Chapter 901: Lost in the Vast Sea [10,000 words for votes]
The dark clouds above the head were rolling and condensing. At the first glance, the sky was calm and clear, but at the next glance, the sky was darkened by dark clouds. The sudden cool breeze drove the waves to rise. The stronger the wind, the bigger the waves became. The vast sea surface suddenly boiled like boiling water.
The strong wind blew the sails fiercely, and the huge fleet suddenly accelerated with the force of the strong wind. The narrow bow broke through the waves of the sea and rode the wind and waves.
The wind was getting stronger and stronger, and if it continued like this, some warships would definitely be blown away. A flag was sent from the mast of the flagship, ordering all ships to lower their sails and connect the warships with chains. It is useless to lower the anchor. This is the deep sea and there is no such long anchor rope. The anchor cannot reach the bottom of the sea. Even if it reaches the bottom of the sea, if the bottom of the sea is just a piece of sand, the strong wind will still blow the fleet away and the anchor will lift. Not much utility. The iron chains connecting the ships are long enough to leave gaps between the ships to prevent strong winds from causing the ships to collide with each other and cause tragedy.
Fang Jun sat in the helm, frowning and looking at the huge waves rolling on the sea.
Just a moment later, big raindrops fell from the sky and fell on the sea surface, making the sea water become more and more fierce.
There was a vast expanse between the sky and the sea. The fleet that usually looked so large was now like a group of shivering seabirds perched on the sea, small and weak. In the face of the power of heaven and earth, human beings have always been humble existences...
The sails of the ship have all been lowered, but despite this, the ship's hull is still shaken by the sea breeze and waves. The rain was strong and the wind was strong, and snake-shaped lightning appeared in the sky from time to time, accompanied by deafening thunder, which shocked all living creatures in the world.
In the face of such a storm, we can only pray for the blessing of luck, but we are unable to fight against it...
The warship was rocking like a toss, and it was not easy to drink a cup of tea. Often the tea would be shaken suddenly before it entered the mouth, and half the cup would be spilled. If it was hot tea, it would be That's tragic.
Fortunately, Fang Jun had already ordered all warships to have as few moving objects as possible based on some common sense of navigation he knew in his previous life. The tables in the restaurant were all dead, and the table legs were nailed to the ground so they would not move due to the rocking of the ship. Reduce unnecessary damage. Fragile and easily injurious items such as dishes must be placed in wooden troughs with lids...
Fang Jun sighed as he touched Lu Zizi's hair that had been rolled out.
After all, I forgot to cut my hair. After a long voyage, I was often away from land for more than ten or twenty days. The consumption of fresh water was often not enough, so I couldn't waste it on such trivial matters as washing my hair and bathing. Just like now, once the fleet encounters a storm and gets lost, the fleet will not know where it will be blown over, and it will take a lot of effort to return to the previous route.
Although there will be special scribes recording the fleet's course, wind speed, etc. every quarter of an hour, and the existence of the compass will not lose the direction, once the storm lasts for a whole night, it will be difficult to wait until the wind stops. The time to return to the original route will still be doubled, so the use of fresh water will be insufficient.
It would be tragic if instead of being capsized by the storm and drowning in the sea, he drank himself to death instead...
When the wind stops and the rain subsides, and before reaching the next piece of land, all the soldiers must have their hair cut. Not washing your hair for a long time will breed lice and other parasites, which will greatly reduce the hygienic condition on the ship. This is not acceptable.
The wind was too strong and the ship was rocking too much, and there was no way to make dinner. Fang Jun simply went back to the cabin and fell asleep with his head covered.
I didn't sleep well this night, always worrying that the fleet would not deviate too far from the route. In a daze, the whole night had passed...
There was a knock on the door outside the cabin, which woke Fang Jun up.
He rubbed his swollen head, sighed, stood up, opened the hatch and walked out.
Liu Rengui was already waiting in the wheelhouse, and Fang Jun asked: "How are those Arabs?"
"Don't worry, Mr. Hou, everything is fine."
The sky outside the window has cleared up and the storm has subsided, but the sky is still overcast and there is no sunlight.
"What time is it?"
"It's already time to go back to Lord Marquis."
"Were any ships damaged or missing last night?"
