When the moon rose, Li Longji finally saw that it was a full moon. He felt that the moon was rising from the sea and sharing this moment with the world.
At the same time, he also saw what a lighthouse looked like. In the past, he only saw paintings and small models.
In the Xingqing Palace in Beijing, there was a model of a lighthouse. It was very small and made of wood. It floated in the water, and candles could be placed on it. At night, it could be seen swaying.
He knew that it was a place that was specially used to guide the way. Seeing it with his own eyes today, he felt that he had been tricked. He asked Zhang Xiaobao, "Xiao Bao, why is this lighthouse different from the one you gave me?"
"Different? Of course, one is big and one is small. One stands in the sea, and the other is placed in fresh water. "Zhang Xiaobao and Weiwei were stunned for a moment, but then said calmly.
"That's not what I meant. It's just that the lighthouse you gave me was floating on the water. This lighthouse is motionless. At first, I wondered if there were two kinds of lighthouses. One is on an island, and the other is like a ship. After all, it's not easy to find an island or a big reef in the sea.
Now that I have seen the situation in the sea, I think it's very difficult to build a floating lighthouse. Even the biggest ship can't withstand the wind and waves if it stands on the sea all day long. "
Li Longji emphasized. What he meant was, 'Xiao Bao, why did you lie? If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I would have thought that there were two types of lighthouses. If I told others about it in the future and they saw it, wouldn't they laugh at me in their hearts?'
Zhang Xiaobao looked at Li Longji in surprise, then at Gao Lishi. Gao Lishi nodded and admitted.
"Is there a floating lighthouse?" Zhang Xiaobao asked Wang Juan.
Wang Juan rolled her eyes at Zhang Xiaobao and said, "Do you think it's a drilling platform? The quality of your gift is not good enough. The glue at the bottom is broken. "
"Oh, Your Majesty, did you hear that? It's not floating. It's because your management is not up to standard, so the glue on the base broke. Go back and get someone to glue it again. Remember to maintain it often." Zhang Xiaobao shifted the blame.
Li Longji nodded but did not pursue the matter. He couldn't possibly return to Beijing and kill the person who was in charge of the model. Furthermore, he felt that Zhang Xiaobao wasn't good at business and didn't give him a warranty.
He was now more interested in the drilling platform that Wang Juan had mentioned. He asked, "What is a drilling platform? Fighting in the sea to find fresh water? "
"I'm looking for oil. Fresh water isn't worth that much." Zhang Xiaobao explained, "There's a lot of oil in the sea around Great Tang. It's much better than the oil we can find on the ground, and there's a lot more of it. We don't have to travel very far and wait to occupy other people's original land for long-distance transportation."
"Oh, there's oil under the sea? Quick, come out. I can pay for it. " Li Longji got excited. He knew about the Ministry of Works and knew that they were refining oil in large quantities. He found it amazing that oil could be used for more than just fuel.
Although he was satisfied with the oil refining technology he talked to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan every time, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan couldn't stand the current oil refining technology anymore.
They said that if the amount of oil refined was small, it would cause a lot of pollution. During the refining process, there was a lot of waste. The refrigeration technology could only reduce the temperature to 0 ° C. Many things were not collected. It wasn't that they didn't want to collect them, but they were afraid that if the oil was stored in a container, it would explode before they could collect enough gas.
Not to mention the other chemical products.
Another reason was that oil was not easy to extract. Other than the oil that could flow out by itself, the rest of the oil had to be dug and filled with barrels before being brought up.
With such advanced technology, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan could only look at it helplessly.
Li Long had always wondered if there was a better source of oil that would make it easier for people to produce it.
At this moment, he was thinking about the oil under the sea.
Not only him, Empress Wang and the rest were also looking at Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. Gao Lishi spoke.
"Xiao Bao, is it more tiring than digging holes? That's why you don't intend to look for oil under the sea? "
"It's more than tiring. I have always wanted to get oil under the sea. With this shipbuilding technology, I will go to other places and extract oil from land. Anyway, we will use pressure to extract oil from land, and it is much easier to extract oil from land.
This is just a dream. Let's wait. When our descendants do this, I probably won't be able to see it. Unless countless geniuses are born in the Great Tang, and if they don't take any detours, when I'm old, I'll be able to see oil and natural gas continuously being extracted from the sea.
