Episode 69 Europe, I'm Coming!

After a search in the wreckage of the pirate village, in order to prevent the sailors from scrambling, the company commander ordered that they were not allowed to hide privately, and they were all gathered together and returned to the ship to ask the captain to deal with it. Most of these banknotes are guilders, but there are also quite a few mingyang, dollars, pounds, francs, and yen. Most of these banknotes were burned to shreds, but half were still intact. There are also silver coins with four and a half steel helmets. These silver coins are the auxiliary coins of some gold standard countries, and they are dozens of catties.

In addition, there are gold rings, gold necklaces, earrings, gold teeth, and gemstone jewelry with a steel helmet, many of which have been damaged by the explosion, and many gemstone particles have fallen off. But because their value is mainly reflected in the material, they are still very valuable.

After searching a few times, that's pretty much it. This is the wealth of pirates.

The sailors' eyes were green as they looked at the abundance of wealth in their steel helmets. But the company commander's strict orders did not dare to disobey, and no one dared to put them in their pockets.

Three platoons lined up neatly in the open space in the village, holding steel helmets, not squinting, but their hearts were bulging. The remaining platoon dispersed to the village and set fire to the bamboo buildings that were still intact.

The sailors set fire to the fire in a hurry, and laughed and laughed:

"Hey, this is called the three-light policy!"

"What three-light policy?"

"The name given to the adults, saying that they want to kill, burn, and rob them all, this is our policy towards the pirate village!"

"Kill, burn, rob, hey, really!"

A sergeant walked between the various arsonist groups and shouted:

"Listen, brothers, don't leave anything that can be used! Take everything that is worth taking, and smash everything that can't be taken! Anyway, don't leave anything for them! ”

Some bamboo buildings that were not hit by the shells are now also on fire, and some bamboo buildings that were half burned and destroyed by the air wave are now on fire again.

A bag of rifle bullets was found by the pirates, still wrapped in oiled paper, and the sailors threw the whole bag into the burning bamboo building. Soon, there was a "crackling" explosion in the bamboo building.

There were also more than a dozen chickens that were killed, which were also picked up by the sailors on the tip of their rifles and carried on their shoulders. There were a few more alive, flapping their wings and clucking. A baby buffalo had its stomach blown open, but it wasn't dead yet, and its mouth was still open. He was also shot dead by the sailors, tied to a small tree trunk, and the two of them carried it back with a giggle.

In addition, in the past, there were skewers of beef sausages, smoked fish, or pickled lamb shanks hanging outside almost every bamboo building. Although most of them have been burned into charcoal with the bamboo building, they still found a lot of intact ones, about dozens of catties. In addition to these, there is also a lot of grain, mainly rice, and there are more than a dozen bags of large and small.

The soldiers laughed and gathered the food they found, one by one:

"Haha, there are chicken, small buffalo meat, lamb shank, smoked fish, tomorrow's breakfast is very rich!"

"In the morning, let the kitchen get a few sharks and cook shark fin soup to drink!"

"Really, there are a lot of sharks in this tropical sea, and you can eat shark fin as soon as you go out to sea! It's a beautiful place to come to Nanyang! ”

"Beauty? Then let's go back to China, and you can stay. ”

"Hey, why did you get it for a long time, there are either cows or sheep in the village, and there are not even pigs?"

"I don't understand, these natives in East India are all Hui sons, believe in Islam, and don't eat pork."

"Damn, it's not ...... problem"

The Malay translator was scrolling through the slogans at this time. He tore off the fabric of the pirate's clothes, dipped it in the blood of the pirate he had just shot, and wrote a few bloody words on several large trees around the village:

"This is the end of robbing the Ming ship!"

"Pazia Island has been under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty, and there is no forgiveness for piracy and murder on the island!"

"Avenge the Princess Yong'an!"

"This is just the beginning!"

……

"Gather all the pirate ships!"

Several officers ordered, and the sailors climbed into several wooden fishing boats, started motors, and docked them all together. There are six wooden fishing boats, all of which are docked in the mangrove forest at the edge of the village, and they are all similar in style to the one sunk in the sea, and they look no different from ordinary fishing boats. The difference is that these seemingly dilapidated wooden boats are equipped with diesel engines.

On the shore, closer to these fishing boats, there is a bamboo shed in which several large barrels of diesel fuel are placed. The shed, which was some distance from the village, was not hit by artillery fire. Now it's just right to burn the ship. The sailors carried the oil drums to the holds of the pirate ships, put one on each ship, then put them down, unscrewing the lids.

