After resting for a night, the fleet set sail the next day. There were hundreds more members in the fleet, and there were also more than ten pirate wooden sailing ships.
Originally, the generals felt that these wooden sailing ships were a burden and needed to be sent to man them, so they suggested blowing them up and sinking them. Of course Zhang Yanling was not willing to do this kind of wasteful behavior. Although the pirates' wooden sailing ships were lagging behind in today's naval battles,
ships, but these wooden sailing ships are all capable of ocean navigation and are absolutely qualified to be used as merchant ships.
The Daming Maritime Trading Company that he founded is currently short of ships. In the future, shipping trade will expand, and the more than ten large ships given away will be very suitable. Don’t want it? Isn’t it crazy? Besides, because of the military action of this great voyage, which broke away from the trade routes.
, I have invested all my wealth in it, spent millions of taels of silver, and have become a pauper. Now I can't be lavish, and I can save what I can. Otherwise, I will go bankrupt soon.
Not only that, these more than ten pirate ships are very iconic, and Zhang Yanling always felt that bringing them would come in handy.
Therefore, these dozen sailboats were pulled by ropes and towed behind the supply ship. A small number of people were arranged on board to control them. In fact, the sailboats themselves were not slow, and they did not slow down the fleet.
After wiping out the Timothy gang, the fleet entered the boring stage of ocean sailing. The blue sky, sea, white clouds and waves are spectacular, but they are just that if you look at them for a long time. Moreover, it is almost July, the weather is extremely hot, and the sunshine on the sea is even brighter.
It is extremely violent, and sailing on the sea is actually an extremely painful thing.
It was extremely hot on the ship during the day. Although there was wind on the deck, the deck was so hot that it was impossible to stand on it. The sun was shining directly above our heads, which was simply unbearable. Days like this were simply a kind of torture.
The soldiers' armor couldn't be worn on their bodies at all. During the day, they were all shirtless, and even so they were still covered in oil and sweat. Although Zhang Yanling and others paid attention to military discipline and appearance, they had to let them do this because the weather was indeed too torturous.
.One after another, soldiers suffered from heatstroke and suffered from diseases such as heat exhaustion. Although cooling oil was effective, it could only relieve the symptoms.
The supplies on the ship are also consumed very quickly, especially fresh water. The daily quota of fresh water for Ming soldiers is generally two water bags, which is about four pounds of water. This can already meet the consumption of the body. But in this weather, the water bag needs to be emptied
The speed doubled. The water in the water tank on the ship bottomed out at an extremely fast speed. It is estimated that the Kunpeng will be used to replenish the reserve fresh water on the ship soon.
However, there is still a long way to go from the destination. From the Strait of Mangla to the first target of attack, Colombo Port in Ceylon, the distance is more than 2,000 miles. It will take at least twenty or thirty days for the fleet to sail.
Time. Let alone arrival, there may be no fresh water on the way.
Zhang Yanling had to adjust his strategy and slow down the pace. The first thing to take care of was the health of the soldiers, otherwise once the combat effectiveness was damaged, there would be nothing to talk about. Therefore, Zhang Yanling ordered the strategy of resting during the day and sailing at night. Just like in the desert
Just like marching, avoid the heat.
During the day, only a small number of soldiers and horses were arranged to watch the waterway, look out for the enemy, and adjust the sails to allow the fleet to sail with the wind. The rest of the soldiers slept in the four-sided ventilated canvas tents set up on the deck. The canvas-covered deck only needed to be sprinkled with water the night before.
Once you are on the water, away from direct sunlight, and you put on a mat, you will feel very cool. When the sea breeze blows, it will not feel so hot.
In addition, the logistics kitchen was ordered to boil a large amount of mung bean rock sugar soup, which can quench thirst, relieve heat and relieve fever. Moreover, the cooked mung bean soup was placed in a large sealed iron pot and hung down to a depth of more than ten meters in the sea with a rope.
I put it in a place for half an hour and took it out to drink. It was actually ice cold and had a cooling effect.
This method was proactively provided by a pirate. Pirates have rich experience in life at sea. There is cold water just a few meters below the sea surface, so it can be iced. Zhang Yanling was very happy and praised the pirate greatly. He was promoted
The pirate was the overseer of the Assans on the ship. The pirate finally let the Duke know his real name: Gandhi.
The problem of fresh water needs to be solved. Zhang Yanling interrogated several Asans and learned that the island where their lair is located has fresh water. Then the problem will not be too big. Arrive at the small island called Angara in the middle of the ocean.
, the problem of fresh water consumption can be solved by replenishing fresh water before setting off.
Moreover, Zhang Yanling also wanted to know if there was any money to be made from the pirates' lair. After all, this was a group of pirates that had been traversing the sea for many years, and they might be able to make a fortune.
