Father Ma Wei Text Volume Chapter 240 The Church’s Plan At noon, accompanied by the dull sound of the whistle, the sailors quickly untied the fixed ropes, put away the boarding board, pulled up the anchor, and the main ship Dickey
Taking the lead to sail out of the harbor, the ship's bow cut through the water and headed towards the seaport.
In order to ensure the escort mission, the Royal Navy dispatched a main cruise ship, seven frigates, three destroyers, and more than 400 naval personnel, which was a small fleet.
With the strength of the Royal Navy, sending more crew members is certainly not a big deal, but in the Magic Age, ordinary warships do not play much role. Instead of meaninglessly piling up troops, it is better to send a few more bishops.
On the Dickey, Mawei was assigned a nice room, located on the first floor. It not only had a double bed, but also a desk, wine cabinet and other luxurious furniture, second only to the captain's cabin.
The second prince, Archbishop Brandon and others were also assigned rooms of a similar style. Although the second prince had a distinguished status, the captain was the captain. When sailing on the sea, all crew members must obey the captain's orders, regardless of official position.
It was impossible for the captain Joshua, who had experienced many battles, to let the second prince command the fleet.
The slightly drunken sea breeze blew, and Ma Wei stood at the bow of the ship, looking out at the wide waterway. This time he did not take out his sextant to observe the direction and celestial phenomena. He knew Joshua and believed in his ability.
"Brother."
Levin and Daniel, who had put away their luggage, walked onto the deck, bypassed the busy sailors, came to Mavie, and asked in a low voice: "Joshua Ericson is also a survivor of the Battle of Perea. Do you know him?"
?"
"I know you." Ma Wei said without turning around: "As early as four years ago, he was the captain of the frigate. At that time, the frigate he commanded was besieged by enemy ships and sunk by artillery fire. The Saint-Martin I was riding on
The ship went over to support him and fished him out of the water. As soon as he got on the boat, a bullet flew past his face. Fortunately, it did not hit him directly. Unfortunately, it smashed his cheek and ear. He also
It became what it is now.”
Levine and Daniel looked at each other and asked, "Does he support you?"
"His position should be the firmest." Mawei said: "Despite his eccentric personality, he was not like that before. Who doesn't know the handsome man from Sheffield, Joshua Ericson? Back then he
You can charm the dancers in the bar with just one face."
"More handsome than me?" Levin raised his eyebrows, somewhat dissatisfied.
"Everyone has his own merits." Ma Wei said euphemistically: "You are the feminine type, and he is the masculine type. Plus, he has been in a high position all year round, so he has a special temperament that you don't possess."
Daniel poked Levin's waist: "Big brother called you a sissy."
Levin's eyes widened. Before he could speak, Ma Wei said first: "I didn't say that. Yinrou is different from sissy. Yinrou is a man after all, and sissy already belongs to the category of monster."
"Dad, dad." Yunia said curiously: "Which is higher, the captain of the frigate or your lieutenant?"
"Of course the captain of the frigate is higher. Joshua had the rank of major, and I was just a little lieutenant."
Ma Wei said calmly: "Strictly speaking, as a lieutenant, I can only be considered Captain Toure's deputy. I'm not even the first mate. I can only be considered the third mate."
"That's not right. If you were not the first mate, how could it be your turn to take over the command after Toure was shot and fell into the sea?"
"Because the first mate and the second mate fell earlier than Toure." Ma Wei said quietly: "At that time, the boarding battle had already begun. Two enemy ships forcibly boarded the ship and fought with us at close range, both front and rear.
It was the enemy. There were gunshots everywhere. The second mate was shot first and fell, and then the first mate was beheaded with a saber."
Ma Wei's tone was calm and he looked forward, as if he was talking about a trivial matter: "I was lucky, a few bullets flew past my body, plus I stayed with Toure, the enemy's attention was all
Put it on Toure"
"The fleet has a very special organizational system. Although Joshua held the rank of lieutenant commander, I was the third officer on the main ship. All deputy ships must obey the orders of the main ship."
"In Toure, after the first mate and second mate fell into the sea one after another, I became the only commander left on the Saint-Martin. Fortunately, the Saint-Martin was loaded with hundreds of artillery pieces, and we had another chance to engage in the boarding battle.
After holding back the enemy, the gunners below sank the enemy ships on the left and right, then rushed onto the deck to help us deal with the remaining enemies. I ordered Yang Fan to rush out."
