The Crown Princess is busy fishing

Lin Yuge frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "Father, if we're going to cut down trees, we can first heat the parts of the trunk that need to be cut with fire."

"This will soften the wood a little, and then we can chop it with the sharpest axe. It will take some effort, but it should work."

As for transportation...

She turned to Wang Youcai, pointed to the stream flowing down the hillside, and asked, "Uncle Youcai, I see this stream has plenty of water. Where does it flow to?"

Wang Youcai looked in the direction Lin Yuge was pointing.

He scratched his head and said, "This little river flows into the big river behind our village, and that big river eventually flows into the sea."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuge's face lit up with joy: "That's wonderful."

“Dad, I have an idea. We can tie the felled trees together into rafts, float them down this small river to the big river, and then float them all the way to the vicinity of the village.”

"This is both labor-saving and convenient, and much easier than transporting by land."

Lin Fanghai's eyes lit up when he heard his daughter's words, but he was also a little worried: "Daughter, this idea sounds good."

"We don't know anything about the river itself. We don't know if its width and depth can support the draft of this log."

Lu Ziheng nodded in agreement, "Little Sister Lin's idea is excellent."

"However, we also need to consider the current conditions of the small river and the big river. If we encounter rapids or whirlpools, the raft may be in danger."

Lin Yuge nodded: "Father and Brother Lu are right to remind me."

"We can send a few villagers who are good swimmers to explore along the river first and see if this method is feasible."

"While we're at it, let's see if there are any dangerous spots."

"If there are rapids, we will set up some towing ropes on the shore. When the raft passes by, we can use the ropes to pull it and control the speed and direction of the raft."

"If we encounter a whirlpool, we will set up some warning signs nearby and adjust the raft's route in advance."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Ming gave a thumbs-up and praised, "Yu Ge is truly ingenious. If this method works, we will save a lot of effort and be able to safely transport this precious Ge Mu to the seaside."

After hearing Lin Yuge's plan, everyone thought it was feasible.

So they began to act according to the plan.

Some people went to prepare for cutting down trees, while others went to find tough vines.

Wang Youcai led several villagers who were good swimmers downstream to investigate the river's condition.

When the felling began, Lin Fanghai said worriedly, "Daughter, this Ge wood is, after all, the precious wood you mentioned. We can't cut down too many at once. Let's just select a few of the most suitable ones to make the backbone and key parts."

Lin Yuge nodded in agreement, "Father, you're right. We need to make good use of these resources so that we can ensure we have timber available in the future."

They first selected several privet trees with straight trunks and suitable thickness.

A group of people took turns.

At the beginning, Zhang Meng, the strongest man in the village, swung his axe and chopped at the part that had been preheated with fire.

Each axe strike produced a dull thud and sparks flew, demonstrating the hardness of the wood.

Zhang Meng started slashing after a while, panting heavily, so the strong and muscular Li Er took over.

Lin Yuge observed carefully from the side, reminding everyone from time to time to pay attention to the angle of the axe to ensure the efficiency of chopping.

As time went on, the first ebony tree finally made a "crunching" sound as it broke.

With a loud bang, Gemu fell in the predetermined direction, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

The crowd cheered and then began to cut down the second tree.

Having learned from the experience of the first tree, the felling was done a little faster this time.

With everyone's concerted efforts, the several elm trees that Lin Yuge had selected and marked were successfully felled.

Afterwards, the group began to perform preliminary treatment on the wood.

Qiu Ming directed several strong young men to use saws to cut off the branches of the elm tree, making its trunk more regular.

Lin Yuge carefully inspected each of the privet trees to ensure that no branch was missed.

Furthermore, based on the shipbuilding requirements, the parts that need further processing are marked on the ge wood.

The group that went to explore the river channel had already returned.

Wang Youcai wiped the water droplets from his face and said excitedly, "This river is much better than we imagined."

"Although there are some minor bends in the course, it is generally very smooth. The water flow is also quite suitable, with no particularly rapid sections."

"The most fortunate thing is that no large reefs or dangerous whirlpools were found."

Upon hearing this, everyone showed expressions of relief.

Lin Yuge stepped forward and asked, "Uncle Youcai, what do you think of the depth of this river? Our raft has quite a draft."

Wang Youcai patted his chest and replied, "Don't worry about that. I've checked carefully, and the water depth is sufficient in most places."

"Even in the shallowest places, our raft can pass through smoothly."

"There is only one small shallow beach, so be extra careful."

"But as long as we are careful when we pass through and steer the raft towards the middle of the river, there won't be any problems."

Only then did everyone feel relieved.

Seeing that it was past noon, the group ate some of the dry food they had brought and then continued their work.

The next step was to move the wood to the riverbank.

They used logs for transportation as previously agreed.

A group of people placed several thinner logs under the log and then pushed the logs together.

Gemu slowly rolled forward, while Lin Yuge and his elder brother helped clear stones and debris from the road to ensure unobstructed transport.

At each slope or bumpy section, the group became even more cautious.

They worked together to control the rolling direction and speed of the wood.

After finally getting Gemu to the riverbank, everyone was exhausted and panting, but looking at Gemu in front of them, they were filled with hope again.

Lin Yuge checked Gemu's condition again, and then said to everyone, "Next, let's make a raft."

"Everyone, first arrange the logs according to their length and thickness. We'll use the sturdier logs to tie the raft together."

"The remaining thinner pieces of wood can be used to make some auxiliary supports or reinforce the structure."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately got to work.

Following Lin Yuge's instructions, they first arranged the longer and thicker pieces of wood in parallel on the ground to form the main frame of the raft.

Then, thinner lattice wood is interspersed among them to make the whole frame more compact.

"Next, we need to find some strong vines or ropes to bind these pine trees."

"When binding, make sure to tie it tightly, and each knot should be crossed and wrapped, just like we are weaving a basket, so that the raft will be sturdy."

The villagers all sprang into action.

Some went to get rattan canes, while others began the binding work.

Several strong men were responsible for tightening the rattan.

Each time the vines are tightened, others will use wooden sticks to twist them tighter, ensuring they don't loosen.