living in 16th century england

Chapter 28 They Are All Barbarians

An average of ten knots means that the maximum speed of the little donkey with a full load must not be lower than twelve knots, otherwise how can it be averaged?

The aforementioned strongest sailing ship of the 19th century.They are fully loaded... mind you... fully loaded from some great eastern country to Europe.The tonnage is about 600-1000 tons. In this case, the speed is basically "average" 14 knots.

Only by carrying a million catties on your back and traveling hundreds of thousands of miles can you see your true kung fu.

Therefore, this kind of sailboat must often run out of 16 knots to achieve this average figure. In the middle, it is necessary to stop the boat for repairs and supplement food.Ships are dead things, people are not.

Even if the season is carefully chosen, it is not inevitable that the wind will go smoothly, at most the probability is relatively high.

Only people who read by death will bite the 14th verse.In fact, it is not uncommon to run 18 knots without a load, and there is an average of 16 knots with a full load.No higher ones were found.This has something to do with the tonnage and draft personnel skills,
A boat that relies on wind speed and direction does not have a throttle or a speed limiter.

In this era, the social status of the captain has risen.A good captain means the safety of the cargo, but also means a lot of money.Not one or two guests who became kings were made nobles or appointed admirals.

Of course, there are also many clubs that smashed ships, and it is not uncommon for Trek to starve himself to death.

Matthew let out a haha: "Write down the specific time, I want to see how fast it is!"

No response.There were no clocks in this era, and no one knew the exact time.Don't know what to do when the boss asks a question?Play dead.

Only Irene answered honestly: "Matthew... I think it's already nine o'clock."

The man in black: "Do you still want to run to London non-stop?"

Matthew ignored him and tied the hat carefully.I feel a little depressed, I'm so tired without a clock.

Several shipwrights were very excited.

The pirate captain is also very excited, this is his dream ship! ...fast enough indeed.

He clutched his three-cornered hat and shouted: "Speed ​​test!"

The sailor who had been prepared for a long time immediately threw a rope with many knots into the sea, but the other sailor turned over the hourglass, stared at it for a while and shouted: "Stop!".

The one who threw the rope took it back immediately, and after a while excitedly shouted: "Speed... 12 knots."

Obviously, this method has a huge error.But all were in high spirits.

According to records, the early days of the Great Navigation Era.Some pirates even threw their equipped artillery into the sea in order to catch up with their fleeing opponents.Just to increase the speed a little bit.What is this speed? 10 knots!
Only Matthew doesn't think it's fast. The so-called 12 knots is actually... 22.224 kilometers per hour.His horses can run 50 kilometers.However, the ship will not be tired, as long as the sailors are well equipped and the captain is able to command effectively.It is no problem to travel eight hundred days and nights.

"...Can it be faster?"

The captain said: "My baron, unless the wind is stronger, I estimate that the maximum is 13 knots."

When he was completely out of the port, the wind direction changed, and he lost his speed.The captain immediately issued instructions continuously, and the sailors were numerous and powerful, and they moved extremely fast, and the speed increased in minutes.But obviously not as good as before.

The captain shouted again: "Speed ​​test!"

In fact, no one will frequently measure the speed during normal sailing.But isn't this a trial flight?Test it to fulfill the wishes of the baron and the shipwrights.

This time only 9 knots, not bad.

When Captain Mike escaped with Matthew, the speed was also in this speed range.But don't forget, the boat was empty at that time, and the little donkey was fully loaded, so the gap is obvious.

The shipwrights whispered to each other: Clearly, the boat had exceeded expectations.

Matthew got bored after a while.So he went straight to the captain's cabin.

The man in black thinks that this boat is too exquisite, and he spared no expense.After entering the cabin, I found out that it can no longer be described as exquisite.He even saw a bronze mirror.There were no glass mirrors in this age, in fact, not even telescopes.

No matter what the books say, telescopes only became popular in the 17th century.

So Matthew has always believed that getting rich is only a small problem, and how to keep his future wealth is the big problem.

With this mentality, you can understand why he threw the golden sugar into the ginger soup without hesitation.

The effect is also surprisingly good, and the local tyrants of all sizes in Plymouth are now only in awe.This is the natural rule of the world of rich people~ whoever has more money is the boss.

The captain's cabin, Matthew, only thinks it is average, that is, the details are better, and it is cleaner and tidy.Very small.He frowned~ The floor seemed to be not at 90 degrees to the center of gravity, and there was a slight deviation.