Hearing this, both Daniel and Levin were a little silent. They didn't understand the naval battle, but from Ma Wei's description, they could already guess the tragedy of the time.
Even if a large main ship can win when surrounded by enemy ships on both sides, it will be a miserable victory.
"When I took over the command, the battle was coming to an end. The Saint-Martial fleet suffered heavy losses. All the frigates were sunk. Only two cruisers and twelve destroyers were still resisting. The sea was dyed red with blood and was full of broken pieces.
pieces of planks and stumps.”
Ma Wei said calmly: "It is impossible to surrender. Tu Lei with the privateering license has fallen into the sea. We have no way out except defeating the enemy. After I asked the flagman to signal that the captain has fallen into the sea,
All the crew members rushed towards the enemy like crazy, and their morale was unprecedentedly high. If the number of enemies hadn't been too large, we might have been able to break out of the encirclement."
"But Tulay came back later." Daniel said, "He saved you from the execution ground, didn't he?"
"That was a miracle, considering that Toure was shot and fell into the sea in front of my eyes. The bullet hit his chest."
Ma Wei pointed to the position of his heart: "It's right here. I thought he was dead. Who would have thought that the bullet was only half a centimeter away from the heart?"
Ma Wei couldn't think of any adjective for the situation at that time except miracle.
According to common sense, even if Toure was not killed by a bullet, he should have drowned in the sea. How could he survive?
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! After thinking about it, Ma Wei can only explain it with Toure's extraordinary physical fitness.
"Nicholas, what are you talking about?"
While Ma Wei and Levin were telling the story of the Battle of Perea, the second prince, Stewart, and Smith boarded the deck. Smith supported the pale Stewart. It seemed that something was not right.
"Stuer is seasick. We gave him some sleepy toast, hoping he will feel better." The second prince sighed: "Sea sickness is a personal condition, and the immortal realm cannot play a role. It seems that in the next week
Stull is going to spend it in bed."
"It's normal to get seasick. Giving him some lemon and ginger slices can relieve the symptoms."
Ma Wei looked at the waterway in front of him and said: "There are no winds and waves in the river, and the ship is not rocking seriously. When we go out to sea, the situation will be worse. It is still too late to go back now. Do you want to let Stuer get off the ship and go back to London?"
The second prince slowly shook his head: "I told him, but he refused."
Then there was nothing we could do. Ma Wei never got seasick, and he didn't even feel the ship shaking. However, some people are very sensitive to subtle shaking. This is a physical problem that cannot be solved.
Sleepy Toast can slightly relieve the symptoms of seasickness. Stuart held on to the side of the boat and lay on the railing, gasping for air, not wanting to say a word.
"Colonel Joshua said that he will arrive in Paris in a week. He is expected to sail from the Perea Strait into the Rhine River, then turn from a tributary into the Seine River and arrive in Paris."
The second prince looked around, asked Smith to take out a map, and whispered: "After passing the Perea Strait, the fleet will stay in the waters of Bonaparte's First Empire for two days. Look at this map."
The map is a standard Central Continent map, covering all countries including the Kingdom of Windsor, the Kingdom of Frederick, the First Empire of Bonaparte, and the Roman Republic, with the Perea Strait to the south and the First Bonaparte Empire to the west.
The location of the sea area is marked with a red pen.
"According to the church's spy report, there are fishermen who have seen mermaids on a small island west of Cherbourg." The second prince looked into Ma Wei's eyes and said, "Is the supplier who provides you with mermaid tears?
The mermaid caught here?”
"No." Ma Wei shook his head and said, "My supplier is not here. Your Highness, do you mean we are going to catch mermaids near this island?"
"The church has ideas in this regard, but it is not sure." The second prince said: "Mermaids are extraordinary creatures that do not exist in the Kingdom of Windsor. It is best to catch a few alive and bring them back to the Kingdom of Windsor to raise them, so as to avoid being eaten by people in the future.
Use the mermaid as a handle to try, if you can’t catch it, forget it.”
Ma Wei estimated the time: "It is now mid-March. It is indeed the season for mermaids to reproduce. In order to find a mate, the Siren tribe will go to the land near the mouth of the sea and wait for the arrival of their spouse."
"Yes! As long as your luck is not too bad, you will definitely encounter a mermaid!" The second prince said with a smile: "Mermaids are very sensitive to light and sound. When the time comes, let's light a fire near the sea area where mermaids infest, and then pull the sound.
