Dagu Navy Pier in early spring.

The spring rain is falling, and the river is misty.

Inside and outside the dock stacks, there are few people walking. Only a few teams of porters on the docks, under the command of a few officers, were delivering supplies to the several steam-sailed warships docked at the docks.

Six sail warships and two coal carriers are part of the maritime expedition team that is preparing to go to the northern waters of Yingzhou for another expedition.

The black smoke from the tall chimneys of the Dagu Shipyard Ironworks floated into the gray sky, and when the sea breeze blew, the wisps scattered in all directions and disappeared.

The water of the Bohai Sea is the color of loess.

On each side of the No. 1 permanent concrete pier is a huge warship, fluttering a navy flag with black Tang characters embroidered on a red and blue background. The hulls of both warships were painted with black anticorrosive paint, about the same size, both were more than seventy meters long, and had a standard displacement of seven hundred and eighty tons, or more than nine hundred tons if fully loaded with supplies.

In appearance, both ships are two-masted single-chimneys, and between the fore and fore decks stand two tall masts, on which are hung various cables, crisscrossing the masts. The ship had a twin naval gun on each bow and stern, and eight guns on the side of the ship, which were wrapped in gun jackets and could not be seen clearly.

Sailors in overalls were also busy carrying supplies to the cabin.

A long line of cars and horses in the distance approached the dock, and the convoy reached the dock and stopped on the side.

Li Zhenzheng, commander of the fleet, was chatting with the naval officers who had seen him off, and when he saw the motorcade coming, he stood at the entrance of the dock with several staff officers and waited for a while, and a middle-aged man in field work clothes walked over with more than 30 young men wearing military uniforms without rank markers.

Li Zhen took the initiative to greet the middle-aged man: "Professor Yang, are you leading the team this time?" ”

The middle-aged man shook hands with Li Zhen: "It's still hard work for the navy brothers, this time we have to go further." ”

Li Zhen also said with a smile: "It's all about carrying out orders, and the navy should serve you." ”

The two of them were talking and laughing, and they were walking to the dock, but the adjutant behind him stepped forward to talk to the students, and by the way, they were divided into two teams.

"Request boarding!" Coming to the gangway of the boarding ship, Li Zhen said after saluting the warship.

"Permission to board!" The captain who was standing at the gangway waiting said loudly after returning the salute, and then moved out of the gangway.

Li Zhen accompanied Professor Na Yang to board the warship.

When he arrived on the deck, Hu Yanrin saluted again and reported loudly: "Report to the commander, the Navy's Northern Fleet Yuanwang is all ready and ready to sail at any time!" ”

Li Zhen nodded, "The fleet sailed on time as planned. ”

"Yes, the fleet sailed on time as planned!"

At nine o'clock in the morning, after Li Zhen's flag of Major General was hoisted on the sail warship "Yuanwang", another signal flag was raised on the signal mast, and the order of the ship to the waiting ship was issued: "All set sail on time!" ”

After the cable was retracted, all the ships did not raise their sails, and the tall chimneys began to emit heavy black smoke, and slowly sailed away from the dock with the clatter of steam engines.

After leaving the channel, the flagship of the fleet made a left turn, and all eight ships raised their half-sails and sailed into the Bohai Sea, gradually moving away from the coast and heading in the direction of the Goryeo Strait.

Accompanied by Li Zhen, Yang Jiajun came to the chart room, stood in front of the chart table and said, "I hope that we can find a new continent this time!" ”

Li Zhen smiled: "The half of the chart is empty. ”

Yang Jiajun said: "There will definitely be a new continent, I have seen a complete mapper." ”

"Then why don't you print it out?" Li Zhen asked.

"There is nothing verified, and the Son of Heaven will not let it be made public." "That's why we need to go over." ”

"How far is it?"

"We've discovered the new island chain, and we just need to keep sailing east on its southern side." Yang Jiajun said, "It should be a huge ice field continent, which is the northernmost point connected to the New World. ”

Li Zhen asked, "Why are you in such a hurry?" ”

Yang Jiajun smiled quietly: "Your Majesty has offered a reward of one million silver coins to the scientific expedition fleet that discovered the New World first, you said that we have already explored the pearl island chain, if the Eastern Fleet or the Southern Fleet are the first to board, will you be very depressed?" ”

Li Zhen nodded: "That's too, what?" Million Credits?! ”

Yang Jiajun nodded: "Be slow with the news here, I organized the team as soon as I got the news and came out again." Let me tell you, Xia Chengting wanted to come and rob you of the position of the commander, but he was called back by His Majesty and scolded. ”

Li Zhen smiled after hearing this: "Grass, Lao Xia's salary of more than 6,000 oceans a year, and you still want to grab things from us?!" This time, let's go all the way to the east, and if we don't find the new continent, we won't look back, is this coal going to be saved? ”

At the same time as the Northern Fleet dispatched the scientific research fleet, the scientific research fleets organized by the Eastern Fleet and the Southern Fleet also departed from Quanzhou and Guangzhou respectively.

As far as the eye can see, the sea breeze hunts, and the sky in Bohai Bay is vast and gray.

The bow of the "Yuanwang" ploughed a snow-white wave, and the course went straight to the east.

The sailors on the deck were conducting routine gun training on the back deck, and with the command of the gunner Feng Li, the sailors were nervously adjusting various shooting parameters and practicing loading techniques.

Li Zhen and Hu Yanrin, who had returned to the bridge, stood on the bridge and observed their training with great interest. Outside the observation room on the side, some sailors, led by the naval officer, practiced operating fixed telescopes for observation.

The gloomy surface of the Bohai Sea in front of me is full of black waves.

The entire fleet formed a double column and was sailing into the Yellow Sea at a speed of about ten knots.

……

In Wuhu, Li Qi, who was inspecting the construction of the shipyard and the steel plant, couldn't help but laugh softly after getting the news that the three scientific research teams had set off: "This is not a big move, these guys are afraid of death, and they are not willing to work hard, this is pushed forward by two or three hundred nautical miles every year, when can Lao Tzu eat the eggplant, spicy fried tomatoes, and the tobacco, I forgot what it tastes like!" ”

Liu Jiang on the side didn't understand what he was talking about, but he still said: "Your Majesty, will the reward of one million silver dollars be too much?" It only took 100,000 to build a warship. ”

Li Qi smiled and said: "You have to look farther, when they come back from overseas, you let the city department keep an eye on it, this tax can't be less collected, and in the end the wool will come out of the sheep." ”

Liu Jiang was stunned: "Will there be so many?" The sea vessels of this great food can generally receive tens of thousands of yuan. ”

Li Qi smiled: "Soon people will find that if you develop in that new world, you will get more money than trading oil and water with Da Shi......"

……

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