For now, let's just watch the lighthouses. The people guarding the lighthouses will not be able to guess who is coming. "
Zhang Xiaobao said helplessly and regretfully. He did not have much hope in extracting oil from the sea. They did not even have the simplest shipbuilding technology.
If they had that technology, Tang could easily conquer the sea. At least relatively speaking, there would be fewer deaths.
In fact, they could also conquer the sea now by using countless ships and countless lives. In the era of sailing ships, it could be said that they could conquer the sea, not to mention the second generation of steam engines.
With a bigger tonnage, coupled with the sail, it would be much more powerful than the Spanish. Most importantly, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan could draw a map of the ocean currents to prevent the ships from running around blindly. At the same time, they could take various precautions at sea.
The only thing they had to worry about was the weather. This could not be helped. Even in the era of satellites, there were still ship accidents.
As for the reefs, it was easy to deal with them. The ships did not move alone. Every time they went out, it was a group of ships. Furthermore, they could not be fully loaded.
If a ship hit the reefs, they would first transfer the people out and see if they could take out the goods. The other ships would then go around and mark the reefs. Through continuous trials, they could always find a safe route.
It would be even better if someone could create a sonar system.
While Zhang Xiaobao was thinking about the good things in the future, the ship had already docked at the small pier of the lighthouse. The small pier could only stop medium-sized ships. Large ships could not get close, otherwise, they would really hit the reefs.
Even medium-sized ships had to be carefully controlled and docked at the spot where people dived.
Usually, large ships would not resupply at the lighthouse. They would only use the light of the lighthouse to locate the ship at night. Occasionally, when they needed to resupply, it would be to replenish some fresh water.
The fresh water was brought to the lighthouse by large ships. A specially built reservoir was placed at the lighthouse. If there was a lack of fresh water and they could not return to the port, they would replenish it.
Apart from guiding the route, the lighthouse was mainly used by fishermen. The fishing boats were not very big. When they encountered storms, they would dock at the lighthouse.
Then, they would place their hopes on the heavens. They hoped that the ships docked at the small pier would not be smashed into pieces by the storms. If they were really smashed into pieces, they could only blame it on their bad luck. At least they were still alive.
When the ship docked, the lighthouse keeper came out with a glass oil lamp in his hand. After shaking it twice, he shouted, "Where's the ship?"
One of the men rowing the ship replied, "It's Lu Zhou's. We just left Lu Zhou and are here for dinner."
"Where's Lu Zhou's ship? Don't they know the rules? The weather hasn't changed. Why didn't they bring their own food? They're tormenting us at night. " The lighthouse keeper's tone was clearly displeased. He stood there and did not come forward to help anchor the ship. Small ships were tied with ropes. They would not drop their anchors.
If one saw a small ship dropping its anchor when it stopped, the owner of the ship would be the biggest fool.
Li Longji thought the lighthouse keeper would welcome them happily. Was the lighthouse not the home of those who worked at the sea? Why was the lighthouse keeper unhappy? Then, he asked, "What's the situation?"
Of the two rowers, one jumped ashore to tie the rope, the other set up the gangplank and replied, "Replying to Your Majesty's question, the so-called rule is actually an unwritten rule between the people guarding the pagoda and the people who go out to sea to fish.
When the ship leaves the shore, if there are no special circumstances, the ship should not come up for dinner. This is because the lighthouse keepers have to cook for them. It's tiring and troublesome.
Unless the ship asks them to use the fire when they come over, they don't care. The materials for the fire and the food for the lighthouse are all brought to the lighthouse by the fishermen at sea. The rule is that whoever uses them has to make up for it.
Usually, the fishermen at sea would bring more and use less than what they bring. Hence, the lighthouse has a lot of surplus items. Under special circumstances, it's used by the people who are hiding in the lighthouse and can't go out. It's like taking from the people and using it for the people. "
While they were talking, Empress Wang and the others had already gone up. Li Longji also stepped onto the shore, nodded, and said, "I understand. It's the same as the food stored in the trees when hunting in the mountains. It's an important place for emergency and rest. Everyone follows the same rule. They can't just leave after they finish eating."
"That's right," replied Zhang Xiaobao.
He was carrying the gifts for the lighthouse. They were local specialties from Xunyang, fresh vegetables, and fruits. Under normal circumstances, the people at the lighthouse could only eat fresh food once every few days, including pork and the like.
