Count Vananova had already taken off his hat and bowed slightly as a salute. "Dear gentlemen, it is a great honor for you to come here." The Count took off his cavalry uniform when playing football and put on his clothes.
A set of gorgeous hunting clothes, and a sailor standing behind him may be the captain. He is as tall and powerful as a Nordic, and his dark brown skin is obviously the result of long-term exposure to the tropical sun and sea breeze. He is wearing a wig and
He wore a long-sleeved coat with golden double-row buttons on the placket, and a tricorn hat decorated with iron anchors and oak leaves tucked under his arms. His feet were spread apart, and his body was as straight as a mast. The way he looked at others made the Spaniards think.
There was an illusion, as if I was a young sailor who had made a mistake, waiting fearfully in front of the captain to receive punishment.
"Your Majesty, Count, is this your ship?" A port clerk asked stupidly, perhaps because he was dizzy on the sampan. Don Basilio stared at him fiercely. The Count did not care, and stretched out his hand.
Pointing to the top of the mast, the flag flying there was embroidered with the Lando family coat of arms, the same as the one inlaid on the famous red flag carriage in Manila.
The wind became stronger and stronger, and the waves jumped up high in the dazzling sunshine, smashing into bright powder on the beach and rocks. The Esmeralda dropped a single anchor, and all the sails were lowered.
But it was still bumping with the waves. Weiss walked on the swaying deck, as comfortable as walking on the verandah outside the stern of the yacht. The patrol captain became more and more curious about the count, originally thinking that he was just a knight
, walking on the ship like an old sailor. In contrast, the port officer and clerks have fallen behind and have to hold on to the bulwarks to maintain their balance. What kind of person is this European nobleman who came from afar?
?
There is nothing to see on the yacht. Compared with the graceful lines of the hull, the deck presents an amazing simplicity and neatness from beginning to end. It seems that its only mission is to sail quickly and flexibly avoid attacks from enemy ships. It seems that
This is not a yacht. It is an armed speedboat that can be launched into battle at any time. After viewing the cannons on the deck, the patrol captain became more firm in his opinion.
"Do you only have two cannons on your ship?" the patrol captain asked. When the count followed his request and ordered the gun jackets to be removed, the bright black cannons made his eyelids jump sharply. The entire Far East. He only knew
Bocaro, a Portuguese technician in Macau, can cast heavy cannons from iron. Of course, the Chinese also use iron cannons, but they can hardly be called cannons - the patrol captain once boarded a Junk ship and saw the Chinese iron cannons.
They were small and shabby old iron pipes, without any standard or processing. They seemed to have been casually made into clay molds and then cast with molten iron. They were tied to the side of the ship with ropes in a sloppy manner. They could not be as well-cast as the ones in front of them.
cannons.
"Without swivel cannons and harrier cannons, how do you deal with the Radrosaurus pirates? Their fireships and speedboats will come flooding back."
The count turned around and said something, and the wigged yacht captain loudly issued a few orders in an unintelligible language. In the blink of an eye, four sailors rushed to the gun position, untied the mooring cable, and pulled the few levers under the gun body.
A screw turntable. Wherever the earl swings his riding crop, the muzzle will turn accordingly, raising and lowering. It seems that it is not a heavy cannon, but just a spring-loaded short gun that can be grasped with one hand. The demonstration is carried out.
Twice, it was proved that the short guns on the bow deck and the cannons on the stern were authentic "swing cannons", but they did not fire 2-pound small iron balls or shotguns, but destructive 24-pound and 68-pound giant cannons.
bomb.
"Whether it's Ladeslon or Malay pirates, I have prepared the best gift for them here." The count pointed the tip of his silver-inlaid whip at the ammunition slot next to the 68-pound caron gun, and the formidable grape bullets were neatly placed.
Put the code there.
"Your Excellency, your warships are so sophisticated that even in Seville and Genoa, which are the most prosperous cities in Europe, it would be difficult to create them." Even if the naval gun aiming drill deliberately avoided patrol ships, the Spaniards suffered
The shock is still not small. Anyone with a little knowledge of naval warfare can see that only two or three fast ships like the Esmedala equipped with cannons can outflank and capture a large sailing ship from the weak stern.
.And Weiss' guests have not yet seen the horrors of 68-pound explosive and incendiary bombs.
"You are right. The Esmedala is my ship, and I am a soldier. My ship, like my sword, is a weapon serving God. I would love to hear you call it a battleship."
The Earl said proudly: "My warship must be able to sail quickly against the wind to pursue the Malay pirate ships; it must have a shallow enough draft to facilitate penetrating into the bandits' lairs densely covered in shoals to rescue Christians who have been robbed as slaves."
