Whether traveling from the Tang Dynasty to the Japanese Kingdom, or from the Japanese Kingdom to the Tang Dynasty, there are only two routes that can be sailed.
One is the so-called northern route, which takes the ship from Namba Castle, which is today's Osaka, and then passes through the Seto Inland Sea between Honshu and Shikoku in Japan, and then sets off from Hakata Castle, which is Fukuoka in Japan, along North Korea. Peninsula and Liaodong Peninsula coastlines, disembark in Dengzhou, and then take the land route to Luoyang or Chang'an.
The second southern route is from Kyushu to the south, along Tanegashima, Yakushima, etc. in the south, to the northwest across the East China Sea, to the mouth of the Yangtze River, or into the Qiantang River, and then continues north along the Tang Dynasty canal to Luoyang. Go to Chang'an.
And because the second route requires sailing on the vast sea where it is impossible to reach the shore in time and is isolated and helpless, few people will choose this route.
The Japanese country would only choose this route when relations with Silla, Baekje, and Goguryeo were tense. Because this route was completely unable to keep all ships safe and sound based on the navigation technology of this period, so every time the Japanese From this route to the Tang Dynasty, all troops and generals were lost.
But it was precisely because of their helpless choice that after a long period of exploration, they became more familiar with this route than even the Tang Dynasty.
This is also the reason why one of the four giant ships sunk by Li Hong sank in the boundless East China Sea.
In addition to these two routes, there is another route, the time required is greatly reduced, even shortened to within ten days, and even if all navigation conditions are complete, it can be reached in three days.
This is how Prince Li Hong discovered the true South China Sea route a hundred years earlier than in history after spending a huge ship.
The three giant ships were named by Li Hong. Now they are Zhuque, Li Chunfeng, Xuanwu, commanded by Zhang Yi, and the Fu Zhu, which are now commanded by Cui Zhibian. They are on the vast sea, boundless. After sailing for six days, all The novelty of people has disappeared.
And Li Chunfeng, Cui Zhibian, and Zhang Yi took a small boat on the calm sea and ran to the Fuzhu No. where Li Hong was. The three of them could follow it at a glance, and it looked like a skyline in the distance. On the coastline, when they arrived at the Japanese country, they were suddenly given an order to stop the ships, which made them confused.
After calling out the signal and asking several times, Fu Zhuhao slowly issued a signal for the three commanders to board the boat. In desperation, the three had no choice but to put down the boat. Under the hard work of a dozen soldiers, they paddled. Boarded the husband ship.
"What? Are you dissatisfied?" Someone, who was much darker than a few days ago, wore a pair of pants that looked like cropped pants from the previous life, exposing his solid upper body full of explosive muscles.
With his dark and shiny skin, and the beads of sweat on his body shining brightly under the sunlight, his long hair was naturally tied into a ponytail and tied behind his head. The whole person gave people a domineering look that looked down on the world!
"Your Highness, what do you mean by this? Looking at the itinerary, I'm afraid that it won't take half a day to reach the coast of Japan before dark. Why did you stop at this time?" Cui Zhibian's base was solid, although he was huge. The ship was like a lonely leaf, swaying with the light waves on the sea, but when he stood in front of Li Hong, he was as stable as if he were standing on land.
Li Chunfeng was a little worse. Although his whole body swayed a little with the giant ship, in order to realize his dream of a large voyage, he still gritted his teeth and persisted. He said that he must make His Highness the Crown Prince confident in his future leadership of the great voyage. .
Zhang Yi is similar to Cui Zhibian. They are both the best in the navy of the Tang Dynasty. Although it is the first time to exercise on the vast sea with sea and sky connected, it is obvious that in a short period of time, they have become accustomed to everything on the sea and feel like a fish in water. Generally speaking, he is the most energetic every day.
"What do you mean?" Li Hong, shirtless, stood at the front of the deck, looking at the blue sea and sky, and said in a happy mood: "On land, you all know the principle of food and grass going first before troops and horses are moved. How come you forget it when you go to sea? Are they all gone? Do you really plan to plunder them on the spot... No, use the materials on the spot."
Li Hong stood comfortably at the front of the deck and stretched out. He leaned over and looked at the clear sea under the boat. Some unknown fish gently hit the bottom of the boat. He turned around and looked at the three people and asked.
Li Chunfeng and Cui Zhibian were stunned for a moment, then shook their heads with a wry smile and said: "Your Highness, whether it is the Xuanwu commanded by me, the Suzaku commanded by Mr. Li, or the food and grass prepared before going to sea on your ship, Fu Zhu, etc. , enough to sustain us for two months.”
"Yes, we can reach the Japanese country in seven days. The round trip only takes half a month. If we wander around the Japanese country for half a month, the food and grass will be enough to cope with us." Li Chunfeng also brushed his beard and agreed.
"Fart, what if I can't overwhelm the Japanese monarch in half a month? What should I do? Huh? Why don't we go back again? Say you don't understand, and you're still being stubborn!" Jumped down from the lowest part of the deck and walked up to the three of them In front of him, Li Hong looked at the cloudless sky and said lazily.
