When Zheng He went to the West, how did the fleet replenish?

We all know that Zheng He made seven voyages to the West in history, leading huge ships on the sea, like a moving sea castle or mirage. We also know that it may take three or four years for the ships led by Zheng He to sail at a time, so we have many questions. With so many ships representing a huge population and sailing for such a long time, how did the fleet resupply?

This question is not only curious to us, but also to many scholars, so we also have historical data to investigate. In the "Western Fanguo Chronicles", there is a detailed record of the supply of personnel and things for Zheng He's fleet, and the internal officials who went to the West shared salt, sauce, tea, wine, oil, candles, etc., and paid according to the number of people. Although we only see the preparation of seasonings, we can think of pickles in a small way.

During the Ming Dynasty, there was already the awareness and ability in this area. So, the fleet prepared some pickles for storing food and replenishing things outside for pickling.

We also know that Zheng He's fleet passed through coastal areas, and these areas were also familiar with the exchanges**, in addition to silver transactions, there was also bartering. Therefore, the supply of the fleet is its own storage on the one hand, and on the other hand, it is back and forth. Zheng He's fleet can replenish the items needed by the fleet when the fleet stops** for the fleet's navigational needs.

Because of the long voyage time of Zheng He's fleet and the number of countries it passed, the food or supplies of Zheng He's fleet would be more diverse. It's like medicine for the sick crew that can be bought in the coastal overgrowth. Some exotic things can also be found in these areas and bought to take back to their home countries.

I think they built relationships with people on those islands they passed by, and then resupplied them in those places. When food is not enough, they will choose to dock and then have ** contact with them.

I think when Zheng He went to the West, his fleet was large enough to bring supplies.

I think they put the supplies on the ship in advance. If you don't have one, go to a nearby place and get it.

They're sure they'll have someone to feed them.

I think that when Zheng He went to the Western Ocean, the fleet should have stored some grain, supplies, etc., and it should be carried out in some places later.

After arriving in various countries, you can exchange them for local food and treasures, and you can also sign agreements with other countries, which is the earliest co-prosperity circle.

I think they have special supply stores, and then go there, and somebody supplies them.

At that time, there was already a line, and as long as it passed through a place where there were people, it was necessary to go to resupply.

I think they should have ships in their fleet stocked with food for them to be fed.

Before setting out, they should be well prepared, bring food, supplies, etc., and trade and buy and sell along the way to get what they need.

Today, Xiaoyi Sou brings you an article.

In the third year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, Quanzhou hung a flag to hunt and sent thousands of ships. Surrounded by thousands of ships, Zheng He's treasure ship sailed into the vast Indian Ocean.

Zheng He is only in his early thirties this year, but he is already the commander of the Ming fleet. In order to ensure smooth sailing, he apparently had to think more than the busy sailors on the armor plate. In terms of size, this fleet has thousands of ships of various types and more than 20,000 people.

If they think that they are looking for shortcomings and fighting on a large scale, history has proven that they are really here to seek peace and friendship. Even from today's perspective, it is extremely difficult to lead such a "small country" across the ocean. So how did Zheng He's fleet reach Africa?

Wind! A good sailor can take advantage of the winds in the east, west, north, and south. This technique is the basis for the Ming fleet to cross the sea.

In the days when there were no engines, wind was almost the only power for seagoing ships. Of course, human oars are also used in some areas where the wind is late and the waves are calm, such as the Roman oars in the Mediterranean, but the sea conditions in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean are significantly worse than in the Mediterranean. At this time, the superb quality of Zheng He's crew was reflected.

Next, let's look at tailwinds.

The fleet met a tailwind, and everyone was happy. The crew only needs to spread their sails and move forward with the help of the wind. This is the simplest and most ideal situation.

When encountering crosswinds, sailors must turn the sails so that they are at an angle to the hull of the ship. At this point, the sails break up the wind blowing from the side into two forces parallel to the hull and perpendicular to the hull. Due to the draft, the hull of the ship counteracts the forces perpendicular to the hull, so the residual force in the same direction as the ship travels becomes the main driving force.

