Captain Hansen is about 50 years old, not tall, the whole person is thin and lean, gray hair, light brown eyes, under the pale forehead is a dark face and eyebrows yellowed by the sun, the ravines of the face are like old bark soaked in oil, tough and energetic, every wind and sun mark seems to tell the beauty of life and life. His right hand is missing a middle finger and his left index finger is missing half of it, probably tragically lost in a winch accident. Older sailors often lack fingers and toes, but this does not prevent them from deftly tying convenient and practical knots and sewing all kinds of holes, whether on sails or clothes. At the same time, their hearts are far stronger than ordinary people under pressure.

It is said that experienced old sailors are not afraid of the dark, do not hide from torrential rains, and always have a lingering smell of water on their bodies.

The co-ointman of the Golden Sheep is obviously an experienced old sailor, and only the Borui Kingdom can train an experienced old sailor.

Hansen's expression was astonished, and his right hand pressed a tattoo on his neck, which was a face mask pierced by a dagger. The Kamen Brotherhood is famous at the bottom of the Borui Kingdom, but he didn't expect that this handsome and extraordinary Gambis nobleman had also heard of the Kamen Brotherhood.

But there was nothing to worry about, he had already reported his experience to the Kite Castle Internal Affairs Office. He quickly lowered his hand, showed the masked Brotherhood tattoo on his neck, and said respectfully, "Yes, my lord." I used to be a member of the Kamen Brotherhood. ”

Marquis Goron looked at the tattoo on Hansen's lieutenant's neck and asked Victor, "You also know about the Kamen Brotherhood of the Borui Kingdom. ”

Victor nodded and said lightly: "The South Wind Chamber of Commerce and the Wimbledon Chamber of Commerce are fighting each other, and the assassins of the Kamen Brotherhood have caused a lot of trouble to my wife. ”

When Baron Highgate, who was following behind, heard this, a chill suddenly appeared in his heart, and his cold hair stood on end, and his scalp was numb. All of the sailors he recruited from the Borui Kingdom had been in the Kamen Brotherhood. At this moment, the murky voice of the Marquis of Goron came over, calming Baron Highgate's shrunken heart.

"Oh, I've heard that the Kamen Brotherhood is a loose free people's union organization, and almost all Borui sailors have to hang the Kamen Brotherhood signboard. ”

Highgate breathed a sigh of relief and politely explained, "Lord Marquis is right, the Kamen Brotherhood is made up of many free folk gangs, and the fishermen and sailors joined the Brotherhood mainly to negotiate and resolve their differences. As far as I know, sailors often go out to fish and often quarrel with other fleets over the waters they fish, and when the ships sail outside the harbor, the rough sailors have no fear of the lord's laws, and often attack each other, killing and wounding each other, and no one dares to fish in peace. As a result, the shipowners and sailors suffered great losses, and the sailors gradually formed large and small fish gangs, all of which joined the Kamen Brotherhood, and in the name of the Brotherhood, they sat at the table and negotiated the division of their respective fishing waters. ”

"A sailor can't get on a ship without joining the Fish Gang, and joining the Fish Gang is equivalent to joining the Brotherhood. However, the Kamen Brotherhood does not have a fixed leader, it is actually a negotiating table for free people. Baron Highgate paused, raised his hand and pointed at Hansen's co-deputy, explaining to Victor: "Your Highness Randall, Hansen used to make a living in the fish harbor of the Borui Kingdom under the banner of the Kamen Brotherhood, and now he is my recruited vassal, a citizen of the Gombis Kingdom, and he has nothing to do with the Kamen Brotherhood. ”

Victor nodded noncommittally, looked at the tense Highgate, and asked with interest, "Your Excellency Highgate, also from the Borui Kingdom?"

The battle between the Wimbledon Chamber of Commerce and the Borui Nanfeng Chamber of Commerce has affected the vendors and villains below, and some people have shed blood and died for it, but in the eyes of the leaders of both sides, the conflict of interests between the two major business organizations is like two giant beasts fighting each other, each with damage, but no major harm, let alone hatred. What's more, the final result ended in a handshake, the Brotherhood of Masks who invaded the underground world of Neville was completely defeated, and Raymond Peter, who started the underground war, was stripped of his position as head of the Southwind Chamber of Commerce by the Grand Lord of Borui. The Wimbledon Chamber of Commerce and the Randalls' mercury were a big win.

