The sky was clear, and the wind was gentle.
After a month, all the preparations for the voyage were finally complete. On April 5th, the blue sea in front of the North Sea Port was filled with warships of all colors, and the port was filled with people who were seeing them off.
The main force of the fleet was composed of Pei Donglai and Smoke and Fire Demon.
The only difference was that Cai Mao was left behind to continue training the Cliff Mountain Fleet in Cliff Mountain City. The three existing formations of the Cliff Mountain Fleet were merged into the North Bay Fleet.
In this way, the North Bay Fleet became the first fleet of the Nanyang Navy to reach full strength. Strangely, although the fleet was full, the position of admiral was still vacant.
The navy generals that Zheng He had recruited were basically all commanders or battalion commanders. As for the admiral, he was still lacking. Even a meritorious general like Cai Mao had not reached the position of admiral yet.
This voyage was different from the Allied Fleet. In addition to all kinds of warships, there were all kinds of specialized ships. There were ships specially used to carry grain, water ships specially used to carry fresh water, livestock ships specially used to carry live animals, horse ships specially used to carry horses, and even vegetable ships specially used to grow vegetables.
As for the cargo ships carrying porcelain and tea, there was no need to mention them. There were even ships for the entertainment of the soldiers and sailors, which were equipped with theatrical troupes and other simple entertainment programs.
In short, all the necessities for a long-term voyage were prepared. The fleet could sail for a month at sea without going ashore to resupply any supplies.
In addition, Ouyang Shuo's storage bag also stored a batch of emergency supplies.
For this voyage, Zheng He also prepared two special items, which could be considered as secret weapons.
The first was the military doctors stationed in the fleet by the government hospital.
According to Zheng He's requirements, there must be one military doctor for every hundred people. The navy, sailors, and crew of the fleet added up to more than ten thousand people.
Therefore, there were more than five hundred military doctors. It was a luxurious lineup.
The biggest threat to long-distance navigation was neither storms nor pirate attacks, but disease. It was inconspicuous, but it was enough to destroy an ocean fleet.
One of the most terrifying diseases was septicemia.
In the fourteenth century, many crew members of the expeditions led by Magellan and Columbus died of septicemia. But the Chinese sailors of the same period were not troubled by it.
The root cause of sepsis was the lack of vitamin C and lack of vegetables for a long time. The secret of China's sailors getting rid of septicemia lay in the second secret weapon — soybeans.
The Chinese food culture was extensive and profound. Soybeans alone could be used to make tofu, soy milk, bean sprouts, dried tofu, fermented bean curd, and other foods. Especially the bean sprouts, they were even more magical. To a certain extent, bean sprouts could replace vegetables and contain a certain amount of vitamin C.
In addition to soybeans, he also drank green tea, which also contained a certain amount of vitamin C.
This was the secret of Zheng He's sailing.
…
To Shanhai City, this expedition was of historical significance.
All the officials of the Protectorate of Southern Border and above were present. The families of the soldiers and sailors were also allowed to see their loved ones off. The pier was crowded with people.
Who knew how many of them would be buried in the ocean this time?
It was a tradition of Shanhai City to offer sacrifices to Ancestor Mazu every time they set sail. The sacrificial ceremony this time had reached a new peak. At the docks, they held the grandest ceremony to worship Mazu, praying for Mazu's blessing.
The Mazu culture had long taken root in the territory.
The prosperity of Shanhai City's voyage was all thanks to Mazu's protection.
After the ceremony, the auspicious time had arrived.
Ouyang Shuo faced Xiao He and the other officials, bowed slightly, and crossed his arms. "I'll leave all the government affairs of the territory to you!" Ouyang Shuo didn't have the time to care about the territory.
The crowd was stirred.
After a while, Xiao He took the lead and bowed. "We await the Marquis' triumphant return!"
Hundreds of officials and tens of thousands of people knelt on the ground. It was a shocking scene. If an outsider were to see such a scene, they would probably be extremely shocked.
The Marquis of Lian Province already had the aura of a king, and the momentum of his ascension became clearer.
In the sky above the North Bay, amidst the misty clouds, the Dragon of Providence that had always been following Ouyang Shuo was affected by this. It opened its huge eye that had been sleeping for a long time and glanced down indifferently.
Ouyang Shuo seemed to sense something and looked up. In his eyes, there was nothing at all. He nodded helplessly, looked at Song Jia and Bing'er again, and turned to board the Dragon Head.
"Big Brother, come back soon!" Bing'er shouted.
Ouyang Shuo waved at the little girl and left with a smile.
This separation would last for several months, or even half a year. However, Song Jia had to suffer. They had just gotten married, and they didn't have time to be sweet, but they had to be alone again.
After Ouyang Shuo left, the heavy responsibility of coordinating the internal affairs of the alliance fell on Song Jia's shoulders again. Song Jia gradually appeared on the big stage in the wilderness, and became a new member of the female heroes.
