Chapter Fourteen: The Kuroshio Route
A domestic pig was tied to a rack and let out a startling squeal, perhaps thinking that its squeals were loud enough that the master would open his eyes and let these terrible old men with white beards and white hair give it a quick death.
"For this, we need to suture the subcutaneous muscle first, and then suture the outer layer of skin."
"You don't need to use catgut sutures on the skin, just use hemp thread. You can just cut it and pull it out when the time comes, and there won't be any bleeding."
"Uncle, this liquor is for cleaning wounds, not for spraying... You don't need to spray it... You've already drunk it!"
This pig had the worst luck imaginable; it had seven or eight large gashes all over its body, and three or four old military doctors were practicing their skills on it with needles and thread. First they'd make the gashes, then they'd sew them up, then they'd make another one. This pig was incredibly stubborn; for an hour, it hadn't stopped its loud squealing.
The on-site teaching could not continue because the materials were gone. Ever since a clever military doctor invented the trick of spraying alcohol with his mouth and then wiping the wound with a cloth, the alcohol was quickly depleted.
"Next year... next year... when I have lots of spare money, I'll give each of you a big barrel of liquor and get you all half-drunk." Qin Mo said this harshly and turned to leave. She really didn't expect these old men to think she was blind!
"Thank you, Your Highness, I will remember this."
"Thank you, Your Highness... Thank you for your kindness!"
A barrage of thanks nearly made Qin Mo trip and fall. How could these strong-willed men be corrupted into such ruthless masters by a single cup of wine?
The vast ocean stretches to the horizon, and a flock of seagulls soars freely, inspiring endless envy in the fish in the water. Little do they know that the seagulls are exhausted from flapping their wings for so long, and if they can't find food soon, they'll starve to death.
A fleet of ships appeared on the distant sea, attracting a large flock of seagulls to fly towards it. The sight of seagulls was considered good luck for the fleet, as seagulls do not venture too far from the shore. If the seagulls were spotted, it meant that land was near.
The sailors chopped up fish and tossed it up to feed the seagulls—a tradition on the ship—which Qin Mo found fascinating. He had finally fulfilled his dream of sailing, and his first long voyage was as the fleet commander—a prestigious and high-ranking position. His pride soared to new heights.
"Syman, star officer, measure the latitude and record it on the nautical chart!" Qin Mo loudly commanded. Several men around him scrambled to their feet, each holding a delicate bronze object and gesturing at it. The group of old sailors watched, bewildered and envious.
They couldn't understand what these so-called star officers were doing, but they saw the nautical charts. Nautical charts were the most precious possessions of every merchant, and they were rarely shown to others. Yet these people were scribbling on the deck. Although they were just sketches, they would probably eventually be copied onto larger maps. But the fact that these people could make nautical charts meant they would definitely be important figures in the fleet in the future, far superior to the lowest-ranking sailors like themselves.
On board, the hierarchy was extremely strict, with the captain, first mate, second mate, and sailors in that order, each level exerting control and pressure. Otherwise, the captain wouldn't be able to manage the entire ship during the monotonous and long life at sea. And the person who controlled the nautical charts was either the captain or someone of a higher rank, the owner or the owner's confidant.
Qin Mo had Ximan try to build several sextants. This time, they took a new route to test the new ship and the sextants. More importantly, they wanted to find the Kuroshio Current that originated in the Philippines, passed through Taiwan, and reached Japan.
There are generally two routes from Bactria to Fusang. One is to cross the East China Sea directly from Hangzhou and Ningbo to Fusang. The other is to go through Korea and then turn towards Fusang. The Kuroshio Current was the last route to be discovered and is also the most time-saving and labor-saving route.
Qin Mo first sent his fleet to Hangzhou to exchange some cloth before returning to Tainan, taking with him his five hundred elves and three hundred veteran guards. A grand procession of nearly thirty ships set off from Tamsui eastward, measuring latitude and searching for the Kuroshio Current along the way. Before long, they discovered that the seawater was an exceptionally deep and blue color, and they concluded that this was the so-called Kuroshio Current.
The Kuroshio Current is generally 150 kilometers wide, but it can reach 300 kilometers wide after reaching the waters southwest of Fusang, with a current speed of 3-10 kilometers per hour. Therefore, the Kuroshio Current can be used to quickly reach the Fusang Islands.
In this era, navigation is a true test of willpower. The vast ocean is boundless, and one often doesn't know where they are. Even with nautical charts and a compass, getting lost is common. Why? Because navigation relies entirely on fixed landmarks.
For example, if you start from a certain place and sail east for a while, you'll see a reef. Then, sail north for a while to reach your destination. If you don't find the reef to the east, the nautical chart becomes useless because the ship has no idea where it is. How can it navigate? At this point, you either have to turn back or recklessly turn north to try your luck. If it's a complex route, and you're unlucky twice and can't find any landmarks, well, you'll have to pray for divine intervention, because you've already lost your way.
Therefore, the nautical charts Qin Mo saw in this world were all abstract versions. Fusang was depicted as being 108,000 li (approximately 54,000 kilometers) from the Great Xia Empire, almost reaching Hawaii, to represent the extreme distance. No scale was considered when the charts were drawn. The fact that even a non-standard nautical chart could become a treasure demonstrates the backwardness of current navigational technology.
Nowadays, whether a ship can accurately reach its destination largely depends on the captain's familiarity with the route and their seafaring experience. Experienced captains are highly sought after by various maritime merchants. What Qin Mo is doing now is mass-producing these captains.
Qin Mo selected reliable young men from his retinue and trained them to use a sextant and create standard nautical charts using a scale. Although the lack of a nautical chronometer prevented the precise determination of longitude, for a given route, using a sextant to measure the accurate latitude of various landmarks significantly reduced the possibility of getting lost.
If you reach the latitude marked on the nautical chart and do not see a reference landmark, then search along the east-west direction of the latitude until you find the reference landmark. Then, continue along the nautical chart for the next leg of the journey. With a sextant as your guide, the star officer will always remain calm and know that you will eventually reach your destination; it's just a matter of time.
The East Asian nautical chart that Qin Mo drew based on his memory amazed Allen and the others who saw it. Compared to the precious nautical chart from the Great Xia royal family in the secret room, Qin Mo's chart was simply trash. Only then did they understand what Qin Mo had said when he first saw that nautical chart.
"We won't have to search anymore. Maybe I can find the way to the West."
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