"Ah?! Then, that...is your boat parked over there?!" Annie's jaw almost fell to the ground in surprise, "Could it be that you really found Kidd's treasure? But this is not right, even if there is Money shouldn’t be able to buy naval warships.”
"It's a long story. I'll tell you slowly when I have time. Now, let me tell you about the result of my asking you to recruit gunners."
...
Although the space on the Jackdaw is not small, Zhang Heng does not plan to recruit too many people for the first time to go to sea. Including Annie, he now only has a core team of 18 people. Zhang Heng plans to recruit on the beach. Fifteen people, including cooks, carpenters and other technicians, and Annie recommended seven to eight people, mainly gunners, so that the crew structure on the ship is relatively stable.
After going out to sea a few times, and when they are almost ready, they will be replenished one after another. Although it takes a long time for the team to form, the advantage is that there is no need to worry about being directly mixed in by other small groups, and the most important thing Zhang Heng lacks now is time.
Zhang Heng had already greeted Billy and the others about Anne's role as boatswain. Female pirates were relatively rare in the 18th century. persist in.
Because it is the first order of the new captain, it is not good for everyone to directly refuse or ask for a vote.
So Billy and the others discussed it and finally accepted the appointment, but there was an additional condition that Annie's combat effectiveness needed to be tested.
This reason is very reasonable. After all, in addition to organizing the sailors to carry out various tasks on the ship, the bosun also has to lead by example in battle. The people here can still have the morale to fight.
Zhang Heng has no objection to this request. He can appoint Annie to be the bosun of the Jackdaw, but he can only rely on the latter's own efforts to convince everyone on board. Fortunately, Zhang Heng is worried about everything but Annie. I have never worried about the latter's ability to fight.
Looking at the two opponents in front of her who were a head taller than her, the red-haired girl's eyes not only showed no fear, but a look of excitement lit up instead.
The pirates watching around had already voluntarily vacated an open space. Billy, who was the referee, said to Anne, "This competition is of a sparring nature. In principle, heavy handing is not allowed, and you can admit defeat at any time, so you don't have to worry. Next You can choose an opponent among them, as long as you can defeat any one of them, we will accept you as a companion... "
As a result, he was interrupted by the girl before he finished speaking. Annie took out the saber stuck in the sand in front of her, waved it a few times to test the feel, and then grinned and showed two rows of white teeth, "Don't bother, you two Come on, otherwise it won't be interesting if it ends too soon."
All the pirates were in an uproar when they heard this arrogant declaration.
Zhang Heng didn't go to see the battle where the result was known in advance. He had more important things to do.
The most intuitive feeling after becoming the captain is that there are more things to do. Before the Sea Lion, he basically focused on learning, watching more and talking less. In order not to arouse Orff’s vigilance, Zhang Heng is now becoming the cable captain. In the past, he hardly participated in any affairs on the ship, so he only needed to arrange his own time every day, but now he needs to be responsible for a whole ship, and there must be more things to consider.
Zhang Heng first approached Dufresne and asked the latter to purchase a batch of green lemons before going to sea.
The dangers of the Age of Discovery come from all sides,
Among them, scurvy is definitely an item that cannot be ignored.
Limited by the technical conditions at the time, most vegetables and fruits could not be stored for a long time on board. Whether it was a navy or a pirate, most of the food consisted of biscuits and dried meat, supplemented by some seafood. There was no problem in the short term, but once it was long Time can not be close to the land will cause a series of troubles due to lack of vitamins.
In mild cases, the body is weak and exhausted, the teeth are loose, the bones are painful, and the serious ones can even lead to death. When Columbus explored the New World, most of the crew members died of scurvy, and two-thirds of the crew members died of scurvy during Magellan’s round-the-world voyage. blood disease.
People in later generations basically know that this is caused by a lack of vitamins, especially vitamin C, but in Zhang Heng's current era, most people have no effective coping methods at all except prayer.
Zhang Heng had seen some people suffering from scurvy on the Sea Lion before, their expressions were sluggish, and they could only display 50 to 60% of their strength in battle, and this also reminded him that it was his turn The first thing to do when taking a boat out to sea is to stock up on limes.
The latter is easy to store, and it can be guaranteed not to rot for about a month at room temperature. It is one of the fruits with the most vitamin C. In addition, Zhang Heng also found a newly recruited cook and asked him to bake a fruit. Dried vegetables and fruits in batches can basically prevent the risk of scurvy.
The only regret is that it is still decades after soybeans were introduced to Europe from China. This is the most readily available source of fresh vegetables on board. The growth of bean sprouts does not require soil, just a little water can grow wildly, rich in protein and vitamins, Zhang Heng He has entrusted several businessmen related to the East India Company on the island to help him collect, but it will take a year at the earliest.
After solving the food problem, Zhang Heng went to meet with the black market merchants on the island again, mainly to discuss the issue of the share of loot sales. Generally speaking, the relatively large pirate gangs on the island have fixed black market merchants as partners, and the two sides establish a mutually beneficial relationship. A win-win partnership.
Pirates will directly pull the stolen loot to familiar black merchants, and the latter will also provide a more lucrative price than the market. Zhang Heng originally thought that he would be favored by many black market merchants because he owned the Jackdaw, but the actual situation of the meeting was quite different from his imagination.
He visited a few big black merchants on the island. Although the other parties were very polite to him, it seemed that it was more of a courtesy, and the price they offered was not considered a discount. As Na said, the conditions are only a little bit better than those of newcomers who go to sea for the first time, and they are completely incomparable with the original Sea Lion.
The answers from the other party were basically the same. They all saw the excellent hardware conditions of the Jackdaw, but expressed concern about the young captain Zhang Heng. Some people also heard what happened on the beach before and thought he hired a woman to serve The bosun's approach was immature and thoughtless, which confirmed their previous fears.
Therefore, they generally hope that Zhang Heng and his Jackdaw will renegotiate the issue of share after several successful hunts prove that they have the ability to gain a foothold in this sea area.
Di Frena frowned after going out, "The situation is a bit wrong. In the past, when there were potential pirate groups on the island, these guys were very enthusiastic. It seems that the rumors may be true."
"What rumor?"
"Because of the huge benefits brought by the sale of stolen goods, there are many black merchants, large and small, on the island, and the competition among them is fierce, and sometimes they even tear their faces apart. In order to win the pirate ships that cooperate with other merchants to their own Here, some people will also secretly fund and fund the hidden ambitions on the ship, inciting them to rebel and seize power. If those guys succeed, they will choose their sponsors as new partners in return. But recently I heard that the people on the island Black marketeers are talking to end this disorder and they intend to form a coalition."