"That's how it goes." Shi Qinjie said thoughtfully, "It seems that the local people have not yet had the courage to make preparations to tear their faces with the Dutch." But is this route safe? I'm talking about the climate, the wind and waves, etc., after all, the westerly wind belt in the southern Indian Ocean is much stronger than in Baleen Whale Harbor. It's not like there, there is a South American continent over there, the wind and waves will be smaller, but here is all the bare sea, the wind and waves will definitely be very big, can your ship withstand it? ”

"We have heard the name of the Roaring Zephyr from the mouths of many European sailors, who have talked about it as a literal route to death. Of course, we think so, too. Speaking of this, Li Yi paused before continuing: "We will try to get close to the westerly wind belt to use a little wind and ocean currents, but not too deep. Don't forget, we can have steam power, so we just need a little bit of the power of the westerly wind. Well, we basically don't cross 40 degrees south latitude south, generally we sail between 35 and 40 degrees. The westerly wind here is not strong enough, the currents are not fast enough, but it is enough for us who have steam power. ”

"I hope so." Shi Qinjie was still a little worried, "This route is unfamiliar to us, but in fact, it is unfamiliar to the vast majority of sailors in the world. We don't know the sea conditions, the climate, and I'm worried that there will be big waves, cyclones, and icebergs. In short, be careful, and remember your contribution to the country. Brother, I won't say anything sensational, just one sentence, I'm here waiting for you to triumph. ”

"Huh." Li Yi punched Shi Qinjie in the shoulder. Then came another bear hug. He smiled and said, "I'll be back." I'm going to open up this route, and I'm going to make my name remembered by all. Ha Luha, will I become a famous navigator in the future, it's exciting to think about. ”

The "Breaking Waves" and "Choppers" rested in Xinhua Fort for two days, and after replenishing all kinds of supplies, Li Yi and others said goodbye to Xinhuabao, and then began to sail south, and arrived at Tacheng Port at noon on March 19. Tower City looks chaotic today. With the exception of a few seven or eight brick houses, most of the people (slaves) lived in hastily built thatched huts. Only one wooden trestle was built in the harbor, and two steamships docked on both sides of the trestle, one on the left and one on the right.

Shi Qinjie's secretary Rodrigo went ashore to negotiate, and soon, Anda Fifteen, the captain of the standing team, walked over quickly to greet Li Yi. Li Yi and Anda Fifteen are also old acquaintances, and after saying their requests, Anda Fifteen didn't say a word, and immediately went back to organize people to ship the coal that was piled up on the grass in a mess. The coal here has been screened, and a lot of coarse gangue has been removed, which can barely be regarded as refined coal.

The shipment of coal continued until the afternoon of the next day. So far. The holds of the two ships each contained three hundred tons of coal, a large quantity of parts for steam engines, spare sailcloths, weapons and ammunition, vegetables and food, and various liquors, some livestock, a few silver dollars, and many miscellaneous things. In addition to these, there are naturally five hundred Eight Banner Samurai. They were the royal thugs of the expedition fleet.

After being filled with a large amount of fresh fresh water, the expedition fleet did not linger on the evening of 20 March. Under the silent gaze of nearly a thousand pioneers in Tacheng Port, the two ships set sail directly and headed south towards the unknown sea.

……

"Johnson, where are we now? Why is this damn wind so small? That's not enough! Li Yi, wearing a long trench coat and a navy-style barrel military cap on his head, walked up to his first officer, Sergeant Johnson, and asked. Today is March 26th, and the two ships have been moving along the east-southerly course these days. It was only until today that they caught a faint southwesterly wind.

Johnson is a graduate of the first class of the navigation school, although he is not very old, only 23 years old this year, but he is still an old qualification in the navy. He has been following Li Yi for so many years, and has been his deputy since the "Red Trout" frigate, and the cooperation between the two is quite tacit.

