Chapter 98

Now Hong Tao somewhat understood why there were so many one-eyed pirates and captains in Europe. It wasn't due to battle injuries; it was likely caused by long-term observation of the sun without any filtering. Unfortunately, he couldn't find any suitable filter, not even a piece of glass, let alone sunglasses. He could only try to go back and see if applying ink to a crystal piece would work. As for the question Huang Tao raised, he really wanted to beat him up. How dare he question the captain's decision on the ship? This was like a rebellion! It not only affected his own thinking but also caused mental fluctuations among the other crew members.

"… Why don't we go back the way we came? Your map shows the route we took!" Huang Tao, hearing Hong Tao's cold voice, was a bit intimidated, but for the sake of his life, he had to speak up.

"The original route was also measured using my method. If this method fails, the original route is gone too, and we'll just wait to die!" Hong Tao was puzzled by Huang Tao's logic. If his method didn't work going forward, why would it work going backward? This wasn't like walking on mud where you could leave footprints. How could he be a Tanka and not understand this?

"My wife is pregnant and will give birth in a few months. I don't want to die at sea… Let's go back…" Huang Tao, hearing Hong Tao's words, immediately panicked and started shouting, his mental state collapsing.

"The original route was also measured using my method. If this method fails, the original route is gone too, and we'll just wait to die!" Hong Tao was very disappointed in Huang Tao. He didn't even have the courage of a child. Such a person, even if trained, would only be fit to be a sailor, not a captain. Courage is a natural talent, and while it can be awakened through training, if you lack the talent, you'll still freeze in critical moments and won't become a decisive person. He had really chosen the wrong person this time.

"Uncle…" Karl, of course, didn't say a word more, picked up a rope, and walked toward Huang Tao. But Bo Jiao wasn't so heartless and wanted to plead for Huang Tao.

"Talk any more and I'll tie you up too! How many times have I told you, on this ship, there is no uncle, only the captain! Every word the captain says is a rule, not only can't you violate it, but you can't even delay or question it! Are you going to tie him up or should I tie you up?" Hong Tao kicked Bo Jiao, sending the young man flying and crashing into the mast.

"Why are you hitting him, you outsider!" Huang Tao, seeing Hong Tao kick Bo Jiao, immediately lost his temper and lunged at Hong Tao.

"Ah… Slap… Oh…" Unfortunately, despite his strength, he only managed to grab Hong Tao's arm and was thrown out, landing hard on the deck, causing him to vomit.

"You are still a brave person, knowing how to stand up for your fellow Tanka. Unfortunately, you used it in the wrong place." Hong Tao stopped Bo Zhu, who was about to run over to mediate, with a look. The situation happened too quickly, and she was standing at the stern, unsure of what to do.

In the end, Huang Tao was tied to the steering platform in front of the wheel by Karl and Bo Jiao. At first, he cursed Hong Tao in Tanka and Chinese, but no one dared to respond. Hong Tao treated him as if he didn't exist. Within half an hour, he had no strength left to curse. The sun and the sea breeze left him parched and unable to curse anymore.

Lost? No, Hong Tao was very clear. They were sailing against the wind, so the ship had to zigzag, which would take longer. The current latitude was correct; as long as they continued west, Luzon Island wouldn't be far, at most 300 to 400 kilometers. But Hong Tao wouldn't tell them this. If they couldn't endure a few days, they weren't fit to sail. He had already decided to give up on Huang Tao but wanted to use his remaining value to teach Karl, Bo Jiao, and even Bo Zhu a lesson about following the rules on the ship.

Huang Tao was tied up for a whole night. Hong Tao's order was not to give him food or water, but Bo Zhu pleaded with him in the cabin for a long time. Then he pretended not to see Bo Zhu secretly giving Huang Tao his water ration, and Karl even hid a bowl of rice and a small piece of salted fish for Huang Tao. Hong Tao didn't want to really hurt or kill Huang Tao; that would be hard to explain when they returned. Punishment was just a means; the important thing was to make the punished person and the observers remember why they were punished, so they wouldn't make the same mistake again.

"This time, Karl and Bo Jiao gave you water and food, so you were lucky. If you don't want to fish all your life and want to sail on a large ship, remember this lesson. With other captains, you won't be so lucky. I know you have grievances and aren't entirely convinced by me, but you have no other choice. This ship is mine; I can catch whales and make the Tanka live a good life, but you can't, so you have to listen to me. I'll make you lose with no regrets. See, it's almost dawn. If we don't find land by noon, I'll untie you and you can tie me up. If we find land, you'll apologize to me in front of the others and promise never to make this mistake again. Dare to make this bet?"

When it was Hong Tao's turn to take the watch, the sky was already turning light. Standing behind the wheel, with Huang Tao tied in front of him, it was easy to chat.

"Let's make the bet… Just don't cheat, I can't fight you!" Huang Tao, even with water and food, couldn't withstand the sea breeze for 7 to 8 hours on the deck. Unless he was a secret agent, he had no choice but to submit. He couldn't play the mental victory game.

"Actually, you've already lost. Look up at the sky. How can you be a Tanka and not know this…" Hong Tao's ears were good; he faintly heard the sound of birds and immediately smiled. There were seabirds, so land couldn't be far, at most a few dozen kilometers.

The Philippines' Luzon Island, as the sun rose from the sea, the lush land appeared on the horizon. In his previous life, Hong Tao had passed by here, but the current Luzon Island was much more desolate than in the future. There were no merchant ships, fishing boats, or the American fleet on the sea. The Explorer sailed along the coast for two hours without seeing a single ship or port.

"Stop, turn around. If we keep going, it will be the open sea!" When Hong Tao saw a large island in the distance on the port side, he immediately ordered the ship to turn around. He already had a rough idea of their position, which was at the northernmost part of Luzon Island. This island was likely one of the Babuyan Islands. Beyond this archipelago was the vast North Pacific. If they continued along this latitude, Mexico would be ahead, but this small ship had no hope of completing the journey.

"Huang Tao, this place has big trees and beaches, so why haven't the Tanka settled here?"

Huang Tao, who had already apologized to Hong Tao in front of the others, admitted his mistake and found his place. Hong Tao naturally wouldn't continue to tie him up. He not only released him but also personally taught him how to use the sextant to measure the angle of the sun.

"No people, no one to buy the fish, no way to get food." Huang Tao was learning the sextant with tears in his eyes. Bo Jiao must have told him that if Hong Tao didn't like someone, they would lose the chance to sail on a large ship. He was a young man in his early twenties and had definitely seen the large ship built by the Wen family on the beach. Not wanting to sail on a large ship was a lie. Although he had been punished by Hong Tao, Hong Tao was truly capable, and he had no complaints. His tears were not from委屈, but from the sun's glare.

"Indeed, logistics is a big issue…" Hong Tao, with his cunning mind, was already considering a second base even before he had a firm foothold in Zhenzhou. He originally thought that the Philippines in the Song Dynasty was already a real country, but after sailing south along the coast for half a day, he hadn't seen a single person or ship within 100 kilometers. This was very abnormal, indicating that this area was not yet inhabited by a large population and was a wilderness. As for the port marked as Ma Yi on the Luo Youde map, it was likely further south.

"Azhu, lower the sail, turn left, and anchor at the river mouth tonight." They sailed until the sun set, and Hong Tao still hadn't found the port of Ma Yi. Seeing a large river mouth on the left, he had an idea and ordered the ship to slowly approach.

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