open sea

Chapter 862 Rice
There is an excellent harbor in the north of Panama, which used to be called the Sanctuary Bay, but now it is the Sanctuary Bay of Qilinwei.

Like the southern coast of Daming, it has the same typhoon period, and hurricanes will rise on the sea from June to November every year. This bay can well shelter ships from storms, hence the name.

Li Dan stood on the top of the mountain wearing a breastplate and a hair scarf, looking across the Qilin Acropolis at the foot of the mountain to the long and boundless coastline to the east.

The so-called Acropolis is just a slight modification of the Western Army Port. The unfinished wooden and stone buildings mixed with the dense trees of the tropical jungle look extremely sloppy.

With ready-made ports, masonry barracks, perfect shelters during typhoon seasons, and surrounding aboriginal tribes that can provide food and trade, it is difficult for the Ming army to give up here and choose other places.

Behind Li Dan is the lighthouse that Qilinwei is building. This lighthouse was jointly funded by 24 merchants including Li Qi, a Quanzhou businessman who went to sea, according to the size of the sea-going ships they own. On the Shizhang city pier, there is a ten-zhang lighthouse erected, which plays the role of guiding ships into the port and detecting the enemy's situation.

The Chongwu Lighthouse in Quanzhou, built in the 20th year of Hongwu, may be the earliest lighthouse in China. It was built by fishermen in Quanzhou with funds raised, and thousands of candles were lit in the tower to guide fishing boats.

The official lighthouse will be a little later until the [-]th year of Yongle. On the sandy beach of Liuyang Estuary, a [-]-foot-square and [-]-foot-high mound was built to guide ships entering and leaving the Yangtze River estuary.

By the way, Li Dan was also among the 24 investors. He didn't build the city piers, but he brought in four heavy artillery pieces, built battlements on the city piers, and built the first coastal defense fortress in Sanctuary Bay.

In the past, ships had to work diligently to light candles, but today’s lighthouse is much less troublesome. Majia Port is transporting kerosene to Panama. After the cargo is unloaded from there, it will be pulled here by horse-drawn cart. When the time comes, the lighthouse in Shelter Bay It's almost ready to use.

These Quanzhou sea merchants have already tasted the sweetness of going to sea. From North Korea to Japan, they have opened many businesses. Relying on the differences in prices, goods, supply and demand, and currency, it is almost impossible to do business under the protection of the country's strong military power. What to do to earn what.

What catches their eyes now is a new ocean for the people of the Ming Dynasty, which will make them don't hesitate to subsidize all infrastructures, ports, military villages, lighthouses, watchtowers, food and clothing, as long as they have , will do our best.

Everyone knows what Sanctuary Bay means to Daming's Asia.

Li Dan is different from them. When he looks at the coast, he can only see challenges that are as deep as cold sea water.

On the beach, a bright red sun flag with a yellow background was slowly raised. Under the flag, the soldiers of the Fusang Battalion can be seen everywhere, as well as those who wear white cloth with tassel guns and tie it squarely. The emperor's golden group dragon pattern, below the group dragon pattern are many smaller family crests.

When the grain truck came out of Qilinwei and arrived at the coast, Li Dan could hear cheers on the beach one after another.

Soybean paste called miso is boiled in clear water and put in kelp. The aroma is so strong that the ashigaru sitting around the pot are salivating. The ashigaru who went to get the millet has not returned yet, and the hungry farmers and soldiers poked their necks greedily. Smell the aroma in the pot.

They heard someone shouting beside the grain truck: "It's not millet, it's not millet. The lord rewarded us with rice! There's also meat!"

People picked up their weapons and cheered towards the cliff where Li Dan stood. The joy was real, but the ashigaru people might not feel much gratitude in their hearts—it was the young man on the cliff who made them leave their hometown, and they might never go back. up.

For the samurai, the rice used as military rations would not make them happy or grateful. It was more like a metaphor, which meant that a fierce battle was coming.

The lower-level warriors of each family are the same. Their position and treatment determine that they can only eat delicious rice before the war, not to mention that Li Dan also prepared meat for them.

