Shi Kefa's words struck like a bolt of lightning, and Jiang Cheng froze on the spot.
The surrounding sailors, who had been eagerly preparing for a naval battle, also halted mid-motion. That was right. A group of women was tied up on the enemy's deck. If the cannons were fired, the pirates would certainly suffer, but those women would almost certainly die as well.
From the very first day they joined the Gao Family Village Militia, these sailors had undergone strict moral and ethical training. They saw themselves as protectors of the common people. How could they fight like imperial troops, indifferent to civilian lives? In that instant, everyone seemed to have been struck by a paralysis spell, standing stiff and unmoving.
Zhu Piaoling suddenly poked his head out from the cabin. "What do we do?" he shouted. "Hey, if we can't fight back, aren't we just going to get beaten for nothing?"
Jiang Cheng was also at a loss.
At this critical moment, Tie Niaofei stepped forward.
Among everyone present, Tie Niaofei was the most experienced. As a veteran salt smuggler who had traveled across the land and dealt with officials, bandits, and all manner of shady characters, he had seen every kind of chaotic situation imaginable.
He shouted loudly, "In a situation like this, you need to project strength first. Scare the other side so they don't dare start a fight right away. Once that's done, you can negotiate. Name a price and buy them. Just purchase those women and be done with it."
Everyone's spirits instantly lifted.
That was right. There was still this option. Those who had walked the darker paths truly knew more tricks.
Jiang Cheng immediately raised his voice. "Wanli Sunshine, drop the merchant disguise. Show them our cannons."
At his command, several small hatches along both sides of the Wanli Sunshine flipped open at the same time.
Rows of gunports were revealed.
From each opening, a cannon slowly extended outward, the barrels gleaming with the cold sheen of advanced steel alloys.
Days earlier, when Cai Xinzhi had assisted Li Daoxuan in creating the ship model, hearing him insist on adding cannon ports along the hull had nearly made her burst a blood vessel. She could not understand the purpose of such a design at all. However, the client was always right, so she had followed the request and incorporated them.
Once the ship was placed inside the box, the craftsmen of Gao Family Village immediately installed real cannons.
The sixty-meter-long vessel carried fifteen cannons on each side, along with one at the bow and one at the stern, for a total of thirty-two cannons.
In this era, such firepower was nothing short of terrifying.
The pirate ships that had been charging toward them instantly slowed.
The pirate captain, known by the alias Phantom Bat, was a subordinate of Liu Xiang, the last major pirate among the Wind and Cloud Eighteen Scholars who had yet to submit.
Earlier, when Phantom Bat first spotted this massive ship, even larger than the Spanish galleons used by Westerners, his heart had been filled with greed. Seeing what appeared to be an unarmed vessel, he had immediately thought of capturing it. Leading six ships, he had rushed forward without hesitation.
Only now did the colossal vessel suddenly bristle with cannons.
Phantom Bat was badly startled.
"Damn it!" he cursed. "I thought it was a fat sheep, but it turns out to be a thorny hedgehog."
He roared at his crew, "Don't get any closer. Stay outside their cannon range."
He had no idea that the Wanli Sunshine's cannons were rifled, far outranging the smoothbore cannons commonly used by Westerners. In truth, they were already well within range. If not for concerns about the women tied on the enemy ships, the outcome would have been very different.
"Boss, they don't seem to want to fight," one pirate said, leaning closer. "Look, they're waving a colorful flag at us."
Phantom Bat nodded. "They must be newcomers. They don't even know standard nautical flag signals, just randomly waving a flag. Still, they clearly want to talk."
"Boss, should we talk?"
"Talk? Of course we'll talk," Phantom Bat replied. "That ship is huge, and it's packed with cannons. Are we supposed to smash our heads against it? I was already considering abandoning this job, but since they want to talk, we'll hear them out first."
Soon, all six pirate ships began waving their flags as well, using standard nautical signals capable of conveying simple messages.
The people from Gao Family Village could not understand them at all.
That was fine.
They had something better.
Tie Niaofei picked up the megaphone and shouted loudly, "Brothers of the sea, how about each side sends a small boat to talk?"
Phantom Bat was stunned. "What the hell? His voice is that loud? I can hear him clearly from this distance. I don't have a voice like that."
He waved his hand, ordered a skiff lowered, and personally jumped into it. Only two people boarded, Phantom Bat himself and a subordinate to row.
On the Gao Family Village side, a skiff was also lowered. A sailor took the oars, and Tie Niaofei jumped in as well.
The two small boats paddled toward each other and met halfway across the sea.
Tie Niaofei cupped his hands in greeting. "Are you brave heroes of the Wind and Cloud Eighteen Scholars?"
Phantom Bat chuckled. "That's right. Our boss is Liu Xiang. And who might you be?"
Tie Niaofei produced an Imperial Merchant token with a flourish. "I am Tie Niaofei, an Imperial Merchant appointed by imperial decree, responsible for supplying goods to the imperial palace and the border armies."
Phantom Bat was startled.
No wonder that ship was so enormous and so heavily armed. So it was one of the old emperor's exclusive Imperial Merchants.
Still, so what?
Their boss, Liu Xiang, did not even fear the imperial navy. Why would he fear an Imperial Merchant?
With that thought, Phantom Bat regained his composure. "An Imperial Merchant, huh? Impressive. Such a massive ship too. What business do you want with me?"
Tie Niaofei replied calmly, "Even though I'm an Imperial Merchant, at heart I'm still a businessman. I've traveled all over and understand the rules. Wherever I go, I pay my respects to the local powers. Now that I've come to the sea, it's only proper that I first greet the brave heroes of the Wind and Cloud Eighteen Scholars."
Seeing him speak so politely, Phantom Bat secretly gloated.
So that was how it was. Even an Imperial Merchant had to bow his head on the high seas.
Tie Niaofei continued, "Here is some silver. Consider it a token of goodwill."
He extended both hands, offering a pouch of silver.
Phantom Bat accepted it with delight. "Well said, well said. Since you've paid your protection money, we'll remember your colorful flag. If we see it again, we won't attack you."
Tie Niaofei smiled. "Now that we are friends, I have a small piece of business to discuss."
Phantom Bat frowned. "Hmm?"
Tie Niaofei said, "From afar, I noticed a group of women tied up on your ship. May I ask where they came from, and what you plan to do with them? I'm rather interested in buying them to resell, perhaps to human traffickers in the capital. Name your price."
At this, Phantom Bat's eyes lit up. "Ah, so that's it. Those women were captured from a coastal fishing village yesterday. I was planning to bring them back for my brothers to enjoy. But since Brother Tie is interested, I'll give you a discount. Five taels of silver per girl."
Tie Niaofei's heart sank.
The men of that fishing village must all be dead.
These pirates were truly despicable.
Outwardly, however, he showed no reaction at all. "Five taels is a bit expensive," he said. "I still need to make a profit. How about four taels?"
Phantom Bat laughed loudly. "Fine. Deal."