If it's gasoline, just light it. But this is diesel, not so easy to ignite. When the sailors had withdrawn ashore, they threw a grenade into each boat.

There were six loud bangs, and the six pirate ships suddenly burst into flames. Although diesel fuel is not as violent as gasoline, it still illuminates the surface of the river, which is several kilometers wide, and you can clearly see the opposite bank. You can smell diesel from afar. The sailors aboard the Timber Wolf were all climbing the railings, happily watching the fire.

Seeing that the pirate village was already engulfed in flames, the company commander ordered to withdraw to the ship. The 12 dinghys, carrying half of the sailors, returned to the ship with the spoils of war—gold, silver, wealth, food, and livestock. Then six dinghys returned, and the remaining half of the sailors were brought back to the ship.

The deck was bustling with activity, and the sailors were in high spirits, shouting their "deeds" to their fellow shipmates, enjoying their envious gaze. Xiang Xiaoqiang and Qiu Yu were also excitedly joining in the fun.

The kitchen cooks first moved the livestock, meat, and grain into the storeroom, and then the company commander reported to the captain the seizures in the pirate village: the belongings of more than thirty steel helmets. Because there was a big man on the ship, the captain didn't dare to make his own decisions, so he hurriedly invited Xiang Xiaoqiang over, showed him these things, and asked for instructions on what to do.

Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at the scorched banknotes, silver coins, and jewelry in these steel helmets, and he couldn't look at such a broken thing at all. But he looked at the sailors on the deck who were almost drooling, and laughed:

"How did our army deal with the battlefield captures in the past?"

"This ......" The captain looked like Xiaoqiang, and then looked at the brothers around him, and didn't know how to answer for a while. He rolled his eyes and said, "Lord Xiang, we are the navy, and we have never captured any property...... However, things on the battlefield in general have always been the ones who get them......"

Xiang Xiaoqiang understood that today's Ming army does not have any "three disciplines and eight attentions", and there is no such thing as "all seizures must be returned to the public", or like the US military, whoever gets it is whoever. The reason why the company commander asked for a concentration was because the number of seizures was too large, and if the sailors ashore were divided, it would definitely be too unfair to the sailors on the ship.

Xiang Xiaoqiang thought about this layer, and knew that if he asked them to hand over the seizures, he would be too bad at being a human being. In this case, I am happy to be a favor. He laughed and said:

"Oh, what about that...... Come, come, turn on the lights, spread out the tablecloth here, pour out all the things, and here I will personally preside over the counting, count the number, and see how to distribute it to the brothers. ”

When he said this, the sailors cheered. I know that in addition to the bonus, I can also get a considerable amount of foreign wealth.

The Timberwolf turned on the lights, and the deck was lit up again. A large tablecloth was spread on the deck, Xiang Xiaoqiang sat down cross-legged, called Qiu Yu and a few officers, and poured the contents of the steel helmet on the tablecloth in front of the sailors on the ship, and counted them.

The first thing to be counted is the banknotes. They picked out all the good banknotes, and the captain took the abacus, pen and paper, and the "Navigation Manual" from his room, and turned to the currency exchange tables of various countries, and began to convert the large pile of foreign currency into the value of the Ming Ocean. At this time, many countries were still implementing the gold standard monetary system, that is, the currency was directly linked to gold. The currencies of many other small countries are pegged to the currencies of these gold standard countries. The advantage of this is that the exchange rate between the currencies of various countries is quite stable at this time, unlike in later generations, a large number of paper money that cannot be cashed in gold are printed, and the price comparison of various countries is erratic, one price a day.

In the end, the intact banknotes and silver coins were worth about 87,000 Ming Yang. These are only equal to Xiang Xiaoqiang's annuities for more than two months, but in the eyes of these sailors, they are astronomical sums. Xiang Xiaoqiang asked Qiu Yun to estimate the price of those jewelry, which was almost between fifty and sixty thousand Ming Yang. Xiang Xiaoqiang knew that Qiu Yu, as a gangster lady, had been a master of playing jewelry since she was a child, and her estimate should be about the same.

Xiang Xiaoqiang got up and said to the sailors:

"Brothers, I'm in charge, and all this money will be given to everyone! In this way, everyone has a share in the whole ship, regardless of military rank! It's just that the brothers who participated in the battle yesterday and today took more each, do you have any opinions? ”

There was cheering on deck:

"No comment!"

"That's fair!"

"As it should be!"

"Justice to adults!"

