Chapter 49

Despite the cold weather, Lu Ming's forehead was still dotted with fine beads of sweat. This was due to the group of enthusiastic Indian "shopping maniacs" who had frightened him. Fortunately, these Indians had no ill intentions; their simple nature seemed to indicate that they had come solely for trade.

At this point, the trading had already concluded. Looking at the animal skins, dried meat, animal bones, and teeth scattered around his feet—oh, and a yellow llama—Lu Ming felt a slight headache. How was he supposed to deal with all these things? To be honest, these Indians were quite fair; at least they didn't take the salt without giving anything in return. Instead, they offered what they considered to be their most precious items. The problem was that these "most precious items" were of little use to Lu Ming and his group, and were more of a burden.

Sigh, let's just consider it as spending money to make a good connection. At least they didn't become enemies with these Indians, and that was already a good outcome, Lu Ming thought somewhat sadly.

The unexpected trade with the Indians lasted only about half an hour. The Indians traded away most of the salt the group had brought, and they didn't even glance at anything else. After half an hour, Lu Ming's team, having tidied up, set off again. They discarded the oddly shaped bones and teeth, kept some of the dried meat that didn't look too suspicious, and retained all the animal skins. The cook, Martias, sorted and packed these items, then placed them on the yellow llama. Fortunately, these items were not heavy, and the llama only grumbled a few times. Martias laughed heartily, quite satisfied with this living trade item, as it meant he no longer had to carry heavy items like iron pots and ladles.

At noon, the group stopped. After ordering the soldiers to rest and prepare lunch, Lu Ming led a few people up a small hill nearby. The hill was not very high, about 70 to 80 meters, with a cliff facing the sea and a gentle slope on the inland side.

The area at the top of the hill was quite large, but there were no natural shelters to protect from the wind. Since the hill was made of stone, it was not easy to dig fortifications, so Lu Ming gave up after a while, deciding that this location was not suitable for a secret observation post.

After lunch, they continued their reconnaissance, trudging through the hills and fields in the rain and strong wind. By around 4:00 PM, when it was getting dark, Lu Ming had finally identified two suitable locations for observation posts.

"These two locations are not far apart. The one on the west has a natural cave, which can be slightly modified to serve as a good observation point. The one on the east has a wide, open area with a good view, and the top is muddy, making it easy to dig fortifications," Lu Ming said, taking a sip of wine to warm himself. "We'll set up the observation posts at these two locations. This place is only a two-day sail from the eastern entrance of the Strait of Magellan, which is just right. As long as we pass the message in time, the navy will immediately set out and either sink or capture the Spanish ships at the strait's exit."

"How do we pass the message?"

"According to the plan we discussed before departure. During the day, we'll use signal flags. Tomorrow, find some tall wooden poles and set them up at a fixed location on the inland side of the observation points. Martias, distribute the colored flags we brought. If you spot the enemy, hang the flags at the top of the poles, and the next person will understand and pass the signal along. At night, we'll use bonfires to pass the signal. Note that the locations you choose for passing the signal must be open and visible from a distance, and once determined, they cannot be changed."

"The firelight can be seen from far away, which is easy to observe. However, during the day, it might be difficult to see the signal flags, especially if there is rain, snow, or overcast skies, which can interfere with our vision. Even with a telescope, it might be hard to see clearly. What should we do in such cases?" someone asked.

"That's a good question. I want to emphasize that if you cannot see or confirm whether the signal from your superior post has been passed, you should assume nothing has happened, meaning there is no enemy," Lu Ming said seriously. "In this case, at most, some lucky Spanish ships might get through, and we won't suffer much loss. However, if you mistakenly pass the signal, the navy might encounter a large enemy fleet, leading to significant losses."

Everyone nodded, understanding the importance of this.

The next morning, a part of the group stayed to fortify the two observation points, while Lu Ming led the rest to determine the signal relay routes according to the map. This was a challenging task, as they had to continuously walk through the hills and fields to find the best routes. The entire signal relay distance from the observation points in the strait to the northeast coast of Tierra del Fuego was over 30 kilometers, requiring 7 to 10 relay points. How to efficiently pass the signals was something that needed careful study and effort.

