Holy Roman Empire

"What's going on, could it be that you met 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 at random.

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

Before anyone could answer, Captain Petra broke in.

"I'm very sorry that I have to disturb you distinguished guests with some bad news.

The situation is very critical now, and two warships are chasing us, less than 20 nautical miles away from us.

I have given the order to speed up, but the Fulda is just an ordinary freighter, even after power modification, it still cannot outrun a warship.

For the safety of everyone, I hope that you can open your heart and explain things clearly so that you can make a decision. "

Hearing that the warship was chasing up, Vittorio Emanuele III's face changed drastically, and he sighed helplessly.

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

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

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

Including sheets and quilts, personal items, weapons and ammunition, food and water are only reserved for half a day, and every possible effort is made to reduce weight. "

Vittorio Emanuele III's understatement stunned Captain Petra, and then exclaimed: "This is impossible! I will lose these goods, and I will pay for it!"

It's not an exaggeration. With Petra's net worth, after losing this cargo, he has no choice but to go bankrupt.

Vittorio Emanuele III smiled and said as if nothing had happened: "Don't worry, I will bear all the losses, including the dissatisfaction of the employer, and 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 man, and can even be said to be the poorest royal family in Europe.

Originally, the rich family background left by the ancestors has been tossed and tossed for the sake of wanting to restore the country.

In order to maintain a decent life, Vittorio Emanuele III has long been deeply in debt.The so-called compensation is completely a blank check.

But no matter how poor he was, he couldn't show his timidity.In any case, let's talk about arriving in the Netherlands first, whether to pay compensation, let's talk about it at that time!

After contemplating for a moment, Captain Petra still shook his head: "It still doesn't work, even if we discard all the cargo on board, the speed will only increase by two knots at most, we still can't outrun the warship.

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

It doesn't matter if it's money or not, the key is life.Civilized law enforcement is not popular these days, and what the navy likes most is talking with shells.

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 warship that came to pursue it should be British.

Have you offended the French government?

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

Vittorio Emanuele III waved his hand: "Your Excellency, there is no need to be so pessimistic. If it is a British warship, they would not dare to fire.

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

Otherwise, if everyone falls into the hands of the British, I will be fine, but you will die.Believe me, they will hang you. "

Killing a king is not something ordinary people can do. Although the throne on the head of Vittorio Emanuele III has a low gold content, a king is a king.

In the European political system, regicide was a felony.

Vittorio Emanuele III can be sure that the British are very dissatisfied with his running away, but they are not dissatisfied to the point of regicide.

The British government cannot bear the charge of regicide, and the Royal Navy also cannot bear the charge of regicide. Whoever does it is finished.

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

Moreover, Vittorio Emanuele III ran from London. As long as the French are thick-skinned enough, they can deny it at all, and then blame the British.

Captain Petra's face sank, and after a while, he said, "Okay, you won. But your Excellency, you'd better give me a satisfactory explanation, or we'll just break up."

Compromise, this is impossible.Petra hadn't lived enough to be ready to die.

After contemplating for a moment, Vittorio Emanuele III said slowly: "Don't worry, the reward afterwards 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 the title of the Kingdom of Sardinia is worthless now.

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

Up to the prince, down to the knight.As long as you have money, there is nothing you can't sell.

For Vittorio Emanuele III, the title is the cheapest asset, and it is completely worthless until the restoration of the country is successful.

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

Captain Petra is not stupid. There are a lot of dignitaries in Britain, but those who can get titles as rewards are actually some royal families in exile.

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

You know what you know, 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 one's identity, no monarch wants to be seen at his worst.

"Your Excellency, if there is no problem, I will do it right away!"

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

Seeking wealth and wealth is universal in ancient and modern China and abroad.Captain Petra has been drifting at sea for more than 20 years, and has long been tired of this kind of life.

It's just that I have no chance to transform, so I have to continue working.Now the opportunity has come, although Vittorio Emanuele III looks very down and out, but he can't stand the noble family!

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

Judging by past experience, Captain Petra believed the odds were [-]/[-] for both sides.Going to Vittorio Emanuele III now is a gamble of life.

Logically speaking, Captain Petra, who is over the middle of the year, shouldn't like to gamble, but the problem is that he can't rely on other dignitaries at all!

The royal families and nobles in various European countries have a bunch of retainers.Who would eat enough to hold on, and run to reuse a guy of unknown origin when he knows that his own people don't need it?

Regardless of the current public opinion, it is becoming more and more unfavorable to the aristocratic group, but it is the aristocrats who hold the power.

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

……

Watching boxes of goods being thrown into the sea, Captain Petra's heart was bleeding continuously, and now all he lost was money.

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

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

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

It's fine if you don't go to the past, you need money if you want money, and the king can't default on his debts.But if he wants to go to the past to achieve a counterattack in life, Petra can't make things difficult for the boss.

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 getting closer, and the cruel reality makes Captain Petra no longer care about heartache.

The first mate said in panic: "Your Excellency, the British behind us have signaled, asking us to stop the ship for inspection, or we will fire."

