Chapter 902: Lost in the Vast Sea [Ten Thousand Words]
The dark clouds above the head rolled and condensed. At the first glance, the sky was calm and clear, but at the next glance, the sky was covered with clouds and the sky was dark. The cool breeze drove the waves to rise. The stronger the wind, the bigger the waves, and the vast sea suddenly seemed like
The boiling water is usually boiling.
The strong wind fiercely inflated the sails, and the huge fleet suddenly accelerated with the force of the strong wind. The sharp and narrow bow broke through the waves on the sea surface, riding the wind and waves.
The wind is getting stronger and stronger, and if this continues, some warships will be blown away. A flag is sent from the mast of the flagship, ordering each ship to lower the sails and connect the warships with chains. It is useless to lower the anchor. This is a deep sea and it is not that long.
If the anchor rope is lowered, 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, strong winds will still blow the fleet away, and the anchor will not have much effect. The iron chains connecting the ships are long enough.
It is necessary to leave a gap between the ships to prevent the strong wind from causing the ships to collide with each other and cause tragedy of shipwreck and death.
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 fierce and turbulent.
There is a vast expanse between the sky and the sea. The fleet that usually looks so big is 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. It rains and winds are strong, and snake-shaped lightning appears in the sky from time to time, accompanied by deafening thunder, shocking all living things in the world.
In the face of such a storm, one can only pray for the blessing of luck, but there is no way 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 injured items such as dishes must be placed in wooden troughs with lids...
Fang Jun sighed as he touched his oily hair that had been rolled out.
After all, I forgot to cut my hair. After a long voyage, I was often away from the land for more than ten or twenty days. The fresh water consumption was too large and there was often not enough water to use. It was impossible to waste it on such trivial matters as washing my hair and bathing. Just like now, if the ship encounters a storm,
The fleet is lost and has no idea where it will be blown over. It will take a lot of effort to return to the previous route.
Although there will be a special clerk recording the fleet's course, wind speed, etc. every quarter of an hour, and the existence of the compass will not lose the direction, but once the storm lasts for a whole night, it will be difficult to wait until the wind stops.
It still takes twice as long to return to the original route, so the amount of fresh water used will be insufficient.
It would be tragic if instead of being capsized by the storm and drowning in the sea, instead of drinking to death...
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 their hair for a long time will breed lice and other parasites, which will greatly reduce the sanitary conditions on the ship. This is not acceptable.
The wind was too strong and the ship was rocking too much, so it was impossible to cook dinner. Fang Jun simply went back to the cabin and fell asleep with his head covered.
I didn't sleep well this night, I was always worried 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 divine power, no matter how strict the precautionary measures 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 a little relieved.
We are all Paoze brothers. Missing on the sea means capsizing the ship. Even if it is blown away and cannot find the large troops, it will be difficult to return to the land. Since we have brought everyone out, we must take them back properly, otherwise
Fang Jun was having a hard time mentally.
Standing in front of the chart on the wall with Liu Rengui: "Can you calculate how much the course has deviated?"
It is certain that a tropical storm as strong as last night will deviate from the course. How far can the fleet drift out at sea in a night when a typhoon of more than ten levels blows? If you are unlucky, it is very possible, 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 strong 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: "After calculation, the sailors on the ship estimated that based on last night's customs and time, the ship deviated from the course by more than four hundred miles."
Fang Jun did not refer to the concept of sea miles. What everyone said was the same as on land.
"Not only that, the course is even outrageous."
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, which can pass through the Ryukyu Strait and reach Linyi. However, our course is now deflected 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 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 is
This area of the sea has never been traveled by anyone, and even the Arabs’ charts are blank. If there are 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 is only silence and the ship will be destroyed.
People 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 for a long time, I have no impression at all. The draft of the current ships is very shallow, far deeper than the 10,000-ton giant ships of later generations.
Some reefs will not hit the rocks. If the reefs are too shallow, disputes in the South China Sea will almost reach the point where every inch of land must be fought for. There is no reason why there is no mark 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 gives a sense of accomplishment.
Fang Jun made a decisive decision: "We will go directly from the south of Ryukyu and we will not return."
"promise!"
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 was not going very fast.
But as time goes by, the dark clouds in the sky gradually fade away, and the bright sunshine finally pours down through the clouds, which makes people feel relaxed. The blue sea is no longer violent and ferocious like last night, and seems to have become warm again.
Graceful lady, the waves are filled with white foam, a large group of dolphins chase the fleet, jumping out of the water happily from time to time, their streamlined bodies shining in the sun, and then plunge into the sea water. Just after falling into the water, behind
Some friends jumped up again, one after another, it was very lively.
None of the soldiers harmed the dolphins.
The sea is full of fish and shrimps. If you just catch them in a net, you can feed everyone on the boat. They are not as valuable as sharks, so why harm such little things that are 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 a chorus.
Fang Jun was surprised. Looking back, an island covered in green suddenly appeared in front of him...