They were all brought by the fishermen at sea. They didn't bring much, especially in summer. They spoiled easily. If they didn't come out at night, they would spoil easily in the day.
The people at the lighthouse usually ate ham, bacon, dehydrated vegetables, dried fruits, and canned food.
Of course, this treatment was already very good for the people guarding the lighthouse. After all, the people who went out to sea before knew how difficult it was to eat outside. Even if there were sun-dried or shade-dried vegetables, they couldn't be eaten when they were brought out. There wasn't enough fresh water to soak in.
Wang Ju and Gao Lishi also helped to carry some of the things they brought. The rest was left to the two people who had tied the boat to the lighthouse.
Other than pork, there was also venison. All of them were fresh and kept in ice. There was even wine.
The person who ran out with an oil lamp finally realized that something was wrong. There were too many people on the boat. If they were really here to fish, the boat wouldn't be able to hold too many fish in one trip. It would be full of people.
"Why are there so many people?" As he asked, the lighthouse guard walked towards the dock. He wanted to see who was so stupid as to bring a boat full of people out to sea.
When he got closer, he finally realized that something was wrong with the situation with the help of the moonlight.
"There's a child? Which family's child came out to play instead of studying in school? "
"Ha, it's me. I'm here." When Xiao Bei heard the question, she shouted and ran towards the lighthouse guard. It was her first time coming to the lighthouse, so she found it very interesting.
"Slow down, slow down. Watch your step. Don't fall. It's all broken stones. Who are you?" The lighthouse guard saw a child running towards him and quickly shouted.
Xiao Bei tripped and almost fell. She steadied herself and patted her chest. She said with lingering fear, "Why didn't you lay down sand? It's all stones."
"You are …?" The lighthouse guard came in front of Xiao Bei and waved the lamp twice. He looked at Xiao Bei doubtfully and tried to recall whose child she was.
After looking at her for a while, his eyes suddenly widened. He said with a look of disbelief, "You are … Xiao Bei?"
"Huh? How did you know? "Xiao Bei was confused. This person was too amazing. He could actually recognize her identity when he saw her.
"Are you really Xiao Bei?" The lighthouse guard pointed at Xiao Bei's bag with his other hand and asked again with uncertainty.
Xiao Bei looked down at her bag and found that there was a very large rice seedling pattern on it. In the middle of the rice seedling was the word "Bei". Only then did she know how the lighthouse guard recognized her. It was too eye-catching. Besides, other than the two families in Tang, no one dared to use the rice seedling pattern.
"Alright, I'm stupid." Xiao Bei patted her bag twice and asked the lighthouse guard, "Are you very happy? We're all here. Uncle Emperor, the Empress, Concubine Hui, and my grandfather are here. Haha, why aren't you smiling? "
Xiao Bei thought that the lighthouse guard would be very happy after knowing her identity. In the end, she was very disappointed.
It was not that the lighthouse guard did not want to smile, but he was dumbfounded. He did not even dare to dream that the Zhang Family and the Wang Family would personally come to the lighthouse. They were so busy. How could they come to his place and meet him?
"Old Hu, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and greet the Emperor. " A rower carrying a large bag in each hand came to the front of the tower and shouted loudly. The bags were still dripping with water.
"Ah? Ah? Ah, good, the Emperor is here? Old, Old Hu, I, greet the Emperor. " The lighthouse guard finally woke up. His face was still full of shock. His voice was trembling, and he was about to kneel.
Xiao Bei hurriedly pushed Old Hu with his hand and said, "Don't kneel. It's full of gravel. I was wondering why you didn't put some fine sand on the ground. When the time comes, there will be the beach, the sun, and the waves. Wouldn't it be better to swim and bask in the sun?"
"Let's talk inside. I'm here to take a look." Li Longji coughed and ordered Old Hu.
"Yes, yes, let's talk inside." Old Hu repeatedly agreed. He turned his head and shouted at the lighthouse, "Everyone, get up. The Emperor is here. Xiao Bei and the others are here too. Don't sleep in. Get up, everyone."
Whether the people inside heard him or not, the people outside didn't know. Whether they panicked after hearing him, the people outside also didn't know.
Li Longji had already heard that there were two people guarding the lighthouse, but from Old Hu's shout just now, he found out that there was more than one person inside.
