After more than an hour of hard work, the storm finally gradually became smaller, and the undulating hull began to stabilize. However, the heavy rain did not subside. The sky was filled with lead, and the rain poured down, constantly washing the hull.
The sight became hazy at a little distance, so Yang Yi ordered the lookout to climb up the tall mast, communicate with lights, inquire about the status of each ship, and readjust the route at the same time.
In order to fight the storm, the fleet has been sailing against the wind and waves, and has deviated a lot from the original channel. When sailing on the sea, the slightest difference can be a thousand miles away. It must adjust the course as soon as possible, otherwise it may end up in the Antarctic. It¡¯s hard to say.
The thick clouds in the sky have not dispersed and the heavy rain is pouring. At this time, it is difficult to observe the sun to determine the course. The only way is to correct it with the compass.
The messenger on the mast quickly fed back the message that two battleships were missing. This news suddenly made everyone's hearts arouse. When they were fighting against the strong wind and waves just now, each ship was actually fighting independently. The flagship The order simply could not be conveyed to all ships.
"Sir, those who have lost contact are all the Qianliu battleships in the periphery, and one of them is a gunboat. Judging from the intensity of this storm, as long as the captain's command is correct, our Qianliu battleships should not have any problems. They are probably just heading. A little bit off. Just temporarily separated."
Le Yi¡¯s words were more like comforting Yang Yi, because he was under such strong winds and waves. Any accident can happen.
"Order the ships to spread out as much as possible to search, and at the same time beat drums and hang navigation lights on the masts. Be sure to find the two ships that have lost contact."
"Here."
The order was quickly issued, and the ships began to disperse, beating drums in unison. On the sea, the sound of the drums could be heard far away. Even if the lost ships could not see the navigation lights on the mast, as long as they heard the sound of the drums, they could reach their destination. The fleet came closer.
With the help of Le Tao¡¯s words, the fleet searched in the nearby waters for nearly an hour. Finally, the two lost warships were found. The ships and people seemed to be safe and sound. When the two warships returned, the sailors on each ship rushed to the deck, jumping and shouting, excitedly welcoming the return of their companions, with excited expressions. There was no pretense at all, it was as if they had been separated for ten years before they reunited.
This kind of emotion is difficult to experience on land, after the fight between life and death. The feelings between the soldiers were sublimated invisibly in the storm.
This is the first time the fleet has encountered a storm since it set sail, perhaps in its future career. We will encounter countless storms, but the significance of the first time will never be compared. This time it proves that the fleet has the ability to withstand the storm. It doubled everyone¡¯s confidence in conquering the ocean.
If you don¡¯t experience wind and rain, how can you see a rainbow?
??????????????? At dusk. The wind and rain on the sea completely dissipated, and a rainbow flew over the sea. It looks extremely magnificent, and the afterglow of the setting sun dyes the sea surface into golden light, flowing with golden color.
Qing Niang, the eldest princess of Qin, and Adela survived the disaster. They saw the calm wind and the rays of light on the sea again, and their faces were full of joy. The four of them had dinner on the upper deck and had a drink. Serve a pot of tea and sit and chat.
The eldest princess of Qin State has always been accustomed to drinking Tuanlong tea, which is boiled tea. After arriving at sea, Yang Yi also asked her to drink clear tea instead, because clear tea has a good effect in preventing septicemia.
They chatted for a while, and Qing Niang asked hesitantly: "Brother Yang, are we still going to fight when we get to India?"
Adela and Zhao Qian also looked at him immediately, waiting for his answer. Yang Yi thought for a while and answered truthfully: "During Renzong's reign, the Zhunian Kingdom in southern India once invaded Srivijaya from the east, and Srivijaya was a vassal state of our Song Dynasty. The Zhunian Kingdom ignored our status as the sovereign state of the Song Dynasty and brazenly Raising troops to attack the Tibetan kingdoms of the Song Dynasty should have been punished. This time, the eldest brother reached some agreements with Srivijaya. One of them was to send troops to help Srivijaya seek justice. Sriwijaya has already paid the cost of sending troops. , Brother Yang naturally cannot break his promise to others, unless the country of Zhunian can take the initiative to bow his head and admit guilt, repent and make a new start, otherwise a war will be inevitable."
"Where did your thousands of troops come from?" The eldest princess of Qin looked at him quietly and asked.
Yang Yi understood that she had been keeping this question in her heart for a long time, and it was commendable that she could bear to ask it until now. Yang Yi looked back at her and replied calmly: "Ying'er, please believe me, I absolutely don't I have a disloyal heart. If I really had that kind of intention, I would never take you out to sea this time;
Most of these thousands of troops are Han people from Liaodong. They fled to the sea to avoid the war, so I took them in. To be honest, I am determined to take in these people.?I have the intention of protecting myself. At the beginning, many ministers of the court accused me of treason and wanted to escort me back to Beijing for trial. Since ancient times, most people who have made great achievements have not had a good end. You know this;
So I want to take in these people. If the Song Dynasty really can't tolerate me, I will go to the sea. When there are thousands of people around me, I can find a small island to survive, that's all. "
"Is it really just like this?"