Xiang Xiaoqiang said again:

"Brothers, we divide the money here, and we must not forget the brothers who were killed or wounded, and we must leave a copy for them! The brother who was wounded in the thigh, who is recuperating from his wounds in Songkhla, is bleeding and deserves more! And those three brothers who died in battle, they deserve more! We're going to send them what they deserve to their families! Do you have any comments? ”

That's even more indiscriminate. Again, the sailors agreed. Generous compensation for casualties is the most welcome for soldiers, because they may also be killed or injured one day, and of course they want to be treated favorably.

"Brethren!" Xiang Xiaoqiang pointed to the small pile of jewelry again, and said very seriously, "These jewelry, gold teeth, and blood are still on them!" These were all looted from passenger ships such as the Princess Yongan and the Xiangjiang, and their original owners were either thrown into the sea or bought into brothels! Truth be told, these jewels are not as valuable as these bills, and they are not easy to divide, and most importantly, I don't think the brothers would bear to take these blood-stained things! ”

The sailors on the deck looked at him silently. Most of the sailors listened to it, and also thought that these things were stained with blood, and it was indeed a disturbing conscience. But there are also some sailors who think that Xiaoqiang wants to be alone, staring at him to see how he arranges.

Xiang Xiaoqiang looked around at the sailors, took a deep breath, and said loudly:

"These things will be sent back to China, auctioned off and distributed to the families of the victims of the Princess Yong'an as part of the condolence money. Brethren! Do you agree? ”

When he said this, everyone's concerns were dispelled. Everyone thought that this was indeed the most appropriate and the most comfortable in conscience.

……

Now it's time to split the money.

A fixed number, divided into three points according to a proportion, is almost a primary school math problem. But Xiang Xiaoqiang is very poor at math, he grabbed the pen and paper and calculated, scratching his ears and cheeks, and couldn't figure out a suitable distribution plan. Qiu Yu next to him couldn't stand it anymore, grabbed the abacus with one hand, played the abacus with one hand, and counted on the paper with the other. Xiang Xiaoqiang looked enviously from the side, he knew that Qiu Yu was a high-achieving military student, and he was a technical branch of the navy. Generally, such mathematical, physical and chemical scores are not too good.

Qiu Yu quickly figured out a suitable plan: 84 officers and men staying on the ship, each with 300 Ming Yang. The 116 officers and soldiers who went ashore to fight were each given 500 mingyang. The wounded sailor was given 800 mingyang. Three sailors who died in battle, each with 1,000 mingyang. This adds up to exactly 87,000 Mingyang.

When this was announced, all the officers and men of the ship were very supportive and cheered again. Most of these sailors came from the countryside, and with a few hundred Ming Yang, they could build houses and marry wives in their hometowns. Everyone even envied the wounded sailor. If you get a shot in the thigh, you can get an extra 300 Mingyang, which is really cost-effective. If that kid saves a few flowers, he will be enough to marry two wives.

Xiang Xiaoqiang asked the other half of the burned banknotes to be poured out and stirred thoroughly. The banknotes were burned to the point and were waste paper in the eyes of the sailors, and no one cared about them at all. However, like Xiaoqiang, he asked someone to divide this large pile of "waste paper" into 200 equal parts, and let the officers and men on the ship each take one copy.

Many sailors were very disdainful, and they didn't know what Xiang Xiang's intentions were. Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled:

"It's all collected, and after returning to China, I will find a bank to exchange it, and generally this kind of residual currency can also be exchanged at a certain percentage. These remnants are available in different countries and denominations, hehe, but I have mixed them evenly. How much each person can get depends on your luck. ”

Only then did the sailors suddenly realize, holding the "waste paper" in their arms as if they had found a treasure, and resumed their eyes to look at the banknotes.

……

The Timber Wolf turned around and sailed out of the Gamba River, back at sea, heading northeast for Xiaoqiang to Singapore.

The captain came to ask Xiang Xiaoqiang what to do with the remaining two pirates. Xiang Xiaoqiang felt that the two pirates had already returned to China, and it was not appropriate to kill them again. What's more, the Ming Dynasty will soon be in Sumatra to eliminate pirates, and it should be useful to keep two alive.

But the captain quietly suggested that it was better not to keep them. The first time Daming captured a pirate alive, reporters must have flocked to the trial. After all, the Timber Wolf dragged 12 pirates to death wearing collarbones and hanging in the sea, and those two pirates saw it. They will definitely say it in court, and the reporters will definitely make a big splash, and the International Red Cross and various humanitarian organizations will definitely jump out to tell the story, which is too bad for the image of the Ming Navy.

