Chapter 54: Heading north to meet the Japanese
In the past few days, He Xi has done nothing. Just observe how shipping works.
After several days of loading and unloading operations. More than a hundred large ships were finally filled with 300,000 shi of grain. On auspicious days of the zodiac, we specially worship Mazu. Heading south from the Yangtze River, first head eastward to the sea. Then look for the blackwater current and turn north.
Along the way, the sea and sky are vast. Except for a few other ships in this chapter. Other ships are rarely seen.
There are more than a hundred ships, but there are a lot of them. But placed on the ocean, it is almost a drop in the ocean. He Xi originally thought that with more than a hundred ships, they could still maintain their formation. But in fact, it is not easy for ten ships to ensure that they are within visual range of each other.
Because the boats are too close to each other. It's easy to go wrong.
If the ship and the ship are traveling in the same direction. If the distance is too close, the strong current between the two boats will cause the two boats to lose control. Banging together hard.
Of course, if this fleet really has no formation at all. It's also wrong. It is basically a long snake formation, with ten ships as a link, connected from end to end. File in line.
Because of this, it is visually difficult to see the ships in front, or behind. Moreover, there is also a distance between Gang and Gang. Therefore, most ships can only see the ships in front and behind them, or the ships of this class.
And along the ocean current route, you can't see the land.
It makes people feel like they are between heaven and earth. Just like a piece of driftwood.
Moreover, from Fujian to Penghu and from Penghu to Taiwan, it is actually very close. It usually takes one day and night to reach the shore. And from the mouth of the Yangtze River to Liaodong, even with smooth winds and rivers, it takes about ten days. It was completely different from He Xi's feeling on the Southeast Sea.
On this day, He Xi walked around the boat, which was considered a walk. Looking at the monotonous and magnificent ocean. There is something boring in my heart.
However, he also knew that being on the sea in calm conditions would be boring.
"Brother He, are you here?" Zhang He said.
Zhang He was currently in the most important cabin of the entire ship, which was also the most open cabin. In the front was the rudder, and in the back was a large wooden table with a nautical chart nailed to it. He Xi has watched it countless times. Every time I watch it, I feel like I don't know what to say.
This picture is marked in great detail.
Such as markers on the coast and markers in the sea. Such as rocks. Used to determine the position of a ship. There is also the most important thing, which is the landmark in the sky, which is the positioning of the stars. The angles and positions of the stars in the sky are marked in detail.
It can be said that from these points, there is no problem at all in forming a route.
But the problem is, this route is correct. But most places on the entire chart are wrong. Shandong Peninsula, North Korea Peninsula. Many places, including islands, are completely distorted. I really don’t know what it was painted with.
Of course, He Xi also knew that compared with the maps surveyed and mapped by aircraft and satellites in later generations. The maps of this era are naturally far inferior. But a map that is accurate to this point is pretty good.
However, what made He Xi even more troubled was what was behind. A Bagua platform blocked by a screen. There is a depression in the middle of the Bagua platform. The middle is now filled with water. There is also an iron fish in the water as a marker. Yes, this is the compass.
He Xi fully affirmed his role. But this kind of decoration is full of mysterious feeling. And a somewhat mysterious way of using it. I wish I could use it every time and say: "Look for the dragon and divide the gold to see the winding mountain. One layer of winding is a layer of barrier. If the door is closed with eight layers of danger, it will not produce the Yin Yang Bagua pattern."
However, this is indeed the current situation of Ming Dynasty.
We have to admit the intelligence and wisdom of ancient Chinese people. In fact, there are many experiences accumulated in life. It's all very scientific. But there is no scientific explanation. There is also a theory that can be justified by itself.
This set of theories is still very useful in many cases.
For example, Chinese medicine has many theories, including cold and heat, yin and yang, five elements, and supplementation. Many other theories are similar to these Feng Shui metaphysics theories. But he happens to be useful. This is very embarrassing.
He Xi was also a little embarrassed.
Faced with such a scene, he didn't know what to say.
