living in 16th century england

Chapter 24 You Are All Mine

Matthew said helplessly: "The transportation task is very important. I guess you already know that I want to build a warship for the king. It will definitely not work without sufficient supplies. Robert can't do this job. As you said, he has only worked as a sailor long."

"Your proposal is very good. We will wait until we have seen the Isles of Scilly to discuss specific matters. We must choose a suitable location. The transportation work will definitely increase by then."

Mike was instantly satisfied.Affirm abilities and accept suggestions.What is this, this is obedience.He immediately respectfully expressed his willingness to share the baron's worries, and in short, just entrust him with any affairs.

Sending Mike away, Matthew felt, was too leisurely.A [-]-ton two-masted sailing ship hauled all the things to be towed in a few trips.At present, after all, they are all workshops, and the scale of the industry is still too small.

In this era, the population size of many European towns was measured in thousands.And it was one thousand, two thousand accounted for the majority.The larger population is in rural areas.Of course, there are also real cities, but there are only tens of thousands of people.Like London.

Such a market is actually a bit too big for a trading ship with a load of [-] tons.Matthew wanted to hoard some iron ore, but he emptied his inventory after a few trips.Want more?There will be a few tons more tomorrow, can you wait?

There are not enough bricks to build a house in Plymouth, and they have to be hauled from other ports.Simply speechless.Matthew even had the idea of ​​burning bricks himself.

Will brick-burning be expanded now?of course not.Because everyone knows that when the house is built, the sales of bricks will drop back to the original level in an instant.Why bother?

Population doesn't fall from the sky.

But Matthew knew he would, because he was going to immigrate.Without more manpower, ten warships with 600 tons of artillery can be built in two years?impossible.

So, Matthew said this: "Jack, try to resolve it peacefully, let them surrender, keep them safe, maybe I can give them a job."

"Everyone's life is precious!"

The pirates...no...all the militiamen felt that the newly promoted baron was really kind.

These pirates entrenched on the desert island meant that there was no rear.Or the desert island is their rear.It's completely different from Jack.

It's a pity that good words and persuasion also pay attention to methods.

"Baron Sealy? I haven't heard of it, Jack, you idiot, do you think I'm as stupid as you? You let him come out and let me see, I'll kill him with a knife."

The pirates are on the island and the militiamen are on board.Because it came so suddenly, the pirates didn't even have time to get on board.Also because of Jack's artillery deterrence, there were not many people on the shore, but there were quite a few heads popping up.

It is actually not easy to go ashore from the simple pier, because the pirates may have muskets, but they must have longbows, and there will be casualties.

Matthew had no choice but to go out in person, and said loudly: "Everyone, I am the Baron of the Isles of Scilly conferred by Henry VIII. You are now stepping on my territory. Therefore, you are all my subjects."

"Who said they were going to hack me to death just now?"

A fat head raised his head: "It's me, you son of a bitch impostor, do you dare to come up?"

Mike was furious: "Piggy, do you dare to come down?"

That head was also furious: "You great pillock, come up if you have the guts!"

Jack also scolded: "You gannet, eat alone all day, be careful to choke you to death."

Danny William joined in one after another, and the scale of the scolding battle between the two sides became larger and larger, and everyone was elated.

Matthew held his forehead speechlessly.

Jack said: "Nephew, just fire a few shots and rush over. They are much fewer than us, and they will win for sure."

Matthew: "No, I don't want to see casualties...I'll try again."

Some casualties are to be compensated.One death over there is a lack of strong labor force, which is a loss-making business no matter how you look at it.

"Stop, stop, gentlemen, no matter what you have done before, as a lord, I can forgive all your crimes. Under my command, you don't have to worry anymore. You can marry a wife and have children, start a family and start a business. Everyone can bring Your money...do it all over again."

"Start over with money! Understand?"

"Please believe that I have enough land and enough gold coins to help you do this. Want to be a fisherman? No problem, I have a shipyard, and I will give you the cost price."

