Everything was ready, and the Ming naval fleet set sail in May.

Most of the sea ships departed from the Taicang area east of Beijing; The ships departing from Longjiang Port are a small part. When all the ships are out to sea, the whole army will form a huge formation of two hundred ships of all sizes, and at the time of the march the fleet will occupy a wide area of the sea about twenty miles in radius.

The officers of the military department picked a good day, and it was sunny and breezy weather.

Liu Ming and others performed a ceremony on the shore to say goodbye to the emperor and colleagues in the imperial court who came to eat in person. Then they got into the boat, and the sergeants rowed with their oars toward a treasure ship.

The magnificent treasure ships on the river are extremely dazzling in the sun. The stocky hull looks as stable as Mount Tai, and the hull is very thick and sturdy; I'm afraid the only drawback of this kind of flagship-level large treasure ship is that it is relatively slow to react.

The antique window lattices on the hull and stern of the ship glistened in the sun, as if they were mosaicled with precious stones. It is said that they are all decorative mussel shells, and their main function is that the inner wall of the mussel shells reflects light into the cabin, so as to make the cabin better lighting.

When Liu Ming boarded the deck, he saw that the commander Tang Jing had already arrived first. Liu Ming suddenly felt good, and being in the same boat with acquaintances always made his heart more stable.

Tang Jing greeted him and said, "From today onwards, Liu Yuanjun and I will get along day and night." ”

Liu Ming returned the salute. He said in his heart: Yes, if we get along with each other on the ship for a few months, we can't go anywhere else, and the relationship will definitely become more familiar.

When the treasure ship was just hoisted and set off, the military appearance of the soldiers was still neat. The armies lined up on the deck and waved goodbye to the emperor on the shore in the distance.

However, as the scenery of the Kyoshi became more and more blurred from his vision, the atmosphere on the ship quickly changed. There was the sound of light musical instruments in the cabin, and the rough laughter of "hahaha". People were busy and noisy, and the crew who had just set off seemed to be in a good mood.

Liu Ming looked at the chaotic scene in front of him and walked around the deck for a while. At this time, Tang Jing, who had gone to arrange everything, came to face him again. The two stood on the deck and saluted each other.

Tang Jing said: "I am the commander of the five ships and the commander of the ship. We have arranged a separate cabin for Liu Yuanjun, and I will take Liu Yuanjun there later. ”

Liu Ming arched his hand and said, "There is General Lao Tang." ”

The two walked side by side on a deck dozens of steps long. Tang Jingyao pointed to the boat on the water and said, "Our commander has three Monchong warships, a grain ship, and a treasure ship under our feet. ”

Liu Ming followed Tang Jing's guidance, looked at the sails on the water, and nodded in response from time to time.

Tang Jing said again: "There are officers and soldiers on this ship, nine hundred and twenty-three. Together with the scribes, clerks, medical officers, doctors, servants, and other people, the total number was more than 1,000. ”

After hearing this, Liu Ming exclaimed slightly: "It's simply a military town." ”

Tang Jing smiled and said, "Isn't it?" ”

He then pointed to the wooden building at the stern of the ship and said, "The treasure ship has eight floors, four below deck, and the stern building over there has four floors. There are helm cabins, medical cabins, official halls, and command buildings. The rudder operated by the rudder cabin uses an open-bore balance rudder, which is the latest rudder made after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, and there is no problem even if the big ship is turned. Ben and Liu Yuanjun both live in the official hall, located on the second floor, I will take you up to settle down. ”

When the two walked side by side, Tang Jing continued to say: "The hard sail we use, the skeleton and canvas are very heavy, and the center of gravity may be unstable and the boat will capsize in case of strong winds and waves; Fortunately, using a sliding rope to lift and lower the sail is quick and easier to avoid high winds, which is a big benefit. The soft sails used by the Persians were indeed lighter, but the sailors were required to climb the masts, and the lifting was very cumbersome. There are pros and cons. ”

Liu Ming listened with interest. I saw General Tang get on the boat, his face was full of energy, and his bearing and demeanor were different from when he was in Beijing. Perhaps, for some people, the voyage of exile is his destination? Just like a camel, it likes the harsh desert.

Tang Jing leaned on the railing, looked at the side of the ship for a while, and said: "This ship is equipped with twenty-four Hanwang cannons with the name 'Tian', two in the front and rear, ten on the left and right sides, and countless guns of various sizes. In the general's opinion, if the enemy ship wants to confront us head-on, the best way is to escape; After all, the treasure ship is bulky and sails really slowly. ”

He laughed as he spoke, his face full of confidence and boldness.

While talking, the two walked up the wooden staircase to the official hall. They came to the door of a room, and Tang Jing pushed it open. I saw that there was a bucket room inside, although the space was not large, but it was already very good to have a separate cabin on the ship.

After a while, four more people came to meet him. Two sergeants, a miscellaneous officer, and a scribe were all people who specially waited for Liu Ming's dispatch.

The room has everything available, and there is a wooden table against the window lattice. Liu Ming walked to the side of the wooden case and suddenly let out a light sigh. Next to the wooden case, the four treasures of the study are placed in a very delicate way.

