Captain Lu Benyun used his telescope to observe the huge waves in the distance.
He sighed deeply and said with emotion: "I thought the biggest extreme sea state we encountered would be a typhoon.
I was mentally prepared to chase the eye of the typhoon. With the speed of the steam-powered ships of the exploration fleet, I was confident that I could catch up with the eye of the typhoon.
The sea conditions in the South Pacific are indeed extremely complex and the risks here are unpredictable. Unexpectedly, we encountered the legendary tsunami.
Fortunately, the scale of this tsunami was not large. If it were like what was recorded in the book, it would have been a huge wave of more than ten or twenty meters high.
Our exploration fleet has no hope of survival.
The wooden hull will be smashed directly by the waves."
Chief of Staff Zhou Qianxue gritted his teeth and issued an order: "Instruct all ships to point their bows at the waves and rush over at maximum speed.
This is the way we have the highest probability of survival. I hope our hull is strong enough and fewer people will die."
The navy is already very familiar with typhoons. As long as it is not a typhoon with super strong winds, they are confident in dealing with typhoons.
The Royal Navy of China has never encountered such extremely rare extreme sea conditions as tsunamis since its establishment.
If they can survive, this will be the most classic example of the navy encountering a tsunami, and it will make all future generations learn from it seriously.
They had only learned about tsunamis from books before, and there was very little information left about this extreme sea condition.
No one knows the cause of the tsunami now.
All we know is that every occurrence of this phenomenon is accompanied by huge waves, causing disastrous consequences for ships at sea and people on the shore.
There are certain signs of a tsunami at the beginning, that is, the sea water suddenly shrinks back into the sea in a short period of time, like an ebb tide.
Chief of Staff Zhou Qianxue was able to detect tsunamis in advance because of this characteristic.
Captain Lu Benyun listened to the advice of Chief of Staff Zhou Qianxue.
He nodded solemnly, and that was all he could do now, and immediately asked the flagman to issue the order.
The exploration fleet has to race against time, and there is no time to consider other methods.
All ships must adjust their direction before the waves arrive.
The sides of the ship deal with the waves, and the area that is hit by the waves is too large, which can easily cause the ship to roll over.
The only option is to let the bow of the ship rush through the waves to minimize the contact area between the ship and the waves.
In this way, the overall stress on the ship will be reduced to the lowest level.
The bow is made of the hardest material. The bow is also streamlined and has the function of dividing the water flow.
After receiving the order, the ships of the exploration fleet immediately adjusted their directions and followed the flagship towards the waves.
Every ship in the exploration fleet maintains a certain safe distance to prevent them from being damaged by the waves and collision with each other.
Lu Benyun looked at the waves slowly approaching the exploration fleet.
They have only one way to survive by rushing over.
The speed of the ship is much slower than that of the waves. Even if it turns around and runs away immediately, it cannot outrun the waves.
What's more, it is very troublesome for the exploration fleet to turn around. It needs to go around a large arc on the sea, wasting a long time, and there is no chance to turn around at all.
The exploration fleet is very unfamiliar with the nearby waters and has no idea if there are any islands nearby.
They also had no way to find islands and escape the waves.
Captain Lu Benyun was not completely sure. He could only believe that the ship's quality could withstand the waves.
If it was an ironclad ship like the one in the shipyard, he wouldn't worry at all. With the wooden ships they had now, he just hoped the damage would be minor.
Chief of Staff Zhou Qianxue said encouragingly: "Lao Lu, don't worry, our ships have steel keels, they are extremely strong..."
Before Zhou Qianxue finished speaking, huge waves crashed on the bow of the ship.
The ship seemed to hit a wall, and the ship shook violently.
All they heard was a loud bang from Katcha.
The sound of the mast breaking and falling mast hitting the deck was very loud.
Lu Benyun felt a force pushing him back, and he immediately grabbed the armrest beside the captain's cabin and stabilized his body.
He closed his eyes and prayed for the blessings of his ancestors. A huge feeling of powerlessness emerged in his heart. He couldn't do anything now.
Liu Yuanshan and Zhang Maizi were waiting for the disaster to come in the cabin.
They suddenly felt the ship shaking violently.
Zhang Maizi lost his balance and was thrown against the cabin door by a huge force.
As soon as he stood up, he felt the ship tilt to the other side, rolled directly to the bed, hit his head on the bed and fainted.
Liu Yuanshan grabbed the window in time. He did not fall, but his body shook violently, his stomach felt very uncomfortable, and he immediately began to vomit.
The ship rocked violently on the sea, then slowly stabilized.
In order to protect the sextant from being knocked, Chief of Staff Zhou Qianxue was hit by a box on his arm and was bruised.
