The combined fleet of the Tang Western Company and the Guedes Trading Company, led by two cruisers and armed merchant ships, easily powdered the resistance of the Portuguese merchant ship and captured them, and obtained for nothing a Galen ship of more than 500 tons and a large amount of cargo on it, as well as supplies such as food and fresh water, which were more important to them at that time.

O pirates, the Portuguese did not encounter such troubles as interceptions, and the real troubles they encountered actually came from nature!

Along the way, they encountered many crises, storms and storms countless times, and there were not a hundred encounters along the way, but also eighty times.

And because of the storms, they often deviate from the route and end up unable to reach their intended destination on time, resulting in various problems such as food and drinking water shortages.

Sometimes they are even blown deep into the ocean, and they can't see the land for ten days and half a month, and they can't get ashore to get food and fresh water supplies.

Fortunately, the old pirate Guedes has a lot of experience in sailing, and he brought this combined fleet all the way here, and only lost more than 200 people on the way!

Well, for an exploration fleet that had no supply ports available and had to hide and hide to avoid being discovered and intercepted by the Portuguese, it was already quite good that after such a long journey, only more than two hundred people died.

Ying Zihua looked down at the nautical chart in his hand at this time, which was hand-drawn by the students of the Royal Institute of Technology, or more precisely, the world map.

Finally, he said to Guedes: "If we go and continue to go to West African, can we go?" ”

After hearing this, Guedes frowned slightly, but still said, "It is definitely possible to go, but sailing against the wind will be slow and more likely to deviate from the course, so we will need to bring more food and fresh water supplies."

But in this case, we will not be able to take the goods with us, and if you choose to move on, then unfortunately you will have to move forward on your own, and I need to bring the goods to Europe safely! ”

Ying Zihua took a deep breath at this time and said: "Since this is the case, then you stay, our Western company will continue to move forward, and in addition, our company's trading post will ask you to help take care of one or two!" ”

They Datang Western Company and Guedes Trading Company, although they have traveled all the way, but they are only partners, and now they are not willing to continue to sail against the wind, but wait for the monsoon, that is to make money, if they do not successfully bring the goods to Europe, why is he Guedes taking such a big risk.

Even if he is an old pirate, he ran all the way from Datang to Europe, and he couldn't get supplies from the Portuguese ports along the way, and he had to avoid being intercepted by the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean.

It's also quite dangerous, and it's not an exaggeration to say that you can make this money by pinning your head to the waistband of your pants.

Guedes is not willing to go now, but wants to wait a few months, until the northeast monsoon in October, which he understands, but his understanding does not mean that he is willing to do so.

So he turned his head and instructed his subordinates: "Pass the order, the Pinewood will stay here, the other ships will only keep a small number of samples of cargo in their holds, and the other holds will be filled with supplies, and we will continue to move west!" ”

Immediately, he said to the captain of the Pine Forest Hao: "You can sell the goods left here, you can sell them as much as possible, and after processing the goods, you go to the Persian Gulf to see the situation, and then you can return here, but you don't have to wait for us, if the wind direction and time are suitable, you can return first!" ”

Half a year, he can't afford to wait, he has been away from the Central Plains for half a year, wait for half a year, and then another half a year, come a few more half a year, is it possible that he still wants him to go home after a few years!

According to the original plan, they should have made it all the way to Europe, but the voyage was more difficult than he Ying Zihua expected, according to the plan, they should have reached the west coast of Africa before the end of the monsoon, but it backfired, the monsoon was over, and they still stayed on the southwest coast of India.

The itinerary and the plan are seriously disconnected.

However, Guedes went to Europe to do business, but he Ying Zihua was not, his fleet was originally an expedition fleet, and some of the goods on the ship were said to be used for trade, but it was more so to test the market.

His purpose was not to trade, but to explore shipping routes and open up a number of supply depots in preparation for the later large-scale trading fleet.

So in the absence of mass casualties and other irresistible factors, he needs to move on!

The next goal is to go directly to the middle of the Indian Ocean, to the northeast corner of Africa, and then continue south along the African coastline, as for how far he can go in the end, it depends on the situation!

Ying Zihua's expedition fleet is moving forward, and at the same time, another expedition ship, or another expedition ship, is also sailing in a sea area at this time!

This ship belongs to the Datang Western Company, but it is already the Jinyuan that has been fully taken over by the Military Intelligence Department, this is a standard 680 merchant ship, fast speed, good force, although the cargo capacity is a little less than the tonnage of the Galen ship, but it is not too much less.

