Although the kenmen steamed buns were delicious, they did not arouse any greater surprise among the Ainu people. Occasionally, they would exchange some grain from the people of Kaphyaka. Although the quantity was not large, they had experienced it after all.
Compared with soft and chewy steamed buns, these four people are more interested in iron tools, bows and arrows, and cotton armor. Zhao Xin saw it and started to care about it.
It seems that the conflict between these Ainu people and the Matsumae clan is getting deeper and deeper. He thought of the "Ainu Uprising" that broke out five years later because a timber merchant withheld remuneration, which triggered a riot among the Ainu people who had been grudged for many years. However, in order to quell the riot, the cunning Matsumae clan first agreed to the Ainu's conditions, but then immediately turned his back on them. By the time the Ainu people wake up, there will be no danger left. Matsumae Domain took the opportunity to brutally suppress the rebellion and shot all the rebels to death.
The riot ended in rivers of Ainu blood. The Tokugawa shogunate was worried about the Matsumae clan's brutal rule of the Ezo Territory, fearing that the Ainu would take advantage of the Russian invasion of the south to cause rebellion, thus speeding up the development of the Ezo Territory.
After the leader of the Ainu ate four steamed buns, he turned around and walked to the side of the Thor ship, shouting something to the people on the three boats below. When the people in the boat heard this, they all turned around and rowed to the shore.
Zhao Xin glared at the hungry natives in front of him and thought to himself, don't die before the business is concluded. He didn't dare ask the sailor to bring him water. If he ate four steamed buns and then drank water, he might get a perforated stomach.
He pulled Pingtai over and whispered to him: "Ask him what his name is, and then ask him where this place is."
Heita nodded in agreement, then stepped forward and said to the leader of the Ainu: "My name is Heita, what do you call me?"
The man replied: "My name is Tuka."
"What is the name of this place?"
"otaornay. Sakawa."
Zhao Xin listened to a few words muttered back and forth and understood that this was the Otaru of later generations (小樨, おたるotaru.)
At this time, he stepped forward and asked the Ainu named Tuka in the island's dialect: "Are there any people from the Matsumae clan here?"
"Do you also know the Matsumae Clan?" The Tuka was very surprised, then shook his head and said: "We don't have any here. But there are quite a few in Satporo."
Zhao Xin knew that the "Satporo" Tuka mentioned was Sapporo in later generations, and then nodded, then turned to Liu Sheng and others and said: "It seems that the claws of Matsumae Domain have reached here. We have to help the locals. Cut off this claw, otherwise we won’t be able to transport the coal from Yubari at all.”
Before Liu Sheng and the others could answer, Zhao Xin turned to Tuka and asked, "Do you know where 'yuparo' is?"
Tuka frowned and said to Zhao Xin: "Huh? Why do you even know 'yuparo'? That's not at the beach."
Zhao Xin laughed and explained: "We also heard from a businessman of the Sendai clan."
"Yuparo" is Yubari in later generations. From the Ainu language, it literally means "place of springs"; and the location of the Ishikari coal mine near Yubari is called "the crooked river".
Well, Zhao Xin decided to name these two locations "Bei Quanzhou" and "Bei Qujiang" on his map respectively; as for Sapporo, it was literally called "Plain City".
At this time, Liu Sheng and Deng Fei, who had been curious about the birch bark clothes on Tuka, also came over. So the two of them chatted with Tuka for a long time with the help of Zhao Xin and He Tai's translation.
While several people were chatting, Zhao Xin asked the sailors on the deck to go to the cabin to get a set of captured 櫜枸(bow bag and quiver) and thirty plum-blossom needle arrows.
After the sailor brought it, Zhao Xin held the bag full of long arrows and said to Tuka: "Friend, this is a gift for you."
This is a set of spears used by Qing soldiers. The surface is made of cowhide and decorated with copper carvings. The lining is padded with red velvet. The edges of the bow pouch and quiver are decorated with red and yellow patterns. .
Tuka couldn't help but shine when he looked at the set of harbingers in Zhao Xin's hand. He stretched out his hand and gently stroked the leather; when he saw the thirty long arrows in the quiver, he screamed out in surprise.
"Iron Arrow!"
He carefully pulled out a plum-blossom needle arrow and looked at the red tail feathers and the shiny black arrow with fascination.
Tuka's face was flushed and his breathing was short. He didn't expect that he would receive such an expensive gift.
Holding the gift handed over by Zhao Xin in both hands, Tuka raised his face that was flushed with excitement and said loudly: "You will be the most distinguished friends of the Shachuan tribe from now on. The Shachuan tribe welcomes you to sell goods here at any time."
After he finished speaking, he asked Zhao Xin: "Your gift is too expensive. I decided to give you the most beautiful woman of the Shachuan tribe."
"Ah?!" Zhao Xin panicked when he heard this. According to the standards of adulthood for women in this era, she must be just another little girl.
Liu Sheng and others heard Zhao Xin's "ah" sound and quickly asked: "What's wrong? What did you two say?"
Zhao Xin smiled bitterly, shook his head, and said, "I'm almost like a nursery."
