The dark clouds overhead rolled and condensed, the first glance was still calm and the blue sky, and the second glance was already cloudy and dark. The cool breeze drove the waves to rise, and the stronger the wind, the bigger the waves, and the vast sea suddenly boiled like boiling water.

The wind puffed the sails fiercely, and the huge fleet of ships also accelerated sharply with the help of the strong wind, and the sharp and narrow bow broke through the waves on the sea surface and rode the wind and waves.

The wind was getting stronger and stronger, and if it went on like this, some ships would be blown away, and flags were sent from the flagship's mast, ordering the ships to lower their sails and connect them with chains. It is useless to anchor, this is the deep sea, there is no such long anchor rope, the iron anchor cannot go to the bottom of the sea, even if it goes to the bottom of the sea, if the bottom of the sea is just a piece of sediment, the wind will still blow the fleet away, and the iron anchor will not have much effect. The chains connecting the ships are long enough to leave gaps between the ships to prevent the strong winds from blowing the ships and colliding with each other and causing the tragedy of shipwreckage and death.

Fang Jun sat in the helm tower, frowning and looking at the huge waves rolling on the sea.

After a while, the raindrops the size of beans fell from the sky and fell on the sea with a crackling, and the sea became more and more ferocious.

There is a vast expanse between the sky and the sea, and the fleet that usually looks big is like a flock of shivering seabirds perched on the sea, small and weak. In the face of the power of heaven and earth, human beings have always been humble beings......

The sails had all been lowered, but the hull of the ship was still swirling with the waves of the sea breeze, and it shook violently. The rain was strong and the wind was strong, and the snake-shaped lightning that appeared in the sky from time to time accompanied by a deafening thunder shook all living beings in the world.

In the face of such a storm, I can only pray for the blessing of luck, and I am powerless to resist it......

The warship is like being shaken by the tussle, it is not easy to drink a cup of tea, often the tea is not waiting for the mouth, it is suddenly spilled half a cup, if it is hot tea, it is a tragedy.

Fortunately, Fang Jun had already ordered all the warships to reduce the number of moving objects as much as possible based on some navigational common sense he knew in his previous life, and the tables in the dining room were all dead, and the table legs nailed to the ground would not move due to the shaking of the ship, reducing unnecessary damage. Fragile and injurious items such as dishes must be placed in a wooden trough with a lid......

Touching the hair that had been rolled out of the felt, Fang Jun sighed.

In the end, I forgot to cut my hair, made a long voyage, and left the land for ten or twenty days at every turn, and the consumption of fresh water was too large and often not enough, and it was impossible to waste it on trivial tasks such as washing hair and bathing. Just like now, if the fleet gets lost in a storm, the fleet doesn't know where to be blown down, and it will take a lot of effort to get back to the previous course.

Although there is a special scribe every quarter of an hour to record the course of the fleet, the speed of the wind, etc., and the presence of the compass will not get lost, once the storm lasts all night, the time to return to the original course after the wind stops will be doubled, so that the use of fresh water will be insufficient.

If the ship is not overturned by the storm and drowns in the sea, but drinks to death, it is tragic......

When the wind and rain died down and they reached the next land, all the soldiers had to cut their hair. If you don't wash your hair for a long time, it will breed lice and other parasites, which will greatly reduce the hygiene of the ship, which is not good.

The wind was too strong, the boat was shaking too much, and dinner couldn't be cooked, so Fang Jun simply went back to the cabin and slept with his head covered.

I didn't sleep well this night, and I was always worried that the fleet wouldn't deviate too far from the course......

Outside the cabin, there was a knock on the door, which woke Fang Jun up.

Rubbing his swollen head, he sighed, got up, pushed open the hatch and walked out.

There was already Liu Renliang waiting in the helm tower, and Fang Jun asked, "How are those Arabs?" ”

"Don't worry, Master Hou, everything is fine."

Outside the window, the sky had cleared, and the storm had subsided, but the sky was still overcast, and there was no sunlight in sight.

"What time is it?"

"Back to the Hou Ye, it's already Chenshi."

"Was there a ship wrecked or missing last night?"

In the face of such Tianwei, no matter how strict the precautions are, it is impossible to guarantee that nothing is foolproof, and there will always be such and such accidents.

