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Part One: Storm in Penghu Chapter 442: Lonely on the Boat

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    Huben Guards Colonial Expedition Fleet.

    It has been the third day since the six ships headed by the "Happiness" lost contact with the expedition fleet.

    Meng Tianxiong and Lin Jinjia stood on the bow of the boat. In front of them was the endless blue sea, with waves undulating under the sea breeze.  Suddenly, a big wave hit the bow of the boat. The boat shook violently, and the splashing waves covered both of them.

    ¡°Be alert at all times to large waves rising on the sea surface, and keep the ¡®Huanxi¡¯ sailing smoothly.¡± Meng Tianxiong turned around and shouted to the helmsman.

    After saying that, he carefully observed the situation on the sea again. According to the normal speed, the fleet had already arrived at Champa, but they were still sailing on the vast sea. It could be seen that the fleet was deviating further and further away from the route.  Long Zhantian reported this matter to the pilot ship, and the answer he received was that the fleet was traveling against the wind, which slowed down the fleet's sailing speed.

    Meng Tianxiong certainly disagrees with this statement. The increasingly strong sea wind and sudden large waves indicate that the ship is sailing towards danger.

    Lin Jinjia scooped up the telescope and looked at other ships. Suddenly he handed the telescope to Meng Tianxiong and said, "Come and take a look."

    Meng Tianxiong was surprised by Lin Jinjia's overture. When Meng Tianxiong became the new navigator on the ship, Long Zhantian, the commander of the "Huanxi", asked Lin Jinjia to help Meng Tianxiong analyze for the safety of the ship.  Regarding the navigation situation, Lin Jinjia was very indifferent at that time.

    Meng Tianxiong smiled and took Lin Jinjia's telescope, then looked at the pilot ship.

    I saw a circle of people on the deck, including soldiers and sailors.  Among them, there was a red Eight Immortals table. On the table was placed a statue of Queen Mazu, which was half a person tall. Candles were lit in front of the statue and some fruits were placed on it.

    A man in strange clothes was jumping up and down in front of the statue of Queen Mazu, mumbling something while he was jumping.  What are you praying to Mazu?

    No matter whether they are fishing at sea or going overseas, sailors on the ship will beg for the blessing of Queen Mazu.  This is a long tradition. People who went to sea since the Song Dynasty began to pray for blessings from Mazu.

    Meng Tianxiong heard from his great-grandfather that Zheng He, the eunuch of the Three Treasures, was a Muslim.  He only followed the religion of one god, but every time before he went to sea, he would lead the sailing crew to perform a grand ceremony to worship Mazu, the Queen of Heaven.

    The sailors and soldiers on the ship started chanting along with the man, and their voices spread to Meng Tianxiong¡¯s ears with the wind. This is also a song he has been singing since he was a child:

    "The top of Zhupan Mountain is Baoguang, and the east and west bamboos are all complete. The two Luohan Islands have a shallow one, and Baijiao passes the Dragon Tooth Gate. That is to say, go to Nanfan and Xiyang. Burn incense behind Niangzi.  Burn incense and bow your head, may the good wind be sent to the West"

    Next.  This ballad was spread by the wind to more ships. People on the ship who could sing this ballad also sang together, and the sailors on the Joy also sang together.  Everyone's pious and loud voices echoed in Meng Tianxiong's ears along with the sound of waves lapping on the boat.

    If Meng Tianxiong was still a helmsman, he would also sing this song with everyone.  Begging for the protection of Queen Mazu, I arrived at my destination smoothly.  But he is now a boat master, and the fate of a ship's people is in his hands, so he can't place his hopes on Mazu.

    "Master Meng Zhou, do you think that after a few jumps like this, the fleet can return to its normal route?" Lin Jinjia's voice rang out.

    Meng Tianxiong returned the telescope to Lin Jinjia.  She glanced at him and said, "Everyone who sails believes in the Queen of Heaven. You are a scholar, so of course you won't understand this. Sometimes you feel more secure if you believe in God than if you don't believe in God."

    "What you said is interesting." Lin Jinjia turned around and looked at him, smiled and said, "It seems you don't believe this at all."

    Meng Tianxiong smiled noncommittally. Suddenly he saw a big wave coming in front of the boat. He immediately turned around and shouted to the helmsman: "Go to the right immediately to avoid the wave."

