The three merchant ships lined up like snakes. The first merchant ship noticed something strange on the sea. Naturally, the other two merchant ships also noticed it. However, they did not know the details of each other for a while and did not act rashly. When they heard the horn sound from ahead,
The sailors on the three ships reacted immediately and ran to the bottom to get weapons.
The total number of sailors on the three ships is more than a hundred, and sailors traveling by sea are no easier than escorts traveling by land. After all, if you are unlucky, it is not impossible to meet pirates at sea.
The escorts in the escort agency practice hard on weekdays, and the sailors at sea will naturally not be lazy. They will practice martial arts when they are free. If you can practice martial arts well, once you encounter a seaport at sea, you can kill thieves and make meritorious deeds when you enter, and you can save your life if you retreat.
itself.
There are even a few veterans who have retired from the Imperial Navy.
Because of this, the wages of these sailors are not low, so the cost of shipping is extremely high.
As soon as the horn sounded, the sailors on the two boats behind were immediately sure that the sudden appearance of the boat was from an evil party, and no one panicked. The merchants were all called to the cabin to take shelter, while the sailors collected their weapons and then dispersed.
On both sides of the ship's side.
Each ship has nearly forty people and a ship owner. The ship owner can not only pilot the ship, but also has the authority and responsibility to lead all sailors on the ship to deal with danger when encountering danger.
It was already dusk, and the sky and the earth were covered in gray. The two approaching ships were like two wings, but they were pinched in between like pliers.
Boss Qiao stood on the side of the ship. When the two groups of ships gradually approached, his expression became even more solemn.
The other party has at least thirteen or four ships in total, and each ship can accommodate at least forty or fifty people. If these dozens of pirate ships are full, the other party will have at least four to five hundred people. A sea of this size
Kou, his strength is already extremely strong.
The cargo ship knew that it was impossible to escape at this time. Although the opponent's ship was not big, it was not slow. It was really easy to chase the cargo ship.
It has been three days since we set out from Hangzhou Bay, far away from the coast. Although the Jiangnan Navy also has a small number of warships, it is impossible to reach the sea three days away from the coast at this time. At this time, it can be said that there is no village or shop behind, and it is almost impossible.
There are reinforcements.
Boss Qiao naturally knows the methods of pirates.
If pirates want to attack a cargo ship, they will never act rashly.
They will send spies to find out the status of the cargo ship at the departure point, and find out the type and quantity of the cargo on the cargo ship. In addition, they will find out how many people are on the ship and how many can fight. Then after the cargo ship goes to sea, they will send one or two
The ship followed them from a distance, neither letting the cargo ship discover their traces nor losing the cargo ship. During this period, other pirates would set out. When they were sure they could strike, they would suddenly appear when they reached a suitable sea area.
This kind of routine is the pirate's most proficient hunting method.
However, the sea has been very calm these years, and there are very few pirates. Even if there is a small group of pirates, they will only look for lone cargo ships. This time, the Northeast cargo merchants hired three cargo ships, and there were hundreds of people available to fight. Usually,
Under such circumstances, Haikou would never dare to attack such a maritime caravan.
Boss Qiao has been traveling at sea for many years, and is actually familiar with several groups of pirates. He gives some gifts during the holidays, but when those pirates see the flag, they stay away.
But there is still such a powerful group of pirates, which really surprised Boss Qiao.
"Boss, they are flying the python flag." Someone next to Boss Qiao whispered: "I haven't heard of this group of people at sea?"
The pirates had their own ships, and naturally they also had their own flags.
Boss Qiao didn't speak, he just put his hands on the side of the boat with a solemn expression.
More than a dozen pirate ships were already approaching. Although the sky was dark, standing on the side of the ship, one could clearly see the pirates on the other side's ship.
The sailors were horrified when they saw the crowds of people on the pirate ship.
There are seven boats in the group opposite, one in front and the other six in a fan-shaped formation behind. Looking at their posture, they are ready to approach at any time.
Many pirates have iron hooks in their hands. It is the most commonly used tool by pirates. Once they approach a merchant ship, they will throw the hook to hook the side of the merchant ship, and then they can quickly pull them closer. As long as the two ships are close, the pirates will jump directly.
Board a merchant ship.
"I'm Qiao Siluo, the subordinate of Mr. Jiang of Hushentang!" Boss Qiao raised his hands to the other side and said loudly: "Don't dare to ask who is the boss?"
However, they saw a man wearing a black cloak appear on the bow of the leading pirate ship. He was tall and mighty, but he had a bronze mask on his face. He looked like a ferocious evil ghost and could not see his face. And his men arrived.
They all have their faces covered, except for their eyes.
Qiao Siluo knew the rules of pirates. If the other party covered his face, he was just asking for money. As long as the merchant ship did not resist, the pirates would not kill innocent people indiscriminately.
The most feared thing is that the pirates show their faces directly. When this happens, the goods are often robbed and the people on the merchant ship cannot survive.
"Brothers have been in a tight situation recently." The bronze masked man's voice was also unusually loud, and he said to this side: "Boss Qiao, I know it's not easy for you, using people's money to do things for others, but this time even if the brothers owe you a favor,
As long as Boss Qiao is willing to be friends with us, we will visit him personally to say thank you in the future."
