Ang Lee really did not believe that these ordinary fishermen could kill the huge whales with only small boats and the most primitive hunting tools. If they could really do this, then these fishermen could be called heroes.
Looking at the small boats bobbing up and down in the waves, Li An was really worried for these daring whalers. If the whales got angry and swung their huge tail fins to hit the small boats, there was a possibility that these fishermen would lose their lives in the sea.
However, Ang Lee's worry was indeed real. Every year, there would be people who fell into the sea because of the whale's counterattack. Those who were rescued in time could save their lives, and those who were not rescued in time could only be fed to the whales.
Every few years, there would be some fishermen who died at sea because of killing whales. Such a dangerous whaling operation was a game for the brave. This whaling activity had been going on for so many years, breeding generation after generation of whaling heroes, and these whaling heroes would always receive the admiration and praise of others.
The threat of death could not stop the brave from challenging themselves. Although there were often people who died at sea because of killing whales, the team of whalers had never decreased. On the contrary, the team of whalers was growing day by day, and there were many whaling teams in Sriviroshi alone.
In the eyes of the locals, only men who dared to kill whales were truly brave men, and only men who were worthy of being entrusted with their lives. Those who were afraid of whales were all cowards.
In addition, Sriviroshi's resources were relatively scarce. Killing whales could greatly improve the quality of life of the people, so that the people could have enough whale meat to eat.
Dominated by the urgent need for food and the courage of men, the people living here had been killing whales for generations. However, due to the lack of sufficient scientific knowledge, there was almost no progress in the equipment and technology of whaling. They completely relied on manpower and the most primitive whaling harpoons. It had to be said that this was a kind of tragedy.
"The whale is angry, the whale is angry."
The Tang Army soldiers on the deck shouted.
Ang Lee took a closer look and could not help but feel sad for these fishermen. The whale's tail swept a small fishing boat and overturned it. More than a dozen fishermen on the fishing boat were swept into the sea in an instant.
"Assistant Minister Li, these fishermen are in danger. Let's go and rescue them!"
A general whispered.
Ang Lee looked at King Srivijaya beside him and asked for his opinion.
King Srifoshi shook his head and said softly, "It's too far away. It's too late. We can only rely on their own people to save them. Moreover, with such a huge ship, we might hit the smaller fishing boats."
Seeing the people under his rule suffer a disaster, of course, King Shilifoshi wanted to save them. However, the Tang Army's steam gunships were too big, and they were moving too fast. Moreover, the place where the accident happened was too far away. It was really not easy to go and save them.
Since King Shilifoshi didn't care about his people, Ang Lee didn't have to worry. He picked up the binoculars and observed how the fishermen saved themselves.
Soon, two of the fishing boats in charge of killing the whale were split up to save the fishermen who had fallen into the water. The other fishing boats continued to chase and attack the whale, as if they would not stop until the whale was killed.
The whale hunt was intense and exciting. Everyone was working hard to kill the whale, and the people in charge of rescuing the fishermen were also busy. No one noticed the Tang Dynasty fleet not far away. They only glanced at it briefly and then went back to the intense hunting operation.
The whale hunt was urgent. Not even a second of delay could be delayed. After all, the whale's breathing time was not very long. As soon as the whale finished breathing, it would immediately dive to the bottom of the water, leaving these fishermen empty-handed.
The fishermen had put in a lot of effort and sweat. If they could not kill the whale, then all their efforts would be in vain. Some of the fishermen's sacrifices would also be in vain.
"Thrilling, exciting, awesome."
Ang Lee saw an extremely heroic scene through the binoculars. A fisherman with a very long harpoon suddenly jumped from the bow of the boat and used all his strength to stab the whale's body. After completing this series of actions, the fisherman also fell on the back of the whale and quickly slid into the sea, disappearing into the vast sea.
"Your Highness, this whale hunt is really thrilling. I wonder if the hero who hunted the whale just now survived?"
Ang Lee put down the binoculars and sighed.