    The helmsman immediately executed his order, but the speed of the big wave was too fast. Although the bow and hull of the ship avoided it in time, the big wave still hit the stern of the ship, causing the Joy to shake a few times.  Lin Ziyu swayed violently as the ship rocked. Fortunately, Meng Tianxiong supported him and kept him from falling.

    After the ship stabilized, Lin Jinjia pushed Meng Tianxiong's hand away and said, "The waves we encounter will definitely get bigger and bigger in the next voyage. This is just the beginning."

    Meng Tianxiong saw gray clouds rising on the sea level in the distance. It won't take long for these clouds to move over the fleet.

    "The seagulls have also left us." Lin Jinjia noticed the seagulls that had been flying up and down with the fleet.?has disappeared, which is also an abnormal phenomenon.

    "Maybe Mazu will be with us." Meng Tianxiong smiled, knowing that being depressed at this time would not change anything.

    Lin Jinjia didn¡¯t say anything. He took the telescope and walked to his cabin.

    By the afternoon, gray-black clouds had filled the sky, and the wind was howling, and each ship could only continue to move forward with difficulty by relying on its longitudinal sails.

    Huge waves kept coming towards the Huanxi. Meng Tianxiong kept directing the direction of the Huanxi. The waves hitting the ship had already soaked his clothes.

    Suddenly, as a flash of lightning illuminated the dark sky and the undulating sea level, earth-shaking thunder began to resound through the sky, which was frightening.

    Meng Tianxiong¡¯s face was unusually solemn. He didn¡¯t expect the bad weather to come so quickly.

    With bursts of thunder, the rain fell heavily on the deck like it was falling from the sky, making bursts of crackling sounds that almost drowned out Meng Tianxiong's commanding voice.

    "Qiang San, go check the sail again and don't let the rope loosen."

    "Hurry and turn the steering wheel to the left, a huge wave is coming."

    "Xiang Dashi, go check the bottom tank, especially the sealed tank. Don't miss any corner. If a leak is found, bring someone to deal with it immediately."

    "Sun De, if you stand in my position, whenever a huge wave comes over, shout out to me."

    ""

    Fishermen are exposed to wind and rain in the sea. On the vast sea, they often don't see a ship for days and nights, but they encounter unpredictable dangers every day.  Therefore, when fishermen go to sea to fish.  They are most eager to meet other fishermen, so they have always regarded life as the most important. It is a natural behavior to save the people in distress and try their best to save them.

    The Joy has approached the overturned freighter.  Several crew members were bobbing in the ups and downs of the waves. Meng Tianxiong shouted: "Throw the rope over quickly."

    Several sailors who had been waiting beside the ship's side had already searched for the target in need of rescue.  Throw the circled rope to the side of the drowning person.  When the person who falls into the water grabs the rope, he will get into the circle. Then the sailor on the boat will pull hard, and the circle will be tightly buckled on the person who fell into the water, and the person who fell into the water can be pulled onto the boat.

    The dark clouds in the sky are as black as ink, shrouding the whole world in darkness.  The wind was getting stronger and stronger, and the huge waves kept coming. The Huanxi was bumping up and down, swaying left and right, appearing on the huge waves, and almost being submerged by the huge waves.

    Another ship was capsized by the rising waves.  But as soon as they fell into the water, they were submerged and washed away by huge waves. Meng Tianxiong could only watch them being swallowed by the sea. He had no way to save them.

    The wind is getting stronger and stronger. If you don¡¯t hug the mast of the ship or simply lie on the deck and grab the side of the ship, you will be blown away by the wind.  Meng Tianxiong knew that the hurricane was really coming.  What the entire fleet will encounter next will be a nightmare.

    Hurricanes can not only set off huge waves, capsize ships, and even cause them to break apart.  Fortunately, Meng Tianxiong had already led people to complete the reinforcement of all parts of the Huanxi the day before, so that the ship could be supported for a longer period of time.

    Of course, the most terrifying hurricane is the formation of a huge whirlpool on the sea. The huge attraction can directly engulf and tear ships to pieces.  There was no chance of survival for those on board.

    Another huge wave came over from the left side of the "Huanxi". Meng Tianxiong exclaimed. The huge wave coming from the side could easily overturn the boat.  But now it was too late to turn the rudder to the right to avoid this huge wave. The only way was to increase the weight on the left side.

    "Everyone except the helmsman, lie down on the left side of the ship!" Meng Tianxiong said as he threw himself towards the left side of the ship, but the strong wind stopped his progress, and he just threw forward a little distance, leaving  There is still some distance to the left side of the ship.

