Chapter 1425 Goodbye, Ezo!

"The night dew tea is fragrant, and I drink tea under the moon. The breeze blows through the leaves, and the sweet dew enters my heart..."

"The Lord God is witnessing! This kind of 'tea' is indeed fragrant and sweet. Although it is not as strong as the scented tea on the plateau, and not as peaceful as the priest's divine smoke... it has a different taste, making people feel as if they are in the clouds~"

The sunset gradually faded, and the bright moon rose from the east mountain, illuminating the fleet on the seashore. The warriors on both sides had been confronting each other for a day, and now they had let go of their worries and started to make fires and cook across a river.

And just by the river, a bonfire was brewing a copper pot, and the pot was boiling water from the Ezo stream. Zuwaro and Morino Kiyoshi sat opposite each other, each holding a porcelain cup. And the monk soldier Shiba Rongdong knelt in the grass, carefully ordered the tea, and filled the cups for the two. Although Zuwaro didn't understand the technique, he also felt it was very pleasing to the eye, as if there was a set of rules in it.

"Mori, you, the samurai who makes tea... seem different from other samurai, with a bit of aristocratic flavor?"

"Grandfather, your vision is really sharp... Rongdong is a descendant of the famous Sasaki family, and his grandfather is the governor of the department, Sasaki Yoshiro... And the Sasaki family has gone the wrong way every time in the successive turmoil of the shogunate... In just 30 years, the Sasaki family has weakened from the head of the most powerful three governors to a puppet of each guardian daimyo..."

"Buddha is merciful! When the Sasaki family was strong, they were always close to our Omi merchant group and our Tendai sect. That's why they entrusted this child to our sect. In fact, in terms of bloodline, the position of Echizen guardian should have belonged to Sasaki Yoshiro's branch... It's a pity that the Asakura family is rising now... If this child is released from the mountain gate, I'm afraid he won't live long!..."

Mori No Kiyoshi sighed. Only in front of the Yamata chieftain far away from Japan could he be so frank and tell the secrets of the cruel struggle of the samurai family.

From Watanabe Masumi of the Ryuzoji family to Sasaki Eidō of the Sasaki family, there are countless heirs of samurai families who have sought refuge in famous temples and shrines. This close connection between temples and samurai families is a unique feature of the politics of the country. These samurai families are born as monks and inherit clans when they enter the secular world. No one knows what the future will look like. Compared with the Echizen claim of the Sasaki family, the little brotherly disputes of the Ryuzoji family are nothing at all...

"Eidō, don't be afraid! This generous golden chief is my benefactor. Perhaps, he is also your benefactor!..."

Mori No Kiyoshi stretched out his hand and gently patted the trembling Sasaki Eidō. Zuwaro's eyes flashed, and he heard what Morino No Kiyoshi had not said, and he was obviously thinking about it.

With the current strength of the kingdom in the West Sea Continent, it is naturally impossible to intervene in the political disputes within the people of the country. But with the power of gold as an aid, the strength of the kingdom and the Jiao people tribe will continue to grow, waiting for the future after a long time. Maybe…

"Zu! You are an extraordinary person. Not only is your blood and gold heritage, but you can also win over warriors and control the hearts of warriors!... I believe in your wealth and military power, and I also see your ambition and future in your eyes..."

"I just hope that you will not be enemies with the Kakizaki clan in the future! After all, we can always find a direction that satisfies both of us and bring benefits to both of us! This is the incredible power of Buddhism..."

At this moment, Morino Kiyoshi smiled and spoke, which inexplicably gave Zuwaro a feeling of a shaman sage. He was silent for a moment, and did not make any promises. He just glanced at the monk who ordered tea and responded with a faint smile.

"Mori, this copper pot is good, leave it to me! And this ceramic teacup is too fragile... It can't survive in the cold and snowy north!... You should take it away!..."

"Well... OK!"

