The sun never sets in America

Chapter 69 Japan trip
Quack... quack...

A line of seagulls flew across the sky, leaving behind waves of seabird calls...

On the sea, it was calm and calm. Several sea-going ships flying the Union Jack flag spread their sails and sailed on the sea at a constant speed. Behind several sea-going ships, you could vaguely see several other sea-going ships of the same size. .

Just like a well-trained army, there is the vanguard in the front, followed by the main force in the rear, and at the end, there are two slightly smaller ships guarding the rear! !

On the largest ship in the middle, several sailors were lazily wiping the mast and the sails that were wet with moisture.

"I don't know when I will be able to go ashore. It's so uncomfortable to stay on the boat." A young sailor, while wiping the mast, raised his head and complained to his companions who climbed up to the mast to wipe the sails. During this time on the boat, he had just It was still fresh at first. When he was a child, every time he watched the Gundam ships coming and going in and out of the port of his hometown, as well as the sailors operating the ships, he felt envious in his heart...

But after he really became a sailor, he regretted it. He regretted it after only one month.

Because life at sea is really boring. What we do every day is to clean the ship, check some places on the ship where there may be holes, and repair the holes after they occur.

And the daily entertainment is just gambling, and then after getting together in the evening, they tell some sexy jokes to relieve their boredom.

And this kind of life only took him a month before he got tired of it. His happiest days were when he rested on the shore. Only when he returned to the land he had not seen for a long time and saw the exotic scenery that he had never seen before would he Feel the joy of being an ocean sailor, otherwise, he would only be more boring than he is now.

"It should be almost here. We have been away from that Hawaiian Kingdom for more than ten days..." The companion on the mast wiped the sail and lowered his head and replied to the sailor, "According to Old Locke, our next battle is Go to a country called Japan. Old Locke also said that there are many women called geisha in that country... As for what they do, you know." The companion said to the sailor in a very obscene tone, and with an ambiguous look in his eyes , introduce the country of Japan.

"Really?" Upon hearing this, the sailor immediately became interested, "How do they compare to those Dutch women?" In the sailor's mind, the Netherlands, which is rich in red light districts, is his only criterion for judging women, or in other words, he sees The best women in life are these Dutch prostitutes.

"Holland?" When the companions on the mast heard about Holland, they immediately compared Dutch women with Japanese women. "Dutch women are relatively tall, and Japanese women are shorter, but there is one thing about Dutch women that is not as good as Japanese women..." The companion introduced the difference between Dutch women and Japanese women to the sailors, and at the same time he also developed a standard for measuring women in his mind.

"What's the difference??" the sailor immediately asked eagerly.

"Why are you so anxious? Is it possible that you can't hold on so quickly?" The companion on the mast looked at the anxious look of the sailor below and asked with a smile. Upon hearing this, the young sailor suddenly blushed. , I can't say a word...

"Let me tell you, Japanese women are gentler and more submissive than Dutch women, no, than all Western women." The companion remembered what Old Locke had said about Japanese women to him, and explained with some yearning, something strange also arose in his heart. a feeling of.

"Gentleness and obedience??" The sailor was a little overwhelmed after hearing what his companion said about Japanese women's advantages. "Are gentleness and obedience also advantages??" The sailor looked at his companion who was climbing down from the mast with some confusion and asked. .

"Boy, you will understand later." After the companion came down, he patted the sailor on the shoulder and said something meaningful. Then they left here, leaving the sailor alone, still standing there at a loss. , his expression was a little dazed, and he didn’t know what he was thinking...

“Japan, Japanese women??”

The sailor muttered these two unfamiliar-looking words.

.............................................

Off Japan...

Several fishing boats of more than ten tons are drifting on the sea, with fishing nets and tow ropes connected to the sea.

Kaida Kenji pulled the fishing net, and kept gathering the fishing net in the sea in his hand. Before the fishing net was pulled a little further to the boat, several sea fish struggling in the fishing net were exposed.

As the fishing net was slowly pulled up, Kaida Kenji let the mouth of the fishing net out, and a large number of sea fish fell on the fishing boat. As soon as they landed, they started to jump and struggle.

"Shimazo..." Kaida Kenji, looking at the sea fish jumping around on the ground, immediately shouted to his son Kaida Shimazo in the cabin.

