After the city of Santa Maria, the city of San Lorenzo also fell to the hands of pirates. Fort San Lorenzo is a fortified port, but the resistance is only slightly more fierce than that of Fort Santa Maria. Damp gunpowder, rusted weapons, and a Spanish defender who had no will to fight remained vulnerable to the outnumbered pirate-kuna coalition, with the only difference being that they inflicted some casualties on the pirates.

The experience of the city of Santa Maria was repeated in the city of San Lorenzo, thanks to which many of the inhabitants of San Lorenzo fled the city in time after learning of the tragic experience of the city of Santa Maria.

Wayne convened an all-hands meeting at San Lorenzo's City Hall to discuss the direction of next steps.

After conquering the city of Belize and plundering two Spanish castles, the pirates gained a lot. Faced with the threat of Spanish reinforcements possibly from Portovello, most suggested turning back. Wayne wanted to touch Chagres City again, but he couldn't resist the will of the majority, so the return voyage was decided.

The fleet enters the port to load the booty. In addition to the gold and silver goods in the two Spanish cities, the pirates also captured some of the population, intending to extort ransom or sell them into slavery later.

The Storm still didn't choose cargo and slaves, and Chen Shouxu converted his portion into a portion of weapons. The calculation and loading of the spoils was left to the captain of the ship, and Chen Shouxu took Maiden, Walter, and a Kuna guide to the tower of San Lorenzo.

A cobblestone post road, only three feet wide, winds its way from the city gate into the distance. Pulling open the binoculars didn't do much, and the road soon disappeared into the dense rainforest.

"This is the road to Panama?" Chen Shouxu asked the guide named Tikal.

"Yes, it's about 50 miles from San Lorenzo and about 60 miles from Portobello, and the two roads will converge in between." The guide, Tikal, had a painful career as a Spanish slave and pirate after escaping from the plantation, where he learned Spanish and English. Later, Tikal's pirate ship was disbanded, and the crew went their separate ways, and he returned to his hometown.

Chen Shouxu repeated softly, "It's only 50 miles from the Pacific Ocean......

Walter didn't take his eyes off the binoculars, and reckoned, "At most, two people or a horse walking side by side." Did you say that the road was completely closed to horse-drawn carriages? ”

Tikal shook his head affirmatively, "The Silver Post Road is going through the rainforest and over several mountains. There are undulating steps along the way, which can only be transported by mule, horse, camel or human transport. ”

A pristine rainforest, where a variety of plants start from the treetops and occupy their respective positions, greedily sucking up the sun. By the time they reached the ground, there were only dead leaves and moss. A gap in the rainforest was opened by the post road, and the mouth was so dark that it looked like a giant beast that had chosen to eat people.

Tikal took out a simple hand-drawn map and pointed to the three-way junction between the mountains, "The silver goods of the Viceroyalty of Peru are diverted in Bentaras Cruz, and the silver and part of the goods continue to Portovello, while the other goes to Chagres and San Lorenzo, respectively." ”

Chen Shouxu didn't have the intention of breaking into the Baiyin Post Road for the time being, he wanted to know a little more information, "Opening up a rocky mountain road in the rainforest full of poisonous insects and beasts is terrifying to think about. ”

"King Philip II of Spain had his governor devote more than 4,000 Indians to the labor of the road," said Tikal, with a sad face, "and most of them did not make it out alive." It seems to me that this is a road of bones paved with the corpses of my people. ”

Not only Panama, but also the entire Spanish continent, the Indians suffered almost a total genocide. For example, the Potosí silver mine, which brought the European economy to a higher level, was home to tens of thousands of Indian miners who could only survive for a few years.

Chen Shouxu comforted Tikal with a few words, for the Indians, it was a very lucky thing to be able to survive the butcher's knife and smallpox and malaria of the Spaniards.

"Captain Orderly, I want to join your team."

Chen Shouxu was a little surprised, "You have already experienced so many adventures, isn't it good to be in your hometown now?" ”

"It's because of those adventures before that I feel that it is difficult for me to adapt to the life of my clan now."

