While they were talking, the sun had already risen. Li Jiqian invited Wen Di to have breakfast. Wen Di stood on the bridge and blew the sea breeze for an hour, which consumed a lot of calories. At this time, he wanted to replenish his calories and turned around.
Go to the deck to have breakfast.
While they were eating, they talked about how they would fight the Mamluk soldiers after arriving in India, and how to deal with large groups of hostile pirates or enemy navies. While they were chatting, one of Wen Di's guards came to report:
"Your Highness, Vice Admiral Li, a large island was discovered thirty miles ahead; three more pirate ships harassed the fleet."
"Discover an island?" Wen Di thought for a while and said with a smile: "It should be the Socotra Island that the merchants who have traveled to this sea area said. There are also several islands in the Gulf of Aden from the Big Sea.
, but only Socotra is the largest and can be called a big island. As for how to deal with the harassing pirate ships, it is up to Vice Admiral Li to give the order."
"If these three pirate ships are not close to the fleet, but just stay far away, ignore them; if they dare to get close, use the artillery on the side of the ship to bombard them and blast these three ships to pieces." Li Jiqian said.
"Yes, Your Highness." After hearing what Wen Di and Li Jiqian said, the guard agreed and went up to deliver the order.
"The islands here are different from those in the Central Plains. Not to mention the climate, the animals and plants on the islands are completely different from those in the Central Plains or India, which is very strange." Wen Di added.
"Qilang, this is very common. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there was a state of Qi. This state of Qi had a prime minister named Yan Zi, right? I heard that this prime minister named Yan Zi once went to the state of Chu. The king of Chu said that he had caught a thief.
Qi people, do you think you Qi people are all thieves? Yanzi replied: Oranges are tangerines when they grow in the south of the Huaihe River, and oranges when they grow in the north of Huaihe. He said that the reason why people from the Qi state became thieves when they arrived in the Chu state is because the water and soil in the Chu state are not good.
It can be seen that the same thing looks different in different places." Li Jiqian said.
But just after he finished speaking, he smiled and said: "I'm just doing my own thing. Qilang is so smart and His Majesty is so strict. You must have heard of this story. I don't need to tell you."
"Although I heard this story, I didn't hear it in class, but I heard it in my spare time. During class, I was always thinking about other things and didn't pay attention to the class. Since I heard it in my spare time,
It's not complete, and it may not be the same as what's in the book. It would be good to listen to my uncle's explanation." Wen Di smiled again.
"Just kidding me, Qi Lang knows so much and is so smart, how could he not listen carefully during class?" Li Jiqian didn't believe it.
Wen Di didn't believe him and didn't want to explain. He just returned to the previous topic. "The animals and plants on this island must be different from those in the Central Plains. I want to go to the island to have a look."
"Your Highness, because you are in a hurry to rush to Egypt, you have no choice but to go to the island to take a look. But your Highness can stand by the bridge and take a look when the fleet passes by the island." Li Jiqian said...
"That's a good idea," Wen Di said. He immediately finished all the rice in the bowl and stood up to walk onto the deck. Li Jiqian also finished his meal quickly and followed him up.
Soon, the fleet passed by the north of the island. Wen Di stood on the bridge and looked at the island, exclaiming: "It is indeed different from the Central Plains. Look at that forest, the crowns of these trees look like inverted umbrellas, and those, that
What is it, a tree or a flower?"
"Your Highness, those trees with crowns that look like inverted umbrellas are called dragon's blood trees. They are named because the sap flowing out when peeling off the bark is dark red. The sap of the tree can be used to treat diseases. The natives here are still very ignorant and believe that people can
To cast a spell, use the sap of the tree to cast a spell to multiply its power."
"Those strange-shaped things are a kind of flower. Because they are similar to roses, they are called desert roses." A person who once traveled here and acted as a navigator introduced.
"It's a very strange plant." Wen Di said.
"It is indeed very strange. There are dozens of strange plants on this island, but they are not as conspicuous as the dragon blood tree, nor are they like desert roses growing on the cliffs, so they cannot be seen from a distance. But compared to
Along with the plants, the animals on the island are even more peculiar. There are no common animals such as cats, dogs, cattle, sheep, horses, and pigs on this island. There are only many birds or various different lizards, and sometimes bats can be seen. Lizards and bats are
Needless to say, birds are also different from those in the Central Plains. Some birds look similar to those in the Central Plains, but after catching them and taking a closer look, they are still different."
"There are also many kinds of fish, crabs, lobsters, etc. near the island. Especially the people here don't eat crabs and lobsters, so the crabs and lobsters on the island are very big. When cooked, they are very plump and very delicious." As he said, this person
He seemed to recall the taste of the crabs and lobsters he had eaten when he was briefly anchored on this island, and his mouth seemed to be watering. But he came to his senses immediately and hurriedly apologized to Wen Di.
"What's the point? No need to apologize." Wen Di said with a smile: "Besides, after hearing what you said, I really want to taste the crabs and lobsters on the island."
"Your Highness, this is very urgent. After Egypt is conquered, Your Highness can stay on this island for a few days when he returns to the capital and taste the crabs and lobsters on the island." The captain of the ship smiled. Because these days Wen Di is talking to
The generals have no airs, and everyone dares to joke in front of him.
"Okay, when I return, I must stop at this island for a few days and try some crabs and lobsters." Wen Di also responded with a smile.
While everyone was chatting, Li Jiqian stood aside, but he did not chat with them. Instead, he looked around from time to time, thinking about how to pass the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at a lower cost in a few days. While he was thinking, he also unconsciously
Looking at Socotra Island, he noticed at this time that although it was an island, there was actually a mountain in the middle of the island, and the altitude was not low, with many places being above three hundred feet.
Looking at the mountains across the island, Li Jiqian suddenly thought of something and turned his head and ordered the captain: "Immediately give the order to adjust the course and stay away from this island; send a signal to other ships and ask them to follow the flagship."
"What's going on? Why do you need to adjust the course suddenly?" Before the captain could speak, Wen Di asked.
"Your Highness, the reason for lowering your rank is to be prepared for any trouble." Li Jiqian said.
"Are you prepared for any danger? Prepare for what?" Wen Di asked.
"Your Highness, look at this island..." Li Jiqian was about to explain to him why he ordered the adjustment of the route. But at this moment, the messenger on the ship suddenly shouted loudly: "Many pirate ships were spotted behind the fleet!"