"Then... I don't know what your Highness's intention is to stay on the sea now? The weather at sea has always changed. It seems to be sunny and windy now, but it might be violent storms in the evening. I think it's better to get there first. It's better to go to the coast of Japan." Cui Zhibian looked at the good weather, but he couldn't feel at ease.
"I plan to give the Japanese monarch a surprise, so after the sun sets, we will continue sailing and try to appear quietly in Hakata early tomorrow morning!" Li Hong took the chart that could not be handed over and looked at the pale With a look on his face, he waved his hand in annoyance and asked him to quickly roll into the cabin and rest.
Walking through the canal was no problem at all, but they had already entered the rough sea. The two lawless brothers were stupid. First, they stood on the deck, one of them holding the vomited object on the side of the ship. They called for soldiers to carry it into the cabin. Unexpectedly, I still vomited so much that I almost fainted.
It's been six or seven days, and although I've adapted a little, I still feel top-heavy, as if I'm drunk every day, and my head is groggy.
Li Hong winked at the three of them, but did not say that the dragon boat built by Yang Guang of the former Sui Dynasty was twenty days ahead of them. It set off from the North Road, followed Liaodong, the Korean Peninsula, and then crossed the Korean Strait. Things to do when arriving in Hakata.
Two giant ships were not enough to besiege the western coastline of Japan, so at least three giant ships had to be sent there. Naturally, it was impossible for him to lead the giant ships in battle. If he dared to lead the giant ships in battle, he would be afraid of the enemy. The imperial edict can fly to the ship.
So after the three ships wandered on the calm and peaceful afternoon sea for two hours, as Li Hong gave another order, the three giant ships slowly raised their huge sails and began to continue sailing towards the coastline of Japan. go.
Night gradually fell, and the coastline was already in sight. Because of the danger of this route, they were almost approaching the offshore along the way, but they still did not see even a fishing boat.
However, as they arrived at the southernmost coastline of the Japanese country, dots of fire began to appear in sight, but even so, they did not stop. Instead, they continued under the cover of the night, making the giant ship blend with the sea and the night. , began to slowly go north, trying to reach the offshore of the Seto Inland Sea in another two to three hours.
But everything could not go as His Highness the Crown Prince intended. The journey went smoothly without encountering bad weather at sea. Even at night, the sea was still as calm as ever. How good could this luck continue.
The innocent souls of the Japanese who drowned themselves in the sea in order to send envoys to the Tang Dynasty would not agree, so when the three giant ships continued to go north, little flickering lights began to appear in the distance.
As the flames swayed closer and closer, as the flames grew larger and larger in sight, short, harsh whistle warning sounds began to sound on the two giant ships, Suzaku and Xuanwu.
Fu Zhu followed Zhuque and Xuanwu, looked at the sterns of the two ships, and after signaling to them, he began to sail slowly out. After a while, the two giant ships Zhuque and Xuanwu lined up in a row. .
The sails on the three giant ships were lowered slowly and easily like folding fans in their hands. As the sails lowered, the speed of the giant ships also slowed down.
Cui Zhibian put down the telescope, looked at the Fuzhu on the left, and then at the Suzaku on the right, and then sent a flaming flag to Li Hong: "It looks like two Japanese warships, please make a decision, Your Highness. "
There was silence on the Fuzhu, without even a hint of fire, like a huge beast floating quietly on the sea.
As Cui Zhibian's report came over, the ships slowly lit up their red fire flags with the message: "Sink it as quickly as possible, remember not to use sky thunder!"
Li Hong watched as the Suzaku suddenly accelerated, gradually leaving behind the two giant ships on the left and right. On the silent sea, the sound of waves crashing into the water could be heard from time to time, as well as the hurried footsteps on the Suzaku.
Cui Zhibian put down the telescope in his hand again, estimated that the two Japanese warships in front had entered the shooting range, and then ordered in a low voice behind him: "The heavy crossbow is ready to fire!"
Then, there were bursts of winch sounds, which made people's scalp numb and shudder all over. They sounded from the bottom of the deck. After a while, something like a spear slowly rose from the deck, shining brightly in the moonlight. A heavy crossbow with cold light.
This kind of arrow is as long and short as a rafter. The arrow has no sharp edges and corners but is extremely sharp. It is not the kind of arrow that mainly stabs enemy ships, but the kind of blunt arrow that relies on absolute strength to mainly break the hull structure. arrow.
As long as it is hit by such a heavy crossbow, even if it cannot penetrate the deck, it will hit the hull heavily like a battering ram, causing cracks to appear.
"Hufufu..."
It was as if a hurricane was blowing on the sea. The front portholes of the Suzaku had long been opened, and black shadows rushed out like torpedoes as fast as lightning.
Then a huge banging sound was heard not far away, as if the ship had hit a rock during fast sailing, which shook the entire ship.
Without waiting for the Japanese ships to react at night, when a ship far ahead was attacking them, there was a sudden sound of biting wind above their heads.
A banging sound suddenly sounded from the deck this time, followed by a burst of screams and the sound of scattered heavy objects falling into the water.
"Kill!" Cui Zhibian ordered again, and the Suzaku immediately opened its sails and rushed over like a whirlwind at a speed that the enemy ship had never expected.
(End of chapter)