Chapter 212

"Guoshi."

Ying Zheng's voice sounded in his ear, carrying irrepressible excitement.

"Look, is my Great Qin navy magnificent?"

"Incomparably magnificent." Gu Shanhe nodded, speaking the truth.

In half a year, gathering the strength of the whole country, especially those craftsmen from the Mohist and Gongshu families,

Under the few "improvement suggestions" (such as watertight bulkheads, more scientific sail and rope systems, improved bronze bearings) that Gu Shanhe "inadvertently" revealed, they had managed to build these thousand warships that far exceeded the era.

Although they were still far from real ironclad ships, in this era, they were already an invincible fleet.

"With this navy, crossing the sea to the east and leveling Fusang will be as easy as turning over one's hand!"

Ying Zheng waved his hand suddenly, pointing to the east, "Meng Tian!"

"I am here!"

Meng Tian, in black heavy armor, standing solemnly with his hand on his sword, stepped out and knelt on one knee.

"Call the generals! Board the ships!"

"Yes!"

Meng Tian stood up and strode to the largest tower ship at the very front of the port, where a wooden ladder was set up leading directly to the deck.

He boarded the ship, stood at the high bow, his gaze like lightning, sweeping over the dense army formation on the shore.

"Soldiers of Great Qin!"

Meng Tian's voice rolled out, overpowering the sound of the waves,

"The eastern expedition is imminent! His Majesty is here, the Guoshi is here! This time, we shall plow the court and sweep the caves, raising the heavenly might of our Great Qin! Let those barbarians beyond the East Sea know what a glorious upper country is, and what a tiger-wolf army is!"

"Wind! Wind! Great Wind!!"

200,000 people roared in unison, the sound wave rushing into the sky, shaking the sea surface so that it seemed to sway, and the seabirds perched on the bay's cliffs all flew away in a flurry.

Ying Zheng nodded with satisfaction and looked at Gu Shanhe again: "Guoshi, sea map?"

Gu Shanhe took out a map he had prepared long ago from his sleeve and unfolded it in front of Ying Zheng.

On it was a terrifyingly detailed map, not only marking the shapes and coastlines of the several major islands of Fusang, but also drawing eye-catching red circles and gold and silver symbols in several locations.

"Brother Zheng, please look, here, here, and here,"

Gu Shanhe pointed his finger at those red circles,

"These places contain large amounts of gold and silver mines."

"The people of that land are still in ignorance, using stone and wood as weapons, living without fixed abodes, scattered and messy."

"The army can land, divide forces to attack, take the mineral veins directly, and then clear out the remnants. Obtaining their gold and silver can fill our Great Qin's national treasury for decades."

Ying Zheng's eyes shone terrifyingly when he saw those gold and silver symbols.

Opening up territory is a great achievement, but being able to easily bring back gold and silver mountains made this achievement even more solid and heart-stirring.

"Good! Good! The Guoshi is truly my lucky star!"

Ying Zheng laughed loudly, "Order! Mark the target locations according to the sea map shown by the Guoshi! Board the ships, set sail!"

"Board the ships—! Set sail—!"

The horn sounded woo-woo.

The army formation on the shore began to move in an orderly manner, like a black tide, flowing along the trestle bridge toward those giant beast-like tower ships.

The sound of footsteps, the clashing of armor, and the shouting of generals intertwined, full of a sense of power.

Gu Shanhe and Ying Zheng boarded the flagship, which was the largest tower ship where Meng Tian was.

Standing on the high bridge, watching the soldiers boarding like an ant colony below, and watching the fleet around them slowly beginning to adjust their sail direction and lower their long oars, Gu Shanhe felt calm in his heart.

In the past half year, he hadn't been idle either, his cultivation steadily staying at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, consolidated quite well.

Although he had spent a lot of system emotion points (buying spirit stones, buying techniques, exchanging for some small gadgets), he had earned even more,

Especially the continuous shock brought by the several major battles of the northern expedition against the Xiongnu and the pacification of Baiyue, which kept his pockets still very full.

The fleet moved.

First, it slowly sailed out of the bay, reached the open sea, and the main sails and auxiliary sails were raised one after another, catching the wind and bulging.

On both sides of the ship's hull, long wooden oars, like the hundred feet of a centipede, entered the water and rowed in unison amidst the chanting.