Glancing at Gao Lishi, Gao Lishi asked Old Hu as if they had a tacit understanding, "How many people are guarding the lighthouse?"
"Four." Old Hu replied. He didn't know Gao Lishi, but it didn't matter. Anyway, the people who could come were all of a much higher status than him. Even the two people who came with him could be seen clearly now. They were the leaders who specialized in using large ships to replenish the various lighthouses.
Although there were fishermen in charge, in case the fishermen had something to do during a period of time, there would naturally be people who were responsible for delivering supplies.
"I once heard that there were two people guarding the lighthouse. Now there are four?" Li Longji asked personally.
"It has changed, it has changed since three years ago. The lighthouse that is close to us has four people, and the lighthouse that is further away has six people. At that time, people from other places came over, saying that they were doing business, and then wanted to cause trouble. One of the lighthouse people was even killed by them.
Since then, we have been on guard against all people who are not from the Tang Empire. We don't allow them to easily come to the lighthouse, and we also don't let them eat our lighthouse for free. Usually, a boat full of fish can only be exchanged for two bowls of water at our lighthouse.
I heard the news from the lighthouse people at the front that they usually send a lot of fish and leave it at the lighthouse to prevent them from dying of thirst or starvation when something happens and they don't have anything to give to the lighthouse.
Their people really died of thirst after that incident. Although they are not from the same tribe as them, it doesn't matter. As long as they are not from the Tang Empire, they have to hand over their things first and help later. "
Old Hu said excitedly. Perhaps it was because it was nighttime and he couldn't see the Emperor clearly, so other than his previous nervousness, his heart was much calmer now.
Li Longji nodded. His good mood just now had also changed. Whenever he heard that people from the Tang Empire were harmed in other places, he would be unhappy. Especially before he came, many people had died. Other than a small number of people from the Tang Empire who were directly killed, there were also people from the Tang Empire who were captured and needed to be killed.
Xiao Bei also looked angry and asked, "What about now? Are they still using the opportunity of coming to the lighthouse to harm our people? "
Xiao Bei had already guessed the general situation. It was like the story of the farmer and the snake, or the other party probably looked like they were asking for help. Then, they would wait for the lighthouse people to let them go up, and when they were close enough, they would suddenly attack.
Too bad, they were all bad people. We shouldn't help them anymore, even if we brought the things over in advance.
Old Hu shook his head and replied, "No one dares to do that for a long time. The last time, the people who came looking for trouble didn't manage to escape. They were captured by our people. There were five of them, and they were tied to a small boat. They were sent to a place where the wind and waves were small, and they were left to dry in the sun. In the end, they were all burned to death.
Now, they've paid a huge price. We've directly reduced the price of the things they caught to half of Lu Zhou's price. That's 100 copper coins, but we only charged them five copper coins.
Moreover, when they came to the lighthouse, they weren't allowed to go to the top of the lighthouse. They could only rest in a place where the wind and rain leaked out from a pile of rocks. This way, they wouldn't be washed away when the storm came.
They were only allowed to enter the lighthouse when the storm was so strong that the waves could drown the pile of rocks they stayed in. Moreover, their hands and feet were tied. Why are you only out now? Quickly, come and greet the Emperor. "
As Old Hu spoke, he saw the three people who came out of the lighthouse. He hastily called out to them.
In truth, the three of them had changed into clean and tidy clothes. At this moment, they were looking around excitedly for the Emperor.
When they heard Old Hu's movements and saw his signal, they fell to their knees and kowtowed to the Emperor at the same time.
In the past, Li Longji liked it when people kowtowed to him. However, he was annoyed by it now. He felt that he would have to go out more often in the future. If all the people he passed by were like this, he would waste his energy on etiquette.
After he gave the order, he had the three of them rise to their feet. Then, he led the way into the lighthouse. The space below the lighthouse was huge. Only the observation post at the top was small.
Li Longji went up to the second floor. At this moment, all the oil lamps in the lighthouse were lit, illuminating the interior of the lighthouse.
Li Longji looked around as he walked. From time to time, he would touch the walls of the lighthouse and knock on them with his knuckles. He nodded in satisfaction before he asked Zhang Xiaobao, "Did you spend a lot of money to repair the lighthouse?"