"I really envy you!"

On the mountain road next to Li Dan, Chen Jiujing brought two entourages to lead the horses, turned his head to look at the Fusang camp on the beach who was excited by the rice, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said in a sour tone: "A meal of rice It can boost morale, but Baishan Camp can't do it, and you can't get enough if you feed anything!"

Li Dan rested his hand on the bent gun handle at his waist, and chuckled lightly at the sound: "The Baishan camp ate the grain from Beiyang, and the Fusang camp ate the grain from the Japanese country. They are two different things. Who told you to mix the grain on the boat?" Woolen cloth?"

As he spoke, he raised his eyebrows and asked, "Has the Baishan camp been settled?"

Chen Mu believes that soldiers can only be full if they eat and drink well. Li Dan's cognition is just the opposite. Prepare for them the meals that the Beiyang Army usually eats.

He believes that this can maintain the ferocity of Fusang Ying, the less people have, the easier it is to be satisfied when they get some.

"After settling in, one person was killed and three were injured in grabbing water, his head was blown open and he complained to me about the leak in the tent. I also lost my mind and went crazy, and actually received a batch of tents from the Ministry of War."

Chen Jiujing widened his eyes and said angrily: "It looks like the one made in Beiyang, but even the tent of the fucking general dares to leak water!"

Before going to sea, Beiyang is well prepared, and the food in each department is fine. However, the conditions of Baishan Camp and Fusang Camp in Qilinwei Shelter Bay are more difficult. The biggest problem of Fusang Camp is that the food is not good. This is a man-made disaster. If you have the conditions, you can eat good food. , but Li Dan didn't do anything, but the most ashigaru was very resigned, so there was nothing wrong with it.

The most battles in the Fusang camp were mostly among the warrior class. Those warriors who used to serve the various princes are now gathered together, and it is inevitable that there will be new and old grudges.

The Baishan Camp eats well. Chen Jiujing didn't have too many brains, and he received Beiyang's military rations when he was traveling east. Basically, except for the slightly scarce meat, egg and milk, the Dongyang Military Government had no reservations about the Baishan Camp's military rations. Yes, but the Baishan camp is not well used.

Chen Jiujing received a batch of military supplies sent directly by the Ministry of War in North Korea. This batch of military supplies was handled by Wu Qingbo Li Wei, but he didn't know that military tents, military uniforms, military blankets, backpacks, firearms, etc. looked like Beiyang There is no difference between the ones produced in Nanyang, Nanyang, and Xuanfu, but when he used them thousands of miles away from home in the New World, something went wrong.

Beiyang’s military tents, uniforms, and backpacks are equipped with different specifications according to military ranks, but rainproof and moisture-proof are the most basic. A single tent can be worn on the body as a poncho, or four or five pieces can be connected together to make a large tent. This batch looks identical and is not at all waterproof in use.

From the banner army to the commander, the military tents assigned to all ranks of the army, when it rains, they cannot find a roof that does not leak. Panama is a place where it is rainy and humid, and his soldiers, including himself, suffer from festering, Skin diseases such as blisters.

The conditions are bad and people are naturally in a bad mood. Young troops often deserters. Since they were stationed near the Qilin Guard, the officers who were former leaders of the small tribes under Chen Jiujing's command mainly focused on catching deserters, and their secondary energy was on catching deserters. fight.

Because fighting for a pot of boiled water can fight.

Hot weather is a terrible thing. "Water Margin" has told people that Yang Zhi himself is also a dedicated escort, but his birth certificate was still taken away. Why?

It's hot, and I can't get over my fatigue.

If this continues, Chen Jiujing suspects that the sergeants of the two battalions may not have the energy to fight pirates.

In the line between the sea and the sky, when the first mast slowly floated out of the sea, and the crimson bow of the crane-winged sail revealed the six armored warships carved with gods, watching the successive warships approaching, Chen Jiujing's restless heart finally calmed down.

"The boat is coming!"

　Good morning!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)