Zhang Heng changed the British saber from his injured right hand to his left hand, and blocked the opponent's two consecutive strikes. At the same time, he also took two steps back under the reaction force. The sailor on the opposite side saw that someone was exhausted after a long battle. Overjoyed, he stopped probing, and directly slashed at Zhang Heng's chest. There was nothing fancy about this knife, and it was purely relying on his superiority in strength. But this time, Zhang Heng unexpectedly did not retreat, but went forward instead.
When the two knives intersected, the sailor on the naval supply ship felt a huge force coming from the tiger's mouth. His arm was swung away by this force, and a look of horror appeared on his face. The next moment, the British saber in Zhang Heng's hand was already set. On his neck, he said, "It's over."
A look of despair appeared in the sailor's eyes, and he could only throw away the weapon in his hand and surrender in the end.
Zhang Heng looked around. The battle on the deck was coming to an end. The guards who were still fighting were basically cornered. It would be a matter of time before they were defeated. It's just a matter of time.
This is the third tough battle they have experienced in just two months. Although they still won the victory, the attrition is also very serious. Owen has already started to replenish the manpower from the captives.
The treatment of regular naval sailors in this era is very miserable. Take the British Royal Navy as an example. If Faquan is obtained, part of it will be deducted by the controller and officers on board. In addition, the date of salary payment is also uncertain, and almost none are paid on a monthly basis. The most bizarre thing is that a certain cruiser in the Far East waters, unexpectedly The account was only settled once in 22 years, and the Admiralty finally refused to pay the money.
The life of these sailors after landing is not easy. When the warship returns to the home port for renovation, the officers can only receive half salary, and the bottom sailors simply stop paying and are left to fend for themselves. And this is not the worst, sometimes for fear of people Run away, the Admiralty simply refused to let the sailors go ashore, and transferred them directly to other warships before entering the port, and their salaries continued to be paid.
In contrast, the treatment enjoyed by pirates is simply heaven. Everyone earns money and eats meat together, and it is rare for the captain to deduct the crew's share.
It has been almost nine months since Zhang Heng came to this dungeon. He was forced to join the Sea Lion to survive at the beginning, and then he had to step into the world of pirates because of the main quest, but now he has a feeling for Nassau and the group of pirates living on it. To learn more, many things should be viewed in combination with the historical background at that time. There was no reason why pirates were rampant in the 17th and 18th centuries.
At the beginning of the Age of Discovery, it was difficult to distinguish between explorers, colonists, and pirates. As European countries fell into melee, in order to compete for sea power, they created the notorious privateer license, which completely opened the Pandora's box, these things may feel incredible from the perspective of modern people.
Suppose you are a businessman in this era, and you transport a ship of goods to the colony for sale, and you are robbed by people from other countries halfway. You cannot get it back through legal diplomatic means. Generally, countries will give you a private card. Grabbing a license encourages you to get your losses back from others.
In addition, many wealthy businessmen and nobles will also sponsor some potential captains, help them get a private plunder license, let them go to sea to plunder, and then come back to share the spoils. The advantage is that it can do its utmost to attack the sea power of other countries, and at the same time, it can also have an extra navy without an establishment without increasing the budget of the country. Once the war starts, these privateers will also join the battle.
If you rob enough, you can get a royal reception, even be knighted, and become a national hero. Henry Morgan is the best example. He was the pirate king of the Caribbean from 1665 to 1670, and he later succeeded as the king of pirates. On the Governor of Jamaica.
In fact, not only civilians, in order to earn extra money, the Royal Fleet will also go out to plunder to appease the sailors who can’t get the money. There are also brokers in the port who are responsible for cashing out the spoils. Of course, most of the money eventually flowed into the officers. In the pockets of which the bottom sailors have so little,
Fraser once said to Zhang Heng in the tavern, "Do you know the difference between us and those guys? That is, they have a privateer certificate in their hands, but we don't, so we became hated pirates, And they are heroes, that's the law of the world."
...
Zhang Heng put away his saber, and with the sound of explosions under his feet, the last place on the ship was also compromised. The captain of the naval supply ship was killed in battle, and the remaining sailors also handed over their weapons and surrendered one after another. The ship's doctor was busy rescuing the wounded, and the bookkeeper was counting the cargo in the cabin.
Casualties on the pirate side are also high, which is why no one wants to fight the navy. Even if it is just a supply ship, the firepower on board is considerable. Compared with the price paid, what you can get by robbing a navy supply ship The income is often pitiful.
After a fierce battle, seventeen people were killed on the Sea Lion, and there were many wounded, but the morale was miraculously undamaged, especially when the helmsman Orff appeared in front of everyone holding a small piece of bloody treasure map , the pirates looked even more excited.
"There is no doubt that we are one step closer to our ultimate goal, gentlemen!" the helmsman encouraged.
According to Orff, Kidd's financial report was hidden on an uninhabited island in the Caribbean Sea. Before he died, he drew a treasure map, but the treasure map was eventually divided into six parts. It fell into the hands of those who participated in the arrest and trial. Now the Sea Lion is looking for the whereabouts of these treasure maps. Counting the current one, they have already obtained four of them. It can indeed be said that victory is in sight.
But then Owen walked up to the helmsman, "Mr. Orff, can you take a step to speak?"
The latter nodded, and the two came to the stern. The bosun's face showed worry, "I don't know if you have noticed that we have lost a lot of manpower recently."
Orff nodded, "So how is the recruitment going?"
"You know we can't fill all the vacancies with these guys, right, they're the navy after all, if we recruit too many people at once, we have to think about whether we'll get our throats cut while we're sleeping .”
"Then what do you suggest?"
"We have been out for two and a half months, and I suggest that we go back to Nassau for resupply." Owen said.
Orff looked into the bosun's eyes, and said after a while, "I don't want to hide it from you. Once the news of our search for the treasure gets out, it will cause some unnecessary troubles, but I will reflect your suggestion to the captain."