"Want to be a farmer? I have at least 3000 acres of good land under my name. Except for the church's tithe tax, I don't collect rent. The condition is that the surplus grain is sold to me, don't worry, the market price."

"Want to continue sailing and adventure? I will have enough boats for you to display your talents. You can even buy one yourself at a discounted price."

"If you have other skills, I will give a chance. Maybe you can become my partner. With my protection, you just need to concentrate on business. Believe me, this is a great advantage."

"By the way, you must all have had Hawkins from Plymouth, which is my property."

"Your knives may have been sold to you by me."

"See these boats?"

"In my opinion, they are all obsolete. My shipwrights are building the most advanced ocean-going sailing ship in the world. It will go to London in two months. Because our King Henry VIII wants to see her. Looks like. Want to get one? No problem, I'll give you a discount."

"Now, you can make a choice."

"Do you die here, or run to the infinite future with me?"

Someone asked: "So good? Mr. Hawkins... What good do you have?"

Matthew laughed: "Only when you get together can you rob. If I gather you together, everyone can legally make a fortune together. My land needs people, my industry needs people, and my sheep also need people. Lots of hands. Everyone can legally ... make a fortune in it."

"What is the reason?"

Another person asked: "Are there no other conditions?"

Matthew smiled: "Yes."

More people said in unison: "What is it?"

Matthew took out a purse and shook it.

"I'll give you 32 gold coins. Whoever kills the pig who scolded me just now will get the gold coins."

After 1 minute, the pirates surrendered.

A man in a black robe finally couldn't help but ask: "Why 32 gold coins? Not 31, not 33?"

Matthew: "Your observation skills are not good... because they have 33 people, which is just enough."

The man in black was suddenly dumb.

Matthew spent a day visiting several small islands worth seeing.More detailed information was provided by the pirates.Not bad, there are five islands where people can live.Islands are too small to retain water, so they are all big islands.But this is not a big problem. A reservoir can be built, and the rainwater here is relatively abundant.

The altitude is also quite poor, the highest is only 50 meters.Relatively speaking, the area that can be cultivated is not as much as expected, about 1500 acres.There are indeed many stones, but the vegetation is lush, and you can raise sheep and cattle if you can't farm.

What attracted Matthew's attention was that the types of plants here were different from those in England.It can be said that he has never seen many of them.

The low latitude is different, and it is more suitable for growing vegetables.That is, there are too many trees with crooked necks, and too few mature ones.The sea water is extremely clear and blue.Matthew even saw seals, because there is actually more than one beach here.Sailing between islands is not a problem. In many places, the water depth is more than 10 meters, but there are also many reefs. If you are an outsider who is not familiar with the sea conditions, you must be in bad luck.

The next day, Matthew gathered everyone together, more than 100 people huddled together.The pirates panicked, what are they doing?

Matthew said: "Now, I want to count. Remember, everyone...is everyone. First of all, those who think they can command a ship, and those who think they can sail offshore as captains, stand here for me."

Mike stood up first.Then there's Jack and Son.

Everyone had complicated thoughts, and the pirates immediately put aside their panic. Obviously, they didn't intend to kill people, but they actually wanted to pick the captain?Self-confessed?What the hell is this?

Finally, a sailor emerged from the crowd.

Someone took the lead, and immediately a bunch came out.

The black robe counted the number of people, there were sixteen of them.

Matthew: "Is there any more?"

And tremblingly, six more popped up.

Someone shouted: "You can also be the captain? Be careful that you will be killed if you reveal your secrets."

Immediately, someone went back.

Matthew smiled and said: "I won't kill anyone, but the captain is going to sea. The sea is worthy of awe. Those who are not capable enough will definitely die at sea and kill a whole crew of people."

Suddenly there was one less.

Matthew nodded, the British were quite honest at this time.I looked at it, exactly twenty.Then he took a pen and wrote down the names one by one.

