Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 1017 Sailing
At 8 o'clock in the morning, after the cruiser Lichun hoisted its flag, a signal flag was hoisted on the signal mast, and the order that people were waiting nervously was issued-"Set sail on time!"

Li Di was wearing a white navy summer suit and a staff sash, standing on the bridge of Lichun, watching the ships of the 1st Scouting Squadron. The 200-ton Type II ketch patrol boat began to heave anchor.The anchor cables splashed white water, and when these thick anchor cables passed through the anchor chain holes, the mud on them was washed away by the water spray.The 1st Reconnaissance Squadron immediately set sail, followed by the 3rd Secret Service Boat Squadron, the 5th Secret Service Boat Squadron, the 1st Gunboat Squadron and the 2nd Gunboat Squadron... The Oceanic Fleet finally sailed to the battlefield where the fate of the Senate was about to be decided.

When the fleet sailed out of the anchorage, the troops stationed in Hong Kong and departing later excitedly saw off the First Fleet. The sailors lined up along the railing of the ship and waved their hats.Accompanied by the music of "March of Warships", the sailors of the First Fleet at Zhanpo also waved goodbye to them; everyone was beaming.Each believed he was about to enter into a battle for a glorious victory.

No one has the slightest doubt about the victory. The service of Lichun is not only a great shock to ordinary aborigines and naturalized people, but also a great shock to all naval personnel-Lichun is the largest ship built so far, with a body of iron bones , the huge main gun, the chimney emitting black smoke and white gas, and the huge waves splashed during the full-speed test of the strait not only showed off the military power of the Senate once again, but also made them understand that the Senate has the ability to continuously Repeat their industrial miracles, rather than a few "magic weapons" that cannot be replicated. This kind of miracle is unmatched by anyone.

The fleet sailed to the northwest, leaving Saintess Bay exactly via Lei Yue Mun. The north shore of Saintess Bay is still under the rule of Ming Dynasty and has not been blatantly included in the territory of the Hong Kong Land Reclamation Team, but the entire bay is already fully protected. "Australian lake".Ming army division ships never entered the Virgin Bay, and indigenous fishing boats that wanted to fish in the bay had to apply for a license at the Hong Kong trading station and pay a 20% fishing tax in kind.

Coastal merchant ships heading to Guangzhou and the Pearl River Basin, under the continuous patrol and "persuasion" of the Hong Kong Detachment of the Coast Guard, no longer enter the Pearl River Estuary, but dock in Hong Kong for trade. On the commercial wharf near Central, masts The mast is like a forest.The desolate bay, where there were only a few fishing boats fishing, has become busy.

The Beginning of Spring sailed slightly northerly to circumnavigate the North Cape. It sailed briskly along the coast at a sail speed of 6 knots. From the deck, you could see Mount Fortress. A puff of white smoke rose from the fort on the mountain. The sound of rumbling guns-that is the salute of the coastal artillery firing a farewell.

The secondary artillery on the Lichun also fired a salute.The thin clouds in the morning gradually dispersed, and the sun shone through the calm blue ocean.The gentle wind blowing over the deck of Lichun makes people feel refreshed.

In order to pass through the Lei Yue Mun Waterway, the 27 ships of the First Fleet lined up in a long line, with a distance of 1000 meters between each ship, like a naval review.Steam-powered ships set sail and sailed, just keeping their boilers at pressure.

Soon, a dozen fishing cooperative boats waiting for the tide appeared on the starboard side, and the fishermen waved and cheered.On the port side, the rice paddies of the Kowloon peninsula turned golden—thanks to the Tian Di Hui—heralding the arrival of autumn.The numbers along the coast are verdant and green, and they are more eye-catching against the hazy background of green hills.

On the sea not far from the shore, there was a 601-type paddle steamer tugboat breathing black smoke and dragging a string of barges to the sea with difficulty.After a while, when Cha Kwo Green was seen from the bridge, the string of barges had fallen far behind.

Tugboats perform many tasks in Hong Kong, one of which is to load various materials purchased from Guangzhou onto barges and tow them to Hong Kong.This heavy and slow water train is now a spectacle on the Pearl River Estuary.

When the fleet continued to sail, the small patrol boats of the Coast Guard spewed black smoke and chug past from the outside. They were performing patrol and casual inspection tasks.Guarantee the absolute hegemony of the Senate in the Pearl River Estuary.

Looking at all this, Li Di almost couldn't get along with his memories of the old time and space—in the old time and space, he had been to Hong Kong more than once, but the original state without dense high-rise buildings, busy streets, and docks made him Feeling very strange, he couldn't help thinking about the past.Suddenly, the signal master loudly communicated the password through the microphone, interrupting his recollection.

At this time, all the senior officers of the First Fleet Headquarters, as well as the captain of the Lichun and his staff, gathered on the bridge, because the regulations stipulated that when passing through the narrow waterway, all personnel on board must take their positions.

