspected the various handicrafts of the Teng tribe.

Workshops for smelting bronze, making clothing, building ships, minting coins, making stone tools, wood tools, pottery, and salt were all operating normally as before.

Apart from the Teng Tribe, there is hardly any other tribe on this continent that possesses such a rich and complete handicraft industry.

These handicraft products not only meet the needs of the people of the Teng tribe, but the surplus can also be sent to the trading area for trading, earning huge profits for the Teng tribe.

Inside the pottery workshop, the owner Shi Gen stared at a black pottery jar for a long time and did not even notice Jiang Xuan's arrival.

On the table, there are jars of various shapes. These jars are all black in color, but none of them can compare to real black pottery. They look a bit out of place.

"Are you still studying black pottery?"

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Jiang Xuan's voice rang out, pulling Shi Gen out of his deep meditation.

Shi Gen put down the black pottery jar and said with a wry smile: "Chief, we have tried many methods, but we can't make real black pottery."

This black pottery jar was traded back from the Black Tooth Tribe when Jiang Xuan went to the central region. According to Wu Yu from the Black Tooth Tribe, the black pottery came from the Rhino Tribe in the Southern Wilderness.

Black pottery is a very exquisite pottery, and can even be regarded as a pinnacle of pottery craftsmanship.

It is as black as lacquer, as sounding as a chime, as thin as paper, as bright as a mirror, and as hard as porcelain, forming a sharp contrast with other rough pottery.

Jiang Xuan looked at the black pottery jar and thought carefully. He vaguely remembered that he had read an introduction to black pottery in his previous life, but he didn't remember it very clearly. He only remembered that the black pottery seemed to have used some kind of carburizing process.

Charcoal is easy to understand. It is charcoal, charcoal ash, or carbon element.

The key is how to make the charcoal penetrate into the pottery to form a uniform bright black color? After a moment, Jiang Xuan said: "Next time, try adding a lot of branches and grass into the kiln when the firing is halfway through, and then close the kiln door and chimney to see if you can smoke the pottery black."

"Okay, I'll try it right away!"

Shi Gen has extreme trust in Jiang Xuan, and even blindly worships him, because Jiang Xuan's guidance played a crucial role in the development of the pottery of the Teng tribe to be so exquisite.

Shi Gen didn't care about all that anymore. He immediately found a kiln that was firing pottery, and then found a lot of firewood.

The kiln has been burning for several hours, and the temperature inside has reached the sintering temperature of pottery. The clay pottery blanks are being transformed into hard pottery.

"Open the kiln door!"

At Shi Gen's order, the workers in the pottery workshop were a little confused, but they still did as he was told.

After the sealed kiln door was opened, one could see the red-hot pottery inside, with the billowing heat waves rushing out, making one feel suffocated.

Shi Gen did it himself, adding a large amount of firewood into the kiln despite the heat wave, and then sealed the kiln door and chimney.

"Master, if you seal the chimney, the firewood won't burn well."

The worker in charge of firing the kiln couldn't help but remind him.

"Don't worry about it. Just block me if I tell you to."

Shi Gen was very confident because this method was told to him by the leader and he believed it would succeed.

Jiang Xuan, who was standing aside, looked at him and began to wonder in his heart, because he was also guessing blindly and didn't know whether this method could succeed.

Jiang Xuan thought for a moment, and then said to Shi Gen, "Seal the chimney. The fire inside is indeed not burning well. Don't rush to open the kiln. Let it burn for a while, and wait until the kiln cools down naturally before opening it."

"yes!"

Shi Gen obeyed Jiang Xuan's words. Since Jiang Xuan said so, he did it.

After adding firewood and sealing the kiln door and chimney, all that remains is to time and luck.

Jiang Xuan did not stay here, but went to other places to continue his inspection.

Time passed quickly. Three days later in the afternoon, Jiang Xuan was picking bell peppers in the yard when he heard excited voices coming from outside the yard.

"Chief, it worked, it worked!"

"What succeeded?"

Jiang Xuan stood up straight and looked towards the gate, only to see Shi Gen running in excitedly.

"Chief, the black pottery has been fired successfully, look!"

Shi Gen handed a pottery basin in his arms to Jiang Xuan, his eyes full of admiration for Jiang Xuan.

Jiang Xuan took the pottery basin and looked at it. He saw that the basin was as black as ink and had a shiny luster. Although it was not as thin and transparent as the pottery of the Rhino Tribe, it was indeed black pottery.

Can a random idea succeed? Jiang Xuan himself couldn't believe it, but facing Shi Gen's admiring eyes, he had to pretend to be calm, encouraged Shi Gen, and rewarded him with some bronze coins.

From that day on, the Teng tribe initially mastered the black pottery manufacturing process and made continuous improvements. Eventually, it appeared in the Teng tribe trading area, causing quite a stir and was competed for by various tribes.

(End of this chapter)