The Resurrection of the South Seas of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 793 The Blue Ocean of the Whaling Industry (please subscribe~)

This time, the East China Sea Fleet of the Ming Army Navy received a military order to go to the Qing Dynasty, except to complete the political tasks of teaching the Manchu Qing, deterring Japan, and recovering Ryukyu.

The first battlefield trials of the steam ironclad ship will also be carried out.

And according to the test situation, to explore the tactics applicable to the steam ironclad ship.

History has proved more than once that all new weapons and equipment need to go through the test of the battlefield before they can become a mature and complete weapon and equipment.

Standing on the deck of his own ship, Chen Ze looked at the blue sea in the distance, and said.

"I'm waiting for this expedition, it should be regarded as the first battle of the steam iron armored ship?"

"Hopefully it will do well!"

Obviously, Chen Ze, who was born as a traditional general, is not very interested in new things like steam iron-clad ships.

In his view, naval battles are a duel between sailing and gunnery, and also a bloody fight after jumping out of gangs.

"However, we lost contact with King Yongle in the south afterward."

Countless people of Ming Dynasty stood on the pier, looking at the army going out.

Finally, the ship set sail and sailed all the way to the east.

"It's a pity that we don't have the imprint files of the Honglu Temple of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here. Otherwise, we may be able to be more sure if we compare it."

As an experienced captain, Li Xiao has a lot of authority on the ship.

Strolled around, inspected the ballista and net bag used for whaling...

Get the fleet ready for the enemy!
When Du Wenhai heard this, the expression on his face gradually became solemn, and he spoke.

It is almost a universal rule all over the world to express surrender or obedience by kneeling!

On the lookout pole, the lookout's hands were wrapped in thick fur clothes, holding a telescope in his hand, and looking at the surrounding sea.

However, as the distance between the two sides gradually narrowed, when he saw the movement of the natives on the opposite boat kneeling down, half of the big stone in his heart suddenly dropped.

Captain Li Xiao took the first officer out of the command room, came to the deck, shuttled through the crowd, carefully inspected every detail.

Although the current fleet is sailing offshore, it is common for them to miss land for three to five days.

"My lord, you have stayed up all night, now that the storm has receded, go and rest!"

"I... We, etc., once paid tribute to a southern kingdom called Yongle, and received the canonization and protection of King Yongle."

Now that the storm has dissipated, Du Wenhai's face is full of fatigue.

"It can be counted, Tushi's men and women have been looking forward to Master Wang for a long time!"

"This trip to sea will definitely return with a rewarding experience!"

Li Xiao kept checking, but at the same time he was nodding in response.

Whale bones can also be ground and used as fertilizers to increase the average grain yield per mu.

As time passed, the materials needed for the army's expedition were continuously removed from the warehouse, and after the inventory was completed, they were transferred to the transport ship.

For this new ship, Li Xiao will not encounter any accidents when he goes out to sea for the first time to hunt whaling. He is very careful in many details.

When the leader of the tribe heard the words, his old wrinkled face showed a sad expression, and he stuttered in Nanjing Mandarin.

The tools and weapons they used were mostly wood and stone.

The sea area where the fleet is now is still within the range of Nuer Gandusi.

"I am waiting for the fleet from Ming Dynasty. Passing here, the fleet needs to be repaired and replenished here. I am willing to exchange goods with the local tribes, actively trade, and establish friendly relations!"

After Daming gave some small gifts such as glass, perfume, soap, etc., the two sides established a relatively friendly relationship.

"The previous missions also carried the same banner as yours. Excuse me, are you also the envoys of King Yongle?"

The cold wind blowing against his face revived his tired spirit.

Most of these people have rough skin, the men have big beards on their faces, and the women's faces are painted with khaki paint.

There is plenty of food. After eating the food carried on the boat, the big deal is fishing.

The fleet was suddenly hit by a storm last night, and Du Wenhai stayed up all night watching for the safety of the fleet.

It can be called a model of a white-eyed wolf!

