Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 992: Indian Ocean
Since Zheng Sen wanted to pursue a career in literature, that was exactly what Zhu Shenzui wanted. Not only did he secretly bring Zheng Sen, who was supposed to be in the Imperial College in Nanjing, to the capital, he also arranged for a famous dean to be Zheng Sen's teacher.

This Dean was well-known among the Confucian scholars, and he was also knowledgeable and good at writing. He was more than qualified to be Zheng Sen's teacher. Under the guidance of this teacher, Zheng Sen would not achieve any results, but he would certainly learn about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, and the relationship between the emperor and his subjects, and between fathers and sons. Regardless of whether this would affect Zheng Sen's outlook on life and the world, it would be much better than letting Zheng Sen let things go.

As for the move against Zheng Zhilong, Zhu Shenzhui was still in the process of preparation, so there was no need to rush. At present, the adjustment of officials in Fujian was already in progress. With the adjustment of officials at all levels in Fujian, coupled with the infiltration and activities of the Jinyiwei in Fujian, some results had been achieved.

In addition, under the instruction of Zhu Shenzhu, the Jinyiwei was secretly trying to win over Zheng Zhilong's old subordinates, intending to divide and disintegrate the internal power of the Zheng Group. However, the effect could not be seen in a short time, and Zhu Shenzhu was not in a hurry. This matter had to be done slowly and not too hastily. In addition, Zheng Hongkui had already gone to Europe, so as long as there was a result before he came back, it would be enough.

Speaking of the diplomatic mission to Europe, it has been more than three months since they left Ming Dynasty. According to the time, the fleet should have been about halfway through the journey, and it will take about the same amount of time to reach Europe.

In the Indian Ocean, seven galleons set sail, their destination being Goa.

Goa is an important city on the west coast of the Indian Ocean. It is the location of Portugal's colony and an important supply base for Portuguese fleets traveling between Europe and the Ming Dynasty.

This fleet set out from Macau and was responsible for carrying the Ming Dynasty's delegation to Europe. The fleet flew the flag of Portugal, as well as the flags of the Kingdom of Sweden and the King of Poland.

In addition, there is a flag that appeared in the Indian Ocean many years ago, but not many people know the origin of this flag now. The pattern on this flag is the Big Dipper, also called the Big Dipper Flag. Zheng He used this Big Dipper Flag as the flag of the Ming Dynasty when he sailed to the West. Two hundred years later, the Big Dipper Flag once again came to this ocean, erected on a tall mast and fluttering in the wind.

The flagship of the fleet was still the Liberty, which Adolf took when he came to Ming Dynasty. On its left was the Brave, and on its right was the Ocean Goddess, which joined the fleet in Macau. These three galleons were located in the center of the entire fleet, and together with two galleons in front and behind, they formed this fleet.

The Ming Dynasty's envoy Wang Fuzhi is on the Liberty. Compared to when he was on his last mission, Wang Fuzhi is now so unfamiliar that even those who are familiar with him in the Ming Dynasty would find it difficult to recognize him.

As a reader in the Hanlin Academy, Wang Fuzhi was a leader among literati. In the Ming Dynasty, Wang Fuzhi paid great attention to his appearance and behaved in a well-controlled manner. His every move was full of the bearing of a scholar. But now, Wang Fuzhi is not only tanned, but his long beard is also a mess. His skin is dark and red, and it is peeling due to the strong ultraviolet rays. His frail body has become much stronger. He does not wear a crown on his head, but only wraps his head with cloth, wears a short skirt, and his trouser legs are rolled up to his knees. He does not even wear shoes on his feet, with his bare feet. He looks no different from fishermen in coastal areas.

"Sir, it's too hot today. Please drink some water and don't get a heatstroke." Wang Fuzhi was looking ahead. Due to the hot weather, he raised his hand to wipe the sweat from time to time. He heard a familiar voice behind him. Turning back, he saw that it was one of the attendants who accompanied him on the mission. The voice was holding a gourd in his hand and handed it to Wang Fuzhi, saying with concern.

"Thank you." Master Wang nodded, reached out to take it, opened the gourd lid, put it to his mouth and took a sip. As the water went into his mouth, Master Wang couldn't help but frowned slightly. Because of the long voyage, the fresh water stored on the ship had deteriorated slightly. Although the water was boiled, cooled and tea leaves were added, the strange taste was still difficult to swallow.

However, Wang Fuzhi did not care. During these three months, Wang Fuzhi witnessed the fleet departing from Macau, then entering the South China Sea, sailing to the South China Sea Islands, passing Malacca, then turning back north, and then continuing westward along the Indian Ocean until it reaches its current location.

During these days, Wang Fuzhi deeply realized the difficulty of sailing on the sea. The ocean is unpredictable and the risks of sailing are extremely high. Not only does one have to face weather and storms that may change at any time, but one also has to guard against other possible crises, such as pirates.

In just three months, their fleet encountered two storms and one pirate attack. Although the former was dangerous, they finally survived it safely due to the rich experience of the fleet commander and captain. The latter was the most risky. If their fleet had not discovered the pirates first and had not carried artillery on board, and the fleet commander had not responded calmly, and his deputy Zheng Hongkui had the combat experience as the admiral of the Ming Navy, they might have suffered a great loss.

Although they finally repelled the pirates, two ships in their fleet were damaged. They had no choice but to temporarily dock at Dazhanhaikou and request local permission to anchor and repair.

After staying at Dazhanhaikou for half a month, the fleet set sail again after the ship was repaired and resupplied, and continued to head towards Goa on the west coast of the Indian Ocean. Now it is not far from Goa. According to the navigation chart, it will take at most four or five days to reach Goa. After arriving in Goa, the fleet will repair again, and then go to Africa after repairing this time. When it arrives at Mozambique Island on the east coast of Africa, it will be the last supply after passing through Africa, and then go around the Cape of Good Hope, then sail northwest, and finally arrive at the destination of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal in Europe.

