monarch

In July 1556, in the Atlantic Ocean, 7 miles west of the Azores.

It has been nearly twenty days since the two galleons, the San Esteban and the Madame Atoka, set sail from Havana.The two ships set sail from Veracruz, Mexico, and after stopping in Havana, they embarked on a transatlantic journey, and the destination of this voyage was the port of Seville, Spain.

In those days, it was common to compare a Spanish galleon to a medieval castle.Such an analogy is not unreasonable. In naval battles in the Mediterranean Sea, such scenes can often be seen: a large sailing ship is like a strong castle, resisting the siege of dozens of Turkish sailing ships coming up from all around. But he didn't lose the wind in the slightest.The tall poop at the stern is the watchtower of the castle.The steering wheel used to steer the ship is set here, and when attacked, the musketeers and archers will also condescendingly fire buckshot and crossbow bolts from the poop at the enemy trying to board the ship.

Baron Louis de Bazin was born in a naval family, and at this moment he is standing on the poop of the "Saint Esteban", staring at the distant horizon with sharp eyes.The baron's face was tanned by the tropical sun, and his skin was rough due to the erosion of salt. This 40-year-old navigator once commanded his ships to explore many ports in the Americas and the Caribbean. He has crossed the Atlantic Ocean many times, but this time he looked more worried than any other time before. Since this small fleet sailed out of Havana Harbor, the lines on his usually unsmiling face have never changed. Stretch out.

Baron Bazin's worries were not unreasonable. The cabins of the "Santa Esteban" and the "Madame Atoka" were loaded with 200 million gold and silver coins and more than 8 ounces (about [-] tons) of gold and silver coins respectively. Gold, silver and jewelry.These galleons, known as the "Spanish Treasure Ships", are the blood vessels of the huge Spanish empire.They sailed back from the Spanish colonies of America to the heart of the Empire, laden with countless gold and silver mined from the dark mines by hundreds of native slaves.And these blood-stained gold and silver will be quickly squandered by the court of Madrid in wars and various grand ostentations.

These giant whales full of wealth have naturally become the coveted targets of privateers and pirates from all over the world.However, the equipment of most pretenders cannot allow them to challenge these Spanish royal sailing ships equipped with dozens of cannons. Therefore, in the past ten years, cases of treasure ships being attacked can be regarded as rare.

Regrettably, since two years ago, the situation in the sea has undergone earth-shaking changes.Privateers, officially sponsored by the British government, began raiding Spanish cargo ships across the Atlantic.These privateers are several times larger than the ships used by the French before. In fact, these privateers were drawn from the battleships of the British Royal Navy.It was the task assigned to them by the British Admiralty to attack Spanish shipping routes.

Spain and Britain did not officially go to war, but the two sides had already begun to fight on the ocean.The attempted rebellion in England two years ago turned the in-laws, who were only one step away from their allies, into sworn enemies in an instant.Counting from the beginning of the year, there have been more than ten records of Spanish ships being attacked by warships flying the flag of St. George of England. Now the growing dissatisfaction with Madrid's rule in the Netherlands and Italy is naturally fueled by London. .

The voyage destinations of the "Santa Esteban" and "Lady Atoca" and the cargo loaded in the cabins are no longer secrets. It has become a routine for Spain's colonies in the New World to send tribute to the mainland every year.The gold and silver were packed in heavy wicker boxes, and when they were loaded onto the ship, anyone could hear the crisp sound of the gold and silver coins colliding in the box.The sailors responsible for loading and unloading are always the worst at keeping secrets. As long as they have a few glasses of rum, they dare to shout about anything in the tavern.When they left the port of Havana, even the mixed-race whores of the city knew that the two treasure ships returning home had left.

Baron Bazin tapped the railing lightly, his eyes firmly fixed on the distant horizon.The British must have known that two treasure ships were about to cross the Atlantic, so would they try to intercept them?If they try to intercept, will the two sides meet head-to-head?As the governor of Havana said when he refused the baron to send an escort fleet for the treasure ship: "The Atlantic Ocean is so vast that two galleons are not even two grains of sand on this ocean, which is wider than the whole of Europe." Go." Maybe it all turned out to be just him overreacting?