"Father..." Kaida Shimazo walked out of the cabin and looked at his father Kaida Kenji standing on the board, and called out, "Father, today's fish are bigger than yesterday's..." Kaida Shimazo looked at the lively fish on the ground. Haiyu said to his father Kaijima Kenji with some surprise.

"It is indeed bigger than yesterday..." Looking at the sea fish on the ground that were much larger than yesterday, Haidao Jianji showed a satisfied smile on his face, "Unfortunately, no matter how good the sea fish is, we will not be able to eat it in our mouths in the end..." Kaijima Jianji suddenly thought of something and said a little lonely. Looking at the sea fish on the ground that had just made him happy, a bitter expression appeared on his face, as if the more he caught today, the more uncomfortable he felt.

"It's all those bastards' fault. If they hadn't charged such high taxes, we fishermen wouldn't even be able to eat fish. We would have to sell the fish for money..." After hearing his father's words, Kaida Shimazo's face showed With a look of anger, "If you ask me, this bastard shogunate should be finished as soon as possible!!" Kaidajima answered angrily to his father Kaijima Kenji. In his opinion, this is all the fault of the shogunate.

If the shogunate hadn't collected too many taxes, would fishermen like them be as hardworking as they are today?

Every day I risk the waves to go fishing. You must know that most Japanese fishermen’s fishing boats are very small and their ability to withstand risks is not high. Going out to sea for fishing is a high-risk time, especially going to the open sea, which is even more dangerous. An almost crazy move, especially in the eyes of many experienced fishermen... this is completely an act of committing suicide.

And if you want to use a large ship suitable for ocean fishing, let’s not talk about whether it is expensive or not. Let’s talk about shipbuilding. In Japan, which lacks technology, the cost of building a ship is several times that of Europe at the same time...

After all, on the basis of the long-term seclusion of the shogunate, no large ship that can go to sea has been built for a long time. If it were to be built suddenly, it would inevitably be faced with the construction of a new shipyard and the training of skilled shipbuilders, which would be enough to weaken the already fragile finances of the shogunate. , adding insult to injury...

In this case, let's get rid of all the big ships and oceans. Isn't it nice to live in seclusion and live behind closed doors? ?
"Shimazo, you can only say these words here. Once you return to Japan, return to Edo, if you say these things, we will all be finished. Do you understand?" Kenji Kaida was in pain when he saw his son Kaida Shimazo. Although he agreed with the scolding of the shogunate in his heart, on the surface, he still had to keep a straight face and teach Kaida Shimazō a lesson.After all, once the shogunate heard about it, their family would easily be treated as a rebel party.

"I got it, father!!" Kaida Shimazo looked at his father with a serious face. Although he was a little unhappy, he still agreed. After all, he also knew that some words should not be said, otherwise the whole family would He was dying, "Father, look, look... there are so many big ships!!" Just as Kaida Shimazo was about to clean up the lively fish on the boat, the shadows of several big ships suddenly reflected in his eyes, and there were more than one. Two, many, too many to count.

"Shimazo..." Kaida Kenji looked at Kaida Shimazo who looked anxious. At first he thought he was joking, "Ah..." Kaida Kenji turned around with some doubts, and saw what he had seen in his life. The most shocking scene.

So many ships, so big ships! !
"It could probably fit hundreds of small boats like his, right??"

This was Kaida Kenji's first thought after seeing those large ships.

But then came fear, fear from the inside out.

"Shima San, hurry up, return to the harbor quickly..." Kenji Kaida looked at the big ship in front of him, his face changed drastically and shouted, "Hurry, hurry up, return to the port quickly..." Kenji Kaida continued to shout, his face unable to stop. He was frightened. If in the beginning, those huge sailing ships were still the largest and most magical spectacle he had ever seen in his life, then after Kaida Kenji reacted now, in his eyes, those big ships had become A giant man-eating beast...

It seemed as if they were going to be eaten together with the boat at any moment! !

Hearing this, Kaitashima San was frightened and quickly gathered the sails and turned the ship's bow.

