Ming East India Company

After the dust settled on the horse transport, the cargo hold was finally filled with leftover scraps of raw silk.

Although Bai Ye no longer expected to make money from these raw silks, many of the people who followed the Bai family on their voyage still thought this was a relatively simple escort mission, so they needed to give them some hope for peace.

Although in most cases during the Age of Exploration, there was no fundamental difference between pirates and maritime merchants.

However, in the eyes of ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty, going overseas to do business and going overseas to rob were two different concepts.

Thus, the Ryukyu expeditionary force, cobbled together from various sources, was finally assembled.

The tide had already reached its limit; if we delayed any longer, the tide would recede and we would be stranded. The southeast wind was blowing against our cheeks, and it was time to go out to sea.

The boatmen on shore untied the mooring lines, and Cheng Laoda's voice rang out from the Keqin:

"The anchorman raises the anchor, the sailman hoists the sail, and we set sail from the shore."

……

After only a few days at sea, Cheng Keqin already looked somewhat uneasy.

According to past practice, when the Bai family went to sea, it was usually supervised by one or two people, with the head of the family accompanying them on the first ship.

It's good to be able to communicate promptly in case of any emergencies along the way.

But this time was different. The Bai family not only sent people to keep watch on every ship, but Bai Wenzheng, the head of the family, also went to another small boat in a strange way.

It was actually this young upstart, Shirano, who came along on his own "flagship," the Keqin.

Bai Ye's reason was that he wanted to finish this bet with Feng Luzi, and that the horses that were tied up were all on the "Keqin".

However, Cheng Keqin understood that in business, it was a case of "kings not meeting kings," meaning that such a situation usually occurred because the other party had extreme distrust of him.

This made Cheng Keqin somewhat dissatisfied. He had been a loyal customer for so many years, so he should at least be given some face.

However, Cheng Keqin soon had no time to think about Bai Ye's problem, because he was about to be driven crazy by Feng Luzi.

Since boarding the ship, he had had the urge to throw this stubborn donkey into the sea more than once.

"Boat owner, bring me some hot food! I can't stand eating rice balls every day!"

"Boat owner, some spirits, please. The water on this ship stinks like swill from the toilets, is it even drinkable?"

"Boat owner, some fresh meat, is this meat from last year?"

……

Feng Luzi seemed to treat this voyage as a leisurely outing, complaining to the two children about the food and drinks that didn't suit their tastes.

In an era without preservation technology and refrigerators, the food on the Ming Dynasty ship, while not quite the "three-piece sailing set" of biscuits, salted meat, and rum, was still far from impressive.

Cooked rice balls, cold salted meat, bean cakes so salty they could kill you, plus the occasional raw fish and shrimp caught from the sea—that was pretty much all the crew's rations.

Lighting a fire is absolutely out of the question, firstly to prevent a fire from starting, and secondly because there isn't enough fuel.

This really frustrated the pampered Feng the donkey.

If it were just him complaining, that would be one thing.

Unfortunately, this Feng the Donkey had served as a centurion for several years and was known for his "charity" and close relationships with the garrison soldiers. Therefore, whenever he complained, he could attract a large number of "sympathizers".

Normally, Cheng Keqin would have thrown such a troublemaker into the sea without hesitation.

However, most of the soldiers on this voyage were Bai's private troops, so Cheng Keqin did not dare to make decisions on his own.

However, Shiro didn't mind. Since setting sail, he had moved his bed to the side of the stern tower closest to the horses.

Firstly, life at sea was tough, and Baiye had to keep an eye on his horses so they wouldn't be killed and eaten by some fool. Secondly, it was also to set an example of sharing weal and woe with his soldiers.

Baiye, leaning against his horse, was lost in thought. He was gambling with the lives of his entire clan in this gamble. Would there be storms along the way? Would they encounter pirates? How strong were the Ryukyuans? Could his ragtag group defeat them?

……

A series of questions lingered in Bai Ye's mind, keeping him awake for a long time.

Just then, he felt a familiar large hand grab the back of his neck, immediately waking Bai Ye from his reverie.

When he turned around and looked:

"My dear sister, what brings you here?"

The newcomer was dressed in a white-haired sailor's short brown robe, his long hair tightly tied up in a black net and hidden under an old bamboo hat, his face smeared with soot... Who else could it be but Bai Ling?

"You didn't say I couldn't go by myself, but you didn't say I couldn't go!"

"My dear sister!" Bai Ye was almost frantic. "This ship is full of men. If they knew you were a woman, they'd eat you alive! How dare you come aboard?"

"So can't you speak a little quieter?"

Bai Ye lowered his voice:

"Why did you follow me? Didn't Dad tell you not to come?"

"I'm really worried about just the two of you. It's better to have more people to look after you. If anything happens to you, it'll be better if you die together."

Bai Ye's nose tingled at her words, and her tone softened:

"You're having a good time, but who's going to watch the house?"

Bai Ling sighed:

"I visited Uncle Zhang before I left. He will try to manage things while we are away. Our voyage is a big deal, and if enemies come knocking, I can't handle it on my own."

If Uncle Zhang can manage, then everything will be fine; if he can't, then adding me won't make a difference. It's better to go out to sea; at least then your life is in your own hands.

Bai Ye nodded, having to admit that Bai Ling was right.

"But who taught you to dress like that? When you and I walked over just now, I thought you were a charcoal burner!"

Bai Ling leaned back:

"I used this outfit to blend in when my fourth uncle went out to sea last time, so of course you wouldn't recognize me. I specially tied my hair up, and the soot on my face was specially applied. Plus, I have unbound feet, so how could an ordinary person possibly tell that I'm a woman!"

Bai Ling and Bai Ye's mother was a Hakka woman who did not have the custom of foot binding. When Bai Ling was young, Bai Wenzheng was always traveling around and could not take care of the child. As a result, she missed the age for foot binding.

After Bai Ling grew up, Bai Wenzheng always wanted to find her a good husband, but he couldn't find one. Every scholarly family would wave their hands as if they had seen a plague god when they heard about Bai Ling. They would also feel that marrying her off to a poor peasant would be too low, but they couldn't bear to do so. In the long run, she would become an old maid.

However, Bai Ling herself had come to terms with it and devoted herself wholeheartedly to the family business, finding joy in it. Bai Wenzheng, feeling guilty, also agreed to Bai Ling's frequent involvement in family affairs.

"Goodness, so you're a 'habitual offender' now." Bai Ye had to admit that his older sister was really wild.

"There might be servants or something from your home on the ship who recognize you, so you still need to be careful."

"Don't worry, when I boarded the ship, the people sent on board were either my trusted confidants or strangers. I guarantee everything will be foolproof."