"We didn't spend any money." Zhang Xiaobao replied, "The money was saved by the lighthouse's keepers. We agreed that the money they earned would belong to them. However, they still used it to renovate the lighthouse. We're the only one who paid for the first renovation."
Li Longji's interest was piqued. He asked, "Apart from the wages, they earned extra money?"
Old Hu did not wait for Zhang Xiaobao's reply. He said, "Yes, Your Majesty. We earn money from this. In the lighthouse, we have something that specializes in rearing fish and prawns. We don't let them breed. Instead, we catch them and raise them there.
When there are enough of them, we'll give them to the supply ship. The supply ship will bring them back. After the price is calculated, a portion of the money will belong to us.
Since we don't have anything else to do, we'll fish and prawns on the islands or the reefs. If we come across a good species, we'll rear them. Since my lighthouse is close to Lu Zhou, it's not enough.
The people from the farthest places, especially those who come from other places, usually bring precious items with them. The lighthouse keepers keep the price low. In fact, they don't even pay 5%. If we come across good pearls, tortoiseshell, and large abalones, we'll earn a huge sum of money.
This is why we're willing to trade with them. Although one of our men died, we'll allow them to provide us with items. The farthest reef is 475. The six men who guard the lighthouse managed to save up more than 4,000 strings of coins in a year.
They bought large stones, cement, and steel bars and had their reef enlarged. Initially, it was more than 20 steps wide. Now, it's about 50 steps wide. The lighthouse has been renovated as well.
Even so, they still have a lot of money left. They bought carriages for their families. They're much wealthier than the average person. In the second half of last year, other people complained, so they had no choice but to switch with others. When spring comes, I'll switch as well. "
Old Hu seemed very excited. He meant to say that it was easier to make a fortune if they switched to a farthest place. Naturally, they also had to be lucky. People from other places would be willing to trade with them if they came across valuable items.
"Uh!" Li Longji was speechless. In his opinion, the lighthouse keepers were not willing to go to farthest places. It was not easy to go back and forth. Moreover, they would not have time to treat their illnesses.
He did not expect that in the face of money, all difficulties could be solved. He actually managed to earn 4,000 strings of coins in a year. This was shocking.
While they were still in shock, they arrived at the third floor. There was another floor above that. Then, they arrived at the lookout pavilion at the top.
It was not this high in the past, and the space was not so big.
Everyone sat down. Old Hu ordered someone to prepare tea. The water was already boiled and stored in a thermos so that they could drink it at any time. Drinking a mouthful of hot water would make one feel much better.
Li Longji did not ask Gao Lishi to bring out his tea. He drank the tea prepared by the lighthouse. It tasted bad and had a lot of foam.
After drinking a few mouthfuls, Li Longji asked, "There are four people in the lighthouse. What are they in charge of?"
"In response to your question, Your Majesty, they're also in charge of the lighthouse. However, they usually do different things. For example, I'm in charge of cooking. My cooking is the best. When I'm not sleeping, I cook for them. When I sleep, Little Qi cooks for me.
Apart from fishing for prawns, we're also learning how to read. Two of the soldiers were sent here by Lu Zhou. They were fully literate and even brought books with them. When they were not catching fish, they would train in the sea around the lighthouse or shoot at the targets on the small boats that were released from the shore.
Sometimes, they'll sit on the boats and shoot at the targets in the sea. They're specially sent by Lu Zhou. Not everyone has this opportunity. Only the most elite are allowed to train in the lighthouse for two years.
A place with six people is four soldiers. I heard they'll be used for war in the future. Now, they're practicing swimming and shooting at the floating targets. "
Old Hu could not be bothered to drink his water. There was no end to the conversation. Little Qi wanted to chime in, but he did not have the chance.
As for the two soldiers, they sat obediently at the side with their backs straight as they waited for the Emperor's orders. The two men who rowed the boat could not rest. They climbed to the top and took over the lookout job.
Li Longji listened with great interest. He would think about it from time to time before he voiced his doubts. When he heard Old Hu talking excitedly, he felt a different kind of feeling.
Old Hu explained the current situation of the lighthouse. There were more and more lighthouses. Whenever there was a big reef in a certain place where the lighthouse would not be submerged in a storm, Lu Zhou would send people to repair it. Then, he would arrange for people to work on it.
