186 Why can’t I sleep?
I don’t know which ship was the first to discover it. Maybe it was almost simultaneous.
A sailor who was looking ahead from the watchtower shouted loudly.
“Something’s coming! It’s flying, my God, it’s shining. What’s that!”
The watchtower crewman, who had been rigid for a moment while looking at the distant horizon, shouted again.
“Enemy! Enemy ship is approaching at high speed. It’s Putegrin’s flag!”
The watchtower crew beat frantically on the large iron plate used for warning. Clink clack clack! The sound of metal echoed throughout the ship.
“It’s not just one or two ships. At least thirty ships! It’s an enemy raid! Enemy ships are coming! Soldiers are on board!”
The words of the watchtower sailors were immediately transmitted from mouth to mouth by other sailors nearby and spread throughout the ship.
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Darren’s eyes narrowed.
As the captain, he can’t see the far end of the sea yet. It looked like there was only one dot.
But the watchtower is taken by the sailor with the best eyesight. If he said it was Putegrin’s stomach, he would.
‘That’s strange. If you say that there are dozens of ships with soldiers on them, it means that they have come prepared for war, but did they come for us? But how did you find it? But it’s a strange position to see that they’re targeting somewhere other than us.’
Before leaving, he remembered the things he had researched about the Putegrin Empire.
Not so much. Rarely in the world today, things like the country where the emperor holds a strong government, the shape of the flag, and the type of ship he owns.
That included the fact that putegrin wasn’t very strong at sea.
In fact, Putegrin’s ship that came to Perry to trade was quite old. A type of boat that was used in Arubaso only a few decades ago, and is not used much now.
There is no reason to operate a ship from such a country to distant waters. It was a position that really made no sense to see this place as a way to go to war with another place. Certainly, Putegrin’s ship was aiming for Arubaso.
Putegrin’s stomach, which looked like a dot in the distance, seemed to glow slightly.
Is that the shining thing that the watchtower sailor talked about at the beginning? But flying in the sky, I don’t know what that means.
‘No matter what it is, the work to do is the same.’
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Darren gave orders to the helmsman who was by his side.
“Prepare for battle”
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Darren’s orders were passed back through the helmsman to the men beside him.
Immediately, a flag was raised on a rope ordering the other ships to prepare for battle.
The movements of sailors and soldiers become cluttered.
The artillery commander started shouting at his men.
“Prepare the guns! Artillery in place! Artillery in place!”
The ship, which had been peaceful just a moment ago, quickly became a mess with soldiers running around and shouting.
“Open the gun!”
“Remove the partition in the room!”
“Right now lift your butt and run!”
“Hurry up!”
Soldiers clung to the cannons installed on the ship. It takes 13 men to prepare and fire one cannon. The soldiers who had been working together for a long time quickly lined up their cannons and prepared to light the powder kegs and wicks.
The same would be happening to the cannons mounted on the lower gun deck.
The watchtower sailor shouted again.
“A flying one is approaching with an enemy ship! There is a flying one over the enemy ship!”
flying in the sky?
I’ve heard it before, but I have no idea what it is. Maybe they keep birds like hawks and eagles on their boats. Attach metal to the bird’s body so that it glistens in the sunlight.
But as Putegrin’s stomach slowly approached, he realized that wasn’t the case.
Too big for a bird. Besides, if it wasn’t an illusion of the eyes, it seemed like the light was just moving without substance.
I suddenly got goosebumps.
Captain Darren Stewart remembered what sailors from uncivilized continents were talking about light spirits.
That’s it.
Still can’t see the exact figure. It was a simple intuition. But I knew I had to act now.
“bosun!”
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Darren called the boatswain, who was giving instructions to the crew nearby.
The boatswain jumped up and ran.
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Darren called him closer and lowered his voice a bit.
“Kill the savage slaves right now.”
“yes?”
“Kill that ship before it approaches. We must kill every single one of them.”
“Okay. Drop it into the sea right now.”
