Ang Lee knew that these guys liked convenience and did not want to do complicated things. In addition, the professional bodyguards that Ang Lee mentioned were the escort agencies. There was no such organization in the Tang dynasty, and no one dared to be the first to try it. Many people did not even think of it.
No one dared to set up an escort agency for the first time. Firstly, they could not see the future development of the escort agency. They did not know what kind of situation they would encounter if they were the first to try it. Secondly, they were worried that such a professional armed force organization would violate the laws of the imperial court. It would be troublesome if the imperial court encircled and suppressed them. After all, this was a professional armed force organization, which was similar to an army.
Third, he was worried about incurring the wrath of the bandits and putting his family in danger. If an ordinary person was a temporary escort for a caravan, even if he incurred the wrath of the bandits, the bandits would not be able to figure out who the bodyguard was or who his family was. They might not even meet again after meeting him. If an escort agency was set up by one person, he would definitely have his own name and the location of his headquarters. As long as the bandits remembered the name of the escort agency they had a grudge against, they would be able to find the headquarters of the escort agency by asking around. Then, they would be able to easily figure out the situation of the escort agency's leader and escort. If the bandits were really resentful, it was very likely that they would attack the family members of the escort agency. Since they were already bandits, there was no bottom line. This was a huge risk that the people of the escort agency could not completely avoid.
It was precisely because of this that the so-called escort agencies of the later generations did not try their best to protect the goods. When they were robbed by bandits, they would give the bandits some belongings and would not kill them to avoid forming a deadly feud.
It was inevitable that an escort agency would be at odds with the bandits. However, in order to protect themselves, they would often compromise to a certain extent and would not really go all out. This seemed to be the same principle as the officers and soldiers not going all out to suppress bandits. The officers and soldiers had the idea of keeping bandits for their own sake, and the escort agency would have the same idea. Without bandits, the officers and soldiers would not have a sense of existence. Similarly, without bandits, the escort agency would lose its job. In this way, the escort agency would naturally not go all out to fight the bandits. These bandits were the value of their existence.
Of course, the escort agency preferred bandits who knew the rules. This rule had been developed through trial and error. Although it didn't make much sense, it was the code of conduct of this line of work. It could also be called the rules of the underworld.
Actually, escort agencies didn't exist for long in Hua Xia's history. They only appeared during the Qing Dynasty. It was said that they were formed because of the existence of Jin merchants. They declined during the Republic of China.
Not just anyone could set up an escort agency. One had to have a backer in order to do things well. An escort agency without a backer would be easily suppressed by the imperial court. Many escort agencies had connections with the high officials of the imperial court. Ordinary people would not have the courage to set up an escort agency. Only those with outstanding abilities and connections could set up an escort agency.
As an escort agency's escorts, not only did they have to be highly skilled in martial arts, they also had to know the lingo of the underworld. This was so that they could communicate with bandits in the underworld. When escorting an escort, if they found thorny strips on the road, they had to be prepared to meet the bandits. If they were acquainted with each other and recognized each other as an escort agency, they could pass through smoothly. Otherwise, they had to rely on their martial arts skills.
Not only did escort agencies rely on bandits in the underworld to survive, but they also had a close relationship with the underworld. If some of the Jianghu Rangers that the government paid attention to stayed in an escort agency after entering the city, the government couldn't arrest them. This was because the escort agency had a backer, and the local officials didn't dare to offend them.
In fact, there were many similarities between the ancient escort agencies and the logistics of the modern era. However, due to cost constraints, the ancient escort agencies only escorted the goods of the aristocrats. They didn't escort ordinary goods, and there was no need to do so. The logistics of the modern era would transport any goods. After all, after the development of transportation, the cost of transporting goods would be greatly reduced. There were also no bandits on the roads, so naturally, anything could be transported. However, the cost of transporting goods in the ancient era was too high. The escort agencies had to dispatch a large number of escorts every time, so the price couldn't be lowered. Only valuable goods could possibly make up for the loss caused by the cost of transporting goods. Cheap goods couldn't make up for the cost of protection, so there was no need to worry too much about being robbed.
The escort agency's fee for escorting goods wasn't fixed, and it was charged according to the situation. It mainly depended on the distance traveled and the value of the goods. After an agreement, an escort contract would be signed, and the place of departure, the name of the business, the description of the goods, the quantity, and the amount of the escort fee would be indicated. Both parties would affix their official seals, and the escort fee would be collected after escorting the goods to the designated place and business.
