Chapter 71

Hong Tao wanted to hunt whales, and for that, he needed the right tools. Although baleen whales do not attack humans proactively, their massive size, weighing from several to even hundreds of tons, makes them formidable. A single collision can be fatal. In the 19th and 20th centuries, there was a peak in whale hunting in Europe and America, during which whales worldwide were almost hunted to extinction. Once they found alternatives, they quickly changed their stance, advocating for whale conservation.

During the peak of whale hunting, harpoons and whale guns were primarily used. Essentially, these were large metal arrows launched from a front-loading cannon, with a sturdy rope attached to the back. When a whale was hit by a harpoon from a whaling ship, it could not escape. The harpoon's barbs would firmly grip the whale's flesh, and the head of the harpoon would open inside the whale, creating a large wound and causing massive blood loss. The more the whale struggled, the more blood it lost, and it would soon die, then be dragged onto the whaling ship and dismembered on the spot.

However, Hong Tao did not have a large whaling ship, a front-loading cannon, or harpoons, and this technology was not yet available. But the lack of these tools did not mean he could not hunt whales. The Inuit had a relatively simple method. They designed harpoon heads with barbs that could detach from the shaft, connected to a sturdy leather rope, with several air bladders made from seal skins attached to the other end of the rope.

Upon spotting a whale, they would chase it in a kayak, and when close enough, they would harpoon it, allowing the whale to swim away with the rope and air bladders. Whales do not have gills; they need to hold their breath to dive and must surface periodically to breathe. With blood loss and the drag from the air bladders, the whale would quickly run out of oxygen and have to resurface. At this point, the Inuit would harpoon the whale again, repeating the process until the whale died from exhaustion. The air bladders would mark the whale's position, making it easier to retrieve.

Hong Tao used a similar method, but his harpoon was even more advanced. The head of his harpoon did not automatically detach but was more sharp and brutal, with a four-sided tip that had blood grooves on each face and a horizontal blade at the back, capable of both piercing and cutting. Instead of air bladders, he used a large number of bamboo tubes, which provided significant buoyancy and were very cheap, as bamboo was abundant in the mountains.

When the harpoon was inserted, the whale would have to drag the bamboo tubes underwater. The resistance from the water would cause the harpoon to continue cutting into the whale's wound, making it even more effective. Originally, this harpoon was designed for large fish, used in conjunction with rolling hooks. It had performed well against a shark by chance, so Hong Tao had made several more, custom-ordered from the largest blacksmith shop in Zhenzhou City. The steel was of higher quality than that available in Ningyuan, and the harpoon head was half a foot longer, looking even more menacing.

However, Hong Tao did not dare to chase whales with a sailboat, as the distance for throwing the harpoon was very close, and it was difficult to ensure the whale would not struggle. If the whale's tail hit his new boat, it would be a significant loss. Therefore, the three sailboards he made came in handy. These small, agile boards were fast, even faster than a whale's sprint. With good technique, one could follow the whale's direction without being easily hit.

"Loosen the bamboo tubes a bit, make sure they don't get stuck, or you'll be pulled underwater by the whale." Hong Tao first lowered the sailboard, then he and Karl stood on it, holding the boat's side. They tied the bamboo tubes to the front of the sailboard with a slip knot. After tying his own, Hong Tao checked Karl's to ensure it wasn't a fixed knot.

"Azhu, remember, don't get too close, just follow the bamboo tubes from a distance. We're off!" After securing the bamboo tubes and taking the harpoons, they hooked the chest hooks made of hemp rope to the sail support. Hong Tao waved to Azhu on the boat, then he and Karl flapped the sailcloth, detaching the sailboard from the sailboat and adjusting the windward angle to gradually accelerate.

In reality, hunting whales by human power was far from as easy as Hong Tao and Azhu described. It was very dangerous, especially with a small sailboard. A slight loss of balance could result in falling into the water, where the whirlpools created by the whales' dives could drag you down, and a hit from a pectoral or tail fin could be fatal. However, Hong Tao couldn't tell Azhu this, as she would cling to him and refuse to let go.

"Watch my signals... If you spot the target, don't change course, follow me directly and harpoon it. Don't worry about me, and don't use too much force to maintain your balance. If you miss, it's fine; the harpoon won't sink and can be retrieved. If you fall into the water among the whales, I won't be able to save you, so take care of yourself!" Hong Tao was more direct with Karl, explaining the dangers and emphasizing the severity. Every person in Hong Tao's group was valuable, and losing any one of them would be a significant loss, especially Karl, who might be useful for his royal connections when exploring the Atlantic in the future.

Suddenly, two large creatures with tall fins appeared on the sea surface, moving quickly. This caused a commotion among the seabirds. Those in the sky stopped diving, and those on the water quickly took off, watching the strange creatures warily. Unfortunately, animals are driven by their instincts, and after a short while, seabirds like dive bombers folded their wings and plunged into the water at high speed. Some emerged with small fish in their beaks, while others came up empty-handed and had to rest for a few minutes before diving again.

These birds were not seagulls but frigatebirds, which are widely distributed around the world and are often found on small islands. They are also known as "navigator birds" because they can guide fishermen to areas with large schools of fish. Whenever they appear in large numbers, there are definitely large fish below, making them a favorite among fishermen.

This time, they were not mistaken. Hong Tao recognized that the fish in their beaks were sardines, indicating that a fish school had already arrived in the nearby waters. The Tanka people's calculations were slightly off, being about a day late. However, it was possible that a larger school was still on its way, and these were just the vanguard.

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

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