Everything Wang Fuzhi experienced during these three months was something he had never experienced before, and it can be said that he suffered a lot. As a landlubber, Wang Fuzhi was seasick from the beginning. Although he solved the seasickness problem with perseverance, he was deeply impressed by the harsh conditions and changeable climate on the ship and the risks that could be encountered at any time. But in the face of all this, Wang Fuzhi did not retreat, because he knew the mission he was responsible for, and according to his communication with the captain and crew, he learned that the first half of the voyage was relatively the safest area. Compared with the harsh and changeable climate of the Atlantic Ocean, the sailing conditions in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea are much better. What he encountered now was just an appetizer, and the real risks were still to come.

He sipped the water slowly, and after drinking it enough, he got used to the water with a strange taste. It would be fatal if there was no fresh water on the ship. Moreover, the climate in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean was hot, and people could not survive without drinking water. What's more, the sailors who worked at extremely high intensity all drank such water. Although he, Wang Fuzhi, was the chief envoy of the mission, he was no exception.

"Brother Ernong! Why are you here?" Just as Wang Fuzhi was drinking water, Deputy Envoy Zheng Hongkui also went on deck. When he saw Wang Fuzhi, he smiled and greeted him and walked over quickly.

"Brother Rijian!" Wang Fuzhi smiled and bowed to Zheng Hongkui. Zheng Hongkui's attire was not much better than Wang Fuzhi's, he also wore a pair of shorts, but his shirt was completely open, revealing a patch of black hair on his chest. Coupled with his burly body and a big beard that had not been taken care of for many days, he looked no different from a mountain king.

His eyes fell on the gourd in Wang Fuzhi's hand, and Zheng Hongkui grinned: "It's inconvenient on the boat, and I'm sorry that Brother Ernong has been wronged. This water doesn't taste good, right?"

"It's nothing. Now that we are on the boat, we have to follow the rules. Since others can drink, why can't I? Moreover, as the chief envoy, I should set an example. What do you think, Brother Rijian?" Wang Fuzhi smiled faintly, continued to put the gourd mouth into his mouth and raised his head to take a sip.

Seeing him like this, Zheng Hongkui laughed and gave Master Wang a thumbs up: "I have seen many civil servants, but this is the first time I have met a civil servant like Brother Ernong. Apart from other things, Brother Ernong's demeanor can be called a manly one. You know, ordinary people may not be able to survive on a ship and go to sea, let alone a literary star like Brother Ernong."

Wang Fuzhi shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He and Zheng Hongkui had been together for a long time, and the two had become familiar with each other. Although one of them was the chief envoy and the other was the deputy envoy, and one was a civil official and the other was a military officer, Wang Fuzhi did not discriminate against Zheng Hongkui. Moreover, because of Zheng Hongkui's background, they often asked for advice on the ship, and Zheng Hongkui also patiently explained to Wang Fuzhi some precautions at sea, including his experience at sea, etc., and the two sides had a very harmonious contact.

Moreover, when encountering pirates before, Zheng Hongkui played a very important role. The elite navy he led made great efforts in repelling the pirates. It was also because Zheng Hongkui assisted the fleet commander in command and fighting that the pirates were repelled and the entire fleet was preserved. For this reason, Wang Fuzhi looked at Zheng Hongkui with even greater respect.

"Here, drink this." Seeing Wang Fuzhi continue to drink water, Zheng Hongkui reached behind him, took out a slightly smaller gourd, and handed it to Wang Fuzhi. Wang Fuzhi subconsciously took the gourd and looked at Zheng Hongkui, who did not say anything, but just smiled and nodded.

Wang Fuzhi covered the water gourd and handed it to the follower behind him. Then he opened the lid of the gourd given to him by Zheng Hongkui, put it under his nose and took a slight sniff. Immediately, a faint smell of alcohol came out of the gourd.

"Is this wine?"

"Yes!" Zheng Hongkui nodded and said, "It is not easy to replenish fresh water during sea voyages, especially long-distance voyages. However, fresh water will generally have a taste after being stored for about ten days. After a long time, it will not only be hard to drink, but it will also easily make you sick."

"Although our Ming Dynasty has a navy, we rarely sail far. We usually only travel to Japan, the South China Sea and other places. It only takes a few days. Even if we encounter a storm, we will at most deviate from the course and will not drift on the sea for too long, so we don't pay much attention to it. But European ships are different. They often travel between Europe and Ming Dynasty and even the so-called New World. Sometimes ten days and half a month is considered short when sailing on the sea. Sometimes it takes a month or even more than a month. For such a long time, fresh water is unusable, so we have to find another way. Compared with fresh water, wine can be stored for a long time, so ships on long voyages often store some fresh wine to supplement the shortage of fresh water. This gourd contains the fresh wine I asked for today. The taste is slightly different from the wine of our Ming Dynasty. Although it is not very good, it is much better than the spoiled fresh water."

"It's OK for a rough man like me to go to sea all year round, but Brother Nong is a scholar and the chief envoy of the diplomatic mission. You need to take care of your health. For the next few days, drink this light wine and try to drink less water. You will be fine when we reach the next supply port. Drink it."

Wang Fuzhi finally understood Zheng Hongkui's good intentions, and he thanked him with a grateful bow, then raised the gourd and took a sip. Although the taste of the light wine was indeed different from the wine he was used to, it was much better than the spoiled fresh water. Moreover, after drinking the wine, his tired spirit was instantly lifted, and the sea breeze made Wang Fuzhi feel much better.

(End of this chapter)