16

This sounded so horrifying that for a while no one dared to touch the small fleet of three or four boats.

As a result, there was a sudden chaos in the east. The Qingfeng Gang, which had been operating on the Wo Island, suddenly went crazy and turned around to attack them. The boss was gnashing his teeth in hatred, but he had to dispatch troops to guard against the "Chen Sandao" fleet. There were fewer people guarding the Hepu direction, and he was reluctant to give up the big ship. It would be better to go ashore and rob a village.

He had originally planned to muddle through, but he didn't expect that two days ago he would suddenly receive an order asking him to stop a fleet of ships, all of which were grain transport ships, including one large ship and three small ones.

God knows what's wrong with the leader, but he can't hide from the mission, so he has to bring his men to patrol the sea. The sea is so vast, he needs to send out several small boats to search, and who knows where he might encounter it?

"Let me tell you, we should split up and pick some large fleets and take one or two of them. If we keep waiting like this, we won't even have soup to drink. Who knows if we can run into the grain ship?" The man refused to give up and kept persuading Baba.

This is also the truth. Only by robbing wealth can we fill our stomachs and have gold and silver to spend. If we can drag the people and the boat back, the boss will also give us other rewards.

This is the most profitable business besides landing and looting. Who doesn’t want to make a fortune?

Thinking of this, the other party gritted his teeth and said, "Well, let's form a team of four or five boats and spread out to search. If we encounter a fleet, we will surround it and try our luck."

Fleets that are made up of several companies and have ships of different sizes often have the habit of cutting off their tails to survive.

If they are attacked, they will probably abandon one or two boats and run away. If they take four or five boats with them, will they still be able to eat?

"Okay!" "I'll do whatever the boss says!" "When you have money, go sleep with me!"

The pirates all started to make a fuss. Why would they go out to sea if they didn't rob people? Of course they had to do something big!

The original fleet of more than ten boats was divided into three groups on the spot, and each of them went out to plunder.

The young leader remembered his duty and personally led five boats to guard the area, hoping to wait for the grain fleet to arrive. His efforts paid off, and after drifting at sea for another two days, a sharp-eyed man called out, "Boss, there's a fleet over there! Is that the one we're waiting for?"

A group of people gathered around and were delighted when they saw it. "Four boats are great, one large and three small. They have a good draft, so they must be transporting grain!"

The leader was more cautious, squinting his eyes for a long moment before stroking his chin. "We've finally run into them! They're the boss's target, so there's definitely a reward for stopping them! Blow the horn, and we'll surround them!"

This was what they were waiting for. The horn blared immediately, and the fleet turned and rushed towards the small fleet. They didn't care about formations, they could just rush in and tear the enemy apart.

How could a grain ship with such a deep draft escape? All the pirates shouted, one louder than the other, louder than a horn, long swords wielded wildly, murderous intent overflowing.

The leader also grasped his knife, staring intently at the merchant ship. "Why don't you turn around now? If they charge, they'll scatter!" Haha, is this a small supply ship worth the boss's fuss? He could easily devour a few ships!

Unexpectedly, at this moment, a drumbeat could be heard. I didn't know how big the drum was, but the "dong dong" sound was like muffled summer thunder, growing stronger and stronger. The beating sound was also a bit strange, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, like waves on the sea, rising and falling continuously.

With the sound of drums, the opposing fleet changed. The large ship led the way, and the fleet now formed a V-shape. Three small boats were not too far away and formed a formation around the large ship.

The little leader's heart tightened. Oh no, this is a prepared situation! In the previous formation, there was a possibility that a ship could be separated from the team, but now it has become a small boat as a wall, and the big ship as the support.

If they rushed forward, no matter which ship they hit, the large ship in the middle would be able to retaliate quickly. But if they attacked them one by one, they didn't have a large two-masted ship, so they would be beaten down, right?

What kind of fleet was this, capable of changing formations at sea with the sound of drums? Were there no officers or soldiers to support them? Could it be that the leader wasn't after the grain ships, but the people aboard? The thought of this made the little leader's hair stand on end, and a wave of regret washed over him.

He shouldn't have divided his forces. Now everyone has dispersed to grab food. Can his five small boats really stop them? He still remembers the scene of the government troops crisscrossing the sea two years ago.

The cannons smashed out columns of water, the huge sails were burned into trees of fire, the shouts and cries of killing were deafening, and even the Changjing Gang, which was galloping across the South China Sea, had to retreat.

Could it be that he encountered such a hard point?

