Yang Wei took a sip of water and continued to tell about their adventure.

"We make a plugging sail, stir together the flax and wool, chop them finely, and then stick them evenly to the whole canvas one by one. Then sprinkle feces on it. Drag the bottom of the boat with a rope and pull it over. ”

Allemand: "The flax and canvas have temporarily blocked most of the water seepage, and your damage is timely. ”

"We mainly want to buy time, salvage the supplies on the ship, and move them to the Louvre. However, we found that the pumping speed was keeping up with the speed of the ingress, and the West Reef was barely able to sail, so we ran it aground. The hull of the West Reef is basically intact, and most of the supplies it is carrying are fine. ”

Enzo: "The leak on the West Reef is at the outer end of the ribs, a little bit forward on the starboard foremast. The reef pierced through four outer slabs, rubbing through three, and almost penetrating the ribs. The outer plate was unbelievably destroyed, leaving almost no fragments, and was cut off in one piece, as if it had been cut with a blunt knife. Fortunately, the ribs in this position were tightly bonded, otherwise, the boat would have been hopeless. The hull was flooded with water that shouldn't have been the point. A large piece of coral reef got stuck in a hole, preventing the sea from entering the human cabin quickly. Part of the starboard bow cladding had been lost, part of the protective keel was gone, and the rest of the protective keel was shattered. It's better not to have any. The bow column foot and part of the main keel were also damaged and did not appear to be serious.

If it's in the South China Sea, I think the West Reef has the ability to sail into a port to repair ships. ”

Allemand smiled: "Your luck is not terrible. ”

Yang Wei: "I think so. After docking, you will need to stay in King's Landing for a long time because you have to wait for the direction of the wind to return home. Using this time, we carefully surveyed the bay with carrier-based boats. In fact, the bay is full of good anchorages, and it is a continuous safe harbor. There are many small coves on both sides, and boats stop here as if they were in a river harbour. All the lowlands are overgrown with mangroves, which are flooded by the sea at high tide. I believe that during the rainy season, there are frequent floods here. The land on the continent is not very high, with many hills and valleys, and the characteristics are obvious. The surface is a forest or a lawn, and it is green. Looks quite comfortable. ”

Enzo: "We found a very nice freshwater creek nearby, just inside the first sandy bay, where the boats were parked, almost surrounded by land, and wood for the fire was available everywhere. Although there is a lot of firewood here, the variety is extremely limited, and the largest tree is the size of an oak tree, and it looks like it. What is very special is that cutting off the bark of the tree can collect the red gum that flows. This wood is black, hard, and heavy. There is another type of tree that grows tall, a bit like a pine tree. The wood of this tree is also hard and heavy, and the texture resembles a small American oak tree. These are the only two trees I have seen that can be used as timber. There are several shrubs and some palm trees at the end of the harbour. “

Yang Wei: "It is precisely because of that gum that it is possible to repair ships. ”

Maiden was a little surprised, "I don't know how to repair ships, but you said that the keel of the ship was damaged, and even if the outer panels were repaired with new local wood, the ship would not be able to cross the ocean and return to Taiwan with this kind of accident, right?" ”

Enzo: Yes, Your Excellency the Governor. So we used another method, completely dismantling the West Reef and rebuilding a ship from good materials. ”

Maiden was a little impressed, "What an impressive self-help measure. ”

Yang Wei: "Actually, after we dismantle the West Key, we will not only build one sloop, but we can also build four sailboats without decks. ”

Enzo: "The Austronesians used canoes and rudimentary stone tools and shells to build ships that could cross the oceans, and we were in much better condition than they were. We cut down trees and made poles, slides and simple cranes. The ship's blacksmith's furnace was brought ashore and the nails and other parts of the shipbuilding were hammered out with spare iron. We estimate that it will take half a year to build all the ships. ”

Murong Parrot: "But the Louvre can't miss the wind period of the return voyage, and after the discussion of the officers' council, Captain Wu stayed in Australia to complete the construction of the ship and further explore the nearby waters. ”

"We left most of the crew, the Louvre was only half armed, and I left 2 cannons and most of the ammunition in King's Landing."

Murong Parrot: "In fact, we only needed 20 crew members to complete the return voyage. ”

Yang Wei said with a smile: "Except for Murong who has to stay in the cabin to carry out his complicated observations and calculations, all of us have to climb the mast. ”

Collingwood: "You left 50 men in King's Landing?" ”

"Instead of 50 people, we recruited 24 Aboriginal people in the waters near Dragonstone. Sir, I must say, those Austronesians are really born sailors. ”

Orderliness nodded slightly, sailing is a talent for the natives of the Pacific Islands.

Boggs remembered a key question, "Is there enough food for King's Landing?" ”

"It's certainly not enough to rely on staple foods, but there are a lot of easy-to-catch fish in that bay, and very large oysters. That's the biggest oyster I've ever seen. ”

"There is also a bipedal on land, whose coat is the color of a mouse, and is very stumped, with agile legs and feet, and its footprints are like the hooves of a goat, and it jumps and jumps like a rabbit when it runs."

Yang Bang: "The meat of that thing tastes good, and it's not difficult to hit with a gun." ”

Boggs: "Are there any ferocious animals in Australia?" ”

"No, the rulers of the interior seem to be packs of wild dogs, acting like wolves. That's the largest land carnivore we've ever seen. ”

Orderly's fingers habitually tapped on the table, asking a question that was of concern to all.

