October 21, 1792, Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Qing fleet has left the English Channel and is bypassing the Liberian Peninsula at the southern tip of Europe and entering the west coast of the African continent. Wickham had never been on a boat for such a long time, neither in his previous life nor in this life, and as soon as he encountered a little wind and waves, Wickham only felt his stomach tumbling, and he could only lean on the side of the boat and vomit in a faint light.

William Blair walked up to Wickham casually with his charts and compass in hand, and said in a loud voice: "Lieutenant Wickham, I think I should remind you that the rest of the voyage to the Gold Coast (around Nigeria) will be fairly calm. However, when you go around the Cape of Good Hope, the sea will not be so docile, and you must quickly adapt to the turbulence of the sea, otherwise you will not be able to do your Marine duties. ”

Although Blair's words even sounded a little harsh, they revealed a hint of worry and concern, which made Wickham feel a little better about the captain who always looked like a 10,000-year-old iceberg on his face: "Mr. Captain, I think I'll get used to it quickly." As soon as he finished speaking, Wickham couldn't help but spit out at the sea.

Bert staggered over with a bottle of rum and said to Wickham, "Sir, would you like some rum?" This is rum that has not been mixed with water, and I believe that your stomach will feel better after drinking it, at least you will not even vomit bile. With that, Bert himself threw his head back and took a long sip of rum, with an intoxicated expression on his face.

In fact, people who often go to sea in this era like to drink. This is not to say that sailors are all drunkards, in addition to the pride of fighting the sea, there are some practical factors in it. Due to limited conditions, less than four days after the ship was out at sea, the fresh water on board would become smelly and even carry a disgusting green silk moss. The sailors came up with a solution, which was to mix rum or beer in the water, so that the disgusting taste would be suppressed by the wine, or at least it would not taste so bad.

Wickham took the rum feebly, and regardless of how strong it was unmixed with water, he raised his head and took a big sip. After a while, Wickham felt like the sea in his stomach, and finally felt better. "Bert, I didn't expect you to know this? Did you go to sea a lot before? Wickham asked curiously, for it was impossible for someone who had not sailed for a while to understand these little things.

Bert took off his hat and looked at the Marines lining up on the deck in the distance to practice reloading, and he didn't know what he was thinking: "I have a shipping company at home, which specializes in running triangular routes. When I graduated from Cambridge the year before, I made several trips to Jamaica with my family's merchant ship. When I was on a voyage, I vomited and collapsed, but an experienced old sailor brought me a bottle of rum to drink, and I felt better. ”

Wickham looked at Bert in some surprise, he didn't expect this guy's family to be in the business of trafficking black slaves. The slave trade flourished for nearly four centuries after Portuguese traders brought back the first slaves from Africa to sell in 1441. Originally, it was the exclusive business of Portugal and Spain, but later Britain and the Netherlands joined this triangular trade with huge interests. By the end of the eighteenth century, Britain had become the largest slave trader in Europe.

Often, British merchants would buy worthless knick-knacks in their own country, such as iron farm tools, spirits and glass beads. Merchant ships laden with small commodities would then sail from the port of Liverpool to the back of the Gold Coast. Once on the west coast of Africa, British merchants either went into battle to capture slaves themselves, or bought prisoners of war from the indigenous chiefs, and shipped them to South America, Jamaica, and North America, where the demand for slaves was greatest, and on their way back to the New World with tobacco and sugar. This was the triangular trade route that later became known as the "Road to Bloody Wealth".

Seeing Wickham's surprised expression, Bert quickly guessed what Lin Zihan was thinking. He had seen a lot of such a gaze, and he didn't shy away from it, but said lightly: "Sir, those black slaves are damned barbarians and heretics. If they had been converted to God, our family would not have sold them to the New World! ”

In fact, when Bert said this, it was not easy at all, although their family was also a wealthy family in London. However, because the family is in the slave trade, although those nobles look enthusiastic on their faces, they may not know how to arrange their families behind their backs.

Moreover, in the past few years, the members of Parliament have been clamoring for the abolition of the inhumane slave trade, and even the two major parties have reached an unprecedented agreement on this issue, and it is only a matter of time before the slave trade is abolished. This is also the reason why Bert came to join the army, if he can make some military achievements in the war, maybe he can go back to James Palace to receive the canonization of His Majesty the King, so that their family can also wash away the image of the nouveau riche and officially integrate into the high society of London.