"There is a ship on the port side!" Suddenly, without warning, a loud shout came from the top of the mast, which was an alarm issued by the lookout post at the highest point.

Baron Bazin hurriedly ran to the port side and looked towards the horizon on the left. Sure enough, under the rising dark clouds on the horizon in the distance, several sail shadows were appearing and disappearing at the intersection of water and sky.

Baron Bazin raised his binoculars, looked in the direction of the shadow, and saw the blurred shadow of a three-masted sailing ship.

"Full starboard!" He ordered to the helmsman, and then shouted at the sailors on the deck: "Leave the first slant!"

The "Sante Esteban" leaned slightly to starboard, turning slowly - the heavy cargo in the hold made the heavy cargo ship more difficult to maneuver than usual.

"Sign up the 'Madame Atoka' and let them follow us." The baron ordered to the signalman, and then greeted the accompanying officer who went up to the poop.

"Mr. Don Fernandez, we may be in trouble, do you think your infantry are reliable?" he said in a low voice.

Mr. Don Fernandez's beard and hair have turned gray. This fifty-year-old officer served His Majesty Charles V in Spain, Flanders and Italy for nearly 30 years, and then came to the New World. The age when Jia returned to the field.However, the colony of the New World lacked military officers, but it was really difficult to find a suitable successor. He was already the most suitable candidate for the safety of this small fleet that the governor could find.

"You know, the so-called soldiers in the New World are a group of lawless villains. They come to the sea to take risks only for money, and these people have not received military pay for half a year. It is a miracle that they have not mutinied until now... really The best men in the world have served His Majesty on the battlefields of Flanders and Italy, and these soldiers in the New World are nothing but a group of hooligans with weapons."

"Then it seems that we have to avoid boarding as much as possible." Baron Bazin sighed, "But our artillery is not as good as the English... Our fleet is huge but bloated, and corruption and malfeasance are rampant. The English are equipping their fleet with the latest guns and ships...how can this continue..."

Don Fernandez cast a warning glance at the baron, and made a silent gesture, "Please don't let the people below hear these things."

The shadow of the ship in the distance became clearer and clearer. It was still a blurry white spot before, but it didn't take long before it turned into four three-masted sailing ships in the telescope, and the red and white cross flag of England was hoisted on the mast.

"Our speed is too slow." The baron turned his back to Don Fernandez, and his tone was obviously nervous, "They will catch up with us in a few hours."

"Do you want to consider reducing the load?" The old officer hesitated for a moment, then said cryptically.

The Baron gave an unnatural shudder which, to the uninitiated, might have taken it to be the beginning of an epileptic seizure.

He stared at the old officer for a long time, shook his head, and muttered in an indistinct voice: "No, that's not okay... We don't have the right to do this, we can't take this responsibility..."

The baron was circling around the deck irritably, as if he was talking to Mr. Don Fernandez, or trying to convince himself.

"The English barques are clippers, and even if we throw away everything on board, they can still catch us... If we return to Spain empty, what will the palace say? You have heard The news of financial bankruptcy, the gold and silver on this ship have already been planned for use, if we throw them into the sea before we have a firefight with the English, then you and I, we are all finished, and our reputation is ruined... ...we will be made a laughing stock...you are noble too, no, we can't do that."

Baron Bazin lowered his head in frustration, as if no matter what choice he made, his prospects did not look good.

"Alright then." Mr. Don Fernandez sighed, "I'll distribute weapons to my men. At least we have twenty musketeers and twenty crossbowmen on each ship, so we may not be unable to defeat them."

"Holy Mother." The baron mechanically made the sign of the cross on his chest.

Time passed quickly, and two hours had passed in the blink of an eye, and the four English ships had approached less than a thousand yards from the "Saint Esteban".At this distance, even without binoculars, the figure on the English galleon could be seen clearly.

"Try firing at them," Baron Bazin ordered to the gunner.

A long gun was pointed at the leading English warship by the sailors, and powder and shells were stuffed into the barrel.