Qiao Siluo remained calm in the face of danger and said with a smile: "Since we are all from the martial arts world, I will tell you what I have to say. Uncle Jiang has ordered that there can be no mistakes in this transaction, otherwise the reputation of Tiger God Hall will be lost in the future."
I can't wander around in the world." He raised his hand and said, "It's fate that I meet you all this time. I have to pay for the wine. The boss will give me a price. Brother, I will try my best to raise money. Even if I don't have enough money, I will go back to Hangzhou and report to Jiang.
Uncle, Uncle Jiang will definitely not miss out on the wine and mercury of the brothers."
"Happy!" The masked man said with a smile: "Boss Qiao is a sensible person. However, I have many brothers and a big appetite, so I need to take more care of you." He raised his hand and said, "These three ships and the cargo on board
, treat it like a brother borrowing from you, and when you become prosperous in the future, you will definitely pay back double the amount."
Qiao Siluo smiled and said: "The master wants to take away the ship and the goods?"
"Not to mention the goods on the three ships, the merchants plus sailors and handymen, the total number is one hundred and seventy-six, which should be correct." The masked man said: "My ship is not as comfortable as my brother's merchant ship, but it is only one
It will definitely be no problem for the boat to carry 40 or 50 people. If my brother agrees, I will free up four boats for you. How about you lead everyone on the merchant ship to change boats and turn around and go back to Hangzhou? "
Qiao Siluo's heart trembled, and he knew that his guess was not wrong. This group of people knew the details of his side very well, and knew that this time was a disaster, but he still looked up and laughed: "The boss's asking price is higher than the price.
The sky is still open, this is not about the ship or cargo, but about the lives of Qiao and Hushentang. If I hand over the ship and cargo to the boss, I will definitely die when I go back, and the brothers who follow me will lose their livelihood.
Uncle Chiang of Hushentang is very righteous and has been helping merchants run ships for more than ten years. He has supported hundreds of mouths. Everyone points to the name of Hushentang to earn a living. If this time the business is discounted and he returns empty-handed,
The Tiger God Hall will naturally be delisted. From now on, there will be no food for hundreds of mouths."
"Three hundred and sixty, and you will be the number one scholar." The masked man also smiled and said: "If you don't run a boat, you can do other jobs. There are many capable people in Hushen Hall, so you can naturally find other ways out."
Someone next to Qiao Siluo said angrily: "You said you would find another way out? Do you really think that the brothers of Tiger God Hall are afraid of you? No matter what, there is no way to survive. Let's fight hard and die together!"
The masked man sighed: "You only have one life. It's really not worth it to risk your life here just to protect some goods."
"Although you only have one life, what we people do is business on the edge of the knife." Qiao Siluo said calmly: "It is a matter of loyalty to someone who has been entrusted by others. Since we accept this business and do not send it to the destination, we will
We have no shame in hanging around. Your Majesty, our lives are worthless. If you really want to bully others too much, we can only fight to the death. As the saying goes, if you kill ten thousand enemies, you will lose three thousand. Since you have inquired about us in advance
You should know the details. I have hundreds of brothers who are willing to risk their lives. If a fight breaks out, I'm afraid your brothers will also lose a lot."
The masked person said: "If we fight with our lives, both sides will lose."
"So there is no need for the boss to let his brothers die here for a little cargo." Qiao Siluo said: "Since it is an offer, there must be room for bargaining. The boss should not be too open-minded. I mean, the ship and the goods
We definitely can't hand it over, but we can discuss the wine and mercury. Even if our trip is in vain this time and we even suffer some losses, as long as the boss and your brothers are satisfied, we can be considered friends."
The masked man shook his head and sighed: "The value of these three ships of goods is hundreds of thousands of taels of silver at least. You can't give me this price." He looked up at the sky, hesitated, and then said: "People die for wealth, and birds die for food."
"Since I came out with my brothers this time, I won't give up halfway." He raised his hand and made a gesture, and a horn sounded immediately on the pirate ship, and then everyone on the merchant ship saw seven pirate ships.
Many archers walked to the bow of the ship, bent their bows and arrows, and aimed at the merchant ship.
Boss Qiao and the sailors were all shocked.
Although pirates at sea are fierce, they rarely use bows and arrows. Firstly, it is very difficult to make bows and arrows at sea. Even if they land to buy them secretly, the Tang Dynasty implemented the Sword Hunting Order, which strictly prohibited the circulation of weapons, bows and arrows among the people. Pirates were also very difficult to make bows and arrows.
It is difficult to find a seller. Secondly, it is not easy to train an archer. Even for officers and soldiers, there are not many archers who are good at bows and arrows. In the army, excellent archers are better than ordinary soldiers in terms of status and treatment.
It is much higher, and the sea pirates naturally have no spare time to train excellent archers.
But now the pirates have quite a lot of archers.
What surprised Boss Qiao even more was that he could see clearly that when the archers bent their bows and set arrows, the front ends of the arrows were not sharp arrow clusters, but wrapped in a mass of black stuff. Something was obviously wrong.