"Stop! Stop! Stop blowing the horn!" Seeing the fleet rushing towards them without giving in, the little leader hurriedly stopped the horn blower and said, "There's something strange about this fleet. Let's go around it first!"

Suddenly called to a halt, the buglers dared not blow again, and the fierce charge was instantly dispelled. The helmsmen of several boats shouted, "Captain, are we stopping? Why did you stop?"

"Can't I stop and take a look?" The little leader looked towards the other side's deck with a dark face.

At this moment, the distance between the two sides was not far, and those with good eyesight could see the people standing on the deck clearly.

All the leader saw were rows of men, spears clutched, standing against the side of the ship. Too far away to discern their expressions, the stern silence and the gleaming blades terrified him even more. Even the drumbeat had changed: "boom," "boom," "boom," pause after pause, like the rumbling footsteps of a marching army.

"Damn it! Why aren't they stopping? Are they really planning to attack us?" The leader was frightened. This wasn't a large fleet. Just four ships, carrying grain, and they dared to pursue them relentlessly?

However, despite thinking so, he did not let the boat continue to move forward. Instead, he shouted loudly: "They have a deep draft and can't run fast. Let's retreat first and wait until we have enough people!"

As he spoke, he took the helm himself and made a quick turn. The pirate ship changed direction like a seabird skimming over the sea.

Not everyone could see through the leader's mind, but the opponent's tight formation and deafening drumbeats undoubtedly brought tremendous pressure.

Now that the horns had stopped blowing and their leader had fled, what were they still standing there for? They had to run for their lives! Without even a moment's pause, the band of thieves hoisted their sails and quickly fled the scene.

"You can stop beating the drums now." Cheng Xi looked at the pirate ships sailing away and waved his hand, "Notify the lookout tower to change the flag signals and restore the original formation."

Her tone was calm, without any emotion, but the people standing beside her were so excited that they were speechless.

Lin Hu couldn't help but ask, "My benefactor, have we scared the thieves away?"

They didn't even touch the side of the ship, and the enemy was scared away by just the sound of drums. Are these still the evil bandits who occupied the big island?

Cheng Xi shook his head: "These people only come for money. If they find that they have no chance of winning, they will naturally retreat."

These pirates, who lacked organization and discipline, were never used to fighting against the wind, and it was normal for them to run away when faced with unfavorable situations.

What scared them away was not just the sound of the drums, but the fleet's ability to change formation in response to the sound of the drums.

This is the navy's combat mode, and they have practiced countless times to achieve such an orderly operation. Such a fleet has stronger defense capabilities and greater deterrence when facing the enemy.

Despite this, Cheng Xi did not let down his guard: "This group of people is coming with great force, and they may have a trick up their sleeve. Our fleet needs to change course to avoid them."

It is better to be safe than sorry. The grain transport ship is slow, so it is better to be cautious.

This order was quickly conveyed via flag signals. Who would dare not obey at this moment? Not only the crew on the flagship, but also the crews on the three small boats quickly carried out the order.

Li Niu's face flushed with excitement. "I've never seen a pirate ship scared away! That guy is really capable!"

"Captain, let's find more people to train after we go back!" Someone immediately agreed.

Only those who have experienced training firsthand know how important it is. They all make a living by the sea, so of course they hope to have more capable fighters.

"Of course!" Li Niu laughed. "We can't fall behind. We need to send more capable people to the big ships in the future!"

Was there more than one person who had this thought? The three captains of the three ships involuntarily cast their eyes towards the large ship ahead. On the deck, towering over them, that figure stood tall, like a sword unsheathed, deeply imprinted in their minds.

On the other side, the pirate ship fled a long way before stopping, and everyone on the ship was confused.

Someone couldn't help but ask, "Boss, are we just going to let that fleet go? They can't run fast anyway, so why don't we gather our forces and fight them again?"

Anyway, the grain transport ship is slow, so we can send people to follow it first. When more than ten ships gather together, we can surround them. What can't be taken down?

This was true, but the little leader had a gloomy expression and did not respond for a long time.

Can you win with more ships? What if the enemy ships have firearms? And even if you can win, how much will it cost? What if you work so hard to win, but the losses are too great, and the boss turns against you?

After a long moment, he coughed and said, "Who said that was the grain transport ship the boss was looking for? How could an ordinary grain transport ship have such momentum? It's just a few ships. There's no need to bother anymore. Let's keep looking. A small fleet of three or four ships is not a big deal on the sea, right?"

