The fleet moved forward at a moderate pace. Standing on the deck, one could see many ships in front and behind. Almost every lantern represented a merchant ship. The fact that there were so many moving lanterns in front and behind was enough to prove that this river was busy with transportation. Even at night, there were countless merchant ships busy transporting goods.
It was no exaggeration to say that this tributary of the Wenshui was the commercial lifeline of many of the counties on this road. If this commercial lifeline was severed, it would be a major blow to these counties, severely affecting their economies.
The officials of the various counties along the way naturally understood this logic. Thus, they spared no effort in maintaining the normal operation of this trade route. Every county was responsible for their own section of the route. Usually, they would send bailiffs to patrol during the day and night to prevent pirates from robbing merchant ships. Even if they couldn't completely eliminate it, it would be good to reduce it as much as possible. After all, if the pirate activities were too rampant, no merchant would dare to transport goods back and forth. Without commerce, the county would lose its liveliness and the citizens would have no motivation to create more wealth.
"Boatman, the ship in front has more than one lantern. Why do you have so many?"
The merchant ships Li An had encountered along the way had only one large red lantern hanging on each of them. This was to prevent the opposite ship from crashing into them. Every merchant ship had to abide by this rule. However, the ship in front of him had three to five lanterns hanging on it, which made it stand out from the rest. At the very least, it was clearer from a distance.
The boatman said, "Assistant Minister Li may not know, but the ship in front of us is the patrol ship of Xipu County. There are bailiffs on it. This waterway is not safe. With these bailiffs, the pirates will restrain themselves and we will be able to travel more safely on the water."
Judging from the boatman's expression, he seemed to be rather fearful of the pirates. Perhaps he had suffered greatly at the hands of the pirates before and was deeply afraid of them.
"Do all pirates rob at night? I don't think I've seen any bailiffs patrol ships during the day. "
Ang Lee asked.
In fact, during the day, Ang Lee had slept in the cabin for a while and had not been standing on the deck to enjoy the scenery. Therefore, Ang Lee was not very sure whether there were any patrol ships during the day.
"Yes. At least ninety percent of the time, pirates choose to attack at night. There are very few robberies during the day. Naturally, bailiffs patrol more at night and occasionally during the day."
The boatman said.
This was also very easy to understand. During the day, the pirates rarely robbed, or it could be said that they basically didn't rob. Naturally, the bailiffs didn't have much of a need to patrol. Occasionally, they would appear and intimidate the pirates. At night, the pirates would rob more frequently, so it was understandable that the bailiffs would increase their patrols at night. The bailiffs naturally had to follow the pirates. When the pirates appeared more frequently, the bailiffs would increase their patrols at that time and place.
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Generally, pirates were desperadoes who didn't care about their lives. That was why they embarked on this path of no return. Those who embarked on this path were definitely more ferocious. Generally, weak people wouldn't embark on this path. Many of the bailiffs were just there to earn a living. If they really fought, unless they had the advantage of military strength and weapons, it would be very difficult to gain an advantage. Of course, it didn't exclude those who were particularly capable. They were willing to become bailiffs. As a result, the bailiffs' strength would greatly increase.
"This … Even if we can't defeat them, we can at least scare them off. There are capable people among the bailiffs. Most importantly, they are soldiers. If the bandits slaughter the soldiers, the county magistrate will definitely report it to the imperial court. When that happens, the army will surround and suppress the bandits. These bandits will not have a good life. The bandits are just making a living, so they are not willing to take too much risk."
The boatman said.
The boatman's words were quite reasonable. Although pirates were fugitives, they would weigh the pros and cons. If it was beneficial to them, they would naturally be very willing to do it. If it was not beneficial to them, they would naturally be unwilling to do it. Even if they really fought, they might not be weaker than the officers and soldiers, but their strength should be about the same. There would be casualties on both sides. This was not very worthwhile. The casualties of the officers and soldiers would definitely alarm the imperial court. When the time came, the provincial government and the capital would send troops to collect them.
