"Huh?! That … that … that's your ship?! "Anne was so shocked that her jaw almost dropped to the ground." Did you really find Kidd's treasure? But that can't be right. Even if you have money, you shouldn't be able to buy a navy warship. "
"It's a long story. I'll tell you when I have time. For now, let's talk about the cannoneers I asked you to recruit. How did it go?"
…
Although the Jackdaw was spacious, Zhang Heng did not plan to recruit too many people since it was his first time sailing. Including Anne, he only had 18 core members. He planned to recruit 15 people from the beach, including cooks, carpenters, and other technical staff. After that, Anne would recommend seven to eight people, mainly cannoneers. This way, the crew structure on the ship would be more stable.
After a few trips to the sea, he would add more people. Although it would take a long time to form a team, the advantage was that he did not have to worry about other squads sneaking into his crew. Time was not what Zhang Heng lacked.
Zhang Heng had already informed Billy and the others about Anne being the boatswain. It was rare to see a female pirate in the 18th century, and everyone was worried about it. However, Zhang Heng insisted on it.
Since it was the first order from the new captain, no one dared to reject or ask for a vote.
So, after some discussion, Billy and the others accepted the appointment. However, there was an additional condition. They had to test Anne's combat ability.
This reason was very reasonable. After all, other than organizing the crew members to carry out various tasks on the ship, the boatswain also had to set an example in battle. If the boatswain on one's side was chopped to the ground by the opponent in battle, then the morale of the crew members would not be high enough to fight back.
Zhang Heng had no objections to this request. He could appoint Anne as the Jackdaw's boatswain, but if he wanted to convince everyone on board, he would have to rely on her own efforts. Fortunately, Zhang Heng was worried about Anne's fighting ability.
Looking at the two opponents who were a head taller than her, there was no fear in the red-haired girl's eyes. Instead, there was a hint of excitement.
As the referee, Billy said to Annie, "This duel is meant to be a friendly duel. In principle, you're not allowed to hit your opponent too hard. You can also admit defeat at any time. So, you don't have to worry. You can choose one of them as your opponent. As long as you can defeat any one of them, we'll accept you as our comrade …"
Before he could finish his sentence, the girl interrupted him. Annie pulled out the army knife that was stuck in the sand in front of her and swung it a few times to test the feel of it. After that, she grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth. "Don't bother. You guys can come at me together. Otherwise, it'll be boring if it ends too quickly."
When the pirates heard this arrogant declaration, there was an uproar.
Zhang Heng did not watch the battle that he already knew the outcome of in advance. He had more important things to do.
After becoming the captain, Zhang Heng realized that he had more things to do. When he was on the Sea Lion, he basically focused on learning, observing more and talking less. In order not to arouse Orff's suspicions, he did not participate in any affairs on the ship before he became the boatswain. So, all he had to do was to arrange his own time. Now that he was responsible for the entire ship, he had to consider more things.
First, Zhang Heng looked for Dufresne and asked him to purchase a batch of green lemons before he set sail.
The dangers of the Great Voyage Era came from many aspects, and scurvy was definitely one of them that could not be ignored.
Limited by the technological conditions at that time, most vegetables and fruits could not be stored on the ship for long. Whether it was the navy or the pirates, they mainly ate biscuits and jerky, supplemented by some seafood. In the short term, there would not be any problems. However, if they could not get close to land for a long time, they would lack vitamins and cause a series of problems.
If it was light, the body would become weak, teeth would become loose, and bones would ache. In serious cases, it could even lead to death. When Columbus explored the New World, most of his crew died of scurvy. During Magellan's voyage around the world, two-thirds of his crew died of scurvy.
Later generations knew that scurvy was caused by vitamin deficiency, especially vitamin C. However, in Zhang Heng's current era, most people had no effective way to deal with it other than praying.
When Zhang Heng was on the Sea Lion, he had seen some people suffering from scurvy. They looked dispirited, and they could only exert 50% to 60% of their strength in battle. It was also a reminder to him that when it was his turn to set sail, the first thing he did was to stock up on green lemons.
The latter was easy to store and would not rot for about a month at room temperature. It was one of the fruits with the highest vitamin C. Other than that, Zhang Heng also found a newly recruited cook and asked him to roast a batch of vegetables and dried fruits. This way, he could basically prevent the risk of scurvy.
The only regret was that it would take decades for soybeans to be introduced to Europe from China. It was the easiest source of fresh vegetables on the ship. Bean sprouts did not need soil to grow. They only needed a little water to grow, and they were rich in protein and vitamins. Zhang Heng had already asked several merchants related to the East India Company to help him collect them, but it would take at least a year.
After solving the food problem, Zhang Heng went to meet the island's black market merchants, mainly to discuss the distribution of the loot. Generally speaking, the larger pirate groups on the island had fixed black market merchants as partners, and the two parties established a mutually beneficial cooperative relationship.
The pirates would then sell their loot to the black market merchants they were familiar with, and the latter would offer a better price than the market price. Zhang Heng initially thought that since he owned the Jackdaw, he would be favored by many black market merchants. However, the reality of the meeting was far from what he imagined.
He visited a few of the larger black market merchants on the island. Although they were very polite to him, it seemed like they were just being polite. The prices they offered weren't very good, either. According to Dufresne, Zhang Heng's conditions were only slightly better than those of a rookie sailing for the first time. It couldn't be compared to the Sea Lion at all.
Their answers were basically the same. They were all aware of the Jackdaw's excellent hardware, but they were worried about Zhang Heng's young age. Some of them had also heard about the incident on the beach, and they felt that Zhang Heng's hiring of a female boatswain was immature and lacking in consideration. That was exactly what they were worried about.
Therefore, most of them hoped that Zhang Heng and his Jackdaw would have a few successful hunts to prove that they had the ability to survive in these waters. Only then would they renegotiate the distribution of loot.
Dufresne frowned as soon as he stepped out of the room. "Something's not right. In the past, when a pirate group with potential appeared on this island, these guys would be very enthusiastic. It seems like the rumors are true."
"What rumors?"
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