Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1083 Sailor Charles

Standing on the deck, looking ahead, feeling the oncoming sea breeze and the increasing number of Oriental sailing ships sailing on the sea after entering the South China Sea, Wang Fuzhi was even more eager to return to his hometown.

Just as he was immersed in this emotion, a loud whistle suddenly sounded from above his head. Looking up, he saw an agile figure climbing down from the tall mast at an extremely fast speed. In the blink of an eye, he climbed to a place two meters away from the deck, then jumped down and stood steadily on the deck.

"Hi! Your Excellency!" The man made a buffering gesture, bent his knees slightly and then stood up, greeting Wang Fuzhi with a smile on his face.

After taking a closer look, Wang Fuzhi finally recognized the tanned guy in front of him, who was dressed like an ordinary sailor. Wasn't this King Charles II of England?

He shook his head in a helpless manner. After Charles II concealed his identity and quietly followed the delegation on board the ship, he initially abided by the original rules. He hid in the cabin and rarely showed up. On weekdays, not to mention the cabin, even meals were delivered directly to him by people sent by Wang Fuzhi.

But when their ship safely left Europe and entered the African region, Charles II finally couldn't hold back and began to show up.

He not only walked out of the cabin, but also went to the deck every day to walk around and often chat with people. Not only Wang Fuzhi and Zheng Hongkui, but also the captain, first mate, boatswain and others on the ship. The topics of the chats were all kinds of things, whether it was the local customs, sailing experiences or everyone's past. Moreover, he had good eloquence and conversation skills, and he could chat with anyone for half a day with great interest.

As time went by, perhaps because he was bored, Charles II gradually stopped chatting and even learned how to sail and operate the ship from the sailors. The captain originally refused. Although he did not know the true identity of Charles II, he could tell from his dress and the attitude of Wang Fuzhi and others that this young man was probably from an aristocratic family.

The class distinction in Europe was much more than that in the Ming Dynasty. Even ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty would be trembling when seeing a nobleman, let alone a captain of ordinary civilian origin facing a nobleman? Being a sailor is not that simple. This job not only requires skills, but also is very hard. What if such a nobleman gets bumped? He can't afford it if something happens.

In order to persuade the captain, Charles II spent a lot of time and effort to persuade him. He even went to Wang Fuzhi and Zheng Hongkui to intercede for him and asked them to guarantee him. He also promised that while he was learning how to be a sailor, he would obey the arrangements of the captain and the sailors on the ship and would never act on his own.

Wang Fuzhi was at a loss for words about this request, but Zheng Hongkui was appreciative. Because Zheng Hongkui was born a pirate, his command ability at sea was much better than that of the captain of the ship he was on. Zheng Hongkui also did not think that Charles II was not doing his job properly. It was a good thing for a nobleman to have such an interest and be willing to learn.

With the help of Zheng Hongkui, the captain finally agreed to Charles II's request and agreed to let him become a temporary sailor on the ship, and selected two old sailors with good skills to guide him. Not to mention, Charles II was quite talented in being a sailor. Although the work of a sailor was tiring, dirty and extremely hard, Charles II enjoyed it. Moreover, after becoming a temporary sailor, he directly abandoned his original identity and always required himself to be an ordinary sailor. Along the way, in just a few months, Charles II was no different from an ordinary sailor. He was not only able to do most of the work on the ship, but was even better than some old sailors in some aspects.

Just like now, Charles II was just adjusting the sails on the mast. European ships were different from those of the Ming Dynasty. European ships used soft sails, and these soft sails were not only large but also numerous. They were often adjusted according to the ocean currents and wind directions to adapt to the sailing and ensure the course and speed.

On the contrary, the Ming Dynasty ships used hard sails, which were easy to operate and could withstand winds from all directions, requiring fewer people to operate the sails. However, compared with European ships, the Ming Dynasty ships were slow, not as fast as European ships with soft sails. This can be said to have both advantages and disadvantages.

"Hi! Your Highness!" Wang Fuzhi smiled and raised his hand to greet Charles II, but Charles II said to Wang Fuzhi sternly: "No, no, no, I am just an ordinary sailor on the ship now. To me now, I am not Your Highness, let alone Your Excellency."

"Well, sailor Charles, how's the scenery up there?" Having spent a long time with Charles II, Wang Fuzhi had long known this guy's character. Although he was born into a noble family and held the title of king, Charles II was actually a very adventurous young man, and he had a cheerful personality and a witty way of speaking. Coupled with his years of exile abroad due to the great changes in the country, Charles II, as a senior aristocrat, did not have those bad habits of the aristocrats.

"It's wonderful. I saw the most beautiful scenery in the world from up there. Would you like to try it too?" Charles II winked at Wang Fuzhi playfully and deliberately seduced him.

Wang Fuzhi laughed loudly and shook his head, saying, "I don't have your energy, let alone your ability. I'd better just watch from below. That's enough."

"What a pity! This is your loss." Charles II shrugged his shoulders with a regretful gesture. Then he came to Wang Fuzhi's side, leaned against the mast and looked in the direction Wang Fuzhi was looking at, and asked: "Is the direction you are looking at the location of your hometown Daming?" "Yes, aren't we heading to Daming?" Wang Fuzhi smiled and nodded.

