During Zheng He's voyages to the West, the number of troops accompanying him in the first few expeditions totaled 27,000, and there were more than 200 large and small ships. According to the combat power of the Ming army at that time, it was enough to sweep through all the small countries along the way.
Yang Yi went out to the Indian Ocean this time with nearly fifty ships, large and small, and nearly 40,000 combat soldiers. In addition, there were merchants, sailors, medical, craftsmen, and logistics support personnel, adding up to a total of 5,000 people.
Although the number of people was several times smaller, the combat power was definitely not worse than Zheng He's Armada, because Zheng He had no gunboats and no flintlock guns.
And Yang Yi's fleet has thirty cannons and five hundred flintlock muskets. With these weapons, whether it is a naval battle or a land battle, it can also sweep through all the countries along the way.
The distance from Singapore to Selan (Sri Lanka) is about 1,500 nautical miles (similar to that from Guangzhou to Singapore). At a speed of five knots, it takes about 20 days.
During Zheng He's voyages to the West, it often took about two years to set out from Taicang, Jiangsu, and return to India. The reason for this was not that Zheng He's ship was traveling too slowly. In fact, it was because he spent too long anchoring in various countries along the way. It is not surprising to stay anchored in a certain country for a month.
In other words, Zheng He spent most of his voyages anchored in various countries, and only spent a small part of his time actually sailing on the sea. It is said that he was looking for Emperor Jianwen. Yang Yi did not agree with this statement;
??According to common sense, if you really want to find Emperor Jianwen, you can't go to Africa. There is no need. Even if Emperor Jianwen unified the entire Africa, he would not be a threat to Emperor Yongle's rule, right?
When Yang Yi came to the deck below, he saw the sailor measuring the speed. This method of measuring speed was quite interesting. It is to drop measuring wood chips from the bow of the ship; then the person walks from the bow to the stern at a certain speed. If the person and the wood chips arrive at the stern at the same time. It's called Shang Geng.
According to custom, people set ten shifts a day. The first watch is 2.4 hours, and the upper watch means that the first watch time is 2.4 hours, which is 60 miles. When converted into the speed unit of later generations, it is about six to seven knots.
If the person arrives before the board, it is called not on duty. If the board arrives before the person, it is called overboard.
Now that there is a favorable wind, the fleet has left the Strait of Malacca, its sails are flying, and it is chopping the waves towards Seran Island (Sri Lanka), with a speed of at least six knots;
People from the Western Indian Ocean Trading Company have traveled back and forth several times on the route from Singapore to Seran Island. It¡¯s relatively familiar;
Several merchant ships can be seen on this route every day. When the Three Buddhas were in their full glory, the Sinhalese Kingdom on Seran Island was adopted as a vassal state. Decades ago, when the Zhunan country in southern India conquered Srivijaya, they also took this route.
This time the pilot was a manager of a trading company named Qin Xian. He had been to India twice and was familiar with the situation there. Yang Yi asked someone to make tea. Chatting with him on the deck, Le Tao, Meng Yunshan and others also listened.
Qin Xian was quite talkative and talked eloquently about his past experiences. He only heard him say: "There are currently two small countries on Selan Island. The one in the south is called the Sinhala Kingdom. Probably during the Warring States Period, the Aryans from North India People moved to Seran Island and established the Sinhala Kingdom. In the early Western Han Dynasty, King Ashoka of the Mauryan Dynasty of India sent his son to the island to promote Buddhism. He was welcomed by the Sinhalese king. From then on, the Sinhalese people abandoned Brahmanism and converted to Buddhism. Believe in Buddhism.
The other one is called Tamil country. Around the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty, the Tamils ??from South India also began to migrate and settle in the northeastern part of Seran Island, and established the Tamil Kingdom, which believed in Brahmanism.
Because of conflicting interests and differences in beliefs, the two small countries on Selan Island have been at war for thousands of years and have never reconciled. "
Yang Yi was a little amused after hearing this. These two countries have been inherited for such a long time, and they have been fighting for thousands of years, but no one has won. This thousand-year war is probably the longest war in the world.
Mengyunshan suddenly said: "Who is richer, the Sinhalese country or the Tamil country?"
When everyone heard this, they burst into laughter. We made a lot of money in Srivijaya a few days ago. If we were so poor that we couldn¡¯t even bother to go to those small countries.
Qin Xian smiled and replied: "In comparison, the Sinhala Kingdom in the south is richer. Its country is more than 7,000 miles in circumference, and its capital is more than ten miles around. The land is fertile, the weather is warm and hot, crops are abundant, and flowers are abundant. The fruits are abundant, the household is prosperous, and the family property is rich. The people of the country have a humble appearance, a rough and strong nature, and are eager to learn, respect virtue, and be diligent and diligent;
There is a mountain in the country named Xilundai, also called Cuilan Mountain, which is tall and towering. On the top of the mountain is a giant's right footprint, which is eight feet long and two feet deep. It is said that it was left by the creator god;
The mountains are rich in cat eyes, sapphires, and rubies. They wash down the mountain streams with the mountain rains. The locals pick up treasures from the sand or go to the market.Sell ??it, or sell it to passing foreign businessmen. The beaches in this country are extremely beautiful, the most beautiful place I have ever seen. The sea is rich in snails, clams and pearls, which are valuable."
