Seeing that the replenished fresh water was about to bottom out, the people on the boat began to become restless again, even more restless than when they were short of water for the first time. The human heart cannot withstand repeated hardships. The first time, the soldiers were determined to die. Even when they were completely cut off from water, they did not become restless and accepted their fate calmly.
But the second time, before the water was completely cut off, people's hearts became different. Coupled with the gradual shortage of food, the entire ship was like a powder keg, as if a single spark was enough to blow everyone to pieces and turn into ashes.
Han Du sat under the hatch, avoiding the scorching sun. His lips were a little dry, and he looked up at the scorching sun in the sky, no longer so determined about the way forward.
Woo~~~woo~
Two horn sounds were heard. Jiang Ming looked ahead with his binoculars and quickly ran off the bow.
"Master Marquis, land, we will finally see the land, we are out of the sea..."
After hearing Jiang Ming's words, Han Du felt a surge of strength all over his body, and he quickly struggled to get up and ran to the bow of the ship.
When Fang Xiaoru heard this, he jumped onto the bow of the ship like a rabbit. This traditional Confucian scholar now no longer has the slightest trace of a scholar's attitude in his body. If he didn't tell anyone, anyone who saw him would think that he was just a soldier of the navy.
In the telescope, a black line appeared between the sea and the sky. The lines are so high and low that you can't even see the end of it from the left and right sides.
"Oh~"
"Ouch..."
Waves of cheers came from the other two ships, and the appearance of land rekindled everyone's hope. Without Han Du's orders, the three warships eagerly sailed towards the land.
When they reached the shore, Han Du suddenly waved his hand and motioned for others to follow him down to find water. With good luck, Han Du found a small stream left from the mountainside before going too far into the land. The stream is crystal clear, and groups of black shadows can be seen gathering and dispersing at the bottom of the water. It’s fish, lots and lots of fish.
The presence of fish means that there is nothing wrong with the water. Everyone can't wait to run to the river, scoop water into their mouths with their hands, and drink it happily. No one chooses to go into the water. Everyone knows that once they go into the water, the sediment at the bottom will be stirred up. It is better to drink clean water than water with sediment.
After drinking enough water, the soldiers began to take out tools and pour out the stale water, preparing to restock clean fresh water.
Without Han Du's orders, the soldiers who were good at swimming jumped into the river with bursts of cheers and began to chase and intercept the fish.
After staying on the boat for such a long time, everyone would have vomited after eating dried fish. Now that there is fresh fish, naturally they cannot let it go.
"Master Marquis." Jiang Ming came to Han Du with a team of people with a smile on his face.
Han Du saw that the people behind Jiang Ming were carrying things on their shoulders, and asked with a smile: "Did you catch the prey?"
Jiang Ming nodded with a smile and said: "Yes, Mr. Hou. But this thing is very strange. The general has never seen it before. Mr. Hou is well-informed, so he brought it to Mr. Hou to see."
"Oh? What?" Han Du looked over curiously.
Jiang Ming waved his hand to the soldiers to place the prey in front of Han Du. These animals had messy hair on their bodies, long necks, and small heads.
This thing looks a bit like an alpaca, but Han Du is sure it's not an alpaca.
After looking at it for a moment, under Jiang Ming's hopeful gaze, Han Du shook his head slightly and said, "I don't recognize it either, but the head of this thing looks a bit like a camel."
Jiang Ming looked back, clicked his tongue and nodded in agreement: "It does look like it, but it's much smaller than a camel."
A skinny camel is bigger than a horse, and this thing is about the same size as a deer.
"Whatever it is, wash it, peel it, boil it and try it. Let's see how it tastes first." Seeing that after such a long time, he finally had meat to eat, Han Du's salivary glands suddenly pumped out a big stream. Han Du quickly closed his mouth, but a drop of crystal saliva inevitably leaked from the corner of his mouth.
The others had also been impatient. After hearing Han Du's words, they quickly started peeling the skin, lighting the fire, and setting up the pot.
As the water in the pot began to boil, waves of meaty aroma wafted out.
Since it was meat from an unknown animal, everyone subconsciously cooked it for a longer time. When the meat was cooked until it was tender, some people couldn't wait to try to eat it. I didn't expect that after eating it like this, I thought it tasted pretty good. Several people who ate it could only nod their heads while biting the meat in their mouths.
After so many years of life and death, being able to eat a delicious meal of boiled meat and drink a sip of hot soup made Han Du feel very satisfied.
