It takes less than two days to sail from Hamburg, sail out of the Elbe, sail west and then turn southwest to reach London. Embodied in the sea, that is, the sky is bright and dark, and when it turns bright again, the target city of London has arrived.

It's just that between the light and the dark, we agreed on a lot of things.

The venue was in the captain's quarters on the bridge, and after the evening welcome party, we were all so unsatisfied that we simply asked the sailors to carry the handstove to the captain's quarters, and we continued to meet in small groups.

After learning about our relationship with the Spaniards and the holidays, Reinhardt Adicon laughed wildly! No matter how calm a person is, on the basis of the "Third Plenum" of white, red and beer, he will become very excited and completely integrate into the sea of joy.

Adicon laughed and patted my arm and laughed wildly: "Some time ago, I heard that a small detachment of the Spanish Armada suffered heavy losses in Africa and was almost completely wiped out. It turned out to be our people! There's a set! What a set! ”

Before I could speak, the Nine Ghosts said, "That's nature! Mr. with us, naturally we will not lose! ”

Adicon had naturally heard about our ambush afterwards, but his years in the military had taught him what to say and what not to say, no matter how much he drank.

Hearing this, he smiled slightly and said, "If this is the case, I'm afraid that this trip to Virginia will not be too easy." ”

I asked, "What do you mean by that?" ”

Adicon shook his head helplessly, and said in a low voice: "In recent years, Philip II has greatly increased his control over the new continent. In particular, the Caribbean region, where three detachments of its Armada are concentrated. Coupled with the fact that we have a bad relationship with the Spaniards, the future is very uncertain if we were to do it alone. ”

I looked at Adicon suspiciously, although I had heard the main force of the Spanish fleet in the new continent before, but this was the first time that such accurate information had been obtained. So where is the source of intelligence?

My vision, Adicon understood in an instant. He picked up his wine glass again, touched me and said, "Although I left the navy, many of my former colleagues and friends are still there. They come to see me from time to time, so my news is not closed. ”

That's the benefit of having resources! Even if it is for nothing else, it is worth inviting Adicon for this one thing at the moment, not to mention that as a senior admiral, his role is far more than that.

I glanced at Adicon, raised my glass again, touched him and smiled: "This is the osmanthus wine I brought out from the Ming Dynasty, and its fragrance is the most attractive!" Taste it when it's hot! ”

Adicon didn't want to drink it, but when he smelled the wine, he couldn't help but be greedy, raised his glass and touched me, picked it up and smelled it for a long time, laughed, and then raised his head and drank it.

This cup went down to the stomach, and suddenly a warm current came up. I laughed a few times, and then pointed to the cup and said with a smile: "This wine is made of the hollow pool water of Xingfu Temple, an ancient temple in Qiliang, and the wine quality is exceptionally mellow. And the thousand-year-old 'Tang Gui' in the temple into the wine, even more extraordinary! ”

Saying that, I poured a glass of scalded osmanthus wine for another of us, and said with a smile: "This time the osmanthus wine is amber in color, the wine is mellow and thick, and the taste is full of osmanthus fragrance!" Let people taste moving, two tastes happy, three tastes love! Come on, come on, second cup after second cup! We'll continue to study after drinking. ”

Adicon was not polite, he drank it all again, put down the cup, shook his head very enjoyably, rubbed his face with both hands, and shook his head again vigorously, before smiling in a low voice: "It is true that Virginie is in crisis, but the crisis is dangerous!"

I smiled faintly, poured a third glass, raised my glass and touched Adicon, and when the wine was dry, I spoke first: "When you come to this Western Ocean, if you don't attach to one side, I'm afraid it will be difficult to move an inch." Therefore, this trip to the new continent is considered to be a must-go, and we have to think about it in the long run. ”

Adicon glanced left and right, seemed to be a lot more sober, and lowered his voice: "Can you find out, who is the current British governor in Virginia?" ”

This was said to Wayne Nash. Nash had also drunk a lot, but when it came to business, he was still very sane and came to his senses, but the reaction was noticeably slower than usual. He cupped his chin and thought for a moment, and said uncertainly, "Our expedition to the north of the New World has only just begun, and we have not yet sent a governor, and we are now heading to Virginia—ah, this is the name that Sir Walter Raleigh set when he announced the British occupation of this land, in honor of the exploits of the great Queen Elizabeth!" ”

He shook his head vigorously before he said with some affirmation: "It should be Sir Walter Raleigh who patrols and strengthens the territory in Virginia this time!" ”

Hearing this name, Adicon and I both changed their faces, and while looking at each other, they almost said in unison: "If it's him, it's bad!" ”

Hua Mei leaned over suspiciously and asked, "What's wrong?" What's wrong with this person? ”

When I heard that Walter Raleigh was in charge of the colony development in Virginia, and that I was going to assist him, I immediately lost the spirit to drink, and it was inconvenient to talk about some things in public, so we withdrew from the banquet and began to study the matter on a smaller scale.

"Sir Walter Raleigh, the famous 'man with a capital letter' in the Renaissance!" I sighed under my breath.

In the puzzled eyes of the others, Adicon continued: "He is famous in our naval circles, he is a famous adventurer, poet, historian, warrior, politician, and he has a colorful life, but at the same time, he is very sensitive to one of his ......."

