Jijiagang, Shanghai.

Two "Shenchuan A" type galley exploration ships that have just been refitted are docked on the calm water surface of the Wusong River.

The two ships were a modification of the "Shenchuan" type, with the lower gun deck replaced with the oarsman deck in order to install 12 long oars on the left and right sides of the ship.

By the way, there were water steamers in both the Eastern Song and Northern Zhou dynasties of this era. That is, treadmills are installed on both sides of the side of the boat to drive the boat. However, this design is mostly used for inland river and offshore vessels, and the ships that run the ocean are either pure sail drive or galleys, and there are basically no water ships.

This is because the interior of the hydro ship has a relatively complex mechanical structure, and it is all wooden, which is very easy to damage and takes up more space.

During ocean voyages, once the wooden hydromachinery is damaged, it cannot even be repaired. Moreover, ocean voyages are mainly based on sails. The oars are only used when there is no wind, headwind. So a water wheel system with too much footprint is not popular – space on board is precious. If you use a long oar, you can use the oarsman's deck as a cargo hold as long as the oars are retracted.

In addition, the naval armies of the Eastern Song Dynasty and the Northern Zhou Dynasty now used artillery as their main weapon. In artillery battles, the mechanical system of the water wheel is easily damaged. As long as a shell enters the deck of the water wheel, knocking out many scattered pieces of wood, it is easy to jam the transmission.

In contrast, long paddles are much more reliable.

Therefore, the Eastern Song Dynasty Navy was not equipped with water ships, but with "starship" type galleys as the main force.

The two ships that are now docked at the Jijiagang wharf in Shanghai are the re-improvement of the "Shenchuan" type, which is an improvement of the "Starship" type.

Roughly it is a soft sail with a high freeboard, a high stern and a round-bottomed (pointed) hull, plus long oars, plus artillery. In principle, the paddle deck is not used until it enters the windless zone of the South Seas, and is used as a warehouse for storing food and low-alcohol alcohol.

It was the rainy season, and in the drizzle, the coolies on the docks and the sailors of the Eastern Song Dynasty Navy were using two-wheeled carts to transport barrels of supplies and low-alcohol liquor onto two exploration ships.

Ji Kui, the governor of Zhixiu Prefecture, and Xie Hao, the commander of the Nanyang Navy of the Eastern Song Dynasty, were strolling in the rain. Both of them were carrying paper umbrellas, but their clothes were still wet, but they didn't care.

Watching the buckets of supplies being loaded onto the ship, neither of them brows was unraveled.

"Public security," Ji Kui called Xie Hao's name, "You also believe that the earth is round?" ”

"Tarzan, not to believe, but to calculate." Xie Hao, who is in his Chinese New Year's Eve this year, is the son of the Xie family in Mingzhou and married Ji Kui's daughter, so he calls Ji Kui "Taishan".

He said: "The scholars of Beiuntai also did calculations and measurements, and also came to the conclusion that the earth is round. ”

"Then why are you so depressed?" Ji Kui was puzzled.

As the commander of the Nanyang Naval Army, Xie Hao will be responsible for the exploration and demonstration of the Southern Ocean.

"Tarzan, you don't know." Xie Hao said, "Although the circle of the earth is certain, the circumference of the earth is disputed. Some algorithms come up with 30,000 miles, others say 100,000 miles or more.

And there is no wind and little wind in the South Sea, how far can you row by oars? According to the government's decree, ships exploring the Southern Ocean had to sail south from Bali...... Sail due south at an average speed of 12 knots for 25 days before returning. ”

The current Eastern Song Dynasty and New Zhou navies also have the concept of "knots", but one section is not 1.85 kilometers, but 3 miles. The so-called "several knots" speed refers to the speed of an hour. That is, you can sail 36 miles in one hour, 432 miles in one day, and 10,800 miles in 25 days.

According to Zhao Kai's calculations, after sailing 108,000 li due south from Bali, which was attached to the Eastern Song Dynasty (an island ruled by Brahmin nobles who had fled from Java), he must have reached the coast of the bitter cold land north of the Great Zhou Republic.

Even if you can't get there, the temperature in the sea area where the ship arrives will be significantly lower...... Therefore, it can also be deduced from this that the ship is close to the bitter cold of the far north!

In addition, the temperature of the sea after 10,000 miles south from Bali will drop significantly, so it will become suitable for the people of the Central Plains. If islands or continents can be found on the sea, it will be suitable for the Han Chinese to live in......

What worries Xie Hao very much is that once the circumference of the earth far exceeds 30,000 li, it reaches 100,000 li or even more. Then the voyage to the south is likely to get hotter and hotter – hot in the south, cold in the north. So the temperature thousands of miles south of Bali is likely to roast people to death!

Ji Kui didn't know what his son-in-law was worried about? just smiled and comforted: "There is an order from above, we as courtiers always have to do something." Even if it doesn't work, the officials won't blame it.

