Chapter 77 Water
Fang Guan escaped from the port, but after a while, the Javanese ship chased him.
The Javanese navy is not bad at all, at least in navigation, they are somewhat talented. After all, Java is surrounded by sea. Without these means, how can it dominate the sea?
It's just that the Javanese navy's movements are strange.
They did not catch up, but followed at a moderate distance.
At this moment, the wind on the sea is very small, or almost non-existent. Even if Ming people can use eight-sided sails, but there is no wind, everything is in vain.
This also makes it impossible for the two sides to distance themselves.
However, Fang was concerned and confused. He thought secretly: "They can't catch up with me. I will leave sooner or later. So why are they following me like this?"
At this time, the people around him gave the answer.
"My lord, there is no water on board," said a sailor.
Fang Guan was stunned, his face suddenly turned pale, and he said, "That's it."
yes. I see.
Why did Fang Guan stop at the port in Java? It was for supplies, and there was a lot of food supplies on the ship. There is no shortage of food at all, after all, they are still sailing in the sea area known to the Ming Dynasty. The food reserved for unknown sea areas was not used at all.
What does Fang Guan need to supply?
The answer is water.
Although there is sea water everywhere at sea. But sea water is not drinkable. Fresh water is also the most important resource on the sea and needs to be replenished at any time.
After Fang Guan arrived at the Java port and fell into the trap, he was taken down. Javanese people would not replenish fresh water to the ships. Thus, the current situation emerged.
Fang Guan also understood the intentions of these Javanese people.
They didn't dare to rush over, Akito's artillery gave them a big shock. At the same time, he was not willing to let Fang Guan go. They also knew there was no water on board. So I bite Fang Guan's back, unless Fang Guan doesn't go ashore to replenish water. if not. As soon as they landed, the ships swarmed up and returned to the situation in the port.
No, it should be more difficult than that situation. Because this time Java will definitely prevent ships from leaving.
However, if fresh water is not supplied. The long voyage was simply unsustainable.
If a person does not drink water, he will die faster than if he does not eat.
Fang Guan tried to calm down and said, "How much water is left?"
Fang Guan will not think of replenishing the water source until he has run out of water. He started on this matter when he still had some spare water on board.
The sailor said: "There were originally more than a dozen barrels, but some were broken in the scuffle. There are only five barrels left."
The bucket mentioned here is not a small bucket. Rather, it is a large barrel similar to a wine barrel. But for the more than 100 people on board, this is only a few days of water.
And the pursuit at sea, no matter what era it is, is very long. It may be difficult to catch up for a few months, but it is normal for both parties to catch up for more than ten days or even longer.
Fang Guan said; "From today on, everyone will have three glasses of water a day. Don't drink more. No one can get close to the bucket without my order."
All Fang Guan can do now is win this long battle with patience.
Just Fang Guan licked his lips. The top is dry and cracked. In the tropics, Fang Guan went through everything today without drinking a sip of water. This situation is normal.
------
Fang Guan's order was not executed perfectly after all.
Because everyone, like Fang Guan, never took a sip of water. Under such circumstances, it is simply unsustainable. The human body has limits.
Don't say whether their bodies can support it. Just say one thing. They could no longer hold on mentally, even though they were tortured by the Javanese. They all narrowly escaped death. It seems that a lot of fear of death has been eliminated. However, under the wooden pile, you can still drink a little rainwater. Now I only have a little water every day.
Many people would rather die than die of thirst.
D. Fang Guan had to let the soldiers drink heavily.
But this time, three buckets of water were missing.
And the Javanese haven't gotten rid of it yet.
Fang Guan thought of many ways. But the Javanese are also very cunning and familiar with the sea conditions here. Even Fang Guan took advantage of the night to sail dangerously and get rid of them. However, Java was still able to find them quickly by virtue of its familiarity with the sea and the advantages of having a large number of people.
Then they lighted the smoke on the boat to attract their companions and chased them again.
Finally returned to the starting point.
One day, two days, three days.
Fang Guan could only head westward, hoping to meet Chen Zuyi's fleet and get Chen Zuyi's help. In fact, he also knew that their cooperation with Chen Zuyi was superficially compatible but mysteriously separate. Even he didn't know what kind of situation he would encounter if he really met Chen Zuyi.
But this is already Fang Guan's last glimmer of hope.
Meet life before the water runs out.
However, it is very difficult to meet a ship on the vast sea.
Fang Guan was desperate.
Finished drinking water. Just collect the urine. Soon someone had run out of urine. Then people started dying.
At this time, the sailors gathered together, and no one spoke.
On days when there is no water to drink, everyone lives like a ghost, consuming water whenever they speak. Only one leader said: "Sir, turn around, grab water, and fight to the death."
Fang Guan understood this sentence without beginning or end.
There must be water on the Javanese boat. They would rather turn around and attack the Javanese fleet for no other reason than to grab a sip of water.
Fang Guan looked at the embarrassed figures and their determined eyes. He knew that this order was almost lifeless. After all, sea battles in this era relied more on gang-hopping. Nowadays, not one person on the ship is considered healthy. Jumping into a gang war almost resulted in death.
But it might be better to die in battle than to survive.
Just when Fang Guan was about to give the order.
Suddenly a shout was heard.
Due to the lack of water, the lookout at the height had already lost his voice. Now he was looking into the distance, extremely happy and unable to make a sound. He could only shout one after another. "ah------"
Fang Guan also stood up and looked into the distance. He saw nothing on the horizon, but saw that the Javanese ship was no longer chasing them. They are running away from something.
But I saw a black line on the horizon. Immediately, it was like thousands of troops rolling in, covering the sky and the sun, and it was unstoppable.
The calm sea surface seemed to be disturbed by something, and it seemed to have disturbed the giant beasts under the sea, and it began to roll.
This is the scariest thing at sea, the storm.
But at this moment, Fang Guan was beaming. He shouted: "Everyone is at his position, the storm is coming, the water is coming."
It was the water that came.
Generally, storms bring a lot of rainfall, and the rainwater is drinkable.
Fang Guan actually didn't know that there was an equatorial windless zone near the equator, where there was little wind and it was calm. But Fang Guan persisted for several days and finally left this area, and then this storm ushered in. It’s also a turning point.
Rain can certainly relieve temporary emergencies.
But the real solution is this storm. Drive the Javanese away.
In the storm, even if the Javanese did not leave, their ships would surely be blown to pieces. There is no synergy. Fang Guan is actually not afraid of a mere ship.
It's just that what Fang Guan has to face at this moment is not anything else, but a storm.
Heaven and earth are unkind and regard all things as stupid dogs.
During this storm, I don’t feel like I saved anyone. He simply traveled in the direction he originally traveled. He won't show any mercy to the other party. Although Fang Guan's men are all excellent sailors, the ships in his hands are certainly the best ships in the Ming Dynasty.
But can he survive the power of heaven and earth?
This is also unclear.
However, this is the only chance of survival.
Fang Guan tied it to the mast, opened his big mouth, and swallowed even the wind and rainwater. Although a little bit of rain can't even moisten my throat. But for Fang Guan, it couldn't be better.
All containers are secured. Then the rain came. All the sailors were in their places, having lowered their sails, leaving their fate to providence.
Look what God wants them to do?
In a moment, the day turned into night, and under the ink sky, ink waves rolled. Fang Guan's ship, under the power of heaven and earth, was like a toy, being tossed back and forth by the sea and the sky. Up and down.
This seemed to be Fang Guan's last impression.