Obviously, the fisherman just now was too brave. He was simply risking his life to hunt the whale. If such a brave warrior was swallowed by the sea, Ang Lee would more or less feel some pity in his heart.
King Shilifoshi shook his head and said, "Assistant Minister Li is worrying too much. This hero will be fine. He will be rescued by his companions soon."
"Oh, how can you be so sure?"
Ang Lee asked curiously.
"Assistant Minister Li must not have observed carefully just now. This brave warrior's hind leg is tied by a rope. So, as long as his companions on the boat keep pulling on the rope, they will be able to save him."
King Shilifoshi said.
Ang Lee nodded and said, "I was too nervous and did not notice this detail. My mistake, my mistake!"
After that, he continued to observe the whale hunt.
After the harpoon pierced the whale's huge body, the whale struggled violently due to the pain. As the harpoon was tied with a rope, no matter how hard the whale struggled, it could not get rid of the fishermen's pursuit. At the same time, the fishermen's boats were pulled around by the whale.
This process could be said to be dangerous. If the whalers were not careful, they could be thrown into the sea by the desperate whale. So, they had to be very careful.
Soon, another whaler jumped up and used the harpoon to attack the whale. He successfully pierced the whale's back.
As a result, two boats were pulled around by the whale. The scene was a little funny.
The fishermen who fell into the sea were continuously rescued. More and more brave warriors joined in the attack on the whale.
As it had not finished breathing and had used up too much oxygen during the struggle, the whale could not dive down. Otherwise, it would definitely suffocate to death at the bottom of the sea.
The fishermen kept attacking, and the whales kept struggling and resisting. Both sides fought with their wits and courage, launching a life-and-death struggle. The nearby seawater was dyed red by the blood of the whales.
"What a fierce battle!" This is the first time I've seen a whale hunt like this. I've learned something new. These people are amazing, haha! "
Ang Lee was in a good mood after watching a good show.
King Shilifoshi put down the treasure in his hand and said softly, "This whale has been severely injured and its strength is almost exhausted. I think it will be caught soon. I'm really happy for these fishermen."
As long as they could catch a whale, it would be a success. No matter how much the fishermen paid, it would be worth it. After all, a dangerous thing like whaling was not always successful. Every whale caught was a joyous event that was worth celebrating.
"Yes! I can see that the whale's strength is getting weaker. However, this whale is very heavy. Once it dies and sinks to the bottom of the sea, it will bring the fishermen's boats with it. "
Ang Lee said with a smile.
King Shilifoshi nodded and said, "Assistant Minister Li is right. That is indeed the case. However, the fishermen will not wait for the whale to die before they reach the shore. They are already trying their best to drag the whale to the shore before it dies and sinks."
"Men, send a lifeboat over and ask the fishermen if there are any casualties."
Ang Lee ordered.
The whale was not very happy now. It was only a matter of time before it was caught by the fishermen. Therefore, it was advisable to send someone over to find out the situation.
The lifeboat slowly descended from the steam gunboat. Several Tang Army soldiers and a Shilifoshi soldier were hoisted down and landed steadily on the lifeboat.
The Tang Army's steam gunboat was small. However, compared with the boats used by the fishermen to catch whales, it was a little bigger. It was about three or four times the size of a small fishing boat. It could accommodate more than 30 people without any problem.
After all, this was the Tang Army's steam gunboat. If the steam gunboat broke down or hit a reef and sank, then the soldiers on the boat must have something to escape. The lifeboat was the best thing to rely on. Since there were many people on the boat, it required the lifeboat to be big enough. Otherwise, there would be too many people to prepare. Moreover, when floating on the sea, a small boat was not easy to be discovered. At the same time, it was easy to be blown over by the waves.
The Tang Army's lifeboat was also powered by advanced oil-burning propulsion technology. Its speed was not slower than that of the steam gunboat.
By the time the lifeboat reached the fishing boat, the whale had stopped struggling. Obviously, it had lost the strength to resist.
