The little men selected by Guan Yi are indeed very smart, but the most important thing in navigation is not to avoid storms, but to calculate the ship position.

What is the loss rate of Spanish sailboats across the Pacific? According to Dr. Cruikshank, there are 263 sailings from Manila, 353 sailings from Acapulco, and 616 sailings in 250 years. During the sailing trade, about 30-40 shipwrecks, robbery, fire or other accidents, and the loss rate is about 6%.

This is the case with the Pacific route. Although no one has ever done shipwreck statistics in the sailing era, the loss rate should not be too high; only the Atlantic route is more dangerous, but when Chu opened up the Atlantic route, steamships - damn pipes (it is difficult to have high-pressure steamers without pipes) - should have come out. Even if they are not come out, large sailboats using steel keels can greatly improve the ship's resistance to wind and waves and reduce the occurrence of shipwrecks.

Sea storms are not important. Only those who know nothing about navigation think that storms hinder navigation. What really hinders navigation is the determination of ship position. Calculational navigation methods and estimation of tracks are not feasible in this era. Land mark positioning (needle road map) can only be used for coastal routes, cannot enter and exit the deep sea, and only astronomical positioning can be used.

Another trick is to make sulfuric acid: if you can make it, you can make a battery, then create a spark gap radio, and finally set up a radio station on the island to locate it through the radio. This may be simpler than making a nautical clock.

Xiong Jing had some fantasies again, and he finally drove the radio positioning out of his mind. Sikong Tang Miao was already observing and recording the star map and the moon phase. Once the star map (maybe he had to spend a few years to observe the star map on the other side of the Pacific Ocean) and the moon phase recording were completed, then the longitude could be determined by observing the moon and finally calculated the ship position. This involves some trigonometric function calculations, and these future navigators in front of him don’t know whether they can understand the function calculations.

The textbooks are all read by the students themselves, and Xiong Jing comes over to answer questions every once in a while. Compared with these smart little guys selected, the students in the sailor class are much stupider. Many people can't figure out the half-day tide, so they can only remember Shuo. Fortunately, the tide is very quick to climb the mast, and they will go up like a monkey. If they don't get down, they will jump into the water with a loud bang.

The use of sails is becoming more and more proficient. With one mast and one main sail, you can already adjust the sailing. In fact, sailing is the main job of sailers, especially against the wind. The sail is very heavy, and adjusting the sail requires the concerted efforts of all sailors. After familiarizing with one sail, you can operate the three-sided cross sails on a mast and the three masts on a boat (including three-sided sails on the head inclined truss), and you can be familiar with it.

What remains are some navigation experiences, such as observation and collision avoidance near shallow seas, familiarity with the sailboat itself and temporary repair, familiarity with the marine environment and sea life. In this regard, Yue people may have more experience. The exchanges between Yue people are mostly by sea. They are familiar with the hydrology and tides of the Zhoushan Islands and the East China Sea. Perhaps, if Shaosi is lucky at this time next year, he can go out to sea.

"I pay homage to the king." Mrs. Xiang's name was adjusted to the shore in Shaopi for several times, and finally leaned against the dock area to rest. An official rushed up. At this time, Xiong Jing was drinking afternoon tea under the warm autumn sun.

"What's the matter?" The official is a fat man from the show hall. In addition to building a mansion, there are also many rewards for Bear Awards, such as sulfuric acid and transparent stone.

"I would like to remind the king that today the Hu merchants come to offer transparent stones. The Hu people do not need to be rewarded, but only ask for a drink with the king." The official bowed and told.

"Oh." Xiong Jing put down the teacup, which was exactly what he wanted. "Where are others?"

"Report to the king, Hu Shang is on the shore." The official pointed behind him and brought Hu Dansaozhi.

"On, bring him up." Xiong Jing looked at the shore, and there were indeed two Hu people looking at the shore, one of whom was carrying a sheepskin bag.

"The villain Hu Dansazhi met the king of Chu." After entering the countryside, Hu Dansazhi and his servants got on the boat and slammed their heads to Xiong Jing.

"No gift." Xiong Jing said lightly, "Where is the transparent stone you want?"

"Report to the king, the transparent stone is here." Hu Dansori Yayan was a little out of tune, but the transparent stone he offered made Xiong Jing not have time to pay attention to him.

Transparent stone is the name when offering a reward, so that people can remember its characteristics. Its real name is calcite, and more precisely, it should be called Bingzhou stone. The reason why it is called Bingzhou stone is because the place where it was discovered on a large scale was in Iceland, so it is called Bingzhou stone. The first person to use Bingzhou stone for navigation was the Vikings. It is difficult for them to see the sun at high altitudes. It is different if there is Bingzhou stone. On cloudy days, Bingzhou stone can also reflect sunlight to determine the latitude of the ship during a route of equal dimensions.

Using Bingzhou stone to reflect the double shadow queen, Xiong Jing praised: "It is indeed the transparent stone you want, but one piece is not enough."

"The villain knows where there is a transparent stone. I am willing to help the king transport it, but..." Hu Dansozhi was overjoyed. He brought all kinds of jade with him, in order to establish a trade in the Jitie State with him.

