Everything is ready, and the Ming Navy fleet set sail in May.

Most of the sea ships set off in the Taicang area east of the capital; while the ships departed from Longjiang Port are only a small part. After all the ships go to sea, the entire army will form a huge formation of 200 ships of all sizes. When they move, the sea surface occupied by the fleet is about a wide area of ​​twenty miles in a radius.

Officials from the Ministry of War chose a good day, which was the sunny and light breeze.

Liu Ming and others performed a ceremony on the shore and said goodbye to the emperor who came to see him off and his colleagues in the court. Then they got on the boat and rowed with the soldiers on their oars and approached a treasure boat.

The magnificent treasure ship on the river is extremely dazzling in the sun. The solid hull looks as stable as Mount Tai, and the hull is very thick and sturdy; the only disadvantage of this flagship-level large treasure ship is that it is slow reaction.

The antique window lattices on the hull and stern of the boat shine in the sun, as if they were inlaid with many gems. It is said that they are all decorated clam shells, and their main function is that the inner wall of the clam shell reflects light into the cabin so that the cabin can be more light.

When Liu Ming climbed onto the deck, he saw that the commander Tang Jing had arrived first. Liu Ming suddenly felt good. Being able to be with his acquaintances always made him feel more at ease.

Tang Jing welcomed him and said, "From today, I will spend time with you."

Liu Ming bowed his hand and replied. He thought to himself: Yes, if you spend a few months together on the boat, you can't go anywhere else, and the relationship will definitely become more familiar.

When the treasure ship had just raised its sails, the soldiers' military appearance was still clean. The troops lined up on the deck and said goodbye to the emperor on the distant shore.

However, as the scenery in the capital became blurry from the sight, the atmosphere on the ship quickly changed. The sound of light musical instruments came from the cabin and the "hahaha" laughter. People were busy and loudly, and the crew members 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 on the deck for a while. Tang Jing, who had gone to arrange everything, walked towards him again. The two stood on the deck to greet each other.

Tang Jing said: "I am the commander of the five ships and I am also the commander of this ship. We specially arranged a separate cabin for Liu Envoy, and I will take Liu Envoy there for a while."

Liu Ming bowed and said, "I'm going to be General Tang."

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

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

Tang Jing also said: "There are officers and soldiers in this ship, including 923 people. In addition to various literati, medical officer, medical officer, servant, etc., the total number is more than one thousand."

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

Tang Jing smiled and said, "Not it?"

He continued to point to the wooden building at the stern of the boat and said, "The treasure ship has eight floors, four floors below the deck, and four floors on the stern of the boat. There are four floors. There are rudder cabins, medical cabins, official halls, and command buildings. The rudder cabin operates with open holes and balance rudders. This is the latest rudder made after the founding of the Ming Dynasty. Even if the big ship turns, there is no problem. I and Liu Envoy are living in the official hall, located on the second floor. I will take you up to settle down."

While the two walked side by side, Tang Jing continued to say with great knowledge: "The hard sails we used, the skeletons and canvas are very heavy. When encountering strong winds and waves, the center of gravity may not be stable and will capsize. Fortunately, the sails are lifted and lowered with a sliding rope, and the sails can be lifted quickly, which can easily avoid strong winds, which is a great benefit. The soft sails used by the Persians are indeed lighter, but sailors need to climb the mast, which is very complicated to lift and lower. Each has its pros and cons."

Liu Ming listened with great interest. General Tang got on the boat, his face was full of energy and his demeanor was different from when he was in Beijing. Perhaps, for some people, the wandering sailing was his destination? Just like camels, they liked the harsh and harsh desert.

Tang Jing lay 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 'Tian' type, two in front and back, ten in left and right sides, and countless muskets of various types. In my opinion, if the enemy ship wants to face us head-on, the best way is to escape; after all, the treasure ship is bulky and the navigation speed is really slow."

After saying that, he laughed, with confidence and generous expression on his face.

While talking, the two walked up the wooden stairs to the official hall. They arrived at the door of a room, and Tang Jing opened it. He saw that there was a room inside. Although the space was not large, it was already very good to have a single cabin on the boat.

After a while, four more people came to meet. Two soldiers, one sergeant and the other sector were all people who were specifically waiting for Liu Ming's dispatch.

The room was full of expenses, and there was a wooden table near the window lattice. Liu Ming walked to the wooden table and sighed again. Next to the wooden table, the four treasures of the study were placed in a very exquisite way.