Such a tribe is not like the tribe that was able to get the golden seal bestowed by the Ming Dynasty in the past.

In this era, it is not an exaggeration for a whale to say that its body is full of treasures!
If you are engaged in whaling in the current Ming Dynasty, as long as you are not too lucky and the shipwreck happens, you can make money without losing money.

Afterwards, the news was reported to Du Wenhai.

After making sure everything was okay, Li Xiao nodded and said.

Only a few people can use copper weapons, and almost no iron products can be seen.

Before that, the Chinese did not have the habit of whaling, so there were not many whaling ships in Ming Dynasty, but because no one hunted, there were many whales in the sea.

After the fleet left the port, the blockade of the Shanghai terminal was also lifted.

However, after falling behind, they were quite enthusiastic in hospitality.

Although Daming back then was very generous in giving gifts to others, he should have looked down on such primitive tribes.

Du Wenhai was warmly welcomed back to their tribe by a group of natives.

Accompanied by Niu Bold's yell, what came from the opposite side was a stuttering Nanjing mandarin.

There are countless nationalities in this world, and there are many strange customs.

Du Wenhai also looked confused, but he still spoke.

In addition to counting on the imperial court to send people to follow up, it is also a good way to make good use of the power of the local aborigines.

Although the size of Ming's fleet is huge, if you want to build a series of supply points and settlements along the way, you can even build a port.

At this moment, a piercing siren suddenly sounded from the vanguard ship ahead.

The cold wind is mixed with the humidity of the sea, which makes people very uncomfortable.

On the chart table, there is a well-marked chart.

Although whale meat is relatively cheap and tastes bad, no matter how bad it is, it is still meat.

"However, since a group of Rakshasa ghosts came from the west, we have encountered a disaster..."

And the market for whale products is still very broad.

"Our chief even followed the mission to the capital of King Yongle."

Wherever Li Xiao passed by, a famous sailor took the initiative to say hello to him.

"They demanded that our tribe regularly offer fur and game to them, otherwise they would kill all our men and rape our wives and daughters."

Although this steam ironclad ship has sails, it does not rely on sails when fighting. What kind of warship is it? !

Although Daming then sent troops to wipe out this death-seeking indigenous tribe, the envoy could not be revived.

It will only be used in wartime, and sails are mainly used for normal sailing.

The reason why only half of it was put down, but not all of it.

Regarding some design points of the steam iron-clad ship, Chen Ze's soul of complaining was burning.

Well, in the East of this era, the seas of the entire East Asia and Southeast Asia belong to Ming, and Ming's ships run around wherever they want.

After leaving the port, the fleet sent by Daming to explore the New World route also went all the way north.

Although the whaling industry has made huge profits these years, it is not an easy matter for Li Xiao to repay the money.

Needless to say, whale oil can be used for lighting, skin care, and food supplementation.

This is why Li Xiaogan borrowed money to buy a boat!
After leaving the port, the whaling ship headed east all the way, and then turned north again, preparing to go to the Northern Ocean to start whaling.

The current fleet is still within the scope of the former Nuer Gandusi!
For the former Nuer Gandusi, there were relevant nautical charts within the imperial court recording the islands and ocean currents in the sea.

"Even many women, children and children fell under the butcher's knives of those damn Raksha ghosts!"

"Yes!"

The most lacking, in fact, is fresh water!

While speaking, the aboriginal chief pointed to the flag with Ming characters flying by the fleet.

Daming's fleet flew several flags, including the twelve-pointed sun and moon flag, the navy's military flag, and the bright character flag.

"My lord, from the perspective of craftsmanship and design, this gold seal really looks like my Ming's handwriting."

When Du Wenhai walked out of the cabin, a gust of cold wind swept over his face. He tightened the cloak on his body, and strode towards the bow of the ship.

Just such a incident shows the background of the so-called Western civilization.

……

what happened?

Most of the clothes worn by their clansmen are made of tanned animal skins.

