Chapter 97

Life at sea is monotonous. Apart from watch duty, raising and lowering sails, and observing the course, there is nothing to do but eat and sleep. The food is poor, consisting of rice porridge, salted fish, and seaweed, and the sleep is uncomfortable, with two hammocks and the deck in the cabin, where everyone takes turns sleeping, including Bozhu.

Hongtao, however, did not find it too unbearable. Not only because Bozhu was with him and serving him, but mainly because he had something to pass the time—testing Bojiao, Huangtao, and Karl with various questions, and at the same time, sowing discord among them. He would make Bojiao and Karl argue, then create a rift between Huangtao and Bojiao, and sometimes join in himself, turning the four men into a chaotic battle.

Each time he successfully provoked their anger, he would act as the judge, preventing them from actually fighting while occasionally fanning the flames to keep them from getting too idle. Almost every day on the ship, there were heated arguments. Once people are at sea, their tempers become very short, and it takes little to set them off. Fortunately, Hongtao was strong enough to play this game. He did this not just for his own amusement but to hone their seafaring character.

None of these three were qualified for long voyages. Coastal fishing and long-distance navigation are worlds apart. Navigation techniques he could teach them, and new large sailing ships could be built, but both technology and ships require skilled people to use and operate them. Without the proper seafarer's qualities, having good ships and navigation knowledge alone is not enough. How to handle daily life conflicts on the ship, how to get along with a group of men, and how to maintain a balance between being too rigid and too lax—these are all things they needed to learn.

First, they needed to cultivate patience. Whether you have a short temper that flares up easily or a stubborn one that takes a lot to rouse, on a ship, you can only have a thick-skinned, unyielding, and rascally attitude. Without this endurance, you can't even be a boatswain, let alone a captain. The stronger the seafarer, the harder they are to manage, and the more likely they are to have conflicts. Whether a captain or a boatswain, besides setting the course, the most important task is to pacify the crew. When they feel bored or discouraged, you need to cheer them up; when they are overly excited, you need to calm them down. Otherwise, your captaincy won't last long, and you might disappear one day. The crew would say you fell overboard at night and couldn't be found, and you would die in vain.

Moreover, Hongtao already considered these Tanka people as his own kin. They would have many responsibilities in the future, but he felt their relationships with him and with each other were not close enough. Once on the same ship, they were like brothers, whether they liked it or not. It is said that those who have served together, studied together, or worked in the countryside together become close friends. In fact, going to sea together can foster even greater trust among men. Hongtao was just accelerating this process: conflicts arise, are resolved, and forgiven... and then more conflicts, more resolutions, more forgiveness...

After a few times, they would go from acquaintances to ordinary friends. After a few more times, they would become close friends. After a shared life-and-death experience, they would be inseparable. Conflicts would still arise, but their tolerance and trust would be much stronger than average. This was the effect Hongtao wanted. He didn't want any rifts to develop, especially over trivial matters. A stable team was the most important thing, allowing him to focus entirely on the future and lead them forward.

"Whales! Whales!" The Explorer reached Ganshui Island in just one day and spent another day mapping the coordinates of the nearby islands before heading east again. Just a few dozen nautical miles from the Xisha Islands, Huangtao, who was on lookout duty at the bow, shouted loudly.

Hongtao was in the cabin adding data about the Xisha Islands to the sea chart. His chart was a simplified version, with each island having only four to six parameters measured, and then roughly drawn as a rectangle, triangle, ellipse, or polygon on the map, just to get the general position. He didn't have enough people to do detailed surveys, and his drawing skills weren't up to the task. A rough mark was enough.

"These are long-finned pilot whales, not the large whales we're looking for. Capturing them is useless; they are too small and have little oil!" Hearing Huangtao's shout, Hongtao thought they had encountered another whale pod. He ran to the bow in a few steps and saw a group of pilot whales, which are not much larger than dolphins. These animals love to swim in front of ships, as if leading them, but you shouldn't follow them. They are just playing with the ship and will dive into deep water when they get hungry, without caring whether the ship has deviated from its course.

