On the vast sea, in the blink of an eye, it was already the seventh day of the departure of the grain fleet.

It's March 21.

On the 2,000-material flagship ship where the main general Xia Hai was, Shen Tong, who was once the bow of the Shen clan caravan in Cheung Chau, had already gotten up before dawn and hurried to the top deck above the two-story cabins at the rear of the big ship.

When he returned from the Japanese merchant and collided with that fleet in February, he was requisitioned to participate in the transportation of grain to the north, and Shen Tong only felt that in just over a month, his life was really up and down.

Since the Shen family is now close to the two major backers of the naval governor and the Yinghai envoy, they can't do their best, so when the young Yinghai envoy asks for someone, the head of the family talks to them in person, and Shen Tong can't refuse this matter.

However, after the initial panic, Shen Tong found that the grain transportation team, which he joined almost with some will to die, became more and more his most reassuring voyage in all these years.

Because, wherever the fleet goes, he knows where he is.

This seems like a crap.

However, it is not!

When a ship sails at sea, the most important thing is always to find a way to navigate, and once a fleet gets lost in the vast ocean, the results are often catastrophic.

This fleet does not have any similar problems.

It has even gone a long way.

Just like at this time, on the top deck in the early morning, Tianxingwei commanded Tongzhi Xia Hai and a group of generals and left officials were waiting for the sunrise.

Why?

Or to measure the bearing.

There are also several carved leaks on the deck at the same time, varying in size and shape.

The largest display is twelve hours.

The smallest can even divide a quarter of an hour into a more accurate fifteen minutes.

These are some of the new units of timekeeping that Shen Tong has only recently learned.

The twelve hours of the day are divided into 24 hours, and the four quarters of an hour are divided into 60 minutes.

Shen Tong also consulted with Huang Jin, the director of the Eight Grades of the Yinghai Division, who was in charge of this matter.

Huang Jin didn't hide his secrets, and explained to him in detail.

Finally, it is also pointed out that the current timing leakage is not accurate and can only be used as a general reference.

However, just this reference has brought too much shock to Shen Tong.

In private, it is inevitable to fantasize that if your own fleet can learn this whole set of navigation methods, no matter where you can go in the East China Sea and the South China Sea?!

On the top deck.

Shen Tong and the acquaintances nodded, and then remained quiet and waited patiently. Someone leaned over beside him, and Shen Tong glanced at it, it was Pu Qi, the 'harrier' who had been recruited and transferred together.

Both of them are self-proclaimed veterans of navigation, and they have not had some illusions before, and they have been entrusted with important tasks with their many years of sailing experience, and even obtained official positions in the imperial court, and they have been promoted step by step.

It was only when I got on the boat that I realized that I was thinking too much.

People are not bad at all.

Therefore, Shen Tong has gone from the former bow of the ship to the present, and can only be responsible for some clerical affairs by Xia Hai's side.

Pu Qi is still a lookout.

However, because there is a very magical 'telescope' on this ship, Pu Qi's farsightedness ability does not have too many advantages.

Just thinking like this, between the sea and the sky, on the eastern horizon, suddenly a touch of golden light slowly rose.

Then I heard someone ask, "Did you write it down?" ”

Someone else replied, "Write it down, 5:50." ”

Then, there were also two small schools staring at the other two precise carvings, and they also gave their own time.

Not only that, but a series of observations were sent over by a fast oar, and finally Huang Jin, the director of the Yinghai Division, personally summarized the average time when the sun crossed the horizon: 5:49.

Shen Tong has been patiently watching and knows why he is so troublesome.

This is taking the average to reduce the error.

The time is determined, followed by a series of calculations.

Before departure, the sunrise time in Dinghai was 5:56, and at this time, the sunrise time of the fleet berthing place was 5:49, a difference of 7 minutes.

On the other hand, the fleet is currently moored at 33.4 degrees north latitude, which is not far from the 30.1 north latitude of Dinghai, which is not far away, and the circumference of the earth's cross-cutting in this area is about 68,000 li.