The whistle will definitely draw them out!"
Now Ma Wei knew where the faint smell of kerosene in the warehouse came from.
It turns out that the church prepared fuel and planned to set the sea on fire to attract fish at night!
This method of catching mermaids is not clever, but it is effective. In many mermaid legends, there are stories of humans meeting mermaids at night by lighting up lamps. Moreover, mermaids rarely appear alone. They are social animals, and they form a group when seen.
To be honest, Ma Wei does not want to provoke the violent and cruel Siren tribe at sea. They are different from the water monster Seran. Seran has a stable temperament and can at least communicate. The Siren tribe fighting in the ocean monster house has a cruel nature and wants to
Naturalizing them is as difficult as climbing to heaven
With the Second Prince and others around, and Ma Wei not daring to let Yunia take action, if something unexpected happens, will the Saint and Archbishop Brandon be able to handle it?
Seeing the excited and expectant eyes of the second prince, Ma Wei knew that he could not persuade him, so he said nothing more.
Two days later.
"Damn it! Nicholas, why do you have four aces!"
The warm and smoky room filled with the second prince's cries and screams, and he sat slumped in a chair with a look of despair.
Sailing at sea was boring, and there was no other entertainment except playing cards. At the kind invitation of the second prince, Ma Wei reluctantly sat on the card table.
In two days, the second prince lost about 1,000 gold pounds, and every day he lost money and doubted his life.
"Your Highness, I have told you a long time ago that gambling is a bad habit and must be changed."
Ma Wei gathered the chips in front of him and asked, "Are you coming again?"
The second prince gritted his teeth: "Come on! I don't believe it, your luck has always been so good!"
Mawei didn't use magic, he just played a trick.
Ever since he lost miserably in a card game with Edward and others last time, Ma Wei discovered a truth:
When playing cards with these people, you have to show some "skills", otherwise you will lose.
Obviously, the second prince did not understand this truth. He not only lost to Ma Wei, but also lost to Levin, Daniel, Archbishop Brandon, Smith and even Yunia.
No matter who the opponent is, it is not the second prince who wins.
Archbishop Brandon and Smith also had an affair. The day before yesterday, the second prince also found a whole deck of playing cards in Archbishop Brandon's sleeve. However, since he was an archbishop, the second prince could only suffer the loss of being dumb.
"Dad, get up quickly. We agreed to one person per game! It's my turn!" Yunia pushed Ma Wei and couldn't wait to serve. As soon as Ma Wei got up, she sat down.
"Your Highness, why don't you stop gambling?" Smith advised in a low voice: "You have lost 1,000 gold pounds in the past two days."
"What are you afraid of? I have money!"
The second prince waved his hand disapprovingly. He was not stupid. He knew that several people sitting at the card table had problems and there was a high probability that they were cheaters, but he still enjoyed it.
Who is sitting at the card table who is not one of your own?
Although 1,000 gold pounds is a lot, to him, the prince, it is not a big sum of money and he can afford to lose it.
This 1,000 gold pounds can be exchanged for much more than winning cards.
Just as Yunia was carefully looking through her cards, she heard rapid footsteps outside the door. A sailor opened the door and said loudly: "We have arrived at the island!"
Putting down their poker hands, everyone immediately came to the deck. The sun was just right, and the vast sea was unobstructed. Not far away, the outline of an island was clearly located on the edge of the skyline. From the perspective, it was the destination of the fleet - Cherbourg.
West Island!
"The locals call this island Mermaid Island. The old people on the island say that mermaids have appeared on this island, and mermaids did appear in the nearby waters not long ago."
Joshua, wearing a captain's hat, put down his telescope and asked, "Archbishop Brandon, what should we do next?"
"Mermaids are sensitive to light. They rarely come out of the water during the day. They rest in the deep sea and only come to the surface at night." Archbishop Brandon said: "Everyone rests where they are and wait until night before taking action."
Joshua nodded and signaled the semaphore to pass the order to several other warships. Soon, the fleet anchored, trimmed the sails, and stayed in place.
The sun was setting little by little, night was falling, and the stars were twinkling in the sky. Everyone came to the deck and lit kerosene lamps. The water below was as black as dyed ink, reflecting their own faces.
"It's almost 10 o'clock in the evening."
Archbishop Brandon looked at Captain Joshua:
"Let the fleet prepare the fishing nets and start dumping kerosene!"