Song Jia and the others stood on the dock, watching the fleet slowly leave.
In the end, the fleet turned into a black dot and completely disappeared into the sea, leaving only the surging seawater. The sea and the sky were the same, but there was no one they missed.
The North Bay Harbor regained its tranquility. It was already four to five months later when it became lively again.
Riding on the winter monsoon, the fleet slowly left the North Bay Harbor, rushing towards the unknown sea of stars.
According to Zheng He's new battle formation, each warship was equipped with 10 bandits, 10 helmsmen, 20 guards, 10 planks, 10 battleships, 10 gunners, and 50 armor captains.
Each armor captain was in charge of 10 soldiers.
The rest of the non-warships, such as horse ships and grain ships, were similar to the warships.
Therefore, a warship had around 600 people. And every five warships made up a sentry, and every two sentry made up a battalion. Therefore, on average, a navy battalion had 5,500 soldiers and 700 crew members.
A navy formation had four navy battalions, and their military strength far exceeded that of an army division.
The entire fleet's formation adopted the "Swallow Spreading Wings" formation.
Specifically, the flagship was located at the core of the fleet, which was both safe and convenient to dispatch and command. The warships were arranged at the periphery to form an iron wall, and the non-warships were arranged inside to ensure safety.
The entire fleet was like a wild goose spreading its wings, galloping in the sea. When the fleet encountered an attack, the bird wing swallowtail formation could quickly spread out to face the enemy, and it had tactical mobility.
Other than the regular lights and flags, when the fleet encountered fog, wind, or poor visibility, there were all kinds of gongs and drums to be used as signals to ensure the fleet's smooth sailing.
That was why Zheng He's arrival was a qualitative change for the Nanyang Navy.
Compared to the boundless sea, the "swallow" that was the ocean fleet seemed abnormally small.
…
On the calm surface of the sea, Little Blue would surface from time to time, feeling extremely carefree.
Ouyang Shuo didn't forget to bring this overlord of the deep sea with him on this voyage. At this moment, Little Blue's body had already surpassed its father's, and it was even more ferocious and terrifying.
With this spirit beast as a companion, it would probably be a lot of fun.
For this voyage, other than his personal guards, Ouyang Shuo also recruited a thousand Divine Guards to accompany him. The voyage along the way wasn't friendly, and there might even be a series of battles. The navy was naturally brave when fighting on the sea, but Ouyang Shuo still trusted the Divine Guards when it came to fighting on land.
The first few days of the voyage were still in the North Sea, so it was naturally smooth sailing.
The only difference was that when they passed by the Annan Sea, Ouyang Shuo specially ordered them to take a detour. He was worried that if the Annan Sea players saw them, they might skin them alive.
On the 10th of April, the fleet finally left the North Sea and officially entered the Nanyang Sea, arriving at the Spratly Islands. The islands here were like stars in the sky, and it was even more so after the game map was expanded ten times.
It was reported that the adventure-type players of Cliff Mountain City had already begun to explore this sea. Countless islands had been set up by Gaia into all kinds of strange adventure dungeons, becoming a paradise for adventurers.
Not long after entering the Spratly Islands, the sea gave the fleet a show of strength.
That afternoon, the weather that was sunny and sunny just a moment ago was suddenly covered with dark clouds. The dark clouds were layered on top of each other, and one couldn't see the end at all.
Especially on the sea, looking from afar, the layers of dark clouds seemed to be pressing on the surface of the sea, making people feel very depressed and terrified.
Between heaven and earth, the entire fleet seemed to be pressed together by the sea and the dark clouds, these two "continents." The small fleet could be crushed to pieces at any time.
The danger of heaven and earth made people's expressions change.
"A storm is coming!" Zheng He muttered to himself.
As expected, when the dark clouds covered the sky, lightning flashed and thunder suddenly sounded in the clouds. The violent lightning stuck close to the surface of the sea, splashing waves.
The rumbling thunder came one after another, making people's hearts tremble.
Such a dense thunder and lightning, as if the God of Thunder and the Goddess of Lightning were patrolling here hand in hand.
"This thunder and lightning is unusual." Zheng He's face became solemn. "Pass down the order, all fleets should be prepared to resist the storm, and don't slack off."
"Yes!"
Zheng He knew that the territorial characteristics of Shanhai City were convenient for resisting the storm at sea. Even so, it would be difficult for them to escape unscathed in such violent weather.
Accompanied by lightning and thunder, a strong wind suddenly blew on the sea.
The howling wind rolled up layer after layer of huge waves on the surface of the sea.
The calm sea suddenly became violent.
The warship on the sea, tossing up and down with the huge waves, was in danger of capsizing at any time. A huge wave came, dumping a lot of seawater on the warship.
"Quick, scoop out the seawater."
The whole warship suddenly panicked.
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