Chapter One Thousand Four Hundred and Twelve: Entrepot Trade, Opened Trade Route with China
"Bodhisattva! Another ship has arrived at the port!..."
"Quick! Unload the goods quickly!..."
"The head of the family bought rice from the rice house again? Hey! There are also cows and horses on the boat? Is this... swords, guns and armor?..."
"Sukezaburo, don't look blindly! Go! Get the new residents down and take them to the shack behind!..."
"Yes! Leader Kono!..."
Most of April has passed, and spring has returned to the earth. The sea breeze is very warm, and the snow has melted away. Five large rice-house merchant ships docked at the port outside Shengshan Hall, and dozens of warriors, peasants and soldiers,
I got busy again.
"The merchant ships this time seem to be bigger than before! They can even catch up with the ocean-covering ship from a few years ago, which was still five ships!..."
Team leader Kenichi Kono squinted his eyes and looked at the large merchant ships that were rare in Ezo at the port. They were almost at the highest level of domestic shipbuilding technology in Japan and were the latest "Benzai ships". And look at the single-masted vertical sail with a flat bottom.
Its shape is obviously influenced by Tang Dynasty ships, especially similar to sand ships.
At present, every "Benzai" merchant ship in the port has a cargo capacity of 400 koku! Calculated at 120 kilograms per stone, it has a load capacity of approximately 50 tons. At the end of the 15th century, it can be said that the real "Freight of Japan"
Big ship"!
"The ship has a pointed bow, a square stern, a very tall mast, and a large square vertical sail. The bottom of the ship is very flat, and there are two rows of oars on both sides of the ship. The oars and sails are used together... Kyoto's big
The merchant is so rich that he can use such a big ship to transport goods!…”
"Well, these merchant ships are full of cargo. They arrived at this time and only part of the cargo was unloaded... Could it be that they are going north with me next month?... Hiss! There are several monk soldiers on each ship. They look like
Very good at fighting? Is the scale of the Shantao trade this time so big?!..."
Seeing the Tendai Sect monk soldiers holding naginata and carrying Japanese bows, the leader of the group, Kenichi Kono, looked stern and frowned slightly.
Most of the samurai of the Oyizaki family participated in last year's expedition to the north and the ensuing Shantar trade. As for the use of farmers, craftsmen, livestock and goods to trade gold with the Shantar people, everyone was tacitly aware of it and kept it secret. Like our family.
Once, every household was given rice and tax cuts, which was a generous reward that had never been received by any family head in the past generations. The warriors were all smiling, and they all knew where this "windfall" came from!
It's just that our family doesn't monopolize such a golden path of wealth, but instead brings in big businessmen from Kyoto. If the merchants in Kyoto take one more bite, won't they, the Uyizaki clan, take one less bite? In the end, will this be enough?
A more powerful daimyo entered the scene and kicked me away?…
Such samurai-level worries linger in the heart of Kono-gumi leader, but for the family leader Mitsuhiro Uizaki, they do not exist!
After all, the output of Ezo is limited, and a large amount of goods traded northward must be obtained through Morino Kiyoshi's channels. And the gold traded from the Shantaru people must also pass through Morino Kiyoshi before it can be turned into real "rice"
"!
At present, Morino Kiyoshi has become the "eldest brother" of the Oyizaki family, his "uncle", and he is completely one of his own. The two parties have already negotiated specific responsibilities and sharing: Morino Kiyoshi is responsible for transporting goods and purchasing from various countries.
The goods were transported to Katsuyamakan in large ships. As the territory, the Uyizaki clan dispatched samurai militia to ensure the safety of the trade and was responsible for contact with the Shantao tribe...
As for the final division of accounts, it was nominally 50/50. But the additional condition was that Morino Kiyoshi would exchange the materials needed by the Uyizaki family for 40% of the gold in the hands of the Uyizaki family at a fair price...
In other words, Morino Kiyoshi took 90% of all the gold, and while providing Shantao trade goods, he also had to replenish the supplies needed for the territory of the Uyizaki clan! Morino Kiyoshi seemed to have suffered a big loss in this agreement, and gave up
Mitsuhiro Uizaki was a little moved by the great profit. But once the gold was obtained, only this wealthy businessman in Kyoto knew the actual astonishing profits!
"Mitsuhiro, for this batch of merchant ships, I have brought you 50 pairs of samurai pills. They are all made by Nara and Kyoto craftsmen. They are well protected and stronger! I will give you the price of each pair.
6 Guns... In addition, there are 20 heavy rattan bows, 2 Guns, 40 wooden bows, 1 Gun, 80 swords, 1 Gun, 2 guns, 200 spears, 1 Gun, 6 spears... in total
, about 450 guan, still based on the price of 90 guan per pound of gold..."
