Chapter 67

"Tao Yazi, be careful. Our children are counting on you to come back and teach them to read and write." Bo Fu personally rowed Bo Zhu to Hong Tao's ship, but he pinned Bo Zhu to the stern with a stern gaze before he began to warn Hong Tao.

"Grandpa, don't worry. I am the son of the sea, and the sea won't harm its own son. Wait for me on the raft. I'll bring back a lot of sharks, and then your family will have the best man among the Tanka people, hehehe..." Hong Tao, like a child, playfully hugged Bo Fu's shoulder, tricking the old man into the small boat. Then he nodded to Karl, and the main sail slowly rose, the sailboat gradually leaving the dock.

"Bo Zhu, no going to the bow!" Bo Fu watched the sailboat move farther and farther away, his heart growing increasingly empty. He was not good with words and couldn't think of anything to say in farewell. After a long time, he shouted at the sailboat, his voice hoarse and desperate!

As the sky began to show a hint of light blue, all the Tanka people's small wooden boats set out from Zhenzhou Port. A thousand sails competed on the sea, though the sails were not tall and there were not a thousand boats, the sight of over a hundred boats sailing in the same direction was still magnificent. The sea seemed to be moved by this grand scene, or perhaps it was digging a hole. The tide turned into a favorable tide, and the wind direction changed to the northwest. With the help of the tide and the wind, these small boats rushed into the embrace of the sea without hesitation. Leading the way was a large ship with a black sail, and Hong Tao stood at the bow, holding Bo Zhu in a Titanic pose. Karl, alone, held the steering wheel, looking at the couple at the bow, he kept making the sign of the cross.

How far do the Tanka people sail? From Zhenzhou Port, they sail southeast for three days. At the speed of a Tanka small wooden boat, about 3 nautical miles per hour, with favorable winds for three days, it would be about 400 kilometers, roughly the area north of the Xisha Islands.

The Xisha Islands were clearly under the jurisdiction of Jiyang Army in the Southern Song Dynasty, but there were no permanent residents. There was only a freshwater well and a small temple on Ganyuan Island, serving as an important water replenishment port and shelter for passing merchant ships. This area is where seasonal currents pass, and where there are currents, there is large-scale water layer exchange, bringing up organic matter from the deep sea and nourishing a large amount of plankton.

Following the principle of big fish eating small fish, small fish eating shrimp, and shrimp eating silt, with more plankton, there are more small fish, and with more small fish, there are more big fish. Thus, every year when the currents change, a large number of migratory fish come here to feed, followed by a large number of predatory fish. This is a complete food chain. Standing at the top of this food chain are humans, who use the migratory habits of fish to catch them in large numbers. This technique is unknown when it was invented, but the Tanka people of the Song Dynasty had already mastered it. However, being at the top of the food chain is not always comfortable; if things go wrong, the top can easily become the bottom, becoming food for fish and shrimp.

Hong Tao's ship was fast, but he didn't selfishly take the lead. He was pulling three Tanka small boats behind him: one for Bo Xiaoer and Bo Xiaosan, one for Bo Jiao and Chen Qihong, and one for Huang Lang and Huang Tao. Even so, the speed could still be maintained at over 5 knots. It could have been faster, but he was afraid their small wooden boats couldn't handle it. Hong Tao didn't dare to use a ball sail anymore; it was fine for showing off in the near sea, but in the open sea, it would be suicide, not an adventure.

The 400-kilometer distance could be covered by Hong Tao's new ship in one day, and even with three boats, it wouldn't take more than two days. However, there was no need to rush. The Tanka people calculated the relationship between fishing seasons, weather, and the lunar calendar very accurately. Arriving too early would mean the fish haven't come yet, wasting time. So, shortly after leaving the land, Hong Tao started using a fishing line to catch fish. In tropical waters, it's hard to catch anything else, but sea wolves are everywhere. As soon as they smell a bit of meat, they come like hungry wolves, and they come in large numbers.

"What are you catching these for? They don't taste good!" This was Bo Zhu's first time sailing far out to sea. To be useful on the ship, she not only helped Karl control the sails but also helped Hong Tao fish. But she didn't understand why Hong Tao was catching sea wolves one by one and keeping them in the seawater tank.

"To use as bait. The more, the better. We're going to hunt sharks, and we need a lot of fish blood. No matter the size, as long as they're hooked, we keep them!" Hong Tao originally planned to bring some pork or beef as bait, but then he thought, forget it. There's no cold storage on the ship, and in such hot weather, the meat would spoil in two or three days, a waste. Since he could fish, he might as well use the journey to prepare fresh and tasty bait.

"Are sharks really that easy to kill?" Bo Zhu wasn't as optimistic as Hong Tao. As a girl living by the sea, even if she hadn't sailed far out, she knew that sharks were not to be trifled with. Many Tanka people had been harmed by sharks over generations, and anyone who managed to kill one was considered a hero. How could anyone like Hong Tao go out to sea specifically to hunt sharks, not just one but a whole group?

"Hehehe... Don't worry, we haven't even had our wedding ceremony yet. Even if I die, I'll die after we've been married." Hong Tao couldn't explain to Bo Zhu that sharks don't actively attack humans; their bloodthirsty nature is just a part of their instincts, which can be easily exploited by humans to catch them.

"Stop it, I don't want to talk to you anymore!" Even the straightforward Bo Zhu couldn't resist Hong Tao's teasing. She blushed and threw the fishing line, running to hide in the cabin.

"Karl, tell me about the nobles in your country, especially about the men and women. I really like the women there." Bo Zhu ran away, and Hong Tao lost his target for banter, so he turned his attention to Karl, who was steering the ship.

"Speaking ill of a noble lady behind her back is very dishonorable..." Karl was even more disappointing, directly refusing Hong Tao's request.

"Who cares about honor? If I hadn't paid to save you, you'd be dead and feeding the sharks by now! Wait until I get back to your country and see how I'll mess with your nobles!" Hong Tao, feeling frustrated, grumbled and threw a newly caught sea wolf into the seawater tank.

"By the way, Karl, do you have a wife and children?" Unfortunately, it didn't take long for Hong Tao to start asking questions again. His mouth never stopped, and as long as there wasn't too much pressure, he needed to talk all the time.

"I have two children and a beautiful wife. She has black hair and black eyes, just like your Song people, and she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen..." Karl started boasting, but his voice trailed off as he spoke.

PS: Click, collect, and recommend! Throw them all at Hong Tao...

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