There is a rope at the end of a row of brushes, which is hung on the pen holder and sways slightly. The inkstone is replaced by a copper bottle and a cork, and has a special bamboo pocket woven with bamboo strips, nailed to the wall of the boat. The other marble paperweight is also fixed at the wall of the boat.

Tang Jing explained: "When you encounter wind and waves, things in the cabin will bump around everywhere, so you must keep things in order to avoid hurting people."

Liu Ming nodded and said, "I know, I have been on a sea boat before. But the items and equipment are not so particular."

Tang Jing nodded gently.

In order to show that he had sailing experience, Liu Ming found a wooden box, took out the 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 knowingly, put it in his mouth and chewed it, and then took the cowhide water bag from the guards. He said, "We will have a good life at the beginning. The boat is filled with many seasonal fruits and vegetables. But after a while, I can only eat jealous and soak the cabbage and bean sprouts. The boat usually does not fire, and I have to raise the fire and move some of the sand and gravel under the bilge."

Liu Ming said: "That's the only way to go out."

Tang Jing chatted here for a while, then said goodbye. Liu Ming sent him to the door.

By the evening, the boat became more lively. The distilled white wine brought from the capital was distributed to the soldiers before dinner, and everyone had a more joyful drink. Liu Ming heard military music and the drummers playing music on their own in the cabin, and the boat was filled with noise.

He walked out of the cabin and stood beside the railing to watch. He saw the soldiers on the deck as if they were having a festival. Some were singing and dancing, some were playing and wrestling. Some were watching and cheering soldiers were all shouting on the deck. In the early days of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, many Mongolians were surrendered. Decades later, the soldiers mainly became Han people, but some Mongolian customs were also preserved in the army, and many soldiers liked to fall.

People trained and prepared for a long time, and were very happy when they first set out, and there was no depressed morale that the court officials were worried about. But this was a protracted journey, and it might be different in a while.

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

At this time, the fleet had left the river one after another and entered the sea area. Countless ships first formed formations and dispersed the dense formations on the river, so that the distance between the two ships was more than 1,500 feet (avoid sudden collisions).

On continuous sunny days, the wind is small and the waves are low, and the sky is clear. The signals of the flag bearer and drummer are very clear, and the sky is filled with drum sounds of different rhythms from far and near. Some slender small sailboats shuttle through the queue and convey military orders in a timely manner.

The entire fleet gradually formed a formation similar to a geese-shaped formation, but Liu Ming could not observe the overall situation; because the fleet occupied too wide, and could not be seen clearly by the naked eye. However, he heard that the ships of Wang Jinghong and the chief general Chen Xuan were all in the center of the brigade to promptly inform the intentions of the army to both wings.

As the sun sets, the drums gradually stop. The sea and sky seem to be quiet, and only uniform and calm waves and wind can be heard.

Liu Ming was outside the official hall on the second floor, watching the scene on the treasure ship, as if he had remembered the atmosphere after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and all the joy stopped. There were still people coming and going on and off the deck, and the sailors and officers and soldiers were doing their own things in an orderly manner.

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

It was getting late today, and Liu Ming planned to go to the command cabin on the fourth floor to observe tomorrow morning. He returned to the room and looked at the four treasures of the study on the wooden table. He felt restless and had no intention of writing articles.

So he got up again and took out the guzheng from the package on the wall.

Liu Ming's family was not wealthy when he was a child. He only read books on the Four Books and Five Classics and other imperial examinations since he was a child. His music was learned after he had made fame, so his fingers were not very flexible and his skills were relatively poor. However, bringing the Guzheng and entertaining himself on the journey does not require too superb skills.

He first debugged the strings, and then chose the pipa song "Sunset Flute and Drum" he had practiced, and played it with the guzheng.

The elegant sound of the piano spreads along the antique window lattices. The shimmering sea surface and the shadow of the boat on the water seem to be full of poetry and painting in the song.

In a trance, Liu Ming seemed to be on the banks of the Qinhuai River, and the boat towers in the distance were the pavilions and towers in the colorful capital of the Ming Dynasty. The wild ocean was also given the artistic conception and emotion of Chinese civilization.

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

"The spring river tide is connected to the sea level, and the bright moon on the sea is born with the tide. It is rippling with the waves for thousands of miles, and there is no bright moon in the spring river. The river flows around the fragrant land, and the moon shines on the flowers and forests all look like sludge; the frost flows in the sky without flying, and the white sand on the ground cannot be seen. The river and sky are all colorless, and the lonely moon in the sky is bright. Who will see the moon on the river for the first time? When will the moon shine on the river for the first time?"
Chapter completed!