But he suddenly laughed and said excitedly: "We finally got through this crisis, and the ship did not sink into the sea."
Captain Lu Benyun looked like he was surviving the disaster, and he stepped forward to help Chief of Staff Zhou Qianxue.
"Our flagship must have been severely damaged. I heard the sound of a mast breaking and hitting the ship outside.
I just hope now that there will be no major casualties."
Captain Lu Benyun recalled the scene where the ship passed through the waves just now.
The bow of the boat withstood the beating of waves without breaking, and it passed through the waves without any danger.
The extent of the damage to the hull was unknown, but the sound of the mast being broken by the waves was very clear.
After the ship crashed through the waves, the hull received a huge impact and rocked violently on the sea surface.
During this process, if the shaking is stronger, the ship may capsize.
The most dangerous situation has not happened, and they have overcome the disaster they encountered.
Captain Lu Benyun walked out of the captain's cabin and ordered the ship to sail at the lowest speed.
At the same time, the whistle was sounded to alert ships in the surrounding waters and ask them to move closer to the flagship as soon as possible.
After giving the order, he used a telescope to carefully observe the situation on the sea surface.
Captain Lu Benyun quickly received reports from each ship that Yuanyang 13 and Yuanyang 24 had capsized.
The hull of the Ocean 17 was pierced by a mast and was sinking slowly.
The sterns of Yuanyang 28 Hao and Yuanyang 29 collided, causing serious damage to the hulls and preventing the steam engines from starting.
Almost every ship had its mast broken. Some ships had one mast broken, and some ships had all three masts broken.
The exploration fleet suffered extremely heavy losses, but most of the ships did not capsize.
Captain Lu Benyun immediately issued an order, and all ships sent rescue ships to rescue the people on Yuanyang 13 and Yuanyang 24.
He saw many people still flopping on the sea near the two sunken ships.
They must be rescued in time. Once the two ships sink completely, the large whirlpool generated will sweep everyone nearby to the bottom of the sea.
Lu Benyun looked at the situation of Ocean 17. The damage was extremely serious, and there was still a possibility of rescue near the shore.
In this case, the only option is to abandon the ship, transfer the people and materials on board to other ships as soon as possible, and then scuttle the ship.
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After receiving the order, the ships of the exploration fleet immediately began to take action.
They have different divisions of labor. For severely damaged ships, they investigate the extent of the ship's damage.
Ships that were not seriously damaged began to rescue friendly forces in the sea.
At the same time, rescue operations were carried out inside the ship to find the injured and let the doctors try their best to treat them.
Those who died this time had no choice but to be buried at sea.
The sun slowly sets and the rescue work at sea ends.
The wreckage of the ship was swallowed by the sea, and the exploration fleet continued eastward.
At the very rear of the exploration fleet, three ships used steel cables to tow one ship forward. They did not abandon the two ships whose power was damaged.
Chief of Staff Zhou Qianxue used a sextant to determine the location of the exploration fleet.
He pointed out the way forward for the exploration fleet.
Captain Lu Benyun saw Chief of Staff Zhou Qianxue walking into the captain's cabin.
He said in a serious tone: "The results have been calculated. Three ships sank into the sea, with 78 people dead and 326 injured."
When Zhou Qianxue heard that the number of casualties was so high, he didn't reply and just sighed.
After being silent for a while, he told the good news.
"I calculated based on the sextant data that we only have a little over a month left to sail from South America."
Captain Lu Benyun nodded and said: "This is indeed good news, but I have bad news.
Each ship is now damaged to varying degrees, and some ships' hulls are not strong enough.
The ship cannot drive too fast, otherwise it will be troublesome if the ship disintegrates on the sea.
There are also two ships that have lost power, and damaged steam engine parts are being replaced. It is not yet known how long it will take the craftsmen to repair them.
It would be nice if we came across an island.
Once the ship is docked on the shore and stabilized with an anchor, the ship can be inspected in detail, especially the bottom and keel."
Zhou Qianxue also saw the damage to various ships in the exploration fleet.
After a ship is hit by waves, it will leave a lot of hidden damage. No one dares to drive at the fastest speed without detailed inspection.
"Lao Lu, fortunately we have steam power, and we have abundant coal and oil reserves. We don't have to worry about the steam engine running out of fuel.
If our ships were powered by sails, we would really be in big trouble and we might not be able to get out of the Pacific Ocean.
This is truly a blessing among misfortunes.”
…………………………
Liu Yuanshan and Zhang Maizi stood on the deck chatting.
They have received news that the ship has been damaged and the exploration fleet can only sail at a low speed, which will take more time.