After a dull sound, everyone on the Spanish ship turned their attention to the opposite English warship, but to their disappointment, the water column stirred up by the shell falling into the sea was still more than a hundred yards away from the enemy ship.

"Damn it!" the baron stamped his foot.

A wisp of white smoke rose from the bow of the English battleship, and then a huge white water column rose on the side of the "Saint Esteban".

Baron Bazin, who was soaked all over his body, felt his hands and feet were numb, "Their artillery has such a long range?" He looked at the ripples on the water that gradually calmed down in disbelief.

In a blink of an eye, the four English warships, like four dexterous dolphins, easily changed their direction, facing the two bulky Spanish sea beasts with their sides.On a calm inland sea like the Mediterranean Sea, these huge sea fortresses can make the Turks who try to board the ship pay a heavy price, but on the vast Atlantic Ocean, the key to determining the outcome of a battle has become mobility and artillery technology. In these two items, the new sailboats of the English have significant advantages.

Countless white smoke rose from the sides of the four English warships. The baron had just yelled "Lie down" when he was pushed down on the deck by the shock wave of the shells.

He stood up unsteadily, and wiped the blood from his face, the wound was cut by flying sharp sawdust.

Stretched corpses and groaning wounded were lying on the deck, while the uninjured gunners were scrambling to manipulate the heavy guns, trying in vain to counter the English fire.

The English warships fired again. These dexterous warships are equipped with four-wheeled gun mounts, which are more convenient for loading and aiming than the two-wheeled gun mounts of the Spaniards. Their artillery can fire two rounds in the time the Spaniards fire once. Second-rate.Countless heavy iron balls tore apart the oak planks of the Spanish galleon, just like tearing apart a piece of white paper, turning the two large ships into two battered beehives.

The shells of the still heroic Spanish gunners had no effect, and their shells invariably fell more than fifty yards from the English ships.The English deftly maneuvered their warships, kept out of range of the Spanish artillery, and used their own advanced artillery to ruthlessly harvest the lives of the enemy. It was really a one-sided massacre.

Finally, the irrational Spanish gunners began to increase the charge of the artillery. They stuffed more gunpowder into the barrel, hoping to make their artillery hit farther.As the charge increased, the jet of water falling on the English became closer and closer to their ships.

When a group of reckless gunners loaded their cannons with twice the usual amount of powder, the predictable tragedy finally took place.The artillery manufactured by inferior Spanish casting technology finally could not withstand such pressure, so after a deafening bang, the barrel finally burst.The gunners around hadn't reacted yet, their bodies had been torn into pieces, and the black powder piled up for firing also exploded almost at the same time.

The "Saint Esteban" seemed to have been punched by a giant, and the whole ship shook violently.The deck had collapsed where the gun that exploded had been.

The soaring mainmast swayed like a reed in a strong wind, and the complicated sails cracked one by one, and the huge white sail hung down feebly, waving like a shroud above the deck.The ominous creaking sound from the bottom of the mast was more terrifying to the ears of the crew than the screams from hell.

In front of Baron Bazin, the entire mainmast collapsed together with the king's flag on it. It hit the deck heavily, and after a huge opening was made in it, it snapped and fell into the nautical mile.

The gunfire on the Spanish battleship gradually became sparse. Most of the gunners were either dead or injured, and the rest were terrified. Even the officers threatened with pistols that they could not let them return to their gun positions.

A white flag was hoisted on the masts of the Lady Atoka, the smaller treasure ship which was the first to crash under English fire.

Baron Bazin watched the two English warships slowly approaching the surrendered "Lady Atoka", and more than 8 ounces of gold, silver and jewels on that ship fell into the hands of the English.And the other two English warships, like two wolves waiting for their prey to die, approached their own ship from left to right.

"Musketeers, archers, prepare for boarding!" Mr. Don Fernandez's angry voice sounded in the baron's ear, which made his eardrums ache.

The few remaining musketeers and archers moved carefully on the blood-soaked deck as slippery as ice. They fired a shot or an arrow at the side of the ship towards the English in response to the story, and then They crouched down and hid behind the mast, as if hoping that this thin layer of oak would save their lives from enemy fire.

