"I don't know, they didn't know what they gave me to drink, and I just saw them throw us in a big vat before I fell unconscious, and we've been here since we woke up."

Catherine's body involuntarily leaned against Newton, and only this person by her side could give her a little comfort in the darkness. Newton's proximity made Newton feel much more relaxed, and even though his hands were tied, he tried to comfort Catherine a little.

"Catherine don't be afraid, maybe, soon, we will be rescued, if there is anyone, we can shout for help, and we will be rescued when the time comes, believe me......"

Despite his reassurances to Catherine, Newton was equally nervous, and countless thoughts were tumbling in his mind.

Are they really going to be sold into slavery in North Africa and into the infidels?

Where are they now?

It wasn't in the carriage, even in the barrel, that Newton could feel the ups and downs. Could it be on a ship?

"Catherine, we should be on board now, we should be smuggling ships in the North Sea."

After saying this speculation, Newton felt that Catherine in his arms seemed to be more nervous, and he comforted him.

"That's a good thing, after all, now that we're at war with the Dutch, maybe, our fleet is on the sea, there's a good chance we'll find smugglers, and believe me, we'll be rescued......"

When Newton, trapped in the barrel, assured Catherine, he felt the barrel move, and the voice of a foreigner came from outside the barrel, as if it were French. He immediately shouted for help in French, but his cries for help were ignored, and the cask was hoisted to another ship in the midst of the shaking.

"Do you know how?"

Looking at the shaking wine barrel, Li Pingfeng asked Zhang Liqiang beside him.

"I know that we will take them to the Moroccan slave market with the other slaves, and then transport them to the Cape of Good Hope with the slaves we have bought."

Zhang Liqiang, dressed as a Moor, does not seem to be any different from the Moors, as a naval officer, he went directly to Morocco with the large army in Spain, where he negotiated a deal with local pirates - to buy 2,000 white slaves.

Why did the Navy buy white slaves?

Naturally, it had a naval purpose, because the business was negotiated with pirates, so the price was cheaper than in the slave market, and even Zhang Liqiang disguised himself as a Moorish and sailed with the Barbary pirates to plunder the white slaves.

It was the peak of Barbary pirates, who resembled privateers in European countries, to raid the Atlantic. Not only did they attack the countries bordering the Mediterranean, but they also harassed Britain. The worst of the captivity occurred in 1631: the entire population of Baltimore, County Cork, Ireland, was taken by Barbary pirates. During this period, some privateer captains from Britain, France, and other European countries even volunteered to join the Barbary pirates. Like the captain of this ship, that is, the French.

They were planning to go to Britain to raid the white slaves, and after receiving Li Pingfeng's letter, they naturally cooperated and cooperated with them to take the two special slaves away.

"Andrey, actually, if you want, we can trade directly on the island, and I can even send them all to your port."

After the Oriental disembarked, Reece walked up to Zhang Liqiang's side and shouted his reputation.

"In that case, you can save at least five hundred pounds,"

This Oriental named "Andrei" was the favorite guest of all the Barbary pirates - he was generous, and he did not have high requirements for white slaves, only young and healthy, of course, this was not the reason why he wanted to trade directly, he wanted direct trade to save paying 20% of the booty to the Sultan, just like the more than 270 slaves on this ship, if he returned to Morocco, the Sultan had to pick 20% of the slaves first, and then the rest could be sold freely.

If you could trade directly, you would not only avoid paying tribute to the Sultan, but you would also be able to make an additional profit – trading in the slave market required a 10% transaction tax to the marketer.

"Captain Reese, what we need is a long-term deal, we will continue to buy slaves next year, and the same will be true for years to come, if we avoid the Sultan, we may save a lot of money, but the question is, what if the Sultan learns of this and refuses to trade with us?"

Zhang Liqiang's answer made Captain Reece stunned, and he looked at this Oriental curiously,

"Can you tell me, why do you need these slaves? There are so many blacks at the Cape of Good Hope, if you will, that you don't need to spend so much money and buy slaves from so far away. ”

"Market!"

Although it is not clear why the navy bought slaves, Zhang Liqiang also knows that now in China, white slaves are very valuable "goods", perhaps, this is the private business of some officers, who knows?

