1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 719 The Great Voyage ([-])
When the three ships of the Exploration Fleet set off from Nandu Port, under the supervision of the squadron commander, Lieutenant Xuanjie (Major) Lu Zusheng, they started the navigation timer and navigation clock at the same time.In the future, every time the clock is wound up, the managers of several nautical clocks must be present and compare the clocks with each other to prevent mistakes.

On July 1655, 7, when the fleet passed Yangtze Island (now Jindao in southern Australia), there was a storm on the sea. seasickness.Fortunately, three days later, the fleet arrived at Fort Fenning (now Devonport, Tasmania, Australia) in the north of Bliss Island (now Tasmania, Australia), where it stopped for two days to rest.

On August 8, the fleet set sail, bypassed Bliss Island, entered the rough southern high-latitude western belt, then turned around and headed east, heading towards Jingwei Island (now the South Island of New Zealand). On August 3, a chart surveyor fell into the sea from the boat and unfortunately drowned.The surveyor was sitting on a porthole at the time, from which the officers speculated he had fallen.

The naval officers and soldiers on board tried to rescue, but unfortunately they were unsuccessful.He disappeared immediately after falling into the sea, and under the gazes of many eyes, he never came up again, obviously being sucked into the depths of the sea by big waves.The departure of this companion made everyone feel very sad. The journey had just begun, and one of the companions died unfortunately.

On August 8, as the fleet entered near 5 degrees south latitude, the temperature dropped suddenly.Fleet commander Lu Zusheng then ordered to distribute thick woolen coats and woolen trousers to everyone.

On August 8, the storm from the southwest lasted for nearly four days, with only occasional clear weather.The turbulent water rose higher and higher, beating against the hull incessantly, causing great discomfort to all the crew.

For this reason, the fleet deviated a few dimensions slightly to the north, and the climate instantly became warmer, which made the crew all feel joy and encouragement.But what is frustrating is that the three exploration ships have been separated from each other for three days in the storm, and there is no trace of each other on the endless sea.

However, the fleet commander Lu Zusheng was not too worried about this. According to the sailing plan formulated in advance, the three ships of the fleet will sail to Huayangbao on Jingwei Island (now Dunedin City, South Island, New Zealand) to stop and rest .

On August 8, the flagship "Fengxing 13" of the exploration fleet sailed into Huayangbao controlled by Handong Trading Company, and encountered an armed exploration ship "Fengxing 5" that had been separated before at the pier.

Handong Commercial Company has been operating Jingwei Island for eight years. In addition to this Huayang Fort, there is another stronghold - Guangzhou Fort (now Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand) more than 300 kilometers to the north.In addition, there are also three strongholds on Gonggong Island (now New Zealand’s North Island) in the north, namely Runing Fort (now New Zealand’s North Island Wellington City), Xing’an Fort (now New Zealand’s North Island Tauranga City) and Shouchang Fort (now New Zealand’s North Island City). present-day Auckland, North Island, New Zealand).

Huayang Fort is located on the southeast coast of Jingwei Island, with a population of over [-].It first existed as an anchorage for whaling and hunting seals (sea lions) in the Qi State. Later, in order to obtain greater operating profits, Handong Trading Co., Ltd. built a small fort here, and moved dozens of craftsmen to it one after another. Whales, seals, and sea lions are simply processed on-site.

Three years ago, some immigrants discovered gold mines near Huayangbao, which immediately attracted the attention of Handong Trading Co., Ltd., and began to increase the speed of immigration to this place, and formed armed guards to enclose the land and mine gold mines.In the past few years, through the suppression and use of surrounding Maori tribes, four large and small tribes have been controlled successively, with a Maori population of more than [-].This makes the trading company obtain a lot of wealth every year from the whale, fur processing and gold mining in the area, and earn a lot of money.

Peng Mingshan, general manager of Handong Commercial Company in Huayangbao, expressed his warm welcome to the arrival of the exploration fleet.The predecessors planted trees, and the descendants enjoyed the shade.Eight years ago, if the exploration fleet had not discovered many islands in the east of Hanzhou, they would not have established their Handong Trading Company and made the trading company earn a lot of gold and silver on these islands.

In the future, the exploration fleet will discover some islands or unknown continents one after another all the way to the east. With the advantages of geographical advantage and first-mover advantage, these unowned lands will inevitably be included in the commercial sphere of influence of Handong Trading Company.

More importantly, if a route to the American continent is opened up in the future, as a commercial giant guarding the key nodes in the South Pacific, Handong Trading Company will naturally be able to monopolize and control the American trade in the first place, and expand the business scope of the trading company. And the power is expanding again, maybe relying on this, it can surpass the Indian trading company and the Nanyang trading company in one fell swoop.

On the second day after the officers and soldiers of the exploration fleet stopped at Huayangbao, the "Fengxing No. 4" that had been lost before also sailed into the dock, which made the fleet commander Lu Zusheng somewhat relieved.

