The Fox of France

Chapter 121: The Black Pearl

Joseph had a busy schedule, so he set off later that afternoon. Napoleon, being thoughtful, even arranged for a cavalry escort from one of his regiments to accompany him. Yet, as they bid him farewell, there was an air of uncertainty, as if they were watching a paper boat being set alight.

Joseph hadn't criticized Napoleon too severely; he simply pointed out that while his intentions to protect his younger brother were admirable, his methods were flawed.

"A truly moral person demands and guides others through moral means when showing care, only the unwise resort to indulgence and leniency in expressing their affection. You, and Pauline, have both erred in this. Pauline is still a child, but Napoleon, you are not. You should reflect on your actions and avoid repeating such mistakes. As for the recent incident, the blame doesn't lie solely with you; Lecroix, whom you dispatched, performed admirably. However, you allowed personal desires to cloud your judgment concerning Lucien. You must realize that the world doesn't revolve around our personal wishes. But Napoleon, you are a clever man and excel in many aspects. I believe you can understand this lesson."

As a result, both Napoleon and Pauline were let off lightly, while poor Lucien was not only ordered to complete a 5,000-word self-critique but was also assigned a mountain of extra work. He was still busy rewriting his self-critique when Joseph departed, following Joseph's instructions to have Napoleon receive it in an official manner once it was completed.

Back at the research facility, Joseph immersed himself once more in his work. Time swiftly passed, and the first hastily constructed smuggling ship was finally ready.

It was a makeshift vessel, and its imperfections were evident in many areas. But considering its sole purpose was to test technical specifications, there weren't many stringent requirements.

Nonetheless, even for a vessel of this nature, a secret launching ceremony was in order.

One morning, the small ship, painted in a dark gray color, gently slid into a small bay along a buttered wooden slide. It stirred up some white foamy waves in the calm bay.

"This ship must be very fast, faster than any ship we've ever seen," commented a slender naval captain, gazing at the white splashes.

"Captain Sparrow, are you sure about that?" Joseph inquired while observing.

"The splashes during the launch were minimal, much less than other ships of similar size," Captain Sparrow replied.

At this point, the freshly launched ship had stabilized. Captain Sparrow informed Joseph, "General, we must test this ship now. Please allow me to depart temporarily."

"Wish you a smooth voyage," Joseph said.

Captain Sparrow led a group of sailors onto two small boats and rowed toward the new ship.

Captain Sparrow had originally been the bosun on the naval escort ship "Tirena" during the revolutionary era. He had led soldiers in preventing a mutiny by the ship's captain, Lebron, earning the trust of the revolutionary government. Subsequently, he was appointed to command a smuggling ship, responsible for smuggling various critical strategic resources between France and Spain.

During these operations, he had evaded British and Spanish warships multiple times. In an encounter with a Spanish cruiser, he had lured the Spaniards into a reef area, causing severe damage to their cruiser. In Richet's words, "No smuggling ship captain is more reliable and capable than Sparrow."

Typically, small ships of around 200 tons had only one mast, and the mast's height was relatively limited. In addition, a forward slanting mast was used for triangular sails. These were the mainstay of smuggling ships. They had shallow drafts, operated along the coast, and could reach places where larger vessels couldn't. If the captain was familiar with the local waters, they could use reefs and shallow banks to evade enemy warships. They were agile in turning and excelled at sailing against the wind. Sometimes, even when facing enemy warships in open water, they could seize the windward position, then use their windward advantage to escape.

However, this ship was different. Due to its larger length-to-width ratio, it could accommodate two masts. Coupled with its deep V-shaped hull and low freeboard structure, this ship's two masts were slightly higher than those of typical vessels of the same tonnage.

The sailors quickly hoisted the triangular sails between the main mast and the slanting mast. These gray-black sails, like the ship itself, unfurled gently in the morning breeze, carrying the ship out into the open sea. The sailors then unfurled the sails on the two main masts and set the ship on a course against the wind.

