When Shou ordered to arrive in the Changshan Islands, it was still a time of high air and crispness. X He didn't have any specific goals when he came to Liaohai, except for observing the Liaodong Peninsula, but also to take advantage of the last south wind to travel as far north as possible. In this way, after entering the north wind season, the more the position of the fleet is stretched, the greater the range of activities he can have, and the more targets he can choose. If the kinetic energy potential energy conversion is used as a metaphor, that is, by driving northward, the kinetic energy in the southerly wind season is converted into the potential energy of accumulation, then in the sea area with navigation conditions, the more sufficient the kinetic energy that will burst out again after the northerly wind stabilizes.

As the weather gets colder, the fleet's personnel spend less time outdoors and more time in battleships. No more than the life of the later generations, the instinct of the soldiers of this era would make them reduce their activities to conserve energy.

The problem of winter clothing is not big for the time being, what worries about the order is food, he didn't bring much silver with him when he went north this time, and his four warships and 16 junk ships together have more than 1,300 people, and eating and drinking Lazar every day is a big expense.

He could only count on the Melville now. The shallowness of the Bohai Bay and the inflow of the Yellow Sea make it one of the best fishing grounds in China. In later generations, the fishing ground function of Bohai Bay was completely lost, but in the Ming Dynasty, the Bohai Sea was still a source of livelihood for countless coastal fishermen. The abundance of fish and shrimp inevitably attracts more advanced predators, such as cetaceans.

The Order gave the Melville two longboats and a crew to increase their efficiency.

"Hold on to your whaling forks, and don't tremble." Boatswain Ryan of the Melville continued his training for combat, "Recall your usual training sessions, and I'll do the same." ”

His deputy, Jonathan, saw the sailors' lips closed and their faces pale, and whispered to Ryan, "They're nervous. ”

Ryan: "It's no surprise, it's the first time we've done that. ”

Jonathan smiled, "But we quickly got used to it and fell in love with the excitement of life." Do you think these Chinese can do it? ”

Ryan: "Jonathan, they've been trained by us, and I believe in them. ”

Jonathan: "We'll find out soon, Ryan. ”

Like the other warships, the Melville is now joined by a lot of new Chinese sailors. It's one thing to hide in the relative safety of a gun deck to fire outside, it's another to fight a colossal whale in a dinghy with a whaling fork in hand, and hand-to-hand combat takes more courage than long-range shooting. What's more, the object of hand-to-hand combat weighs 200 times your weight.

Ryan turned to face ahead, and a small group of 3 gray whales was swimming towards Bohai Bay. With the exception of the calf, any of the two adult whales could easily overturn the four whaling boats laid down by the Melville. As the distance continues to close, the visual impact of the gray whale's body of more than ten tons is even stronger. Between breaths, the whale's spewed water shook all the Chinese sailors.

Four longboats surround the past, one adult whale for each two. Ryan is the commander-in-chief of the whaling team, and the remaining three longboats are waiting for his orders. Ryan stood, his body rising and falling with the waves, and he was firmly on the bow of the boat. As the longboat approached the unaware whale, Ryan picked up a stout whaling fork, he glanced back, and Jonathan and three other Chinese sailors also picked up smaller whaling forks and got ready.

"Cast!" Ryan threw his whaling fork with all his might. Jonathan's movements were done more beautifully than Ryan's, and the three Chinese sailors also did their job tremblingly.

"Well done!" Ryan shouted. In fact, he saw that one of the three whaling forks was thrown directly into the sea, and the other was not strong enough, and it fell quickly after being inserted into the whale's body, and only one of them was barely a target.

This is an adult male gray whale that grows up in Asia and has never experienced this type of whaling. The whale let out a mournful roar, its huge tail slamming down on the surface of the sea, and the splash drenched everyone. The other longboat that Ryan was working with also threw their whaling forks, about the same size as the ones Jonathan tossed.

The gray whale quickly dived underwater, and Ryan threw a large whaling fork with a rope tied to its tail, and as the whale dived, the long rope coiled around it quickly entered the sea. Jonathan clenched his axe and waited. If the gray whale does not return to the surface before the long rope reaches the end, he must cut the rope in time, otherwise the whole boat will be in danger.

This kind of problem should not be encountered today, the gray whale can't dive as deep as the sperm whale, and this gray whale is not particularly large. When the gray whale resurfaced more than 600 meters away, the crowd let out a burst of cheers. Sailors rowed close to the badly wounded whale, blood steaming hot and gushing out of the wounds. The gray whale still had the strength, and Ryan had all the sailors, including the oarsmen, go up and throw a whaling fork.

Jonathan: "It doesn't seem necessary, it's already ours. “

Ryan: "It's not often that such a good training opportunity happens, Jonathan, I'll leave it to you, to correct their movements." ”

"Okay."

Ryan tied the carcasses of two adult gray whales to the side of the Melville. The blood attracts pods of sharks and seabirds, and the bereaved hatchlings let out bouts as they cruise near the sea where their parents were killed. Ryan let it go.

The Melville dragged two adult gray whales back to Temple Island Bay, and the fleet let out a cheer that alarmed the Ming army and pirates.

When the sailors used a winch to drag the whale's carcass to the beachhead, the pirates and the Ming army were dumbfounded. Sailors skillfully handle whale carcasses. First of all, grease, the oil refining furnace has been erected. Originally, the Melville had some ability to process whale oil in the open sea, but then whale meat and skins would be wasted. The Bohai Strait was not wide, and there was no need for the Melville to discard the whale meat, so they dragged the whale back to Temple Island for disposal.

The two gray whales weigh more than 30 tons in total and can refine 200 barrels of whale oil. Whale skin is an excellent raw material for making clothes, not to mention whale meat, which is enough to eat for a long time. Whalebone and baleen are equally useful, but they are difficult to handle right now.