At this moment, a voice of surprise suddenly came from outside, saying: "Sir, there is a situation ahead."
He Xi ran out immediately. Look at the lookout hand on the tall mast, pointing forward. He Xi immediately took out his mobile phone and covered it with his sleeve, leaving only the camera exposed, and focused in the distance to take pictures. This is also a method that He Xi figured out while at sea.
In fact, it is not without a telescope. Although there is no colorless and transparent glass. But there are still colorless and transparent crystals.
The cost issue is not considered in a single telescope.
However, due to technical problems, He Xi felt that this telescope had a relatively low magnification. It’s not even as useful as the binoculars used in the men’s dormitory to peek into the women’s dormitory. Not to mention the phone’s built-in telephoto function.
Soon, He Xi discovered something was different in front of him.
There was a ray of smoke rising into the sky.
It's a warning sign.
No need for He Xi to give orders. Under Zhang He's command, more than a dozen ships in this group raised their sails and rushed forward at high speed.
The chase at Wangshan and the chase at sea may seem intense, but in fact the pace is not fast. It actually took more than half an hour from the time the warning signal was discovered to the arrival of their ships. As the boats caught up, He Xi saw some small boats from a distance. Surrounding a grain ship in front.
Just these small boats and the big ships transporting grain. It's like several hounds surrounding an elephant. There were several roars from the big ship from time to time. And a dozen small boats lingered. Several ships of the same class also gradually moved closer.
Wait until these small boats see the fleet and chase them. A few sharp sounds. From the breath. It doesn't look like a musical instrument from the Central Plains. These dozen or so ships were far away from this ship. Slowly retreated.
Zhang He looked a little ugly, so he changed to a small boat and boarded the big ship that had just been surrounded. He Xi accompanied him.
Zhang He made a inspection and found seven or eight people dead. They were all shot to death by long arrows. Two others fell into the sea and were never found again.
Zhang He could only comfort everyone and announce compensation for the deceased. After appeasing the soldiers' morale, they returned to their ship again.
When Zhang He was working just now, He Xi didn't say anything, and now he was quiet. He Xi said: "Who were those people just now?"
Zhang He said: "They are the so-called Japanese pirates."
He Xi said: "The so-called Japanese pirates?"
Zhang He was silent for a moment and said: "I guarded the southeast in the early years of Hongwu, and I traveled all over the Ming Dynasty from south to north. Among the Japanese pirates, there were naturally Japanese. But the Chinese, the Koreans, and even the Jurchens. Nanyang People. Why are there less? The Japanese may not be the leaders. It’s just that the Ming Dynasty has been established and everything is new. It’s not nice to say that the imperial court forced the people to join the sea and become bandits.”
"Japanese pirates, just Japanese pirates."
He Xi actually understood what Zhang He said. The Pirates are the easiest team to internationalize. In order to make a living at sea, what kind of people cannot cooperate? After all, they are all desperadoes.
Just like Liang Daoming and Chen Zuyi, don't they have any Japanese under their command? The Ashikaga family of Japan did not control Japan enough, and many Japanese samurai could not stay in the country. These professional warriors do nothing but fight and kill. I don't know anything, I can only eat this meal at sea.
There is no doubt about this.
You must know that when the Tokugawa family closed the country, the entire Southeast Asia was like Chinatown, and there were many Japanese settlements. There were quite a lot of them. Many of these places had been in business for hundreds of years. Where did they come from?
Since the Ming Dynasty defined these people as Japanese pirates, they could only be Japanese pirates.
He Xi did not hesitate on this issue and said: "Is this the case for these Japanese pirates?"
Zhang He said, "What about that? Go after him?" Without waiting for He Xi's answer, he answered himself: "That won't work. My first priority is to bring this batch of food to Liaodong safely, not to annihilate it." Japanese pirates.”
"Moreover." Zhang He said with a hint of silence on his face, "Worshipping Japanese pirates and pirates at sea are actually endless. As long as there are interests at sea, we can't kill them all."
