Chapter 81 Pirates' Favorite Ship - Throop
The morning after the Foster family arrived in Lake Town, Paul couldn't wait to lead a group of shipbuilders to Fulan Port.
As for the details of business cooperation, Old Ford and others are slowly negotiating with Director Christopher.
Quiller and the adventure group also traveled together. On the way, they chatted about the situation in the south.
“Giles is annexing the lords south of Thorn Fortress who disobey him. I’m afraid no one will be able to persist. After all, he is too powerful.”
Queller introduced Paul this way.
Paul thought to himself: It looks like the war will last for a long time.
Since Hansel took office here, he told him a lot of news about the royal capital. It is estimated that the main army to counter the rebellion can only move south next year. Before that, the kingdom’s army can hold on Thorn Fortress is pretty good.
Another piece of news from Queller caught his attention - the resurgence of witch hunting in the South.
“A few days before departure, a witch was burned to death in the square.”
Paul asked curiously: "How to judge whether a person is a wizard?"
Quiller touched his chin and said: "There is a kind of 'magic stone', which is said to change color as long as it comes into contact with items with traces of magic. . ”
Isn’t that the kind of stone they took out when they first met Dean Leonard? At that time, they mysteriously rubbed rocks on their muskets, but they eventually eliminated their suspicions.
"Then if a wizard can disguise himself well, never perform his magic in front of others, or never carry items with traces of magic, will he be safe?"
Quiller shakes He shook his head and said: "No, most of the time we still rely on the judge's own experience, and there are various methods of judgment."
That would leave a lot of room for maneuver. Paul shuddered when he thought of the methods used to identify witches during the European medieval witch hunts. He flipped through some history books of this world, and there were many unjust, false and wrong cases admitted by the Holy See itself.
He sighed and said: "I really hope we live in an enlightened era."
Everyone looked at him.
Meru asked aloud: "Why did Lord Grayman say that?"
Paul thought about how to answer, he didn't want to say anything too radical.
"I think...even if the other person is really a wizard, as long as he doesn't break the law or do anything harmful to others, there is no need to deprive him of his life. Even if he breaks the law, it's the same as ordinary people. Depending on the degree of the crime, what should be done? Punishment is whatever you want."
Quiller shook his head: "Paul, you are too idealistic. Many people have put forward similar views, but have you ever thought about what happens if magic really exists? As evil as the legend is, the wizards can commit crimes without others knowing."
Paul responded: "I have heard a saying that when the flood comes, it is better to block it. Reasonable guidance is worse than blocking."
"So I prefer to establish an official organization to uniformly manage wizards, influence their moral tendencies, and use their abilities to do things that help the public. Also monitor whether they will commit crimes and eliminate the evil ones in time."
He finally added: "By the way, just like the Adventurer Guild, not all adventurers are there. Someone with special skills? ”
Meru smiled like a flower and said to Paul: "Haha, Lord Earl, your suggestion is really original."
The scholar lady Ladi listened silently and said nothing.
......
"What a unique ship!"
The shipbuilders from the south were talking about the sailboat model.
Especially old Benjamin, the appearance and characteristics of the fat boat in front of him coincided with his various ideas. Yes, this was the boat he had been wanting to build for years.
Another type of ship called "flying shear", although it has a strange shape, its structure is clearly designed for high-speed navigation.
The old shipwright’s eyes were shining, and he kept circling the model, observing it carefully from different angles, for fear of missing any detail.
Rubin, the shipyard director, looked on with a smile. Before, he was worried that these Jiaowan guys had high self-esteem and looked down on the small shipyard he was in charge of. Now it seems that this worry is completely unnecessary.
"Everyone! Everyone!"
Paul spoke out to attract everyone's attention.
“I restored the models of these two ships according to the descriptions in the ancient books of the Bella Empire. The book said that both ships can cut through the wind and waves and cross the ocean. Their structures should be very It’s mature, so I think I can build a real ship directly according to the model.”
It has been used in another world for a hundred or two hundred years, how can it not be mature?
Old Benjamin lamented: "I didn't expect that people in ancient times could build such a ship, but modern shipbuilding technology has deteriorated."
Because Benjamin was well-known in the shipbuilding industry of Cape Bay, he was vaguely the head of a group of southern shipbuilders.
So Benjamin came forward and asked Paul: "Master Graiman, judging from the proportions of these two models, it is probably unrealistic to build such a large new ship at once. Can we imitate them first?" Let’s try building a few small boats.”
After all, he is a steady old craftsman. Even if he is itchy, he knows that it cannot be done overnight.
Paul raised his head: "I have thought of this a long time ago. In fact, there is another kind of ship described in ancient books. I also restored its model and showed it to you."
He Clapping their hands, the guard on the side took out a new ship model from the box and placed it on it.
The favorite ship of pirates in the Age of Discovery on Earth - the Throop Ship.
This type of ship was widely used in offshore trade and patrol operations in European countries and their colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. They were designed for speed and flexibility from bow to stern.
The length of its hull is generally about 20 meters. It usually has only one or occasionally two masts installed backwards, with one or two horizontal sails and a large gaffed mainsail. From a distance, it looks like Goes like the dorsal fin exposed by a shark as it swims through the water.
Whether it is crosswind or tailwind, this kind of boat can use the huge sail area to push the hull forward. Its iconic long bowsprit is like a sharp sword piercing the front, with a large area on it The bowsprit provides excellent turning and upwind performance and is so well designed that even 21st century sail racing boats around the world use a similar layout.
A large stroop ship with a displacement of 100 tons can carry 70 to 120 fully armed pirates and can be equipped with up to 14 cannons.
It perfectly interprets the pirate principle of "Those who can outrun me cannot defeat me, and those who can outrun me cannot outrun me". It can not only quickly catch up with fleeing merchant ships and force them to surrender, but also can catch up with more powerful anti-theft warships. As soon as the masthead appeared on the horizon, we headed towards the shallow water harbor.
It is also the smallest vessel for safe transoceanic navigation. A Sloop boat, not much larger than an offshore fishing boat, can cross the Atlantic or go around the Cape of Good Hope.
The structure is simple and can be manufactured in large quantities, allowing your maritime power to be quickly formed into an army.
It has excellent performance and can cross the Atlantic Ocean. A trip to Cape Bay will definitely not be a problem.
Small in size, it can be used by craftsmen to practice and accumulate experience.
Everyone was once again attracted by this exquisite and compact ship. Old Benjamin said loudly and excitedly: "Sir Graiman, let's start tomorrow!"
Director Rubin also saw it for the first time. When he got to this kind of boat, he looked at Paul with a look of resentment, as if he was complaining why he didn't take it out earlier so that he could get ahead of these foreigners.
Paul smiled apologetically at him. He had only thought of this kind of ship not long ago.
(End of this chapter)