When building on the beach, the state of the boat is not the same as in the water.Whether the deck is flat after launching depends entirely on the experience of the boat builder.Even if the goods are not placed correctly, it will have an impact.

When you are flying, you can call everyone to the tail of the plane to play games and see if the flight attendant will kick you to death.

However, this is only a small problem.

The man in black: "How much did you spend on this boat?"

Matthew: "140 gold coins."

The man in black tilted his head: "Do you know! You threw a boat into the iron pot..."

Matthew took out the pipe and filled it with cut tobacco, sat on the seat and lit it: "All I know is that you drink the most in Plymouth."

The man in black: "..."

Then he discovered something new: "What is this?"

Matthew: "Cast iron coal stove, but only when the boat is at rest and the sea is calm."

The man in black: "...?"

Matthew explained: "Have you ever seen a storm? It's okay to ignite it, maybe it will kill people."

The man in black: "...that's why it's fixed?"

Matthew: "True, but the burning coals will probably come out."

The man in black: "Fak...such a dangerous thing should not be loaded on the ship."

Matthew laughed: "It's just a test product."

"If successful, the crew will be served hot soup. This is a great benefit."

The man in black thought for a long time and couldn't figure out how to ignite it. Do we need to prepare flammable hay?I had no choice but to ask for advice.

Matthew looked strange: "...there is something called gunpowder."

The man in black: "..."

Of course Matthew knew the disadvantages of this thing.In fact, the crew often can only eat prepared cooked food when they eat. If they want to eat some hot food, they have to "pull over" and run to land to start a business.Food is something that will go wrong over time.Infestation is commonplace.

It's a tough job.

"Well, I hope your experiment is successful. What I'm curious about is whether this kind of... small donkey... will cost so much? With all due respect, there is no price advantage at all."

Matthew: "No, this one is specially made. If you don't pay so much attention to decoration and objects, and only use ordinary wood and materials, the cost will not exceed 90 gold coins."

"Have you seen this bronze mirror? I guess the queen might like it."

The black-robed man chuckled, "No, the king is the one who always looks in the mirror."

Matthew was surprised: "He still likes to look in the mirror?"

Man in black: "Yes, he once said that image is important because he represents England."

Matthew held a pipe and thought about it.This young king is indeed extraordinary, and seems to be a bit of an idol.

Many of the records about the image of Henry VIII were written by envoys from other countries, which is logically very credible.

"The handsomest king in Europe," or, "We are barbarians compared to Henry VIII."abound.

The man in black: "The cost of 90 gold coins... can it be lowered?"

Matthew: "Of course, as long as three can be produced at the same time, it can be reduced by 25%, so scale is needed. If all materials can be produced in England, it can be reduced by a lot."

The man in black asked curiously: "...You mean, many things on this boat are imported?"

Matthew took a puff of cigarette: "It's not a lot of things, it's almost everything."

"Watt, all are imported?"

The man in black really didn't know this, which was far beyond his expectation.

Matthew chuckled: "The canvas, anchor and gunpowder are from the Netherlands, and the tar, wax, and rope are from the Baltic coast. Except for the wood and iron products, they are from my home, and everything else is gone."

The man in black was startled: "Such an exaggeration? The rope is imported?"

Matthew said: "Do you know what England exports?"

The man in black: "...wool and wool?"

Matthew smiled: "In addition to raw materials such as wool, animal skins, tin, and lead, there is only one woolen cloth that looks decent."

For most of the 16th century, woolen fabrics were the "national industry" of Britain, but now the Netherlands is the major producer of woolen fabrics.

In fact, the situation in England was more serious than Matthew knew.

Ships and naval supplies come from the Baltic region, yes, even shipbuilding is a mess.It is one of the industries that Henry VIII most wanted to change.

Anchor, guns and gunpowder came from the Netherlands.In history, artillery is the biggest achievement of Henry VIII later.When England's artillery was famous in Europe for being advanced, Gustav was still playing "leather cannon", that is, forging cannons wrapped in leather to reduce bombing (tears).

Other weapons and equipment come from Milan and Brescia, military rations come from Danzig and Holland,
Even the materials for the longbow come from Switzerland and the Hanseatic League.

In 1510, England was a small country on the border of Europe, no matter how you brag, you could only say one bad word!
The only advantage is that the businessman has a high status.This might be Henry VII's helpless choice.The consequences are actually not so good.

