We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Dingyuan.

Li Che did not wait until dawn, and like many naval soldiers, he boarded the ship early.

The wooden boards on the deck had been worn smooth by the sea water and countless footsteps, and had an oily sheen.

After stepping onto the deck, a sea breeze carrying a salty smell blew in his face, which lifted Li Che's spirits.

The sailors and marines had already taken their positions, their dark skin shining in the sun, their thick arms covered with blue veins, their movements nimble, and their shouts rising one after another.

The ropes pulled by the sailors creaked on the capstan, and the sails on the masts gradually spread out, like huge wings ready to take off.

Li Che slowly withdrew his gaze and looked at the bronze cannons under the deck stairs. The gunners had smeared tung oil on the barrels, making them slightly shiny.

The sliding device has also been loaded. Once encountering the enemy, fifteen shells on one side can be fired instantly, and no matter how large the ship is, it will not be able to withstand it.

Li Che walked to the side of the ship, stroked the cold gun barrel with his hand, and smiled softly.

I don’t know why, but I can’t get enough of looking at these big steel treasures.

Huai En, who was standing by, also had shining eyes. He had a strange feeling since he boarded the ship.

It was a feeling of both peace and excitement, as if one was born to belong here, to follow the fleet to the vast ocean, rather than walking within the towering palace walls.

"Your Highness, your room is this way." Li Sheng said from the side.

The Dingyuan has a large space, but as the flagship and main ship, it is responsible for carrying more ammunition, weapons and cargo.

Only officers were eligible for individual rooms, while ordinary sailors, shipwrights and soldiers could only live in dormitories.

Li Che was naturally assigned to the largest single room.

The room is big enough to accommodate one person, one bird and one cat.

The temperature in the place we are going next is very high, and the little polar bear cannot adapt to the climate there.

Perhaps because he is getting older, Dasong is becoming more and more of a homebody and has no intention of going on a long journey with Li Che.

So only Xiaosong and Xiaoqing were on the boat.

Xiaosong is a very nervous tiger. He is not at all unfamiliar with the strange environment. He finds a corner and lies down neatly, tucking his two paws under his body.

Xiaoqing circled in the room and then landed on the tiger's head.

Looking at the two little guys, Li Che smiled helplessly, turned around and walked to the bed.

There is still some time before departure, and he needs to have a good rest so that he can be in top shape for the voyage.

"Wynn, wake me up when it's almost dawn."

"Here."

Huai En responded softly, turned and left the room, tiptoed to close the door for Li Che.

. . . . . .

As dusk fell, the warship's anchor caught the last ray of sunlight.

The pier did not become quiet after nightfall, but became even more noisy.

A broken moon rises on the crest of the waves, and the sound of waves pushes the daylight into the deep blue folds.

Li Che woke up from his sleep with an unusually clear mind. The warship bobbing back and forth on the waves did not affect his sleep quality.

He stretched himself, picked up the kettle beside the bed, and took a sip of water.

Li Che got out of bed, kicked the obstacle away, and walked towards the door.

The moment the door opened, Huai En's stunned face appeared.

"Your Highness, I was just about to wake you up."

Li Che laughed dumbly. This feeling was simply the ancient version of 'waking up one minute before the alarm goes off'.

"It's okay. I slept well." Li Che said energetically, "Are they all ready?"

Huai En said respectfully: "The entire army has boarded the ship and is waiting for your Highness's orders."

Li Che nodded slightly, turned and walked towards the stairs leading to the deck and headed towards the bridge.

The so-called bridge is the operating part of a warship, which originated from the era of steam paddle steamers.

At that time, the control position was set up on the bridge between the port and starboard paddle wheel guards, so it was called "ship bridge" or "ship bridge".

Li Che continued to use this name and set the frontmost position on the second floor of Dingyuan as the bridge.

This is not only the command center of Dingyuan, but also the command center of the entire fleet.

"Your Highness, enter the bridge!"

A naval officer shouted, and everyone on the bridge immediately stood up and stood at attention, just like in previous training.

Seeing that Li Che didn't say anything and just stared at him, the officer's expression became serious and he quickly changed his words:

"Captain, enter the bridge!"

Only then did Li Che continue to move forward.

The bridge of Dingyuan is a large room covering an area of ​​100 square meters, surrounded by the strongest glass on three sides, providing a clear view.

Inside the bridge, there are messengers, buglers, lookouts, and helmsmen on standby, as well as several naval officers in charge of command and analysis.

Li Sheng came forward early, and after greeting each other, Li Che nodded to him.

"How's it going?"

"The three Fujian ships sent out flag signals earlier. The sea conditions ahead are normal and the fleet can leave the port." Li Sheng replied.

Li Che did not speak, but looked at the messenger beside him: "Deck department report the situation!"

The messenger immediately ran outside the bridge and shouted and repeated Li Che's words in an extremely loud voice.

Soon, a report came from below: "Everything is normal on the deck."

Li Che continued: "Sailing Department reports the situation!"

"The sails are in good condition, the wind is south-east, force 3 breeze."

"Report from the Navigation Department!"

"Lookouts are at the ready, the sea is calm!"

"Sailor Club Report!"

"..."

The training over the past few months has been very effective. Li Che has integrated modern naval regulations and contemporary water army regulations to create a relatively efficient process.

Each department performs its duties and cooperates with each other instead of being in chaos, which makes it possible to maintain the perfect operation of the giant ship "Dingyuan".

After all departments finished reporting, Li Che finally spoke:

"Unwind the sails and collect the anchor!"

The messenger repeated Li Che's words loudly, and Li Che saw the sailors on the deck quickly untied the sails and pulled up the heavy anchor through the pulley device.

Dingyuan began to move slowly.

Li Che exhaled lightly and continued, "Raise the flag."

Soon, at the top of the Dingyuan, a black flag with the word "Feng" on it slowly climbed to the highest point, fluttering in the sea breeze.

The sea was filled with snow-blue light. As the Dingyuan raised its flag, more than 20 warships unfurled their flags one after another.

At that moment, the shore of Dalian Port was filled with cheers. Countless people, craftsmen, and migrant workers flocked in, and the harbor embankment was filled with a sea of ​​people.

"I wish your highness a triumphant return! I wish your highness a triumphant return!"

The cheers of the people grew farther and farther away as the fleet sailed south.

The later Qing History records:

In the first year of the Xuanwei reign, Emperor Taizong personally led the large ship Dingyuan and more than 20 warships, accompanied by important officials such as the Duke of Huguo and the Marquis of Weihai, and sailed south from Dalian Port. From then on, Daqing opened up a major sea route, which was known in history as "going to the West."