Seist is a sprawling island. Although everyone from the king to the local governors knew how complicated it was to manage dual-use ports, they still acquiesced to their existence for reasons of all reasons.

Lieutenant Bowen is the deputy director of the military port warehouse management area.

He was twenty-eight years old, too young in every sense of the word. In the words of a sailor who begs for a living at sea all year round: he is not fierce enough to have no deterrent effect on veteran oilers and under-beaten sea slackers. Although he was born in the aristocracy, his face was too handsome, and his hands and feet were in line with the etiquette of high society, and he spoke politely. A lad like him should have been in and out of the salon of a noblewoman, or the house of the widow of a nobleman, rather than staying at the docks or on a ship.

The concept of sailors cannot be regarded as wrong, in fact, without an aristocratic background, it is almost impossible for Bowen to have the rank of lieutenant at this age, let alone stand out among countless competitors, and sit on the "deputy director of the warehouse management area".

The port of Sester in winter is not a pleasant one. Despite its location in the south, the waters here are also cold. Sailors who were ordered to be on duty on board would rack their brains to curry favor with their superiors in order to get a chance to disembark and land. That means not having to stay in a cold, damp cabin with the cold, having a warm and dry hotel room, and having a nice and hot woman at the bar to spend the night with.

Berwen's office was huge. In the summer, it is especially comfortable. But in the winter...... He got up from his desk, gathered his coat, walked to the corner of the room, picked up a few coals with tongs and put them in the fireplace. Looking at the black stones that slowly began to burn under the flames, a wry smile appeared on his young face.

The chimney in the office, with only ventilation ducts connected to the fireplace. More than 100 years ago, the countries of the South had a deep understanding of the dangers of "coal gas" and knew that coal would release toxic gases when burned. So no matter how cold the weather is, as long as you burn coal in the room to keep warm, you must open the window to release poison gas.

If it weren't for the fact that there was still work to be done and a lot of paperwork to be reviewed, Berwen really wanted to go back to his bedroom and sleep well under a thick eiderdown duvet.

Through the door, he faintly heard the sound of laughter in the distance.

Today is the weekend, a day for sailors and soldiers to relax.

According to different functions, the warehouse management area is divided into two parts———— personnel rest and residence, and a warehouse for stockpiling materials.

The entire warehouse management area is a military management area, and there are guards on duty outside, and no civilians are allowed to enter without permission.

There are always times when there are exceptions.

The inhabitants of Seist Island also have to live, and there are many merchants who value the special location of this place and also open hotels, bars, casinos, restaurants, and run various businesses, the most popular among sailors and soldiers.

To put it bluntly, it's mostly wine and women.

It is said that the Seist military port was originally very strictly managed, and bar girls were forbidden to enter the military district. However, strong demand from operators and demanders prevailed. In the face of the general's strict orders, the sailors and soldiers expressed their dissatisfaction, and the island's bar operators also organized several strikes, and even threatened to close all business projects and withdraw from the island forever.

The military regulations of the civilized era do not apply here. Although the name "First Fleet" was loud, the king and the Admiralty spent most of their military spending on ship manufacturing and armament, and the actual pay for sailors and soldiers was not much. Sailors, in particular, lived on a ship comparable to the most slum-down man. All kinds of dirty work are responsible, and most of the daily food is biscuits, moldy bread and corned beef. If you are out at sea for a short time, you can drink enough, but if you stay at sea for more than two weeks, the drinking water in the barrel will grow green mold and the food will spoil. As a result, you have to mix a certain amount of wine in the water to swallow it, and poorly stored salted meat can also grow maggots, but in order to satisfy your hunger, you can only eat in a dark environment to avoid seeing too disgusting bugs and losing your appetite.

These questions usually do not involve officers. According to the rules of the kingdom, they could enjoy fine wine, and the quality of the food was far inferior to that of the army, but far superior to that of ordinary sailors.

Back at the port, all the sailors wanted most was a woman, and a hangover.

