Chapter 1: Captain Henry Houtman and the Exploration Ship North Wind
“…On November 25, 1671 AD, just as it had been the past twenty days, my ship the North Wind continued sailing eastward along the roaring westerlies, heading toward Van Diemen’s Land discovered thirty years ago by Sir Abel Tasman, to explore the southern coastline of New Holland and to find a new route to southern America.
Thanks to those restless Englishmen and that ambitious French king—after the Treaty of Breda was signed, the resentful English colluded with the French king, attempting to challenge the sea supremacy of the Republic!
Under such circumstances, the Seventeen Directors decided to resume exploration of southern New Holland, which was undoubtedly the right decision!
The East India Company also needed to open new revenue channels while ensuring the lucrative spice and China trades remained profitable.
Of course, Governor Martensz’s decision to appoint me—Henry Houtman of the Houtman family—as commander of the expedition ship clearly demonstrated his exceptional insight…”
In southern Australia, in the Bass Strait, a 340‑ton Dutch flute-shaped ship was sailing on the rolling sea.
In the cramped captain’s cabin, 37‑year‑old Henry Houtman—sporting a brown goatee and wearing a short shirt—was using the scorching Southern Hemisphere summer sunlight shining through the porthole to dip his quill pen and write today’s navigation journal on the wooden desk.
Henry Houtman was born into a renowned maritime family of the Dutch Republic; his uncle Frederik Houtman had served the East India Company and had recorded southern‑hemisphere celestial observations in 1619, providing important data for the Republic’s maritime exploration.
“…Captain, sir! Hurry to the deck—the lookout Anthony has spotted a strange large ship to the north!”
At that moment, a sharp knock on the door interrupted Henry Houtman’s pompous writing in his journal about European affairs and his self‑praise.
Recognizing his first mate Chris Adelaide’s knock, he impatiently stood up, wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief, donned his captain’s hat, opened the door, and immediately fired off a question at the bearded man outside:
“Blast it! Chris! Didn’t I tell you not to disturb me while I’m writing in my log? Don’t you know how hot it is today?”
What an arrogant jerk!
First Mate Chris Adelaide swore silently; he didn’t care much for this pampered brat of noble temper, but since the other was a “noble navigator” from the homeland, a guest of Governor Martensz, while he himself had clawed his way up from ordinary seaman to first mate…
For his own future, he could only grit his teeth, remove his hat, salute Henry Houtman, then hand over his monocular telescope, explaining urgently:
“Captain, sir! I think you must go and see that unfamiliar large ship to the north!
It…has absolutely no sails! Yet it’s closing in on the North Wind rapidly—probably over twenty knots!
…Look! It’s almost upon us!”
Henry Houtman looked at his anxious first mate, took the monocular, and suddenly grew serious.
Since departing Batavia, Adelaide had been effectively commanding the North Wind’s navigation; Houtman truly admired his ability.
And this was Houtman’s first time commanding an exploration ship.
As long as he completed this simple New Holland mission, he could return to Amsterdam as an explorer, bask in flowers and glory, and thanks to the Houtman family’s standing and influence at home, his future would be bright.
So he had to make good use of a man like Chris Adelaide and listen earnestly to his advice.
“Where is the ship you’re talking about?” Henry Houtman nodded and strode out of the cabin, standing on deck to raise the telescope northward.
“…In the northeast! That red flag hoisted on that ship I’ve never seen before—it couldn’t possibly belong to any European country…”
Following Adelaide’s finger, Henry raised the telescope and quickly spotted a massive grey‑white, sail‑less ship riding the waves toward them… He was right!
That ship really had no sails!
“My God! What the hell is that thing!”
Henry Houtman gaped, cursing in shock.
Meanwhile, on the destroyer Guiyang, hull number 119, of the People’s Navy North Sea Fleet’s 10th Destroyer Squadron, aboard the bridge, Commander Yang Yunfeng (Colonel) and Executive Officer Xu Xiping (Lieutenant Colonel), dressed in white naval uniforms, were also observing the North Wind through binoculars.
Yang Yunfeng, in his early forties, had a steady, square‑jawed face and swordlike eyebrows; his clean‑shaven chin and erect posture gave him a disciplined, efficient air.
But when he saw that “tattered sail wooden ship,” his lips twitched, and his gaze faltered for several seconds before he turned to his colleague and confirmed:
“…Looks like the radar’s fine. There’s a sailing ship out there! V‑O‑C…Old Xu, if I remember correctly, that should be the flag of the Dutch East India Company!”
Xu Xiping gazed at the wooden ship a moment, then lowered his binoculars and shook his head with a wry smile:
“…That’s right! It’s the VOC emblem. It seems that Chief Engineer Li and Chief Engineer Chen were right—we’ve indeed come to an…extraordinary place! Who would have imagined this would happen?! Time travel…ha! Isn’t that a sci‑fi concept from novels and movies? How did it end up happening to us?”
Unlike the stern Yang Yunfeng, Xu Xiping was a gentle middle‑aged man who usually wore a smile—though now the unexpected event strained his expression.
By now Yang Yunfeng had regained his calm, elite officer composure. He nodded slowly, then pointed at the wooden ship and said to Xu Xiping:
“No matter what, first capture that wooden ship and question them for details! We must find out if they are indeed Dutch East India Company personnel, and determine exactly when and where we are!”
Xu Xiping thought for a moment and said:
“…Since the Dutch East India Company ship appeared, it must be after the 17th century.
Chief Engineer Chen of the Bohai‑Ship Group had observers use astronomical telescopes, right?
We are certainly still on Earth; the precise location should be the southern coast of Victoria, Australia.
As for the time…certainly after AD 1054, since the star charts match; the supernova in Taurus has already formed the Crab Nebula, and judging from the nebula’s expansion, it must now be at least sometime after AD 1500…”