It seemed like a lot of money was spent. Moreover, it did not seem like there was a need for so many lighthouses.
However, there was a benefit to having so many lighthouses. The ships that went out to sea became bolder. This was especially true for the lighthouses that were only dozens of miles apart. Once people entered the lighthouses, they felt as though they had returned home.
There did not seem to be any danger in that part of the sea. The light from each lighthouse was mesmerizing at night.
On the other hand, places without lighthouses would be dark at night. Not only would their eyes be uncomfortable, but their hearts would feel empty as well. None of the fishermen would want to fish there even if there was a big school of fish there.
"Aren't the gunships in charge of scouting for fish? If they help, they can at least send news back quickly, right? " Li Longji could imagine how lonely it was to be out there. Even if the ships were slightly bigger and had a few people on board, they would still feel uncomfortable when they were far away from the range of the lighthouses.
"Your Majesty, the gunships will report when they see a school of fish on their way back. However, the telegrams can't travel too far. It's said that there are telegrams that can travel even farther in the capital, but Lu Zhou doesn't have one yet. The gunships can't be responsible for delivering news to the fishermen.
At the same time, the gunships won't chase after the school of fish. When they return from a patrol mission, the school of fish would have already disappeared. "
Old Hu seemed regretful when he mentioned this.
Li Longji looked at Zhang Xiaobao. He wondered why Lu Zhou was not given a good radio station.
Zhang Xiaobao sighed helplessly and said, "Do we have to talk about everything openly? Do we have to tell the others about the strength of Lu Zhou's fleet? The diesel engine from the Ministry of Works has already been delivered to Lu Zhou.
Do we have to announce to the world that we want to put this engine on a small boat and turn it into a very fast speedboat? Can we travel dozens of nautical miles in a short time? "
Li Longji finally understood what Zhang Xiaobao meant. Although it was said that the people could be made to know what they wanted, they should not reveal everything about military affairs to the people. Otherwise, it would be impossible to expect the people to keep it a secret if they knew about it.
A rare expression of embarrassment appeared on Li Longji's face. To cover it up, he asked loudly, "What's a speedboat?"
"It's the propeller that's not good enough. It's something that can malfunction at any time. It's the one that's specially used at the most critical moment. It's the first and most advanced thing our family built."
Zhang Xiaobao explained. He felt embarrassed as well. Although the item was good, its quality was not good enough. Back then, he had only built it to attract the attention of the palace. He wanted to raise his family's status in exchange for it.
Li Longji finally found an opportunity to attack Zhang Xiaobao.
"You still have the cheek to talk about your propeller? Apart from the mysterious fan blade, the bearings you use are always broken. When I'm at Qujiang, I don't even use it anymore. I can't afford to worry about it. I'll have to repair it after two or three uses. I was having fun when it suddenly broke. My good mood is gone."
"You're still hoping to use it for life-saving and short-distance pursuit. Now that the technology is good, I don't see you using it."
Zhang Xiaobao said confidently.
"Now that I don't need to play in a small pond, it's only natural that I won't use it. In the future, I'll be free to fly. When that diesel engine thing is done, let me have a look."
Li Longji chuckled as he spoke.
Old Hu, who was listening at the side, was confused. He finally understood. It was not that Lu Zhou did not have a good communication tool, but he had hidden it. It seemed like he could not tell anyone about it. Otherwise, it would be detrimental to Great Tang.
He was confused. 'What diesel engine? What speedboat? What's a bearing? ' He knew he did not know, but he did not dare to ask. Xiao Bao had said to keep it a secret. The more he knew, the easier it was for him to spill the beans.
"Let's eat. Try the food from the lighthouse. Things that are chilled can't be kept for too long. Let's cook them," Li Longji said to Old Hu, not wanting to continue talking about the Great Tang military technology.
Old Hu did not expect to have a chance to cook with so many people here. He happily agreed and promised to cook his best dishes. Then, he turned around and happily went to the kitchen.
Old Hu's best dishes were nothing special to Li Longji. He could eat them, but they could not compare to Xiao Bao's. In fact, even the chefs of the Sea Cloud Restaurant could not compare to his.
However, he still had a good time eating. After the meal, he asked Old Hu about the lighthouse in the sea. With a different dream in his heart, he found a place to sleep.
Zhang Xiaobao, on the other hand, was worried. He was not worried that something would happen, but he was worried that they would have to go to the next lighthouse tomorrow or even one that was further away.