During the one-week stay at Huayangbao, the fleet officers and soldiers repaired the damaged sails and replaced some of the damaged ship boards.The management staff of Handong Trading Company presented gifts to all the crew members to express their respect for these fearless warriors, which was welcomed by officers and soldiers.

With the help of local residents, the crew replenished enough fresh water and obtained a large number of live livestock, such as pigs, goats and poultry.In order to ensure that the exploration team can get sufficient material support for the difficult voyage in the future, Huayang Fortress almost gave everything to provide the fleet officers and soldiers with their greatest help.

On August 8, the officers and soldiers of the exploration fleet bid farewell to the local officials and residents of Huayangbao, sailed out of the port one by one, and headed south.

On the afternoon of the 22nd, the fleet sailed away from the southern coastline of Jingwei Island.

On the 24th, the fleet commander ordered the ships to turn due east, open all sails, and advance at full speed.

On the 25th, in the evening, the sky began to snow heavily, accompanied by strong winds.For the sake of safety, the fleet lowered half sail, reduced the speed of the ship, and drove carefully on the rough sea.

In the early morning of the 26th, the commander of the fleet sent a signal to "Fengxing 4" to let it lead the way ahead and ensure the safety of the route.In this sea area close to the Antarctic, large and small icebergs began to appear one after another, which was a fatal threat to the entire fleet.

On the 27th, in order to avoid colliding with the iceberg, the fleet adjusted its direction and shifted several dimensions northward. Although the speed of the ships also decreased due to the weakening of the wind speed, the safety guarantee for the entire fleet was correspondingly improved.

At 28 a.m. on the 4th, the pilot ship "Fengxing [-]" on which Kuang Youjie, the deputy commander of the fleet and Captain Yuwu Xiaowei (captain), suddenly issued a warning signal, requesting follow-up ships to evade urgently.On the southeast side of the fleet, a huge iceberg appeared. Due to the fog on the sea, it was not very clear.But Kuang Youjie immediately ordered the ship to slow down and turn to the northeast.

This decision saved the lives of a boatload of people, because the iceberg stood right in front of the "Fengxing 4", and they discovered it less than a mile away from the iceberg due to the thickening fog at sea.The lookouts initially mistook the iceberg for land. It was not until Kuang Youjie issued an order in time to turn the bow of the ship that they passed the edge of the iceberg, avoiding a huge disaster.

Fleet Commander Lu Zusheng immediately ordered the fleet to put up the topsail, requiring all ships to move forward cautiously.

On September 9, the crew sailed close to an iceberg in an attempt to get some ice from it on board and turn the ice into fresh water.Unfortunately, before they could implement this plan, a strong wind blew up at sea.Under such circumstances, it would undoubtedly be very dangerous for the big ship to stay near the iceberg.

On September 9, the wind at sea had just eased, and then blizzards and hailstorms fell, and the rigging on the ship was almost frozen.The fleet adjusted its direction and continued to move north to avoid the severe cold.

On September 9, the fleet passed several more icebergs.In the afternoon, the watchman reported that he found a lot of loose ice on an iceberg.At this time, the weather had gradually cleared up, and the commander of the fleet ordered dozens of officers and soldiers to drive small boats to get ice from the iceberg.Large chunks of ice were piled on the quarterdecks of the various ships.

The crew broke up ice cubes and put them in buckets, where they melted to create cool fresh water, enough for the crew to drink for a month.These ice cubes are hardly touched with seawater, and the water after melting is fresh and sweet.

On September 9th, the weather became unusually mild, the sea was calm, and the long-lost sunshine shone on the officers and soldiers of the fleet, making them look warm and comfortable. And clean it, take advantage of this rare good weather to dry it.Several coal stoves were also set up on the deck to boil pots of boiling water for all the officers and soldiers to make cups of fragrant tea or strong coffee.

The free crew started hunting petrels and penguins.Penguins are covered with a thick layer of feathers, long and narrow, in the shape of fine scales.Because penguins live in a humid environment for a long time, this special feather coat can protect them from being soaked by sea water.Nature also endows penguins with a thick skin so that they can still jump around in the ice and snow.But now, the fat penguin meat is stewed in a cauldron sprinkled with various spices, exuding a burst of strong fragrance.

On September 9, the lookouts on several ships of the Exploration Fleet issued excited signals almost at the same time, and found land about ten kilometers away from the fleet.Fleet commander Lu Zusheng observed the land in the distance, compared the longitude and latitude of the fleet with the world map with several navigators and cartographers, and he was able to confirm that they had reached the southernmost tip of the American continent—— Known as the western coast of the Fuego Islands, it should be close to the western entrance and exit of the Strait of Magellan, which is called the Strait of Magellan by the Westerners.

This voyage is the first time that an exploration fleet has directly crossed this ocean (Pacific Ocean) in a high latitude area. According to Lu Zusheng, it has never experienced such a long and boring journey.