"There is another reason. Since ancient times, our Central Plains dynasties have not paid attention to the development of maritime areas. It is simply impossible to persuade the court ministers to focus on the sea. But I have an incomparable yearning for the sea, and at the same time I know that the sea can provide The Song Dynasty brought endless talents and wealth, making the country rich and prosperous;
Therefore, I support merchants to go overseas for trade, and at the same time, I take in these thousands of people to open up overseas markets and protect the merchants of the Song Dynasty.
Yinger, do you know that the customs duty revenue of several shipping companies in the Song Dynasty has reached more than 10 million yuan, which is the total annual commercial tax of the imperial court before the first year of Shaosheng;
At the same time, maritime trade led to the rapid rise of various domestic workshops and indirectly brought countless taxes to the court. As long as this development momentum can be maintained, in ten years¡¯ time, the imperial court may reduce the proportion of agricultural taxes collected, and eventually it is not impossible to even completely abolish agricultural taxes. By then, the entire people of the world will be able to benefit from it;
I have worked so hard. Hope you can understand. Nowadays, the Song Dynasty is becoming more and more prosperous, with these thousands of people. If I want to rebel, it is tantamount to seeking death, and that's more. If I really wanted to rebel, I would only think of ways to torment the Song Dynasty, make the people's livelihood more and more miserable, and make the people more and more dissatisfied with the court. But as you can see, I didn't do that. These things I did , which is beneficial to the country and the people. I have a clear conscience about this. "
Zhao Qian said nothing after hearing this, with sparkling tears flashing in her eyes. He took one of Yang Yi's hands and covered it in his own.
Qing Niang said carefully: "Brother Yang, we don't doubt your intentions. It's just that the sages have said that governance should be based on virtue, and people should be governed with benevolence. They can be gentle and far-reaching. They can lead the land to the king's ministers. Brother Yang is also a well-read sage. Confucian disciples, why don't you use gentle policies towards the foreign barbarians to make them willing to surrender and surrender sincerely?"
"Qing Niang. Vajra has angry eyes, so he subdues the four demons; Bodhisattva lowers his eyebrows, so he is compassionate to the six realms. We in the Song Dynasty need compassionate Bodhisattva. We also need angry Vajra, both internally and externally. Both need to be kind and powerful, and there is kindness without power. Lost He is cowardly. Being powerful but not being kind makes people alienate. When I go to sea, I will use my power to make them fearful. In the future, the court will treat them with kindness and make them convinced. If the two complement each other, it will be a great good."
After hearing this, Qing Niang let go of her worries, a faint smile appeared on her lips, two shallow pear dimples flashed beautifully, and her youth was infinite.
In the evening, Yang Yi stayed in the room of the eldest princess of the Qin Kingdom. The two of them made love, and after having sex, Yang Yi hugged her delicate and weak body, caressed her softly, and said: "Yinger, please give birth to a baby soon. I want to train him to be the most heroic person, let him take charge of this fleet, and open up a broader world for the Song Dynasty."
The princess of Qin was panting, but she couldn't help but feel happy after hearing this: "Are you really willing to hand over this army to our children in the future?"
"Nonsense, if not our child, who else can I leave it to?"
"you promise."
"I promise, now you should believe that I have no intention of rebellion, right?"
"Well, I have never doubted you. I just asked a few questions out of curiosity today."
"Haha, that's good."
Duke Qin sighed weakly: "It's just that my stomach is always silent, alas!"
"Ying'er, don't worry, let's work harder, and sooner or later we will have children. Come on, let's do it again"
"Ah, I can't do it anymore. I really can't do it anymore. Let Liu'er and Wan'er do it."
"That's not good?"
¡°Hmph, you¡¯re so good at what you get.¡±
""
It took the fleet nineteen days to finally reach the sea off the coast of Colombo in the Sangha Kingdom. Gaolangbu City is only more than 20 miles away from the seaside. It has a mild and humid climate all year round, abundant rainfall, green trees and pleasant scenery.
Looking from the sea, the palm trees on the shore are lush and tall, and the coconut groves are lush and green, stretching as far as the eye can see. The beauty is the beach. The sea water is as blue as a gem, and the beach is white and smooth. The beauty of the tropical seaside is intoxicating. It is not without reason that this place will be called the Pearl of the Indian Ocean in later generations.
And now, without any pollution, in this autumn, the sky is high and the clouds are clear, the sea is blue, and the beauty of the seaside is even more difficult to describe in words. Qingniang and the others are leaning on the side of the boat, enjoying the unparalleled beauty of the scenery. The face is full of intoxicationThe tiredness of drifting at sea for twenty days was gone.
This is also the only way for east-west trade. Merchant ships from Persia, India, Southeast Asia, and the Song Dynasty gather here. There are sails on the sea and ships coming and going, creating a bustling scene.
The arrival of Yang Yi's huge fleet immediately eclipsed the merchant ships from all over the world. There has never been such a huge fleet in the world before, and such a tall ship has never been seen before. On the passing merchant ships, sailors They all rushed onto the deck and pointed at the fleet, with expressions of surprise, fear, and envy.
The Sinhalese sailors quickly came out and asked about the purpose of the fleet.
ps: Thanks to friends such as Autumn Divine Light, Old King of the United Arab Emirates, Fleeting Summer Cold, Love is a Fish, Clouds on the Creek, Kongshi Taoist and other friends for their support. Thank you.