1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 723 The Great Voyage ([-])
On December 12, in the South Pacific Ocean.

Just when Lu Zusheng, commander of the Qi State Exploration Fleet, decided to cross the Strait of Magellan and head for Brazil, the exploration ship "Fengxing 4" was sailing lonely in the vast South Pacific.

More than 20 days ago, when "Fengxing 4" sailed to the waters near Valparaiso, Chile, it did not find any information about the main fleet.Immediately, the captain Kuang Youjie ordered the ship to turn its bow and turn to the northwest, preparing to sail slowly to the trade wind belt in the southern hemisphere and return to the mainland of Hanzhou.

This journey is destined to be extremely boring and tedious, because it is not in the trade wind belt, the sea wind is very weak, and the speed of the boat also becomes slower, which is maintained at about 2-3 knots.The Pacific Ocean, worthy of its name, is indeed a large and calm ocean.

During the [-]-odd days of voyage, as far as the eye could see, there was endless sea water, as if the end of the ocean could never be seen, and there were no islands in the places they passed, which made the officers and soldiers on board feel a kind of embarrassment. fear of speaking.

In order to maintain the material security on board, the captain Kuang Youjie ordered all food and fresh water to be rationed, because no one knows when the next supply location will appear.In occasional rainy days, all the containers that can hold water will be placed on the deck to collect as much fresh water as possible.

"On January 1656, 1, today is the first day of the new year. In order to improve the morale of the officers and men on board, the quartermaster was ordered to take out five cans of honey wine (sugar cane wine) and three cans of sorghum wine, and at the same time put some rancid pickled wine on board. After the meat was added with excessive spices, it was placed in a pot and six pots of broth were stewed to reward the officers and men of the ship.

The sailors on the ship seemed to be trying to relieve too much distress. Many of them got a little drunk before the broth was ready, lying on the side of the ship and screaming loudly.In order to prevent accidents, several officers on the ship were ordered not to drink too much alcohol, and they must appease and take care of the drunk sailors.

He asked the watchman several times whether he knew the existence of the mainland.But disappointing, always negative answer. "

"..."

"On January 1, a strong northeasterly wind rose, and the navigator was ordered to adjust the sails immediately and try his best to sail against the wind. Although the ship's course was slightly southwesterly, there was nothing to worry about. As long as it can be sustained and fast To make the ship move westward, it means that it will be closer to Hanzhou.

In addition, after sailing for nearly a month, a preliminary conclusion can be drawn that there is probably no land in this vast sea area.Even if it exists, it may be in the far south (Antarctica).Perhaps because of the ice and snow, humans may not be able to reach there.Of course, in summer, you can try to explore.However, such a cold environment may not be suitable for human survival.So, I think the value there, relatively speaking, is too low. "

"..."

"January 1, at nine o'clock in the morning. The lookout on the mast suddenly issued a signal, and found a piece of land about thirty kilometers to the west.

In addition to being pleasantly surprised, I couldn't help but confirm with the watchman repeatedly.In the end, the answer was very positive, that a piece of land was indeed encountered, and not some kind of sea green algae covered area.

Immediately ordered the ship to start tackling, and sailed towards the west of the cape, where there was a bay looming.However, before arriving at the destination, night fell.But the sailors on the ship were extremely excited. After sailing for more than 40 days, they finally got close to a piece of land.

At night, the waves sometimes push the ship toward the shore, and sometimes take it away from the bay, as if a seductive woman is manipulating a group of hopefuls eager to approach land.Perhaps, deep in the human heart, there is a deep nostalgia for the solid continent, and also full of fear for the endless ocean. "

"January 1th, at eight o'clock in the morning. Just as the big ship was trying to approach the coast, a canoe came from a nearby bay. Two natives approached the big ship curiously, looking up at us who came from afar. guest.

They shouted to the ship for a while, and when all the crew were at a loss, they tied a bunch of plantains with a rope and threw them on the big ship.This move immediately aroused the goodwill of the entire crew.After presenting a few neat little gifts, the natives in this canoe waved to us, as if beckoning us to follow them.

The ship sailed along the coast, finally turned around the cape on the north side of the island, and then anchored on the coast.