The British political system and the parliamentary system were later learned by the whole world.It can be described as the originator of the modern state.

But Matthew scoffed at this~England was also the first country to cut off the head of its own king.The reason why English goods can be sold all over the world is because the British capitalist group in power has squeezed the British people harder and more brutally.It is the bones of many British people who have made their reputation.

For Matthew, who values ​​things like "people", this result is completely unacceptable.It is also unacceptable to any modern normal human being.

but……

~None of my business?
Anyway, he has already left the lowest level, and he can't see the ghost of Britain.Is he here to save England?
The man in black: "We should take action to change this situation, at least we should explain this situation to the king. The importation will only make England continue to lose wealth."

Matthew wants to say it's none of your business?But everyone was so familiar, so they didn't open their mouths to mock.

Before the sun set, the little donkey pulled over and stopped the boat.It was a ghostly place with no one inhabited. Matthew looked left and right, but Mao didn't see a single one.

Pirate Captain: "This place is safe, no ships pass by... I have been here before."

Matthew was a little speechless, what the hell didn't the boat pass by?Are you hiding from "officers and soldiers"?

"I mean, is there no port near here?"

Pirate Captain: "...well, yes, yes, go back dozens of kilometers, and you will find the Isle of Wight. There is Portsmouth over there, which has a similar name to Plymouth. There is Southampton in that direction..."

Dozens of kilometers?forget it.

Matthew: "Okay... when can I arrive tomorrow?"

Pirate Captain: "Halfway has passed, and we will definitely reach London before dark tomorrow."

Portsmouth?So familiar name?
Dinner is... roast bread and beer.

Too bad the roti was cold.The man in black volunteered to light the cast iron stove.After tossing for a long time, the fire flashed and almost sprayed him in the face, but luckily he was wearing a helmet.

Everyone laughed.

The pirate captain smiled, "I tried yesterday, but I used a torch."

Of course there is kindling on board, otherwise how would we fire the cannon?
The captain's cabin smelled of gunpowder.Matthew came to the deck eating bread, the air outside was good.

The land stretches into the distance, the sea is turbulent, and in the distance, under the afterglow of the setting sun, a two-masted sailboat is covered with golden light and unique colors.This should be a unique scene in the age of great navigation.

The scenery is good, just like camping.

The pirate captain brought him a glass of beer.Seeing that it was a glass, Matthew knew that Irene had prepared it for him.

Matthew suddenly remembered something: "You said before... there are very few boats passing by here?"

The robber captain was puzzled: "...Yes, going here is a detour. This section of the merchant ship is all in a straight line."

Matthew pointed to the two-masted sailboat in the distance: "What's that boat for? Where's the lookout?"

The pirate captain looked back and immediately shouted: "Be alert!"

"Anchor!"

"Raise the sails!"

Matthew only felt his ears buzzing.

The little donkey has a single deck, the poop is low, and the ship's side is not high, which is not conducive to boarding battles.There were also no dedicated combatants on board.

A total of 28 people.

Matthew, the entourage, Irene, the man in black, and the four shipwrights.

Pirate captain, three first mates, and an accountant.

And 15 sailors.

Others are gone.

The idlers in the captain's room all rushed out.

The man in black: "What's the matter, what's the matter?"

Matthew: "Is there a Jolly Roger on board?"

The pirate captain was confused: "...what is the pirate flag?"

Matthew's forehead, this thing didn't exist in the 16th century?

"How did you know it was a pirate ship?"

Pirate Captain: "...Intuition."

Matthew: "..."

Irene leaned over, took the beer glass in Matthew's hand, but tightly grasped his sleeve.

Matthew turned to look at her.

It is good to have many sailors, and the sails will soon be fully open.The biggest advantage of the little donkey is immediately apparent ~ the stability of the hull is good, the mast can be higher, the total area of ​​the sail can be larger, and various auxiliary sails are added ~ the result is faster speed.

But it will take some time to reach top speed.

The opponent is already very close, less than 300 meters.

It was obvious that the one who rushed over straight like this was a pirate.The sailors who are free are already loading sub-cannons for the Francophone.

Obviously, the facing speed was not enough at the beginning, and the time to shorten the distance was constantly extending.Everyone was relieved immediately.

Matthew: "Shoot all the guns that can hit me, and pay attention to loading."

The pirate captain said calmly: "My baron, I have the responsibility to explain...the rule in this business is... once you fight back, you will not die."

(End of this chapter)