This was like a pack of wolves on the grasslands. When they hunted sheep, they would put in a lot of effort. This was because not only could they eat the sheep, they would also have no casualties. It could be said that it was a profitable business. However, if the sheep entered the territory of another pack of wolves, if they were not particularly hungry, the pack of wolves would stop their pursuit. Even if the other pack of wolves was not as strong as them, the pack of wolves would not take the risk. This was because once a conflict occurred, even if they won, they would have to pay a heavy price. To a pack of wolves, they were not willing to pay the price of casualties. After all, they had plenty of opportunities to hunt. If they lost this opportunity and temporarily retreated, there would be another opportunity next time. As long as they did not starve to death, it was fine. Why take the risk of heavy casualties? These pirates also had the same idea. There were too many merchant ships passing by the Wenshui River. If they took the opportunity to rob them, they would be able to reap a great harvest. This time, the bailiffs had given up on the attack. They could find another opportunity next time. After all, there were plenty of merchant ships and only a few bailiffs' patrol ships. As long as they avoided the bailiffs' patrol ships, they would still have a chance to attack.
Very quickly, the patrol ship on the other side approached. The boatman clearly knew the people on the patrol ship and bowed to greet them from a distance.
"Is Dalang patrolling again? Have you seen any pirates? "
The boatman asked.
The bailiff called Dalang on the other side shook his head and said, "Pirates? With me patrolling here, any pirate that dares to approach will be scared off long ago. That's right, who are you transporting goods for? Why do I see soldiers? "
Because it was dark, the bailiffs couldn't see very clearly. Moreover, most of the soldiers were resting in the cabins of the ship. There were very few soldiers patrolling outside. However, there was still a big difference between armor and ordinary clothes. Even if they couldn't see clearly, they could roughly tell that it was armor and not ordinary clothes.
"Dalang is a high-ranking official of the Imperial Court, much higher than your county magistrate, haha!"
The boatman said.
"Ah! Such a high-ranking official! You must be kidding me! The county magistrate didn't say anything! "
The bailiff called Dalang said.
The boatman didn't continue to explain. He clasped his fist and said, "Dalang, continue patrolling. We're leaving."
The time between the ships was very short. Even if the boatman wanted to explain, he didn't have time. Therefore, he simply didn't explain, so as not to affect the bailiffs patrolling.
However, from the moment they passed, Ang Lee could tell that the patrol ship was not big. There were only 20 to 30 bailiffs on it. Most of them were civilians temporarily serving the Imperial Court. Only three to five leaders were authorized personnel who were paid by the Imperial Court. The ship was also manned, so there was no fuel consumption. In this way, the cost of patrolling was not high. Even if they patrolled every day, the county government could afford it. Moreover, even if they didn't patrol, these authorized bailiffs were also paid.
"Boatman, how many patrol ships like this are there in Xipu County? Are they all the same?"
Ang Lee asked.
The boatman replied, "Originally, there were three, each with 20 to 30 people. At most, there were more than 100 people. However, a few days ago, the Imperial Court wanted to build the railway, so all the laborers were transferred to build the road. Many bailiffs were also transferred to maintain order. Only one patrol ship was left to patrol the river. The deterrence against the pirates was greatly reduced, and the pirates' robberies also increased."
Obviously, the pirates also depended on the situation. When most of the bailiffs' strength was taken away, the pirates' activities also increased. The water area in Xipu County was nearly 50 kilometers long, but there was only one patrol ship for bailiffs. Even if they patrolled back and forth without rest, they couldn't ensure the safety of navigation in the entire area. The deterrence against the pirates was greatly reduced.
There was no other way. After all, the power of the county government was limited. The task given by the imperial court to build the railway was the most important thing that had to be completed as soon as possible. Therefore, the county magistrate could only transfer most of his power to build the railway. Two of the three patrol boats were transferred to maintain the order of the people building the railway and to protect the safety of the railway core materials. Compared to protecting the merchant ships that came and went, protecting the railway materials of the imperial court was naturally more important. If the merchants were robbed, it would not cause too much trouble. However, if the railway resources allocated by the imperial court were robbed, it would be a matter of losing one's head. There was no comparison between the two. Therefore, as long as the county magistrate was not a fool, he would definitely put the focus of his work on the railway.