The fishermen suppressed the ecstasy in their hearts and worked together to drag the whale to the shore.
The shore was not far away. If it was far away from the beach, the fishermen would not dare to hunt the whale. Therefore, with the fishermen's joint efforts, the whale's carcass quickly approached the beach.
"How's the situation? Are there any casualties?"
The leader of the fishermen replied with a smile, "It's okay. We've found all of them. Only a few have minor injuries. Haha!"
"Oh, that's great. His Majesty said that you were very brave. He's standing on that huge warship and looking at you."
The leader of the fishermen was flattered. He quickly looked at the steam gunboat in the distance with the other fishermen.
They were so focused on hunting the whale that they completely ignored the Tang Dynasty's steam gunboat in the distance. Now that the whale hunting was over, they calmed down and carefully observed the big ship in the distance. They were amazed. What they did not expect was that their great king was also on the big ship in the distance.
"This is the fattest meat on the whale. Please give it to His Majesty."
The leader of the fishermen used a dagger to cut a piece of whale meat. It seemed to be more than five kilograms.
"Okay, His Majesty will be very happy. You guys go ahead!"
A few soldiers left in the lifeboat and returned to the steam gunboat.
"His Majesty, the fishermen only had minor injuries. No one was swept away by the sea. This is the whale meat for His Majesty first."
The soldier presented the whale meat.
Li An took a look and said with a smile, "That's great. Today's lunch is a blessing. However, these fishermen are indeed worthy of respect. They encountered such great difficulties, but they were able to turn the situation around. I thought some of the fishermen were swept away by the sea."
"Haha! Little Wang was also sweating profusely! These fishermen live by the sea all year round and are excellent swimmers. If an ordinary person fell into the sea, the chances of survival would be very small. "
King Sriviroshi said.
After the lifeboat was hoisted onto the steam gunboat, the steam gunboat sped towards the location of the pirates at full speed. It was ready to annihilate the pirates and let King Sriviroshi experience the thrill of annihilating the enemy.
Li An continued to observe the fishermen who were cutting up the whale meat with his binoculars. He had never seen such a scene before. It was the first time. The whale's huge body was not easy to cut up. If it accidentally caused its internal organs to burst, it could completely bury a living person alive.
As the distance got further and further, Ang Lee could no longer see clearly through the binoculars. He then lay down and started chatting with King Sriviroshi.
For example, they talked about their past or the stories of their previous lives. Most of the content that Ang Lee talked about was very novel. At least, it was something that King Sriviroshi had never seen before. Therefore, he was very interested and listened attentively.
"Assistant Minister Li, what is milk tea? Is it a mixture of goat's milk and tea? Will it really taste good? "
King Sriviroshi frowned. He could not imagine the taste of milk mixed with tea. With his intelligence and cognitive level, it was natural for him to think that way.
Ang Lee was stunned for a moment before he explained, "There are many ingredients for milk tea. The taste is very delicious and it is much sweeter than pure milk. I was in a hurry to go to the South and forgot to bring it. I'm afraid Your Highness won't have the luck to taste it. Haha!"
"Oh, it's so delicious! Then, the lady who loves milk tea must be very beautiful. It's a pity that such a beautiful lady is going to marry a blind rich man who can't tell the difference between beauty and ugliness. What a waste. Assistant Minister Li, is there really a man who can't tell the difference between beauty and ugliness in the world? "
King Sriviroshi looked at Ang Lee curiously. The answer was written all over his face. He did not believe that it was real.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "Like Your Highness, I don't believe that there are people who can't tell the difference between beauty and ugliness in the world. However, this is what the rich man said himself. He told everyone that he can't tell the difference between beauty and ugliness. He doesn't know if the lady he is marrying is beautiful or not."
"Assistant Minister Li, is he an idiot? How dare he expose his own scars? "
King Sriviroshi shook his head.
Li An said softly, "This is also called courage. People who can admit that they have flaws need courage. We should enthusiastically applaud this local tycoon."
"Clap, clap, clap …"
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