Generally, an escort agency would be escorted by a head escort or an experienced escort. They would carry the list of the goods they had received, and then carry a pass issued by the government. When they encountered a checkpoint, they would show the pass to the guards. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, the escort agency would sometimes give them some silver taels.
If they encountered any situation along the way, such as discovering thorny vines on the road, they would know that something was up ahead. This was called an evil tiger blocking the road. These thorny vines couldn't be removed by themselves, so they had to be prepared to meet the robbers. First, they had to shout their slogan at the top of their lungs, telling the robbers which escort agency they were from and that they were passing by.
If shouting the escort number didn't work, they would have to communicate with each other verbally. Verbally speaking was a jargon in the martial arts world that only the people within the agency knew. Outsiders wouldn't be able to understand it at all. If the robbers still didn't intend to stop, then they would have to pick up weapons and fight. If the robbers were stronger than the robbers, they could rob the escort vehicle. This was called losing the escort, and it wasn't uncommon. Otherwise, how would the robbers survive? Before each trip, the escort agency had already made arrangements for everything at home, and was prepared to not return home if something happened.
Some people believed that the spirit of martial arts, integrity, justice, helping the weak, and helping others had guided the escorts of the agency for hundreds of years to pursue their own values in life. Some even died before they achieved anything, but none of them retreated. No matter how difficult the situation was, or how fierce the enemy was, they never knew what running or retreating was. They only knew one thing — as long as the person was there, the escort would be there!
Some people also believed that in the eyes of the robbers, the escorts were the kind of people who would never yield. In the eyes of merchants, employers, and the weak, the escorts were always the people who gave them the greatest sense of security. The escorts were their backbone and their amulets. As long as the escorts were by their side, their lives and property would be safe, and their businesses would prosper.
In fact, this was only a superficial understanding of the escort agency by laymen. For the escorts who had suffered unspeakable hardships, the only word they prayed for in their hearts was peace. They were more passionate about peace than anything else.
Because they had been escorting escorts for years, they had seen too many killings and deaths, too many ambushes, and too much bloodshed. Their duty was only to ensure safety, so no matter how they handled conflicts or emergencies, they always prioritized peace and peaceful solutions. The guiding spirit of the escort agency had always been to subdue the enemy without fighting. As long as they could avoid fighting, they would resolutely not do so. They also had to handle their relationships with the authorities, the local government, and the robbers well, and also consider the feelings of their employers.
In the movies and TV series of the future, the escorts always had a fierce image, but in reality, that was not the case. Many of them were very modest and amiable. They always had a smile on their faces when dealing with people, respected the elderly, and treated the wise with courtesy. In reality, they were modest and had a gentlemanly demeanor.
For example, if there were conflicts with people while driving, having a meal, or staying in the inn, the escorts would always be courteous. They would not use their martial arts to oppress people, and would try their best to avoid conflict. Generally, they would not cause trouble for the escorts either. They knew that those who came did not have good intentions, and those who did not have good intentions would not come. No one would dare to come out as an escort if they did not have some ability. Therefore, the escorts would always be courteous when they encountered trouble, and try their best to reduce big problems to small ones, and small ones to nothing.
In addition, for the sake of safety, the escorts would not drink alcohol after the escort carriage was on the road. Even in the depths of winter, the older escorts would sometimes drink two cups of wine in order to keep warm. However, they would limit themselves to three cups of wine, and would not drink more than that. If they could drink a catty, they would at most drink two or three cups. They would not drink during lunch, and would not drink to their heart's content with strangers. When they met with friends and relatives, even if it had been a long time, they would still use tea as a substitute for alcohol. The old escorts would only drink after everything had been arranged properly after entering the inn, and would drink alone behind closed doors. However, they would never drink more than three cups. If they were to get drunk, it would be troublesome if they encountered thieves.
Escorts were generally people with strong martial arts, but they would not bully others just because they were strong in martial arts. On the contrary, they had to have enough forbearance. Otherwise, even if they were in the right, they would become unreasonable. For example, if they were harassed by ordinary people on the streets and were knocked down with one punch, the others would not care about the reason and would assume that the escorts were the ones who bullied them. After all, the escorts were fine, but the people who harassed them were already lying on the ground. What else was there to say? It must be the escorts' fault. Therefore, they had to be patient when necessary, or else it would really bring them a lot of trouble.
