In November of the first year of the Middle-earth calendar, a small reconnaissance fleet consisting of two warships and a supply ship sailed out of Xingyao Bay.

"Commander, are we missing ships, I'm worried about ......" Song Feng was a little puzzled.

When the order was first received, part of the personnel of the river fleet was asked to report to the Xingyao Bay Naval Academy.

Then he didn't stop and went straight to sea, so everyone didn't know what the specific task was this time, and thought it was to open up sea trade.

Therefore, Song Feng believes that only two warships are not enough to ensure everyone's safety.

"Our mission this time is not to open up maritime trade, but to circumnavigate the Xingyao Continent, mainly to find out the sea conditions. ”

The old god of Da Gaoqiang curled up comfortably in the recliner in the command room, squinting his eyes to recuperate.

The Admiralty's circumnavigation plan was supported by Wang Xuan.

Find out the surrounding sea conditions, draw nautical charts, and become a confidant. In the event of danger, it is good to take advantage of this advantage and strive for space to turn around.

Moreover, there are many islands around the mainland, and in the eyes of others, they are dispensable, but in Wang Xuan's eyes, these are priceless treasures.

According to travelogues, some of the islands are quite large.

This is undoubtedly a huge temptation for auspiciousness, which is only more than 10,000 square kilometers of land.

Collecting some uninhabited islands by the way is what Wang Xuan dreams of.

At the same time, Wang Xuan also hoped that in carrying out the task of drawing nautical charts and finding out the sea conditions, he would try his best to train the skills of the officers and men of the navy, so that they could grow into real blue sea forces as soon as possible.

In this way, the performance of the vessel can also be checked, and deficiencies can be identified in time and improved as soon as possible.

"It's no wonder that there are so many experts from the institute accompanying me, and I wonder what to do. Song Feng breathed a sigh of relief.

Together with other officers, he studied the route of the voyage in the control tower of the flagship to ensure the accuracy of the charts.

The three warships sailed south in an inverted triangular formation, with a speed of three knots per hour in a half-sail state, about 5,000 meters or more.

There are towed drums at the bottom of the boat, which are used to detect low reefs under the sea.

Naval researchers are responsible for surveying voyages, analysing the surrounding environment, and making nautical charts.

On the first day of sailing, the wind was beautiful and the waves were gentle.

The crew was huddled on the deck in groups to enjoy the sea view, and everything seemed so harmonious.

After three or five days, some of the crew felt bored and went into the cabin and began to pass the time by sleeping.

It's another three or five days, and apart from the after-dinner walk, they are rarely seen on the deck.

Twenty days later, the mental state of the crew declined rapidly, and the military doctor recorded what they saw and heard along the way in a timely manner, forming a military log.

Sailing south until the 25th, the military doctor came to the combat command room and found Da Gaoqiang.

"Commander, if this continues, some sailors are afraid that they will not be able to hold on. ”

Da Gaoqiang's mental state is not good, and after a long voyage, everyone's spirit is very tired, and some even begin to trance, and delusions.

But the military order is like a mountain, and he must carry out the set plan to the letter.

"In another five days, if there is still no land after five days, we will turn northwest and sail back to the Starry Shelf. "Dagao Qiangdao.

In order to measure the sea state and the surrounding environment as accurately as possible, the fleet took the 'S' route, and it is estimated that the fleet is currently nearly 1,000 kilometers away from Lucky Star Bay.

On the way, there was a strong wind and a torrential rain, and the fleet was in danger.

"Squad leader, when is this day a head, our little belly is up. ”

The Marines complained, the activity space is so large, some areas are still forbidden to enter, and everyone is really aggrieved by the half-month cage life.

Liu Zhidao: "You treat this as an endurance training, I estimate that I will not see the land again, and I will have to return." ”

After the training, Liu Zhi appreciated and became a regular.

The fleet sailed south, tailwind.

Return, headwind.

It took more than half a month when I came, and it was estimated that it would be more than a month when I returned.

According to the replenishment conditions of the fleet, another week of fresh water is reserved, and two months of sea voyage should also be at the limit.

"It's not that we're afraid of holding back, but we haven't even seen an island for most of the month, and the eyes are either blue or green, so is the travelogue fake? ”

"That is, if it is fake, it will be miserable, I would rather die in the belly of a fish than die of thirst at sea, that feeling, not to mention how uncomfortable. ”

"Hey, pity my newly married beautiful girl!"

