Chapter 899 Encounter

On the plywood, Captain Petra looked into the distance with a sad face, seemingly lost in thought.

After 20 years of crawling and rolling at sea, he has never been so nervous. Even when he was robbed by pirates, Petra was not nervous now.

There is no way, who asked him to take over a business that he should not take?

In fact, Petra knew the business was risky. It is very dangerous to sail at night these days, and under normal circumstances no one would ask to leave the port overnight.

But there are surprises in everything, and for the sake of the pound, Petra still doesn't mind taking risks.

In his consciousness, it was nothing more than taking a few people to smuggle away. Similar things, Petra has done many times.

It's just that under normal circumstances, people smuggled into Britain from outside, and smuggling and leaving are rare.

For Petra, these are small issues, as long as there is enough money, everything is negotiable.

Things were going well up front, and it wasn't until these special customers boarded that Petra realized something was wrong.

After so many years of crawling and rolling on the sea, Petra is also well-informed. No matter how disguised Vittorio Emanuele III was, his temperament could not deceive anyone.

With years of experience, Petra immediately judged that the identity of this group of people was extraordinary, and they were definitely big shots.

The problem is that the Fulda is just an ordinary cargo ship with absolutely no comfort at all.

Unless it is a time of crisis, the big men will not choose this obviously demeaning way of travel, even if they are in desperation.

No one wants to take this kind of business, which means big trouble. Without waiting for Captain Petra to repent, he was warned.

According to the agreement to send people to the Netherlands, the agreed commission income is doubled; if there is any accident on the road, the whole family will go to hell together.

It is impossible to refuse, the whole family is being targeted, Petra can only hope that God will bless her, and the road will be smooth sailing.

...

While Petra was in deep thought, two warships were catching up from a distance, no more than 20 nautical miles away.

The experienced chief mate reminded: "Captain, there is something wrong with the situation. The two warships behind seem to be eyeing us."

Hearing the first officer's words, Petra went straight to the observation room without saying a word, picked up the binoculars and looked back.

Sure enough, two warships appeared in the sky, heading for the Fulda.

Because of the distance, Petra couldn't tell which warship it was. However, the gradually shortened distance still told Petra that the visitor was not good.

"At the current speed, the next two warships will catch up in six hours at most.

The orders go down to speed up, we must get to Holland as soon as possible. After completing this single task, all income is increased by half. "

The first mate replied cheerfully: "No problem, Your Excellency Captain."

Everyone risked their lives to go to sea to seek a living, and what they asked for was money. As long as you have enough money, everything is negotiable.

However, Captain Petra is not so optimistic. With years of sailing experience, it can be determined that the closest port of Fulda to the Netherlands is more than 100 nautical miles.

Under normal driving conditions, the warship is not much faster than the cargo ship, but the upper limit of the speed of the warship is high. If it is moving at full speed, it can run up to twice the speed of the cargo ship.

Of course, steamboats these days are still limited by power. Although the warship runs fast, once it runs at full speed, it must be overhauled afterwards, and may even be scrapped.

Unless it is a very important thing, generally speaking, the navy is not so extravagant.

...

The movement on the ship alerted Vittorio Emanuele III in the cabin.

"What's the matter, did you meet a pirate?"

For the sake of safety, when Vittorio Emanuele III left, he arranged for several cargo ships to leave the port at the same time, and he just chose one of them at random.

In theory, as long as there is no exposure that night. Communication was inconvenient these days, and even if the British government found out that he was missing the next day and ordered the Royal Navy to come after him, it would not have been so fast.

Before anyone could answer, Captain Petra barged in.

"I'm very sorry, I have bad news and I have to disturb you all.

Now the situation is very critical, two warships have caught up, less than 20 nautical miles from us.

I have given orders to speed up, but the Fulda is just an ordinary freighter, and even with a power modification, it still can't outrun a warship.

For the safety of everyone's lives, I want you to open up and make things clear so you can make a decision. "

Hearing the warship chasing after him, Vittorio Emanuele III's expression changed greatly, and he sighed helplessly.