"Captain, how do you write 'fin'?" Bojiao and Bozhu also ran to the bow. Hearing Hongtao's words, Bozhu and Huangtao looked disappointed. They were more interested in encountering a whale pod than in drawing the sea chart. Bojiao, however, was drawing on a small wooden board and asked Hongtao how to write "fin."

"Oh, is this what you drew? Not bad, it's quite similar. This is the character for 'fin.' What are you planning to do with it?" Hongtao took Bojiao's board and saw a drawing of a pilot whale with its approximate size marked.

"Next time I see it, I'll know what it is. Didn't you say I could be a captain one day?" Bojiao was a thoughtful child, gathering information to become a captain. Regardless of his motives, it was worth encouraging.

"That's right. If you keep working hard like this, you'll be the first captain, much better than your Uncle Tao, who is just a hard worker and a fool! As a reward, go to the cabin and ask your aunt for a new piece of whale skin. Draw this on it and keep it safe. The more you collect, the more you can show me. If you have enough, I'll let you be a captain and go to sea on your own! But when that time comes, you'll have to cut your long hair. All my captains must have short hair!" Hongtao patted Bojiao's head and playfully messed up his hair bun.

Hongtao wanted the Tanka children to cut their hair short for hygiene reasons. Freshwater is precious at sea and can't be used for washing hair. Long hair, constantly wet and dry, would quickly start to smell. Washing it with seawater would make it rough and impossible to comb. Unfortunately, none of the Tanka people supported this idea, just as they opposed women going to the bow.

"...When I become a captain, I'll cut it!" Bojiao clenched his teeth and made a promise. For a child around ten years old, becoming a captain was much more appealing than the traditional belief of respecting one's body as a gift from one's parents. This was why Hongtao chose to cultivate these children as his main helpers. Young men like Huangtao, who were in their early twenties, were already too late. Their views were already set, and even if they could be influenced, it would be slow. This was evident during the voyage, as he still hesitated to call Hongtao "Captain" and preferred to call him "cousin," even if it meant being punished by scrubbing the deck.

"Alright, a man's word is his bond. If your hair is longer than mine, you won't be allowed on the ship." Hongtao was pleased. He had finally convinced a child, a good start. Once the other children saw Bojiao's success, they would follow, and this trend would be unstoppable, even by their parents. Just like how fans in the future would do anything to follow their idols, ignoring their parents' advice. For teenagers and young adults, the power of role models is immense, and Hongtao needed to set more and more examples for them.

This group of pilot whales was quite active, following the Explorer for over twenty nautical miles before dispersing into the vast sea. The small sailboat was left to drift like a leaf on the surface, driven by the south wind, moving eastward day and night.

"Cousin... will your method work? Will we get lost?" For three days, the surroundings were the same, with no land or other ships in sight, and even the pilot whales and seabirds had disappeared. It was the first time Huangtao had ventured into the open sea, and his confidence in Hongtao was already shaky. He finally couldn't hold back and asked his question while Hongtao was using the sextant to measure the angle of the sun.

"If my method doesn't work, what do you plan to do? Do you have a better method?" Hongtao switched eyes to look through the eyepiece. The sextant was perfect except for the lack of a filter, which made looking at the sun painful. But he had to focus, as even a slight deviation would make the angle inaccurate. Compared to getting lost, a little eye strain was bearable.

---

**ps:** Click, collect, and vote! Throw your Three Rivers votes to Hong Bapi... I don't know if there are any readers who don't know how to vote for the Three Rivers. Here's how to do it: 1. Open the起点 website on your computer, click on "Three Rivers," and enter the Three Rivers homepage (for mobile users, search "起点 Three Rivers" on Baidu, scroll to the bottom, and click "Computer Version"). Once inside, you'll see "Three Rivers Vote" in the bottom right corner of the featured section. Click to collect the vote, then scroll to the bottom of the page and click the voting button next to "Song of the Southern Song." 2. The Three Rivers vote can be used from 14:00 to 14:00 the next day. Each account can vote once within this 24-hour period. The vote cannot be accumulated, and any account that has spent over 1 yuan can vote. I hope readers will take the time to vote for "Song of the Southern Song."

---

**Page Flip AD Start**

**Page Flip AD End**