Unlike what Lin Wanwan saw in the film and television materials, the water bandits did not burn, kill, and loot as soon as they arrived.
Under the moonlight, I saw two ships coming from the tributary, approaching menacingly, and signaled, asking them to lower the sails and stop the ship.
Even though Lin Wanwan's fleet has more and bigger ships than the other's, the other's ships look like warships at first glance. They are small and nimble. If there is a fight, the more and bigger one's own fleet is, the easier it is to become a target for rockets and arrows.
Moreover, the other party's ship was filled with fully armed sailors, and most of them here were landlubbers.
Among the armed troops Lin Wanwan recruited from Guanzhong, only a few could swim. Not long after the ship sailed, half of them became seasick.
In addition to the armed troops, they are women and children. Xiao Yixun's maid has some strength, but she has very little strength left due to seasickness.
Fortunately, Lin Wanwan hired a escort ship in Luoyang before setting off. The escorts who escorted escorts at sea were also experienced sailors, with both strength and water skills.
Another good news is that the other party came here for money and did not start a water war immediately. It was obvious that they were mainly seeking money and gave Lin Wanwan's fleet the opportunity to pay money to protect the people.
On the boat with the most people in the escort team, several lights soon came on, and then Lin Wanwan saw a person standing in the center of the lights, holding a flag in his hand and signaling.
Lin Wanwan asked the escort accompanying her on the boat: "What is this expressing?"
"Go back to my wife, I'm discussing with the other party how to pay for the trip."
Lin Wanwan was a little surprised. Did the escort team plan to spend the money to buy the way?
But after thinking about it carefully, she understood that the escort team that dared to travel thousands of miles would naturally be prepared for such expenditure.
Lin Wanwan was sure that the bandits and thieves along the way must have been given a lot of money by the escort team that traveled all year round.
For escorts, it is better to solve the problem with money than to fight with life. Anyway, the wool comes from the sheep.
For bandits who generally block roads and rob, getting money is the key, and it is not worth fighting against an escort with a certain force value.
So usually, when you encounter robbers, you can solve the problem through negotiation.
Lin Wanwan saw a signal communication, and each side sent a sampan to the river, and they soon met.
Obviously, the people on the two sampans are their respective negotiators.
Lin Wanwan had a sleeve crossbow tied to her arm, ready to go. She also held the pistol in her hand, turned off the safety, and was ready to fire at any time.
She won't put all her hopes on others, and she must be prepared for close combat.
More and more servants and servants have gathered around her, and those who are not so seasick are coming over.
Lin Wanwan's main ship is guarded in the center of the fleet, with guards at the front and rear. If there is a fight, her ship will obviously be relatively safe.
Although the water bandit's boat was still about ten feet away from Lin Wanwan's fleet, if it launched an attack at full speed, it would only take an instant for it to get closer.
If she could spend money to settle the matter, Lin Wanwan would naturally be more willing to spend money to settle it. Anyway, she was extremely wealthy in the Tang Dynasty, so she didn't feel so bad about spending some pepper glass.
In the Tang Dynasty, pepper and silk could be used directly as money, and there was no need to cash it out first. It was much more convenient than in modern times. In modern times, antiques and gold and silver treasures are not recognized as money. You have to go through a lot of trouble to cash out the good things you have.
Not long after, Lin Wanwan saw the two sampans separate. It was obvious that the negotiation was over and it was time to pay for the road.
Lin Wanwan watched the sampan sail directly towards her main ship. Was he going to report to her and ask her to make a decision? Or was he asking her to pay for the way?
No matter what it was, Lin Wanwan felt that she could accept it. Of course, it would be better if the money for buying the trip was directly included in the escort fee for the escort team.
Soon the sampan docked and the people on it were pulled up by Lin Wanwan's people.
The escort quickly came over to Lin Wanwan, saluted and said straight to the point: "Madam, I have just negotiated the toll with the other party, but..."
Seeing that the person who came was a little hesitant, Lin Wanwan said unhappily: "Just what? You tell me."
"It's just that the other party not only wants money, but also people." The escort replied with a shameful face, "They want us to send a few good-looking maids over after we pay the money."
As soon as these words came out, the pretty maids around Lin Wanwan felt their hearts sink and became a little panicked.
Everyone is afraid that they will be handed over by their master.
This kind of thing is nothing unusual. For the nobles of the Tang Dynasty, slaves were not human beings, but assets. Even the law directly stipulated that "slaves are better than livestock products" and could be bought and sold.
However, Lin Wanwan is a modern person!
Although she now has more and more slaves in her family, she has never regarded the people who serve her as goods.
She only regards everyone as employees and nannies. She can accept spending money to eliminate disasters, but she can never accept giving people away to buy a way out.
The water bandit wants a maid with a pretty face. Need we say more about what this means?
It is completely obvious what will happen to the maid who is handed over.
"Impossible!" Lin Wanwan flatly refused, "Tell them that I can pay a little more ransom. It's okay to ask for money, but not for people!"
"Madam, there are actually just a few maids. After crossing this waterway, we can go to the tooth shop to buy some." As natives of the Tang Dynasty, the people in the escort team did not care much about the lives of the maids.
Lin Wanwan sneered and said: "Since it is so easy to buy slaves, they can just go to the tooth shop to buy them after taking the money. But they can't ask for slaves from me!"
"this--"
"Okay! No need to say more, I have made up my mind!" Lin Wanwan interrupted the visitor coldly, and said decisively in a tone with no room for change, "If you want money, you can, but if you don't want someone, just say so. Before you go,
Let your escort team be prepared for a tough battle!"
The visitor's lips moved, but he didn't say what he wanted to say, so he bowed and said "here".
Then he retreated, climbed onto the sampan again, and headed towards the boat where the bulk of his escort team was.
The group of maids surrounding Lin Wanwan couldn't help but burst into tears when they heard that Lin Wanwan categorically refused the request to hand them over.
At this time, Ji Yue and Yun Cai came out of the crowd, suddenly knelt down towards Lin Wanwan, kowtowed and said: "Madam, I am willing to pave the way for your safety, please hand me over."
With these two beginnings, some of the maids responded and expressed their willingness to devote themselves.
If the master treats others as dogs, the people will behave like dogs; if they treat others as the country's nobles, the people will also strive for the country's nobles.
Lin Wanwan protects them, and they are naturally willing to do everything for her.
When encountering water bandits, if they really want to fight, who can guarantee that the master will not be injured if the sword has no eyes?