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, ready to return.
Speaking of Ezo Land at this time, there were not many bulk products for sale. The potential of seafood is huge but has not yet been fully exploited. And high-quality wood, which requires laborious felling and transportation to the Kinki area, is no more competitive than wood from Tohoku countries. As for rice and beans, the local supply is not enough and they have to be imported from Honshu Island.
Therefore, the ship on the return trip only contained some furs and seafood special to the North, as well as some herbs and supplements. The most leftover is the ballast iron placer. It is worth mentioning that Hokkaido is rich in iron ore and coal mines and has 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, it would not be possible if there were no skilled craftsmen in the museum. As for such a skilled craftsman, it still depends on whether Morino Kiyoshi can find a way to get it.
The Ezo land has not been developed for a long time, and it cannot do without the materials and manpower on Honshu Island. And for all this, we can't count on the generals and nobles of Kyoto, we can only rely on familiar businessmen. Therefore, regardless of the cold, Nobhiro Takeda held up his old 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, the sunset covers the firewood.
Spring grass is green every year, will the king and grandson return? "
Takeda Nobuhiro chanted farewell with a smile on his face. This time, instead of reciting Bai Juyi's poems, he became Wang Wei.
"Go back! I will definitely come back! Mr. Xinguang, I will definitely return with the ocean-covering boat in three months at most. Just wait a moment!"
The big businessman Morino Qing smiled and nodded, shaking his old friend's hand. This custom was also learned from the Tang Dynasty people, just like what is said in a Tang poem, "Knowing friends shake hands for three autumns, and support themselves with a few sticks to travel thousands of miles." Shaking hands to say goodbye implies a sense of reluctance, but it is an extremely intimate gesture.
"Okay! 'But don't ask again, when the white clouds are endless.'"
Takeda Nobhiro 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 Jurchen horse behind Takeda Nobuhiro and said goodbye to everyone. Then, the two ships raised their sails, rowed their oars, and were far away in a moment.
It wasn't until the two ships disappeared from the sky that Takeda Nobuhiro turned around. He looked at the snow-covered mountains and forests, and at the mountain peaks high in the mountains, where he built the Shengshan Pavilion himself, and had long memories. After a moment, he looked solemn, 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 the ships and are responsible for the ships that have gone out to the open sea. Come here and follow me into the palace, I have important instructions!"
"Hiyi!"
All the warriors bowed their heads and rode away through the snow. And a short, middle-aged samurai with a weather-beaten face also mounted his pony and followed the head of the family, Takeda Nobuhiro, back to the Katsuyama Hall.
The two of them did not enter the tea room and sat down on their knees in the main hall. In front of the samurai in the territory, Takeda Nobuhiro would no longer recite poems and talk about Zen, and use the same method of entertaining people in Kyoto. He looked serious and asked in a deep voice.
"Murakami Kitichi, I remember that you have been 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..."
Speaking of his experiences back then, Murakami's vicissitudes of life can still be seen on his face.
"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 with memories on his face.
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 faithfully dedicated them to his family, proving his courage and loyalty at the same time! ...It was only then that Takeda Nobuhiro 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 far north to trade directly with each ministry. Ji Tong, this matter is related to the family's big plans, and only you can take on this important responsibility!"
"To trade in the Far North?..."
Thinking of the dangerous waves in the North Sea while driving a small boat ten years ago, Murakami Yoshitsuki's heart was also filled with ups and downs. However, the head of the family, Nobuhiro Takeda, personally came forward and talked about it for this reason, but he could not refuse. After a few breaths, Murakami Jitong fell to 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 goodies for the head of the family!"
Seeing Murakami Yimichi'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 row a small boat and escape death. Before spring, Miwu will send a Tang Dynasty boat with 200 materials, called a ocean-shattering 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.”
"Zhayang Tang Ship?"
Hearing this, Murakami Jitong was slightly startled. He has heard of this kind of ship, which should be the best sea-going ship that can be built by all countries in this state. But he didn't expect that Miwu could get such a boat and give it to the family. You know, the cost of this ship alone is enough to cover our family's income for one or two years.
Thinking of this, Murakami Jitong's shoulders suddenly became much heavier. He pursed his lips, lowered his head, and asked softly.
"Master, I have heard about this kind of boat. The sails and oars are very complicated... I can't drive..."
"It doesn't matter! Miwu will be equipped with dedicated 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, the horse matter was not urgent. If that doesn't work, he can still give his Jurchen horse to Morino Qing.
Of course, among the goods exchanged from the North, the prices of furs, medicinal materials, and even horses will be reduced by merchants. And what he values most 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. !”
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Takeda Nobuhiro looked solemn and gave instructions carefully. All other goods have to pass through the hands of merchants. Although the profits are considerable, most of them will be taken away by others. But what really makes a hundredfold profit is the gold and stone in the hands of the northern ministries! Because this is real big money, the kind 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 Jidong 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 step back. 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 Jitong paused, pursed his lips, and said nothing. He knelt down solemnly on the ground, kowtowed three times to Nobuhiro Takeda, and then turned around and left.
Takeda Nobuhiro nodded, watched the other party walk away, and sighed quietly.
"The warriors of the North are poor but resolute, loyal and brave, and they will surely leave their name 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 dim, looking out the window at the deep mountains, forests, and sea of snow, and said with emotion.
"As you age, you ask yourself how it feels to grow old. I lie down at night with my eyes astringent, and my head remains uncombed..."
Halfway through reading, he suddenly stopped and changed the song, but it was the exchange 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, but I will be disappointed after this. Don't let the mulberry trees bloom in the evening, when the sky is filled 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 whispered, perhaps to himself or 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 fell asleep soon. Listening to his snoring, a thin young man squatted at the door and remained silent for a while before tiptoeing away. And after he left, the snoring in the room gradually stopped, and finally there was only a sigh.
"Hey, timing, longevity...Buddha's blessing..."
