Expedition to Europe

Port Said is a port on the Suez Canal on the Mediterranean side.

Since the opening of the Suez Canal, it has become one of the busiest ports in the world.

No, there is almost no one. This was the largest coal filling station in the world at the end of the 19th century.

Almost every day, millions of tons of various cargo ships and cruise ships pass through Port Said. Here, the ships will replenish supplies, and the sailors will go ashore to party, and then prepare to start a long and lonely journey.

To this end, Port Said has a comprehensive range of facilities, ranging from port facilities to various entertainment facilities.

When time entered the stage of world war, Port Said's status was infinitely elevated.

But at the same time, merchant ships traveling to and from Port Said also faced the threat of German submarines.

Entering April, the German submarines had an outstanding record. They sank 270,000 tons of merchant ships in the first week, of which 190,000 tons were in the Mediterranean.

That's right, for the British and French, the Mediterranean Sea Route is far less important than the Atlantic Waterway, so the navy's escort cannot cover here for the time being. The merchant ships here can wait passively for the few destroyers of the British and French navies. Only when we return here can we focus on continuing our journey.

Some ships can wait, and some ships cannot wait.

It depends on what they have on board.

David is a British captain who was hired by a French shipping company to be responsible for a cargo ship with a carrying capacity of 5,000 tons traveling between Cairo and Marseille. There is no way around this route. If we go around the African continent, the distance will increase tenfold.

David's ship had been loaded with cargo at the port of Cairo five days ago, and it had been parked in Port Said. David did not dare to go to sea until he received military protection. If David ordered to go to sea, his crew would tie him up and throw him overboard before sailing back to Port Said.

There are many other captains like David. They are all trapped in Port Said, waiting for the military to provide them with escort.

In the evening, as usual, David came to the Colt Bar, had a drink as usual, and then inquired about some news.

The Celtic Bar is a very British-style bar. Captains and sailors from the UK like it very much. After having a drink here, they can also have some fun nearby without even having to go out. Special workers provide services.

The bartender's name is Mike, and he and David are both British. In the past, David looked down on Mike's job, but now he is very envious of Mike's job. At least Mike doesn't have to take risks at sea.

"Mike, give me a glass of rum." David was full of sorrow and threw a coin with a face value of one pound over.

There is no change here, the extra money will be treated as a reward for providing information. Of course, if you want to know more, you will have to continue to increase the price.

David sat on a high stool in front of the bar and looked around. Surprisingly, there were a few familiar faces missing.

"You're late. If you could have come two hours earlier, maybe you, like Will and the others, would have weighed anchor by now." Mike was in a happy mood, and with a flick of his hand while serving the wine, the coin disappeared.

"What's going on? What did I miss?" David's eyes widened, and the remaining drunkenness from last night disappeared.

Mike smiled and didn't answer David's question.

David understood what Mike meant, and this time he sent a note with a face value of ten pounds.

"Thank you, you are such a generous person. An umbrella company suddenly appeared today. They have two warships that can provide escort for merchant ships. Although the price is high, one has already sailed away in the afternoon. Now the umbrella company is At the dock, if you run faster, you might be able to catch the midnight trip." David smiled.

"Thank you very much, Mike, I'll buy you this drink." When the last word floated over, the Davidians had already rushed out of the Celtic Bar.

Mike smiled proudly, put the rum that David had not touched at all back on the counter, and continued to wait for the next customer.

Under the bar where customers cannot see, there are several such wine glasses, containing beer, brandy, rum, vodka, Erguotou...

The sun has set, the dock area is brightly lit and still bustling with people.

The bag bearers with turbans on their heads, the sailors wandering around shirtless, and the scantily clad special workers waiting for business to come to their door, all work together to support the prosperity of Port Said.

David found the company called "Umbrella" without much effort. There was no way, the harbor was basically full of cargo ships, and the only destroyer was very conspicuous, and he could be seen from a distance.

David did not recognize the large square characters on the side of the destroyer, but this did not prevent David from believing in the combat effectiveness of the destroyer. From the perspective of an experienced sailor, this is a warship that has been out of the factory for at least three months. It is in good condition, has excellent performance and is trustworthy.

In fact, David didn't have many choices. Let alone a serious destroyer, even if it was a submarine hunter converted from a tugboat, David had to choose to trust him.

There was a group of people surrounding the destroyer's berth, and they were having a heated debate. David hurried over and heard a familiar voice: "Two dollars per ton? This is too expensive. You are just like pirates. So. After all, doesn’t my boat cost $30,000? What’s the difference between this and robbery?”

The speaker's name was Henry, a man David knew and was one of David's drinking buddies these days. Unlike David, Henry's ship was his own. Henry could earn back nearly a quarter of the cost of the ship by taking a trip to the Far East.

Perhaps because he owed the bank money when he bought the ship, Henry valued money very much, and valued safety even more. Obviously, Henry also got the news from Mike.

"If you feel it is expensive, you can choose to continue waiting. I reiterate that in order to ensure the safety of the protected ships, there can be no more than five ships in the fleet, and there are still three places now." The voice was calm and unmoved by Henry's words.

This work is organized and uploaded by Liujiu Book Bar~~

There are at least eleven or twelve captains here, all of whom are stranded in Port Said. They dare not, or are unwilling to take risks. Waiting for warships to escort is the best choice, so the places in the fleet are scarce.

"Count me in. I have 8,000 tons of cargo on my ship, 16,000 US dollars, I will transfer it to you now." A rough voice.

David also knew this voice, and it was one of his drinking buddies, a Dane named Burgundy.

"Me, count me in!" David didn't dare to wait, he was afraid that if he was one second late, he would be caught by others.

David's ship was only 5,000 tons, and had no advantage over those 10,000-ton ships, so he had no bargaining rights.

"Damn it, count me in!" When there was only one spot left, Henry finally gave in.

"Go away, you fat guy, count me in." Someone was fighting for it.

"Get out of here, this spot is mine, I've already reserved it." Someone started pushing.

They were all veterans who had been on the sea for a long time, and fighting was commonplace, so a group fight broke out instantly.

Beep...

A whistle sounded from afar, and it was the British police who were maintaining public order.

"Enough, gentlemen, all the spots have been sold. If you want to accept the services of the Umbrella Company, please wait two days, when the second escort fleet will come." The calm voice continued to announce.

"I want to reserve!" A voice was loud.

"Yes, I want to reserve!"

"I want too!"

The fight that had just subsided broke out again.