The corners of Wickham's mouth twitched, and he thought to himself, what kind of bullshit logic is this? Even if the big black in Africa has become the lamb of God, it does not necessarily mean that the Bert family will not sell people to the Americas, and the merchant is a fart in front of profits. Forget it, the times are different, the thinking is different, and it is better to manage your own one-third of an acre. Thinking of this, Wickham did not dwell on this topic, but changed the topic: "Second Lieutenant Bert, how are your soldiers doing with loading and training these days, can they achieve a speed of one shot a minute?" ”

When Bert heard this, his face immediately became bitter: "Sir, do you think those hillbillies who have never even been out of Hampshire will go to sea?" In the past few days, more than forty of the sixty soldiers are just like you, and they are all about to vomit to the point of collapse, where can they still have the strength to practice. ”

Wickham looked in the direction of Bert's finger and saw that the Marines were really listless, and a few of them vomited so badly that they couldn't even poke into the chamber of their guns. It seems that it will take a few more days for this group of landlubbers to get used to life on the ship.

Just when the two were chatting with each other, the bell of the "Jackal" suddenly "ding... Ding. A midshipman in a blue jacket shouted at the top of his voice: "Mr. Captain, there is an order, except for the man who operates the ship, all sailors should assemble on the aft deck!" ”

Wickham was a little surprised, could it be that something urgent had happened? However, the Marines and the Royal Navy are not the same system, and there is no need for Wickham and his men to assemble on deck.

Major William Le Lyle, with a pamphlet in his hand, strode up to the stern of the ship, and said to the sailors on deck: "Take off your hats!" ”

The sailors took off their hats in confusion, not knowing what the new captain, who had been in office for less than a week, was going to do. William Blair looked at the solemn sailors on the deck and took off his military cap: "Gentlemen, I think you may be very curious why I have summoned you all to the deck. Now, I must inform you of a heinous disciplinary violation. William Blair looked around at the expressions of the sailors on the deck and suddenly exclaimed, "Mr. Judge, please bring Sailor Tony!" ”

The military judge with a big belly, with the assistance of two sailors, quickly brought the sailors to the back deck: "Mr. Captain, Sailor Tony has arrived, please instruct." The sailor, Tony, had a frightened expression on his face, staring at Major Blair with begging eyes.

Completely ignoring Tony's pleading eyes, William Blair announced to everyone, "Sailor Tony, when he was on duty at the top of the mast last night, actually deserted his post until he was discovered by Mr. Deckmaster!" If an enemy ship had secretly approached the "Jackal" or even the entire fleet last night, the consequences would have been unimaginable! Now, in accordance with the regulations issued by the Admiralty, I have decided to teach a profound lesson to those who neglect their duties. ”

After saying that, William Blair waved his hand at the military judge: "Mr. military judge, now please use the nine-tailed whip and give the sailor Tony forty lashes!" The nine-tailed whip is the most severe torture instrument of the British Royal Navy, and can only be used by the captain's order, so it is also called "the captain's daughter" by the sailors. The nine-tailed whip consists of nine knotted cotton cords, about 76 centimeters long, and its design is such that it is used to tear through the skin, which causes intense pain. Two hundred lashes from such a whip are enough to cause the death of an adult. The most amazing thing is that this inhumane torture instrument is still used in prisons in some Commonwealth countries in modern society.

The face of the sailor named Tony changed suddenly, if he was really whipped forty times by the Nine-Tails, he would have to shed his skin if he didn't die. Moreover, the fleet was sailing in the direction of the tropical seas, and once the wound was inflamed at that time, it was really only a matter of waiting for death. Thinking of this, Tony hurriedly struggled and explained: "Mr. Captain, I left my post without permission last night because I ate salted pork prepared in the kitchen and had a stomach upset, so I had to get off the mast and go to the toilet. Mr. Captain, I really didn't mean to be lazy. ”

William Blair waved his hand impatiently and interrupted Tony's defense: "Sailor Tony, do you know what I hate the most? That is, after making a mistake, you don't sincerely admit your mistake, but find other reasons to prevaricate your superior! Mr. Military Judge, I now ask that you raise the flogging to fifty strokes, and then tie him to the mast, and no one shall bring him water or food, to be executed! ”

The sailors and several officers present looked a little bad, and after this punishment, it was estimated that the sailor named Tony would not be able to hold on.

After receiving the captain's order, the military judge had two sailors tie Tony to the bottom of the mast and whip the hapless sailor severely. The military judge did not discount his strength in the slightest, and every whip was used with all his might, and beads of sweat the size of beans oozed from his fat cheeks.

Tony screamed at the fierce whipping, and his white linen shirt was already bloody and tattered. The sailors present all bowed their heads, and for the first time they saw the new captain of the ship stern, even brutal. William Blair didn't want to do that, but in order to deter the ship's sailors, he had to find an excuse to make an example. The sailors who served on this ship were notoriously thorny, and the previous captain was forced away by these sailors, and he didn't want to repeat the mistakes of the past.