A row of brushes has a rope at the end that hangs slightly on the pen holder. The inkstone is replaced by a copper bottle with a wooden stopper, and there is a special bamboo pocket woven with bamboo strips, nailed to the wall of the ship. Another marble paperweight is also fixed to the wall of the ship.

Tang Jing explained: "When encountering wind and waves, things in the cabin will collide everywhere, and things must be fixed so as not to hurt people. ”

Liu Ming nodded and said, "I know, I've been on a sea boat before." It's just that the utensils are not so exquisite. ”

Tang Jing bowed his head slightly.

In order to show that he had sailing experience, Liu Ming found a wooden box, took out tea leaves from it, twisted a small poke with his finger and handed it to Tang Jing's palm, and said, "Please tea." ”

Tang Jing immediately smiled, put it in his mouth and chewed it, and then took the cowhide water bag from the guard. He said: "We will have a good start to the day, and the ship is loaded with a lot of seasonal melons and fruits. But after a while, I can only eat cabbage and bean sprouts with vinegar. The ship generally does not fire, and to raise the fire, it is necessary to carry some sand and gravel from the ballast bottom. ”

Liu Ming said: "When you go out, that's the only way." ”

Tang Jing chatted here for a while, and then took his leave. Liu Ming sent it to the door.

In the evening, the boat became more lively. The distilled liquor brought from Beijing was distributed to the soldiers before dinner, and everyone drank the liquor more happily. Liu Ming was in the cabin and heard the military music and drummers playing their own tunes, and there was a hustle and bustle on the ship.

He stepped out of the cabin, stood by the railing, and saw the soldiers on the deck as if they were celebrating a festival, some singing and dancing, some wrestling in competitions. And there were onlookers and rejoicing soldiers, all shouting on the deck. In the early days of the Ming Dynasty, the army surrendered a lot of Mongols, and decades later, the members of the soldiers mainly became Han Chinese, but some Mongolian customs were also retained in the army, and there were many soldiers who liked to wrestle.

The people had been training and preparing for a long time, and they were happy when they first set sail, and there was no demoralization that the court officials feared. But it's a long journey, and it may not be the same in a while.

As expected, the atmosphere cooled down after a few days......

By this time, the fleet had left the river one after another and entered the sea. Numerous ships first formed formations and spread out the dense formation on the river, so that the distance between the two ships was more than 1,500 feet (to avoid sudden collisions).

Continuous sunny days, light winds and low waves, clear skies. The signals of the flag bearers and drummers were clear, and the air was filled with drums with different rhythms from far and near. A number of slender sailboats weaved through the queues, delivering military orders at the right time.

The entire fleet gradually formed a formation similar to a geese-shaped formation, but Liu Ming could not observe the overall situation; Because the area occupied by the fleet is too wide for non-naked eyes to see. However, he heard that the ships of Wang Jinghong and Chen Xuan, the main general, were in the center of the brigade, so that the two wings could be informed of the intentions of the Chinese army in a timely manner.

As the sun sets, the drums die out. The sea and the sky seemed to be quiet, and only the sound of the waves and the wind could be heard evenly and calmly.

Liu Ming was outside the official hall on the second floor, watching the scene on the treasure ship, as if he remembered the weather after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and all the joy stopped. There was still a lot of people on and off deck, and the sailors and officers and men were doing their thing in an orderly manner.

However, the situation is still very optimistic, and there is a sense of calmness and comfort on people's faces, and everything is going well.

Today's hour is not early, Liu Ming plans to go to the command cabin on the fourth floor tomorrow morning to observe. He returned to the room and glanced at the four treasures of the study on the wooden case, only feeling impetuous, and he didn't have the heart to write an article.

So he got up again, went to the wall and took out the zither from the package.

Liu Ming's family was not wealthy when he was a child, and he only read the books of the Four Books and the Five Classics and other imperial examinations since he was a child. However, bringing the zither to entertain yourself on the trip does not require too much skill.

He first adjusted the strings, and then chose the pipa song "Sunset Xiao Drum" that he had practiced, and played it on the guzheng.

The elegant sound of the piano came out along the antique window lattice, and the sparkling sea and the shadow of the boat on the water seemed to be full of poetry in the song.

In a trance, Liu Ming seemed to be on the bank of the Qinhuai River, and the boat tower in the distance was the pavilion and pavilion in the bright capital of the Ming Dynasty. The wild ocean is also endowed with the artistic conception of Chinese civilization.

After a song, Liu Ming simply faced the wooden window with his hands behind his back and sang in the sea breeze.

"The tide of the spring river is even with the sea, and the bright moon on the sea is born together. Thousands of miles with the waves, where there is no moon in the spring river. The river flows around Fangdian, and the moonlit flowers and forests are like hail; The frost in the air does not fly, and the white sand on the Ting cannot be seen. Jiangtian is colorless and dustless, and the lonely moon wheel in the bright sky. Who first saw the moon on the riverside? When did Jiang Yue shine at the beginning of the year? ”

But seeing the brilliant clouds on the horizon, dotted between the sea and the sky, the scenery is extremely magnificent.