Of course, this took a long time, but what is strange is that during the whole process, the more than 100 people were extremely quiet.

Matthew said loudly: "Okay... now... I think I can set sail and sail thousands of miles in the sea. I crossed the Atlantic and returned home safely. Stand here."

Mike was the first to stand over again.Jack hesitated for a moment, but also passed.William shook, but did not move.

Again the sailor took the lead.But this time only four came out, and three of them were pirates.

Jack snorted: "Dare to stand up without being a captain?!"

The sailor said: "Captain Jack, you forgot, I used to be a captain."

Jack said, "Anthony, I'm not talking about you."

A sailor and a pirate went back immediately.

Matthew: "It seems that you have forgotten what I said, as long as you think you can do it, you can stand up."

But in the end, there were still only five people.

Matthew: "Each of you will get a new ocean-going sailboat. But it will take some time. Until then, use the existing boat for the time being."

Someone said: "Dear Baron, we only have four boats. The other two belong to Jack."

Matthew: "That's right, William, you can only be the first mate for the time being. Jack, your ship must be used to its full potential. And... have you chosen your island?"

Jack was stunned for a moment, and said, "I've chosen it, it's the one over there."

Matthew took a look. It was not too big or too small. There was fresh water, but not much arable land. He remembered that it was nice to have a small harbor.It is estimated that a "pirate lair" will still be built.

He nodded: "That's right. Now, that's your fief. I allow you to name it."

Jack smiled crookedly: "My baron, I think the name Jack Island is very appropriate."

Matthew: "Back in Plymouth, we'll do our job and there will be formal papers, I promise, the ones that will be passed on from generation to generation."

William immediately showed joy, but he didn't know why he was happy.

Matthew: "Remember, there is only one shipyard in Plymouth now, but the production capacity is far more than it was before. There are several 70-ton caravel ketches ready to be launched. However, I cannot vouch for their quality because they I didn't build it. So, you have to choose carefully. Jack, if you want, you can also choose a new boat. In short, your own boat is your own responsibility."

Jack smiled and said, "Don't worry."

Mike said: "A new ship is not safe. It's best to sail in the offshore for a few months before sailing far."

Matthew nodded: "Everyone can figure it out."

"The rest are reserve captains, and their position is temporary first mate. There are three first mates per ship."

Suddenly someone in the crowd shouted: "This is not fair! What have I done? I have always been the first officer, why is this?"

Matthew was expressionless: "A sailor who doesn't want to be a captain is not a good first mate."

Everyone laughed, and the man suddenly lost his voice.

Matthew: "Everyone, please note that in the future, the Hawkins Shipyard will no longer build sailboats under [-] tons. At most, we will order some small offshore fishing boats to satisfy the villagers. Therefore, I will need more ocean-going captains."

All the sailors suddenly buzzed.The chief mate who was dismissed also showed joy.

Matthew said: "It doesn't matter what your status is or what other sources of income you have. As long as you become my captain, you will have a monthly salary of 5 gold coins. First officer, only 2."

Everyone was in an uproar.Someone shouted, didn't these two pirates just surrender the day before yesterday?

Matthew's face sank: "Please note that they are now my subjects and enjoy my asylum."

"Those who don't want to be my subjects can leave on their own after returning to Plymouth."

"Now, if you want to leave, come and register your name."

No one moves, everyone is thinking.

Suddenly a pirate captain came over and knelt down on one knee: "My Baron, as God bears witness, I swear to be loyal to you until death."

Matthew smiled and said, "I am the Baron of England, you only need to be loyal to England."

There were so many things to do today, back to his cabin, the man in black followed.

"All of this...was planned by you? To convince them?"

Matthew slumped on the bed with his head in his hands: "It's a lot, but it's not for convincing anyone. It's about breaking up the original hills...preparing for a rainy day."

"Can you go out first? I'm going to take a break."

The man in black: "..."

(End of this chapter)