Since it is easier to turn around a small boat than a big one, the fishing boat named Kaida Maru quickly turned around and sailed towards the port. The father and son Kaida Kenji and Kaida Shimazo on the boat were anxiously looking forward to the fishing boat catching up as quickly as possible. When they arrived at the port, they looked back at the big ships at the front that were getting closer and closer to them. There was unspeakable fear on their faces, like a deer about to be caught by a tiger at any time. They could only hide their heads and run away. , dare not make any pause...

Once there is a pause, life will come to an abrupt end.

Finally, it became a delicacy in the mouth of the tiger (Dachuan).

On the big ship at the rear, Hu Junding looked with interest at the small Japanese fishing boats in front of him, at the ragged fishermen on the bows, and at the sight of them, as if they were seeing tigers, they turned around and ran away. ...the smile on Hu Junding's lips.

"These Japanese are like mice seeing cats when they see us. Why do they run so fast..." Wan Fang walked up to Hu Junding and looked at the Japanese fishing boat speeding away across the way. He said to Hu Junding in a funny way.

"Maybe it's because we are too big!!" Hu Jun pointedly replied to Wan Fang, "After all, we are indeed big enough..." Hu Jun pointed to the side and behind them, and even the largest ship under their feet. The Harlem smiled and continued to answer Wan Fang. While answering, he looked at the fishing boat escaping in a hurry on the opposite side.

"Indeed, compared to Japan, we are indeed big enough!!" Wan Fang said to Hu Junding with understanding, "After all, how tall are they?" Wan Fang gestured with his hands. The height of the Japanese is, for those over 1.7 meters and a half tall, For Wan Fang, as far as he knew, the height of the Japanese only reached his chest.

"Ha ha……"

Wan Fang and Hu Junding suddenly burst into laughter.

"Shall we enter Japan directly?" After laughing, Wan Fang suddenly asked Hu Junding a serious question, that is, how they entered Japan, whether they entered directly in a swaggering way, or entered politely.

These are all rhetorical! !
After all, if you enter directly, it will easily cause resistance and confrontation from Japan. This is definitely the last thing Liujiabao wants to see, who is committed to developing safe and reliable immigration routes.

"Don't worry, they will come to greet us..." Hu Junding replied meaningfully to Wan Fang.

"They will come to greet us?" Wan Fang asked Hu Junding in disbelief after hearing this, "You mean... the fishing boat in front." Wan Fang looked at Hu Junding's playful eyes and suddenly thought of something. Then he tentatively asked Hu Junding.

"That's right, that's the fishing boat in front." Hu Junding smiled and nodded in reply, "The Japanese fishing boat in front is the best guide we brought to the Japanese." Hu Junding looked at the one in front of him that was getting further and further away. The small fishing boat continued to answer Wan Fang.

"It is also our best gift to the Japanese..." Hu Junding then continued to say to Wan Fang, with a hint of sarcasm in the corner of his mouth.

After Wan Fang finished listening, he looked at the small Japanese fishing boat ahead that was getting farther and farther away from them, his eyes flickering, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

In Edo, as the fishing boat Kaida Maru entered the port, a piece of news spread throughout Edo. Everyone knew that outside Edo, there were dozens of mountain-like ships heading towards Edo. Killing (an exaggerated description of the father and son Kaida Kenji and Kaida Shimazo).

This also attracted the attention of Tokugawa Ieki, the 12th shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate who ruled Edo.

Tokugawa Ieki immediately held a meeting to discuss response strategies.

"Gentlemen..." Tokugawa Ieki knelt on the stage, looking at the retainers who were also kneeling on both sides, and said expressionlessly, even at this critical moment, he must maintain the majesty of the shogun. and mystery.

"According to the fishermen who have just arrived at the port, there are dozens of large-scale ships coming out of the open sea. It depends on the situation because they are those Western ships..." Tokugawa Ieki immediately guessed the origin of the ships. After all, although Japan Although he was closed to the outside world, he still had a certain understanding of the West, especially the Western countries that colonized near the Far East, because of his early exposure to Orchidology.

(The so-called Orchidology is actually knowledge passed to Japan by the Dutch, and is regarded as a standard by the Japanese)
"Shogun, I think we should send warships to intercept." Mishima Xingyi, who was loyal to the shogunate, stood up from the left side, bowed and replied to Tokugawa Ieki.

(End of this chapter)