The soft-hearted first mate, Thomas, seeing that Tony was dying and even moaning weakly, said to William, "Mr. Captain, please stop the caning. I also know something about the salted pork problem that Tony is talking about. The pork was so hard that it couldn't be cut with a knife or fork, and some of it was even marinated twenty years ago! Tony had a bad stomach and was forgiven for leaving his post without permission. ”

Twenty years of barreled salted pork is not a strange thing, according to historical records, there were even barrels of salted pork that was cured a hundred years ago on the warships of the British Navy! The logistics system of the British army is so fucked up, during the Crimean War, there were even hungry soldiers at the front, who did not receive a piece of bread, but gave a bunch of unground coffee beans! Nima, people are starving to death, what kind of trouble is it to give coffee beans that are so hard that they can swallow death?

By the end of the eighteenth century, the average British sailor had no food to swallow at all, except for a paste made from bread crumbs and a piece of salted pork, which was harder than a stone. And the officers were served fresh lamb and wine every day, which was a world of difference.

The sailors, who had long been dissatisfied with the food supply, were even more dissatisfied after listening to the words of the first mate Thomas, and immediately shouted for the captain to release Thomas, and reported the matter of the military supply to the above. Some of the sailors even had weapons in their hands and were about to press Captain Blair in a hurry.

William Blairton looked at the scene that was about to get out of control, and yelled at Thomas very angrily: "Thomas, you are happy to see the Bundy incident happen again?" If you are not afraid of the god opponent, you are afraid of the pig teammates, and the words of the first mate Thomas are equivalent to lighting a fire for the **, and the dissatisfaction of the sailors has been completely detonated.

Captain Blair remembered the Bundy incident, and his heart still lingered. Three years ago, HMS Bondi was sent to Tahiti to look for bread trees, and because the captain of the ship brutally punished the sailors, the sailors who could not bear it finally staged a mutiny on the warship under the leadership of the first mate, and drove the captain off the warship.

Remembering the mutiny four years ago, the first mate Thomas opened his mouth wide and didn't know what to say for a while. There was indeed a desire to emulate the Bondi rebellion, because the sailors of the Bondy were not punished later, but the captain was punished by the Admiralty for excessive brutality. This precedent emboldened the sailors, who were intent on giving the new captain a disarmament.

William Blair ignored his overly kind-hearted first mate and shouted directly to Wickham: "Lieutenant Wickham, there is something going on on the ship, and I need some help from you now." Wickham, who had been watching from the sidelines for a long time, quickly understood what Captain Blair meant, turned to Bert and said, "Second Lieutenant Bert, gather your men immediately, and surround these sailors with live ammunition for me!"

Bert, who received the order, quickly gathered his platoon, held the rifle in his hand, and surrounded the sailors who were a little excited. In the face of the black muzzles and the bright bayonets, these sailors who had made their own calculations quickly calmed down, and although they now had some swords in their hands, they were no match for the heavily armed marines. And it was followed by the flagship "Lion", and as soon as there was any trouble, the "Lion" would soon arrive, and Colonel Aldrich was not a good talker. With scruples, the sailors slowly retreated as if nothing had happened.

William Blair was really angry this time, and he was determined to take this opportunity to suppress the arrogance of the sailors, so he shouted to the military judge, who was already trembling with fear: "Give me a continuation of the execution!"

When the military judge saw the Marines standing beside him with guns in their hands, the courage in his heart suddenly returned, and he slapped the sailor Tony viciously. By the time the fifty lashes were finished, Tony had less air in and more air out. Those sailors were all related to each other, and they dared to be angry but did not dare to speak.

At this time, William Blair's sophistication was revealed, and he did not blindly use force to suppress it, but made concessions: "Okay, my military judge, forget the next punishment, and send this sailor down to the military doctor to see." Then he turned back to the sailors on the deck below and said, "What kind of supplies are to be issued is a matter for the Admiralty, and I have no right to ask." However, as the captain of the ship, I now announce that today's rum ration is doubled! Now, gentlemen, return to your posts. ”

The sailors, who were already addicted to alcohol, immediately cheered when they heard that the ration of alcohol had been doubled today, and the dissatisfaction just now was quickly thrown out of the clouds, and one by one they happily returned to their respective posts. Wickham can't wait to give this Captain William Blair a thumbs up, it seems that this guy can mix up with the length of a ship, and he can't do it without two brushes.

It was impossible for the fleet behind such a big movement not to be aware of it, and after a while, the Lion, which was following behind, gave the Jackal a signal flag and asked what was going on. William Blair did not tell the flagship the Lion about the attempted mutiny on board, but asked the signal men to wave the flag to indicate that everything was normal.

ps: Some readers have reported earlier that there is no sense of substitution in continuing to use the name of the protagonist before the crossing, so from this chapter onwards, the protagonist's name is officially switched to Wickham, please forgive me if it causes inconvenience.