Chapter 779: Three Years of Longevity, Trade to the Far North
A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and Yonewu's customs ship unloaded grains, rice, salt and soy sauce, and wine, and loaded a shipload of Ezo products, preparing to return home.
At this time, there were not many bulk products that could be sold in Ezo Land. The potential of seafood was great, but it had not been fully developed. And high-quality wood, which was laborious to cut and transport to the Kinki area, was no better than wood from Tohoku countries.
More competitive. As for rice and beans, local consumption is not enough and they have to be imported from Honshu Island.
Therefore, the customs ship on the return trip only carried some furs, seafood, and some herbs and supplements that are special to the North. The most leftover was the ballast iron sand ore. It is worth mentioning that Hokkaido iron ore and coal mines,
They are all rich in resources and have basic resources for industrialization. The iron ore here is mainly shallow sand iron ore, which is easy to mine and widely dispersed.
Near the Shengshan Pavilion, there is a small sand iron mine on the surface. You can mine it nearby, smelt the ore, and make swords and helmets. As for making complex armor, there is a lack of skilled craftsmen in the pavilion, so it cannot be made. And this has
It's up to Morino Kiyoshi, a master of craftsmanship, to find a way to get it.
The Ezo Territory has not been developed for a long time, and it cannot do without the materials and manpower on Honshu Island. For all this, we cannot rely on the generals and nobles of Kyoto, but can only rely on familiar businessmen. Therefore, Takeda Nobuhiro braved the cold and braved his old age.
He took his body and personally led a group of samurai retainers to bid farewell to Morino Kiyoshi at the port.
"Let's see each other off in the mountains, where the sunset covers the firewood.
The spring grass is green every year, will the kings and grandsons return?"
With a smile on his face, Takeda Nobuhiro recited a farewell poem. This time, he did not recite Bai Juyi's poem, but became Wang Wei.
"Go back! I will definitely come back! Mr. Xin Guang, I will definitely return with the ocean-covering boat in three months at most. Just wait a moment!"
The great businessman Morino Qing smiled and nodded, shaking the hand of his old friend. This custom was also learned from the Tang Dynasty, just like what is said in a Tang poem, "Knowing friends shake hands for three autumns, and use a few sticks to help support thousands of miles." Shaking hands to say goodbye implies
It's a sign of reluctance, but it's an extremely intimate act.
"Okay! 'But don't ask again, when the white clouds are endless.'"
Takeda Nobuhiro nodded and chanted again. The meaning of this sentence was to urge Morino Kiyoshi to leave quickly.
Morino laughed dumbly and shook his head. He glanced at the big Jurchen horse behind Takeda Nobuhiro, and said goodbye to everyone. Then, the two Kansai ships raised their sails, rowed their oars, and were far away in a moment.
It wasn't until the two Kanbune ships disappeared from the sky that Takeda Nobuhiro turned around. He looked at the snow-covered mountains and forests, and at the heights of the mountains, the Katsuyamakan he had built himself, and recalled them for a long time. After a while, he
With a solemn expression, he looked at the warriors and gave orders resolutely.
"Inform all the villages in the territory and select senior fishermen who have been to the Northland! Prepare the goods for trade with Ezo, and hurry up to make a batch of iron axes for trade!..."
"By the way, Murakami Kitichi, you are in charge of ships and are responsible for ships that have gone out to sea. Come here and follow me into the palace. I have important instructions!"
"Hiyi!"
All the warriors lowered their heads and rode away on horseback through the snow. A short, middle-aged warrior with a weather-beaten face also mounted his pony and followed the head of the family, Nobuhiro Takeda, back to the Katsuyama Hall.
The two of them did not enter the tea room, but knelt down directly in the main hall. In front of the samurai in the territory, Takeda Nobuhiro would no longer recite poems and talk about Zen, but would use the same method of entertaining people in Kyoto. He looked serious and asked in a deep voice.
"Murakami Kitichi, I remember that you went to the north of Huatai Island and traded with the local reindeer tribe?"
"Yes! That was ten years ago. I rowed a small morning boat and took two samurai with me to buy deer skins there..."
Talking about the experience of that year, Murakami's vicissitudes of life can still be seen on his face with some palpitations.
"The road was rough and dangerous, and the boat was ups and downs. Several times, it was just a hair away from capsizing... Fortunately, with the blessing of Buddha, we found the Saha people on the coast and exchanged two iron axes for two
The deerskin was tied up. Then I exchanged the wine I brought with me for a small bag of placer gold. After bringing it back, I handed it all over to the museum..."
Hearing this, Takeda Nobuhiro nodded and recalled memories.
At that time, Murakami Kitichi was still a young samurai. It was precisely because of his bravery that he went to sea, brought back valuable furs and placer gold, and then devoted them to his family, proving his courage and loyalty at the same time!
It was only then that Takeda Nobhiro valued him and promoted him to the position of ship leader. It has been ten years now.
"Murakami Yimichi, you saw someone coming to Miwu this time."
Takeda Nobuhiro's face was solemn and his words were slightly gentle.
"Big things are happening in Kyoto, and our family's products from the far north are extremely popular in the capital. There are important people who need our good horses, medicinal materials, and furs. The more rare they are, the better!..."
"Therefore, after the beginning of spring, I intend to let you personally sail a boat to the various tribes in the far north to trade directly with them. Ji Tong, this matter is related to the family's big plans, and only you can take on this important task!"