“No, it’s too slow. A savage slave shouldn’t see the enemy approaching. Do you remember what they were talking about?”
The boatswain’s face became serious.
“Are you talking about spirits?”
“Yes, when they start talking about that, our soldiers and sailors become agitated. Take care of it before that.”
“All right.”
The boatswain quickly realized what he meant and turned around. The boatswain led the men and headed straight for the stairs leading down to the deck.
All sorts of superstitions abound on ships.
Some of them were just plain ridiculous.
If you step on a black insect, you will fall into the sea within a few days, or if someone calls from behind you and you turn around and there is no one, you will die that night.
It’s understandable if you think about it, that such a thing can’t happen in this world, but once a person on a boat hears such a thing, they can’t ignore it. it gets nerve-wracking And before I knew it, I was eroded by the words that always cling to me like a shadow.
If one person believes that, it might not matter. But fear is contagious. One becomes two, then five, and when you come to your senses, fear is bound to pervade the whole. That kind of thing was common on ships.
I don’t know what the enemy is bringing, but once you start talking about spirits and all, fear will spread throughout the whole world in an instant.
‘I can’t let that happen on my ship.’
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Darren kept his mouth shut and glared at the enemy approaching from a distance.
***
People with some skills differed, but most slaves did the hardest and dirtiest jobs. When a worker dies while working, the body is dumped into the sea and another slave takes its place.
Meals were given once every two days, a thick porridge.
The water used to make porridge is not drinking water that sailors usually drink. They collected and used the remaining water.
There is no reason to waste precious drinking water on a slave who might die at any moment. Drinking water is more important than slavery. Everyone who had been a sailor on a ship knew that.
But slaves are people too. If you drink dirty water by mistake, you will get diarrhea and die in severe cases.
The same was true of him, who was called a toothed rat because of his long front teeth sticking out between his lips.
I had diarrhea for a few days as if I had eaten something wrong. After being beaten to death for that reason, I didn’t receive rations for two days. The eyes went round and round.
He first boarded the ship at the age of thirteen and is now only sixteen. A year ago, he was recognized for his diligence and entered as an assistant and disciple in charge of miscellaneous tasks under Bae’s pastor. If time had passed, he would have become a carpenter who does his part on any ship.
‘But now…’
The toothed mouse shuffled along the rattling chain.
Slaves are anchored all over the boat with long chains attached to their legs. If the ship does sink, it will be dragged to the bottom of the sea and buried with the hull.
“…”
Cries that an enemy had appeared came from everywhere. It is called the Putegrin Empire. It was noisy everywhere. Soldiers were violently pounding the wall separating the cabins.
The place where the toothy rat is also a mess. The soldiers beat the slave and urged him to carry the powder keg.
The Putegrin Empire is a great country. I heard it’s strong. But not on this ship.
While coming here from a distant continent, this ship had only fought with another place once.
There is no such thing as a fight. He just found an armed merchant ship and fired countless cannons at it. It only did so, and the other ship suffered a broken mast and several holes in the hull.
After distributing goods and provisions from the merchant ships to the ships of this fleet, Arubaso left the ships leisurely.
When the toothed mouse secretly looked through the gunfire, the attacked merchant ship was slowly sinking. All of the people on board were probably dead except for those who had been taken out as slaves.
So is the empire. Can’t beat this ship. As long as there are cannons, this ship is invincible.
As if being chased by the shouts of soldiers echoing everywhere, the toothed mouse put its hand on the wooden barrel containing the gunpowder.
“You slug!”
Angry at the lumbering toothed mouse, the soldier slammed a wooden stick into his shoulder.
“evil!”
The toothed mouse screeched and hurriedly reached for the rope hanging from the powder keg. If you stop because it hurts, it gets better. It’s something I’ve been sick of while on this ship. The toothed mouse gripped the rope tightly.
A thick rope is attached to the powder keg. The string comes out through a hole in the edge of the lid and is loosely tied. Grab the line and move it in front of the cannon.
