Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Tong immediately ordered the other three ships of the flotilla to pull away from each other by five to ten kilometers...... A storm may be coming!

The four warships began to get busy, and the storm in the sea came as it was said, except that the barometer could measure it in advance, without more than 30 years of experience in sailing, it was impossible to predict it!

The sea barometer, like the sextant, is as great an invention as the compass!

It's a pity that no one knows who invented it...... I don't know exactly when I started selling them in the shops along with the charts and globes.

At this time, the bow and stern of the five-masted warship sounded the sound of anchor chains, and the left and right anchors of the bow and stern were lowered at the same time!

At this time, if you can go into the anchor chain room and watch, it can really scare people.

The eight-ton cast-iron anchor fell to the bottom of the sea at a speed similar to that of a free-fall, and the turntable of the windlass rotated at high speed, and within two or three minutes a large cloud of rusty fog rose from the scene, and visibility was zero.

Despite the windlass brakes, the calf-thick anchor chain still stirred up sparks of friction......

In the standard operation, the anchor should not be released too quickly, and it should be released slowly so as not to damage the windlass, but sometimes it can only be released quickly because of the problem of timing.

Originally, in the weather of storms and high waves, the surveyors would pay special attention to the weather so that the ship could stop in time to dock, and basically chose not to go to sea...... No matter how brave the Imperial Navy is, it will not go to the storm and the waves for no reason...... That's actually an act of looking for death.

However, if it is too late to dock and take shelter as it is now, then we can only seize the right time and place to anchor and avoid danger.

Although the anchor does not allow the ship to be completely stationary, it can stabilize the ship and restrict its free floating.

After anchoring, everyone has to be vigilant at all times and adjust the posture of the boat at any time

Let the hull face the wind on the side, so, in the helm's cabin, eight strong men have been arranged to pull the rudder...... If left unchecked, there is a high risk that the ship will capsize under the action of strong winds and currents.

At the same time, the sailsailers move even faster, and they have to drop all the sails!

The sails of the longitudinal sailing ship are very easy to drop, and after directly untying the sail rope, it will start to drop the sail with a bang, and if it is a crisis, it will be cut directly to cut the sail rope...... The cross-sailing ship was miserable, requiring sailors to climb the mast to drop the sails one by one...... If it was just in time for the storm, I don't know how many sailors would have fallen to their deaths!

Numerous examples have proved that as long as the problem of the sturdiness of the sea ship is solved, the sail of the longitudinal sailing ship is extremely advantageous.

The sailors quickly cleared the ship of moving objects, carried some barrels and labor tools to the hold, and then tied the cables one by one to prevent them from swinging easily.

Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Tong also asked the signalman to send a flag signal to the two five-masted transport ships: In case of crisis, you can abandon your baggage at will!

Then, the two five-masted moving ships signaled back: Honor! People are on the boat!

Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Tong frowned and didn't say anything...... He knew that his superiors would never say anything if he lost a few ships, but with the loss of manpower, even if it was due to the irresistible will of God, all his achievements could be discounted.

He knew that there was a naval officer named Fan Jun, and he had indeed completed the route of exploring the silver mining area of Nanyindianzhou to Liuqiu Island, but he lost dozens of people due to the strange wind and waves he encountered inexplicably in the Hawaiian Islands, and he was indeed promoted to an official position, but he was directly sent to the Hawaiian Islands to be his lieutenant commander!

That route can only pass by dozens of sea ships a year, and they are all special dynamic transport ships for transporting bulk cargo...... It's scary to think about, being an officer in a no-man's land, it's simply a brocade night walk!

Later, a naval major with a fleet of ships also suffered from the storm, but due to their good safety work beforehand, despite the loss of a large amount of valuable cargo and the loss of several warships, there was no loss of personnel, and they were quickly promoted to the naval base in Manila!

Everyone knew it was a good place, only a few days' sail from the island, and right under the king's eye, so it was easy to get promoted again.

People with experience in the ocean are far more important than cargo and sea vessels.

In the end, the sailors who had to stay on board also did their own safety work, and they all put on orange safety jackets, which contained barsha wood blocks, which could ensure that they could stay adrift on the sea for sixteen hours.

It's slow to say, but they're all fast...... After Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Tong put on a safety coat for himself, he looked at the military pocket watch, and it took less than fifteen minutes!

That's pretty good...... But there is room for improvement.

However, the imaginary storm still seems to be brewing, and the sky is already rolling dark clouds, but it has not been able to exert its strength for a long time...... The southeast wind only intensified a bit, reaching about level nine...... This wind is not a storm for the sea...... The waves only increased a little, reaching about six meters...... This level can hardly be called a giant wave.

Well, everyone is patiently waiting for God's final blow.

But ah, until the surveyor shouted, "The air pressure is rising...... Keep an eye out for it! ”

Ah, ah, what's going on?!

Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Tong forcibly maintained a serious expression and did not give any orders...... There is no new order, that is, the original order is still in effect!

Everyone remains vigilant...... But there are already people who are starting to splice the ears.

The reason is simple, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the dark clouds in the sky are quickly dissipating...... Although the blue sky has not yet appeared, the wind has begun to weaken and the wave height has begun to decrease.

"The air pressure is back to normal!"

Well, Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Tong ordered to set sail again, and everything just now was all a drill.

The sailors were divided into two groups, one group went to the winch windlass to lift the anchor...... Others began to hoist the sails together.

Knowing that their ships belonged to the old warships, they still used manpower to anchor and raise sails...... And their liuqiu island has begun to use the pot camel steam engine on a large scale.

However, they are used to their old battleships...... Especially Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Tong, he thought that the rusty cast iron anchor hanging on the bow and stern of the ship looked particularly vicissitudes, and it looked particularly safe!

"White rabbit, look around!

The clothes are not as good as new, and the ship is not as good as the old! ”

The rest of the voyage turned into a boring day, but thankfully they soon reached the nameless archipelago.

But this nameless archipelago greatly disappointed Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Tong.

Three days later, the scout squad he sent came back and reported that the main island of the archipelago was indeed a small island, with an area of about 100 square kilometers...... And sure enough, there were no people, except for seabirds, no other animals were found!

The main island was roughly circular in shape, with a vertebra-like peak in the center, and at the foot of the mountain found four springs and a small river.

The climate there is mild, humid and windy.

The lower part of the island is densely vegetated, with many plants that he has never found before.

The soil on the island is fertile and is black...... In addition to a few trees at the foot of the mountain, there are about 10,000 acres of pasture, which looks like it can raise 1,800 sheep.

Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Tong fiddled with the plants and black soil they had brought back, feeling nothing out of the ordinary.

He sniffed again, and there was also the smell of the land.

But what's the use of this place other than fresh water?!

Plant some potatoes and corn?

Another 1,800 sheep?

However, it is reassuring to know that there are many fish in the sea around the main island, especially a lobster, which is extremely delicious and seems to be produced in large quantities.

Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Tong gave an order at this time, except for the people left behind, all the others went to the island.