Baron Highgate couldn't understand the mentality of His Highness Randall, and when he saw His Highness change the topic, he was finally relieved, stroked his chest, and said proudly: "My mother is Lord Michelle of the Crudas family on the north shore of the Borui Kingdom, and I am the youngest son in the family, and I have been fostered in Uncle Crudas's house since I was a child. Later, I went to study at the Silver Tower, where I had the privilege of being taught by a scholar at Corden Grayward University. I was recommended by my teacher to join the noble House of Greyward, and His Majesty Augustus gave me the title of Baron of the Court, and appointed me to the post of Chief Ship-Supervisor of the Court. ”

In the Borui Kingdom, the North Shore families outside the Seven Great Alliances are only second-rate. The Crudath family, Victor has never even heard of it. It's no wonder that Highgate is complacent when he joins the Grawald family, one of the five princes of Cambys.

Victor smiled and asked, "Your Excellency, proficient in shipbuilding?"

"A little bit of experience. "My uncle has a shipbuilding workshop and two fishing teams. I have been involved in shipbuilding and sailing since I was a child, and I also specialized in shipbuilding under the art of casting in the Silver Tower. Hansen had hired a fleet of my uncle's boats for a long time to hunt two water lizards in Lake Karon, west of Grand River Bay, and returned to port without incident. ”

Victor couldn't help but look at Hansen twice, he knew how the Great River Bay fishing fleet worked, and how difficult it was for the fleet to hunt a lizard and bring it back to port. Their success in hunting the salamanders is secondary, and the key is the ability to keep the priceless loot, or take the fruits of someone else's labor. Either way, it proves that they have outstanding ship combat capabilities.

The ownership of the fishing fleet belonged to the Borui nobles, and the right to use it belonged to the freedmen captains, and the fleet and the fleet plundered and compromised each other had nothing to do with the nobility. As long as the captain brought the ship and the catch back to port, the noble shipowner could take eighty percent of it. If the ship sinks, the noble shipowner thinks that he is unlucky, and must not anger other noble shipowners. The rules of the game are such that the famous captain can surrender without a fight, which is very popular with the nobles of Borui.

In a sense, Kite Castle recruited the little-known Highgate, gave him the surname of a great nobleman, and entrusted him with important tasks, in addition to his ability to build ships, most of them also had the factor of Captain Hansen.

"The bard sings that a ship can have a soul, and a good captain gives her a soul. Victor smiled as he looked into the old sailor's piercing eyes.

Hansen's deeply scarred dark face appeared with a complex look of remembering the past and the lost present, he was silent for a moment, looked down at the plank of the bilge, shook his head and said, "I...... The Golden Fleece wasn't there yet. ”

"The Golden Fleece is just a training ship, tell me, what is a ship with a soul?" asked the Marquis of Goron, his deep voice as if it had a magical power, reaching into the depths of one's heart, as if asking oneself.

Hansen raised his head and said with burning eyes: "The captain and the sailor are like one person, one and the ship are one, and the one is intimately connected with the wind and waves. The ship with a soul can take on the wings of the wind, easily cut into the undercurrent below the surface, chase the water lizard in the storm, fast and nimble, and the overlord of the water is as weak as a baby in front of her. ”

"How many captains are there in the Borui Kingdom who can give a ship a soul?" asked Victor.

Baron Highgate replied, "Hansen is one, and most of the experienced captains are in the service of the families on the Seven Great Alliances. I don't know how many? I don't know......"

Victor and Marquis Goron glanced at each other, and both saw the heaviness in each other's eyes.

"The House of York lagged behind August. His Highness Randall said with a smile.

"We are behind the United Kingdom. Marquis Goron nodded and said, "There will be 10 years at most." ”

Victor thought for a moment and said, "Gombis is united, and he is catching up, and maybe he can catch up...... After all, the hydrological conditions here are not the same. ”

Marquis Goron smiled on his serious face, and said, "His Royal Highness Randall just orders, and we will fully cooperate." ”

"I did everything I could. ”

Walking into the pulp room in the bilge, Victor saw dozens of strong men with big shoulders and round waists, they were neatly dressed, standing straight, their eyes were calm, their complexion was much whiter than that of Captain Hansen, and they were obviously elite soldiers of the Praetorian Guard.

Hansen seemed not very pleased with the disciplined soldiers, and muttered, "A good sailor must at least get used to being bare-chested." ”

Highgate hurriedly scolded in a low voice: "This is the royal sailor, the free man sailor's set to put away." ”

Victor waved his hand to stop Highgate's reprimand of Hansen and asked, "The Golden Fleece has 10 pairs of long oars, and there are 60 oarsmen here, in three shifts, can the Golden Fleece go against the current?"