Sailing vessels using these sails could exploit the Bernoulli effect, enabling them to sail against the wind in a zigzag pattern. Even from Joseph's vantage point, it was clear that the ship had rapidly accelerated within a short period.

Joseph watched as the length of rope used to measure the ship's speed was rapidly pulled into the sea.

Next, they retracted the sails on the main masts and began turning the ship using the triangular sail at the bow. The ship drew a large circle on the sea, turning with the wind.

By now, the sailors had retrieved the ropes used to measure speed, which had all been pulled into the sea within a short time. Then they unfurled the sails again, increasing their speed when sailing with the wind. Even from Joseph's viewpoint, it was apparent that the ship was even faster when sailing downwind.

"It's almost like flying," exclaimed Bernard, the shipbuilding engineer. "I believe it's going at more than ten knots! Anyone up for a bet?"

Laughter echoed from nearby, and someone retorted, "Bernard, isn't it obvious? What's there to bet on? I'd say it's doing at least twelve knots. Bet or not?"

"No bet," Bernard responded without hesitation. "It's still accelerating. I'm certain it's more than twelve knots now."

By now, the ship had covered a significant distance. From afar, the gray-black hull, gray-black sails, and the sea and sky blended into a blue-gray mosaic.

This was the very reason Joseph insisted on painting the ship in this color. Compared to the stark white sails of military vessels, this ship was inconspicuous. Even in good lighting conditions, it would be challenging to spot from a distance. In dim mornings or evenings, it might slip by unnoticed. For smuggling ships, this was crucial.

When the ship's speed test with the wind was completed, they retracted the sails and turned the ship around. It returned to the bay.

In the bay, the ship retracted its main sails and triangular sails, relying solely on a small triangular sail at the bow to approach the dock. The ship's docking appeared somewhat clumsy, taking much time to complete.

Once the ship was securely docked, Captain Sparrow led the way as they went to welcome the crew.

"How was it?" Joseph asked first.

"The ship is incredibly fast, particularly against the wind. It reached a remarkable nine knots, faster than most cruisers sailing with the wind. When sailing downwind, it reached a top speed of thirteen knots. I think it could go even faster; I'm still not completely familiar with this ship."

"In any case, even at this speed, it's already the fastest ship in the world, isn't it?" someone remarked.

"That's right, at this speed, no warship can catch it," Captain Sparrow replied.

"Excellent. Apart from speed, what are the other characteristics?" Joseph inquired.

"Other characteristics? Well, when it slows down, it's quite clumsy and challenging to maneuver. It feels like I'm controlling a first-rate battleship when turning this small ship. Even a first-rate battleship is more agile at low speeds. But once it unfurls its main sails, it's like a racehorse. So, I suggest not getting too close to the shore or smuggling docks while in operation. It should stay offshore, using skiffs to transfer cargo. It will be much safer that way."

Captain Sparrow paused for a moment and added, "We expected the ship's seaworthiness to be subpar. But based on the recent experience, it appears better than we anticipated. The ship sways quickly, but the amplitude isn't significant. I even think that for use in the Mediterranean, we could raise the masts a bit higher. This way, we could potentially achieve even greater speed."

"This speed is sufficient. Raising the masts further to increase speed has limited practical value," Joseph replied. "It's better to retain some redundancy."

In history, flying clippers were predominantly used on routes from North America to Europe. These vessels could brave the rough winds and high waves of the Atlantic Ocean, and their seaworthiness was not bad. However, due to their high frequency of rocking and the significant waves on deck, they were extremely uncomfortable. Even for slave transportation, they were not the vessel of choice, as the high death rate among the slaves resulted in diminished profits.

"Well, the sea trial of this ship can be considered a success. We should give it a name. Captain Sparrow, as the first captain of this ship, you should be the one to name it," Joseph suggested.

Captain Sparrow gazed at the dark gray vessel and thought for a moment. "This ship is entirely black. How about we call it the 'Black Pearl'?"

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!