But it was too heavy. It was heavy and difficult even in normal times, but now I couldn’t eat properly due to diarrhea, so my body was weak.
still have to do it
The toothy mouse gritted its teeth and lifted the powder keg. Even if it drags on a little, you can take it as it is.
But when I took a step, my shoulders felt cold and my body leaned sideways. I felt my eyes go round and round, and for an instant my whole body lost all strength.
The toothed mouse fell forward and fell to the floor along with the barrel. As the lid slips, gunpowder spills onto the floor.
An angry soldier slammed a thick stick at him.
“You useless bastard! He eats only rice.”
The toothed mouse curled up in a circle in the pungent smell of gunpowder. Once, twice, the soldier hit the bar again and again.
It stopped only after other soldiers entered the upper gun deck with screams.
The soldiers suddenly brandished their knives and started killing the slaves.
The soldier who was hitting the toothy mouse stopped moving and approached the soldiers.
“Is there a problem?”
“This is the captain’s order. Kill everyone.”
“Uh, is it now? But if I kill you now… won’t it be after the battle is over?”
After that, the soldiers’ story continued, but the toothed mouse didn’t hear it.
Until now, I’ve always wanted to die. Every time he fell asleep, he prayed to the earth spirit to take him with him, hoping that he would not wake up in the morning.
But knowing that I was going to die at this moment, I suddenly had a strong desire to live.
I’m still young and I don’t want to die.
At the entrance of the stairs leading to the upper gun deck, soldiers were already killing slaves. stab with a knife The whole place was covered with red blood. scary.
As the soldiers looked away from him, the toothed mouse saw the chains that held loosely around his ankles.
‘If only I take this off.’
Normally, this would be unthinkable.
The toothy mouse gritted its teeth.
I had tried to get my foot off the chain before. But the heel got caught, so it didn’t fall off.
‘Ji, it’s possible now. It’s possible, so you have to make up your mind quickly. hurry.’
The screams of the slaves are getting closer. If you don’t hurry, you will die.
The toothed mouse closed its eyes and opened them again. My body trembled.
He untied the rope from the powder keg that had fallen on its side. More gunpowder poured out when the lid that was held on the rope fell off.
Unlike before, he suffered from diarrhea and couldn’t eat, so his skinny body was left with only bones. If it’s now, just touch it a little and it will come off.
The toothed mouse slammed his ankle hard with the wooden lid. A throbbing sensation spread through the body. sick. It hurts terribly.
The toothed mouse grabbed the dangling foot with its teeth clenched, bent it completely, and pulled it off the chain.
A soldier who belatedly discovered the toothed mouse exclaimed.
“He’s freed from his chains!”
Before the sound was over, the toothed mouse ran with its hands on the floor. My ankle is broken and I can’t walk properly. However, the toothy mouse was in a hurry to the extent that it didn’t even care about that and ran.
It is close to the powder keg to the cannon.
The toothy mouse arrived at the gun gate where the cannon was placed in an instant. As it was, he stepped on the wooden board where the cannon was placed, climbed up, and fell face down on top of the cannon.
The soldier’s hand caught his foot. It’s the broken leg.
“Keep!”
Screaming, the toothed mouse pushed the cannon with its arms and pulled itself out of the gun gate.
The broken ankle clattered and stretched slightly.
The soldier grabbed his foot. However, it was on the toe side, so I couldn’t catch it properly and slipped.
When the strength he was holding was gone, the toothy rat’s body quickly escaped through the gunfire. I thought I was floating in the air, but I immediately started to fall.
The toothy rat’s body hit the hull and sank deep into the sea.
The last thing he heard was the screams of a slave he worked with.
***
As Rudy approached Arubaso’s boat, he wondered if his thoughts were too simple.
Arubaso’s warships were much larger than those of the Empire. It doesn’t just mean long. The height was also much higher.