Public security, who are you going to let go through this experience? ”

"Chen Jiang." Xie Hao replied, "Although he has not studied in the naval academy, he is the best bow in the Nanyang area, and he has been running the sea for more than ten years, from an oarsman to the bow of a galleys merchant ship, and he has been to all the spice islands in the South Seas." A year earlier, he had reported that there was a large, unknown island thousands of miles south of Honolulu. ”

"Thousands of miles south of Sandalwood?" Ji Kui was stunned, "Why didn't you start from Sandalwood City this time?" ”

Sandalwood Island is Timor Island, and it is also one of the spice islands in the South Seas, because it produces sandalwood, so it is called Sandalwood Island by maritime merchants.

Because this island is far away from Java and Xingzhou, and the climate is hot, it was not favored by the Eastern Song Dynasty and the Great Zhou Dynasty, and was ruled by the indigenous princes. It was just that a bay was found in the southwest corner of the island, and a merchant market ruled by the Chamber of Commerce was set up, which was named Sandalwood City.

Xie Hao shook his head and said with a wry smile: "Chen Jiang found out that no one cares about the big island south of Honolulu Island. I only found out about it when the Ministry of War checked the personnel documents of the Nanyang Naval Army......

Anyway, it will be outside, and the king's order will not be affected. The boat was given to Chen Jiang, we don't care where he wants to start from, if the heat is unbearable, it is also allowed to come back early. Only two Shen ships are fine, what is the point of failure in exploration? ”

In fact, Xie Hao was not optimistic about this exploration from the beginning, but he was quite optimistic about the two Shenjia ships...... As long as these two ships can finally return to the Nanyang Navy safely, he doesn't care about the rest.

That's why he chose Chen Jiang, an old shipwreck with no background, in the Nanyang Naval Army.

Anyway, if the errand is smashed, he will be dismissed from his post and go back to Xingzhou to retire.

"That's right," Ji Kui nodded, "Let him go......"

……

Chen Jiang, who was selected by Xie Hao, was not in Shanghai at this time, and he didn't know that he had won the jackpot.

He was originally a farmer in Luoyang County, Henan Province, Central Plains, and was sold to Java Island because his family owed the debt of the big landlord Wu Papi.

When he went to Java, he was a big family, neat and tidy, but he and his younger brother Chen Hai died within a few years on Java Island.

After the two brothers buried their grandmother and another brother, they were not in the mood to make a living on the island of Java, so they went to Xingzhou Island to make a living. The two brothers didn't have any skills, they were just stupid, so they became oarsmen.

It's also a loss to catch up with the good times, and it's shit luck again. Chen Jiang, an oarsman, saved the life of the chief steward of the Xinghua Chen family in a privateer operation at sea, so he recognized his godfather and became a member of the Xinghua Chen family. After that, he entered the Yuanfan Hall of the Xinghua Chen family to learn sailing, and then became the bow of the Xinghua Chen family. Controlling a large food type galleys to run in the windless zone of the South China Sea, it is more than ten years to run. Therefore, it is very good at using the breeze in the windless zone to sail with the oars.

Sandalwood Island, which is rich in sandalwood, is a place he often visits, and even set up a home in Sandalwood City, raising a white female slave girl bought from Xingzhou City as a concubine.

As for his experience of discovering large islands in the Honolulu Sea (the sea south of Honolulu Island), it is not really legendary. Many of the boats that run the Spice Island have had similar experiences.

The closest distance between Sandalwood and that large island is less than 1,000 miles. If the ship sails south of Sandalwood Island, it is easy to be blown to the shores of the large island in the event of a sudden storm (which also occurs in the windless summer).

Many of the shipwrecks even docked their ships along the coast of the big island for repairs and supplies, and they also gave the island the name of South Lantau.

However, most of them did not report the existence of South Lantau because they did not enter the system of the Eastern Song Dynasty Navy.

Because Chen Jiang was sent by the Chen family in Xinghua to participate in the Nanyang Navy of the Eastern Song Dynasty, he became a captain with the rank of Chengjielang. Therefore, there are reports of the discovery of the channel of South Lantau.

And this South Lantau is, of course, Australia!

Historically, the wrecks of ancient Chinese sailing ships have often been found along the northern coast of Australia, and sometimes objects produced in ancient China. It is clear that there were maritime merchants operating along the South Sea Islands who had visited the northern coast of Australia. However, there is no trace of large-scale development.

"What did you say? 10,000 miles south from Bali? ”

It was only in the autumn of the second year of the Eastern Song Dynasty (the autumn of the thirteenth year of the Republic) that Chen Jiang received the order to explore the Southern Ocean from Xie Hao, who came from the south.

He was also taken aback by the order. Like Xie Hao, he thought that the further south he went, the hotter it became.

It's already too hot here in Xingzhou, and if you go to Antarctica, it won't heat up?

"If it's too hot, go back." Xie Hao said with a straight face, "But before you return, you can also explore the island south of the Honolulu Sea, what is it called?" ”

"It's called South Lantau." Chen Jiang said, "Many people have seen it, and some people have gone up." ”

"Yes," Xie Hao said, "to see if there is any possibility of development." ”

"Development?" Chen Jiang just shook his head, "People are dying of heat, how to develop?" ”

"If you are told to go...... This is the will of the officials. Xie Hao said, "The official family said that after traveling thousands of miles south, the weather will become colder. You may be able to find one or two islands where the Han Chinese can live for a long time. If you find it, you're good to go. ”