The last example is the headwind, which is the most complex and certainly the most ingenious. At this time, no matter how you change the direction of the sails, it is impossible to keep the boat sailing forward, so the crew needs to adjust the hull and sail at the same time, and finally turn the headwind into a crosswind. Once you get used to the crosswind, the situation is exactly the same as in the second case mentioned above, except that the course of the ship changes accordingly.

Therefore, after sailing for a while, the fleet must stop and adjust the hull and sail in a symmetrical direction, so that when it travels again, it is equivalent to walking in a zigzag. For this reason, this method is also known as "hijacking the hot ship".

600 years ago, the mighty Ming fleet sailed in this way to Siam, Chenla, Java, Champa, Sumatra Jajanla, Ceylon and even East Africa.

First of all, Zheng He's fleet in the West ranged from 100 to 2 or 300 at a time, and it was not easy to ensure the organization and formation of such a large fleet.

Secondly, the personnel of Zheng He's fleet exceeded 10,000 people each time, and the maximum number reached 27,800 people, and the consumption of food, fresh water, vegetables, clothing and other materials for so many people in a day was very amazing. What's more, they have to sail at sea for more than ten days or dozens of days to reach a docking place to replenish supplies, and this alone is a very huge expense, and it is very difficult to ensure that they are the best.

Third, the countries bordering Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean are far away from China, with the nearest countries of Champa (Vietnam), Siam (Thailand) and Chenla (Cambodia) being hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away, and tens of thousands of kilometers away from East African countries.

Fourth, there is no wind and waves in the sea, and if there is bad weather such as a typhoon, the fleet will suffer from large waves and rain, and there is a danger of deviating from course, running aground, and running aground.

Fifth, the languages and customs of the countries along the way are different, and it is not easy for Zheng He to complete the missions assigned by Ming Chengzu, such as edicts, repairs, seals, and **.

In addition, they had to face the neglect of individual unfriendly countries, temporary shortages of daily necessities, and harassment and attacks by pirates.

1) There is no experience to learn from for this big voyage, and everything has to be explored by yourself and learn how to sail at sea.

2) When you arrive at a place, you must first understand the local customs, and language is a problem.

3) The factor of the fleet itself, the team of so many people, is not managed, he has internal contradictions.

1. Zheng He's voyage to the West is an unprecedented initiative diplomacy in China's history;

2. The scale, sailing time, and voyage of Zheng He's voyage to the West are unprecedented in the history of world navigation, half a century earlier than that of European navigators;

3. Zheng He is a great navigator in China and the world;

When Zheng He went to the West, the fleet was basically the most advanced ships at that time, and Zheng He used a total of more than 200 ships when he went to the West, and the types of ships were also very special. Some ships are loaded with **, some ships are loaded with silk, tea, vegetables, etc., and when Zheng He went to the West, a total of 27,000 people were used to accompany him, including soldiers, doctors, sailors, flag soldiers and all kinds of craftsmen, etc., the scale can be said to be very huge. <>

Secondly, from the technical level, China's shipbuilding technology and navigation technology were very advanced in the world, after all, one of the four great inventions in ancient China at that time was the compass, and many ships at that time used the navigation compass when sailing, these two technologies were relatively advanced positioning technology at that time, and this technology was at least 200 years ahead of many European countries. <>

Many people think that Zhu Di's main purpose of letting Zheng He go to the West is to find Zhu Yunwen, after all, Ming Chengzu Zhu Di's throne was not obtained through legitimate means, so at this time he must quickly find Zhu Yunwen, so that he can sit back and relax. Of course, according to historical records, Zheng He's trip to the West was actually to establish diplomatic relations with some European countries, and to carry out exchanges in the first place. <>

According to the official history, the largest ship in the Western Ocean at that time should be the so-called "treasure ship", the total length of this ship is about 120 meters, the width is about 50 meters, even now it is a relatively large ship. Zheng He went to the West seven times and went through more than 30 countries in total, including the Pacific region and now India, and after arriving in many backward countries, he actively taught them some of the skills of the Ming Dynasty, and also used some things to exchange.