The guns of Arubaso’s ships were in two rows, as I had heard from the dragon. Round cannon holes stand side by side. It was a spectacle to Rudy’s eyes, who knew that cannons were no big deal.
In addition, it is so splendid that it is incomparable to any other cruise ship seen on Earth. One wonders how much money would be spent on a boat that would look so gorgeous. The entire ship was decorated with ornate carvings.
To be honest, I was a little overwhelmed. Unlike Earth, there are no machines running on electricity in this world. It means that it was all made by hand without the help of machines. They say that nothing is impossible for humans, which is really amazing.
The commander next to him murmured.
“It’s a much better ship than I thought. There are many ships like that…”
“If you capture that ship, can you handle it?”
“well.”
The commander couldn’t answer.
The shape and number of sails are also different.
Even in the eyes of Rudy, who was an outsider to Vee, it was clear that the sailors who operated the ships of the empire could not easily handle those ships.
The inside of the boat was quiet.
‘Is everyone intimidated?’
It won’t be a crowd. The opponents are warships that look so great that even Rudy is overwhelmed. If you don’t know fear against it, you’re not brave, you’re just a reckless fool.
However, the cannon that the other side confidently held out was simply an iron barrel that fired iron balls through holes. It is completely different from this weapon.
Not knowing that is the same on this side or the other side. If so, let me know.
No matter how good the performance of the ship was over there, wouldn’t it be a piece of board that would be completely destroyed by a mortar hit from a distance?
From a weapon standpoint, defeating an Arubaso is easier than a grown man twisting a child’s wrist.
Rudy laughed and turned around.
The soldiers were all staring at him, as if he did not want to miss his every move.
To reassure the soldiers, Rudy gave off an arrogant smile. He shouldn’t show any signs of uneasiness.
Rudy raised his hand and Jumbo approached with his ears flapping. Spinning around in the air, he asks.
[master! did you call Shall I go and break it?]
“You must not intervene in human fights. If you do wrong, both enemies and allies will be drawn into you.”
Rudy said that and smiled.
“But would you go near the ship over there and turn around and come? I want to see how far the enemy ships can move.”
[yes! Jumbo is coming! It’s a mission! Mission received!]
Jumbo’s ears flapped excitedly.
All of Rudy’s words can be heard by the soldiers. The soldiers looked at each other. The sound of soldiers salivating could be heard from here and there.
Rudy turned to see Jumbo flying towards the enemy ship.
And quietly said to the commander next to him.
“In this war, pay attention to securing the crew. Even if you kill the enemy’s captain, in the case of other sailors, don’t kill them as much as possible and capture them alive.”
“All right.”
The commander suddenly hesitated and continued.
“But, Your Majesty.”
“huh?”
“Aren’t you afraid?”
Rudy looked at the commander with a smirk.
“If you’re asking me if I’m afraid of the enemy, it’s not at all. I already know that my weapons and my soldiers are stronger, so what am I afraid of?”
“…”
Rudy quietly looked at the enemy ship.
“There is only one thing I am concerned about. The fact that perhaps a few of those ships will have to be abandoned. Think about the value that they have. They have technology that is not on this continent condensed into them. There are several such ships. If you think it’s wasted…”
Rudy sighed lightly.
“Thinking about it, I couldn’t sleep for several days.”
“Your Majesty, that’s why you haven’t slept for days.”
Levin, who was standing behind, said abruptly. It looks amazing.
The commander who listened to the exchange between the two laughed softly. I think he realized that Rudy is not bluffing, he is genuinely not concerned about this war.
No, I was really worried.
It costs astronomical money to build a ship. The chief chamberlain had said that many times, so it must be true.
However, when I look at the enemy’s stomach, it seems that it will be difficult to eat without leaving out even one. A few will inevitably be sunk or damaged. If you do it wrong, you may have to abandon it because there is no crew to haul the boat.
‘I really hope that doesn’t happen.’
Worst of all, if you run out of sailors and leave them behind, let them drag them to Dragon and Jumbo.