On September 9, the fleet continued to sail forward. At this time, it was about five or six kilometers away from the shore. Through the telescope, the specific situation on the shore could already be clearly seen. Moss and low trees were distributed in a large unsheltered area.

Around [-]:[-] am, the fleet sailed into a bay and anchored at a distance of one kilometer from the shore, and then dispatched several small boats with a crew of more than [-] to measure the water depth while sailing towards land.The fleet intends to replenish timber and fresh water here, and take this opportunity to take a good look.Once enough wood and fresh water have been found, the fleet ships are cleaned up.The outside of the three exploration ships had already become filthy.

Where the fleet is anchored, there are countless broken islands dotted around, extending infinitely to the southeast and northwest.Opposite the location of the fleet is a small island with a radius of several miles, and there is a bay between the island and the eastern cape.According to the surveying naval officers and soldiers, there are many geese living on the island and the coast.

After learning this information, the fleet immediately pulled anchor and set sail, and under the guidance of the two leading boats, it slowly docked at the edge of the small island.After finally landing, a group of naval officers and soldiers climbed over many rocks and found countless geese.But because the officers and soldiers made too much noise, the geese fled in all directions in fright, some jumped into the sea, and some fled deep into the land.

Nevertheless, the excited officers and soldiers managed to capture more than a hundred wild geese, and finally, exhausted, everyone returned to the ship with these wild geese.Everyone in the fleet seemed extremely happy, which meant that in the next few days, in addition to cured meat and pickled vegetables, everyone finally added another fresh dish.

On October 10, when the officers and men of the Expedition Fleet and their entourage were conducting geological and species surveys on nearby islands, a group of local aborigines came to visit them in canoes.

These are small, ugly people who seem to be malnourished; they have no beard on their mouths, and they wear no other clothes except a seal skin; they carry wooden bows and arrows, darts and fish made of bones. cross.When the expedition sent personnel to make contact with them, the smell of seal oil emanating from their bodies and all their accessories made people recoil.

The native women and children remained in the canoes, which were probably made of great bark, and a small fire was built in each of them, and the poor natives huddled around the fire.The officers and soldiers also discovered that there were some huge seal skins in the canoes, which must have been used to shelter them from the wind and rain when they went out to sea, and they could also be used to cover their cabins on the shore, and perhaps they could also be used as sails.

The aborigines had a simple communication with the members of the exploration team, as if they were asking about their purpose of coming here.The crew members of the exploration team did not invite these natives to sit down and eat together, because the smell on his body would make all the crew members lose their appetite, so they just threw them some gadgets at random, and then sent them away.

After more than [-] days of uninterrupted voyage, all crew members were physically and mentally exhausted, and there were not a few people who were sick.But what is gratifying is that among the nearly [-] exploration team members, only two people were lost. Except for a surveyor who accidentally fell into the sea and drowned near Bliss Island, only one person died of disease.

All this is due to the massive research and preventive work done by the Qi State Navy and the medical and health departments on the prevention and treatment of scurvy at sea.The fleet provided the crew with a large amount of fresh wort and dried lemons. As long as someone had a slight symptom of scurvy, he would drink a small glass of wort every day, and at the same time, he would chew more dried lemons to supplement the necessary blood. vitamins.

There are also many fresh bean sprouts cultivated on the big ship, and a large amount of sour pickles are stored. These are healthy vegetable foods, which are also highly resistant to scurvy and will not deteriorate if stored for a long time.This sour pickle is served weekly or fortnightly, depending on the length of the voyage.It may also be supplied more frequently if necessary.

Broth is another kind of beneficial food. Although the amount of each person is small, each crew member can get a small bowl of broth every few days, and sometimes it is boiled with peas.If they found vegetables somewhere, they cooked the broth with the vegetables.

During long-distance voyages at sea, the fleet officers and soldiers will strictly implement the three-shift policy when they are on night shift, unless everyone is called away for some special occasions.This way, they are not exposed to the elements for long periods of time, and if a crew member gets wet, he can go down and change, and even then someone can stand guard for him.

According to the general provisions of the Qi State Navy's "Navigation Regulations", the officers on board must take appropriate measures to keep the crew members and their hammocks, quilts and clothes clean and dry at all times.Every week, officers and soldiers are also required to smoke the decks to keep the decks clean and dry at all times.The crew also often put an iron pot under the patio, and light a fire in the iron pot (of course, when the sea conditions are stable), this method can purify the air in the lower part of the bilge very well.

In the Qi State Navy, for sea navigation, compared with the dirty and dirty environment of European counterparts, it is tantamount to a wonderful sea paradise.

On October 10th, at ten o'clock in the morning, dozens of canoes suddenly appeared on the seashore where the exploration fleet was stationed, carrying more than a hundred local aborigines, and sailed towards this side with howls.

The commander of the fleet immediately ordered all members to enter the state of armed alert, and the muskets were quickly released. Under the command of the officer, they lined up on the side of the ship and aimed their guns in the direction where the natives were coming.

(End of this chapter)