"Back then, the imperial court did grant a golden seal to Nuer Gandusi's tribes to symbolize kingship, but the tribes that were able to receive the imperial imperial seal back then were not weak."

Whether it is whale meat, whale oil, whale skin, or whale bones, the market is tight.

Along with them, there are also whalers flying different flags.

During the banquet, the indigenous chief even took out a gold seal to show Du Wenhai.

In fact, to some extent, there is no shortage of food in the sea.

A Ming official was holding a gold seal in his hand, looking at it solemnly on his face.

And whale skin has many uses, it can be used to tan leather armor, it can be used to make leather boots and leather clothes.

"Hello Captain!"

Although Niu Bold is bold, it does not mean that he is not afraid of death.

Along the way, replenishment was carried out in North Korea, Japan and other places to supplement the fresh water and food needed by the fleet.

Coupled with the storm last night, many sailors in the fleet did not feel very safe about the sea, and they were always looking forward to landing on land.

Seeing this, the adjutant at the side spoke.

When the indigenous tribal chief was taken to Du Wenhai's ship, Du Wenhai asked directly.

However, this time their fleet sailed eastward, the main purpose was to explore the route to the New World, not to find the vassals of Ming Dynasty, so they did not carry the record of Honglu Temple.

The only iron product is an iron pot.

"captain!"

Calling them human is fucking flattering!
Right now, if Da Ming wants to find out the route to the New World, he also needs to make reasonable use of the power of the local aborigines.

Because, the Ming Dynasty does not need a reason to attack the Qing Dynasty!
When it comes to the Qing Dynasty, it's over!
……

He even went to check all kinds of equipment on the whaling ship himself.

Facing Du Wenhai's question, the skinny old man in a leather jacket with a vicissitudes on his face stammered in Ming Dynasty Mandarin.

Upon hearing this, Du Wenhai waved his hand and said.

All they need to do now is to verify one by one.

Their tribe is located in a basin not far from the sea, surrounded by a large area of ​​dense forest, and close to the water source.

"Notify the whole army, be ready to face the enemy at any time, but don't fire rashly!"

Since the fleet went north, most of the places where it stopped along the way were indigenous people.

That is to say, after Xuande shrunk their borders, they were considered to have severed their connection with Daming!

"The warriors in our tribe were unwilling to give in and rose up to resist, but they were no match for the fire-breathing clarinet in the Raksha ghost's hand. We sacrificed many people, but we were still defeated!"

It seems that this tribe was really a vassal of the Ming Dynasty and a member of the Ming Dynasty's tribute trade system.

"Suddenly one day, those man-eating Raksha ghosts appeared outside our tribe riding fast horses and holding scimitars."

However, although some aborigines can communicate, not all aborigines can communicate!
In the process of exploring the New World, the fleet also encountered a situation where they sent envoys to communicate with the aborigines, but the aborigines killed the envoys of Ming Dynasty without saying a word.

All the people around, including the sailor to the first mate, nodded vigorously.

Niu boldly sat on the boat with a pistol pinned to his waist, watching the fleet of strange ships getting closer and closer.

Therefore, the class on the ship is very clear.

Furthermore, the sea-going ship hangs alone overseas, and there is no law that can be used as a constraint. In many cases, the captain can decide the life and death of ordinary sailors.

This shouldn't be so!
No matter how you look at it, this place is a wild place. How can anyone know Nanjing Mandarin?
Suddenly, Du Wenhai seemed to remember something.

On the deck, many people were standing on tiptoes looking into the distance, waiting for the land to appear.

If it wasn't for the emperor personally finalizing the steam ironclad ship project, Chen Ze might not be able to resist cursing.

Or Nanjing Mandarin...

As the fleet continued northward, the latitude increased and the temperature began to get colder.

Even, to exaggerate, the entire Western Pacific Ocean is now under the actual control of Daming.

The geographical location is very good, it can be called easy to defend but difficult to attack.

"The person who is in charge of the opposite side, please come to the official."