With that, he turned his gaze to Wayne Nash.

Nash was a little embarrassed, and I waved my hand and said, "It's an internal meeting, there's nothing bad to talk about." Let me tell you, this Walter Raleigh also has one of the most sensitive identities, that is, Queen Elizabeth's lover! ”

"Wow"! Several people around were surprised in unison! This identity is really sensitive enough! I shook my head helplessly and smiled bitterly and continued: "This is a famous playboy with diamonds on his feet and pearls on his ears, who speaks soft Devonshire English and writes delicate and clever little poems, but he is also brave and ruthless, and has been imprisoned twice in a year for dueling. ”

Just when others were amazed, Nash reluctantly continued: "The captain is right, Walter Raleigh became acquainted with the Earl of Lancaster, the Earl of Lancaster, the Earl of Oxford, and others a few years ago, and at the instigation of them, challenged the court poet Philip Sidney, and became famous for a while. He then traveled to Ireland as a soldier and bloodily suppressed a local rebellion. It even attracted the attention of the Queen."

I continued: "It is said that on one occasion he threw his splendid cloak in the mud in order to attract the Queen's attention, so that the Queen's noble feet could pass through without a hitch. And this also opened the door to a different life for him! ”

Hua Mei snorted disdainfully: "What a cheap cloak!" ”

We shook our heads helplessly, and I said, "Cheap or valuable, at present this tall, handsome, kind-mannered, and witty knight is leading a group of Englishmen to toss with the Spaniards in the desolate land of the New Land!" The queen is so eager to send me to help, is it because of the consideration of the land? Or is it for people? ”

After a while, several people in the room said almost in unison, "People! ”

I nodded, my eyes swept over everyone, and I whispered, "Since it's for people, then the cost of letting us take such a risk is too high!" No wonder her old man was willing to issue me such an advanced ship, it turned out to be a saving heart! ”

Nash smiled bitterly, "Captain, I don't think it's right for you to say that. The Queen, who was cautious in sending troops abroad, was so anxious to shoot us this time, and ordered me to be my guide—not to boast, but to be the best guide to the terrain and landforms of the northern part of the New World, for I had been there five times before! So even though you're not saying it elegantly, it seems like that's what happened! ”

I patted him on the shoulder and sighed, "Walter Raleigh is the number one face of the Queen after the Earl of Lancaster!" We are going, the merit is to make a wedding dress, and if we have it, we will have to carry the black pot! I have no roots in the UK, I belong to the ready-to-use and discarded chess pieces, if it weren't for Adicon's reminder, I'm afraid I would really suffer a big loss this time! ”

Adicon waved his hand and said, "There is little point in saying this, we have to think of a countermeasure, how to solve the problem without letting ourselves go too deep?" ”

Yes, this is the crux of the problem, but there is too little information and no basis for decision-making! So I turned my attention to Wayne Nash and asked, "Tell me, what kind of team is this Walter Raleigh bringing in?" What kind of problems do they face? ”

Nash thought for a moment and said with some embarrassment: "Before Walter Raleigh left, it seems that he met with the queen and stayed with the queen for a long time......"

Everyone laughed under their breath, and I cleared my throat: "Be serious! Meeting! Everyone quickly sat up straight and cleared their throats.

Nash scratched his head and continued: "At that time, the queen wanted me to be his guide, or because I was more professional, but I still refused, using my father's serious illness as an excuse. ”

I frowned and said, "Why?" What makes you dare to disobey? ”

Nash's disdainful expression was overflowing: "Walter Raleigh is a prodigal son, he said very beautifully to the queen, saying that Virginia is full of gold and opportunities, so most of the people who went to Virginia with him were the sons of princes and nobles. An aristocratic gentleman's trip – that's the right way to describe this expedition! In their ranks, there are more people who eat than they work, this is the reality! ”

I smacked my lips, this little white face is really a trick. Nash shook his head and continued, "The stronghold they established in Virginia is named James, and there are four main threats. ”

I waited for him to continue, and Nash thought for a moment before he said, "First of all, the Spaniards. The Spaniards have always competed with our country for overseas colonies, and Virginia is so rich that it is impossible to let it go! ”

I nodded, and Nash continued, "Next, the Pohatans! Famous cannibals, don't you need to be introduced? ”

I continued to nod my head and motioned for him to continue. Nash held out a third finger and said, "Third, it's the environment. Virginia's soil and water are so excellent, where the cranberries are one of the top four large from the Netherlands! But mosquitoes are also as big as the four of the West! Drug shortages and frequent diseases are the biggest enemies! ”

I turned my head to look at the Nine Ghosts and said, "Write it down!" The nine ghosts nodded and wrote it down in the notebook.

"Fourth, and most importantly – labor! There is a severe shortage of labor! Captain. People are the foundation of everything, and now Virginia is a group of young masters and masters, and there are too few people to work! Too little! Nash said with a sigh.

Alas, it's all a problem! Fortunately, Adicon mentioned this issue in advance, otherwise this head crash, I am afraid that the head will break and bleed is the lightest ending!

Difficulties are just around the corner, how to deal with them? There was a brief silence in the captain's room......