"Not bad! The quality of these armors and weapons is really good! They are indeed produced in Nara and Kyoto. Before trading with the ferocious Shantar people, it is better to be fully armed and feel more at ease! ...Uncle, these are five gold talismans. Here are
you!…"
"Haha! Guangguang, don't be in a hurry, don't be in a hurry."
Seeing the cheerful Mitsuhiro Uizaki, Morino Kiyoshi nodded and smiled. He did not rush to get the gold, but continued to check out.
"Guangguang, the 1,200 shi of rice shipped in three batches, we calculated before, is 720 guan, 8 jin of gold. The wine and tea that the territory needs, the last batch shipped, is about 90 guan, 1 jin of gold...
"
"Twelve oxen, each with 15 guan, are strong cattle from Omi, totaling 180 guan, 2 jin of gold. Twelve Mutsu war horses, each with 30 guan, totaling 360 guan, 4 jin of gold. Twelve matches.
The price of a strong mare is half that of a war horse, 2 pounds of gold..."
Hearing the price of these horses, Mitsuhiro Uizaki felt a little distressed, but he didn't show it on his face. The Uyizaki clan was located in Ezo, and originally had no shortage of war horses, and could even export them. But last year, inexplicably, he had a fight with the Yamata tribe.
In the battle, more than a dozen war horses were broken, and a large number of mares were sold later, so I have to add one or two. Anyway, it is only six gold talismans. Even if it is not used by myself, it can be tripled if sold to the Shantar people.
,no,four times!…
"Twenty-two gold talismans..."
Mitsuhiro Uyizaki pursed his lips and settled the total debt. The twenty-four gold charms exchanged for the first Shanta trade turned into a large number of various goods in the blink of an eye, satisfying the subjects, warriors and retainers.
At the same time, only the last two pieces are left...
"Well, Xiang Erlang! Bring up that celebrity tea set!..."
"Yes, the head of the house!"
Shojiro Matsushita lowered his head and carefully brought a delicate wooden box and placed it on the mat. Then he gently opened the lid and found a set of celadon tea sets with green and yellow glazes and carved patterns.
With a faint stream of light, it catches everyone's eyes, like a treasure born in the forest!
"Hiss! Uncle, this is it? This is it!..."
"Oh! Mitsuhiro, didn't you ask me to ask if there are any outstanding tea sets? This set of 'Pearl Celadon' was used by Murata Pearl, a famous tea ceremony in Sakai Port. It is a treasure from the Tang Dynasty and Fujian.
!…”
With a smile on his face, Morino Kiyoshi looked at Mitsuhiro Uyizaki, whose eyes were straight, and introduced in detail.
"Witness the Buddha! Murata Shuguang is a true master of tea art. His reputation in Kyoto is second only to the late masters 'Ikkyu' and 'Noami'!... The 'wabi tea' he created emphasizes the fusion of music, music and tea Zen.
Simply, appreciate the beauty of wabi-sabi…”
"Ah! A real tea ceremony master?...Uncle, what is the beauty of wabi-sabi?"
"Oh! The so-called 'wabi sabi' means to understand 'the evanescence of time and the impermanence of all things' in 'the elegance of simplicity'. This is a truly profound Buddhist principle that cannot be expressed in words and can only be understood in the heart!"
Using this tea set to enjoy tea may bring you closer to the true meaning of Buddha, and it will undoubtedly add to the heritage of your family..."
"Ah... getting closer to the true meaning of Buddha and adding to the heritage of our family?..."
At this moment, Mitsuhiro Uizaki's eyes shone brightly, and he couldn't look away from the pearlescent tea set "The Beauty of Wabi-Sabi". He hesitated for a while, but couldn't help the desire in his heart, and asked softly.
"Uncle, the pearlescent celadon of this set of Noble Phantasms... How much tribute do I need to offer before I can take it home?..."
"Well...this tea set was given to me by Master Zhuguang...it's not easy to measure it with common things..."
Morino Qing looked reluctant and stroked the tea set for a while before sighing in a low voice.
"Mitsuhiro, you are now the head of the family and the governor of the Uyizaki clan. You really need a tea set to reveal the family's heritage in front of retainers and guests..."
"Buddha bless you! I will give you this tea set! As for the offering, I will give it back to the master, two copper coins and silver...just two gold talismans!..."
"Ah! Two gold charms?..."
Yoshihiro Uyizaki's eyes widened, and he looked at the last two gold charms in his hand, and then at the "pearl tea set" that glowed with clear light. All twenty-two gold charms were spent, all for the great cause of the family.
On the blade. Can't he still enjoy the remaining two pieces? What's more, this is indeed a necessary tea set for the samurai family to socialize, and it is a treasure that adds glory to the family... After a while, Uyizaki Yoshihiro
Finally he gritted his teeth and nodded.
"Okay! Just as my uncle said, two gold talismans!..."