The fighters chatted with each other and vented their complaints, which was also a way to relieve stress.

"Alright, let's go to the deck and fight each other, and the top three will add points. ”

There is no better way, so I have to use this to kill these young and strong physical strength, and I will be honest when I am tired.

"Let's go. ”

"That's it, who's afraid of whom, you wait, this time you have to beat you all over the ground to find your teeth. ”

"Master, I'm waiting. ”

In a short time, there was a burst of cheers from the deck.

The bored sailors also gathered around to shout and cheer, for fear that the fight would not be fierce enough.

Seeing that the battle was getting more and more intense, suddenly the alarm bell sounded.

There is a case!

"Ten kilometers ahead of the left, a group of unidentified objects approached rapidly, and the number is unknown. ”

On the mast, which was nearly fifty meters high, came the flag of the lookout, and the cry of the broken sound.

Everyone in the command room of the battleship who was studying the plan quickly got up and rushed to the window, and raised the telescope on their chests to shake it around.

"Prepare for war. ”

"Yes, prepare for war. ”

Liu Zhi and the others ended the competition, quickly returned to the cabin, and began to arm themselves.

The gunners took their positions, the doors opened, and began to measure the azimuth and distance of the target.

"Lift the airship. ”

A linen hot air balloon coated with sealing paint begins to inflate under the action of a hand-cranked simple blower.

Above the hanging basket, the heating unit starts to ignite and the selected high-quality coal begins to burn.

It didn't take long for the airbags to fully puff up, the personnel were in place, and the balloon began to slowly rise into the air.

Although it has been tested several times before, looking at it now, it still amazes everyone and praises the miracle of creation.

The current ceiling of a hot air balloon is 500 meters, but the ceiling of a hot air balloon fixed on a sailing ship is only 100 meters.

In this way, the observation distance of the lookout on the hot air balloon is twice as far as that on the mast.

"Right rudder three, the supply ship goes into a safe position on the right. ”

The fleet was deformed, and the inverted triangle became an oblique triangle.

"Full sails!"

"Full sails. ”

The decadent atmosphere brought about by the boring voyage of more than ten days was blown away without a trace by this sudden change.

At this time, everyone realized how bleak their situation was, surrounded by boundless blue, and stepping on the ground was not the land, but more like the roulette wheel of life and death.

"Soldiers in armor!"

Some of the recruited sailors began to put on armor in batches to prepare for possible encounters.

They are the first batch of sailors to go to sea for actual combat exercises, and there will be many recruits like them to repeat their miserable lives in the future, and when they think of this, they have an inexplicable excitement in their hearts.

But at this time, everyone's mood is hovering between nervousness and excitement.

Danger often represents opportunity, the greater the danger, the greater the opportunity, if you can't make a contribution, why join the army?

"The number of unidentified objects is about fifteen, and the speed, the speed is close to ten knots. ”

The observer hand on the hot air balloon was already trembling nervously, and the flag was a little stumbling.

"Approaching the tenth knot, or ...... against the wind"

At the beginning, Jixiang was on the Xingyao River, and with a slightly better speed, he killed the Song Lake bandits.

Now the offense and defense are cast, and the opponent's speed is far beyond their own.

In other words, he became a lake bandit on Xingyao Lake, and the other party became an auspicious fleet.

What's even more terrifying is that they are far faster than they were at the beginning.

It's dangerous.

"Revisit. ”

"Yes. ”

In the command tower, everyone was worried, and everyone knew in their hearts that if they didn't do well, it would be the end of the annihilation of the whole army.

At sea, having a speed advantage is equivalent to having a victory, and you can do whatever you want in battle.

"You can't run away, so get ready to fight. ”

Just as everyone was preparing for the battle, a new observation came.

"Report, the unknown object is like a creature in the sea, the body length is about 20 meters, the speed is extremely fast, sometimes jumping out of the water, sometimes diving. ”

"Sea creatures?"

None of them had ever been to sea, so there was no way to tell.

But the old sailors who have been recruited have gone to sea, and this is not the time for them to come in handy.

"Call the old grandson and them. ”

Da Gaoqiang frowned, he urgently needed the experience of the old sailors at this time, and he had to be responsible for the safety of everyone's lives.

After a while, several old men who were famous in their sixties were brought into the command room.

"Commander, are you looking for me?"

"The guards told you all about the situation, have you ever encountered this situation before?"

Everyone's eyes were focused on Lao Sun's body, like dozens of steel knives shining with cold light, which was very dazzling.