Shou Xiang walked over, and there were many Ming officers and soldiers who had nothing to do in the vicinity to see the freshness. Looking at the whale meat like a mountain, a Ming army officer stepped forward boldly, "Your Excellency, ......"

Lin Izuyong, who was guarding the guard's side, snorted heavily and blocked in front of him. Only the Chezhi Dan Guards are now left by the side of the order, and the Nanhai is still a little lacking, and the order has sent all the ordinary guards to do the work of sailors, leaving only Lin Izuyong still doing his own job.

Although Lin Izuyong is now dressed as a Ming man, for the Ming army who has dealt with the Japanese for hundreds of years, his demeanor, temperament and weapons have clearly shown Lin Izuyong's identity. Not to be outdone, the Ming officer glared back, glaring angrily at the wolf in his eyes.

Shou Xuan smiled, the Ming Dynasty soldiers and the Japanese seemed to be enemies by nature, and the Dutch had observed this phenomenon many times.

"It's okay to be brave." Orderly wave your hand.

"Yes." Lin Izuyong saluted and stepped aside.

The officer of the Ming army clenched his fists, "The last general, Wang Zongyun, the chief of the Longwu Battalion Water Division of Liaozhen, has seen my lord." ”

Shou Xuan nodded, "Wang Qianhu, is there something wrong with me?" ”

In the past few days on the island, of course, Shou Xiang had to figure out what the situation of the Ming army stationed around him was. This Wang Zongyun always had the position of a thousand households, and the generals of the Ming Dynasty were not as widespread as they were in the later Manchu Qing Dynasty. Wang Zongyun, a middle-level officer who was always appointed by the emperor himself, was the supreme commander of the 300 Ming troops and 15 warships on Miaodao.

Wang Zongyun was a little embarrassed, "My lord, I've never seen such meat in my life." My brothers haven't eaten meat in a long time, the last general, the last general thinks......"

Shou Xuan raised his hand to stop the words that Wang Zongyun couldn't say, "Wang Qianhu, there is no need to say it." You are border soldiers, tell your brothers that everyone has a share, and today I invite everyone to eat meat openly. ”

"Thank you, my lord, I provided the staple food for today."

Shou Xiang smiled and followed him. Wheat is grown in the north, and the Ming army on the island has flour, as if the fleet has not eaten bread for a long time. That night, with whale meat, Jincheng's fleet and the Ming army took out the wine in stock. Bonfires lit up on the island, and the cheering shouts of the soldiers were heard far and wide.

Shou Xiang picked a few barrels of whale oil and put them in Dengzhou to test the water to see how well the local market accepts whale oil. As a result, whale oil was a tribute in China, and Leizhou, Guangdong Province needed to pay more than 3,000 catties of whale oil to the palace every year. Everyone knew it was a good thing, and a few barrels of whale oil were swept away that day. Then the second batch of 20 barrels was put in order, but it was still sold out quickly. The third time he was about to sell again, the Ming Dynasty officials intervened.

Zeng Ying's housekeeper landed on the island with a Linqing merchant.

Orderly: "You want to eat all the rest of the whale oil?" ”

The Linqing merchant called Wang Shize, "That's right, Lord of the Kingdom." This is also the meaning of the minister's lordship. ”

Zeng Ying's housekeeper was silent, which was a tacit acquiescence.

Shouxu said: "Since Lord Zeng has spoken, it is definitely not a problem on my side." Mr. Wang, our people are still whaling, and there may be more whale oil in the future. ”

Wang Shi looked arrogant, "How much oil does the lord of the country, how much we want." ”

Linqing is the throat of Caoyun, an important town on the Grand Canal, and its wealth does not fall below the south of the Yangtze River. The goods of the north and south converge in Linqing, which is a commercial city.

Seeing that he was so high-profile, Shou Xuan said, "I don't want silver for this batch of whale oil, what I need is grain, gunpowder, sail cables, and anchors." ”

"Gunpowder is not good," Wang Shi said, "sail cables and grain are fine." ”

Shou Xuan nodded, it seems that Wang Shi is a person who can make decisions, "I want a hard sail." ”

"No problem, I'll go back and arrange it right away."

Shou Xuan picked up the teaglass, "Mr. Wang can take the whale oil away now, hurry up, I hope to get the supplies as soon as possible." ”

Because it is a military town, the price of Dengzhou is relatively expensive, in fact, it is more cost-effective to sell silver. But what Shou Xuan urgently needed to replenish now was not silver, and there could be no canvas in Dengzhou, which he could only use in exchange for grain and other ship materials.

Zeng Ying, the governor of Denglai, was an official who was open to foreign exchanges and was also a responsible official. Gunpowder is the most important military material, and it is understandable that he is unwilling to take it out. Ship materials and grain can be bought in the market, and Dengzhou's food replenishment is actually very dependent on sea routes. Originally, the grain of Dengzhou and Dongjiang had to be transported by ship from Tianjin, and after the grain arrived in Tianjin, it was cheaper to ship to Dengzhou by sea than to get off the ship from Linqing and take the land route, which also caused the grain price in Dengzhou to remain high for a long time. This situation changed after Shen Tingyang reopened the shipping of grain, and Dengzhou became a stopover for the transportation of military grain from Huai'an to Ningyuan, and the price was reduced a lot.

Bohai Bay was a blank area for the whaling industry, and the Melville successfully caught two more whales in the next few days, and the meat was not enough to eat, and it was also transported to Dengzhou to exchange for supplies. There are tens of thousands of troops in Dengzhou City, and the demand for meat consumption is staggering. Whale meat is sold very cheaply,