Then introduce the concept of time difference, the difference in time difference is about 47 miles for every minute.

At present, there is a time difference of 7 minutes, which is equivalent to the lateral distance between the fleet and Dinghai, which is about 330 miles. This means that the current distance of the fleet from the coastline, of course, is about 330 miles from the coastline of Dinghai.

Shen informed that among them, there may be an error of up to tens of miles. However, to be able to get such a result through calculation, Shen Tong also understands that it is very rare.

On the other hand, the current location is 3.3 degrees away from Dinghai in latitude, and each degree is about 220 miles, which means that they have traveled 720 miles northward in the past seven days.

According to another estimate, the latitude of Jiaozhou is 36.3 degrees, minus 30.1 degrees in Dinghai County, the result is 6.2 degrees, so the longitudinal distance between the two sides is about 1360 miles.

This also means that the fleet has completed half of the voyage in seven days.

Not only that, Shen Tong also knew that the latitude of Yancheng County, Huai'an Prefecture was 33.6 degrees, and the longitudinal distance from the current location was only 0.2 degrees, which was another lighthouse port that the fleet could turn to dock during its journey.

Therefore, it only takes more than 40 miles to the north, and another group of navies will leave the fleet and rush to Yancheng to personally guard the lighthouse on the shore.

Every day you know where you are, how far you have come, how far you have to go to your next destination, and how far you are from your final destination.

Know, know, know!

Such a voyage, everyone who should know knows that in such a state, how can people not feel at ease!

There is no wind today.

Usually, in this uncertain state, the fleet will generally berth patiently and wait for the wind direction.

This is the safest way to do it.

However, the position was determined again in the early morning, and after Xia Hai consulted with the head of the group, it was decided that the entire fleet would swing away. After all, food and drinking water are enough, no need to save manpower, coupled with the slow ocean current in the northwest, today's goal is not high, 50 miles to the north, just pass Yancheng.

No one in the fleet had any opinions, after all, they all wanted to arrive in Shandong as soon as possible.

What's more, there is still a psychological bottom.

A few days ago, the intermittent southeast wind has allowed everyone to pass half of the voyage safely, it is really quite safe, the whole fleet of 318 large and small ships, in the past seven days, except for a mast broken and the other six different degrees of water leakage had to follow the 3,000 soldiers stationed in various places to dock in advance, the others, not a single ship capsized.

The casualties, until now, are miraculously zero!

Many of them have experienced the old shipwrights who have transported grain for the Yuan Dynasty, and these days they are eager to worship the gods of the sea several times a day, because this kind of peace has never been encountered before.

The gods must bless you!

……

Shandong, Jiaozhou.

Jiaozhou Wei commander Tongzhi Mao Xiang and Jiaozhou prefect and Huai received the news on the fifth day after the departure of the fleet, so, in the past two days, he was sent to Shandong for more than a month, and he Huai, who was promoted to the prefect of a place at the beginning of the official road, almost became a lookout stone on the port of Jiaozhou.

Mao Xiang also came to the port more than once to look.

The food never came again, and the adults were very worried that they would be grabbed and cooked by a group of hungry people who were getting hungrier and hungrier.

Speaking of which, in the Battle of Shandong, the Northern Expeditionary Army fought Le'an for the first time, and the Ludong Peninsula region, which was basically cut off from the westward land connection, fell one after another. However, unable to endure the rebellion, starving people and the current spring famine, the eastern part of Ludong is even worse than the war-torn Luxi.

Why?

Because Russi is already ten rooms and nine empty.

Let's just say that Jinan, because of the Yuan court's policy of clearing the wilderness, most of the people were driven to the north in advance, and a small number of those who stayed behind were also scattered with the pressure of the army. In the end, Shandong, which was once an important town with a population of two or three hundred thousand, fell into the hands of the Northern Expeditionary Army, and it was almost an empty city.

This is the case in Jinan, and some other areas in eastern Ludong can be imagined.

If the people are gone, there is no famine.

Lu Dong is different.

