On the Ark in Medan, Captain Sidney Strachey has been spending the past few days in suffering.
As the captain of the Ark, Sidney Strachey is not only responsible for the Ark, but also for the 1,200 new immigrants on the Ark.
The actual carrying capacity of the Ark is only 800 people. However, there are many supply stations along the way from the Qing Dynasty to southern Africa, so it is not surprising that it is temporarily overloaded. Relatively speaking, the Ark is quite humane. Some ocean-going transport ships are overloaded.
If it is more than double, it is a real canned sardine.
First Officer Sean Alley came back from the cabin and walked into the bridge muttering "this sucks".
Sidney Strachey knew how bad the situation in the cabin was without asking. In order to give women and children as much space as possible, the Ark set aside some cabins specifically to accommodate women and children. As a result, the lives of the men
The space has been further compressed, and some cabins that were originally four-person rooms have to be crowded with more than a dozen people. Only Chinese people with strong endurance can endure this situation.
"When are we going to leave this damn place?" Sean Alley casually left his hat on the operating table, took off his tie regardless of the image, and then picked up the coffee in front of Sidney Strachey.
Drink it all.
"Wait a minute, the Umbrella Company's ship has already appeared, and the officials from the Lion City are also negotiating with the Dutch. Maybe we can set off tomorrow." Sidney Strachey had no choice. The Dutch really wanted to die.
It’s really impossible to stop me.
"Maybe the Nile Crocodile was just passing by -" Sean Ally's disappointment was palpable. In the morning, the Nile Crocodile appeared outside the Port of Medan, which made the crew of the Ark ecstatic. As a result, the Nile Crocodile didn't even exist at all.
Instead of entering the port, they sailed directly north, which made the crew of the Ark extremely disappointed.
"Calm down Sean, your lord will not ignore us. Even if he ignores us, the Ark, he will not ignore the more than a thousand Chinese on board." When Sidney Strachey persuaded Sean Ally, he was also convincing himself. Staying in this unfamiliar environment, it is impossible to say that Sidney Strachey is not anxious.
However, anxiety cannot solve any problem. As the captain, Sidney Strachey must force himself to calm down, stabilize the mood of the crew, and comfort the frightened new immigrants in the cabin.
These new immigrants had just escaped from the precarious environment of the Qing Dynasty, and they were already extremely uncertain about the future. However, when they arrived at the Port of Medan, they encountered the same thing again, that is, the new immigrants did not know what they had encountered.
The crew had to resort to deception to make the new immigrants think that the reason why the Ark was stranded in the Port of Medan was because of a storm in the sea ahead, and that the Ark could not move forward until the storm subsided.
"Sidney, don't be stupid. Don't you know those noble lords well enough? They don't care about the life and death of ordinary people like us. We are just pawns to them. What they want is power, money, and those things.
Delicate roses, we are all cannon fodder that can be discarded at any time." Sean Ali was angry. Fortunately, Sean Ali would only complain in front of Sidney Strachey. Once he left the bridge, he appeared
In front of the crew and new immigrants, Sean Alley is still a qualified first mate.
"You are half right. The noble men in Europe are indeed like this, but it does not include us in Nyasaland, otherwise you would not let Kathy and the children come to Nyasaland - oh, I haven't
Let me ask you, what is the quality of the public schools in Port Edward?" Sidney Strachey changed the subject. At this time, he wanted to talk about something that could give people hope.
Sure enough, when mentioning his wife and children, Sean Ali immediately forgot the bad reality on his face: "It is definitely above the standard. You know if our children were in the mainland, they would have no chance to receive education. The local public schools are
A bunch of hooligans, expensive private schools I can't afford to pay for my kids, but in Port Edward my kids are in the same school as the mayor's kids, wear the same clothes, eat the same food, they are even in the next class
, sharing the same teacher, what else is there to complain about?"
When mentioning the child, Sean Alley immediately talked endlessly, and Sidney Strachey smiled. Of course, Sidney Strachey also knew the specific situation. He has now settled in Port Edward, and the child is also in Port Edward.
of public schools.
"The Dutch are idiots. They don't know how powerful we are in southern Africa. They should really learn from the Germans. Nyasaland should know our situation by now, right?" Sean Ali looked hopeful. "The public sentiment is aroused, not only in Nyasaland, but also the entire federal government. There are many articles in the newspapers demanding that the federal government pay blood debts. People spontaneously took to the streets to demonstrate, demanding that the government take us back as soon as possible. The army has already begun to take action. Maybe
Tomorrow the Northern Rhodesian Division will appear outside the port of Medan -" Sidney Strachey held his pipe in his mouth and pretended to be serious, as if he had witnessed it with his own eyes.