With a shout, the sailors on the brand new whaling ship returned to their posts one after another.

Never run out of food!
To sail on the sea, the first thing to pay attention to is actually fresh water.

The Ming army did not act hastily, and those natives rowing small boats couldn't help opening their mouths when they saw the giant ships that looked like towering mountains in front of them.

Du Wenhai took the golden seal and observed it carefully.

Chinese……

"Before you are sure about the attitude of the other party, try to avoid setting up the enemy."

In the past, during the years from Yongle to Xuande, Daming also actually controlled Nuergandusi, and let the natives of Nuergandusi pay tribute to Daming.

More importantly, it can also be used as industrial lubrication.

The sea breeze howled, blowing hard, and it hurt people's skin.

After leaving the port, the ship came to the wide sea.

Subsequent ships raised flags over and over again, asking what happened ahead.

Rubbing his sore cheeks, Du Wenhai stood in front of the window of the captain's cabin, looking at the sea outside through a layer of glass, with obvious fatigue on his face.

These natives took out a lot of food, wild fruits and vegetables from the mountains, to entertain Du Wenhai and other guests from afar.

Regarding the matter of Fa Qing, even if there was no reason, no one in Daming would raise objections.

Many natives even chose to stand on Daming's side, helping Daming build supply points and ports along the coast.

There is no intention of doing it at all!
Some people even knelt down like that, kowtowing to the bow of the Ming army to express their piety, and even praised something in their mouths.

After a while, he nodded vigorously and said.

As the distance between the two sides continued to approach, Niu boldly spoke in the local dialect of the tribe.

As soon as the words fell, Niu Bold was stunned.

"How did your department fall so low now?"

Also, which serious warship can install artillery on the deck?

The route the fleet traveled was marked on the chart in detail, and every island and every ocean current was recorded in detail.

Because seawater is not drinkable directly.

After talking with the tribal chief for a while, Du Wenhai confirmed what he thought in his heart, and ordered the fleet to prepare to dock for repairs.

In order to obtain this brand new whaling ship, Li Xiao borrowed a sum of money from the Daming Royal Bank with his family's ancestral property as a mortgage.

"The captain has worked hard!"

The Ming army sent envoys who were familiar with the local dialect, carrying small boats to negotiate with the small boats blocking the front of their own fleet.

The vanguard ship quickly responded that an unidentified boat appeared in front of the fleet.

They have a fart civilization!

However, what they live in is similar to a half-embedded wooden house, half of the house is buried in the ground, and there is a firepit dug in the middle of the house, which is very primitive.

Obviously, as far as the current situation is concerned, the steam engine on the steam ironclad ship is still only an auxiliary power.

Although Du Wenhai is a rough man, there are well-informed and educated people in the fleet.

When Du Wenhai heard the words, he also knew it in his heart.

Daming sent envoys several times to contact the aborigines, and in most cases, the aborigines were also able to communicate.

Isn't the opposite aboriginal?How do you say it in Chinese?
With a confused mood, Niu boldly stepped forward to negotiate with the other party.

"..."

The hand holding the pistol was exerting force unconsciously, and the knuckles were a little white.

Regardless of whether it is ancient or modern, Chinese and foreign, sea ships are a small society with distinct classes!
Survival is difficult in high winds and waves at sea. In order to survive, everyone can only unite, and there can only be one voice on the entire ship.

The reason is that Niu boldly does not understand the customs of the indigenous tribe on the opposite side.

The so-called Beiyang is probably north of the Yellow Sea, including the Korean Sea, the Sea of ​​Japan, and the Pacific Ocean to the north.

"This is the gift that King Yongle gave us when the leader of our tribe went to the capital of King Yongle."

Counting the time, it has been more than 200 years since Xuande shrank!
After more than 200 years, it is a miracle that such a semi-primitive tribe that does not even have history books can still remember the former Ming Dynasty.

Having said all this, Du Wenhai turned around and went to look at the chart.