According to the boatman, the County Magistrate of Xipu County would sometimes personally stand on the patrol ship during the previous patrols to show the importance that Xipu County attached to the river. However, since the Imperial Court ordered the construction of the railway, the County Magistrate of Xipu County spent most of his time along the railway and never came to the water again.
Ang Lee's proposal to build the railway to Yizhou City was originally a good thing for the merchants. However, he didn't expect that too many resources would be used to build the railway, which made the merchants' lives difficult. The Imperial Court placed too much power along the railway, which would inevitably lead to weak control over other areas. This also gave some thieves a chance to do evil.
Although it led to these more serious consequences, these were not Ang Lee's original intention. This was the price that had to be paid for the construction of the railway. Although it didn't matter if the merchants lost some money temporarily, when the railway was completed, the previous losses would be earned back. In the end, the merchants would still be the biggest beneficiaries.
"Because of the construction of the railway, the pirates have become rampant. Are the merchants complaining?"
Ang Lee looked at the boatman and asked.
The boatman waved his hand and said, "Assistant Minister Li is wrong. The merchants don't think so. They all abhor the pirates. They all said that when the railway is completed, their goods will be transported by the railway and not by the water. This way, the pirates won't be able to rob anything."
These were probably the angry words of the merchants. After all, some commodities were too heavy. The cost of transporting them by water was lower than the railway. Merchants would definitely want to save as much as possible. Therefore, they would naturally choose the cheaper water route. As long as these commodities didn't have a short shelf life, the problem wouldn't be too big. Some seasonal vegetables and fruits could only be transported by the faster railway. When there was a need to snatch the market, it was better to use the railway. This way, the sooner the goods arrived, the sooner the market would be occupied and the greater profits would be obtained.
The angry words of these merchants made Li An feel a little funny. However, what made Li An feel strange was that the boatman was actually not worried at all. The merchants had said that after the railway was built, they would no longer take the water route and suffer the wrath of the pirates. In this case, wouldn't the boatman, who relied on the water route for a living, have his rice bowl taken away? His rice bowl was about to be taken away, so why was the boatman not angry at all? Wasn't this a little strange?
"If all the merchants take the railway, no one will hire ships to transport goods in the future. Wouldn't the boatman be worried?"
Ang Lee looked at the boatman and said.
The boatman smiled and said, "That's impossible. How could that be possible? Some things still need to be transported by water. Moreover, there are so many goods on this line that require so many ships. Even if there is a railway, it will only share some of the burden. If so many goods were to be transported by the railway, it wouldn't be able to fit them all! I know about the railway. Isn't it just two lines? How much goods can it transport? Can it transport more goods than thousands of ships? "
Clearly, the boatman's understanding of the railway wasn't very clear. He had underestimated the railway's transport capabilities. The railway's transport capabilities that he thought were much lower than the actual railway's. He had underestimated the railway's transport capabilities and also underestimated the huge impact it would have on water transport after the railway was opened.
When the time came, their business wouldn't be as simple as decreasing by twenty to thirty percent. It would be cut in half. Perhaps seventy to eighty percent of their business would be taken away by the railway. When that time came, it was unknown if the boatman would still be smiling.
However, since the boatman was so confident, Ang Lee couldn't say anything. If he told the boatman the truth and caused the boatman to be in a bad mood, it wouldn't do Ang Lee any good. He would just let the boatman be happy for a year or two.
Through chatting with the boatman, Ang Lee learned that the nearby pirates acted according to the people they were dealing with. They wouldn't rob just any caravan. First of all, they definitely wouldn't rob a caravan that didn't have any profits. For example, they wouldn't rob a caravan that transported coal even if they were beaten to death. They also wouldn't rob a caravan of vegetables and fruits. They were more tempted by food, gold, silver, and jewelry. There were also luxuries like Sichuan brocade that they loved the most. Robbing these would allow them to gain more benefits. However, there were some goods that didn't have any profits and robbing them was a complete waste of time.
There were also some large merchant groups that hired guards. The pirates wouldn't easily attack them because they might not be able to defeat them. Take Li An's fleet for example. The pirates would take a detour if they saw them. They definitely wouldn't have the guts to challenge them.
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