Thinking of the heavy responsibility he shouldered, Vittorio Emanuele III forced himself to calm down and said slowly, "Your Excellency Captain, there is still a lot of cargo on the Fulda, right?"

Captain Petra nodded, the cargo ship must be carrying cargo, there is no need to doubt it.

Got an affirmative answer, Vittorio Emanuele III: "Very well, now all the commodities and sundries are thrown into the sea except for the necessary coal.

Including sheets and duvet covers, personal items, weapons and ammunition, food and water are only reserved for half a day's share, doing everything possible to reduce weight. "

Sketches by Vittorio Emanuele III

Understatement, Captain Petra was stunned, and then exclaimed: "This is impossible! If I lose these goods, I will lose my life!"

It's not an exaggeration. With Petra's net worth, he lost this cargo and had no choice but to go bankrupt.

Vittorio Emanuele III smiled and said nonchalantly: "Don't worry, I will bear all the losses, including the employer's dissatisfaction, someone will solve it for you.

Now, what you have to do is to throw away these unnecessary things, find a way to speed up the boat and get rid of the pursuers behind. "

compensation?

Vittorio Emanuele III admits that he is a poor ghost, and can even be said to be the poorest royal family in all of Europe.

The rich family background left by the original ancestors has long been tossed because of the desire to restore the country.

In order to maintain a decent life, Vittorio Emanuele III had long been in debt. The so-called reparations are nothing but empty promises.

But no matter how much money he had, he couldn't show his cowardice. Anyway, let’s talk about it first when we arrive in the Netherlands, whether to pay compensation or not, let’s talk about it later!

After pondering for a while, Captain Petra still shook his head: "It still won't work, even if all the cargo on the ship is discarded, the speed will increase by at most two knots, and we still can't beat the warship.

Don't forget, there are artillery on the warship, they can attack from a long distance, the Fulda's small body can't stand the toss. "

It doesn't matter if you have money or not, the key is life. Civilized law enforcement is not popular these days. What the Navy likes most is to talk with cannonballs.

Vittorio Emanuele III frowned, and asked with concern: "Is the warship that came to pursue the British or the French?"

Captain Petra rolled his eyes and replied in a very exaggerated tone: "It's not sure yet. But we set off from London, and the warships that came to pursue should be British.

Do you still offend the French government?

God, I'm so unlucky! This kind of thing can happen, it's just terrible..."

Vittorio Emanuele III waved his hand: "Your Excellency Captain, don't be so pessimistic. If it was a British warship, they would not dare to fire.

I think instead of wasting your time here, it's better to clear the warehouse quickly, at least we have a better chance of escaping.

Otherwise, everyone will fall into the hands of the British, and I will be fine, but you will be dead. Trust me, they will hang you. "

King slaying is not something ordinary people can do. Although the throne on Vittorio Emanuele III's head is somewhat low in gold, the king is the king.

Under the European political system, monarchy was a serious crime.

Vittorio Emanuele III can be sure that the British were very dissatisfied with his running away, but they were not dissatisfied to the point of killing a king.

The British government can't bear the crime of murdering a monarch, and the Royal Navy can't bear the crime of murdering a monarch.

In contrast, the French are hard to say. The two sides were already enemies, and Vittorio Emanuele III had no confidence in the integrity of the Bonaparte dynasty.

Moreover, Vittorio Emanuele III ran out of London, and the French can refuse to admit it as long as they are thick-skinned, and then throw the blame on the British.

Captain Petra's face sank, and after a while, he said, "Okay, you won. But Your Excellency, it's better to give me a satisfactory explanation, or else everyone will be scattered."

Compromise is impossible. Petra has not lived enough to die.

After pondering for a while, Vittorio Emanuele III said slowly: "Don't worry, the reward after the fact will definitely satisfy you.

If you perform better, even if you are given a title, it is not impossible. "

Noble titles are very valuable in Europe, and they are also very cheap. At least now the title of Sardinia is worthless.

While in London, Vittorio Emanuele III sold his title more than once in order to raise funds for the restoration of the country.

