Chapter 769 It’s too difficult to find a reef here
Xiao Peng’s complaints are not without reason.
He underestimated the sea conditions in the Caribbean Sea.
This is indeed a fun place, but looking for Drake's treasure here? Xiao Peng now truly understands the meaning of the phrase "looking for a needle in a haystack".
Xiao Peng and Duan Bo were in the offline room comparing the sea condition data they had previously investigated.
"This doesn't match. The seabed topography here doesn't match the records." Xiao Peng placed a photo on the table. "Damn it, how many of these are there?"
Duan Bo replied: "This is target number 164."
Xiao Peng cursed out loud, "So many? These damn pirates! I wonder how much they've hidden to make them go through all this trouble!"
Duan Bo said, "Boss, we've discovered four ships worth salvaging recently. Wouldn't it be nice for us to salvage those four ships?"
Xiao Peng said directly: "Leave it there first, these ships can't escape! What are we doing here?"
Duan Bo sighed and said, "Boss, I understand what you're saying, but who can stand seeing all this money go down the drain every day? I think Pascal is right. Think about the pirates' behavior. Even if we find their treasure, it doesn't guarantee profit. What if it's just a bunch of worthless stuff? After all, the value of things is different in different eras. Back then, you could make a fortune with a shipload of tea, but what about now?"
"That shouldn't be the case," Xiao Peng said. "I've made some judgment. Drake was willing to sacrifice his pirate identity for a title and fight for the British and Spanish. This shows that he's a man of ambition and vision. How could a man like him hide a pile of garbage?"
Just then there was a knock on the door.
"Come in." Xiao Peng put the photos and other information on the table aside, and it was Ma Xiao who came in.
"Boss, where are we going next? Lao Chen asked me to ask if we are going to the reservation point on the 27th?" Ma Xiao asked.
Xiao Peng thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to No. 31 instead of No. 27. The terrain here is different from what we expected. Damn it, I should have called Xu Xingde. This is when we need a marine geology expert to make a judgment!"
Ma Xiao was about to leave, but stopped when he heard Xiao Peng's words: "Boss, if you believe me, can you let me see this information?"
Xiao Peng was stunned after hearing this. After a brief thought, he handed all the information on the table to Ma Xiao: "Take a look and tell me your judgment."
Ma Xiao was stunned when he looked at the document in his hand. He didn't expect Xiao Peng to give him the information so directly.
Xiao Peng sat down on a chair and rubbed his solar plexus. "Look, all this information is making me dizzy. Tell me what you think after you read it."
Ma Xiao took it, glanced at the photo, and said directly, "Boss, are you looking for a reef?"
"Hmm?" Xiao Peng was about to light a cigarette when he looked up at Ma Xiao's words and said, "Yeah. Did you figure it out?"
Although we often talk about "islands and reefs," in geographical terms, "island" and "reef" are two different concepts. An island is one that remains above water regardless of tide, while a reef is one that remains on the seabed during low tide and above the surface during high tide. A submerged reef is one that remains on the seabed regardless of tide.
The most famous reef in China should be the 'Suyan Reef'.
At the lowest tide, the Suyan Reef is still about five meters deep from the sea surface, making it a real reef.
This is a submerged reef within Chinese territorial waters. It was marked on the Qing government's Beiyang Fleet sea route maps and remains so today. The reef is famous because of its controversy.
Originally, this reef was undisputedly within Chinese territorial waters. But what did the Chinese fear most? They feared the Chinese would covet it. In 1952, the Chinese set their sights on Suyan Reef and arbitrarily established the so-called "Syngman Rhee Line," which included Japan's Takeshima and China's Suyan Reef within their territorial waters. Everyone knows what happened next: The Chinese got a good beating and never dared to mention the issue again.
Later, something happened at Suyan Reef that shocked the whole world:
The first 10,000-ton ship built by China itself, the "Yue Jin", suddenly sank on its maiden voyage to Japan.
This incident might seem trivial now, but what happened then? It was 1963, a time of heightened international tension! The Japanese, speaking directly on their All Asia Broadcasting Station, claimed the Leap Forward had sunk after being struck by three torpedoes. This claim quickly spread, with reports appearing in many countries and regions.
Without exaggeration or slander, the country was scared to death at that time!
At this point, China's great Prime Minister issued a directive: Remain silent for now, refrain from jumping to conclusions, and begin an investigation into the matter. After an on-site investigation involving over a thousand personnel and ten ships, it was concluded that the Yue Jin had run aground on a reef near Suyan due to a miscalculation. This incident fully demonstrated the demeanor of a great power and also demonstrated that China had meticulously documented the location and maritime conditions of Suyan Reef by 1963. Meanwhile, China didn't confirm the location of Suyan Reef until 1984, when Jeju University first confirmed its location.
However, at that time, China's economy was in dire straits, and its people were struggling to make ends meet. The government had no time to care for a hidden reef in the ocean. This gave the then-economically stronger "thief nation" an opportunity. In 1987, they illegally installed a navigation buoy on Suyan Reef. Later, they illegally built a platform on Suyan Reef. They also invoked the principle of "first occupation" of unowned terra nullius under international law, using this method to seize Japan's Takeshima Island.
Unfortunately, Suyan Reef is a submerged reef, so this principle does not apply. The two sides are still arguing over this issue to this day.
Japan also joined in the fun, insisting that Suyan Reef is located within its own so-called "Aviation Identification Zone." The dispute between the two countries has turned into a "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" drama.
The relations between the three East Asian countries are like this every day.
But to be honest, this matter won’t last too long.
When the Chinese were poor, they naturally wanted to "set aside disputes." But now that they've become wealthy, it won't be long before the GDP of one of the four Asian Tigers doesn't even match that of a single Chinese province. It's time to start talking about it. What "principle of first occupation"? What "aircraft identification zone"? If you mess with me, I'll flip the table over!
And now Xiao Peng is searching for such an underwater reef. According to the information he has obtained, Drake's treasure is hidden in an underwater reef.
Finding underwater reefs is not an easy task. Besides being difficult to find, they are also dangerous for navigation. During this period, Xiao Peng was almost driven crazy by these reefs.
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