Xiang Yang was surprised that this Mongol warship had alarmed so many people.
"Xiang Yang."
Chen Yu moved from the research ship to Xiang Yang's ocean-going fishing boat. He shook Xiang Yang's hand excitedly and said, "It's incredible that you found such an important historical document."
Xiang Yang said with shame: "It's just a Tianye Cloud Sword, it shouldn't be that serious, right?"
"You don't understand." Professor Chen Yu shook his head and said, "It is certainly gratifying to find the Tianye Cloud Sword, but the Kusanagi Sword is an alien object after all. What we really value is the sunken ship itself."
"The oldest shipwreck discovered in the world so far is a shipwreck from the Song Dynasty 800 years ago. However, that shipwreck was a merchant ship for ocean trade. It cannot restore the course of the road to maritime hegemony, nor can it provide physical data for the shift of human warfare from land to sea. The shipwreck you found can perfectly make up for this gap, and can even allow experts to obtain information that cannot be provided by literature and land-based archaeology. What's more, the Tianye Cloud Sword you found on the ship is definitely a priceless epic artifact."
The topic was so profound that Xiang Yang didn't understand a single word. He could only nod while listening to indicate that the other party was right.
Chen Yu was very pleased to see Xiang Yang nodding continuously. He concluded with a smile: "In short, this Mongolian warship is of great significance to the study of the ancient shipbuilding history, war history, shipping history, and civilization history of my country and even the entire East Asia and Southeast Asia."
Xiang Yang waited for two seconds but still didn't see Chen Yu speak, so he knew that Chen Yu had finished what he wanted to say, so he smiled and said, "Teacher, congratulations."
"It's the civilization that should congratulate you, young man." An old man in a gray long coat walked out from behind Chen Yu. The old man looked at Xiang Yang with a smile and said, "You discovered this sunken ship, and also found the Tianye Cloud Sword but didn't keep it for yourself. What kind of reward do you want?"
Chen Yu quickly introduced: "Student Xiang Yang, this is Mr. Peng, who is..."
The old man's status is frighteningly important.
After listening to this, Xiang Yang said politely, "Mr. Peng."
Mr. Peng smiled and nodded, "We can just chat normally, no need to be restrained."
Xiang Yang was sweating a little and didn't know how to answer.
At this time, a team of divers swam up from the bottom of the sea. They carried a jade box to the research ship. After a while, a middle-aged man arrived at Xiang Yang's ship on a yacht. He said, "Mr. Peng, Vice President Chen, the thing has been found."
Chen Yu's eyes lit up, and he immediately asked, "Have you confirmed that it is really the Tianye Cloud Sword?"
"It has been preliminarily confirmed. Experts have speculated from the position of the bow that this ancient ship is indeed from the reign of Kublai Khan. Based on the size of the ship, as well as the Tianye Cloud and other spoils of war, it is speculated that this ship is likely the captain's ship during one of Kublai Khan's two expeditions to Japan."
"Can it be salvaged?" asked Mr. Peng.
The man shook his head. "I'm afraid not. The experts' initial opinion is to conduct an underwater archaeological survey first to accurately locate the shipwreck, and then send people into the water to conduct detailed excavation and salvage of the shipwreck. First, conduct a small-scale trial excavation of the bows and crossbows on the shipwreck. After this step is completed, the overall salvage can be carried out. Given that many parts of the shipwreck are severely damaged and cannot withstand too much force, the workload of the salvage is particularly large. It is initially estimated that the entire salvage time may exceed two years."
Xiang Yang was surprised, "It takes so long?"
Old Peng smiled and said, "Salvaging a sunken ship, especially an ancient one, is not as easy as you think. Do you know Nanhai No. 1?"
Xiang Yang nodded. Of course he had heard of the name of Nanhai No. 1.
Nanhai No. 1 is an ancient wooden shipwreck that sank while transporting porcelain on the Maritime Silk Road in the early Southern Song Dynasty. It is the first shipwreck site discovered in China and the oldest, largest and most intact ocean-going merchant ship discovered in the world so far. It is more than 800 years old, and every cultural relic salvaged from it can only be described as priceless.
"Then do you know how long it took to salvage Nanhai No. 1?" Mr. Peng continued to ask.
Xiang Yang shook his head. Xiang Yang really didn’t know this. After all, he was not majoring in shipwrecks.
"Nanhai No. 1 was discovered in the Yangjiang waters in 1987. In 1989, the underwater archaeological survey of "Nanhai No. 1" was officially launched. In 2002, the detailed excavation and salvage of the sunken ship on the seabed began. After many rounds of talks, the overall salvage plan was determined in 2004. It was not until the end of 2007 that the ancient sunken ship was lifted. At 10 am on December 22, the "Nanhai No. 1" was lifted off the water at the scene. In 2008, the Crystal Palace displaying Nanhai No. 1 opened to welcome tourists from all over the world." Mr. Peng smiled and said, "How many years did it take?"
From 1987 to 2007, Xiang Yang took a deep breath, "The whole process took twenty years!"
"There's more to come," said Mr. Peng with a smile. "There will also be a second trial excavation, a comprehensive excavation and a formal excavation. The entire excavation process will not be completed until 2019."
Xiang Yang blinked his eyes. It turned out that excavating a shipwreck was so difficult.
"Okay, leave the rest to us." Old Peng looked at Chen Yu, "Xiao Chen, you were the first to report this shipwreck, so you will lead the entire excavation work. Is that ok?"
Chen Yu's face lit up with joy, but he still asked, "Mr. Peng, can I?"
"Why can't you?" Mr. Peng said with a smile, "You have been a professor at Ocean University for nearly 20 years, and have been the vice president of the secondary college of Ocean University for several years. In terms of qualifications, you are fully qualified. It's time for you to take charge."
"Yes, Mr. Peng, I promise to complete the task." Chen Yu immediately accepted the order.
Old Peng smiled and nodded, then looked at Xiang Yang, "By the way, you haven't told me what reward you want."
Xiang Yang raised his eyebrows. How could he propose a reward for something like this? Wasn't it always done according to convention
Since Xiang Yang chose to report it, he never thought about any reward. This kind of important historical document is very important to scientific research, and can even enhance the soft power of a country and a nation. Xiang Yang is generous by nature, and he is never narrow-minded on such major issues. National interests are above all else. It is not easy for the scientific community to discover such a shipwreck. If Xiang Yang hides it and does not report it, the next discovery may be dozens or even hundreds of years later. The shipwreck cannot continue to sink on the seabed.
Xiang Yang said, "I just have one request. No, it's not a request. It's not good to make requests on such a big issue. I just have one hope. You must bring those precious historical documents and other things to the laboratory, but those less important things should be specially displayed in a local museum, right? If possible, I hope that the museum can be built in Qinglongwan."