Chapter 18 Merchants and Pirates
“If you don’t want to die, move quickly! Throw all these ballast stones into the sea! Otherwise, those damn pirates will catch up and we will all be finished.”< br>
A middle-aged man in his fifties with a thick beard was standing on the deck yelling at the busy sailors.
It is easy to tell from the way he dresses and gives orders that he is the captain of this ship.
And the sailors who were yelled at didn't care about their captain's bad attitude.
One by one, they used all their strength to lift the heavy ballast stones from the lowest cabin, and then quickly threw them into the sea water.
Because all sailors know that the old captain is right.
If the pirates behind them catch up, with just the few people on our ship, they will all be chopped to the ground in a few minutes.
What's more, most sailors on merchant ships are just coolies and have not learned how to fight.
But unfortunately, the shape and structure of the ship determine that even if they throw down all the ballast stones, cargo and supplies, they will not be able to get past the warships specially modified for pursuit and combat. Or a pirate ship.
The distance between the two is still getting closer.
After a while, the owner of the ship, a thirty-year-old male businessman from Askatra, the capital of the northern Amn Empire, finally couldn't sit still anymore.
He put down the valuable monocular telescope in his hand, walked quickly to the old captain, and asked in a slightly trembling voice: "Bass, are we going to be finished? Those pirates will catch up after they catch up. How to do it? Kill them all? Or imprison them for ransom?"
"It depends on which pirate group they are and whether the leader is human." Si's old captain replied with a wry smile.
Gudong!
Hearing these words, the businessman immediately swallowed subconsciously: "I...I seemed to have seen orcs, hobgoblins and ogres on the pirate's deck just now."
"What? Hobgoblins and ogres" Human devil!" The old captain opened his mouth in surprise, and then started to curse through gritted teeth. "Damn it! How could we be so unlucky! That must be Bloodhand Harlet's ship! Only he can control and command those ogres with great strength and low intelligence."
"Bloody Hand Hare Wright? "
When the businessman heard this name, he couldn't help but tremble.
Because all the merchants who carry out sea transportation in the Sword Sea area will not know about this notorious pirate captain.
It is said that he was originally the son of a noble from the Kingdom of Tethyr.
Later he was exiled for unknown reasons and eventually became a brutal pirate.
But they are different from ordinary pirates who just want to plunder wealth.
In addition to plundering wealth, this guy also likes to get involved in things involving conspiracy and betrayal.
For example, accepting a commission from a certain noble or the heir of the Chamber of Commerce to intercept the target designated by the latter on the sea.
The targets are usually the client's parents, uncles, husband, wife, brothers and sisters, etc.
As long as these people disappear, the former can immediately inherit the territory, title, chamber of commerce, and an astonishing amount of inheritance.
After completing the mission, Hallet will not kill these prisoners immediately.
Instead, they will be taken back and imprisoned, and the client will be required to fulfill the rewards or promises given previously.
The high price is often almost all the savings in a noble territory, or half of the property of a certain chamber of commerce.
If the client did not intend to keep his promise, Hallett would make similar deals with the imprisoned prisoners and then help them regain what they had lost.
In retaliation, the pirate captain caught the client who broke the contract.
Order the victims of the assassination to dig out the hearts of their sons, wives, nephews or siblings with your own hands.
This is where the title "Bloody Hands" comes from.
"Bloody hands" does not mean that Hallet's hands are covered with blood, but that he can make other people's hands covered with the blood of their loved ones.
No one knows whether this almost twisted and pathological preference stems from his own bad character or his own growth experience.
But through this method, Hallet obtained huge wealth that other traditional pirates could not reach, as well as a huge intelligence network that spread throughout the cities along the coast. Even the famous Amn Shadow Thief occasionally chooses to cooperate with him.
"Mr. Bernard.
I think it would be best for us at the moment to abandon the ship and all its cargo, and escape in a small boat to the island to hide.
Although taking out those special goods and distributing them to the sailors may be able to resist for a while, defeat will only happen sooner or later.
And once the pirates suffer heavy casualties, they will definitely kill everyone in retaliation, and maybe even set fire to the ship. "
Old Captain Bass gave the suggestion with a solemn expression.
He wanted to use this method to confirm that "Bloody Hands" Hallett came for the cargo on the ship. I am still here for the son whom the owner of Roldan Chamber of Commerce relies on most.
If it is the latter...
That meant that he was involved in a power struggle within the chamber of commerce.
The businessman known as Bernard was obviously aware of this. His mind quickly flashed through several brothers and sisters who usually competed with him, trying to find someone who had the motivation and ability to do this. , finally took a deep breath and nodded: "Okay!
When the ship enters the shallow water and is about to run aground, we will row a boat directly to the island.
But there is a small problem.
In order to save costs as much as possible, the ship was not equipped with enough boats
In other words, we have to abandon some of the sailors. "
"What? Not enough boats? ”
The captain froze for an instant and subconsciously glanced at the number of small wooden boats fixed on both sides of the ship.
It turned out that except for the four boats near the bow that were often used, the remaining They are all made of rotten wood.
If this thing is thrown into the water, it will fall apart in less than a minute.
Four small boats, based on the fact that one can hold up to six to eight people, can only carry twenty-four to thirty-two people at best.
This large merchant ship employs more than sixty sailors.
Old Bass couldn't guarantee that when he announced that he could only take half of the people to escape, and the other half to stay and face the brutal pirates, the angry sailors would immediately riot.
Bernard noticed the nervousness in the captain's eyes and immediately lowered his voice and said: "We don't actually need to tell the sailors the truth. We can just secretly bring a few cronies and sit in the boat while everyone is not paying attention. Landing on the island. After all, the smaller the number of people, the easier it is for us to hide and the lower the chance of being caught."
"But doing this will destroy the credibility I have built over the years!" Si growled angrily.
Without a good reputation, it is impossible to recruit sailors who are willing to follow you to sea, let alone the trust of employers.
This is undoubtedly fatal to a captain, and even enough to ruin his life.
“At this point, what bullshit reputation are you still thinking about?
If something happens to me, do you think my father will let you and your family go?
And as long as I go back safely, you can not only stay in the Chamber of Commerce and continue to be the captain
I will also use the rights at hand to help you exchange for a larger ship and enjoy a higher share of trade profits. ”
In order to escape from the current extremely dangerous situation, Bernard also risked his life. He changed his usual gentle and amiable demeanor and used coercion and inducement.
He didn’t want to Being a prisoner of "Bloody Hand" Hallet, he didn't want to die in the hands of the vicious pirates.
After some inner struggle, the old captain finally gave in.
While the ship was in use. In the panic caused by the moment of stranding, he secretly took Bernard, the boatswain and the first mate, a total of four people, put down a small boat and paddled to the beach
By the time others noticed, it was too late.
The helpless sailors could only curse loudly while watching the chasing pirates start to join gangs and board the deck one after another with shining scimitars.
(End of this chapter)