The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 40 Roll Call
The next morning.

The boatmen boarded the small boats of the flower boat one after another and returned home in high spirits.

As soon as Fang boarded the ship, he saw Lin Qian standing in front of the stern railing, quietly watching them.

Having weathered several storms, Lin Qian had already gained considerable prestige among the crew.

Seeing Lin Qian's serious expression, the boatmen held their breath and stood in neat rows in the center of the deck, not daring to delay.

Every day at the beginning of the Mao hour (5-7 AM), it was the ship's custom to make the roll call.

There were no timekeeping devices on the ship. Although it was said to be the beginning of Mao Shi (5-7 AM), there was no accurate time. Every day, they would simply check in after sunrise.

After nearly half a month at sea, the boatmen finally had a chance to indulge themselves on the pleasure boat.

The return to the ship for roll call was half an hour later than usual.

Lin Qian was not very strict with people, and since all the boatmen indulged themselves all night, everyone had the侥幸心理 (a sense of侥幸, or a feeling of getting away with something) that the law could not be punished if there were too many of them.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he returned to the ship, he saw that the helmsman had a bad look on his face, and he guessed that he would definitely be scolded or punished today.

The first group of boatmen to return to the ship were filled with anxiety, but also a sense of relief, since they were the first to return. They figured that even if they were punished, it would be less severe than those who returned later.

Half a quarter of an hour later, another small boat came from the direction of the flower boat, and the laughter of the people on board could be heard from afar.

"...Damn it! Southern girls have such delicate skin! A little pressure and they'll leave a bruise..."

When people ask her what's wrong, she just cries and sobs, making them think I've done something wrong...

If you ask me, Northern women are definitely more straightforward…

As the sound grew closer, Lei Sanxiang and several boatmen boarded the boat.

"Brother Lin!" As soon as he boarded the boat, Lei Sanxiang saw Lin Qian and waved to him.

Lin Qian is usually very warm to her sworn brothers, and she would definitely greet them with a smile as "Third Brother".

But today Lin Qian ignored him and slowly shifted her gaze to Lei Sanxiang, leaving him awkwardly standing there.

After a moment of silence, Lin Qian said, "From now on, when you take up a position, you should address yourself by your job title."

Lei Sanxiang glanced at the shipwrights standing on the deck, who were silent as cicadas in fear. Although he was a bit oblivious, he could tell that something was wrong.

He simply mumbled, "Yes, Captain."

Then he walked towards the shipwrights' team.

Lin Qian said, "You're an officer, stand behind me."

Lei San responded and then walked behind Lin Qian.

Upon reaching the stern tower, they discovered that Chen Jiao, Zhou Xiucai, and Bai Langzai were already standing there.

"What's going on today?" Lei Sanxiang asked in a low voice.

Chen Jiao said, "Don't speak, just watch."

The other boatmen who returned with Lei Sanxiang were all terrified when they saw this situation and stood there not knowing what to do.

Lin Qian remained silent, letting them continue standing there.

After more than an hour, five or six more boats of people returned. Seeing this scene, they all dared not speak and stood on the deck.

The atmosphere was extremely oppressive.

By this time, the sun was high in the sky, and everyone was sweating profusely.

Lin Qian's forehead was covered in fine sweat, and her clothes on the back were soaked with sweat, sticking to her body and making her very uncomfortable.

But he stubbornly remained motionless.

Seeing Lin Qian like this, the boatmen dared not wipe their sweat and could only endure it together.

Another half hour passed, and there were hardly any more people boarding the boat. At a glance, the boatmen had mostly arrived.

Lin Qian said, "Boss, let's begin today's roll call."

While Lei Sanxiang was still in a daze, Bai Langzai touched his arm. He quickly realized what was happening, responded, and then went down to the deck, loudly ordering the crew to line up in a row.

Having already stood in the sun for almost two hours, Lei Sanxiang now just wanted to finish his roll call as quickly as possible so he could go back to the cabin and take off his sweat-soaked clothes.

After counting, only 62 people were found, while there should have been 64 boatmen on the ship.

Lei Sanxiang counted twice more, and indeed two people were missing.

Lei Sanxiang had no choice but to bite the bullet and say to Lin Qian, "Captain, we are missing two people."

Lin Qian nodded slightly. Lei Sanxiang returned to the stern, looked at the crew, and whispered to Lin Qian, "Helmsman, why don't we let everyone disperse first?"