After several days of hard work, they finally determined the entire signal relay process and locations. After discussing with the group, Lu Ming decided to leave six people at each observation point, divided into three teams to take turns observing. Additionally, there were 8 relay points, with two people at each, totaling 28 people.

With the personnel and locations determined, Lu Ming distributed the telescopes he had brought. Then, everyone equipped themselves with supplies and food and dispersed. They would remain here until the mission was canceled or the war ended. As for how efficiently this seemingly complex and fragile system would operate, only time would tell.

A week later, Lu Ming appeared on the coast with two soldiers. They found the hidden small boat and rowed toward the "Galicia Flying Fish" anchored in the bay. The cold sea wind was bone-chilling, and Yu Lian, who had been waiting impatiently, quickly pulled them onto the deck.

The sailors brought some strong liquor to warm Lu Ming and his men. Lu Ming took a few swigs, and the color returned to his face. "Cough, cough... This time, we really pushed ourselves to the limit. I never imagined I would dare to travel such a long distance into the wilderness to accomplish such a complex task, ha ha. Yu Lian, get us some hot soup; this weather is really cold. By the way, let's set sail immediately. When we return, the 'Eagle of the East Coast' will be ready to go."

Meanwhile, at the Navy Shipyard in Dafish River, the Yunseng No. 1, a passenger and cargo ship, had completed its final modifications. Tall masts were equipped with three square sails, and a slanted sail was fixed at the bow with ropes. These modifications were to increase the ship's speed when sailing with the wind and to save fuel. Since it was a passenger and cargo ship, the deck space was limited. The naval designers did their best and managed to install 24 cannons on the deck, including 4 24-pounders, 8 18-pounders, 8 12-pounders, and 4 8-pounders. It was clear that to compensate for the lack of cannons, the caliber was significantly increased.

The modified Yunseng No. 1 attracted a lot of attention. Xiao Bai Lang, the former captain of Yunseng No. 1, immediately rushed to the office of Wang Qian, the head of the Navy Department, and strongly requested to command the ship himself. Wang Qian had no reason to refuse, as Xiao Bai Lang was the former captain. Moreover, the Yunseng No. 1 had significant symbolic importance and needed a high-ranking official to command it. Thus, the decision was made.

With Captain Xiao Bai Lang on board, all the former crew members of Yunseng No. 1 reunited. The first mate, Wang Tiechui, the chief engineer, Han Dezhi, and other crew members who had been idle for a long time spent their days on the ship, thoroughly maintaining and cleaning all the equipment, even washing the deck several times, eagerly awaiting the departure.

The modified Yunseng No. 1 required not only the original crew but also additional personnel to operate the sails and rigging. Additionally, gunners and a certain number of laborers were necessary. Finding people to operate the sails was easy, as 30 students from the 32nd class of the Navigation School were always on standby, and they had excellent basic skills. As for the gunners, 24 cannons required at least 100 to 120 gunners. This was a large number, and the navy couldn't provide that many, as the shore defense gunners were also in short supply. However, not all the people needed to be skilled gunners; some could handle tasks like carrying ammunition and resetting the guns, which could be done by laborers. This way, the number of regular gunners could be reduced by one-third to one-half.

On April 1st, the Executive Committee conducted the third wave of mobilization, selecting 120 militiamen who had received artillery training. Of these, 80 were assigned to Yunseng No. 1 as gunners, and the remaining 40 were assigned to the naval shore defense positions. Additionally, 50 strong and capable Charuans, who had performed well, were also assigned to Yunseng No. 1 to assist the gunners with tasks like carrying ammunition, which required no special skills.

After replenishing supplies, on April 2nd, Yunseng No. 1 slowly left the port, heading for the vast South Atlantic. Over the next few days, they would sail and conduct training to integrate the team and quickly form combat readiness.

First stop—Malvinas Islands.

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