When Qin Xian said it was both gems and pearls, Meng Yunshan couldn't help but lick his lips, and Yang Yi couldn't help laughing and scolding: "Don't think about it, we are far away from the mainland, we need to make friends with some countries, Sangha Country believes in Buddhism, We are mutually hostile to the country that believes in Brahmanism, and they are our most ideal strategic partners. Be it gems or pearls, don¡¯t just take them directly like you did in Bolin State.¡±
Le Tao immediately said: "The captain is right. India is too far away from our homeland, and it is impossible for us to station so many troops in India for a long time. To make good friends with the Sangha Kingdom and win his support, this is more important to us than It is much more advantageous to conquer directly by force."
A few people were chatting on the deck. I don¡¯t know when the wind on the sea calmed down, and became quieter and quieter. It was as if all the wind had disappeared. The scorching sun in the sky was still shining brightly, and there was a colorful halo around the scorching sun. .
The star officer on duty, Huang Fengdang, shouted first: "Everyone, prepare quickly. There is a storm. There is a storm. Prepare quickly. The helmsman, sailor, and sailors are all in their positions. Don't panic. The more panic you have, the faster you will die. Don't forget, everyone. We are in the same boat and must work together. Everyone must stick to their responsibilities, even if it costs you your life, because this is your responsibility."
Huang Feng shouted. While running towards Le Tao, because Le Tao is the captain of this ship. The duty of the star officer is to observe the sun, moon and stars and correct the course and speed. They are also responsible for observing sea conditions, speed, enemy situation, etc., and issuing response orders to the crew as soon as possible after discovering the situation. At the same time, they report to the captain as soon as possible, and the captain will command the entire ship, and even the entire fleet.
Under his shout, the crew acted quickly, and the deck was full of sailors and crew members rushing to their posts. At this moment, the fleet has sailed into the Indian Ocean, and there is no safe haven nearby. This time, it can only fight against the storm.
The southwest horizon has begun to turn dark red. Then there is a thin layer of light ocher and light blue color, and the top layer is dark and heavy clouds, which are flying rapidly toward the northeast;
The wind on the sea is getting stronger and stronger, and the dark clouds are rolling with the wind, pressing down. The dark red sea horizon is getting narrower and thinner. The sea surface seems to be squeezed by the thick clouds, and the waves begin to surge. . The waves are getting higher and higher
Yang Yi quickly ran back to the upper deck, brought Qing Niang and the others to the lower deck, and ordered hurriedly: "Qing Niang, you must remember my words. No matter what happens, you are not allowed to run around, when the storm comes. You must hold on to the hull, and the doors and windows must be closed. Do not get close to the doors or windows, otherwise when a huge wave comes, it will be enough to throw you out."
"Brother Yang, what are you going to do?"
"Qing Niang, the eldest brother is the person in charge of this fleet. Although the fleet is not under the specific command of the eldest brother, as the duty officer said, everyone cannot evade their responsibilities when the storm strikes. The eldest brother must go to the command room. You must be strong, our ship has a deep draft and strong ability to handle waves, so we will be fine."
Despite being comforted by Yang Yi and looking at the dark clouds in the southwest and the increasing wind and waves on the sea, Qing Niang and the others still turned pale. After Yang Yi asked the guards to take care of them, he quickly ran to the upper command room.
When entering the command room, Le Tao was giving orders to the fleet.
"The helmsman should pay attention to maintaining the course and making adjustments at all times to ensure that the ship faces the storm head-on."
"The mainsail is all furled, and the starboard side sail is hoisted."
"The oarsmen take up their positions and launch the oars."
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Letao's orders were quickly conveyed through drums or semaphores, and the huge sails were lowered one after another. Lowering the main sail allowed the ship to minimize the impact of the storm and allowed the ship to head towards the storm. This was to avoid broadsides. The ship was hit by wind and waves, causing it to capsize.
This is very important. On the sea, only the brave are worthy of survival. When encountering a terrifying storm, if there is no safe haven nearby, you must not run away. The more you run away, the worse your death will be. Only the brave ones can face the wind and always let go. Only by facing the wind and waves with the bow of the ship can he survive.
At the same time, there is another big taboo when encountering a storm, that is, letting the ship drift with the wind and waves. This is definitely a dead end. The ship must maintain a certain amount of power, so the side sails must be hung, and the oarsmen must use their giant oars to row desperately. The rowing gives the boat enough power to maintain the correct course.
The wind got stronger and stronger, making people unable to stand still. The waves got higher and higher, almost rolling onto the deck. The sea began to roar, just like the anger of the Dragon King, setting off huge waves like mountains, which seemed to overturn everything. The original giant ship seemed so small at this moment, like a matchbox floating on the sea.
The crew also began to roar, and under the command of the captain, they shouted in unison:With loud chants, sweating like rain, rowing the giant oars, adjusting the sails, controlling the course, and rushing towards the front of the storm;
It felt like a lone general on the battlefield, facing the overwhelming enemy, resolutely raised his sword, urged the horse, and rushed towards the majestic enemy.
There were only huge sounds of wind and waves in my ears, and I couldn't even hear the words of the people next to me. The huge waves hit the bow of the ship, and sometimes even submerged the entire bow. The hull was suddenly thrown into the sky, and then was suddenly hit again. thrown into the bottom of the wave;
But amid the hysterical roars of the crew, the bow of the ship kept facing the wind, splitting huge waves of the same height.