"Commander, you don't have much information to give, and you can't judge your position. ”

After the old grandson stumbled to answer, he glanced at everyone carefully.

Coincidentally, just when the atmosphere was awkward, another message came from the lookout.

"The unidentified organism is blue-gray, streamlined, mottled on the surface, with a symmetrical tail fin and a mist of water on its back. ”

didn't help the commander, the old grandson felt a little guilty in his heart, but after listening to the herald's report, he shouted uncontrollably.

"Did it appear in groups?" said the old grandson, his expression excited, and his tone trembled.

"Yes, it is said that the number is fifteen. The herald replied subconsciously.

"Is the underbelly white?"

The herald flipped through the notebook and exclaimed, "Exactly!"

No matter how stupid the people present are, they also understand that the inconspicuous old grandson in front of him has already recognized the group of unknown creatures, and is waiting for the mystery to be revealed.

"They are the hegemons of the ocean and like to appear in groups. ”

"Some of them are so fierce that sailors who fall into the water by storms will be swallowed by them in one gulp. ”

"On the contrary, those who are larger tend to be harmless to humans. ”

"But, as long as we don't fall overboard and don't actively attack them, there is almost no danger. ”

"We call them 'big fish'. ”

Lao Sun Tou intermittently said the fragments of memory, although it was a little broken, but it did not prevent everyone from understanding.

"So, we're safe at the moment?" Commander Da was a little glad, and his brow furrowed a lot.

"Exactly. ”

The people who received an accurate answer were relieved.

If Wang Xuan was here, he would have guessed that this is a blue whale, the largest mammal in the ocean, and it is not a fish.

"We can go to the side of the boat and watch, but we need to take precautions in place. "The old grandson suggested.

Everyone was also curious about this 'big fish', and their eyes naturally turned to Da Gaoqiang.

"Go in batches and take safety measures. ”

After everyone left one after another, Da Gaoqiang asked several old sailors, some of whom said that they had never seen this kind of 'big fish', and some of the descriptions were not far from the situation of the old grandson, which could be proved to be true.

At this time, his heart was completely put into his stomach.

It's not easy to sit in the boss's seat.

The group of whales was already approaching the left side of the fleet when a huge whale jumped out of the water.

The huge body blocked the afterglow of the setting sun, and the deck was suddenly dark, and everyone was shocked, and the feeling of depression in their hearts increased greatly.

"Hiss~"

With a sigh, the huge triangular tail fin slammed into the water, and the waves hit the deck, and the ship was beaten and swayed from side to side.

"It's huge!"

The operational staff officer witnessed the whole process of the incident, and it took a long time to hold back such a truth.

The rest of the crowd was no better, and after a while, they raised their binoculars and began to observe the mysterious group of visitors from the sea.

The actions of the officers naturally relieved the psychological pressure of the sailors, and they also began to appreciate this rare sight.

The two sides who were originally going in the opposite direction should have passed by, but they didn't want the group of blue whales to turn around and accompany the fleet to the south.

This move puzzled everyone.

"It's normal, you see its back, there are a lot of spots on it, it's some shellfish attached to the big fish, and it makes them very uncomfortable. Just as we like to find ground to rub when our backs are itchy, they also want to use ships to scratch them. ”

The old grandson came to the side of the boat and explained the whale's strange behavior.

Due to the active friction of the whales, the boat was extremely unstable and swayed even more.

The splash of water from time to time poured everyone cold.

Despite this, it has not been able to kill everyone's curiosity and enthusiasm for the things in front of them, and it is estimated that after going back, it will be blown again.

"Can you eat their meat?"

The officers who were caught in it and couldn't extricate themselves were disturbed by this sudden and extremely beautiful question, and they all turned their heads to look.

"Commander!"

The person who comes is to reach the high strength.

"Can you eat their meat?"

Again, the tone and demeanor did not seem like a joke, and then everyone looked at each other.

"I haven't eaten them, but they should be bigger fish, and they can be eaten, but they are not easy to catch. ”

The old grandson was surprised, but he still said his true thoughts.

However, he is not optimistic about fishing, such a big fish, what a joke.

But what he didn't know was that this time and that time.

Now that the auspicious ship is strong and sharp, if you really want to catch the head of the 'big fish' to fight the tooth sacrifice, it is not impossible to plan well.

Moreover, Wang Xuan also gave Da Gaoqiang a trick.