Zheng He used the most advanced ships when he went to the West, and his sailing skills made it difficult for him to get lost in the voyage.

In Zheng He's time, our country was the most advanced country in the world and the most powerful country, and the fleet of that era could be said to be the first in the world, and the fleet led by Zheng He was an advanced ship.

At that time, when Zheng He went to the Western Ocean, it was indeed the most advanced ship in the country, and nearly half of the ships in the country were given to him, so Zheng He's ability was also very strong.

Yes. Because Zheng He went to the West on behalf of the will of the imperial court, then the ships and equipment must be the most advanced.

Zheng He's fleet when he went to the West was the most advanced ship at that time, and the Ming Dynasty's navigation industry was the largest in the world and the most advanced equipment in the world.

The strength of the fleet led by Zheng He, who went to the West in the Ming Dynasty, is very powerful, but how powerful it is, later generations are quite controversial. According to historical records, when Zheng He went to the West, he did not have a logistics base, and relied on the strength of the fleet itself. It can be seen that the power of Zheng He's fleet is not comparable to the later European fleets.

According to historical records, Zheng He led more than 27,000 people and more than 200 ships every time he went to the West, <>

There are 27,000 soldiers and horses on land, and you can imagine how many ships and logistics are needed for so many people at sea. During the First Opium War, the British fleet started with only 4,000 men, and then gradually increased to 19,000 men, while in the Second Opium War, the Anglo-French army totaled only more than 17,000 men. Compared with the 27,000 men of Zheng He's fleet, the gap is very large.

Zheng He's fleet was the largest fleet on the sea at that time, and it was not until the end of the Ming Dynasty that Zheng Chenggong broke this number.

Moreover, Zheng He's fleet had the largest ships in the world and the most advanced maritime technology at that time, and it was also the first large-scale long-distance fleet established in the world. Because of this, many foreign scholars say that Zheng He's fleet is a task force, and that Zheng He is a naval commander or naval commander. What's more, even if it is a war on land, there are only a few dynasties in ancient times that can not be afraid of Fanbang, can quell their rebellion, and exterminate their army, and most of them can't help the rebellious Fanbang.

Dr. Joseph Needham of Britain once commented on the Chinese navy in the early years of the Ming Dynasty, saying that the Chinese navy of the Ming Dynasty at that time was more powerful than any other Asian country in history, and even surpassed the naval strength of European countries at that time. This evaluation of the British shows the strength of Zheng He's fleet at that time. It is a pity that the emperor of the Qing Dynasty later closed himself off from the country, which led to the result that the Qing Dynasty was defenseless at sea.

At the end of the day, a ruler's lack of vision can lead to a country's backwardness, especially its military strength.

is state-of-the-art. Zheng He was ordered to go to sea for the first time, and led the fleet to reach more than 200 ships, these ships are divided into five types according to the size, role and load difference, the largest of which is called the "treasure ship", the length of 151 meters, the width of 60 meters, this is the largest sailing ship in the world at that time, can carry a weight of up to 800 tons, can accommodate thousands of people at the same time, and this kind of "treasure ship" in the fleet has more than 60 ships, accounting for more than 30% of the proportion, in addition to the fleet there are horse boats, grain ships, boats, and warships, each of which has a different role to play in the fleet.

According to historical records, Zheng He's fleet in the Western Ocean was indeed the most advanced, and the main ship was the largest in the world at that time, and at least 200 people were required to sail at the same time.

Zheng He's fleet to the West was the most advanced at the time. The development of navigation and industry in China at that time was very advanced.

Zheng He went to the West with a large fleet, which was indeed the most advanced fleet at that time, unrivaled and swept the world.