After resting here for two days, the fleet's morale has completely returned to its peak. It's time to discuss what to do next.
Han Du sent Jiang Ming out and asked him to find traces along the coastline. I followed the traces left by those people all the way. Since I was able to reach the shore, those people probably escaped. Han Du stayed here, preparing to stock up on meat while being on guard.
After the three of them passed by, Jiang Ming came back.
"Master Marquis, I found traces of people's ships docking for rest more than a hundred miles north. I estimate that those people went north." As soon as he came back, Jiang Ming hurriedly asked Han Du Report.
"Okay!" Han Du's delicate face turned red and veins popped out on his forehead. After searching for it for so long, even risking one's life and crossing the boundless sea, it was finally worth it.
"Can you tell when they arrived?" Han Du asked anxiously.
As long as you can roughly know when those people left, you can roughly calculate the distance between you and them.
"No more than five days at most." Jiang Ming answered neatly.
"Okay! Immediately organize the army and go north and set off!" Han Du ordered without hesitation. In just five days, if I catch them unawares, I might be able to catch up with them soon.
...
Three to four hundred miles away from Handu, six large ships were slowly sailing northward along the coastline.
The sky is clear and the waves are calm. It seems that all the dangers and disasters have gone away, and now it is time for them to enjoy peace and quiet.
Several middle-aged people were sitting on the bow of the boat, drinking clear and sweet fresh water. This is completely different from what they drink at sea. No one thought that after such an experience, what they enjoyed most was the clear water that they had dismissed in the past.
"Patriarch, if we go our separate ways this time, there won't be any trouble, right?" There was someone sitting at the bottom.
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The old man asked the middle-aged scribe sitting on top with some concern.
The middle-aged scribe is still dressed like a gentleman in white, but when he glances at him, people can always feel a cold evil aura, which destroys his image of a gentleman. Especially on the hem of his clothes, you can still see little bits of dark red, and there is always a strong and disgusting smell of blood rushing to his head, making it difficult for people to avoid it.
In fact, if you look carefully, not only the middle-aged scribes, but also other people's clothes are more or less stained with blood.
There is no good person, they are all man-eating wolves!
The middle-aged scribe showed the precious pulp-coated wooden fan in his hand and said disdainfully: "The farther south you go, the hotter it gets, and I can't stand the heat. Those elders are willing to go south. I won't force it, but he doesn't want it either." I want to let me follow him through fire and water again."
The old man at the head did not refute the middle-aged scribe's words, but said hesitantly: "Our six families have been together for more than a hundred years, and now we have to go our separate ways. It is really a pity!"
The middle-aged scribe closed his wooden fan, sat up straight, sneered and said with a snort: "Who is in the same spirit with them? In the past, it was just because everyone joined together to make money. Haven't you noticed that since After our financial path is cut off, will the elders become increasingly unable to control the situation? Not only me, but also several other families have their own thoughts.
In fact, we have been alienated since we left Ming Dynasty. The reason why we can still gather together is not that the elders are so great, but that we have a common enemy, Han Du. He pursued us so hard that we had to unite to deal with him.
But this is a completely new world, and there is no way that Han Du will come after us. Since we are qualified to live our own lives, why do we still need to look at the expressions of the elders? "
There is no banquet in the world that never ends...The general trend of the world is that if it stays together for a long time, it will break up, and if it stays divided for a long time, it will unite...
When there is external pressure, perhaps they can reluctantly get together and work together to fight the enemy. But as soon as this external pressure disappears, it can fall apart in an instant.
The same goes for these people. They were originally united because of money. Now that their financial path is cut off and they are endlessly hunted, once the external pressure disappears, it will be a matter of time before they fall apart.
"However, the little old man believes that the worries of the elders and others are not unreasonable. Since we can all come out of the sea of death, Han Du may not be able to come out." The old man wanted to remind him with a bit of worry. A middle-aged scribe.
"Uncle Wu was overly worried. We did come out, but at what price did we pay and how many people died? And we were also lucky. We were blown by a storm not far from the seaside, so that we could Come out." The middle-aged scribe said with a matter-of-fact look, "I heard that Han Du was indecisive, ah, and he loved the people like a son, so he would definitely not be willing to give up on his subordinates. Maybe he would have been dead by now. It's the sea.
As for the elders, the older they get, the less courageous they become. In my opinion, they were scared out of their wits by Han Du. They choose to walk towards the south, where it is getting hotter and hotter. Just wait and see, they may not be able to go very far at all, and they will be heated to death. "
The strong sunshine here makes everyone doubt their life. Not only have they seen it, but they have never even heard of it, that the sun can be so intense.