"Yes, we are on our way to Ming Dynasty." Charles II sighed, staring into the distance: "According to the route, we should reach Ming Dynasty in a few days. Sir, what kind of country is your Ming Dynasty? Can you tell me more about it?"

"Haha, you have asked me many times along the way, but no matter how much I say, it is not as good as you going to see it in person. We in the Ming Dynasty had an old saying thousands of years ago, which is 'Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles', and there is another saying 'Knowledge gained from books is shallow, and one must practice it personally to truly understand it'."

"What does this mean?" Although he had learned some Chinese from Wang Fuzhi and others these days, no matter how smart Charles II was, he could not understand these words as well as the Ming Dynasty students who had studied for many years. Moreover, even ordinary Ming Dynasty people might not be able to truly understand these two sentences.

Wang Fuzhi patiently explained this. After listening to Wang Fuzhi's explanation, Charles II suddenly realized it. He repeated a few sentences and exclaimed: "These two sentences are really good! They are really philosophical insights. Now I am more interested in Ming Dynasty, and I once again feel that the decision to go to the East is correct."

"Hahaha, it's fine as long as you think so. Maybe you will be disappointed when we really get to Ming Dynasty."

"That's impossible!" Charles II laughed, "From you, I can tell that Ming is worth coming to. You can't deny the intuition of a king and a nobleman!"

"Okay, thank you for your praise of Daming. I'll treat you to a meal when we get to Daming."

"Is this Chinese food made by your chef?" Charles II's eyes suddenly lit up. He had been fascinated by Chinese food since he tasted it after following Wang Fuzhi in Europe. Unfortunately, the seasonings he brought with him were gradually used up, and he could only use local seasonings in Europe. Although the meals prepared by the chef were still delicacies for European nobles, Wang Fuzhi and others privately disagreed. In their words, it was just barely acceptable.

Having been with Wang Fuzhi and others for a long time, Charles II naturally knew all these situations and became very interested in real Chinese food. On the way back, he had long been thinking about tasting it when he arrived in Daming. Now that Wang Fuzhi offered to treat him to a meal, how could he not be excited?
"It's Chinese food, but it's not made by my chef." Wang Fuzhi explained with a smile: "The chef who went to Europe with us was just an ordinary chef. His level is nothing in Ming Dynasty. The delicious food cooked by the real chefs in Ming Dynasty is the most wonderful enjoyment in the world. Moreover, Chinese food in Ming Dynasty does not only refer to a certain dish. Ming Dynasty is a very large country, divided from north to south according to different geographical locations and living habits, as well as some other factors. The dishes of Ming Dynasty are divided into many categories and different flavors. You will understand it after you stay in Ming Dynasty for a long time. To put it bluntly, if you eat one dish a day and don't repeat it every day, you may not be able to finish it in a few years."

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Charles II couldn't help but licking his lips, looking very excited.

Seeing him like this, Wang Fuzhi could not help laughing again. Charles II was not angry either, and he was also laughing. The laughter of the two was blown away by the sea breeze, while the ship under their feet was still cutting through the waves and heading towards its target.

A few days later, their ship entered the real South China Sea, which was considered the traditional South China Sea area of ​​the Ming Dynasty. Not long after entering this sea area, they encountered several Ming Dynasty warships in front of them. Looking at the flags hanging on them, Wang Fuzhi couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. Even Zheng Hongkui, who came out after hearing the news, was a little confused.

"Could it be Boss Zheng's ship? But how could Boss Zheng's ship be so unscrupulous under the banner of the imperial court?" Zheng Hongkui couldn't help but wonder in his heart. As a member of the Zheng Group, although he had parted ways with Zheng Zhilong long ago, before the diplomatic mission to Europe, he was the admiral of the Shandong Navy, and held a military position and title no less than Zheng Zhilong.

However, as a member of the Eighteen Zhi, Zheng Hongkui knew some of Zheng Zhilong's tricks in the South China Sea, such as letting his warships monopolize the South China Sea and collecting tolls from passing ships. He knew all these situations, but since they were of the same clan, Zheng Hongkui did not tell the court about it. So when he heard that a Ming warship appeared, Zheng Hongkui's first reaction was that it was a ship sent by Zheng Zhilong to collect tolls, but as the other party's ship gradually approached, he found something wrong, because the warship not only flew the flag of the Ming Dynasty, but also two other flags he had never seen before. What was going on?

However, the answer was soon revealed. As the Ming warships gradually approached, they raised flags to signal their ships to slow down and stop. Then the other side sent a warship to connect with the ship here, and several officials dressed in Ming Dynasty costumes came on board.

It was then that Zheng Hongkui realized that these ships belonged to the Nanyang Navy, which he had never heard of. Moreover, these ships not only belonged to the Nanyang Navy, but the officers on board were also under the jurisdiction of a department called the Grand Council of Customs and Border Affairs and Overseas Affairs. The other flag hung on the warship represented this so-called Grand Council. The officials of the Ming Dynasty who boarded the ship were doing routine work. In the name of the Ming Dynasty court and the Grand Council, they registered the cargo and personnel of foreign ships entering the South China Sea and carried out subsequent navigation work.

(End of this chapter)