At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, I went ashore with ten sailors to see what supplies I could get from this island.On the beach, more than 100 aborigines gathered, and they seemed so eager to see us that they embraced us as soon as we came ashore.These people were not carrying any weapons, which made us a little relieved.

After we distributed some trinkets, knives, and iron nails to the natives, we asked them if they could provide something to eat.The natives immediately returned to nearby tribes, bringing some sweet potatoes, plantains and sugar cane.

The island looked deserted, but on the east side of the island, near the sea, we found many huge stone statues standing there.The natives seem to worship those huge stone statues very much. When they pass by, they will kneel down on the ground, muttering something in their mouths, and then they will open their arms in exaggerated movements, jump and shout loudly.Well, it should be a religious ceremony.

What a magical island.

After passing these stone statues, we came to a lush place with many plantain trees, and there seemed to be some kind of crops growing in the ground, densely packed.The accompanying aboriginals pointed to the sweet potatoes in our hands, probably indicating that this is the kind of crop grown on their island.

We walked several miles without finding any water source, but the natives gave us water three times.Although the water was salty and astringent, it was acceptable for the extremely thirsty crew.

There are probably thousands of aboriginals on the island, and few women are seen, presumably because they cannot show their faces at will.Aboriginal people are generally slender, and almost no man is taller than 1.7 meters.They are quick in movement, lively in action, relatively correct in facial features, kind in face, and friendly and kind to strangers.

However, probably because of the lack of supplies on the island, these natives seem to be full of curiosity and endless... possessive desire for everything we bring.In just half a day of contact, our crew who went ashore to visit the aborigines lost many items, such as pocket knives, various coins, satchels, and military caps on their heads.There are even a few crew members who lost their general uniforms on the island because of a little carelessness. "

"On January 1, as the natives on the island showed complete goodwill, all the officers and soldiers on board landed one after another, preparing to rest here for a few days to relieve the depression and fatigue of the long-distance sea voyage. Towering in the eastern part of this small island There are many huge statues, some of which stand in groups on stone platforms, and some individual statues stand directly on the ground, and these statues are much larger than the statues on the platform.

The crew of some good deeds took out a tape measure and measured a statue that fell on the ground, and found that its length was nearly eight meters, and the width between the shoulders was more than 2.5 meters.Still, the statue is much smaller than the standing ones.

Except for a few birds, we found no other animals on the island.There is no doubt that this small island is undoubtedly very barren, with little value, let alone gold, silver, and copper and iron minerals.The landforms of the island are mostly smooth hills, grasslands and volcanoes.The beaches on the island are mostly rocky, and cliffs are everywhere.There are some parasitic tuff craters and cones scattered throughout the territory, while other areas have many eroded lava fields with obsidian in them.The rockless surface soil is poor.The only places suitable for large-scale farming are mainly in the southwestern part of the island.

The aborigines on the island seem to seldom eat fish. During the two days of our stay, we hardly saw any fish.They didn't wear cloth or other clothes, but used some plantain leaves or bark to surround their shame.Of course, there are also natives who simply don't wear anything and are naked. In the warm climate here, they should be safe from the cold.They seem to be a little stronger than those poor natives of Fuego. "

"..."

"On January 1, under the watchful eyes of hundreds of indigenous people on the island, Fengxing 14 slowly left the coast and headed northwest.

Before leaving, under the guidance of the natives, we replenished enough fresh water in the southwestern part of the interior of the island, where an intermittent small river flows down a low hillside, and finally pours into the nearby permeable soil .In addition, we also obtained a lot of plantains (in this hot temperature, it is estimated that it will not last long) and sugar cane from the indigenous people.

In return, we gave them some cotton cloth, small mirrors, and several live roosters and hens, hoping that these meager supplies can improve the life of the indigenous people on the island.

In order to commemorate this small island, I decided to name this island in the depths of the ocean Lonely Heart Island (now Easter Island).Of course, in order to declare our ownership of the small island by the Qi State, when we left, we buried a Qi State boundary marker on the northwest coast of the island. "

Kuang Youjie, the captain of "Fengxing No. 4", put down the charcoal pen, gently closed the logbook, picked up a cup of tea on the fixed table, slowly sipped it, then picked up the nautical chart, and began to study A journey into the unknown.
-
Strait of Magellan, January 1.