If they guessed right, the King Yongle they were talking about was Emperor Chengzu of Ming Dynasty.

The leading indigenous chief looked at the flags hanging on the ships of the Ming army, with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Even the three iron-clad warships set sail and left the port one after another.

Ships of all sizes inside and outside the dock have received the news, and now they can leave the port.

There is no way to determine the authenticity of the golden seal in front of you!
But it's just that it can't be determined with certainty. It's okay to make a general judgment. This golden seal should not be fake.

Hoisting the sails, pulling the anchors, everyone is quickly preparing for the fleet to leave the port.

Looking at the faintly visible figures on the small boats opposite, Niu Bold was also a little uncertain.

The sound of the horn and the sound of the golden ringing were mixed together, almost piercing the eardrums of people.

No one has the ability to jump out and say that Ming's ships have violated its waters!

For the people of Ming Dynasty whose protein intake is obviously insufficient in this era, whale meat is also a rare good thing.

"Many tribes are centered around our tribe!"

After the fleet docked, a famous soldier and craftsman disembarked from the boat and prepared to build a temporary dock on the coast.

What if the customs of other people are special, and the way to express respect and friendship is to kill you and sacrifice to their gods?
This matter is also impossible to say!

For the fleet, envoys are really a high-risk occupation.

But due to technical problems, they couldn't clean up the smell from the animal skin, and they could smell a sour smell from a long distance.

Du Wenhai took a deep breath and exhaled heavily.

The reason why Du Wenhai knew that it was not far from the next berthing point was because they hadn't sailed out of the sea area of ​​the former Ming Dynasty.

The gold seal was circulated in the hands of all the people in the fleet.

Such a tribe has civilization, but not much, it is almost a primitive tribe.

Didn't you see that even when the Mayflower arrived in the New World for the first time, it was with the help of the Indians that those Onsa white skins could gain a firm foothold in the New World?

The current Ming Dynasty whaling industry is still a huge blue ocean.

The current tribe has a population of less than a thousand, and all kinds of tools are extremely primitive and backward.

"Judging from the chart, the fleet is not far from the next berthing point!"

Judging from the situation of the tribe in front of them, they don't seem to have the ability to forge the golden seal bestowed by the Ming court.

"The entire huge mountain range, inside and outside, is all hunting grounds for our tribe."

In this world, no matter which country or nation you are in, there is no expression of hostility by bowing down.

"It may be the natives here!"

Therefore, the authority of the captain is very heavy!

In this era when the oil industry was still in its infancy, whale oil was the best lubricating oil.

Regardless of whether the whaling ship is pulled back to the nearest port, it will be divided and retailed to the coastal people!
It can still be processed, pickled, or made into cans and then sold to the mainland, it is all possible, and the sales volume is very good.

Perhaps, the tribe here is the tribe that once paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty...

Then, the descendants of the white skins on the Mayflower, in order to repay the help of the natives to their ancestors, killed the American Indians to almost extermination.

"Back then, our tribe was also very powerful!"

Generally speaking, for the golden seals issued by the Ming court to the surrounding feudal vassals, the court will leave a back stamp for inspection at any time to confirm the authenticity.

"How do you know the official language of the Ming Dynasty? Did your tribe pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty?"

After the cabins of the transport ships were filled, the warships raised their sails and sailed away.

It is definitely not enough to rely on the manpower and material resources carried by the fleet alone!

Du Wenhai looked at the golden seal and couldn't help asking.

"After the fleet is moored, let's talk about rest!"

Even Du Wenhai, the commander-in-chief of the fleet, has a daily quota of fresh water, counting the days.

"We who do not want to succumb to the Rakshasa ghost can only be forced to leave our ancestral land, migrate and settle in this place, avoiding the threat from the Rakshasa ghost..."

As he spoke, the tribal leader seemed to remember something sad, and wiped his tears with his dirty sleeves.

The other tribe members around also had the same expression.

Many people present had relatives who died at the hands of Raksha ghosts.

(End of this chapter)