Lin Qian: "Wait a little longer."

Chen Jiao became alert: "Captain, have these two run away?"

Lin Qian thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Probably not. Bai Langzai, take a few people to the pleasure boat and take a look."

"Yes." Bai Langzai drew his sword, clasped his hands in a fist salute, walked down from the stern, found three skilled men, and went to the side of the ship to call over the small boats of the pleasure boats.

Then they climbed down the rope ladder to the small boat.

The sun rose higher and higher, gradually reaching its zenith.

It was already the hottest period of summer, and the temperature was quite high. The sun over the sea was especially scorching. If you stood for a long time, the sweat would sting your exposed skin.

The boatmen were getting restless, though they didn't dare show it on their faces, they were already cursing under their breath.

After a long while, the small boat sailed back.

Bai Langzai and the three others who went with him boarded the boat first, followed by a boatman who looked ashamed and had three scratch marks on his face.

Then there was another person climbing the rope ladder very slowly, his steps unsteady, his whole body soaked, and you could smell the alcohol on him from a distance. He was obviously drunk and had just been woken up by someone splashing water on him.

At this point, all the boatmen's dissatisfaction was directed at these two men, and they all glared at them angrily.

The man with scratches on his face felt even more ashamed upon seeing this, and immediately knelt down, lowering his head and not daring to look at the people on the boat.

Those who were drunk collapsed limply; whether they knelt down or fell asleep again is unknown.

"What happened?" Lin Qian asked.

Bai Langzai pointed at the drunkard: "This guy got drunk on the pleasure boat and couldn't be woken up no matter what I did. I had to throw him into the sea before I could wake him up."

Then Bai Langzai pointed to the man with scratches on his face: "This guy was promiscuous last night and beat people up indiscriminately. He seriously injured a girl, and she couldn't get out of bed. She was detained by the pleasure boat and it cost three taels of silver to ransom her."

Lin Qian indicated that she understood, and then said solemnly, "Failure to show up for duty will result in five lashes. Bullying women will result in five lashes."

Then Lin Qian looked at Lei Sanxiang: "You are the boatswain, and from now on, you will be in charge of the sailors' punishments."

Lei Sanxiang hesitated for a moment: "Helmsman, there's never been such a rule on the ship before..."

Lin Qian interrupted him: "Rules always have a beginning, and today is one of them."

Lei Sanxiang wanted to argue further, but Chen Jiao stopped him, saying, "The captain is right. Without rules, nothing can be accomplished."

Lei Sanxiang was repeatedly rebuked, his face darkening with displeasure. He pushed Chen Jiao aside, bowed, went down from the stern tower, took a whip from the storeroom, and walked onto the deck.

The man who injured the girl immediately begged for mercy, saying things like "I was confused for a moment," "I had too much to drink," and "I will never dare to do it again."

Another man, also drunk, tried to beg for mercy, but as soon as he opened his mouth, a stream of vomit, reeking of alcohol, poured out.

Lei Sanxiang roared, "Tie them both up!"

The boatmen brought ropes and tied the two men to the mast, stripped off their shirts, and exposed their backs.

Lei Sanxiang gritted his teeth and swung the whip with all his might.

With just one lash, the skin was torn open and the man being struck screamed in agony.

With the second lash, his face was covered in snot and tears.

The boatmen watched the execution from the sidelines, and not one of them pleaded for mercy.

After the third lash, the man trembled like a leaf, crying and begging for mercy: "I was wrong, I know I was wrong, I'll pay back the three taels of silver, please stop hitting me, please have mercy..."

Lei Sanxiang snorted angrily: "When you hit that girl, did she beg for mercy? Did you spare her?"

The man was speechless, and then the fourth lash fell, his cries growing even more piercing.

After ten lashes, the man's voice was completely hoarse, and when the rope was untied, he slumped down like a lump of rotten flesh.

Lei Sanxiang signaled to the boatmen to carry the man back to the cabin.

He then started whipping another drunkard.

The man only needed to be lashed five times, and the alcohol numbed many of his senses, so the crying wasn't as agonizing.

After the ropes were untied, they were carried back to the cabin.

After the execution was completed, Lei Sanxiang threw down his whip, stood back behind Lin Qian, and looked indignant.

(End of this chapter)