"My lord, it depends on the condition of the current and the load of the ship. Hansen's first mate was just reprimanded by his master, and honestly explained: "There is no such thing as a gentle lake, and a good oarsman can make the boat accelerate, slow down, and even go backwards." But if the boat is too heavy, the oarsmen will not be able to bear it in three shifts. If you sail against the current, you can't row it or rely on the sails...... I'm referring to the situation where the pinnacle is swimming upstream, the speed of the punt is slow, the draft is shallow, and the load is large, and even the captain of the boat cannot drive the large punt into Lake Karon in the upper reaches of the Jinshui River. ”

Most of the old crew members were talking baskets, and the more Hansen spoke, the more energetic he became, he tore open the buttons on his collar, revealing his strong chest, and shook his head and said: "The waters of Dahewan are the territory of the seven major island fleets, which can be caught all year round, and their fleets have large flat-bottomed boats and sharp-bottomed clippers, which cooperate with each other, and the big water lizards can't run away if they are targeted. Our fleet on the north shore can only go upstream, go up during the windy season, and then return when the water season is cold, otherwise the catch will stink, and we will only catch it once a year, and we have to brave freezing rain and heavy snow. Our spire-bottomed sailboat can go against the current, and it's fast enough, but it's not as steady as a flat-bottomed boat, and if you're unlucky, you might be able to overturn the lizard......

Highgate coughed softly and reminded the veteran crew not to go too far. Victor interjected with interest.

"You can't fish in Big River Bay, you can only go to Lake Karon once a year, so what do you usually do?"

"Transporting goods, if you don't have business, go out to sea with small pickets to fish. Hansen smacked his lips and said with a retrospective face: "The fish and shrimp in the sea are delicious, and they are all valuable goods." We went out once, and whenever we came back, everyone's pockets were bulging. Moreover, there are more and more water lizards than the water lizards in the river bays, and they are all treasures, and they cost four times as much as the water lizards. It's a pity that the east of the ship allows the big ship to go to sea, and we only have small boats, so we can't catch the sea lizard, and we have to avoid it. ”

The Marquis of Goron had an old-fashioned style, paying attention to aristocratic etiquette and the majesty of an extraordinary knight, and his ability to condescend and speak to Captain Hansen showed that Kite Castle valued this experienced sailor very much. Victor knew that he couldn't find a chance to communicate with Hansen alone, and asked generously, "Has the fleet of the United Kingdom of Borui explored the landing site of the coastline?"

Baron Highgate nodded and replied, "I have explored, but all of them have failed. Large flat-bottomed sailboats can't withstand the wind and waves of the sea, and pointed-bottomed sailboats are sturdy enough, but the draft is too deep to rush into the shallow waters and sweep away the coastal fishmen. Moreover, the sea water is brackish and insane, and the fleet lacks fresh water supplies, so it cannot go far at all, like those small fishing boats with sharp bottoms, which can only go around the vicinity of the sea. ”

Marquis Golon smiled: "If Borui can land from the coastline, they will not ask us to cooperate, let alone stare at the land of the Southern Continent. ”

Victor shook his head and smiled, and was the first to step out of the bilge and onto the deck, where Princess Roland was teaching Williams how to steer, with her mouth, of course, and she held on to the rudder so firmly that she would not let go.

The Marquis of Golon stepped forward, stood side by side with Victor, looked at the calm lake, and said, "The punt cannot go to sea, and when it is fully loaded, it cannot go against the Jinshui River. Do you have any good ideas?"

Victor didn't answer directly, but turned to the captain Hansen and asked, "The Blinauer River is almost 2 kilometers wide, can a large spire sail go backwards?"

Hansen said with an embarrassed expression: "My lord, I have seen the current of the Blinor River, it is more turbulent than the Jinshui River, if the spire is fully loaded with 1,000 tons, I estimate that it can only wait until the monsoon season every year to sail against the current." In normal times, I am afraid that I will have to use a slender man to pull on the shore. ”

The Blinauer River and the Blood River on the south side of Lake Fes are both large tributaries of the Jinshui River, and the hydrological conditions of the two should be similar. If the spire-bottomed galleons sail against the current on the Blinole River only for four months during the windy season, the same is true of the Blood River. Cambys's fleet could not move freely up and down the Blood River, and the Blood River development strategy and frog-jumping tactics were tantamount to failure.

Victor raised his long, straight eyebrows and a smile on the corner of his mouth, "How about we add two wheels to the ship?"

"Wheeling the ship?"

Roland, who had sharp ears, dropped the rudder, jumped to Victor's side, squeezed the Marquis of Goron aside, took Victor's arm, and asked with a twinkle in his eyes:

"You just said that you put wheels on the ship, so is it a ship, or a car?"

"Steamer...... Paddle steamers. ”

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