Although after years of huge investment, there have been as many as hundreds of ships of large and small as the so-called "West Sea Fleet", this time, there are only ten warships on the West-sailing this time, and they will set out in ten batches within a month. Each warship must escort the ten merchant ships.

Most of these merchant ships were from the Ptolemy Egyptian state of Hesi. The owners' appearance, language, and customs were similar to those of the Greeks in the Great Xia, and they all liked to wrap a white robe.

After all, they were the pioneers of this Indian-Egypt route. Chu Shaosun heard that about decades ago, when the seventh king of Ptolemy was in power, a fishing boat with poison was blown to the west by the monsoon and was rescued by the Greeks. King Napolmy VII sent people to follow the poison fisherman to sail eastward. They were frequent visitors to Taibai Port long before the establishment of the Protectorate of the Symphoma.

Chu Shaosun was curious about what these Greeks bought. Chen Tang directly asked him to read the export list, but saw that the two largest goods on it were except for the balm, frankincense, pepper, pearls, ivory, sweet pine, and turtle shells, which were the sacred cotton cloth, and the other was silk from the south of the Han Dynasty. This was a product that the whole West was fanatical.

"What are those people selling in Taibai Port?"

Chen Tang smiled: "The great man is already a big place and has a lot of things. Now, with the body poison, there is almost nothing to be missing. In the past, those who could still use some glass to scare people, but now the body poison glass workshop is everywhere, so you can sell it to Han merchants yourself. Why bother to buy it from others?"

"Therefore, if Ptolemy wants silk and cotton, he can only exchange it for gold, silver and copper ingots!"

On the day of departure, Chu Shaosun and Chen Tang were riding the flagship of this westbound fleet, a huge "big wing". In the Han Dynasty, the largest ship of the boat was a tower ship, but the tower ship was simply a wind on the sea, and the large wing had to be transformed to adapt to sea navigation. As Chu Shaosun saw, this ship absorbed the style of the Ptolemy Egyptian sea ship.

As for its name, it was called "Lelang". General Cavalry set rules for the West Sea Fleet, named after Linhai County of the Great Han Dynasty. From the north, the first county was Lelang County, which was very compatible with the Houlang School Captain.

The ship can accommodate 200 people, and half of them are loaded with cargo in the warehouse, so they are not satisfied. There are about fifty Han soldiers, most of whom are so-called "Southern people" Gao Wutong. In addition, fifty oarists, although they are short, they are strong and strong. Years of paddling life have made everyone have wide shoulders and strong arms.

Chen Tang also took time to explain to Chu Shaosun why he had to wait until winter before sailing.

"General of the Cavalry called this sea the poisonous ocean. The southwest monsoon prevailed from February to August every year, and the northeast wind prevailed from October to January of the following year. He rode the wind and beat the horse. Don't worry, sir, you can reach Egypt in a month!"

Chu Shaosun suddenly realized that no wonder Egyptian merchants had to stay in Taibai Port for several months. It turned out that they were just waiting for the wind. After doing so, he didn't want to go back as soon as he wanted to, at least he had to stay in Egypt with the fleet until the beginning of summer.

With the sound of a gong and the tide rose, the Lelang led ten merchant ships out of the sea. With the uniform movement of the oars, the land was thrown behind him bit by bit, and the hull was also shaking in the sea. Chu Shaosun felt the deck rising and falling under his feet, and then...

Chu Shaosun, who had never taken a sea boat, couldn't help but lie down on the side of the boat and handed over the morning food to the sea. He ate rice and fried chicken, and added some local mixed spices. The curry that Ren Piqi improved was a bit spicy.

...

Three days before going to sea, Mr. Chu was so dizzy.

"No matter what, no matter how brave a man on the shore, he still has to slip his feet when he arrives at the sea."

Chen Tang comforted Chu Shaosun so much that he was the most experienced. Chu Shaosun remembered that Chen Tang could not even swim, so he dared to join the fleet to fight.

In the first few days, Chu Shaosun could hardly eat anything. Even if he forced himself to swallow, the food would not stay in his stomach for a long time. But he gradually gained experience: the experience of vomiting, and knew which side of the ship to choose to avoid being fooled by the wind, causing all the dirt to splash on him.

It is more comfortable when the wind blows. Although it is very cold, there is a fresh and salty smell in the air. But once the wind is too strong, the fleet will feel uncomfortable. The clouds and rain on the poisonous ocean cannot be explained clearly. Sometimes it comes from the east, with rolling thunder and lightning, and the dark rain will last for several days; sometimes it comes from the north, with cold and harsh winds as if it can pierce people.

At that time, the sailors controlled the ships on the deck to fight against the wind and waves, while Chu Shaosun could only hide in the compartment and shivered. If he forgot to tie himself up, he would be thrown from one side to the other. He could feel the ship being twisted and slapped by the angry ocean.

The flagship Lelang of the West Sea Fleet sometimes makes creaking moans, with such a loud sound that it may collapse at any time. Sometimes, the sea water pours in through the hatch, soaking the poor Mr. Chu's whole body, making him unable to help screaming.

But Captain Chen Tang, who had just learned to swim halfway, was able to walk on the bumpy deck as if walking on the flat ground, and used his experience of diligent study and practice to guide the crew to survive the dangerous waves.

Chen Tang also asked someone to open a bucket of "strong wine" to boost the morale of the paddlers, and also made Chu Shaosun, who was trembling with cold, taste a glass. Chu Shaosun had never drunk this kind of wine in the past. After drinking it in one sip, he felt several fire snakes winding down his throat and passing through his chest, making him vomit again.

The crew members burst into laughter. They like to see this kind of scene the most.