After changing to sailing at night, it is certainly possible to avoid the heat. However, the speed of sailing at night cannot be compared with sailing during the day. After all, the sea is pitch black at night, and you can only rely on the stars, moonlight in the sky and the compass to identify the route. Even if the route is
Correct, you cannot sail at full speed because the visibility is too poor. Once you hit an isolated island or reef, it will be a disaster.
The formation of the fleet had to change into a long snake formation. The Liaoyuan took the lead to explore the path, and the others followed his path and followed it for more than a hundred steps. After the speed of the fleet inevitably slowed down, it was already a long time.
The voyage was further lengthened.
According to previous estimates, it would take about ten days to reach Angara Island, the pirate base in the middle of the Indian Ocean. However, fifteen days later, there was still no sign of Angara Island.
This long voyage was indeed extremely torturous. Zhang Yanling herself was actually quite depressed. Fortunately, Catherine was by her side, which gave Zhang Yanling a sense of comfort. Of course, not only physically, but mainly during the long voyage.
, the books Catherine brought worked. She read to Zhang Yanling and the soldiers on the Star. Although they were all stories about knights, beauties, nobles and dukes written by the French people, they were very cliché. But they passed the time.
But it is possible.
Catherine had a sweet voice and a gentle personality. She was loved by many soldiers. The attitudes of many people who had previously criticized the Duke for keeping a French woman by his side also changed greatly.
Catherine also taught the cooks on board the Kunpeng how to bake biscuits and bread from the Franco Kingdom. She also taught them how to make the famous French soup mixed with soybeans, radishes, greens, vegetables, and various other miscellaneous things. She also got the help of the soldiers.
They like it. In the monotonous sailing life, what is needed is different adjustments in all aspects.
On the seventeenth day of the voyage, several islands were finally discovered on the sea ahead. A large island with a radius of five or six miles, and some small islands scattered around it. The island is lush with trees, and the coconut trees are tall and dense. The big island
There is also a hill standing on top, with cliffs to the south and gentle slopes leading to the beach to the north.
Everyone was very excited to see such a big island. After floating on the sea for many days, everyone was looking forward to getting off the boat and walking on land.
Of course, this is where the pirates' lair is, so they can't get off the ship easily.
Three armored warships circled the island. The pirates on the island also discovered the uninvited guests, and they suddenly panicked. The artillery on the cliff also began to roar.
Zhang Yanling called Singer to inquire about the situation.
"Singh, how many manpower are there on the island? How many forts are there?"
Singer nodded and bowed and replied quickly: "There are not many people, only more than a hundred people. There are quite a few forts, but there are not that many operations. Your Excellency, there is a narrow waterway that can be driven in and docked. You can touch the mountainside along the trail.
In the camp.”
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "How do you know so detailedly?"
Singer said: "That is the escape path, and we have to leave a way out. If a large number of enemies attack, are we waiting to die? This path is the escape path. There is a boat parked outside, get on the boat and escape."
Zhang Yanling laughed loudly. But there is no need to talk about trivial matters. There is no need at all. Do you still need to use your brain to fight in a place like this?
Zhang Yanling ordered three armored ships to bombard the mountaintop fort with main guns and mountain cannons on the sea. The Xingchen, escorted by the Jiangzhe, rushed directly from between the two small islands into the sea on the north side of the big island. The two ships faced each other on the beach.
The buildings and defense facilities were bombarded, causing the pirates on the island to scatter in all directions.
Afterwards, the boat was put down and the soldiers landed and charged. In less than half an hour, the pirate camp on the big island was occupied. Dozens of pirates raised their hands and surrendered, and some fled into the woods to hide. Zhang Yanling asked Singer to lead
The team shouted on the island to persuade them to surrender, and arrested more than thirty people. There was no need to worry about the remaining sporadic people.
At noon, Zhang Yanling, surrounded by people, arrived at the pirate base camp along the hillside. This was a forest clearing on the hillside, a wide field surrounded by a large fence. A fairly flat gravel square, and the surrounding area
Rows of stone houses serving as military barracks residence.
At the southernmost height, there is a row of stone houses that are very impressive, with stone walls and pillars, tall and spacious. It seems to be the gathering place for Timothy and the pirates.
In the middle is the hall, which is empty and dark, but the furnishings inside are staggering. The tables and chairs are all extremely exquisite, and even the candlesticks and wine cups placed on the table are exquisite works of art. These are obviously
Stuff stolen from somewhere else.
The chair in the middle is actually a large chair made of ivory. The ivory tusks as thick as an adult's arm are connected with a mortise and tenon structure. It took at least dozens or hundreds of ivory tusks. Especially the two ivory tusks on the back of the chair.
It is five or six feet long, with sharp fangs pointing straight at the roof, and its shape is extremely majestic.
Zhang Yanling was amazed and pleasantly surprised. What surprised me was that this big ivory chair was so luxurious. It was the first time that she had seen a chair made of a whole piece of elephant ivory. It was rare in the world. What was surprising was that Timothy seemed to be extremely beautiful.
If you are rich, you may be able to make a fortune here this time.