After a certain distance, the whale disappeared into the water and disappeared.

The sea was calm again.

The night fell as scheduled, and a bright moon with a big face hung obliquely in the sky, bringing a glimmer of light to the confused road ahead.

The excitement of the day has passed, and people are thinking more about tomorrow's future.

After the twenty-eighth day of sailing, I finally saw the seabirds again.

At this time, the old sailors rushed to the deck and jumped and jumped like children receiving gifts.

Then, he cried and laughed like a madman.

The young sailors knew that they were not far from land.

"Brothers, build it~"

I don't know which Erwuzai shouted, except for those on duty, the deck was instantly crowded with people.

"These guys are suffocating, it's time to relax. ”

Song Feng occupied Da Gaoqiang's recliner and leisurely sipped barley tea.

"Let them go. ”

After saying a word, Da Gaoqiang went to the window, raised his beloved telescope and looked around.

However, even with the addition of new telescopes, as far as the eye can see, it is still an endless deep blue.

Commander Da was not discouraged, his good mood was always there.

The rest of the people were no better, and one by one they came to the window to watch, waiting for a miracle to appear.

"Inform the kitchen to have dinner at noon today, eat beef with sauce, and drink white wine. ”

"Yes, Commander. ”

Now everyone is even happier, lately they have been eating some rancid meat that has changed their taste, or fried soybean flour, cornmeal and other grains, and their stomachs have long rebelled.

The fleet is consciously controlling food consumption, and white rice can only be eaten two or three times a week.

This time, it was definitely a surprise to be able to take out the canned sauce beef and drink liquor to serve it.

"Our commander also has a day of plucking, it's rare. ”

Everyone was in a good mood, and Song Feng rarely teased his boss, but it was harmless.

"You old Song, don't you know that firewood, rice, oil and salt are expensive. ”

"Haha......"

There was laughter in the command room.

"It's almost land, and I really have some anticipation in my heart, but I hope it's a good sign. "There are staff officers who are worried.

"The soldiers are coming, the water is coming to the earth shield, let's take a step and see one step at a time. ”

"Our firepower is really nothing to fear. ”

Da Gaoqiang's idea represented most of the officers.

No matter what awaits you in front of you, you have to see it.

At lunch, everyone was given a piece of liquor.

There is only one sip, and if you don't drink well, you won't get drunk, and it won't affect the performance of tactical moves.

The auspicious military has a strange rule that soldiers must drink alcohol.

The standard is not high, one or two or fifty degrees of liquor in the stomach, still keep a clear head, and the limbs can be coordinated.

On weekdays, each person will be served a five-dollar liquor every night, one is to eliminate fatigue and improve sleep quality, and the other is to expel moisture and improve physical fitness.

However, in wartime, alcohol and snacks were strictly controlled, so the sailors' eyes were straight when they saw the long-lost liquor.

After a glass of wine, everyone's interest also came, and the long-lost laughter began to recover.

"Old Sun, where do you think the land is in us?"

After the 'Big Fish' incident, Da Gaoqiang was obviously much more polite to the old sailors recruited, very cruel and realistic.

"Commander, there are traces of the route of the seabirds to and from the seabirds, and from the news from the lookouts, it is assumed that the Commander thinks that the land should be directly in front of us, and it will be about two days away. ”

The old grandson still retains a goatee, unlike a pure mascot, who cuts it without leaving an inch.

Hearing his words, the smile on Da Gaoqiang's face became even more obvious.

"Well, there are still two days to go, during which you experienced veterans are required to keep a check and stabilize the course, the more times like this, the more sloppy you are. ”

"Yes. ”

On the second day of the seabird spotting, the weather in the afternoon was a bit dreary, and there was a rare absence of wind on the sea.

The sultry weather makes people feel inexplicably irritable.

The old grandson who had been instructed was on the fence outside the control tower at the moment, looking up at the sky above them, and at the calm sea at the other, muttering obscure dialects.

"Brother Sun, something is wrong with this bird. ”

A thin old man stared at the obviously irritable flying bird, and his voice was anxious.

The old grandson was also frowning at this time, and looked at the seabird that was circling rapidly and began to fly south.

"Do you remember the shipwreck that year?"

The thin old man's voice trembled, and he turned to the old grandson.

"You mean~"

"Well, if it hadn't been out of the sea for a short time, we would have died at the bottom of the sea. ”

Old man Sun also remembered the scene back then, when it was like today, the sea suddenly became calm, and the seabirds hurried home.

Then the sky darkened sharply, and I couldn't see my fingers.

Then, the nightmare came.

Da Gaoqiang, who got the early warning, referred to the old grandson and their statement, and began to make emergency deployments.

By this time, dark clouds had begun to cover the sky, and it was dark in front of me.

Only when lightning appears, a ray of light can bring a flash of light to the busy sailors.

After the lightning, there was the rumbling of thunder.

They rolled overhead, thudded, and exploded.

It is like the roar of naval guns, but it is even clearer and louder, reaching the deepest part of people's hearts.

"Lowering the sails. ”

On the dreary sea, a cool breeze began to blow, and the order had to be heard by roaring.

The oil lamps used for lighting, swaying in the gradually increasing sea breeze, the faint light, can only talk better than nothing.

Everywhere can only watch the light instructions in the control tower, and then convey them step by step.

The ship began to rock, and the sailors made it difficult for them to move, and the boatswain asked the sailors on deck to be roped, just as they had done at the beginning of the Shining Lake.

This turn of events came suddenly, and the wind and waves were calm for only a quarter of an hour, and the dark clouds at the top came in a hurry, followed by lightning and thunder, and fierce winds, which did not give people the slightest time to breathe.

