Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1138: Yanni Gorge
It has been quite some time since Zheng Hongkui returned to the Ming Dynasty. Because of Zheng Zhilong and his previous mission to Europe, Zheng Hongkui found out after returning to the Ming Dynasty that the once powerful Zheng Group had been dismembered by the emperor. The Fujian Navy became the Nanyang Navy, and the Shandong Navy, which was originally controlled by him, also became the Beiyang Navy.

Although it was impossible for Zheng Hongkui to continue to serve as the admiral of the Beiyang Navy, the emperor still gave him another opportunity, which was to start forming a new navy.

Unlike the previous South and North Sea navies, the main mission of this new navy is to sail in the ocean. If the South and North Sea navies are responsible for securing the South Sea waters and the other for the North Sea waters, the responsibilities of the two navies are basically defense and regional suppression, but the navy newly formed by Zheng Hongkui is different. It is used for ocean exploration and sea crossing operations.

Ocean exploration is just what it sounds like, and there is no need to explain it in detail. However, sea crossing is different from the previous ones. The previous sea crossing was from Shandong to Liaodong, or from Fujian to Xiaoliuqiu. Such sea crossing was only a short distance, and the voyage usually took only two or three days, and the longest was only three to five days.

But the fleet's sea crossing operations were long-distance sea crossing operations, and its first maiden voyage was from the Ming Dynasty to the New World. Although the New World would implement a feudal system in the future, the Ming Dynasty would gradually enfeoff princes from the royal family, thereby competing with Western countries for the territory and resources of the New World.

However, while implementing the feudal system, the Ming Dynasty also had to ensure its dominance and influence in the New World. Therefore, it was necessary to control the route from the Ming Dynasty to the New World and have a fleet that could sail across the ocean and possess a strong military force.

In the future, Ming Dynasty will choose to build ports and station navy in the New World when enfeoffing it. This is a very necessary move. It can not only ensure the promotion and implementation of the enfeoffment system, but also ensure Ming Dynasty's suzerainty over the New World. Zheng Hongkui is the first admiral in charge of this navy.

In the Ming army, especially in the navy, only Zheng Hongkui was qualified for the job. It should be noted that Zheng Hongkui was outstanding in this era in terms of experience in leading troops and ability to command naval operations. In addition, he had experience as an envoy to Europe, and his loyalty to the Ming Dynasty was also tested. For this reason, Zheng Hongkui took the position without objection and personally led the fleet to start the first voyage to the New World.

The entire fleet is huge, with a total number of more than 6,000 people. There are 46 large and small ships and warships alone. Moreover, these ships are large ships with ocean-going capabilities. They are no worse than the main warships of the South and North Sea navies, and even better.

At Pi Island, the entire fleet's assembly, replenishment, and boarding took four days. After all the crew members boarded the ship, Zheng Hongkui ordered the ship to set sail in the name of the commander-in-chief. The mighty fleet left Pi Island, bypassed the Korean Peninsula along the northern coastline, and then sailed north. Ten days later, it crossed the Tatar Strait and arrived at the area near Kuwu Island. Then the fleet continued to sail north and arrived at the northern area of ​​Kuwu Island a few days later. The Beiyang Navy of the Ming Dynasty had built a port and a military town here. There were thousands of guards on the island, and a lot of supplies were also stockpiled.

This port is not only to protect Kuwu Island, but also to ensure the stability of the Nurgan area in the west. Once there is a problem in the Nurgan area, the Ming army can set out from here and attack Nurgan at the first time. At the same time, this port also assumes the responsibility of an important supply base for the future Ming Dynasty to go to the New World. The court has begun to gradually immigrate to Kuwu Island. Although the intensity of immigration is not as strong as that of Liaodong, it is not small. In the future, at least more than 10,000 immigrants will be living on Kuwu Island, so that the entire Kuwu Island can be completely controlled by the Ming Dynasty.

The fleet stopped at Kuwu Island for a week to replenish and rest, and also waited for changes in the monsoon and ocean currents. It must be said that the fleet that explored the route was extremely careful. Not only did they record the nautical charts of the route, but they also made considerable preparations for changes in the monsoon and ocean currents. After waiting for a week, Zheng Hongkui learned that the monsoon had arrived as promised and the ocean currents had changed. He decisively ordered to continue sailing. This time, their subsequent supply points were gone, and they would have to face a new route that only the exploration fleet had taken for a long time. They would not be able to get new supplies until they arrived at the New World.

Continue north from Kuwu Island, sail along the northern coastline, and then turn east.

It was not an easy journey. Although the south had entered early summer, the north was still very cold. Looking at the coastline from afar on the boat, many places were still covered with snow and ice. Moreover, this area was very desolate. Many places looked almost the same, and there was not even a single person to be seen.