According to military practice, sailors and soldiers were required to take leave of absence from the district, and were allowed to go only after obtaining permission from the officer, and not all of them were eligible to go out, and they had to come one by one in order.

People who have been adrift at sea for a long time are in desperate need of physical and psychological release, and continuing to restrain them after entering the port is counterproductive. It would be fine if everyone was treated equally, but such restrictions were only imposed on the lowest rank sailors and soldiers, and not for officers.

More than 80 years ago, there was a massive rebellion in the port of Seist. Ninety percent of the sailors of the entire fleet were involved, killing captains and officers, and burning as many as thirty-three warships of various types. Although the Royal Army reacted quickly and sent superior forces to suppress it, the Royal Navy suffered heavy losses and collapsed for the next five years.

Top management was forced to make changes to the restrictions according to the actual situation. It was from that time that the system of "sailors taking turns to rest" was formally abolished and existed only in textual mode.

In Sester Island, "bar girl" is a word with a lot of meaning. It meant that anyone with the slightest connection to the bar-operator could bring his women into the military district to provide services to sailors and soldiers.

Many nobles and generals opposed this, but they could not change the fait accompli. After all, this is also very convenient to a large extent———— "bar girls" must be inspected when they pass through the checkpoints, they must not carry weapons, and they must also undergo relevant health inspections to prevent and avoid large-scale contagion of diseases.

"Mei (harmony) poison" is a terrible word. Although the military doctors' examination methods of "bar girls" are extremely blunt, and can even be said to be impersonal, it must be admitted that their work is indeed effective, and many "bar girls" who are sick and only think about making money have been detected for decades.

The frolic that Lieutenant Berwen heard was heard by the women, mixed with the exuberant cheers of the sailors and soldiers. Alcohol stimulates them to produce more adrenaline, and they are willing to empty their pockets of the last penny for a night's pleasure.

Sitting in his chair, Berwen felt colder and colder, and his frozen hand could barely hold the pen.

He was a little indignant————I'm a real officer!" Why can those filthy sailors stay in the dormitory and spend all their time drinking, but I can only sit here and blow the cold wind? Is this what an officer and a deputy director of the warehouse should be?

The experience of working late at night was foreign to him. If it weren't for the other two deputy directors and the stewards below them, these tasks would not have been put on Lieutenant Berwen.

There was a knock on the door outside.

Disgruntled, Bowen stood up from his desk, walked over and opened the door, and saw a familiar face.

It was a middle-aged man with a lewd appearance and a short stature.

His name is Yu Gao, and he is the owner of a large bar on the island of Seist. Bowen has been to his shop a few times on weekends, and he has dealt with each other, but he is not very familiar with each other.

"My dear Berwen, I guess you're here." You Gao, who has a mustache, holds a bottle of wine in his hand, a dark black long-necked bottle, and the label on the outside is in the shape of a beautiful grape leaf. Bervin was familiar with the wine, and although he had only tasted it once himself because of its high price, he had seen it many times in the general's office and at balls held by high-ranking nobles.

His cold and ready to explode thoughts suddenly eased, and his facial expression softened, but his tone was still repulsive: "What are you looking for me?" ”

"What's the matter with you? Look at what you said, aren't we friends? "You Gao belongs to the self-cooked temperament, and it may also be due to the original intention of the operator. Bowen's rank of lieutenant and the status of deputy supervisor belonged to him to be pursued, You Gao raised the expensive bottle of good wine with both hands, and narrowed his small black bean-like eyes: "I brought you a gift, how about it, taste it?" ”

Berwen hesitated for a moment, leaning sideways into the middle of the door to make way of passage. To be honest, it was really hard for him to refuse, after all, it was too cold tonight, and it was hard to survive on charcoal fire alone, if there was a bottle of wine...... And it's a good wine with a lot of value, so you shouldn't have any problem with just one drink.

He didn't know that Yugao had another slave trader ———— hidden identity.

Two wine glasses, bringing the relationship between the two men closer. Berwen liked the bottle so much that he drank several glasses in a row. Although You Gao was also drinking, most of the time he only sipped slightly, and he watched most of the bottle of wine enter Bowen's stomach, and the smile on his face became even stronger.