None of the local ships suited me, so I ordered the Esmeralda to be built at a shipyard in Hong Kong. There was also a local factory that manufactured mining machines for me. I designed a gun mount that could flexibly rotate and ordered them to
It was made. As for the cannon, it was ordered at Mr. Bocaro’s foundry in Macau. All these expenses came from my personal income.”
"Hong Kong. Are you talking about the small island off Guangzhou that is now in the hands of those Australians?"
"It's true that the Australians have established very good shipyards and cannon foundries on the island. They are very good at manufacturing machinery, and their cannons are especially sophisticated - but it is a pity that they are unwilling to sell them no matter how much they pay."
"You have a very close relationship with the Australians!" the tax officer said maliciously.
"Of course," Lando stroked his beard proudly, "A noble lord like me, a loyal servant of God, will be welcomed wherever I go, not to mention Australians are a group of money worshippers!"
As he spoke, he patted the velvet money bag around his waist, and a crisp jingle sounded from inside. A burst of laughter immediately sounded on the deck.
Lando continued: "The Jesuit priests in Macau have proposed to raise funds for the construction of this ship, so that it can patrol the waters off Macau to catch pirates. I hope that the gentlemen in Manila can raise this amount -
-If it can be raised, as long as two or three more Esmedalas are formed into a small fleet and given to me to command, the fierce and cunning Moro rowing fleet will be completely destroyed, invading Cebu and Mi
The pagan bandits in Sayan can only be captured without help. At that time, the glory of God and the glory of His Majesty will surely shine on the entire Eastern Islands from Malacca to Maluku."
Don Basilio looked at the count with an expression of half surprise and half suspicion. The patrol captain held his sword tightly in excitement, "Ah, the Mercury is also a good and well-equipped ship.
But Mr. Sanafriya will never have such a noble and great idea as yours."
"What this distinguished gentleman is referring to," the count said to Don Basilio, "must be the sea palace of your dear friend Don Sanabria?" He turned back and continued to listen to the patrol captain.
He slapped the tax officer with an embarrassed look on his head.
"...There is no faster or more gorgeous three-masted sailing ship in the royal colonial fleet of East India. Mr. Sanafriya spent a lot of money to hire Goa's top shipbuilder Dia.
It was built under the supervision of Brother Louis himself. Its rigging and sails are also of the best quality, and it can travel two to two and a half leagues an hour in a good wind..."
"But a strong crosswind can overturn it." The wigged yacht captain suddenly interjected. His Spanish tone was quite strange, but it was still understandable. "There are carved beams and painted walls on the side of the ship.
Erecting intimidatingly large statues of Apollo, Minerva, Neptune, etc. will only add useless weight, reduce speed, and make navigation more unstable."
"Oh, Mario, my good captain," said the Count: "Have you really seen Monsieur Sanavria's Ocean Express? For the sake of the merciful Virgin, you have not offended his ship, have you?"
"Sir, we entered the bay and just passed by May Island and Nuns Island, and the three-masted ship followed us." Captain Mario touched the wig on his head from time to time, as if he was afraid that it would be blown off by the wind. "I
It must be the ship you are talking about. The bow and stern are covered with gilded statues, just like those Chinese women showing off their wealth. Their hair is covered with glittering gold jewelry, but they can't even walk steadily. Its captain may think that we are
Like a pirate, he hoisted his sails and chased after him with all his might."
"Then what did you do?"
"I ordered a circle around the three-masted ship so that the blind captain can recognize your flag more clearly. It still tried to overtake us, even the aileron sail was hung out, and of course it was finally caught
Get rid of it. How can a buffalo outrun a horse?"
"Well, look at you, you are so frightening the distinguished guests. Dear Mario, if Don Sanabria hears you describe his treasure ship in this way, I am afraid that he will use the weapons of Jupiter to kill him.
You and I were blown to pieces." The Earl walked until he reached the open hatch at the back of the deck before stopping. He took off a heavy silk bag from his waist and patted it, making the clear and sweet sound of gold coins: "Tax
Your Excellency, I assure you on my honor that this 180-ton boat does not carry any cargo intended for sale in Manila. However, I am still prepared to comply with the decree of Your Excellency the Governor and pay a parking tax of 12 silver pesos per ton. You
You and your colleagues can inspect every cabin and every corner to see if there is any untruth in what I say.”
Don Basilio was so embarrassed that his hat was almost crushed in his hands. He could only bow his head and praise the count's virtue of forgiveness. He repeatedly expressed his apologies and declared again and again: The count's private yacht Esmera
The Da is berthed in Manila without inspection, and there is no need to pay any taxes and fees for merchant ships.