Xiang Xiaoqiang thought quietly, carefully reading the captain's words. He is right, it will not only affect the image of the Ming Navy, but more importantly, it will affect Xiang Xiaoqiang's own image, and may also affect the captain's future.

"Yes," he nodded, patting the captain on the shoulder, "you're right, let's do it." ”

The captain smiled with satisfaction:

"Be wise to your lordship."

Then he called the first mate and gave him a few words. The first mate nodded and went out.

After a while, the shouts of the two pirates could be heard from the deck. Xiang Xiaoqiang looked down on the bridge, and saw four sailors carrying the two pirates, throwing them into the sea after two strokes, and then picked up the submachine gun "Da Da Da" is half a shuttle.

In this way, all the pirates are dealt with.

……

It's already three o'clock in the morning. Xiang Xiaoqiang hasn't slept for 24 hours, and Qiu Yu next to him is also sleepy. If it weren't for the excitement of these 24 hours, they would have fallen asleep a few times earlier. But now I can't sleep, and I will be in Singapore in three hours, and Xiang Xiaoqiang and his party will go ashore. Xiang Xiaoqiang sat in the command room, Qiu Yun leaned on his shoulder, and took a nap for a while.

When the captain saw them like this, he smiled and said:

"My lord, you better go back to the cabin and take a nap, and I'll call you when we get to Singapore later." When I get there, it's time for the first mate to replace me. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang woke up suddenly, remembering that the captain hadn't slept for 24 hours, so he thanked him, called Qiu Qiu, and wanted to go back to the cabin to sleep. Walking to the door, the captain suddenly shouted:

"Xiang-sama!"

Turning his face to Xiaoqiang, the captain said excitedly:

"Lord Xiang, although ...... You've been on my ship for a short time...... There are only a few dozen hours, but in these dozens of hours, I can have the honor to fight side by side with you, jointly rescue the Princess Yong'an, and jointly exterminate the pirates...... It's going to be the pride of my life. ”

"Ah......h

Xiang Xiaoqiang also remembered that there were still two hours to say goodbye to others, and he was still silent. In his own opinion, this captain is just an ordinary middle- and lower-level officer, but in the eyes of others, he is a hero of the Ming Empire, a big man who can't be bigger.

He smiled encouragingly, patted his arm, held his hand, and said firmly:

"I will always remember the dozens of hours I spent fighting alongside you. I have a feeling that we will probably have a chance to fight together in the future. ”

When the captain heard his words, he held his hand tightly and was very excited.

At around 6 o'clock in the morning, the Kui Timber Wolf arrived at a designated location off the coast of Singapore and anchored. After a while, in the northeast of the Johor Strait, a small yacht of several tens of tons sailed out. The little yacht cleaved the waves and headed straight for the Timberwolf. When I got closer, I could see the flag of the destroyer, and there was a signal light on the dinghy. The Kui Timber Wolf also replied with a signal. The dinghy officially approached.

This small boat was rented by the Ming consul in Singapore, and it was specially driven to pick up Xiaoqiang and his party.

All the officers and men of the ship, dressed in white dresses, stood straight on the deck to see each other off. Xiang Xiaoqiang hugged the captain goodbye, and then he, Qiu Yu, and the four guards saluted all the officers and men on the deck, then waved goodbye and went down the gangway to the yacht.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Xiang Xiaoqiang and his party entered the Daming Consulate. After shaking hands with the three old advisors there, the two went back to their rooms and fell asleep.

I slept until seven o'clock in the evening, an hour before the cruise ship left for Europe. If Song Ruhai hadn't come to call them, the two young people would still have to sleep, and they would almost miss the boat.

Xiang Xiaoqiang has always wanted to see what the legendary Singapore is like, but it seems that there is no fate between the two arrivals. The last time I came to Singapore, I just gave a speech at the pier, and I didn't go to the city. This time I came in a hurry, slept here for a day, and left in a hurry, but I still didn't get into Singapore.

At half past eight in the evening of March 19, Xiang Xiaoqiang's delegation boarded the ship.

This beautiful cruise ship weighs more than 20,000 tons and also belongs to Zheng's shipping company. It is particularly worth mentioning that in Zheng's shipping company, Zheng Gongyin owns two cruise ships, one is named after his precious son, called "Yuzhen", and the other is named after one of his most proud daughters, called "Yuxuan". The cruise ship that came tonight happened to be the "Jade Xuan".

Xiang Xiaoqiang walked slowly up the gangway, stroking the railing with his hand, and said very evil in his heart:

"I first got on the 'Princess Yong'an', and now I'm on the 'Jade Xuan'......"

……