    " Everyone crawled to the left amid Meng Tianxiong's shouts. Because the ship tilted to the right and the deck was extremely smooth, it was very difficult to crawl to the left.

    Meng Tianxiong shouted again: "The people on the left are holding on to the side of the boat tightly, and the people on the back are holding on to their feet and crawling forward."

    At this time, someone stretched out a hand towards him. Meng Tianxiong grabbed the hand without looking, and then climbed to the left side of the ship. When he looked up, the person who had just stretched out his hand was actually Long.  Zhan Tian, ??at this time, all his clothes were already soaked, and he looked a little embarrassed.

    "Commander Long" Meng Tianxiong quickly let go of his hand, feeling a little at a loss.

    Long Zhantian nodded and smiled at him, then looked at the dark sea.

    A huge monster over one foot tall?A crowd surged up in front of Meng Tianxiong's eyes. In shock, he shouted in a hoarse voice: "Hurry up and lower your head, and hold on to the side of the boat with both hands."

    Suddenly, a huge impact came towards us, and Meng Tianxiong's hand almost let go from the side of the ship.  In just a moment, the seawater covered his entire body. The huge water pressure made him feel suffocated. The seawater poured into his mouth through his nostrils, and the bitter and astringent taste made him very uncomfortable.

    Just after the huge wave finally passed, a bigger wave came over again, and Meng Tianxiong was submerged again.

    Meng Tianxiong suddenly discovered that Wei Dong next to him could hardly bear the huge impact. He still had one hand left to hold on to the side of the ship, and he was about to be washed away by the huge waves.  Meng Tianxiong wanted to stretch out a hand to save him, but it was too dangerous and he himself would be washed away by the huge waves.

    Finally, Wei Dong's other hand failed to support him, and his body flew up with the waves.  Meng Tianxiong didn't think much, he let go of his hands and jumped up, holding his feet tightly with both hands, and then rolled along with Wei Dong in the waves.

    The two people rushed directly from the left side of the ship to the right side with the waves. In the chaos, everyone could only watch as they fell into the sea from the right side. No one could save them.

    The huge wave finally passed, and the deck of the Huanxi was full of water. The crew and soldiers all got wet and tried to stand up and ran to the starboard side. The scene just now still made them panic.

    The heavy rain showed no mercy to them and continued to pour on their heads.

    The wind is howling, the rain is roaring, and there are not many ships left bumping on the sea.

    "Hurry up and let the two of us clean up the water on the deck." Suddenly, a hoarse voice came from the right side of the ship.

    Li Dongsheng, the marine commander on board the ship, stretched out his head and looked out. He saw Meng Tianxiong holding the hole of the cannon on the right side of the ship with one hand, and holding Wei Dong with the other hand. Below the two of them was the undulating sea, with debris and debris from the ship floating on it.  corpse.

    "Hurry up and put the rope down!" Li Dongsheng shouted loudly while looking at them intently.

    The two people were pulled up. Meng Tianxiong fell on the deck and kept breathing heavily. Wei Dong's condition was not much better. The red blood on his lips was in sharp contrast with his pale face, but he looked indifferent.  He looked concerned and was observing Meng Tianxiong on the deck.

    "My medicine is working well, right? The scar on your hand has basically healed." Wei Dong suddenly became very happy, his face gradually returned to rosy from pale, and he didn't look like someone who had walked around the gate of hell.  .

    Meng Tianxiong felt very tired, and he was still worried about the strange medicine that day, and he was not in the mood to answer him.

    Suddenly, Sun De let out a scream: "There is a ship sinking in front, and it seems to be sucked down by a huge attraction."

    "Another ship has been sucked in!" This time many people screamed in surprise.

    Meng Tianxiong¡¯s heart sank, and he encountered a whirlpool.  He stood up suddenly, rushed to the rudder and shouted an order: "Leave the whirlpool with full right rudder!"

    But the ship was already at the edge of the whirlpool, and a huge suction force continued to drag the ship toward the abyss of the seabed.

    ¡°Throw everything on the ship into the sea to reduce the weight of the ship.¡± Meng Tianxiong issued the order again.

    The grain, wine, porcelain, silk, tea, gold, gunpowder, cannonballs, knives, bows and arrows piled in the cabin were thrown into the sea one by one.

    After Wei Dong heard this order, he staggered into his medical cabin.  When Xiang Dashi brought some soldiers and crew members to the medical cabin, Wei Dong protected the already scattered medicines and refused to let them throw them into the sea.
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