"To trade in the Far North?..."
Thinking of the dangers and dangers of driving a small boat in the North Sea ten years ago, Murakami Yoshimichi's heart was also filled with ups and downs. However, the head of the family, Nobuhiro Takeda, personally came forward and talked about it again, but he could not refuse.
After resting, Murakami Jitong fell on the ground, bowed deeply and promised loudly.
"Hey Yi! I will definitely risk my life and travel all over the far north to bring back precious good things for the family master!"
Seeing Murakami Yomichi's statement, Takeda Nobuhiro nodded with a smile on his face. He pondered for a while and then said with some relief.
"Ji Tong, this trip is mainly about trade, and you have to go back. My family will not let you paddle a small boat and escape death. Before spring, Miwu will send a Tang Dynasty boat with 200 materials, called a Yangzhao boat. Here.
If a ship can sail on the sea, it should be able to withstand wind and waves and pass through the waves of the north."
"Zhaoyang Tang Ship?"
Hearing this, Murakami Jidong was slightly startled. He had heard that this kind of ship should be the best sea-going ship that could be built by various countries in Honshu. But he did not expect that Yonewu could actually get such a ship and send it to him.
To my family. You must know that the cost of building this ship alone is enough to cover my family's income for one or two years.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Thinking of this, Murakami Jitsuchi's shoulders suddenly became much heavier. He pursed his lips, lowered his head, and asked softly for instructions.
"Master, I've heard about this kind of boat. The sails are very complicated... I can't drive..."
"It doesn't matter! Miwu will be equipped with specialized sailors on this ship. The fishermen in the museum will also learn to follow suit after boarding the ship. As for your mission, you still need to find the various tribes in the far north and start trade with them!"
Speaking of this, Takeda Nobuhiro pondered for a while and then added.
"Ji Tong, this time, I will exceed the ration of food and drink on the ship for you. The goods exchanged are also lightweight and expensive ironware and rice wine. The reserves of this ship are limited, so you give priority to trading precious furs and medicinal materials. As for the horses,
, if you can’t let it go, you can go again next year..."
Takeda Nobhiro paused for a moment. The matter of the horse was not urgent. If that didn't work, he could still give his Jurchen horse to Morino Kiyoshi.
Of course, among the goods exchanged from the North, the prices of furs, medicinal materials, and even horses will be lowered by merchants. But what he values most is actually...
"This time when you go north, you must pay careful attention! The tribes in the far north don't know how precious gold is, and the price is extremely low. If they have placer gold in their hands, they must exchange it for it! And if there is news about gold mines, they must also inquire about it.
!”
Takeda Nobuhiro looked solemn and gave instructions carefully. All other goods must pass through the hands of merchants. Although there is a lot of profit, most of them will be taken away by others. And those who really make a hundredfold profit are the ministries in the north.
The gold and stone in your hand! Because this is the real big money that can be spent directly!
"Hey Yi! I will definitely risk my life and travel all over the far north to collect placer gold for the head of the family!"
Murakami Kidomi fell to the ground again and promised loudly. Takeda Nobuhiro nodded with satisfaction and gave a few more instructions before asking the other party to retreat. Before retreating, he said in a deep voice.
"Ji Tong, before you leave, you can go to the treasury and collect twenty guan of belongings, and also fill some clothes and rice for your family. And if you are on your way north... I will let your child
Guang Guang adopted him as his adopted son and raised him."
Hearing this, Murakami Kidō paused, pursed his lips, and said nothing. He knelt down solemnly on the ground, kowtowed to Takeda Nobuhiro three times, and then turned around and left.
Takeda Nobuhiro nodded, looked at the other party walking away, and sighed quietly.
"The warriors of the North, who are poor but resolute, loyal and brave, will surely leave their names in the world!..."
The moonlight was like water, and it was already late at night in a blink of an eye. That night, the old warrior Takeda Nobuhiro could not sleep under the moonlight. He sat up cross-legged, his old eyes were hazy, and he looked out the window at the deep mountains, forests, and sea of snow, and said with emotion.
"As you grow old together with me, I ask myself how it feels to be old. I lie down at night with my eyes astringent, and my head is in a daze without combing..."
Halfway through the recitation, he suddenly stopped and changed the song, but it was the dialogue between Liu Yuxi and Bai Juyi.
"I know things well after reading them, and reading people is like reading a river. I am lucky if I think about it carefully, and I will be disappointed after this. Don't let the mulberry trees bloom in the evening, and the sky will be covered with clouds..."
"Don't forget the mulberry trees at night, the sky will be full of clouds..."
The expression of the old warrior Takeda Nobuhiro changed, and his lifelong perseverance and fighting spirit came to mind again. He murmured, maybe to himself, but also to others.
"The world is about to undergo a great change. I, the Uyizaki clan, must seize every opportunity! Increasing strength, acquiring more wealth, raising more warriors, and increasing the number of subjects are the foundation of our family! ... And all of this, in the Ezo land
, we can only rely on transactions with various barbarian tribes to grow step by step!"
"The opportunity to expand the family... I can still seize it when I am still alive. As for my son, he can only maintain his talents... Maybe my hope lies in the generation of grandchildren..."
After saying that, the old warrior Takeda Nobuhiro lay down on the bed again and soon fell asleep. Listening to his snoring, a thin young man squatted at the door and was silent for a while before tiptoeing away. And when he left
After that, the snoring in the room gradually stopped, and finally there was only a sigh.