Not only that, but there were also a large number of refugees fleeing the famine and chaos from Russi.

In short, when He Huai, who had just taken office, recruited people in order to repair Jiaozhou Port, the quota of 5,000 people gathered seventy or eighty thousand at once, dragging his family with his mouth, and his face was yellow and thin.

No conditions.

Just take care of the rice.

He Huai couldn't manage it, and the food he brought before was still squeezed out by the Northern Expeditionary Army. Therefore, even if there are 5,000 people here, plus Mao Xiao, who only brought 1,500 soldiers, recruited another 1,500 recruits, a total of 6,500 mouths.

After the recruitment was over, I heard that there would be a food convoy coming from the sea, and the hungry people who had gathered would not disperse, so they waited like that.

He Huai and Mao Xiang both understood that if there were more people starving to death, there would be major incidents, so they had to find a way to let these people hang their lives as much as possible.

Can't take care of too much.

The problem is that these boats are inland river flats and are not suitable for access to the sea. In just over a month, 18 boats have been lost due to wind and waves.

You know, these ships were intended to be used for transport.

When the grain from Mingzhou arrived in Jiaozhou, it had to be transported to Jinan through the canal.

Mao Xiang could only hope that the grain ships from Mingzhou would not be too big, and that when the time came, Jinling would accept the proposal of He Huaishangshu and recruit more people to dredge the canal from Jiaozhou to Jinan so that sea ships could also enter the canal.

……

On the Yellow River, where water conservation begins to be abundant during the spring floods.

On 16 March, Chang Yuchun, the deputy general of the conquest, opened the Nailopo Slope Dam connecting the canal with the Yellow River, led the canal water army into the Yellow River, and joined the troops of Xu Da, the general of the conquest who had arrived from Jinan.

Bianliang, the former capital of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Two hundred and forty years ago, the shame of Jingkang, the southward migration of the Song Dynasty, and the southward crossing of the well-dressed again, the once prosperous Bianliang City, like the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun that had been lost for too long, had become a scar in the hearts of countless Chinese children.

Ten years ago, the Han and Song dynasties once broke through Bianliang and built their capital here, but it was short-lived.

This time, again!

……

On the canal, which is also much smoother in spring.

Tu Xiao, who had met His Majesty the Emperor and officially became the Surveying and Mapping Division of the Five Grades, took more than 300 people to the north by boat, and now he has passed Huai'an.

Let's try it soon, everyone. 】

This inconspicuous fleet was pinned on by His Majesty the Emperor.

Among them, there are not only a survey and mapping team of more than 30 people quickly set up by Tu Xiao, but also 150 guards equipped for them by His Majesty the Emperor.

In addition to this group, there are also craftsmen and physicians.

The physician will join the Northern Expedition to promote the penicillium therapy and scalding therapy that were sent to Jinling with Tu Xiao a few days ago. For the latter, His Majesty the Emperor also allocated 10,000 taels of silver to the imperial pen, so that the general worked day and night to create a batch of special tools.

At that time, there was no shortage of people who suggested that copper and iron could also be used, so why need expensive white gold.

The objection was rejected by His Majesty the Emperor in the current court, and there are better tools, how can you treat the front-line sons with torture instruments.

In fact, Tu Xiao also knew another reason, which began to spread from Jinling City, becoming more and more spreading, saying that silver can sterilize, silver tableware, compared with gold, ceramics and jade, etc., has many benefits and can prolong life.

Tu Xiao knows what bacteria are, and he believes that silverware can be sterilized, and it must come from his own husband.

As for the principle, Tu Xiao didn't know.

But, he believes!

In the cabin of a 600-material flat-bottomed boat in the middle of the fleet, Tu Xiao and some craftsmen were threading needles and threads like women, sewing large pieces of oilcloth together.

This is the hot air balloon idea that Mr. gave him casually before leaving Minnesotah.

Tu Xiao hopes to complete it as soon as possible, take it to the north together, and quietly select a no-man's place in the mountain wilderness to experiment.