Liu Renliang arched his hand and said: "Master Hou, rest assured, except for the slight damage to the sides of two warships, no ships are missing. ”

Fang Jun was a little relieved.

They are all Pao Ze brothers, and going missing on the sea means that the ship capsizes, and even if it is blown away and cannot find the large army, it is difficult to return to land. Since you have brought everyone out, you naturally have to bring them back well, otherwise Fang Jun's psychology will not be able to get over.

Standing in front of the chart on the wall with Liu Renliang: "Can you calculate how much the course has deviated?" ”

A tropical storm as strong as last night, a definite deviation from course. How far can a dozen typhoons blow the fleet out of the sea overnight? If you are unlucky, three or five hundred miles is very likely.

The speed of the boat in the sea is not as fast as that of a galloping horse on land, and even if the wind is full of sails, the speed of ten knots is enough to run for ten or twenty hours, that is, a whole day.

Liu Renliang smiled bitterly and said dejectedly: "After calculation, the seafarers on the ship estimated that they had deviated from the course by more than 400 miles according to last night's customs and time. ”

Fang Jun didn't quote the concept of the sea, everyone said the same as on land.

"Not only that, but the course is even more outrageous."

Liu Renliang used a thin pen sharpened from charcoal to draw a triangle on the chart.

"Lord Hou, please see, this straight line is our original route, which can pass through the Ryukyu Strait to Linyi, but now our course is biased by the strong wind, and it is already in the southeast of the Ryukyus, if we return to the original route, according to the current custom, it will take about two days, and we still have to cross the Ryukyu Strait. But if we go like this......"

He pointed to the diagonal line that ran diagonally through the southern waters of the Ryukyus: "If you go around the Ryukyus and go directly to the west, you will still be able to reach the original route in two days, which will save about five days." It's just that no one has ever traveled this sea, and even the Arab charts are blank. If there is a reef, it will be too dangerous. ”

Why are the pioneers of the voyage called great?

In this vast and fertile sea, there are dangers hidden everywhere. Beneath the seemingly calm sea, there may be a reef just a few meters above the surface of the sea, and once the ship hits the reef, there is only one way to silence, and the ship is destroyed and killed......

Fang Jun touched his chin and groaned.

He didn't want to run aground and sink and become a ghost in the Pacific.

Searching for the memories of the previous life, is there a reef and shoal between Ryukyu and Hainan Island? After thinking about it for a long time, I didn't have any impression at all. The draft of today's ships is very shallow, far less than that of the 10,000-ton giant ships of later generations, and the slightly deeper reefs will not run aground. And if it is too shallow reef, the disputes in the South China Sea in later generations will almost reach the point where every inch of land will be contested, and there is no reason why there is no mark on the map.

Since there is no danger, exploring a sea that has never been set foot before is very exciting and rewarding.

Fang Jun decisively decided: "Just go directly to the south of the Ryukyus, and we will not return." ”

"No!"

Liu Renliang answered, and reflexively went out to give orders.

The fleet did not set off at the first time, but after sitting down for a while, they made a fire and made a meal, and had a good breakfast, and then broke the chains connected to each other and set sail.

It was cloudy, the wind was not strong, and the speed of the boat was not fast.

It's just that as time passes, the dark clouds in the sky gradually fade away, and the bright sunshine finally pours down through the clouds, which makes people feel relieved. The blue sea has lost the ferocity of last night, as if it has become a gentle lady again, the waves are flooding with white foam, and a large group of dolphins chase the fleet from time to time happily jumping out of the water, their streamlined bodies shining in the sun, and then plunging into the water. Just fell into the water, and there were partners jumping up behind them, one after another, so lively.

No one among the soldiers harmed the dolphins.

The sea is full of fish and shrimp, and you can feed the whole boat with a net casually, and it is not as valuable as whales and sharks, so why bother to harm this little thing that is very close to humans?

Fang Jun leaned on the bow of the boat, blowing the sea breeze comfortably, and suddenly an exclamation came from his ears, and then the screams came and went, and finally resounded.

Fang Jun was surprised, and when he looked back, an island covered in green suddenly appeared in front of him......