Qi State's two main exploration ships have sailed for more than ten days in the Magellan Strait, which is known for its strong winds and rough waves.In this stormy strait, steep walls rise on both sides, with dense capes and islands.The wind in the gorge is mostly foggy, the tide is high and the current is fast, there are many eddies and countercurrents, and there are ice floes on the sea, which is very unfavorable for navigation.

Although there were several former Hispanic officers and old sailors on the two ships of the fleet, after more than 20 years, many sea conditions and topography have become blurred.

Therefore, in order to ensure the safety of the fleet, the speed of the ship was slowed down. At the same time, taking this opportunity, the commander of the fleet, Lu Zusheng, commanded the ship to drive carefully, and at the same time ordered the sailors and surveyors to survey and map the sea area along the way.He found that all the maps of the Americas and Tierra del Fuego that he carried with him when he left Hanzhou this time were almost useless.Most of these maps were obtained from the Dutch East India Company, and there was also a map of the Channel, drawn in 1624 from a rough sketch by the Dutch naval captain Hermit, but, for the exploratory fleet, it was not at all The value of reference.

At this time, a strong westerly wind blew up in the strait, and the waves were as high as five or six meters.For the sake of safety, the fleet sailed into a bay on the east side of the strait to temporarily avoid the huge wind and waves.

This harbor (now Porvenir, the capital of Tierra del Fuego, Chile), is narrow on the outside and wide on the inside, and goes deep inland for more than ten miles. It is a natural haven.What's even more rare is that there is a small river on the bank, the water flow is slow and clear.There were also several local aborigines nearby, and when they saw the crew of the Expedition Fleet landing ashore, they immediately greeted them.

In order to show friendship, the aborigines threw small sticks similar to boomerangs to the crew members who landed and explored.Then they decided to take some strangers to meet their companions, which may be some distance from the shore.So, several natives led the way, leaving marks as they walked, so that the sailors of the exploration ship could keep up.

Soon, they arrived at their destination, and they met many aborigines. These aborigines kindly received more than ten guests from afar.More than a dozen wooden houses are built on a hill with dense trees. All the buildings have no artistry or regularity at all. They are only connected by some branches to form an arrow tower shape.The windward side is covered with dry grass and branches to provide protection from the wind and snow, and the leeward side has a door for people to enter and exit.

There are about fifty or sixty indigenous people living in the entire tribal camp. They use highly polished wood to make bows and arrows for hunting.These natives were short-limbed and strong-built, with black, straight hair hanging over their ears and forehead.They were all dressed in seal and llama skins, and some of the women wore little necklaces around their ankles.They carried the children on their backs, lowered their heads and were immersed in the work they were doing.

The aborigines lived a very primitive life, and shellfish was their only source of food. Of course, they sometimes hunted and killed some marine animals such as seals and sea lions that occasionally swam to the shore.They don't even have the simplest and rough tools, and they don't even have utensils to hold food.

"I decided to set up the first secret stronghold of Qi State on the American continent here." Lu Zusheng said after carefully inspecting the surrounding environment with several officers.

"If they establish a stronghold here, how will their daily supplies be provided?" Fan Fude, the captain of Fengxing No. Organize an exploration fleet to come to America, I am afraid it will be a year later. So, I am worried that no crew member is willing to stay here."

"The bay here is calm and rich in fish. There are many flying albatrosses in the low sky, as well as sporadic seals and sea lions and other animals. These are all food. We can also prepare some potatoes and grains for the left-behind personnel to see if they can be planted." Lu Zusheng smiled and said: "It's bitterly cold here, and life must be difficult in the early stage. Our crew members don't want to stay, it's understandable, and there's no need to force it. Therefore, we need to arrange some other volunteers."

"Another...volunteer?" Several military officers didn't know why, and looked at Lu Zusheng suspiciously.

"Didn't the ship capture dozens of British pirates and Spanish fishermen?" Lu Zusheng said leisurely, "They are the most suitable volunteers for this stronghold."

(End of this chapter)