Ming East India Company

After the people and light weapons were loaded onto the ship, the next step was to load two flare guns. Each of these weighed four or five hundred pounds. Fortunately, as a maritime trade center, Yuegang always had winches and hoisting ropes on the shore.

Bai Jingxing directed several large animals to exert a great deal of effort before they finally managed to hoist the two cannons onto the ship.

After boarding, the crew immediately used more than a dozen ropes to tie the cannon to the mast. To prevent the waves from capsizing the cannon, they also added a long strip across the hull between the axles to prevent it from rolling.

Shirano shook his head. After all that, the cannon was definitely not going to capsize, but it was basically unusable on the sea.

I was hoping to fire a couple of shots to scare people in case of an emergency, but it seems I can only wait until after I log in to use this thing.

Finally, and most difficult, comes the question:

"How do we get the dozen or so large livestock that accompanied us onto the ship?"

And it was at this moment that someone whom the Bai family did not want to see appeared.

"Feng Lu, you're quite punctual!" Bai Jingxing couldn't help but mock Feng Lu, who was arriving late.

"It didn't delay your loading. Do you think you'd be the first to send the livestock on board?" Feng the Donkey still looked nonchalant.

It must be said that what Feng the donkey said makes sense. For large animals like horses and mules, everyone is always among the last to be loaded onto the ship.

"Stop being so mysterious, how exactly are we going to load the livestock onto the ship?" Bai Ye was truly annoyed by this Feng the Donkey and was too lazy to waste any more words with him.

"It's very simple. Drive the livestock into the compartment, tie them to the mast, and have them lie down. That way, they're surrounded by 'walls' when they look up. Do you think they'll still run around? Besides, the compartment is sheltered from the wind and rain. Isn't that safe?"

Bai Wenzheng was overjoyed upon hearing this and, ignoring Feng Luzi's earlier sarcasm, quickly ordered his men:

"Do as Master Feng says immediately."

But Shirane suddenly jumped up:

"Feng the Donkey, have you ever actually used this method to transport horses?"

Feng the Donkey was equally blunt:

"Back when I was a centurion under Qi Jiguang's army, I don't know how many livestock I sent to Liaodong using this method. You, a mere brat, dare to question me?"

"I'm asking if you've ever delivered horses?"

Feng the donkey was taken aback:

"We certainly didn't send any horses, but we don't know how many cattle, sheep, and mules we did send..."

"That's right."

Bai Ye suddenly realized what was happening and quickly ran up to Bai Wenzheng, saying:

"Father, this Feng the Donkey is unreliable. His method of sending horses will only result in all the horses dying on the boat."

Why?

"Because horses are different from cows and donkeys, they simply cannot sit still. Even if they eat and drink well, they will die if they sit still for too long."

After hearing Bai Ye's words, everyone present fell into deep thought.

Feng the Donkey was even angrier and ran up to Bai Wenzheng, saying:

"I, Feng Luzi, have been judging horses for many years. I have seen more horses in my life than the donkeys that you, sir, have ridden. I can guarantee that this is absolutely not true. If you do not believe me, I will refund your money without hesitation."

Bai Wenzheng hesitated.

On the one hand, he knew Feng Luzi's strength; in the vicinity of Yuegang, his knowledge of horses was second to none.

Moreover, Bai Wenzheng has been in business for many years and knows that at critical moments, one should listen to "professionals" when it comes to specific technical issues.

In business, nepotism is a major taboo.

However, on the other hand, Shiro's resolute attitude gave him some trust.

Seeing that Bai Wenzheng still couldn't recognize what was good for him, Bai Ye angrily swore:

"This Feng the Donkey is a half-baked landlubber. He's never used a boat to transport a horse in his entire life. If we listen to him on this trip, our Bai family is doomed."

These words thoroughly enraged Feng the Donkey:

"Back when I, Feng Yousan, was following General Qi to fight the Tartars, you were still drinking your mother's milk! A horse will die if it lies down, who came up with this twisted logic?"

I've seen countless horses lying asleep in the army. Were they all dead?

"Sitting for a while won't kill you, but sitting for too long will definitely kill you," Shiro retorted.

……

The two argued and got increasingly heated. Feng, in a fit of temper, grabbed a horsewhip and came over to start a fight with Bai Ye. The people around them quickly pulled the two apart.

Bai Wenzheng looked at the two men. Reason told him that Feng Luzi was indeed more experienced, but emotionally he trusted Bai Ye more.

Since the last time I returned from the ancestral hall, I was persuaded by Shirano to go on an expedition to Ryukyu.

Bai Wenzheng had a peculiar sense of trust in his previously unremarkable son, as if everything he said was leading the Bai family onto the road to prosperity.

Since that's the case, let's trust this kid a little longer this time!

Bai Wenzheng gritted his teeth and squeezed out a sentence:

"Wild boy, I'll listen to you this time. How do you suggest we transport it by horse?"

Bai Ye looked at the dozen or so horses.

He sighed:

"There's no other way. There's no time to build a temporary stable for the ship. Put the horses in the sterncastle, tie them to the sternmast, and the people and horses will live and eat together!"

These words immediately caused an uproar among those present.

Although the Bai family has always strictly prohibited and restrained its members to prevent them from overspending, they still maintain a basic level of middle-class living.

Nowadays, many people are naturally unwilling to live with the smelly horse manure.

Upon hearing this, even Boss Cheng frowned:

"Young Master? I, Cheng Lao Er, have traveled all over the country for many years and have endured all kinds of hardships, but this is the first time I've seen crew members and horses eat and live together! Is it really necessary to bring the horses?"

Shirano said decisively:

"We must bring it, otherwise we won't be able to win this battle."

Don't worry, if your men can't handle it, they can raise the price, and we'll make up the difference for you afterwards.

Moreover, my Bai family will be among the first to go to the stern tower.

Since Bai Ye had already set an example, Cheng Keqin couldn't say anything more and could only express his agreement.

Seeing that everyone listened to Bai Ye and not him, Feng Luzi became even more irritable:

"You little brat, I'm betting with you. If the horse really dies as I say, I'll pay you double the price of the horse."

Bai Ye retorted, not to be outdone: "Fine, let's gamble. Pull out a few horses and lock them in the hold using your method. Let's see how many survive!"

In his conversation, Bai Ye had actually already estimated that the fifteen boats could only carry a maximum of fifteen horses using his method. The extra horses couldn't be squeezed in anyway, so he decided to take a gamble with this Feng the Donkey.

Bai Ye then directed everyone to transport the horses onto the ship. The extra horses were all locked in the hold and tied to the mast to fend for themselves, just like Feng Luzi had done.

"Wait a minute, I'm going to go out to sea with you this time, so you don't abandon the horse halfway and try to trick me."

Bai Ye sneered inwardly, unsure whether Feng Luzi was truly stupid or just pretending. If he was stupid, he knew to take precautions; if he wasn't stupid, he just went to sea out of spite for such a trivial reason.

Anyway, having an extra mouth to feed on the ship wasn't a big deal, so Shirono agreed.