Chen Tang told Chu Shaosun that this liquor was a by-product of General Cavalry's "elixir" and was burned by ignition. In addition to sending the garrisons in the bitter and cold land in the river to protect the cold, they all gave them to the fleet. Although they were close to the tropics, the wind and waves in winter still made people freeze, and they had to drink them in limited quantities.

Chu Shaosun still likes yellow wine and fruit wine. This spirit belongs to the sailors and soldiers, and noble scholars are definitely not used to drinking it.

But Chen Tang seemed to be a white-faced scholar, but he could get along with a group of big guys, chatter, laugh and scold, and even greet other people's mothers in southern dialect.

By encouraging morale with the spirit of the spirits, they survived the huge waves, and the ten merchant ships that followed were intact.

Although there is danger of storms on the sea, there are also moments of joy and beauty. At night, the sea ripples like silk, fluctuating, and the moon on the water is bright.

But this also made Chu Shaosun feel uneasy, because he hadn't seen land for many days. At first, he didn't feel that after a long time, he seemed to have left the baby in his mother's arms. He became anxious and kept wondering whether the fleet had deviated from the route.

“With them, you won’t get lost.”

Chen Tang was very confident. He had already traveled back and forth on this route three times, and each time he brought different sailors. The escort was fake, and the training and familiar routes were real.

The powerful weapon to prevent the fleet from losing its direction is the starfish plate learned from the Greeks, used to compare the stars in the sky, and the other is the "compass" made by General Cavalry more than ten years ago. This object is a secret of the fleet and can be directed to the north and south, and will not be affected on rainy days. Now there are transparent glass sheets.

Knowing the direction and improving the sea boat, there is no need to follow the shore and walk slowly at the risk of hitting the reef. Chen Tang pointed to the north and said, "There is no need to park in the port of Anxue, which will cause trouble."

Chu Shaosun knew that when the Hezhong Protectorate was established ten years ago, the relationship between the Han and Anxi was still very good. However, as the General of the Cavalry advanced to the death, Anxi felt uneasy about General Ren's crazy expansion. Later, while the two kings of Anxi fought against each other, Ren Hong went south to destroy the Anxi vassal state Wuyi Shanli.

The civil war in Anxu ended soon. The Surena, who had met Ren Hong in Samarkand, had defeated the opponent of Anxu King. The following year, in the third year of Yuankang (53 BC), Krassu, the county magistrate of the Great Qin Tiaozhi, took the opportunity to fight eastward and wanted to annex the western border of Anxu in one fell swoop, but failed again and was killed by Surena.

Surena was very popular for a moment and became a famous general of the world. Anxi also reached its peak. His relationship with the Protectorate of the Poisonous Protectorate became subtle. He was particularly dissatisfied with the Protectorate of the Bypassing Anxi and directly traded with Ptolemy, which made the silk that was transferred to Anxi unable to sell at a high price.

The two sides had gaps and guarded, and the rest of the country imposed heavy taxes on the Han ships passing through their ports. Since then, the fleet simply did not rest in peace.

Although some of the people in the army were shouting to attack Anxue, there were also militants in the navy who wanted to copy the battle of the Lion Kingdom and occupied a port in Anxue. But Chen Tang knew that General Cavalry had no interest in Anxue and had been staring at the Great Qin Kingdom in Haixi.

When the wind was calm, because Chu Shaosun humbly asked for questions, Chen Tang would also tell him some things about the Qin Dynasty that he knew.

"Although the Great Qin Kingdom has no king, there are three Dukes in power. The first one is Krasus, the prefect of Tiaozhi who died in a battle with Anxi."

"The second is Pompei, who was also very famous in the Han Dynasty. I heard that because he repeatedly merged land and slaughtered him very much, some people in the country called him "Xiao Baiqi"?"

It is indeed called that. Chu Shaosun just heard that General Pang was as powerful as a king in the Qin Dynasty.

Chen Tang shook his head: "Pang's family is not as far away as Bai Qi. Bai Qi has never lost in his life, but General Pang just lost to one person."

But Chu Shaosun didn't know and asked in surprise: "Who is it?"

Chen Tang said: "There is another person among the three Dukes of Daqin, whose surname is Kai and his name is Sa. He is the prefect of Gaolu County, the western part of the Great Qin State, and he expanded the territory of Daqin for thousands of miles. The General of the Cavalry laughed and called him "Tail Master Kai", and I don't know what the basis is."

"It is said that the Great Qin State inherited the system of tyrannical Qin, and it also involves the division between the inner and outer passes. The prefects of the foreign county were not allowed to lead troops across the river and enter the inner passes, otherwise it would be like a rebellion. As a result, the Grand Master Caesar relied on the growth of the border army and led the Western army across the river to the capital. The Kaishi fought with General Pang, and won the great victory, winning the capital of the Great Qin. Now Pompei has been defeated and has fled to the eastern counties of the Great Qin."

Chu Shaosun was completely unaware of this and was shocked: "In this way, then the two heroes of the Great Qin Kingdom are fighting each other, and they are divided into two?"

The boat bumped for a while, and Chu Shaosun's heart also made him feel like he was a big deal. The Qin Dynasty has always been the imaginary enemy of the Han Dynasty for the past ten years.

Chen Tang nodded: "This is why General Chu hurried back when he was in the Protector's Mansion, and only stayed for a night before leaving. He was shocked to hear the news."

Chu Shaosun suddenly realized and whispered: "When we go to Ptolemy and Egypt, in addition to escorting, communicating and sending envoys as usual, we are also on the order of the general to inquire about the war situation of the Great Qin State! We can know which one wins or the Pang Family?"

"Sir, smart." Chen Tang laughed, but looked at the dark West again with a deep gaze.

He also shouldered another mission during this voyage, which was far less simple than Chu Shaosun thought!

...
Chapter completed!