"Too far! You idiots, wait until they get close before you shoot!" Don Fernandez yelled hoarsely, but no one listened to him.A frightened group of soldiers is like a herd of frightened bison, and until they regain their composure, any attempt to restore order will be in vain.

The English warship kept approaching, and the baron saw that on the other side's deck, the sailors were operating several weird machines-a small tube like a gun barrel was placed on a swing frame that could rotate freely.what is that?Looks like some kind of artillery, he thought, but if...

Before he could react, flames and white smoke came out of those small tubes.

Baron Bazin collapsed on the ground in a burst of pain. He felt his left half of his body lose consciousness, and blood was gushing from his bloody left arm.

He moaned and looked at Don Fernandez next to him. His corpse was staring at the blue sky with wide eyes, and the place where the royal coat of arms was embroidered on the old officer's chest had turned into a huge bloody hole. , the blood was bubbling outwards like a fountain, and gathered around the old officer into a pool of blood, soaking the wooden deck below into black.

The English's newly equipped shotgun for killing people showed amazing power. The countless steel balls it fired rained death on the deck of the Spanish treasure ship, and also shattered any idea of ​​​​continuing resistance.Within a few minutes, the white flag was hoisted on the only remaining foremast of the "Saint Esteban".

As night fell, Baron Bazin, who had simply bandaged his wounds, was the last to leave the evacuated ship and board the last small boat from the English warship.

With tears in his eyes, he watched the giant ship slowly sinking. There was a terrifying "creak" sound from the already riddled deck, and the dying giant whale was whining.

Its bow slowly tilted forward, and the stern with the huge picture of the Virgin Mary turned up, and then like a building block pushed down by a naughty child, the whole ship fell apart from the middle.

Baron Bazin, who was covered in blood, boarded the English battleship "Golden Lion" with the support of English sailors. He endured the pain in his body and saluted the young man who came up to him.

"I am Baron Luis de Bazin, a Spanish noble officer, a loyal servant of the King of Spain." Baron Bazin was trembling with fever, "I want to see the commander of your fleet."

"You are standing in front of him." The young man grinned, revealing a set of white teeth rarely seen among seafarers. "Sir John Hawkins, I am at your service."

"You beat me?" murmured Baron Bazin, "but you don't look thirty years old."

"24 years old, Your Honor." Sir John Hawkins bowed again. "You are a respectable opponent. If we were in different places, I don't think I would perform better than you. You have done it For everything you can do, I want to pay you my respects."

"But how did you find me?" asked the baron curiously.

"I followed you when you sailed from Havana." Sir Hawkins pointed to the lookout post on the top of the mast, "Unlike your country, we also equipped the lookout with binoculars, so that he can be within your field of vision." You are under surveillance."

"Telescopes are expensive devices."

"However, the investment is well worth it." Sir Hawkins pointed to the sailors who were arranging the gold and silver on the nailboard.

Baron Bazin sighed deeply, he seemed to be 20 years older.

"I have prepared a cabin for you that matches your status. If you need it, you can go to rest. You must be very tired after going through such a day."

"How should I explain to His Majesty?" Baron Bazin did not answer, but stared blankly at the place where his flagship was just now, where there were only wood chips floating on the water, corpses and a little bit of oil.

"If you want, we will issue you a receipt." Sir Hawkins shook the baron's hand. "Our Admiralty will also issue you a certificate stating that you have acted bravely and bravely in the face of a strong enemy." He resisted tenaciously and fulfilled his responsibility as a commander."

"Do you still issue receipts?" The baron's mouth was open, almost enough to stuff a shell into it.

"Of course, we are not pirates." Sir Hawkins shrugged his shoulders. "We are a privateer of His Majesty the King of Britain. We have a royal charter issued by His Majesty. The privateer's license is in my captain's cabin. If You can refer to it whenever you need it.”

Baron Bazin felt that too many things were stuffed into his head. He shook his head drowsily like a drunk person, indicating that he needed to go to rest, and an English sailor immediately took him down with graciousness. The deck led him into a simple but quite clean cabin.

The baron collapsed on the bed, weak, and was fast asleep before the sailor who ushered him in closed the door.