That's something that can really kill people.
At the beginning, they didn't know how powerful the sun was, and someone was actually sunburned to death on the deck. Although everyone later hid in the cabin, the stuffy heat of the cabin also suffocated several people to death.
Such a terrifying scene directly frightened the middle-aged scribe out of his wits. He wanted him to continue going south, but he refused to do so.
"What the patriarch said is true, but since the elders and others have not made things difficult for us, this is a kindness after all. If we meet again in the future, the patriarch must also treat him with courtesy."
"Well, what Fifth Uncle said makes sense." The middle-aged scribe replied in a nonchalant manner, obviously not taking the old man's words to heart.
In my heart, I didn't agree with what Uncle Wu said. Everyone left in the opposite direction. I'm afraid there will be no chance to see each other again in this life. It was precisely because he was convinced that the elders and others were in danger, that the middle-aged scribe agreed so neatly with Uncle Wu's words and went through the process perfunctorily.
If it were really possible to meet him again in the future, the middle-aged scribe might not be as easy to talk to as he is now.
The old man knew that even though he was one generation older than the clan leader, the clan leader was now the leader in the clan, and his life was saved only because of the clan leader's intervention. Otherwise, he would have been thrown away like other old men. Went to the sea to feed the fish.
Bowing to express his gratitude to the middle-aged scribe, the old man stopped talking.
Woo~~woo~~
The sound of the horn immediately alerted a few people who were chatting on the bow. The middle-aged scribe was the first to stand up suddenly, looked forward, and asked sharply: "What's going on?"
After a while, someone came to report: "Returning to the clan chief, someone was found on the mountain ahead."
As he spoke, he pointed towards a rolling hillside on the coast ahead.
"Human?" The middle-aged scribe covered his forehead with the strong sunlight with his hands and looked into the distance.
The distance was too far and it was difficult to see clearly, but judging from the outline, the opponent was standing on the hillside with two feet and holding something like a spear in his hand.
It is indeed human!
The middle-aged scribe pondered for a while, then he was overjoyed and immediately ordered: "Draw to the shore and stop the ship."
The ship immediately lowered its sails and slowly moved closer to the shore.
"Patriarch, what are you doing?" The old man just now was very confused. Although he said that he didn't think Han Du could catch up, shouldn't they leave immediately and wait until they were at a safe enough distance before landing?
The middle-aged scribe guessed what the old man was thinking and said with a smile on his face: "Since there are people here, there may be a country. Even if there is only one small country, as long as we can persuade them to trust us, then we can Feared. You can even take this opportunity to settle down here."
Being reminded like this by the clan leader, everyone's faces showed overwhelming joy. Settlement, these two words have haunted them for too long. They don't even know how many people who are traveling together have not waited for this day at all.
As soon as the middle-aged scribe's words came out of his mouth, they were like firewood that ignited the firewood in everyone's hearts, instantly burning with high flames.
Once this flame is ignited, no one can easily extinguish it. At least, the old man couldn't do it.
As tall as a city
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As the boats approached, the people on the hillside also made bursts of 'oooh...hoho...' sounds behind them. I don’t know whether he was warning the middle-aged scribe and others not to get close, or whether he was warning the people behind him.
The middle-aged scribe and others got off the boat and came to the beach to be on guard. Before walking up the hillside, I saw a large group of people emerging from behind the hillside.
The middle-aged scribe and the person next to him looked at each other, a little surprised, "Is there really a country here?"
If this is really the case, then there is no end to the problem!
After thinking for a moment, the middle-aged scribe decided to have a look. He looked up at the people on the hillside and waved to warn them to come forward slowly.
Just as the middle-aged scribe and others were walking towards the hillside, the people on the hillside also began to walk towards them.
The two parties stopped about ten feet apart.
The middle-aged scribe and others stopped first, but found that the other party was still approaching, and couldn't help but look surprised.
A young man next to him took a step forward, leaned into the ear of the middle-aged scribe and said: "Chief, judging from their actions, they should only be able to attack things less than ten feet away. And our arrows can completely hit them." They have it all covered.”
After listening to the young man's words, the middle-aged scribe felt more confident. He immediately raised his hands to the leader in the distance and said with a smile: "I am the head of the Shen family. I am new to your place. Please forgive me for disturbing you."
The leader of the group wore a crown of explosive eagle feathers, with red, green, yellow and other bright long feathers hanging from his temples, showing that he was unique among the crowd. The body is covered with something I don’t know. I can’t tell whether it’s fur or feathers.