Now, the raindrops the size of beans are frantically hitting every corner of the ship's bare out, as if hitting people's hearts, extremely heavy.

Heavy sails, descent requires a process.

Winds, rains, and waves hit one after another, and their time was running out.

Unfortunately, the wet sails were extremely heavy, and the friction between the wet cables, bearings, and pulleys was also increasing dramatically, and the process of lowering the sails was not smooth.

The cable has lost its function, the pulley bearing cannot rotate, and the truth of all this can only be investigated if you survive.

Now it has only been lowered to a normal sail, and it can't be lowered.

"Quick, add people, let the Marines go up and help. ”

The Navigator sent out a plea for help, and chaos reigned on the deck.

"Irrelevant people and others immediately return to the warehouse, fix all the main objects, and then fix themselves on the bed and seat, immediately execute, immediately execute!"

Orders have been repeated, the ships are rocking more and more, and people are no longer able to work properly.

The lookout broke his leg and was desperately trying to tie himself to the anchor post with a rope, seeking some comfort.

"It can't go on like this, the storm is getting more and more violent, the sails can't come down, and the ship can capsize at any moment. ”

The navigator is in a hurry, where can he find someone to ask for orders now?

I can't see clearly, I can't touch, I can't hear, I can't walk.

It's a collection of the deaf, the blind, and the lame.

Time is running out.

Taking advantage of the lightning flash, the navigator confirmed the position of the mainsail and climbed over with difficulty by pulling the cable around his waist.

Some of the clever sail rangers began to follow the chief, moving towards the mast.

At this time, everyone knew in their hearts that if they couldn't get off the sail, no one would want to live.

After a few lightning bolts, three or five men followed the cable around their waists to the mast, where there was a fixed card slot with three axes for emergency situations.

They have rehearsed this situation, someone took the lead, and everyone gradually found their state and began to move in an orderly manner.

Three ropes anchored a lineman to the mast, and he began to swing his axe, slashing at the mast.

Whatever the outcome, the navigator knew in his heart that the best place for him to go was a court-martial.

At this time, he only hoped that the thick mast would break as soon as possible, although he had been proud of it.

"Substitutions. ”

Then the second and then the third went up in turn.

The lineman who had been replaced was taken directly back to the cabin and fixed to his bed.

The rain was getting heavier, the wind was getting stronger, the ship was rising and falling in the waves, the lookout with the broken leg was gone, and the sea began to pour into the cabin.

The cablemen are tormented inside.

"This mast is made of Tieli wood from Great Xia, which is the most tenacious, and it will be difficult to achieve success in a short period of time. ”

This incident made a fuss, and everyone in the command room was blinded.

"Commander, prepare to abandon ship, we are not far from land, and if we are lucky, we can drift to the shore with the storm. ”

The operational staff officer suggested that it was his responsibility to do his best to stop the loss if he could do nothing.

But such a large new warship, saying that it is abandoned is not his high-strength style.

As the commander of the river fleet and the current commander of the temporary fleet, he knows exactly how much manpower, material and financial resources this ship has spent, and how many people's efforts have been condensed.

Da Gaoqiang didn't speak, and everyone could only wait, this was an ordeal.

Either the sails are cut and everyone has a glimmer of life.

Either the ship capsizes, and everyone depends on their luck.

"Commander, don't we have artillery?"

Just as everyone was waiting for the verdict of fate, an old voice sounded weakly.

"Old Sun, what do you want to say?" asked Da Gaoqiang.

Everyone saw a spark in his eyes.

"Artillery...... Mast, ah......"

Everybody got it.

But it is not realistic to think about it, the mast of the ship on the opposite side of the artillery bombardment is too unreliable, and the hit rate under this strong wind and waves is relatively high, I am afraid that the ship is more likely to be sunk first.

But artillery can't do it, gunpowder can't do it.

"Order, the artillery commander organized the personnel, blew up the mast. ”

At this time, every second counts, even if the knife is in front, the herald must risk his life to go, otherwise he will be executed directly on the spot without waiting for a military court.

The gunner's handling was also clever, planting explosives in the gap at the bottom of the mast, and after a thunderous explosion, the mast collapsed.

The other ships did the same, and the mainmast was blown off.

"For the rest, leave it to fate. ”

There was no sign of any more on the deck, not a single body remained, and the hatches were closed everywhere.

People use everything that can hold their bodies in place, and they tie themselves tightly.

The navigator tied the helmsman to the cockpit with his bloodied hands, and he had to make sure that the ship was facing the wind and waves, so that the chances of survival would be greater.

"The left paddle wheel is reversed, and the right paddle wheel is rotated forward at full speed. ”

"Left stop, right half speed. ”

......

From time to time, the brass microphone gave orders from inside the wheelhouse, and the sailors followed the instructions to power the paddle wheel with all their might.

The helmsman, on the other hand, uses the power provided by the paddle wheel to steer the ship's course with all his might, breaking through the waves.

His head and face were slippery, and he didn't know whether it was rain or sweat.

"Squad leader, do we call the teacher die before he gets out?"

The soldiers of the Marine Corps, secured to the seats in the conference room, swayed and undulated with the ship.

"This can't stop your mouth, stay honest, our Ji people have their own natural appearance, and they can't die. ”

Liu Zhi thought of his mother, thought of the child in his daughter-in-law's womb, he was unwilling, he didn't want to die.

"I thought that storm in Xingyao Lake was terrifying enough, but I didn't expect that compared to this, the weaker one could be. ”

The soldier was still chattering, but Liu Zhi didn't stop it.

Say a few words, and the fear in your heart will dissipate with the words.

At this time, Da Gaoqiang really realized what Wang Xuan said, in front of the power of nature, people are really as small as ants.