Morino Kiyoshi pondered for a moment, looked at Shiba Rongdong who was unaware, and nodded gently. After getting the result of the test, he felt a little disappointed and a little relieved. It seems that this Yamata chieftain really has no intention of invading the country, and has no intention of intervening in the power struggle within the country.

Well, let the descendants of the Shiba clan continue to stay in the sect! The future of the Asakura clan is not certain. Even if the Asakura clan prospers, it is not good to really take ruthless actions against the descendants of Shiba in the temples and shrines, right? …

"Ancestor, respected golden chieftain! The moon has risen, and our transaction has been completed. Although I really want to continue drinking tea with you under the moon and discussing the past and present... But the warriors of the Kakizaki clan may find it difficult to spend the night here... So, goodbye!"

Mori No Kiyoshi stood up and bowed respectfully at a 90-degree angle. Then, he took off the folding fan from his waist, gave it to Zuwaro, and said with a smile.

"The Tang people broke willow branches to bid farewell... and there are no willow trees here, so I will take this folding fan from Kyoto and give it to you as a farewell gift! After the autumn harvest in October, I will bring my fleet north again to continue trading with you!..."

"Okay! Sen, since you gave me a gift, I will give you one too! This is the obsidian necklace of the chief god priest. Wearing it can bring you divine blessings and make your journey smooth!..."

"Oh! Such beautiful glass beads will make the Buddha happy! The craftsmanship of this carving is really extraordinary!... Then I will be disrespectful to refuse it!..."

Sen Yeqing put on the obsidian necklace and Zuwaro tied the folding fan. The two looked at each other and smiled heartily.

In this gold trade, Zuwaro only paid a "mere" 200 kilograms of gold, but in return he received two silk garments, more than 50 cattle and horses, dozens of apprentice craftsmen, 400 dan of rice, armor that could arm 200 warriors, weapons that could arm 1,000 tribal soldiers, salt that could feed thousands of people for several years, and two large ships! …

Of course, what made Zuvaro ecstatic and full of joy was that the kingdom had obtained eight real master craftsmen! As long as these master craftsmen were transported back to the kingdom, they would bring back the top technology and truly advanced skills from the West Sea Island!

"May the Lord God bless you! Seeing that the frost in the Far North has melted... If the subsequent support fleet of the kingdom goes out to sea in May, it will probably arrive in June or July?... Well, let's see how many ships can arrive smoothly this time... I can take out two ships to send a group of craftsmen and cattle and horses to the Shenqi Island Chain and the Far North Coast!"

"May the Lord God bless you! Bless the warriors of the kingdom to cross the thousands of miles of waves and arrive in the West Sea smoothly!..."

At this moment, Zuvaro's heart was full of the surging thousands of miles of sea, the difficult Shenqi Island Chain, and the Lord God's divine blessing! And Morino Kiyoshi's mind was much simpler. At this moment, there was only a golden light in his mind, a vast golden light like the sea!

"Buddha! One gold trade with Ezo is a huge fortune of 223 kilograms of gold! This is a full 20,000 guan, a real income of 20,000 guan! The income from this trade is equivalent to the total profit of the entire rice house for five years!..."

This time, Morino Kiyoshi brought a total of five ships of people and goods. Two ships of cattle and horses were exchanged for 23 kilograms of gold. One ship of craftsmen was exchanged for an astonishing 60 kilograms of gold. And the remaining two ships of rice and military supplies were exchanged for another 50 kilograms of gold!

In addition, the 50 kilograms of deposit for opening up the Korean trade route and the 40 kilograms of deposit for selling two large ships were all exclusive to Morino Kiyoshi, which was another unimaginable huge fortune!

"223 jin of gold, 20,000 guan! Merciful Buddha! How many people in the whole country have seen so much currency? And heavy, shining gold!..."