As soon as the signal chief's order sounded, four signal flags were raised on the small signal mast behind the bridge command post.The first signal flag is an order to change formation.Since they had now passed the narrowest part of the waterway, it could be concluded without looking at the other three signal flags that the order was to put the ships in normal sailing formation.

On the top of the signal mast, the flag of the major general of the First Fleet's chief adviser and the flag of Li Di's deputy general are flying--Li Di's military rank is only a lieutenant colonel, but he is the chief of staff of the First Fleet. Fly the general flag.

Suddenly, the loudspeaker on the ship announced: "The Liyumen Waterway has been passed! Put away the tools! Resume normal deployment!"

People in white civilian uniforms and blue overalls began flocking to the aft deck for a last glimpse of the receding shore.About a dozen boiler soldiers who had just turned over came to the bow deck, took off their shirts, and began to do gymnastics with their shirts off as the corporal whistled.

Li Di also left the bridge and came to the "balcony deck" behind the bridge. This is a place for officers to rest on the deck. There are wrought iron patterned handrails, a teak deck, and cast iron fixed tables and chairs. .The Lichun's tonnage is not enough to install a captain's private balcony at the stern, and such an area is set up behind the bridge.

He sat down on the chair and looked at the scenery on the sea - it was rare that the weather was so sunny and pleasant.

Li Ziping, the captain of Lichun, came down from the bridge and also came to the deck.He sat down on a chair beside him, lit a cigarette casually, and said:

"Are you still used to it?"

Li Di was notorious for being seasick—although he insisted on becoming a navy, he was always seasick.When I went out to sea with 8154 to cruise, I vomited so badly.Later, during the trial voyage after the completion of the Fubo, he was carried off the ship again.So in the end, I can only live in the positions of chief of staff of the navy and director of harbor affairs, and neither my job nor my part-time job requires ocean sailing.However, senior naval officers who cannot sail on the ocean know that they are "a disgrace to the Navy" without being told.

For this reason, Li Di spent a lot of time doing adaptive training, using equipment to exercise his sense of balance, and often fighting for opportunities to go out to sea. After more than a year of training, he became much stronger than before.

"It feels good right now. I think it's going to be okay this time."

"The current wave height is less than 1.2 meters, which is typically calm. I'm afraid it won't be so calm when we enter the ocean." Li Ziping said, "And you have to sail continuously, I don't know if you can stand it then?"

"No problem." Li Di said resentfully, "Maybe there will be a little seasickness, but it's not a problem." He changed the subject, "You guys are doing joint training for the whole ship, it's pretty busy."

"That's enough! It's only been more than two months since Lichun was delivered to the sea. It's a fantasy to form a combat force. We have to train while sailing—anyway, we have strong firepower and fast speed. As long as we don't let the enemy fight melee at close range, No matter how you fight, you won't suffer."

"Speaking of which, the quality of the sailors and department heads on your ship may not be as strong as those on the spy boat—there are many old seals on board, at least they are first-class sailors."

Li Di's last sentence touches on an unpleasant issue.In order to ensure the "absolute safety" of the Lichun, all "unreliable" naturalized civilian sailors were eliminated when preparing sailors and department heads. Many of them were junior officers and sergeants who were originally from pirates. Those who are not high are excluded.

Li Ziping said: "I am very opposed to this kind of approach that depends on political reliability first - a certain degree of vigilance should be there, but unlimited quantitative management is too much..."

Li Di also felt the same, but he declined to comment.Quantitative management is something Mr. Wen "talks about every day and from time to time". He insists on implementing the ISO system in every aspect.Political ratings and reliability ratings are systems developed under the banner of quantitative management, and it would be unwise to openly oppose them.

"This is a system issue," he thought for a while before replying in an old-fashioned way. "We still have to consider how to do things well under the system."

"I don't know if this operation will go smoothly..." Li Ziping was talking.Suddenly the microphone rang: "Report to the captain, the flooding speed of the bilge is accelerating..."

"Understood, I'll go right away." Li Ziping said as he picked up his hat on the table, "This boat! I knew it wasn't so peaceful!"

Lichun is a newly launched ship - as a newly built wooden hull ship, it is normal for water to enter.Wooden hulls are automatically sealed after a period of sailing.As long as the pumping machine can be used to control the water intake below the warning level, the course and operations will not be affected.Almost every European sailboat is equipped with a human-powered water pump. Sometimes, a boat in poor condition even has to pump water in 24-hour shifts to keep it afloat.

There is a steam auxiliary engine on the Lichun, and no manpower is needed to pump water, but the speed of water intake is still closely watched.Li Ziping was very worried about the quality of the ship, for fear that any quality problems would not be discovered in time—it was his responsibility for the shipwreck.

(End of this chapter)