Chen Shouxu nodded, and agreed very happily, "Understood, you are welcome to join." ”

The bell of the port rang, which was the signal to call everyone to evacuate. The pirates lit fires all over the city, and like most colonial towns, most of the houses were wooden except for a few stone buildings, and the fire quickly spread throughout the city, burning black smoke.

The fleet departed, and behind the pirate flags fluttering in the wind on all sides were Spanish cities weeping in flames. Chen Shouxu climbed the stern, the damp sea breeze ruffled his shirt, this was the first city he burned down in this world, and this was just the beginning.

Facing the incoming wind, the fleet chose the fastest route back to Aruba. It was an island that was currently claimed by both Spain and the Dutch, and was close to Curaçao, where the Dutch had a slightly greater advantage. There are so many inhospitable islands like this in the New World that Spain doesn't really care too much. But this temporary zone of ambition is perfect for some intimate business.

The black market trade gave birth to a town, which was influenced by the Dutch, and the order of the town was relatively good, which reminded Chen Shouxu of Langang Town.

After the ship anchored, Chen Shouxu gave the crew a holiday, while he himself stayed on board to study the map. It's early summer in May, and the hurricane season in the Caribbean is about to begin. Aruba is outside of the hurricane belt and is a good place to rest.

Captain Cocklin and Chairman Drep jointly approached Chen Shouxu, and they came to discuss the distribution of the spoils.

"Captain," said Cochlin, "we have gained about £5,000 in this expedition, in addition to the cannons stacked in the hold. There were 70 people on board at the time of departure, and 20 were killed during the attack on the battery. Aside from the wounded and the extra gains, you, the gunner, and the carpenter will get one and a half of the remaining people, and the rest will get one and a half shares. ”

Those who join later can only wait for the next penny, and the proceeds of this trip can only be shared by those who were on board when they set sail.

Chen Shouxu first asked about the bereavement, "Can the dead be able to contact their families?" ”

Cochlin shook his head, "That's how the rules are set. But you know, it's extremely rare for pirates to be able to contact their families and have a way to get money to them. Our ship can't do it for the time being. ”

Chen Shouxu sighed, "Then save it first and write it down." In the future, you must repay it twice as much. ”

Drep, the chairman of the credit union, then said to Cochlin, "The sailors have been getting the shore for the past few days, and all they have spent on is the cash we have issued. I've controlled the pace and amount of distribution, but no matter how much I'm giving them, I'm sure I'll come back with my bare pockets. Some sailors also asked if they could borrow a sum of money from the credit union first. ”

Chen Shouxu smiled, "I heard yesterday that a sailor spent 500 riyals just to see a woman undress?" ”

"Yes, I've heard that, too. Rubsh's men got drunk and did bastard things, and no amount of money spent like this was enough. ”

The pirates are rich, but the pirates are also poor. Most of the time they are poor, and most pirates have the ability to spend it in a short time, no matter how much money they rob.

Chen Shouxu looked at the person selected by the two sailors on the ship to balance the captain, and said, "This is not good. Both of them are old men on the ship, can you tell me what the pirates end up in those stories that you know? ”

Deepp thought for a moment and said, "As far as I know, most pirates usually have three endings. was recruited as a soldier of the government during the war; to be tried in court, to be executed, to be hanged, or to be sold into slavery; Get out of the pirate career and get back to your normal life. ”

Cochlin adds, "A lot of people who have left their pirate careers can't stand the boring life of farming and fishing, and they become pirates again. ”

Chen Shouxu agreed, "Gentlemen, you are talking about the end of most pirates. Except for a very few lucky people who succeed in laundering their money with money, the others did not end well. ”

"Actually, it's mainly wasteful, and when you get old and lose the means to make money, you die of poverty." ”

"When it comes to the core problem, it's not that there is no money, but that it's a waste, right? Heist and violence will only last a few years at most, and most of them will have to start all over again when the team is disbanded, which is not good. Chen Shouxu was about to take this opportunity to launch his idea, he stood up and paced the boat, "I have an idea, I hope to get the support of the two of you." ”

Cochlin and Dripp looked at each other, waiting for Chen's next step.