"Of course, the more than 130 jin of gold on the five ships of people and goods needs to be shared with the Kakizaki family. Excluding the one-third of the cost "written in the account book", the remaining profit is divided in half... That is, 45 jin of gold is given to the Kakizaki family! Well, this gold will basically be exchanged for goods. In addition to large quantities of rice and military supplies, expensive tea and wine, and more valuable "silk, porcelain, utensils, tea sets, famous swords, famous bows'... I believe that the people of the Kakizaki clan will definitely be happy to pay more for the famous treasures from Kyoto! "

"Even if the Kakizaki clan's share is removed and the actual small cost is removed, the profit of this Ezo gold trade for the rice house is a full 140 kilograms of gold, more than 12,000 kan, which is the annual income of a fiefdom of 100,000 koku! ..."

Such a huge profit stimulated Morino Kiyoshi's eyes, and even when he returned to the deck of the flagship, his mood was still fluctuating and his whole body was trembling. You know, even the merchants of Sakai Port, who have always been extravagant, can only take out "10,000 kan" of currency at one go!

In other words, just one gold trade in Ezo made him the most outstanding "big rich merchant" in the entire country! Such a trade with amazing profits can only be compared with the Kangei trade of Ming Dynasty, right?! But the Kangei trade of Ming Dynasty can only be held once every few years or even ten years. And the gold trade of Shantaar is twice a year!

"Buddha! With a profit of more than four times, and all settled in currency... Which businessman can not be crazy and reckless?! Sacrificing one's life for justice has always been the most difficult Buddhist teaching. But sacrificing one's life for profit is the "greed" that is always beneficial!..."

"Xin Guanggong, I finally understand, understand what you said before you died! Such a big plate, Guang Guang is too young, and he can't grasp it at all! Even I can barely take it... And the subsequent more amazing profits, I alone, even the entire rice house, can't bear it at all..."

"Buddha is a witness! In order to take such a huge profit, I must cleverly introduce the power of the Tiantai Sect, the power of the samurai along the way, and the power of the Omi Merchant Group, to achieve a balance of interests!..."

The evening tide surged, carrying three large merchant ships, slowly heading south. And more than 200 Kakizaki warriors, abandoning the messy baggage, all crowded onto the ship. Only then could they relax their vigilance for a day and escape from the urgent threat of the Shanta warriors.

In this meeting, Morino Kiyoshi, who was in charge of the transaction, had his eyes full of the Shanta gold. But in the eyes of these samurai, they could only see those terrible Shanta warriors and archers across the river! So many!

The original return plan was to have five empty ships to carry people, but Morino Kiyoshi sold two ships, so they had to let the samurai of the Kakizaki clan suffer. Just for gold, everything is worth it.

Morino Kiyoshi directly and generously promised that when the fleet came next time, the rice house would give one pyo of brown rice to each samurai who participated in the escort!

"Long live! Long live rice!..."

The excited cheers rang out on the three ships, shattering the waves heading south. The veteran Kudo Shigeyasu did not cheer, but just stared at the distant Shiribetsu River in a daze, as if saying goodbye to this vast Ezo northern land forever!

"After this trade, the Shanta tribes in the north will only become stronger! And the swords, spears, bows and armors traded will inevitably flow into the hands of the Shanta people's Ainu vassals, arming the originally weak Ainu people... In the future, will this vast, cold and magnificent mountain and river still belong to the Kakizaki clan? Is there still a possibility that it belongs to the Kakizaki clan?..."

"The Buddha who can see the future! Could it be that the future fate of the main family, like this turning cape... driven by gold, will it completely turn to the south from now on and jump into the quagmire of the samurai fighting again?..."

The sea breeze blew, and the bright moon gradually rose. Kudo Shigeyasu looked up at the bright moon, as if he saw Takeda Nobuhiro's smile before his death, mysterious and elusive. He sighed deeply and recited a Tang poem, but it was the most familiar one to Bai Juyi.

"The clear light of thousands of miles is beyond imagination, adding sorrow and hatred to the world. Who has been on the expedition outside Long for a long time, and where is the new separation in the courtyard?..."

"Ezo is far away and can never be seen again. But the swordplay of Honshu Mutsu, after I die, my descendants will definitely see it!..."

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