What did that mean? Did they just find the wrong person, so they retreated? But after thinking about it, the men felt it made sense. Whose grain transport ship could be so well-trained, like the officers and soldiers? No one wanted to bite the bullet, so they just ignored it.

However, one of his confidants thought more deeply and whispered, "Boss, what if that really is the fleet that the boss wants, and we let it go? Wouldn't that be troublesome..."

The small chief snorted, "Isn't Chen Sandao enough of a headache for the big boss? Let's just forget about it. At worst, we can just pull up the flag and leave, go ashore and rob a few things, and we'll still have enough to eat and drink!"

The Qingfeng Gang is about to go crazy, and the future of Luoling Island is uncertain. Rather than going down this path to the end, it is better to leave some people behind so that we can escape with confidence when the time comes!

After hearing this, the others stopped talking nonsense. The pirate ship hoisted its sails again and sailed on the sea.

Perhaps the change of course worked, or perhaps the pirates encountered other prey and had no time to spare, the fleet had a smooth journey and returned smoothly to the port in Xiaziwo.

Once we were off the boat, we had to deal with the piles of grain. Two thousand dan was about 120 tons, and even if it was hulled grain, it was still a significant amount.

"The late harvest hasn't been collected yet, so we have to sell it as soon as possible!" Lin Meng was the one who handled the previous batch of grain, so he naturally knew the price of grain very well and immediately suggested.

"How long will it take to sell so much grain? If we delay it until the rice harvest, the price will drop. Maybe we can find a grain merchant and sell it to him at the purchase price?" Sun Erlang hesitated.

His concerns were not unreasonable. After all, the round trip took too much time. Now there were only a few days left before the late harvest. It would be difficult for him to sell so much grain by himself. It would be safer to find a grain merchant to take over the goods.

It doesn’t matter if the price is a little lower. Anyway, their purchase price is low enough, so they can at least make double the profit.

Li Niu was anxious when he heard this. "We worked so hard to get it back, how can we sell it at a discount? Besides, merchants are cunning. If they buy you some time, you'll lose money! Let me tell you, let's follow Brother Lin's idea and sell it ourselves. Even if the new rice comes in, there's no need to panic. Rice is a durable commodity, and with the poor harvest this year, there's no need to worry about not having a market!"

The two people had different opinions, which made Lin Meng a little undecided. He couldn't help but look at Cheng Xi who was standing aside.

Cheng Xi naturally considered how to deal with this batch of grain. Money is secondary, the key is profit distribution and restructuring.

Glancing at the three of them, she said, "Since we all brought the grain back together, why don't we discuss how to divide it? Each family will contribute a share of the capital, and the profits should be divided equally. I don't want the two-part profit. From now on, the money from selling the grain will be divided into four equal parts. Each of you three families will get one share, and I'll have one share, okay?"

Originally, each family had to give Fu Bo a 2% profit, but now it is divided into four equal parts, which means it becomes 25%. It seems that it is half a percentage point higher, but the price of grain was also cut down by her. Not only did she not take advantage of him, but she even gave him some profit.

Sun Erlang and Li Niu looked at each other and nodded in unison. Lin Meng had no objection either.

Seeing everyone agreed, Cheng Xi said, "This way, no matter how the grain is sold or who sells it, we will all profit. In this case, why not divide the work and cooperate? Ah Meng and Brother Li will each take a batch of grain and sell it in the coastal villages, setting the price at around seven coins. Mainly barter, try to exchange as much as possible for seafood. Remember, only sell along the coast, don't go too far inland, and don't deal with villages with wealthy gentry. If anyone asks, say it's a fleet transporting grain, and don't reveal any information about your village."

Everyone nodded in agreement after hearing this. Although seven cents was lower than the current market price, the grain harvest was imminent, and the fluctuation of the grain itself had to be taken into account.

Their purchase price is low, so they can make enough profit whether transporting by sea or by land.

Due to the poor harvest this year, the price of grain may not be cheap, but for fishermen who do not grow grain, it is already a very good price.

As for the following instructions, they were a life-saving measure. The coastal villages weren't a big deal, as they were all more or less involved in maritime trade and smuggling. But heading towards the county town, that wasn't necessarily the case. If the authorities knew they were engaging in this kind of business, they might get into trouble.

Only Li Niu muttered, "What about the fleet's owner? Is his surname Cheng?"

There was a hint of resentment in these words. Cheng Xi looked at them calmly and asked, "Brother Li, do you think this is not possible?"