Everyone else wore a simple headband with only a few short feathers on it. Some people are naked from the waist up, while others are painted with all kinds of weird lines, some straight, some curved, all different colors. The bronze skin reflected heavy light under the scorching sun.
These people all had black hair and black eyes. At first glance, the Shen family thought they were in a remote place in the Ming Dynasty.
“%￥#@&……*%￥##”
Facing the Shen family leader's polite questions, what he got was a completely incomprehensible voice.
The Shen family couldn't understand what the other party was saying at all, so they turned around and glanced at the people next to them, hoping for a miracle. But what disappointed him was that everyone he glanced at lowered their heads.
Forget it, I didn’t expect anyone to understand.
But I can't understand the words, so I'm in trouble now...
The head of the Shen family had no choice but to hold on to the hope that something might happen, and continued: "I, the head of the Shen family, Shen Zhou, encountered a storm on the sea, and had to stop here. I will use the precious place to rest for a while, and then leave after I have recovered."
It's a pity that no matter how fancy Shen Zhou's words are, for the other party, it's just like a duck talking and they have no idea what he is talking about.
However, when the people on the opposite side saw them standing there, they didn't move for a long time, and Shen Zhou kept talking with a smile on his face.
Although the languages are different, the meanings expressed by smiles are quite consistent.
The other party felt the kindness of Shen Zhou and others and immediately laughed.
Both sides laughed together, and the tense atmosphere immediately eased.
Just when Shen Zhou and others didn't know how to continue, the other party sent someone to the middle and put down some wrapped things on the rocks.
What does it mean? Shen Zhou and others looked at each other.
After a while, Shen Zhou ordered several people to come forward to investigate.
Several people came forward anxiously, looking at each other from time to time with wary expressions on their faces. When he came to the stone, he frowned and looked at the black lumps on the stone.
"It looks like some kind of meat." Someone looked at it for a few times and said hesitantly.
Someone who was brave simply squatted down and tore open the lump of meat with his bare hands. He tore off a thin strip and put it in his mouth to taste carefully. As soon as the shredded meat entered his mouth, the man's eyes lit up and he immediately said: "It's beef!"
As soon as he said these words, the Shen family and others were greatly relieved.
Since everyone has brought out beef to entertain them, it means that the possibility of the other party being hostile to them is very low. However, one cannot take it too lightly.
Shen Zhou motioned to the person behind him, who stepped forward, took the beef in his hand and looked at it carefully, then tore it open and looked at it carefully, and finally tore a piece and put it in his mouth. Then he put down the beef and nodded towards Shen Zhou.
"There is nothing wrong with beef. You can eat it." This person is a special talent of the Shen family and can identify various poisons. As long as something passes through his hand, you can tell whether it is poisonous or not at a glance.
Shen Zhou immediately led everyone and stepped forward with a smile on his face. Since it was a kind gesture from the other party, he pretended to take a few bites.
When he saw that almost everyone on the other side was naked, and noticed that the other side's eyes fell on the clothes of himself and others, he couldn't help but look envious. Shen Zhou immediately pondered for a moment, waved his hand and said: "Come here, send them some pieces of summer green cloth."
Summer green cloth is also a kind of cotton cloth with a relatively thin texture, which is suitable for wearing in summer. The climate here is hot, even better than in summer, so naturally it is most suitable to send summer green cloth.
The Xia Qingbu sent by the Shen family was also placed on a stone not far from those people, and then returned.
Those people had long been envious of the clothes of the Shen family and others, but now that they saw something similar being delivered to them, they didn't hesitate at all and went directly to touch it.
The more they rubbed, the more excited those people became. In the end, there even seemed to be a quarrel. In the end, the leader scolded several times before shouting everyone back.
Asking people to put away the cloth, the leader stretched out his hand to signal to the Shen family and followed them.
Shen Zhou was immediately surprised. How long have they known each other? Even the language is different, that is, they only sent a few things to each other. How come this person dares to invite them if he doesn't even know enough about them?
How much heart do you have to be able to do such a reckless thing?
Shen Zhou was a little unsure and asked the people around him, "What should I do? It looks like he wants to invite us? Should we go or not?"
Several people looked at each other and began to think deeply.
After a while, Shen Zhou's fifth uncle was the first to speak: "Clan leader, I think we should go."
"Oh? What's the reason?" You know, this is entering someone else's territory. If someone invites you to the urn for them, wouldn't that be asking for death?
(End of chapter)
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