Zhang Maizi said with some complaint: "If we had known that we would encounter this situation, we might as well have opposed Mr. Zhou's suggestion and taken the Spanish traditional route.
The delay now is likely to be far longer than the time needed to go around the distance.
My life was almost left on the ship.
Ocean sailing is too dangerous. After I follow King Zhao to North America, I will never leave there again."
Liu Yuanshan chatted with Zhang Maizi. Before he set off, King Cao Li Dazhuang carefully explained the risks at sea.
However, he still chose to take the risk and led the team to America to understand the situation here.
If you want to gain glory and wealth, how can you do it without taking some risks?
Compared with rebellion, this risk is already extremely safe.
Liu Yuanshan suddenly heard the officers of the exploration fleet cheering on the deck.
"Old Zhang, what did you hear them say? Are they talking about an island ahead?"
After Zhang Maizi listened carefully, he said happily: "Yes, these people are saying that a big island has been discovered ahead."
Liu Yuanshan clapped excitedly and said happily: "There is an island in front of us. This is really great.
After the exploration fleet docks, the ships can be overhauled, so we don't have to waste too much time.
This island brings us hope, and I would suggest that the exploration fleet name this island Hope Island."
Lu Benyun and Zhou Qianxue heard the report from their subordinates that a large island was found ahead, and they had seen the forests and birds on the island.
The two of them looked at each other and smiled. The exploration fleet was really lucky and escaped a big crisis.
There are only a few hundred barrels of Danshui carried by the exploration fleet, which is only enough for a few days.
When the ship rocked violently, many wooden barrels containing fresh water cracked and the fresh water flowed out.
A large amount of sea water entered the cabin again.
At this time, each captain also focused on rescuing the injured and repairing damage to the hull, which were more important matters.
When this problem was discovered, most of the water in the barrel had been lost.
The two of them had just discussed that at all costs, the exploration fleet would rush to the American coast at full speed.
In the sea without clear water, few people can survive.
Now it is discovered that there is a very dense forest on the island, and there are still birds alive.
There must be fresh water on this island.
They can also cut down wood to obtain materials to repair ship hulls, and make barrels to obtain fresh water.
The exploration fleet quickly found a gentle beach to anchor near the island.
Zhou Qianxue is responsible for leading the team to inspect and repair the ships of the exploration fleet.
Lu Benyun led the team to disembark, search for fresh water on the island, and cut down trees to collect materials.
"Everyone has their guns loaded and is always on guard against the indigenous tribes and dangerous animals on the island."
Lu Benyun observed the island. He led a team to search for a long time and found that it was an uninhabited island.
There were many strange-looking animals and birds on the island that he had never seen before.
These animals are not afraid of humans and it is probably their first time seeing humans.
There are many trees on the island, as well as unknown wild fruits that no one dares to eat.
The exploration fleet built a simple dock, and the craftsmen on the ship carefully inspected the damage to each ship.
The two ships whose steam engines and propellers were damaged were also replaced with new parts, allowing them to regain power.
After the craftsmen repaired the ship, the exploration fleet continued to set sail, heading east to the west coast of the American continent.
Zhou Qianxue said with concern: "10 ships were extremely damaged, and the keels were slightly bent and twisted.
Their previous condition was very poor. Fortunately, we did not move forward at full speed, otherwise these ships would be very likely to disintegrate.
Now the craftsmen have repaired the exposed problems, but we cannot detect whether there are potential hidden injuries."
Lu Benyun said: "We are about to arrive in America. According to the plan we made before, we will then separate.
For these 10 damaged ships, I followed the route we explored and returned to the country.
I have seen the situation reported by the craftsmen. These ships insist on reaching the Nanyang area, and I think there is no problem.
I can't be so unlucky and encounter extreme sea conditions on my return trip."
Zhou Qianxue disagreed with Lu Benyun's arrangement. He frowned and said, "This is too risky. You can bring two more ships in the best condition.
Even in extreme sea conditions, these two ships can bring most people back home safely.
His Majesty made a special decree before we set off to bring people back safely. This is the most important thing."
Lu Benyun nodded, he did not reject Zhou Qianxue's proposal.
After arriving in South America, more than half of his mission was completed, and the remaining mission was to return safely with the fleet under his command.
Zhou Qianxue's task is even heavier. He is proficient in sextant and nautical chart drawing, and needs to explore the route from North America to the mainland.
Liu Yuanshan stood on the deck, looking at the rising sun, feeling very excited.
Because below the sun is the endless coastline.
The exploration fleet finally reached the west coast of South America, his final destination this time.
"South America, here I come.
I want to assist King Zuo Cao to conquer this place."