A full half month was spent in this kind of sailing. If it weren't for the fleet's perfect preparation and the sea charts from previous explorations, people who came here for the first time would have gone crazy. Endless sailing brought great pressure to people, and as the sailing time got longer, the supplies on the ship became more and more scarce. Food was fine, but the key was the problem of fresh water. Although the sea was full of water, sea water was not drinkable. Without fresh water, people could not survive. The fresh water stored on the ship was generally used for no more than a week. After a long time, the fresh water deteriorated and not only tasted bad, but also became inedible.

Zheng Hongkui carried a large amount of light wine on board according to the Europeans' ocean-going experience to solve the problem of lack of fresh water. In addition, Zheng Hongkui also sent several small and medium-sized fleets to land to find fresh water, which slightly supplemented the lack of fresh water. On this day, Zheng Hongkui came to the deck of the flagship as usual, holding a telescope in his hand and looking northeast, while calculating the distance to the Bering Strait in his mind.

"General Zheng, how long will it take us to reach the New World?" Just as he was concentrating on looking, a voice sounded behind him. Zheng Hongkui put down the telescope in his hand and looked back, and saw Zhu Mincheng and Zhu Cizhao standing behind him.

"Your Highnesses, the distance is not far. If I am not mistaken, the fleet will reach the Yanian Strait tomorrow. After crossing this strait, we will reach the New World."

Hearing this answer, Zhu Mincheng and Zhu Cizhuo were both delighted. They had been on the boat for a long time. It was a bit fresh when they first went out to sea, but they couldn't stand the life on the sea after a few days. The sea was endless and boring. Moreover, they got seasick on the second day after going out to sea. This seasickness was not pleasant. Not only did they vomit everything they ate, but they couldn't even stand steadily. Their stomachs were churning and they felt like they were about to die.

After finally getting over the seasickness, the next month of sailing was even more tormenting. Especially on the flagship, although it was the largest ship in the fleet and could carry nearly 500 people, the space for daily activities was limited. Except for going on the deck to get some fresh air when the wind and waves were light, we basically stayed in the cabin. Such days were very difficult to endure.

"We are finally there. Life at sea is so hard. If it goes on like this, we will go crazy." Zhu Mincheng laughed at himself, and Zhu Cizhao at the side couldn't help but curl up his lips. Although the two men had different identities, one was the legitimate son of the current emperor, and the other was the illegitimate son of the abdicated emperor, they were both members of the Zhu family after all.

Moreover, compared to Zhu Mincheng who was already an adult, Zhu Cizhou was still a half-grown child. When leaving the capital, Zhu Shenzui specifically told Zhu Mincheng to treat Zhu Cizhou well. As both of them were vassal kings, they would live in the New World in the future, so far away from the Ming Dynasty, so they should go hand in hand and not get involved in internal strife. Moreover, Zhu Youjian was Zhu Youjian and Zhu Cizhou was Zhu Cizhou, the two could not be compared. In addition, the matter of vassal kings was extremely important. They could be said to be the pioneers of vassal kings. If Zhu Cizhou did not live well in the New World, or even something unexpected happened, it would be even more difficult to implement this policy in the future.

Therefore, Zhu Mincheng took good care of Zhu Cizhao since they left Beijing together. In addition, Zhu Cizhao was also a smart man. He followed Zhu Mincheng's lead all the way and expressed his intention to obey Zhu Mincheng's instructions after arriving in the New World. In this way, the two royal children of the same clan who were not much different in age became good friends, and their relationship became closer as time went by.

"Your Highness, you are joking. It is very good that you two can perform so well on your first sea voyage. I was not as good as you when I first went to sea." Zheng Hongkui said with a smile. This was not a lie. Although the two of them got seasick soon after they got on the boat, they recovered after a few days. Moreover, these days, as long as the weather is good and they are free, they will come to him to ask about sailing and naval battles.

Zheng Hongkui did not hide anything about this and basically told them everything he knew. After all, the other parties were all vassal kings, especially Zhu Mincheng, whose identity was even more special. In addition, the emperor had given him instructions before he set out, so how could Zheng Hongkui possibly refuse?
The three chatted on the deck for more than an hour, discussing a variety of topics. Then, as the sea breeze began to rise and the waves became stronger, Zheng Hongkui personally sent the two back to the cabin to ensure their safety.

Then, the fleet continued to sail forward. Zheng Hongkui's calculations were correct. By the afternoon of the second day, Yanian Strait finally appeared in front of them. Knowing that they were about to reach the New World, Zhu Mincheng and his team came to the deck again, staring at the strait, and their hearts were full of longing for the New World.

The Yanian Gorge is not wide, with the narrowest part being only seventy miles long. During the coldest time of winter, the strait will freeze over, and at this time one can walk directly from one end to the other across the ice without the need for a ship.

The fleet continued to sail eastward from the southern part of the Anyan Strait and took a day to pass through the Anyan Strait area. At this time, the entire fleet could be said to have arrived at the New World area, but this was the north of the New World, and the climate was not much different from their journey north from Kuwu Island. Because of the weather, this place was not suitable for living, so the fleet continued to sail along the coastline, all the way south, looking for a suitable place to land and live in the south.

(End of this chapter)