Up to princes, down to knights. As long as there is money, there is nothing that cannot be sold.

For Vittorio Emanuele III, the title is the cheapest asset, completely worthless until he succeeds in the restoration of the country.

Even if the restoration of the country is successful, the gold content of the title of Sardinia will be greatly reduced. After all, it is a title bought with money, don't expect the noble world to recognize it.

Captain Petra is not stupid. There are many dignitaries in Britain, but those who can take titles as rewards are actually some exiled royal families.

Thinking about the current situation, the identity of Vittorio Emanuele III has actually been exposed.

Knowing, knowing, but Captain Petra's emotional intelligence is not low, and he forcibly suppressed the impulse.

This kind of time is not a good time to reveal his identity, and no monarch wants to be seen at the most down-to-earth time.

"No problem, Your Excellency, I'll do it right away!"

After speaking, Petra withdrew after looking at Vittorio Emanuele III.

The pursuit of wealth and insurance is common in ancient and modern China and abroad. Captain Petra had been adrift at sea for more than 20 years and had long been tired of this life.

It's just that there is no opportunity to transform, and I have to continue to work. Now the opportunity has come, although Vittorio Emanuele III looks very down and out, but he can't stand his noble birth!

Judging from the current situation, the chances of the restoration of the Kingdom of Sardinia are about the same as the chances of the Anti-French Alliance winning the war.

Judging from past experience, Captain Petra believes that the outcome of the war is 55 to 50. Going to Vittorio Emanuele III now is a life gamble.

It stands to reason that Captain Petra should not like to gamble in the middle of the new year, but the problem is that he can't rely on other dignitaries at all!

The royal families and nobles of various European countries have a bunch of retainers. Who would have eaten enough to support themselves, and would not have to go to reuse a guy of unknown origin?

Regardless of the current public opinion, it is becoming more and more unfavorable for the noble group, but it is the nobles who hold the most power.

Even the most powerful capitalists are working hard to become a member of the aristocratic group, and Petra is no exception.

...

Watching the boxes of goods being thrown into the sea, Captain Petra kept bleeding from the bottom of his heart, and now all he lost was money.

Although Vittorio Emanuele III promised to pay compensation, it is still unknown whether it can be fulfilled.

After all, this king is really too poor, and the next war to restore the country will cost a lot of money.

Even if the restoration is successful, there will still be many years of hardship in the future.

It’s fine if you don’t flee to the past. Those who should ask for money need money, and the king cannot fail to pay his debts. But if he wants to go to the past to achieve a counterattack in his life, Petra can't make the boss embarrassed.

The distressed time did not last long, and the warship behind suddenly accelerated, 15 nautical miles, 10 nautical miles, 5 nautical miles...

The distance between the two sides is constantly being narrowed, and the cruel reality has made Captain Petra unable to care about his heartache.

The first mate said in a panic, "Your Excellency Captain, the British behind us sent a semaphore and told us to stop the ship for inspection, or else we'll fire."

That is the Royal Navy. Everyone who has been in the sea these days knows that the Royal Navy is the last thing in the world to mess with.

In normal times, when everyone encounters them, they hide when they can, and avoid close contact as much as possible.

The reason is naturally due to the good reputation of the Royal Navy as a "robber and official". Even if this is a British ship, everyone is still worried when it encounters the Royal Navy at sea.

In particular, Captain Petra also ordered all the cargo to be discarded, and everyone's anxiety became even stronger.

Petra endured the discomfort and said, "Reply to them, this is the high seas, not under British jurisdiction, and they have no right to inspect."

The first officer said in a trembling voice: "Captain, can this be done, if they really fire, then we'll be finished.

Otherwise, stop the ship for inspection, there is nothing on the ship anyway, it is worth them..."

"They're coming for me, but it's not important anymore. Send a semaphore and tell them, if you want to kill the monarch, fire the cannon!"

The sudden sound startled the two, and at some point, Vittorio Emanuele III appeared behind them.

Seeing Vittorio Emanuele III revealing his identity, Captain Petra hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, why did you come out. It's not safe here, you should go back to the cabin!"

...