"How?" Xiong Jing handed the transparent stone to Changjiang. One piece was not enough, just his casual words. If Hu Dansazhi could not transport more Bingzhou stones, he could make someone decompose the Bingzhou stone that was as big as a palm and two fingers thick, and one or two pieces of each merchant fleet would be enough.

"The villain asks the king to sell the giant iron to the villain." Hu Dansozhi hurriedly asked the servant to take out all the gems he brought. These gems were packed in a beautiful wooden box and shone in the sun.

"This is..." Xiong Jing picked up a piece of 杨, which was a bright blue gem, and there seemed to be a blue flame inside. In "The Legend of the Emperor Mu", after arriving at the giant 杨, the locals offered forty stones on the tree. According to the statement of "Shan Hai Jing", the tree stones are 杨杨".

"Report to the king, this is Seser." Hu Dansazhi originally thought that the King of Chu would like white mutton fat jade.

"No, no. This is lapis lazuli." Xiong Jing said a word that Hu Dansazhi couldn't understand. He seemed to have heard that in ancient times, lapis lazuli in the world only came from one place, that is somewhere at the foot of the mountain to the west of the Pamir Mountains.

"Where did you come from?" Xiong Jing looked at Hu Dansozhi, saw his eyes deep and his nose high, and his eyes were green, and asked again: "Are you Persian?"

"Persia?!" Hu Dansorzhi's expression became extremely strange. He could not imagine how a king in a remote area would know that Persia. The Persian Empire no longer existed. After the Battle of Gaugamira, the failed Darius III fled to Bactrice (north of Afghanistan) and was killed. The Persian Empire was destroyed.

"The king knows Persia?" Hu Dansozhi changed his expression, no longer as flattering as before, but more respectful.

"I also know Alexander." Xiong Jing smiled and talked about the most famous gay man in the ancient world.

"You really know everything." Hu Dansozhi had heard some rumors about Xiong Jing, and there was a rumor that he knew everything.

"Are you not a Persian?" Xiong Jing asked again. He wanted to know where Hu Dansozhi was from. If he was a Persian, he would definitely know about the Mediterranean world. If not, his news might be very obstructive.

"Dear King, I am the Sogdiana." This is the first time Hu Dansorzhi introduced himself to people on this land.

"Sorgdiana?" Xiong Jing learned his pronunciation, repeated the word more and more seriously before and lightly, and said, "Are you Sogdian?"

"I am the Sogdian, the king." Hu Dansorzhi didn't understand what Sogdian was, and he thought Xiong Jing had misunderstood.

"You are from..." Xiong Jing dipped his fingers with some tea and drew the Amu River, Sir River and the Aral Sea in the Hezhong area on the short table. This was drawn according to the "Shan Hai Jing". The ancestors who compiled the Xishan Sutra should have gone to the Hezhong area. "...here?"

"Yes, respectful king." Hu Dansozhi was instantly impressed. As a merchant, he also knew the Amu River, Sir River and the Aral Sea in the river area.

"Do you know Alexander?" Xiong Jing nodded. He was sure that the Hu man in front of him was the Sogdian, the ancestor of An Lushan.

"King, Alexander died more than eighty years ago." Hu Dansorzhi replied, "But the Mahadul rulers of my hometown, they are a group of greedy and cruel devils, and the God of Light is already punishing them."

"Mahadol?" Xiong Jing recited this word, and after silently chanting it, he was a little enlightened: "Macedonians?"

"..." Hu Dansazhi was confused again. Mahadul is a counterpoint to the Greek Μακεδονεs, while Macedonia is a counterpoint to the English Macedonia. After defeating Darius III, Alexander conquered Bactricia and established a huge empire across Eurasia. After his death, the empire was divided into several pieces. At first, the empire was divided into the Greek native Kasander, Egyptian Ptolemaic dynasty and Seleucid Empire. Later, the Kasander dynasty was annexed by Rome, and the Seleucid Empire split out the Parthian Kingdom (Sabre Empire), and the Baktria Kingdom (Great Xia). The Kingdom of Baktria was established by the Greek-Macedonian colonial governor.

Hu Dansorzhi was full of hatred for Alexander. When Alexander conquered Bactricia, he carried out a cruel massacre. In the previous battle against Sana (located on the banks of the Sir River, near the west entrance of the Fergana Basin), more than 30,000 Sogdians resisted stubbornly based on the terrain. More than 20,000 people died in battle or jumped off the cliff, and only more than 8,000 women and children survived. The final conquest was through marriage, and Alexander married the daughter of the resistance leader.

Hu Dansazhi originally came for business. Under Xiong Jing's inquiry and inducement, he talked about the tragic past of the Sogdians. Xiong Jing also knew about the world west of Kunlun Mountain: the most recent one was the Kingdom of Baktria established by Greek descendants. The king was named Diodotus II. It had been nine years since he ascended the throne, but Hu Dansazhi did not mention the situation of the Rest Empire and the Seleucid Empire. He deliberately did not mention it.
Chapter completed!