This ship was well designed, using both sail power and human power, and the speed immediately increased.

Gu Shanhe felt the slight vibration coming from under his feet and the speed of breaking through the waves, and estimated in his heart.

At the normal sailing speed of this era, from Kuaiji to Fusang, it would take at least half a month, and it would also depend on the wind direction.

But this fleet now had faster ships, stronger rowers, better training, and...

He looked up at the sky; at the junction of the sea and sky in the distance, the clouds were a bit thick, and the color was not quite right.

He calmly called up the system mall, spent 10,000 emotion points, and exchanged for a "primary meteorological observation instrument (one-time use)," the size of a palm, like a compass, with fine scales on it.

He held it in his hand, pretending to observe the sea, but actually reading the data.

"General Meng."

Gu Shanhe spoke, his voice not loud, but just enough for Ying Zheng and Meng Tian beside him to hear.

"In the southeast direction, a hundred miles away, a storm is forming. According to our current course, we will enter its edge in two hours."

"The wind force can reach level eight or above, accompanied by heavy rain."

Meng Tian was stunned, looked at the "compass" in Gu Shanhe's hand, and then looked at the sea in the distance that seemed still calm, somewhat skeptical.

But he knew the Guoshi's methods well and dared not neglect: "Guoshi, how to avoid it?"

"Order the fleet to change course fifteen degrees to the north and accelerate through the current sea area."

"An hour and a half later, turn back to the original course, and we can perfectly avoid the center of the storm, only suffering some slight edge wind and waves."

Gu Shanhe pointed to a simulated route on the "compass."

Meng Tian looked at Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng waved his hand: "Listen to the Guoshi!"

The order was quickly issued through flag signals and messenger boats.

The huge fleet began to turn slowly.

Some experienced old sailors looked at the order to change direction and then at the weather that seemed still fine, and they were also muttering in their hearts.

But military orders were like mountains.

An hour and a half later, the sky indeed began to turn bad; the wind grew stronger, the clouds grew thicker, and the waves grew urgent.

But the fleet had already made a turn according to the route indicated by Gu Shanhe.

They could feel the increasingly terrifying wind and waves behind them, but where they were, although there was jolting, it was far from the level of danger.

Looking back, that sea area in the distance was already covered with dark clouds, lightning and thunder, and towering waves.

"Hiss—the Guoshi is truly a god-man!"

The sailors and generals on the flagship, including Meng Tian, all gasped.

If they had sailed straight through, even if the tower ships were sturdy, they would not have been able to avoid losing soldiers and generals, or even having ships destroyed and people killed.

Now, only the deck was a little wet.

"Is Master Gu the reincarnation of the Sea God? He can even calculate these winds and waves so accurately!"

"Nonsense, the Guoshi is a real immortal! Calling the wind and summoning the rain is just a minor skill!"

Whispers spread through the fleet, and the look at Gu Shanhe was filled with awe and a bit more mystery.

The morale of the army was invisibly raised by another notch.

Ying Zheng patted Gu Shanhe on the shoulder, saying nothing, but the trust and reliance in his eyes were thick and inseparable.

Avoiding the storm, the fleet readjusted its course and headed toward the main island of Fusang with all its might.

Rowers worked in shifts, resting the people but not the oars.

At night, they relied on the huge lanterns at the bow and stern and the stars and moon to identify the direction.

Gu Shanhe occasionally used his divine sense to explore the sea area ahead to avoid hitting reefs.

Two days and two nights later.

"Report—! General! Land discovered ahead!"

The sentry on the watchtower shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice distorted by excitement.

Meng Tian, Ying Zheng, and Gu Shanhe all came to the bow.

On the horizon in the distance, a long, dark green coastline outline appeared and disappeared in the morning mist.

"Is this the place? Guoshi?" Ying Zheng asked.

"Exactly, this should be the southern end of Kyushu Island in Fusang."

"According to the map, there is a bay ahead, the beach is flat, which is conducive to landing." Gu Shanhe confirmed.

"Good!"

A fierce look flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes,

"Order the whole army! Check weapons and armor, prepare crossbows and arrows, and at dawn, storm the beach!"

"Yes!"

The huge fleet began to slow down, adjusting its formation, like a giant beast gathering strength, slowly approaching the sleeping coastline.

On the sea, only the sound of the ship's hull breaking through the waves and increasingly heavy breathing remained.