In the face of such Tianwei, no matter how strict the precautions are, it is impossible to guarantee that everything will be foolproof, there will always be accidents of one kind or another.
Liu Rengui cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, Lord Marquis. Except for the slight damage to the sides of two warships, no ships are missing."
Fang Jun felt relieved.
They are all Paoze brothers. Missing on the sea means capsizing the ship. Even if it is blown away and cannot find the main force, it will be difficult to return to land. Since we have brought everyone out, we must take them back properly, otherwise Fang Jun will not be able to cope with the situation mentally.
Standing in front of the chart on the wall with Liu Rengui: "Can you calculate how much the course has deviated?"
A tropical storm as strong as last night would definitely deviate from the course. How far can a fleet of ships drift at sea in a night driven by a typhoon of more than ten levels? If you are unlucky, it is possible to travel three to five hundred miles.
The speed of a boat in the sea is no better than that of a galloping horse on land. Even if the wind is full and the sails are full, the speed of ten knots is enough to run for ten or twenty hours, that is, a whole day.
Liu Rengui smiled bitterly and said dejectedly: "I have calculated it. Based on last night's customs and time, the sailors on the ship estimated that it deviated from the course by more than 400 miles."
Fang Jun did not refer to the concept of sea. What everyone said was the same as on land.
"Not only that, the course is even more off."
Liu Rengui used a thin pen made of charcoal to draw a triangle on the chart.
"Please see, Lord Marquis, this straight line is our original route. We can cross the Ryukyu Strait and reach Linyi. But now our course has been blown by the strong wind and is already southeast of Ryukyu. If we return to the original route, according to the current It usually takes about two days, and we still have to cross the Ryukyu Strait, but if we go this way..."
He pointed to the diagonal line that ran diagonally through the waters south of Ryukyu: "If we bypass Ryukyu and go directly to the west, we can still reach the original route in two days, which saves about five days. But this This area has never been visited by anyone, and even the Arabs’ charts are blank. If there are any reefs, it would be too dangerous.”
Why are the pioneers of navigation called great?
In this vast and fertile sea, there are dangers hidden everywhere. Under the seemingly calm sea, there may be submerged reefs just a few meters away from the sea. Once the ship hits the rocks, there will be only silence, and the ship will be destroyed and everyone will die...
Fang Jun touched his chin and pondered.
He didn't want to hit the rocks and sink and become an innocent ghost in the Pacific Ocean.
Searching the memories of the previous life, are there any reefs and shoals between Ryukyu and Hainan Island? After thinking about it for a long time, I had no impression at all. The draft of today's ships is very shallow, far inferior to the 10,000-ton giant ships of later generations, and running aground on slightly deeper reefs will not happen. And if the reef is too shallow, disputes in the South China Sea in later generations will almost reach the point where every inch of land must be fought over. There is no reason why it is not marked on the map.
Since there is no danger, exploring a sea area that no one has ever set foot on becomes a very exciting thing and a sense of accomplishment.
Fang Jun made a decisive decision: "We will go directly from the south of Ryukyu. We will not return."
"No!"
Liu Rengui responded and went out to deliver the order.
The fleet did not set off immediately. Instead, they sat down for a while, made a meal, had a breakfast, and refreshed themselves. Then they broke the chains connecting the ships and set sail.
The sky was very cloudy, the wind was not strong, and the boat speed was not very fast.
But as time went by, the dark clouds in the sky gradually faded away, and bright sunshine finally poured down through the clouds, which made people feel relieved. The blue sea no longer had the violence and ferocity of last night, and seemed to have turned into a gentle lady again. White foam appeared on the waves. A large group of dolphins chased the fleet and jumped out of the water happily from time to time. Their streamlined bodies were dancing in the air. Glittering in the sun, then plunging into the sea. As soon as I fell into the water, my friends jumped up from behind, one after another, it was so lively.
None of the soldiers harmed the dolphins.
The sea is full of fish and shrimps, and just one net can feed everyone on the boat. It is not as valuable as the mako shark, so why harm such a small thing that is very close to humans?
Fang Jun was leaning on the bow of the boat, enjoying the sea breeze. Suddenly, a scream came to his ears, and then the screams came one after another, and finally became one.
Fang Jun was surprised. Looking back, an island covered in green suddenly appeared in front of him...
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(End of chapter)