As long as these white slaves are transported to Nantianmen, they will definitely be able to sell for a good price.

"Because, the white slaves in the market are sold at a higher price and more profitable, just like in Morocco, in North Africa, those sultans could have taken more slaves from the south of the desert, but why should they take slaves from Europe?"

Zhang Liqiang's rhetorical question made Reese answer with a smile.

"Because they're white. Women could prosper more slaves for their masters, while male slaves were of greater use, and those with special skills were not immediately executed wherever they went. Doctors, gunsmiths, blacksmiths, carpenters, clerks, weavers, engineers, professional soldiers, mercenaries, etc., will be singled out for a high price. So the Sultan used these captives and craftsmen to lure skilled captives into apostasy with the bait of farm houses and salaries, and formed a European-style army of European apostates. ”

Turning his head to look at Zhang Liqiang, Reese's eyes were filled with curiosity, could it be that they also wanted to be like the Sultan, and needed those skilled slaves to serve them? Like the two guys who had just been loaded onto the boat in barrels.

"So, when they arrived at the port, the slaves would be asked what they would do. What are you good at. If it works for the Sultan, it will be taken away by the Sultan. ”

"They are my personal slaves!"

Zhang Liqiang replied immediately.

"Not in your booty, you have to understand that."

"Of course, sir, I will state this to the tax collector, and the tax collector will also admit that they are your personal slaves, and absolutely no one will be able to get them, except you."

Reese's answer made Zhang Liqiang nod, and then asked.

"And what about those who don't have a skill?"

"As for those white slaves who have no skills and are unwilling to convert, they can only wait for the fate of being collectively wholesaled and reduced to hard labor, and ......"

Suddenly, Reese's smile became a little obscene.

"Do you know what is the greatest use of a man's white slave? It was work, of course, not the most important thing, but as a fertility machine, in the slave camps, in addition to the long hours of working day and night, the slave owners would check the size and health of their genitals so that they could breed with other female slaves, who were all black slaves who had plundered from the south of the desert. Let the white slaves and black slaves breed small mixed breeds, so that the slave owner can add more labor. These half-breed slaves, like their fathers, who had never met, would do the hard work of building dikes, fortresses, and castles. The gunners on our ship, Ruiz ......"

Pointing to a pirate who was opening a keg, Reece said with a smile.

He had been a white slave, and he said that his Moorish master had about 15-16 Moorish and black slave girls, and that he always assigned white slaves to breed with them. On the day of his "work," the master would have four slave girls share a room with him and leave them a bottle of aged brandy and food. A black eunuch hummed a vulgar ditty and beat a drum outside the door, supervising their man-making labor for the next six days. According to him, he now has at least 60 children......"

Reese's words made Zhang Liqiang look at the sailor in surprise, this ...... How could there be such a thing? And Reese's answer explained his doubts.

"Do you know why the Moorish masters used white slaves for breeding? Because the skin color of the mixed-race slave will become lighter, if the mixed-race slave continues to mate with the white slave, then his next generation will become whiter, although there are still some differences with the white, but it is very similar to the ordinary Moor, this is the biggest use of the white slave, whether it is a man or a woman......"

Just as his words fell, the barrel was opened, and looking at the man and woman trembling in the barrel, Reese suddenly spoke.

"Andrey, this man is very tall, although he is thin, and the woman's body is also very plump, believe me, when they come to Morocco, they will be the favorite of the slave owners, and their body is the best for breeding!"

What the!

Despite the noise of his surroundings, Newton, who knew French, heard the Moorish man's words.

Breeding? Are they suitable for breeding?

"Sir, sir, please let me write a letter to my family and I can find someone to redeem my ......"

While Newton was shouting for "redemption", the Moorish pirates around him were already laughing and herded them into the cabin, where Newton saw that it was crowded with people, all of whom were frightened, all of whom were slaves plundered by pirates.

"Oh my God! Isaac, I, what are we going to do? ”

Holding Newton tightly, Catherine cried out in horror.

What to do?

Holding Catherine in his arms, listening to her cry, Newton's eyes were full of sorrow, and he also did not know what to do. Just sitting here, dazed and overwhelmed, waiting for fate to come, at most whispering to Catherine.

"Catherine, maybe, maybe the navy of England will rescue our ......"