Chapter 1318: The Crazy Age of Exploration, the First Gold Trade in Ezo!

"Oh! Ancestor, my brother, you don't have to send all the captives back! These three warriors are from the Matsumae Ando clan in the south, and they are not included in the redemption scope of the main family... I beg you! Take them back to the distant snowfield and don't let them appear again. And I beg you to take these more than 100 farmers and craftsmen away, the farther the better!..."

"Buddha is a witness! Please don't let the big clans in the south know about your trade with the main family... Those powerful and greedy clans are always like hungry wild boars, rushing around fiercely... They are different from the main family, and are more accustomed to using brutal force to rob every =Potential benefits!"

"Similarly, if the trade between your tribe and the main family is known by powerful temples, it is likely to be interfered by greedy monks! ...These monks have the means to reach the ears of the gods, and they never get things done, but they can do bad things. And their greed is difficult to satisfy, even the Buddha cannot influence them..."

"So, I beg you! Do not include other unpredictable clan forces in our trade! ...And the main family will do its best to meet the goods needed by your tribe and the craftsmen who are "invited for employment"..."

Night gradually fell, and bonfires were lit on the coast. The three kingdoms' long ships were already full of goods and livestock, so that there was not enough space to accommodate the more than one hundred Japanese farmers. Therefore, more than a dozen kingdom warriors got off the ship and skillfully tied the Japanese farmers into teams of twenty people to prevent them from escaping at night. They would camp on the spot and guard these Japanese farmers for several days, waiting for the fleet to arrive at Hanbin tribe, and then return to pick them up again.

In fact, these Japanese farmers had already sealed their fate the moment they left the camp at the foot of Mount Fuji in Ezo. Even if they could escape at night, they would never be able to pass through the road blocked by the Kakizaki clan, through the territory guarded by the upper country, and escape back to their hometown in Matsumae.

Their most likely outcome was to be beheaded by the Kakizaki samurai who blocked their way, with their heads hung high, and then be charged with "secretly communicating with the Yamata" or "evading military service", and even be held accountable to the village and relatives.

"Buddha! The Kakizaki clan will never allow it! Today's gold trade situation was leaked by these escaped farmers, and then let the Matsumae guardian know... because the benefits are too great!"

Kakizaki Mitsuhiro secretly made up his mind that even if he wielded the samurai's sword and cut off the heads of the samurai and farmers, he would never let today's transaction leak out. Such consequences are something the Kakizaki clan cannot bear.

Although Matsumae Guardian Ando Sadaki needs to obey Takeda Nobuhiro's orders, his identity is the same as Takeda Nobuhiro, both of them are retainers of the main family, Hiyama Ando Clan. In other words, Ando Sadaki can directly contact Hiyama Ando Clan!

Once Hiyama Ando Clan knows about such an amazing gold trade, it is impossible for them to ignore it. They must intervene, or even take away the whole pot of rice! As for whether the Hiyama Ando Clan, which has at least 60,000 stones, will make a living by trade or by knife, it is really hard to say... Most likely, they will still send out samurai to come and fight first. After all, why bother to exchange what you can rob by your own ability?

At present, Zuwaro naturally cannot know about these struggles and disputes within the Heren clan. He just narrowed his eyes and looked deeply at Kakizaki Mitsuhiro, thinking about the exclusive trade solemnly requested by this Heren chief. And Mitsuhiro Kakizaki bowed deeply, even making his back and waist straight at 90 degrees.

"Please! Your Highness!"

"Please! Your Highness!"

The two elders of the Kakizaki family also bowed deeply at the same time, maintaining this posture, respectfully motionless. Zuwaro clenched his palms, and was somewhat uncomfortable with these strange etiquettes of the Wajin clan.

Because, according to the tradition on the plateau, this posture is to invite the honorable superior to hold his hair, which is a swearing of allegiance. And the Wajin's intention is definitely not to surrender, but just a strong request...

"Okay! Guang, I promise you! As long as you can continuously transport the goods and craftsmen we want, I will not disclose our transaction and go to the Wajin tribe further south! After all, you are my brother in the Wajin tribe who hit it off at first sight!..."

After a moment of hesitation, Zuwaro made a decision, or agreed to this group of Wajin first. After all, equal trade requires strength to endorse. Before accumulating enough strength, the Kingdom Exploration Team was indeed not prepared to venture south again. At least they would not go south along the Wajin Islands, carrying hundreds of kilograms of gold, and run into the nest of the Wajin clan...

"Thank you so much! Your Highness!"

Hearing the promise of the Shanta Chieftain, Mitsuhiro Kakizaki bowed again, then stood up and showed a sincere smile. And his address to Zuwaro also rose all the way, from the initial "Shanta Chieftain" with contempt, to the "Your Highness" honored by the samurai at this moment!