This was because Li Longji had asked Old Hu many questions before he went to sleep about whether the lighthouses at different distances were the same.
Old Hu's answer worried Zhang Xiaobao. It was impossible for the lighthouses to be the same. Some waters were different, and the scenery was different. The things produced in the sea were also different. Moreover, the lighthouse they were in was surrounded by gravel. Old Hu also said that it was because of the reef that was made of gravel.
No matter how much fine sand was collected from elsewhere, it would still be washed into the sea by the waves and storms. It was impossible to build a dike to stop it.
However, some lighthouses were small islands surrounded by fine sand. The scenery was beautiful, and a long distance away was shallow water. Under the sun, the sand shone like gold. If one wanted to swim, one could see many small fish in the shallow water and all kinds of seabirds in the sky above.
If it was not so far away, they could even build a few houses on it and settle down there.
Li Longji listened to Old Hu with a yearning expression on his face. From time to time, he would ask Zhang Xiaobao if it was the same.
Zhang Xiaobao was speechless. Was there a need to explain why it was called the Blue Sea Silver Sand? It was because of the beautiful scenery. There was a natural beach, floating clouds, and clear water.
As expected, early the next morning, Li Longji hurriedly finished his breakfast and said to Zhang Xiaobao, "We're out here once, after all. I don't know when the next time I want to go out to sea will be. Why don't we go to two more places while the weather's fine?"
What else could Zhang Xiaobao say? Naturally, he nodded in agreement. However, he could not continue to sit on the medium-sized ship. It was easy for the rowers to die of exhaustion at their posts.
When he boarded the troop-transporting ship, he sent a message to Lu Zhou, asking for a supply ship. Then, he let the ship sail at half full sail and slowly made its way to the small island with the beach. He would wait for the supply ship behind him to come up before the full sail was raised.
"Xiaobao, when it comes to sceneries, every place is different. The sea in the south is really nice. It makes people feel comfortable just by looking at it. The sky is blue and the clouds are white. Look, there are so many white clouds in the sky. Don't they look like pictures?"
Li Longji held a goblet filled with ice and wine. He placed his other hand on his back as he stood at the bow of the ship. He enjoyed the sea breeze as he spoke to Zhang Xiaobao.
Zhang Xiaobao looked up at the clouds that seemed to be increasing in number and density. He said worriedly, "Your Majesty, please wait for a moment. I'll go and ask a few people. I'll come back and admire the paintings with you."
Zhang Xiaobao turned around and left. He went to look for someone who was experienced at sea and asked if there would be a storm. In this era where there were no satellites, he could only rely on himself.
Naturally, there were times when a person's experience was more powerful than a satellite's. If he did not keep an eye on the clouds and the data from the various stations on the ground, the weather forecast would not always be accurate.
However, experienced people would be able to make a judgment based on the wind blowing and the clouds in the sky, as well as what had happened in the past during this season.
Many of these people were old. When he first came to Lu Zhou, he relied on this group of old people to help him predict the weather. They were very accurate.
At this moment, there were more than ten old fishermen on the ship. Their job was to look at the weather. After asking around, Zhang Xiaobao felt relieved. It would rain, but it would only rain at night. Moreover, it was not a heavy rain but a light drizzle. Two of the old men said it was moderate rain.
At the same time, some of them said it would stop at midnight while others said it would last until the next night. Zhang Xiaobao had to choose who to believe.
In the end, Zhang Xiaobao decided to look for a lighthouse tonight and planned to rest there. He could not stay on the ship. It would be best if he stayed on a small island. If there was a storm, he could abandon the ship, but he could not let anything happen to the people.
"What do you think? It's only a heavy rain. There's no need to be too anxious. " Li Longji had not seen a storm at sea with his own eyes. He spoke to Zhang Xiaobao based on his own conjecture.
Zhang Xiaobao felt that it would be great if there was a storm. He wanted Li Longji to see if it was just a heavy rain.
"Your Majesty, it's different from the heavy rain you saw in the palace in the capital. When a storm comes, the waves can be dozens of meters high. Don't you see that there aren't many houses at the docks? It's not that they don't want to build houses in places with good scenery, but they can't withstand the torment. If there is a hurricane, many of the ships at the docks will be broken.