Chen Shouxu leaned his hands behind his back and considered the words, "Two, there is a kind of flower in my hometown, which is extremely gorgeous and beautiful when it is in full bloom, and has won the admiration of countless people, but that kind of flower exists for only a short moment. Most pirates burst out the excitement of life in just a few years, and after that, they are like withered flowers, leaving broken petals all over the ground. I think the two of you, like me, don't want to be flowers that will soon wither, and our dream should be to be the eternal peaks of the Alps, standing on the land of Europe. ”

The two old slippery heads didn't say anything about it. Chen Shouxu didn't think that he could simply send them away, no one could see the future, but the current pleasure was real.

Chen Shouxu didn't plan to launch his long-term plan now, the conditions were very immature, so he changed his short-term reason, "You know, the governor of Curacao promised to sell us a warship. But we are short of money available in our credit unions, and if the sailors run out of money, we can't afford to buy a battleship. If we can't afford to buy a warship, we can only follow the big pirate team or grab a few small ships. Using the Storm itself to rob those big ships, even if we succeed, we will lose a lot of people. ”

Cochlin frowned, "You mean to stop giving money to sailors and save money to buy battleships?" Then they will rebel. ”

Chen Shouxu explained, "No, we have to meet the necessary needs. Half of it can be issued, and the other half can be deposited into the credit union as a fund contributed by everyone, and I will take the lead in setting an example. ”

Chen Shouxu is now launching this strategy of half of the actual hair, he is sure that he can pass it, if he does not consider buying warships first, compared to the remaining 50 people, 100 pounds per person, 3200 riyals, even if half of it is divided, it is not a small amount. If he had the territory and could provide the sailors with food, wine, and women, he would be able to bring about an internal circulation of silver, and gather the silver that had been distributed in goods and services. But he doesn't have it now, so he has to pay the sailors to be satisfied outside. If we can now hold the prestige of the victory into account, it is a good start to adopt this half-effected policy.

But he had to get the consent of the captain and the chairman of the board of directors first, and the sailors trusted them more in the distribution of the spoils.

Chen continued, "We all know a lot of stories about pirates, who often erupt into conflicts at critical moments before battles. Infighting because of retreat and fighting, divided by returning or continuing to hunt. Those who grabbed the money wanted to break up and go home, and those who didn't want to continue. This kind of thing actually cost the pirates a lot of opportunities. ”

This is the truth, and both Drap and Cochlin nodded in agreement, "We don't want to break up either." "The pirates who broke up are nothing, and the end is what I just said.

"In fact, this kind of saving fund is an excellent way to prevent disconnection. All crew members are invested in action, and everyone is a shareholder. Then no one will propose to break up until they have made full profits. ”

"What if you get enough of it?"

"We respect everyone's wishes, he can exit with his share of the money, but he can only represent himself. And I'm going to make it a rule that people who quit won't be able to join our team again. ”

"What if more than half of the crew assembly asks to return?"

The Crew Assembly is both a body that empowers Chen Shouxu, and it is also a loose body for the usual pirates. Chen Shouxu quoted some Roman allusions, and after fooling the two of them, he said, "This is actually a legal issue. Both had previously worked on privateer ships and had a deep understanding of the crew meetings of ordinary pirates. Before the battle, dissenting sailors often interfered with the captain's command, and because of this, most pirates were disorganized. ”

Chen Shouxu said this very implicitly, the Caribbean pirates often killed their captains and dumped the corpses on the desert island. Few of these pirate gangs can grow long.

"I propose that all positions on board be given a term of office. Including you and me, tentatively for one year. Major matters such as the return of the voyage are left to a committee to decide. It's not the captain, it's not the crew assembly. If the sailors can join forces to two-thirds, the entire committee can be removed, but only the shareholders of the board of directors have the right to vote. ”

Chen Shouxu explained his idea in detail to the captain and the chairman of the board, and the questions raised by the two actually helped him improve it. To Chen's surprise, both Drap and Cochlin agreed in principle to Chen's plan. The backbone of the Tempest had just moved from privateership to piratery, and some of the bad habits had not yet been absorbed. At the same time, the ship is also a combination of the old man and the new recruit, Chen Shouxu is confident that he will not have too many thorns to deal with.