"That's how it should be. Where's your lord? What did your lord say?" Sean Alley didn't realize at all that Sidney Strachey was also detained at the Port of Medan these days and had no chance to learn about external news. p>
"The Nile Crocodile that appeared in the outer harbor in the morning must have been sent by the Lord. The Nile Crocodile has been in Port Elizabeth and must be full of mercenaries. You know the character of the Lord. He will not give up on us. Don't forget
His position is Deputy Minister of Defense, and we are citizens of Southern Africa-" Sidney Strachey vowed to have full confidence in Roque.
"Yes, the Lord will not ignore us, God, I really hope to leave here tomorrow -" Sean Ally muttered to himself, the Ark is in adversity, Rock is their greatest hope.
"Captain, there are some gentlemen who want to see you——" Boatswain John's voice came from outside the bridge.
"Who is it?" Sidney Strachey motioned to Sean Alley to open the door.
"Hello Captain, I am Captain Hicks of the 1st Squadron of the Umbrella Far East Company's Special Operations Group. Nice to meet you." Hicks was wearing a combat uniform, a mask, full armor and oil paint on his face.
Reach out to Sidney Strachey.
"God, you are finally here!" Sidney Strachey cheered, ignoring Hicks' stretched out hand, and hugged Hicks directly, looking at Hicks' stubble-covered face.
A loud kiss.
Hicks was stunned. It took him a while to react, and he immediately threw Sidney Strachey away in disgust.
"How many of you are here?" Sidney Strachey didn't mind Hicks' attitude.
"A squadron!" Hicks was annoyed, and then noticed that the atmosphere was a bit solid: "But there are still 800 people in the Lion City, and more people will arrive tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. How is the situation here?"
Sidney Strachey could barely control his emotions, Sean Alley had his mouth wide open and his eyes were red, and John was happily busy making coffee.
"It's not good. A small-scale infectious disease broke out a few days ago, so more than a dozen people died. But now the disease is under control. After negotiation between Mr. Fred from the Lion City and the Dutch, the Dutch finally gave us
We have added enough food and water, but the situation in the cabin is very bad. We have to leave here as soon as possible." Sidney Strachey was also helpless. The most feared thing when sailing on an ocean voyage is various infectious diseases, and sometimes epidemics
If it is serious, a whole boat of people may die.
Nyasaland has always had very high requirements for hygiene. These new immigrants had already rested in the Qing camp for two or three months before boarding the ship. On the one hand, they supplemented their nutrition, on the other hand, they learned the language, and on the other hand, they cultivated
Hygiene habits.
If it were not for good hygiene habits, this epidemic would definitely not have killed only a dozen people.
"Can the ship start now?" Hicks said decisively.
"Yes, yes - but -" Sidney Strachey hesitated. Whether the ship could sail and whether it could leave smoothly were two different things.
"Don't worry, no one can stop the Ark." Hicks took care of everything. As a combatant, Hicks's ability to successfully appear in front of Sidney Strachey can already explain a lot of problems.
"Oh oh oh, okay -" Sidney Strachey woke up from a dream.
"I have long said that we should rush out directly. As for these dwarf monkeys hired by the Dutch, they can't even beat our crew -" Sean Alley was about to ring the bell.
"Wait a minute -" Hicks raised his wrist and looked at his watch, then looked at the dark and empty pier, as if he was waiting for something.
Sidney Strachey and Sean Alley didn't dare to speak or ask, they just looked at Hicks expectantly.
Afterwards, Sidney Strachey insisted that only five minutes had passed at most, but Sean Alley believed that Hicks had waited for at least an hour.
When two fires appeared on the dock more than a hundred meters behind the Ark, Hicks smiled: "Let's go, Captain, I wish you a safe journey!"
Then Hicks put on his hat, picked up his rifle and jumped onto the dock.
"That's it?" John couldn't believe it.
"What do you think? They are umbrellas. Our patron saint, Mr. Boatswain, has started working. We have to leave this damn place as soon as possible." Sidney Strachey absolutely trusts umbrellas.
Starting a ship is not just a matter of turning the key. The Ark uses a large reciprocating steam engine, and it takes at least two hours from the time the boiler is ignited to leaving the Port of Medan. Sidney Strachey did not know that the Umbrella Company had something on the dock.
How many mercenaries, but since Hicks was so confident, Sidney Strachey chose to believe it.