To the east, above the ocean, Tie Xuan, like Zhu Su at this time, also had a sense of tiredness.

The scorching sun hangs high on the sea, lining the boundless sea, which is incomparably wide and vast. The gentle waves crash against the treasure boat, and occasionally a sea fish leaps out, making the sea more and more beautiful and dazzling, such a beautiful scenery is enough to make people feel refreshed.

But it was such a moving beauty that taught Tie Xuan to feel a little desperate in his heart: it had been several months since he left Daming, and for a few months, all he saw was the sea, and he hardly saw anything else. Although the ship was moving forward in the waves, there was no other reference on the sea, and no matter how long it traveled, it still seemed to stop in place, and the seemingly close boundary between sea and sky in the distance always maintained that distance no matter how far it went.

Being in this vast sea, even if the treasure ship with the power of the Ming under its feet is enough to accommodate the weight of a thousand materials, it is no different from a grain of millet in the sea. Even though Tie Hyun thinks that his will is always iron, he still feels uncontrollably dazed and powerless at some moments.

"Brother Tie, the calculation has been completed." Behind the deck, the tanned Navigator Zhang He walked over. He patted Tiehyun on the shoulder, as if to comfort him. "The direction has been determined, and we are indeed following the route given by His Highness. Alas, if it had not been for the storm at sea a few days ago, we would not have strayed from course...... It took about half a month to delay. ”

Although they carved wood in the way of the ancients as a mark, the time spent on the sea was too long, and no one could be sure whether the time recorded in this way was incorrect.

Not to mention the fact that in the event of a storm, the sea is often overcast for several days, and even the day is as dark as night...... If you can't see the sun rising and the moon setting, you can't determine day and night. Even Zhang He doesn't know what time it is.

Despite all the preparations, the sinister environment on the sea is far beyond Tie Xuan's knowledge, not only all kinds of never-before-seen evil beasts in the sea, but also all kinds of terrible disasters: the sea whirlpool that can swallow everything, the tornado storm that connects heaven and earth, and even the mirage fairy mountain floating on the sea...... It is an incomparable test of the morale and military spirit of this team. However, the biggest enemy is still homesickness, he Tie Xuan is resolute, and he still remembers the words that His Majesty personally gave him that day, especially the heart of making contributions to the country. However, most of the soldiers and prisoners in the fleet had long since lost the morale to move on.

This situation is beyond Tie Hyun's control.

But the good thing is that someone can.

"Iron Prince, sailing." Tie Xuan and Zhang He were looking at the scenery on the sea, but they heard the voice of Mao Xiang, the former commander of the Jinyi Guard, behind them. Mao Xiang is now tanned, and his skin is even chapped. But his eyes are still full of cruelty, and he can't see through the details. It seems that his heart is really iron, and there is no softness that belongs to relatives and friends.

"Has the rebellion been disposed of?" Zhang He asked.

Mao Xiang nodded and said, "The rebellion has been killed, but in the chaos, the thieves are desperate and trying to scuttle the ship...... Although I have tried my best to stop it, the ship is not destroyed. I have sent people to carry the supplies, but our law enforcement team is really understaffed, so I have asked the two of you to send more people to rescue them. ”

Under Mao Xiang, he is in charge of a law enforcement team, with his cronies from the Jinyi Guard as the backbone. These people from the brocade clothes were as cold as Mao Xiang, mercilessly monitoring the every move of all the members of the fleet. If someone turns against him, he will be killed.

If Tie Xuan and Zhang He are the leaders of this fleet on the surface, Mao Xiang and his law enforcement team are in charge of everyone's every move in the dark, drawing a bottom line that must not be crossed for everyone in the fleet. What he wants to ensure is that even in this overseas land, far from the Ming mainland, everyone must ensure that they can continue to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty.

Tie Xuan had no doubts, but anyone who disobeyed the orders of His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, or wanted to cause trouble in overseas places, even if it was him or Zhang He, Mao Xiang would kill him mercilessly.

"Commander Mao, it's hard work."

Tie Xuan is not pedantic, and he doesn't think there is anything wrong with Mao Xiang doing this. On the contrary, he was very glad that there was still a person who was absolutely loyal to Daming and was willing to take care of pickled affairs in the dark, and he and Zhang He were responsible for everything.

"It's the fourth ship that has been lost...... Zhang He was distressed when he heard this, but he could only command the soldiers to hurry up to rescue the supplies. Although the fortune ship is not as good as the flagship ship under its feet, it also has a lot of water and food in it. In this endless sea, every bit of material is undoubtedly the most important thing. It's just that as a sailor general, it's hard for him not to feel sorry for the loss of another ship under his command.

After they left Daming, they first went to Yingzhou West to talk about supplies, and then they marched towards the vast sea without hesitation. Before leaving, Zhu Su had already drawn a route for them to refer to, and they would follow the Japanese warm current, the North Pacific warm current, and the California cold current towards North America, and if nothing else, they could reach the west coast of the Americas. But if nothing else, there will inevitably be accidents, and after leaving Yingzhou, they have been encountering situations constantly: first, a terrible sea tornado engulfs a lucky ship that cannot be avoided. On that day, Tie Xuan was extremely surprised to find that such a huge lucky ship could be swept into the air by the wind, and his naked eyes could even see the robes on the deck holding the mast and screaming, just like ants resting on a fallen leaf that was swept up by the wind, so helpless.

The big ship that was painstakingly built was also so vulnerable in front of the might of heaven and earth.

Then it encountered a whirlpool and was swallowed up a lucky ship; The first time I encountered a whale, I lost another one; Because seeing the mirage was aroused by homesickness, someone grabbed a ship and went in the direction of the mirage regardless of it, and now I think it has sunk in this vast sea, this is another one. Finally, there is the current one, the previous lucky ship was scarred by the storm, and it was too late to make temporary repairs, and it encountered a rebellion...... Fortunately, the rebellion has been successfully suppressed, and although the ship cannot be saved, at least some supplies can be salvaged.

If this continues, this fleet may not be able to reach the Americas, and this fleet will be completely destroyed...... Tie Hyun couldn't help but think pessimistically.

"Since the ship is about to fall, it is better to take out the cans and wine from the ship and reward the brethren." Tie Hyun quickly threw away his pessimism and remembered the word "Keystone" that he was given. This fleet entrusted to the three of them not only cost a lot of people taxes to build, but also bore the ardent expectations of Shizun, His Majesty, brothers, family members, and even thousands of Ming people. How can I have the idea of retreating here? 、

He soon regained his confidence and began to think about how to pacify the soldiers after the rebellion. "The canned food storage environment is harsh, and there is not much space to store it. It's better to use it to let the soldiers have a good time. ”

"Isn't it a beautiful thing that the brethren will drink and admire the moon on the sea tonight with canned food?"

Zhang He and Mao Xiang glanced at each other, and Zhang He laughed and said: "What Brother Tie said makes sense, the brothers have been nervous for so long, and it is time to be happy." ”

"On this sea, a bird has faded out of its mouth, and if you can open up and eat this canned food, it will be almost the same as a festival."

The food at sea is single, and the fish is even more delicious until you want to vomit, that is, canned food with various flavors, which can give these men who are drifting on the sea a little comfort on their tongues.

Mao Xiang also nodded, and said indifferently: "I listen to Tie Gongzi." ”

When the news spread, the whole fleet was thunderous. As Tie Hyun expected, the morale of the fleet really recovered a little. It's just that Tie Hyun didn't feel relieved for long, and he heard the report of the soldier on the high lookout:

"Master Hou, it's not good!"

"Ahead...... The sea ahead has found the situation again! ”

(End of chapter)