Small boats have no resistance in the sea and can fly up in an instant. If there is a chance, I'll let you see it. Look at the clouds. There are also seabirds. There will be seabirds that will land on the ship. Just sprinkle a few grains. It's very interesting. "
Zhang Xiaobao knew how serious his words were. Li Longji was only imagining it. Those who had never experienced it would never understand the power of the sea.
Li Longji did not think too much about it after hearing Zhang Xiaobao's words. Instead, he looked forward to meeting them. He felt that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had the ability to ensure his safety. Even Zhang Xiaobao himself did not think that he had the ability.
However, he was curious about what Zhang Xiaobao said about seabirds landing on the ship. He asked, "Aren't birds afraid of people?"
As long as you don't hit them, they'll be fine. Look, there are seabirds on the mast now. They need to rest as well. Oh, no. Come back. Shui Yun, you're not allowed to catch seabirds to eat. "
When Zhang Xiaobao looked up at the mast, he suddenly saw a flock of eagles flying in the distance. The red and white eagles were too dazzling.
On the way here, Shui Yun and her family had nothing else to do. Therefore, they tagged along and helped to scout the surroundings. They also caught a lot of prey. When they arrived at Lu Zhou's place, he arranged for them to stay in the tallest building behind Ocean Cloud Inn.
He did not expect them to tag along. Based on the way they flew, it was clear they wanted to use force to prove who was in charge of the sea.
After shouting, Zhang Xiaobao waved his arms vigorously. He knew Shui Yun and the others could see him.
The seabirds on the mast who usually ate fish and now had a chance to taste grains saw the eagles flying in the distance. They did not even have time to rest. They flapped their wings and fled.
Shui Yun seemed to know what Zhang Xiaobao meant. Perhaps, she did not intend to kill anyone. She looked at the seabirds disdainfully and led her family to land on the mast where the seabirds were resting. Then, she called out to Zhang Xiaobao below.
"Your Majesty, the grains won't do. Please feed the seabirds some meat later," Zhang Xiaobao said to Li Longji, who was also looking up.
Li Longji. "…"
Little Bei and the others, who had slept very late last night, heard Zhang Xiaobao's call. Shortly after, they pushed open the cabin door and rushed out. They opened their sleepy eyes and waved their arms happily as they greeted Shui Yun and her family.
"Come down, come down. Shui Yun, I'll give you something delicious. Come down and land on the railing. I'll give you fish to eat," Little Bei shouted with her arms outstretched.
Shui Yun and her family did not obediently land as she expected. Instead, they called out a few times as if they were communicating something. Then, the Hong Luan spread its wings and dived into the sea.
It was so fast that when its whole body was about to plunge into the water, it flapped its fiery wings and its body suddenly slowed down. However, it was only relatively slow. Then, the Hong Luan scooped up the water with its claws and flapped its wings, rising into the air again.
In her claws was a big fish more than one meter long. It looked scary. The fish was not dead yet. It shook its tail vigorously but could not break free.
"Is the Hong Luan Shui Yun is looking for an eagle looking for food in the sea?" Zhang Xiaobao looked at the Hong Luan's skillful movements and guessed.
"Probably." Li Longji's gaze was fixed on the fish as he muttered, "Probably."
Carrying the fish, the Hong Luan flew toward the ship and spread her claws on the deck. The fish she caught finally broke free but was unable to return to the sea. With a bang, it smashed onto the deck and stopped moving. It was either knocked unconscious or fell to its death.
The Hong Luan landed on the mast and called out to the eleven "little" eagles. The eleven little eagles immediately dived down from the mast. Two of them dived into the water and flapped their wings a few times before flying up again. They brought with them countless water droplets but failed to find anything.
The other nine eagles directly stopped when they were about to dive into the water. Then, they flapped their wings and flew up, not daring to enter the water.
Seeing this scene, Little Bei shouted at the nine eagles, "Cowards, what are you afraid of? You won't drown if you fall. Did you forget what you did when you learned to fly? I know that you fell into the small lake Between the Clouds and the Water Restaurant several times. "
Little Bei was talking about the place that was prepared for Shui Yun's children. In the beginning, Shui Yun did not let the children fly immediately. As a result, when they gained weight, there were always problems when they learned to fly. They kept falling into the water and were rescued by others to repeat the previous actions.
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