"Buddha! I don't want this... But this Shanta Chieftain is really too generous and has helped the family so much! This gold trade is really like the Buddha's fate coming to the world, and it is an opportunity for the family to rise completely!..."

Kakizaki Mitsuhiro's face is always respectful and sincere. And the settlement of this gold trade is like flowing water passing through his heart, raising golden ripples, making people feel uneasy!

"Thirteen craftsmen were exchanged for eight gold tokens. Five cattle and horse breeders were exchanged for one. More than a hundred farmers were exchanged for four... The trade of people alone was thirteen gold tokens, thirteen kilograms of gold!..."

"Then, twelve mares were exchanged for four gold tokens. Ordinary Kiso horses were sold at 6 koku, and although the family's Yamatar hybrid horses were better than Kiso horses, they could only be sold for 7 koku when sold to merchants. The cost was 84 koku, and 360 koku for 4 jin of gold was nearly 3 times the net profit!..."

"A pair of breeding cattle was exchanged for a gold token. The price of Ezo cattle was slightly higher, and the purchase price of adult buffaloes was also around 7 koku. The cost was 14 koku, and 90 koku for the profit was 5 times the net profit!... As for 40 pairs of chickens, ducks, and geese, they were exchanged for a gold token. They were all military supplies collected from the villagers, and they could not be sold for much money in the town. Like the population trade, it was a business with no cost and huge profits!"

"Finally, twenty large baskets of ironware, twenty large boxes of rice wine, twenty koku of rice, and five koku of salt. Most of these goods were from the family. If it is produced by oneself, even if it is purchased from local townspeople, the cost is less than one and a half gold tokens, which is only about 120 koku. And the 5 gold tokens exchanged are worth 450 koku! This is nearly 3 times the net profit! …”

“And this time the gold trade, just one trade! The total income of the Kakizaki family is an astonishing 24 gold tokens, which is an unbelievable 24 kilograms of gold! This is the cash of 2160 koku of brown rice, which is at least 6500 koku of high territory! And the annual income of the Kakizaki family, even if not a penny is used, is only this number! …”

“What's more, what was brought back from this trade is all gold! All cash! Cash that does not need to be discounted! …”

At this point, Kakizaki Mitsuhiro trembled all over, just like an electric shock! Just one transaction with the Shanta tribe, he can bring back a year's income for the family, and make a contribution that surpasses the entire clan retainers! And this is just the beginning, and it is only the first trial trade!

Among them, what makes him crazy is the income from the trade with the Shantaars. It is all gold, all real cash, and cash that does not need to be "cashed in" by merchants!

Don't underestimate this! In this era, even the powerful and famous people of the Heren clan can hardly come up with a lot of cash. They usually have to take out the physical objects of the territory to cash in before they have "currency" to buy the urgently needed goods. And this "cash-in" process is inevitably accompanied by the discount of big merchants! And the discount of cash-in varies, depending on the comparison of the power of both parties. Some can even lose half of the discount!

This is like the taxes on the heads of the common people after the Ming Dynasty changed from physical taxes to silver taxes. It seems to be the same, but in fact it has suddenly increased! Not only in the process of taxation, the silver tax is convenient for officials to reach out, and the fire consumption of paying taxes is intentionally increased. The common people cannot afford silver and money, so they must "cash in" grain and cloth into money after the autumn harvest... Just for this cashing-in link, they will definitely be eaten up by merchants who are connected with local tyrants, and even half of their flesh and blood will be eaten! ...

In this era, and even many years to come, it is impossible for a party that lacks currency and is weak to trade with a party that has sufficient currency and is strong to be fair, and it is destined to be bloody and tearful!

"Buddha! The golden Shan Tatar trade is really the golden Shan Tatar trade! Such amazing profits... are the hope for the rise of the family!"

"I must go back and report to my father, and pull Uncle Morino Kiyoshi in Kyoto into this golden river as soon as possible, and turn him into a supplier of craftsmen, livestock, and goods for our family!..."

"Even if it costs everything, we must establish long-term and stable trade relations with this golden tribe that calls itself "Shan Tatar" in exchange for more, more, and more gold!..."

The dark night brushed across the bay with torches. The more dazzling golden light flashed on the heads of the kingdom and in the hearts of the leaders of the people. Both sides were full of sincerity and joy. In the vast night, they waved torches reluctantly and said goodbye.

Then, they were extremely vigilant! Beware of the other party's regret and sneak attack in the night. The warriors of both sides protected their most cherished "wealth". One protected the gold and flew south quickly, and the other protected the craftsmen and rowed north. Both sides hurriedly set off on their way home overnight, fearing that the other party would regret it~