Ding Guofeng rolled his eyes and immediately guessed what Zhao Xin meant. He quickly asked: "It's Loli again? You don't want it? Don't retreat. Don't retreat. I don't want you to give it to me!"
"Scum! You can kill even teenagers." Zhao Xin and Liu Sheng rolled their eyes at Ding Guofeng.
When Ding Guofeng saw it, he couldn't help but hastily explain: "Hey, that's not what I meant. I just want to find a maid, bah, no, that's not the case, I just want to find..." He couldn't explain his anxiety even more clearly.
"I think you are in love with spring." Liu Sheng said with a wicked smile.
Ding Guofeng argued angrily: "Don't frame me falsely. I'm a serious person."
Liu Sheng laughed and said, "Yes, you are not a human being when you are serious."
"Hahahaha~~" Zhao Xin, Deng Fei, and Zhao Liang couldn't help laughing.
Tuka and Heta looked at the four people in front of them and laughed. They were a little confused for a moment and didn't know why these four people were so happy.
Pingtai didn't understand what Liu Sheng and others were saying, but Tuka's red face gradually became a little strange, and the beard on his lips began to tremble slightly.
"What are you talking about?" Tuka's face turned a little blue at this time, and he felt that he had been laughed at by Zhao Xin and others.
Zhao Xin and others took a look and quickly stopped their smiles. He said to Tuka with a sincere face: "Friend, I am very grateful for your kindness. I did not mean to ridicule you. But compared to beautiful women, I hope to get your permission to build a house in Shachuan. Shop, so you can exchange for the supplies you need at any time."
Sensing the sincerity in Zhao Xin's tone, Tuka asked: "How much land do you want? Just come ashore with me and choose a place by yourself."
Zhao Xingang wanted to agree. Just then, a sailor on the side of the ship shouted: "There are more than a dozen ships coming from the opposite side. There seem to be samurai on them!"
As soon as the words fell, several people who were chatting quickly came to the side of the ship and looked towards the coast.
Liu Sheng raised the telescope on his chest and saw that in addition to a dozen boats obviously dressed as Ainu people, there was one boat with four island warriors on it. These four warriors all wore bamboo hats and seemed to have swords on their waists.
After everyone waited for a while, the boat gradually approached. Tuka, who was still holding something in his hand, squinted his eyes and looked at it carefully, and then said in surprise: "This is... a person from the Matsumae clan?"
When Zhao Xin heard this, he suddenly felt wary. Didn't Tuka just say that there are no Matsumae family members here in Sagawa? What happened to these four samurai who suddenly appeared?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look at Tuka.
At this time, Tuka's eyes met Zhao Xin's. Looking at the doubts in the other person's eyes, he quickly explained: "I don't know these four people."
"What should I do?" Ding Guofeng asked Zhao Xin.
"Everyone, get ready. I think these warriors are coming with bad intentions." Zhao Xin said calmly.
Deng Fei turned to look at the pile of things on the deck and asked quickly: "Do you want to put this away?"
"No need. I don't intend to let these people go back." Zhao Xin said in a cold tone.
Several people knew what he meant as soon as they heard it.
Ding Guofeng hurriedly ran to the cabin, but Zhao Xin stopped him and asked, "Why are you going?"
"Go get the gun, aren't you going to let them go?"
Zhao Xin said calmly: "Let them come up first. It's not too late to listen to what these people have to say."
"Take this."
Liu Sheng threw the Marlin 1894 in his hand to Ding Guofeng, and then pulled out the pistol from the outside of his thigh.
More than a dozen small boats loaded with animal skins were parked around the gangway, but the Ainu on board did not dare to approach the Thor. Instead, they stopped in a group, waiting for the small boat with the four samurai to approach.
The four Matsumae family samurai looked up at the tall ship in front of them, and were secretly frightened. Compared with this ship, my family's Sengoku ship is like a small morning boat facing the Sengoku ship.
After they tied the cable, they carefully climbed up the ladder.
The four people fearfully boarded the deck and looked around. The tall and white ship building made them dizzy. After calming down for a moment, the four of them saw a tall man standing ten steps in front of them.
This person's skin was very white, and under his weird short hair, something with two black circles covered his eyes. He was wearing a colorful short coat, with his hands resting on his legs casually.
To the left of this man stood an Ainu man.
"Are you from the Matsumae clan?" Zhao Xin, wearing sunglasses, first greeted the four warriors.
"We are officers of the Sapporo Police Station under Shima Mamoru. Who are you?" A samurai greeted Zhao Xin.
"Haha~ The Songqian family's claws have reached Pingyuan City..." Zhao Xin said sarcastically.
"You are so rude! Apologize quickly!" a warrior shouted angrily.
"This is not a plain, this is the territory of the Sagawa tribe. What are the people of the Matsumae clan doing here?" asked Tuka, who was standing on one side.
"Who are you?" The samurai asked strangely, looking at Tuka wearing Ainu clothing.
"I am the leader of the Shachuan tribe." Tuka said with his head raised.
(End of chapter)