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

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

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

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

Petra suppressed the discomfort and said: "Reply to them, this is the high seas, it does not belong to the British jurisdiction, and they have no right to inspect."

The first mate said with a trembling voice: "Captain, can this be done, if they really fire, then we will be finished.

Otherwise, it’s fine to stop the ship for inspection, anyway, there’s nothing on the ship, it’s worth them…”

"They're coming for me, but that's not important anymore. Send a semaphore and tell them that if you want to kill the king, shoot!"

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

Seeing Vittorio Emanuele III reveal 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!"

……

Chapter 1 Sixty: The Crisis on the Western Front

The bright sunshine, reflecting the blue sea, has a special flavor.

On a sunny day, Colonel Richard was in a particularly good mood, as he was about to receive some extra money.

With years of experience, he discovered early on that there was something wrong with the boat in front of him, so he tried to chase after it, and it turned out to be true.

Ordinary merchant ships will also stay away from the Royal Navy when they meet the Royal Navy on the high seas, but no matter how far away they are, they will not sell their goods into the sea just to escape.

Although the Royal Navy has a history of visiting pirates, that is all in the past, and it has restrained a lot in recent years.

Even if it is to rob, it will be disguised.When flying the navy flag, the most they can do is extort a protection fee.

If you have a relationship background, you can also get a discount if you climb the relationship.As long as the money is in place, it doesn't matter if it's smuggling.

The performance of the Fulda is undoubtedly telling them that there is no 300 taels of silver here. Such fools are rare, and Colonel Richard will naturally not let it go.

The officer in charge of the semaphore said excitedly: "Colonel, we met Vittorio Emanuele III on the warship ahead, and he has already identified himself."

In order to arrest Vittorio Emanuele III, who was running away, the London government was ruthless, and the Royal Navy almost came out in full force.

It can't be said to arrest, after all, a king, John Bull also has to pay attention to international influence, so the task of the Royal Navy is to invite people back.

Hearing the good news, Colonel Richard was overjoyed.You must know that in order to stimulate everyone's enthusiasm, there are heavy rewards in China.

As long as Vittorio Emanuele III can be invited back, not only will there be a generous bonus, but also a promotion.

Richard is already a colonel, and he will cross the threshold of a general if he goes up.It seems that there is only a thin line between them, but in fact this is a world of difference.

There are a lot of colonels and officers in the Royal Navy, and none of them can really cross the threshold of generals.There is no way, this is a peaceful age, and it is naturally difficult to be promoted without combat merit bonuses.

"Then what are you waiting for, tell them to stop the ship immediately and invite Vittorio Emanuele III to come over."

Colonel Richard bit the word "please" very hard.No matter how desolate the king is, he is still a king, and must be given enough respect.

There is no way, the relationship between the European royal families is very chaotic, relatives are everywhere when they go out, and the personal connections of any royal family should not be underestimated.

The young officer's face suddenly became ugly, and he replied with a headache: "We have already sent out the invitation, but Vittorio Emanuele III did not agree.

And warned us not to follow, otherwise we will be responsible for any accidents in the middle. "

In the end, he still reacted, and the young officer decisively chose to avoid the serious and ignore the serious, and did not directly say the threat of Vittorio Emanuele III.

Colonel Richard was dumbfounded. He never expected that Vittorio Emanuele III would be so uncooperative.

It is impossible to fire a threat. If you are unlucky and send Vittorio Emanuele III to God, no one can bear this charge.

After glaring at the young officer, Colonel Richard reprimanded him, "He refuses, you won't persuade him!"

That's right, it's persuasion, no matter how downcast, for most ordinary people, Vittorio Emanuele III is a big shot.

Seeing the confused look on the young officer's face, Richard continued to add: "Idiot, we can't move Vittorio Emanuele III, can't you think of a way to intimidate and lure other people on board?

Send orders to speed up and put pressure on them..."

……

Facts have proved that the semaphore is still not perfect, at least when it expresses a threat, its deterrent effect is not strong enough.

After confirming that the British did not dare to fire, everyone on the Fulda recovered quickly, and of course they were still a little excited.

As soon as Vittorio Emanuele III opened his mouth, everyone is aristocratic, provided that the king of Sardinia can successfully restore the country.

Anyone who lives at sea knows that wealth is found in danger.Captain Petra also appropriately exaggerated the success rate, telling everyone that the French army was at a disadvantage on the battlefield.

To save the French from defeat, the despicable British government seized Vittorio Emanuele III's.

Nothing wrong with it, just the despicable and shameless British government.Although everyone is British, there are differences between British people and British people.

Although it was a temporarily arranged ship, it was impossible for the Austrian embassy not to conduct an investigation.The Fulda was able to be selected, naturally because the crew were all Irish.

If the crew were all Englishmen with the strongest ownership of Britain, it would be another situation now.

The distance between the two sides continued to narrow, and the atmosphere on the Fulda began to become tense. Vittorio Emanuele III had to go out to appease people in person.