After separating from the fleet last year, the Jinyuan sailed all the way west, and then arrived in Bali, where it turned around and sailed south, but unfortunately, because of the wind direction and currents, they almost died in the vast sea, and finally relied on a sudden storm to sail northeast.

Later, they finally found a small island alive, that is, the Timor Island in later generations, which saved a small life, but it was not smooth after arriving here, and they set up a monument according to the old rules after landing, and included the local area in the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

He then tried to trade with the local natives in an attempt to obtain food and other supplies, but was 'warmly welcomed' by the local natives, who were forced to respond enthusiastically with naval guns and muskets.

The sudden outburst of warm welcome from the natives cost them four of their comrades-in-arms, and in order to pay tribute to their comrades-in-arms, they piled up a small landscape with the population of hundreds of natives!

After the first failed attempt to sail south, they continued westward, and successively found several small islands, but it was of little significance, and continued all the way east, this time they finally reached a continent, well, that is, the future New Guinea, but the people of the Military Intelligence Department on the Jinyuan did not think so.

At first, they thought that this was Australia, but after a closer look, they found that this broken island was not Australia, because it was different from the Australia described by the Son of Heaven.

The Son of Heaven describes Australia as a vast continent, and the north is desolate and full of deserts, and only the southeast is suitable for living.

And this place, full of jungles and wild people, has nothing to do with the desert.

So they casually took the name of Little Australia, and according to the old rules, they set up a stone tablet after landing: Little Australia, the territory of the Tang Empire, February 26 of the seventh year of Xuanping.

Then they continued to make a simple observation around Little Australia, and this was another voyage south!

This time, they were fully prepared, all the food and fresh water were prepared, and even in order to avoid the sea area without wind and currents, they also specially changed the Jinyuan and prepared some oars.

If you accidentally fall into the sea area where there is no wind and no current, you can paddle and walk slowly.

When everything was ready, they began to go south with the determination to die!

Then, a few days after they had just started sailing, they found several islands in a row to the south, and with these islands, it was easier for them to sail south.

However, it didn't take long for them to find themselves on a large island!

After a few days, there was no end to the island, and after sailing close to the shoreline, and sending small boats to land, it was found to be a wasteland, and with more ferocious savages.

This made them a little excited!

Although they didn't dare to be completely sure, they took out the nautical chart, and then took out the top-secret complete version of the world map for comparison, and finally determined that this should be the legendary Australia!

But although there are some doubts, they must confirm that this is Australia.

If this is Australia, then they also need to continue to explore, at least, they need to find a suitable place to colonize, and the desert they see now is obviously not good.

On the Jinyuan, Wang Shanxi, an agent of the Military Intelligence Department, who was tasked with finding Australia, squinted at the coastline in the distance, and now he is very sure that this is the legendary Australia.

In order to find it, they spent half a year, experienced life and death several times, and killed and injured more than 20 people due to injuries and diseases, indigenous attacks, etc.

Now, they've finally found it!

However, what they see now is a desert, so desolate that they don't even have the mood to go ashore to check it out!

That place can't be a colony at all!

They had to continue sailing along the coastline of Australia, but not to the southeast, although the map in his hand had already indicated that the southeast of Australia had a large area of rich land, but it was too far away to be too risky if there were no suitable supply stations along the way.

Therefore, he is preparing to find a suitable place to colonize and establish a stronghold in the northern coastline of Australia, laying the foundation for subsequent exploration of Australia.

They sailed along the coastline, and by late May, they had made a big circle along the coastline of northern Australia.

First they sailed in a southwesterly direction, then turned to the northwest, which was equivalent to taking a large V-shape, and then they sailed due north, and this sea area was actually the Gulf of Carpentaria in later generations.

After leaving this bay, they continued their voyage westward and finally came to a bay!

On this day, Wang Shanxi, as usual, kept observing the southern Australian continent with the telescope in his hand, trying to find a suitable place for colonization.

Then he found that the terrain here is relatively flat, and there is more vegetation, and there is also a bay that can be used as a port, this kind of place, they have seen a lot along the way, Wang Shanxi did not think it was too strange, so according to the custom, send people to land to see the specific situation.

But soon after the dozen or so crew members he sent landed in the boat, he saw the crew running back to the boat, and then rowing quickly towards the Jinyuan.

Wang Shanxi thought that they were in a hurry to flee for their lives when they were attacked by the natives, but they didn't expect that as soon as they returned to the boat, they gave Wang Shanxi a big surprise: more than a dozen pieces of dog's head gold of different sizes.

The largest of them weighs at least 10 kilograms.

When he saw these dog-headed gold, his whole mouth couldn't close!

Damn, a lot of gold!