The speed of the small steamer was so slow that it took a whole day to travel a distance of less than a hundred nautical miles. People on the ship could only crowd together to keep each other warm and resist the cold sea breeze. People passed the time with small talk and talked about their past.
tragic experiences, or imagining the future life.
And during this slow journey, an armed speedboat appeared with the roar of its engine. It approached at high speed and fired a warning shot to ask the small steamer to stop. Everyone on the boat was immediately panicked, but the boss on the boat, Koma, was high-spirited.
He yelled: "Don't make any noise, this is a normal inspection."
Looking at the black gun muzzles on the armed speedboat, the refugees on the boat fell silent. When the two boats approached, Koma stood on the bow of the boat and waved and shouted: "Is it Mr. George? I am Koma, I brought you
Good whiskey.”
A few gun-wielding sailors jumped over from the armed speedboat first, followed by a white man who boarded the boat. He didn't even look at the refugees crowded on the boat, and immediately focused on the dozen barrels of diesel oil released from the cabin.
"Koma, you are smuggling diesel to Matanzas again, I should really hang you." The white man said horribly, but with a smile on his face.
Koma didn't show much fear, but rushed out a whole box of whiskey and said with a charming smile: "This is for Mr. George. I swear, there is only one place in the Caribbean where you can get the best quality whiskey: Matanzas."
Whiskey."
The white man was not polite and opened a bottle of whiskey on the spot and drank more than half of it. A big gulp of strong liquor went into his stomach, and he felt a little more energetic. "It's so comfortable to be able to drink whiskey in today's world. Wait."
I will get rid of those idiots in Matanzas and I will seize all the wine in their wine cellars."
Koma immediately agreed cheerfully: "The 'Aurora Legion' has no sea power at all. As long as we kill them, Mr. George will be the king of the Caribbean."
"That's right, those idiots are really weak. I have attacked them from the sea five times in a row, and there is nothing they can do. Wait until we organize the landing force, and we will defeat them!" The white man was so heroic that he asked his men to attack them.
A box of whiskey was moved away and the steamer left.
However, the words of the white man were like a ladle of cold water poured on the heads of the refugees on the boat, and everyone became extremely uneasy. Tania quickly asked Coma: "Sir, you didn't say that Matanzas is paradise, but
Are they in a bad situation?"
"If the 'Aurora Legion' can hold on, it will be a paradise. But if it cannot hold on, it will naturally become a hell like Havana."
After the small steamer was released, Koma was in a rare good mood and said a few more words casually, "Now the 'Aurora Legion' is launching an attack on land, but they have no defense at all on the sea.
It is said that Haruco, a small town on the outskirts of Havana, has been fighting like crazy. The Aurora Legion is investing thousands of people there every day to carry out violent attacks, and Governor Diego is also forced to use all his strength to attack it.
If Governor Diego cannot stop it, the ‘Aurora Legion’ can rush into Havana in one day. But if Governor Diego can regain his breath, they can land in Matanzas in one day.
Both sides are already jealous. Whoever wins this war will be the king of the entire Caribbean, because no other force in this vast sea can stop the expansion of the winner."
This situation deeply shocked the refugees on the ship. No one expected that the current situation was so anxious, urgent, and could even be regarded as a historic moment. Who can rule the Caribbean depends on who can win among the two families in front of them?
Tania asked again: "Mr. Koma, where are you? Who do you want to win?"
"Me? I'm just a businessman, and I don't rely on anyone else. I hope that this war will continue forever, and I can make profits from it." Koma seemed to be impartial, but he said after a moment of silence
: "Actually, I am optimistic about Governor Diego. Because the 'Aurora Legion' has been attacking Haruko for several days and has not achieved a breakthrough. If the two sides continue to be in a stalemate, sooner or later Governor Diego will find an opportunity to counterattack."
Everyone on the ship had had enough of the hell in Havana, and they were full of expectations for Matanzas. But now Coma's judgment made their hearts heavy and cold.
But this doesn't matter to Koma, he is actually just one of the dozen regional leaders who went to Matanzas some time ago to find the 'Aurora Legion' to fight against the autumn wind.
Zhou Qingfeng opened up trade in the Caribbean with small steamers, and Comar made his first pot of gold by transporting coal from Mexico to Matanzas. But he soon discovered that the best shipping route was actually from Havana to Matanzas.
between.
Havana has various petroleum refining products such as gasoline, diesel, kerosene, etc., while Matanzas sells warm clothes, medicines, and spirits. Since both parties have a strong demand for the other's products, Colma found ways to use two thousand tons of coal in 'Aurora'
The legion purchased a small steamer and began thrilling trade on the battlefield.
After several voyages, Comar made a fortune, and he even planned to buy a second small steamer. Nowadays, only this kind of transportation that is not picky about fuel can travel around the world.
The small steamer departed from Havana at noon and arrived in Matanzas late at night. Apart from seeing a dazzling lighthouse on the bay, Tania saw the entire city immersed in darkness.
"The last time I came to the city, there were still lights. Now it seems that Havana's armed speedboats are too threatening here. They actually implemented a blackout." Thinking that he was about to arrive at the shore, Koma was in a good mood and began to show off proudly.
’s experiences.
"There are actually artillery on the shore to block the bay, but the coastline is too long. Mr. George of Havana always finds an opportunity to land and attack. It is said that the commander of the 'Aurora Legion' is very annoyed about this, but there is nothing he can do about it."
The worse the situation in Matanzas is, the worse the mood of the refugees who came to seek refuge on the ship. But now that they have arrived, they can only bite the bullet and disembark when the ship docks. After more than 400 people came ashore, the Aurora Legion
'Specialized staff will come out to guide and screen these people.
Tania followed the crowd and soon got a piece of bread and a bowl of rice soup. She looked back at the small steamer that brought her out of hell and saw a group of coolies transporting a large package from the warehouse.
A large bag of old clothes was loaded on board.
Tania didn't know where the 'Aurora Legion' got so many old clothes, but she knew that these old clothes were very popular in Havana. She had always wanted a thick cotton coat but had never been able to do so.
"What's your name? What skills do you have?" a staff member asked the refugees from Havana one by one. When he learned that Tania was actually a student at the University of Havana School of Medicine, he immediately snapped his fingers and hurriedly ran over to another one.
A staff member.
"you are a doctor?"
"I'm a medical student, but I haven't graduated yet."
"It doesn't matter, medical students are fine too. We are short of doctors here."
At this time, Tania was extremely grateful to her parents who sent her to school. Because she was a doctor, her salary immediately rose several levels. Hot food, hot water, thick clothes and shoes, and a warm fire, when her whole body began to feel wet
When she felt a sense of warmth, she sincerely hoped that she could live such a life forever in the future.
During the prayer before going to bed, Tania held the statue of the Virgin around her neck with both hands and whispered: "Virgin Mary, please protect the people here from war and artillery fire. The evil Diego forces cannot be allowed to occupy this place.
, this is already the last civilized place in the world, and this is paradise."