"Sir, I have just calculated with a sextant that we should be at about 32 degrees south latitude and 30 degrees east-south. The speed should be around 6-7 knots, of course, if you need more accurate data, I will arrange someone to measure it later. ”

"No need to measure!" Li Yi waved his hand and said solemnly: "Continue to the south!" Sailing south, we need more currents and winds! Otherwise, at the same speed as a snail now, it would take us more than half a month to reach the west coast of the Australian continent. ”

"Sir, I have to say......" Johnson hesitated, but still dissuaded: "Further south, the currents and wind speed will indeed strengthen, but the wind and waves will also increase. Although it is unlikely that there will be floating icebergs or cyclones at this latitude, the waves will be much larger. Especially with our flying scissor hulls, the boat will likely continue to sway from side to side. Crucially, we are likely to miss out on the Australian continent – if that continent exists. Because if we sail to about 35 degrees south latitude, according to the numbers marked on the chart, it is already south of the Australian continent. As you know, we can't measure longitude at the moment. ”

"No more nonsense, Johnson, carry out my orders." Li Yi said without doubt, "Continue to the south, sail to the 35-degree sea area, and then turn to the east and measure the speed." If our vessel's speed is still not above 12 knots, then continue south until the vessel's speed reaches 12 knots, or the hull is tilted more than 20 degrees from side to side. Do you understand? ”

"Understood, sir, I'll do it." Sergeant Johnson saluted, and then went down to make arrangements. Soon, the following flag was hoisted on the mast of the "Chopper", and the two expedition ships continued to sail south, one after the other.

On March 28, as the sea grew rough, Sergeant Johnson stood on the deck, looking at the sea with some concern. It's clearly past 35 degrees south latitude, probably 38 degrees south, and theoretically it's not even in the "Roaring Westerly Belt", at best it's a peripheral zone. However, it is this peripheral area, and its power is already very unusual.

Today, the southwest wind is blowing, about 5-6 magnitude, and the sea breeze is sweeping the seawater, forming huge swells. From time to time, a swell crashed against the sea, making a loud roar, and at the same time forming a large white foam area on the sea. The two ships, with a full load displacement of only 850 tons, rose and fell on the sea like two helpless fallen leaves, and the waves on the sea from time to time even wet Sergeant Johnson's naval suit.

The ship's drain holes had all been opened, and the seawater that had entered the deck began to drain out. The wind continued to howl on the sea, and the flags on the mast were blowing, and the lookout in the lookout cabin had already gone down to the deck, for if he stayed on it he would probably be thrown into the sea, and the gods would not be able to save him.

Li Yi also sat on the chair in the captain's room and looked at the sea in the distance. The glass windows of the cabin were covered with a small splash of water, the effect of a large wave that had hit. Today's wind and waves are really not small, and the sky is not very clear, maybe it will rain for a while, well, maybe it can give us some fresh fresh water.

Another huge wave hit, and only to hear a "clang", an oil painting hanging on the wall of the captain's cabin fell to the ground, and the glass frame outside shattered. The orderly moved with difficulty from outside the door, and Li Yi waved his hand to let him retreat.

The hull of the ship has swayed to seventeen or eighteen degrees, and the swells are often more than 4 meters high, which looks very scary. Further south, the wind and waves should be more intense, and I wonder if my thin hull will be able to withstand such harsh sea conditions. In fact, Li Yi was a little glad that he was sailing with the current and wind direction at this time, and he really didn't know how the Antarctic research ships and whaling ships that crossed the westerly wind belt in the south in later generations fought against the westerly wind belt, which must have been very thrilling.

After thinking about it, Li Yi quickly stood up, then put on his poncho and walked onto the deck, found Sergeant Johnson who was busy directing the sailors to operate the sails, and asked, "How is the speed?" ”

"Sir, the speed has reached more than 11 knots, and it is approaching 12 knots." Johnson's shirt was completely wet with the sea, so he wiped a handful of water droplets from his forehead and continued, "I suggest not going further south, it's dangerous. If we go over 40 degrees south latitude, we might encounter some floating icebergs and maybe some cyclonic storms, and then we will be miserable. ”

"I agree with you, Sergeant Johnson." Li Yi nodded, and said with a serious face: "The weather is bad now, and I can't see the sun at all." So you have to be careful, keep this latitude, and don't go too far. Sail again... Well, another week of sailing would be pretty much the same. When the time comes, we'll turn to the north, and the Australian mainland should be within a day's journey. ”

"Yes, sir." Johnson nodded vigorously. The weather outside is very bad, and there is no sunlight at all, so it is impossible to accurately measure the latitude of the ship at all times, so you really have to be more careful. It would have been a lot of fun if he got lost and unwittingly walked into the roaring westerly wind, and Sergeant Johnson wasn't sure if his boat would be blown apart by the huge waves. (To be continued......)