In the end, even if they proved that they were not in the wrong, some things would cause a lot of trouble once the public learned of it. The escorts who assaulted them might not be able to escort in the short term. Even the entire escort team might be trapped somewhere and unable to move. Furthermore, some goods had a time limit. If they were delayed halfway, they would not be able to reach their destination on time. This would have a huge impact on their income and even the reputation of their escort agency. It would also have a greater impact on their future business.
From the looks of it, being an escort was indeed quite a suffocating job. Not only did they have to be patient, but they also had to not retaliate when they were attacked or scolded. As long as it was not a serious provocation, they would ignore it to reduce the chances of getting into trouble as much as possible. It was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
However, even though the escort agency had always adhered to the spirit of modesty and compromise when dealing with powerful people, they were very firm when it came to matters of principle. This was because they knew where their duty lay, which was to protect the safety of their employer's personal property. This was always their top priority. Once the escort agency and the employer signed the escort contract and formed a contractual relationship, they would adhere to their duty of loyalty and trustworthiness to their employer. As the saying went, "Where the person is, the escort will be." If a thief on the road threatened the employer's interests and the safety of their life and property, all of their modesty and compromise would no longer exist. They would draw their swords and charge forward, risking their lives to protect their employer. They would carry out their duties with their swords and lives.
The escort agency adopted the spirit of avoiding all challenges from the outside world. This did not mean that the people in the escort agency were inferior, but it was the responsibility of the agency. The purpose of a bodyguard was to make money, and the means they used were to ensure the safety of their employer's life and property. There was no need for them to be ruthless towards powerful people. If a powerful person really made things difficult for them, the escort agency would have no choice but to fight to the death with the powerful person in order to uphold the spirit of loyalty and trustworthiness to their employer.
In addition, vigilance was also very important to an escort. They could not lower their vigilance at any time and had to be on guard against possible dangers at all times. For example, the escorts of the later generations summed up the six major taboos of being an escort.
The first one was to stay in a newly opened shop. As it was difficult to understand the hearts of people in newly opened shops, the bodyguards would not casually take risks. They would not stay in a shop that had an auspicious opening written on the door. The second one was to stay in a shop with a new owner. If the owner changed shops, the hearts of people would be unfathomable, and there would be thieves. The bodyguards would not stay in a shop with a new owner. The third one was to stay in a prostitute's shop. Some shops had prostitutes pestering them, and they would fall into a trap and lose their escorts. The bodyguards would not take the risk either. The fourth one was to keep one's weapon away from one's body. Regardless of whether one was walking on the road or resting in a shop, one must always carry one's weapon with them just in case. Weapons were the courage of an escort, and they should never leave one's body at any time. One could encounter danger at any time while traveling on the road. Once one's weapon was not by one's side, there was a possibility of danger.
The fifth one was to keep the escorts away from the person. Whether it was the escort carriage on the dry road, the escort boat on the waterway, or the escorting officials, the merchants were not allowed to leave as they pleased. They had to be within one's line of sight at all times. The sixth one was to ignore suspicious points. As an escort, one had to be observant and alert. Once they discovered something suspicious, they had to pay close attention and be prepared to engage in battle. They could not afford to have the slightest bit of wishful thinking.
When escorting an escort in ancient times, other than preparing weapons, an escort carriage, an escort flag, and an escort box were also indispensable. The most commonly used escort carriage was a type of single-wheeled escort carriage. Its specialty was that it only had one wheel. It was difficult to balance such a carriage, but it was more convenient to travel on bumpy mountain roads.
The escort flag was a small triangular flag that was placed on the escort carriage. The words on the flag represented the surname of the head escort. During the escort process, when the robbers saw that the escorts were escorted by a powerful person, they would not dare to rob them recklessly. This was because these escorts were all famous martial arts experts in the jianghu. The robbers would not be able to defeat them!
The escort box was a special type of large box, mostly made of elm. This large box itself weighed about seventy to eighty jin, and could be considered very heavy. The lock was made with the most advanced anti-theft secret lock. It could only be opened by the head shopkeeper and the second shopkeeper with two sets of keys. This was to prevent corruption. After all, there were so many escorts. If someone were to steal from them, wouldn't that tarnish the reputation of the escort agency?
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