"From what you say, the environment in King's Landing seems to be good. So, have you been in contact with the locals? ”

Enzo: "Your Excellency, on the first day we landed, we met the natives, who were gathered around a small fire and roasted some seashells. As we approached, the natives fled. We believe that grilled seashells are one of their staple foods, and we have seen indigenous people barbecuing many times since then. Their camp was rudimentary, with a small piece of bark, about a foot and a half high, erected upwind and a few pieces of bark scattered nearby, which we assumed were all they had for the night. ”

Yang Wei: "We enjoyed the rest of their seashells, and as a gesture of friendship, we left some beads. Unfortunately, when we went back the next day, the natives had obviously been there, but they didn't touch the gifts. We wanted to communicate deeply, but we went on and were attacked by the natives, who threw javelins at us. The East Indies interpreters on the expedition could communicate with Dragonstone and the Aborigines of New Guinea, but they could not understand a single word of the Aborigines. ”

Filhoff: "You're at war with the natives?" ”

Enzo hurriedly shook his head, "No, no, I don't think it's a war, it's just a small conflict. The level of equipment of the Australian Aborigines is far worse than that of the Maori people in New Zealand. The natives I saw were about as tall as Europeans, with dark brown skin, but not black. Their hair is also similar to ours, black and straight, not curly like wool. We have never seen any of them dressed or adorned. Whether on the road or in their shacks and around their shacks, they are naked. Judging from this situation, I judge that they never wear clothes, including the women are naked. Some people have a white pigment on their face or body. ”

Yang Bang continued to talk about the serious issue of eating in a relaxed tone, "The natives only have a few rudimentary canoes, which are the worst canoes I have ever seen, and many of them are only made of tree bark. The natives fish in these canoes in the bay, sometimes with harpoons and hooks and lines. We didn't find a single acre of arable land, and the natives probably lived by hunting and gathering. Following in their footsteps, we found several wild fruits, almost all of which we had never seen before. In particular, one of them is about the size of a wild apple, but when ripe, it is black and juicy, and it tastes like a plum, and its core is large and hard. In swamps or river banks, taro is also produced, which is almost impossible to eat uncultivated. But its leaves are a very good vegetable. ”

Maiden held his chin, "Sounds pretty good." ”

Enzo said, "Yes, sir. The only weapons of the natives were javelins with stone spear tips and wooden shields. In order to prevent a sneak attack, we chose a high ground by the creek to build a fortification. There is a kind of sand and gravel produced locally, which is a good building material. We built breastworks and cut down trees to fence them. Four cannons were placed around the camp, and the sailing boats were furlanks, which felt that it should be enough to deal with the natives. This is also one of the reasons why we agreed to Lao Wu to stay there. ”

Yang Wei: "The expedition team also did one thing, as long as the weather permitted, we would raise the federal flag every day. ”

"Very well, gentlemen." "You have opened up another vast land for the Federation. ”

Boggs: "Did you find gold?" ”

"Unfortunately, for the time being, we are not able to explore inland."

Bogston was a little deflated.

Shou Xuan said lightly, "If I say there is gold, there will be it." ”

"Yes, yes. Your Excellency, I am only concerned about future earnings. ”

Maiden deliberated softly with several other officers for a while, and said to the order: "Archon, I think we must send a second wave of expeditions, or even migrant ships, at once. ”

Shou Xuan shook his head, "It's impossible for the Navy to sell frigates anymore, where do you have enough immigration ships?" ”

"Taipei has built two Yahats, which have been launched and are being outfitted, and we will immediately recruit people to equip these two armed merchant ships."

Allemand: "The shipyard in Taipei also built 1 corvette and 3 small notification ships. We want to keep the notification ship for use, and the frigate can be pulled out. ”

Order: "Okay, 2 frigates, 2 Yahats, 4 ships. This is just a slightly larger expedition, where can immigration begin? ”

"We use the Nanyang Canton ship you brought."

Shou was taken aback, "Are you serious about crossing the ocean with a junk?" ”

The officers' expressions told the order answer, and each of them couldn't wait to mine the gold mines.

"Crossing the ocean with a junk can happen a lot of shipwrecks."

Allemand: "Your Excellency, the coast of Australia is indeed dangerous, what if the Junk ships go to Dragonstone?" We carefully selected the transport ship and the captain, and the voyage was less than 3,000 nautical miles, which was only half the distance from Taipei to the mainland. ”

Filhoff: "Your Excellency, we can't wait for Taipei to build enough Yahat ships before we can move. I think even if only half of the junk ships made it to Dragonstone safely, it would be a huge success. ”

It is rare for the Joint Council to be surprisingly unanimous.

"What about the money, how are you going to solve the money problem?"

Maiden suddenly laughed, "Archon, you just told me today that a Chinese officer in Guangdong bought a bond of 4,200 taels of gold from the Nanyang Bank, which is equivalent to 40,000 taels of silver. As long as this money is taken out, we will find a way to make up the rest, which should be enough. ”

Shou Xiang looked around the venue. The dim light of the whale oil lamp hit the faces of the officers, and everyone's ardent anticipation and leaping momentum were overflowing.

After the silence, Shou Xuan said softly: "Submit the list of captains to me, and I will personally interview each captain, and I will personally inspect each ship." ”

There was a cheer in the room.

Allemand and Colin Woodra fought with Murong Parrot at night, making sailing plans overnight.

Two Ahat ships carrying 160 men each, and frigates carrying 40 men, headed for King's Landing.

30 ships with European rudder were dispatched, each carrying one year's worth of grain. The maximum number of migrants per ship is 200, and the number of sailors and escort soldiers is not more than 240. Based on the average annual consumption of 4 stone of grain per person, 1,000 stone of grain is transported per ship, as well as some livestock and other means of production.

"Don't come back when you arrive at Dragonstone, stay for local use. Since the natives were the ones they could communicate with, they would be an excellent manpower supplement to the colonies. ”

The meaning of Collingwood's words is clear, the colony will open the way with the sword.