……

Jinling, the Imperial Palace.

Hearing that the first batch of grain ships went to sea, Lao Zhu Xinyue's first reaction was to immediately recall his precious twenty-third grandson.

There are so many things that need his staff here.

Moreover, after learning about the front and back, Lao Zhu also found that the child had already prepared a complete set of grain transportation specifications, and after that, even if he was staring at it or not, things could continue.

Think about it or decide to wait.

At least wait for the first batch of grain ships to arrive in Shandong.

In addition, Lao Zhu also knew some things before.

For example, why did the twenty-third grandson of his own treasure temporarily squeeze out another 3,000 soldiers to be distributed to various places along the coast, even including a large part of the 2,000 guards he gave to that child.

Lao Zhu was a little disappointed in Huang Chen because of this.

This is the husband he personally selected for his niece, and what he likes is Huang Chen's honesty and stability. Now it seems that there is a lack of responsibility.

That being the case, from now on, he will stay in the position of Huai'anwei commander.

On the other hand, as the matter of shipping has been settled, Lao Zhu has also begun to brew another plan.

According to the Book from Heaven, the Northern Expeditionary Army would break through the capital in August of this year.

However, it is a pity that Emperor Yuan Shun's father and son all escaped from the siege, and the Northern Yuan court continued to interfere with the Ming Dynasty for decades, and even later, even in the past few generations, the Mongolian plague has not been eradicated, and even caused the disaster of the civil fort that annoyed him once he saw it.

Lao Tzu also compared another incident recorded in the Book of Heaven.

In that year, Li Zicheng broke the city of Beijing, the emperor did not escape, the crown prince did not escape, and the heir of the legal principle was missing, so the Southern Ming Dynasty failed to gain a foothold in Jiangnan like the Southern Song Dynasty.

With such mutual reference and consideration, Lao Zhu decided that Emperor Yuan Shun's father and son were the key.

Just like Lao Zhu thinks that in the battle of Henan, Wang Baobao should also be a key. Unfortunately, a wire report came from the north that because of the internal tilt of the Yuan court, Wang Baobao withdrew from Henan and is currently stationed in Taiyuan, Shanxi.

If Wang Baobao is in Henan, Lao Zhu plans to directly send Chang Yuchun, regardless of anything else, he must clean up this big variable that caused the Battle of Qingyang in the second year of Hongwu and the defeat of the Northern Expedition in the fifth year of Hongwu.

This matter can only be postponed.

At the moment, Lao Zhu decided to put the main target in Dadu, and this time he must catch them all.

Speaking of which, the letter that his precious twenty-third grandson asked Tu Xiao to bring back before was obviously hinting at him, the ancestor, and the Western Front was the key.

Lao Zhu felt very right.

If you want to catch everything and ensure that nothing goes wrong, you first need to increase your troops, so that you can besiege Dadu as much as possible and prevent Emperor Yuan Shun's father and son from escaping again.

To increase the troops, food and salary are needed.

The sea grain route is opened, and it is expected that 1.2 million stones of grain can be transported in two round-trips in the first and second half of the year, and Lao Zhu does not expect to arrive all, but as long as 1 million stones can reach Shandong, he can rest assured that he can transfer at least 100,000 troops to the northern line.

The first batch of grain ships is still on the way, out of trust in his precious twenty-third grandson, and taking precautions, Lao Zhu has begun to plan this matter.

As for where the soldiers come from?

Of course, it's still the southern route.

He Zhen of Guangdong has asked for surrender, and at present, there are only some stubborn local states and counties left on the southern line, which belong to the disease of scabies.

Therefore, it is not a big problem to continue to transfer elite troops from the southern front to the north.

Even, even if the southern front was not finished, Lao Zhu had already decided that as soon as the news of the first batch of grain arrived in Shandong smoothly, he would start forcibly dispatching it. After all, the south is destined to not be able to make big waves, as long as the Yuan court falls, those local forces who are still loyal to the Yuan Dynasty will be difficult to have too much resistance.