The effects of alcohol on the brain were so obvious that Berwen's mind became incredibly active.

You Gao had been talking, but it was not loud, and the people outside couldn't hear it, but Bowen could hear it clearly.

"You're the most aristocratic guy I've ever seen, much better than those big guys."

"Brother, don't mind if I call you that, do you? I'm older than you and I've seen a lot of things. It's not that I'm talking bad about people behind my back, the officials above you don't understand anything. You're different from them, but you're paid much less than they are, and you're doing too much work than them. ”

"Let's just say today, right now, you sit here alone blowing the cold wind, but they are holding a ball with a beautiful woman in their own mansion. Think of the sumptuous dinners they've had: marinated chicken, lamb chops stewed with peas, roast duck stuffed with apples, foie gras with red carp mushrooms, and veal steak with artichokes...... Let me see what you have here...... Biscuits and beef, that's your dinner? ”

Berwen's young face seemed to be on fire, and anger and shame kept clashing in his head. It's like two classical knights, armed with spears and shields, fighting desperately to fight the winner in a rage.

"Why do they want to and pee on your neck?" You Gao just added this most important sentence.

The muscles on Berwen's face contorted in anger, and he picked up his empty glass and slammed it to the ground, smashing into countless pieces.

Yu Gao got up from his chair: "Don't stay here, don't think about any damn work. Come with me! Go to the barracks and hang out with the lads who have just come off the boat, there is more wine and a lot of the pretty girls I have brought. ”

Berwen hesitated. It can be seen that he is indeed very tempted, but his sanity is still there, and alcohol does not occupy an overwhelming advantage.

You Gao walked around to his side, leaned close to his ear, and squeezed out a thief: "I specially left you a fresh item that was just delivered from the city of London the day before yesterday." Very beautiful blonde with smooth and delicate skin, hasn't been touched by anyone else yet, I promise you'll love it. ”

This became the last straw for Bridging Bowen's thinking.

He locked the various documents into the cabinet and followed Yugao out of the office.

The slave traders, disguised as the owners of the bar, did not lie, and there was indeed a beautiful blonde in the barracks. Most of the sailors were drunk, and they coveted the woman, but they didn't have much money in their pockets, so they could only salivate and watch. The arrival of Lieutenant Berwen was indeed surprising, and he handled the relationship between the two very well———— as long as there was wine, communication between men would not be difficult because of status.

Moreover, Berwen did not hold a position on the ship, and although he was a little arrogant, he was not completely unapproachable.

Alcohol and women bring everything to a climax.

No one noticed when Yugao left the barracks.

He crept to the dock and stood still in the unattended darkness for more than ten minutes. Soon, several dark figures suddenly appeared on the surface of the sea, and they were guided by the light of the fire folded by Yu Gao and came ashore along the trestle.

This is the plan made by Elizabeth.

Now most of the sailors and soldiers throughout the port are resting in the barracks, and even if not everyone will get drunk, they will stay in the room and not come out because of the women.

The core of the plan was to blow up the gunpowder warehouse inside the military port.

This is a postponement of the Tianhao landing plan, and it is also an indispensable strategic support.

The key to landing on the southern coast and taking the fortress of Kamui is sea supremacy. Masae's fleet is confident that it will take out any opponent, but everyone is willing to avoid more trouble. To put it simply, as long as the navy of the Saxon Kingdom cannot be dispatched in a short period of time for some reason, Tianhao's landing plan can be implemented smoothly.

The military port warehouses on Seist Island are stocked with large quantities of gunpowder all year round.

Wine and women, this broad system of rest for sailors has long existed, and there have been "banquets" on a larger scale than today, but nothing has gone wrong.

Elizabeth and Yugao seized on this, luring the guards and officers who were supposed to be on duty to get involved, so that the Demoman could dive in from the sea.

Yugao returned to the barracks. It's a long way from the point of the explosion, and it's safe.