Yoshitoki Kira hoped to find a few instructors from the Knights Hospitallers to teach the samurai combat skills. European knights are similar to Japanese samurai. They are all off-duty professional warriors who fight all year round under the feudal system. They never work in agriculture and work every day.
The purpose of honing his skills and strengthening his body is to gain victory and honor on the battlefield. If he can learn the best combat skills in Europe, he will be more confident to build an invincible army.
He originally wanted to propose a few three-pound eagle cannons to try. This kind of cannon is small and convenient and not as eye-catching as the half-snake cannon. It would be perfect if he hired a gunnery instructor, but his proposal has just been raised.
When he came out, Claudia rolled her eyes and refused: "Incredible! Whimsical!"
"Why is it so whimsical?"
Claudia finally found the opportunity to ridicule him, so she sneered and said: "With the size of our chamber of commerce, all-or-nothing ocean trade is gambling. If we were not forced by the privileged merchants of the Hanseatic League, we would never risk it."
It’s dangerous to come here to seek profits, wouldn’t it be better to run fixed routes in the Baltic Sea and North Sea safely?”
Artillery was the bulk of arms cargo in this era. In order to gain the support of the Otomo family, the overlord of Kitakyushu, the Portuguese spent a lot of money to come up with a three-pound light eagle cannon. Their Dutch fleet only had muskets and no artillery. When encountered at sea,
The pirates could only rely on boarding battles to repel the enemy.
Moreover, they traveled all the way through the Portuguese route and took huge risks to come to Japan just to make money safely. If they carry contraband because of his little idea, once they are discovered by the Spaniards or the Portuguese, then their Agote Chamber of Commerce will
You will definitely have to walk around without being able to eat.
Don’t think too much about gunnery instructors. With the strength of the Agote Chamber of Commerce, you don’t have the qualifications to hire gunnery instructors. In the budding period of the Age of Discovery, all gunnery instructors are children of nobles. If you want to hire them, you have to ask them.
It depends on whether you have the strength and the corresponding status.
Even if you are lucky enough to hire an idealist, their salary will scare you to death, because the prosperity of maritime trade has made them very popular. Now an excellent gunnery instructor has an annual salary of five hundred pounds, which is five hundred pounds of silver.
If they come to Japan, the price may be increased five to ten times, which is simply a scam.
"Okay! I have nothing else to say! Let's make a final agreement!" In the end, Kira Yoshitoki gave up the struggle and happily signed the agreement. Kira Yoshitomo paid him two hundred pounds worth of silver, and she
He needs to bring the people he needs before the end of next year to fulfill the contract.
After the contract was signed, Claudia put away his share of Heyue and suddenly said: "Aren't you afraid that I will run away with my donation and never come back again?"
"This is an investment agreement. I am optimistic about you, so I invest in you. If you are willing to give up your future reputation and do such a dishonorable thing, then I can't help it, right?" Kira Yoshishi looked at her.
, then looked at each other and smiled.
After a few days of suffering, Matsui Yuhan took the lead in reaching a porcelain and raw silk trade with Wang Dan. Wang Dan expressed with joy and apology that he would definitely get the craftsmen they needed within half a month.
Transport it to Sakai Town.
Then Matsui Yuxian took these goods and the tea, pickles, and beans shipped from Omi and handed them to Frank Agot together with the silver. After careful inspection of the goods by representatives of both parties, the trade between the two parties was finally concluded. Frank Agot repeatedly
Tell him that he will definitely come again next year and bring him everything he needs.
After inspection, the vegetable seeds that Kira Yoshishi could determine included potatoes, corn, beet, pumpkin, grape, pepper, alfalfa. Unfortunately, tobacco and sugar cane were two important cash crops, but he was not discouraged.
According to Frank Agote, these seeds were given to him as a witness of their friendship, without any charge at all.
At the same time, Yoshitoki Kira also secretly paid two hundred pounds of silver to the little blond loli. When he saw Claudia standing on the side of the ship with a happy smile and waving goodbye to him, Yoshitoki Kira silently watched the Nanman fleet gradually go away.
.
At this time, Tsuda Muneki and a group of merchants from Tennoji House came over cheerfully and respectfully said to Kira Yoshiki: "I didn't expect His Highness Sakamoto to come to Sakai Town in person. I'm really sorry for missing the welcome!"
"You have known for a long time that my family is in charge of Sakai Town, right?" Kira Yoshihina snorted with a sullen face.
"Haha!" Tsuda Muneki neither admitted nor denied that Kira Yoshitoki's whereabouts may be secretive, but he has been in Sakai Town for seven or eight days in a row and frequently mobilized the power of Sakamoto Castle to rush to Sakai Town. If he doesn't know it yet, then
It's so stupid. I've been pretending to be deaf and dumb in order to see his good show and then reap the benefits.
But from the changes this morning to the transaction of the Nanman fleet just now, he realized that he had made a stupid mistake. He watched goods worth more than 200,000 taels of silver fall into the hands of the Kira family.
He was deceiving himself if he had not regretted it, but he had no time to regret it at this moment. He had to come to discuss business before others could react, so at the stall where the Kira family and the Nanman fleet inspected the goods, Tsuda Muneki personally
The meaning of waiting at home and waiting at the port is self-evident.
Tsuda Muneki said with a smile: "Your Highness Sakamoto's time is precious! No one dares to appreciate your time! These goods will be eaten by my Tsuda family in one bite. The loan with His Highness Sakamoto will be treated as if it never happened, and I, Tennoji House, will pay for it."
Give the Kira family 150,000 taels of silver, what do you think of His Highness Sakamoto?"
Kira Yoshiki curled his lips and said: "Some of the seeds in these goods and Frank's gifts are not for sale. I still want to keep three of the hundred iron cannons, as well as the clockwork clock, mirror, blanket, and woolen cloth. I also want them."
Leave a few of each to give away."
"No problem! I won't take any of His Highness Sakamoto's items from Tennoji House! I'll keep the few gifts that His Highness Sakamoto requested, 160,000 taels of silver. What do you think?" Tsuda Muneki glanced at Tsuda Muneji, who was rushing towards him in a hurry.
Tsuda Souji, and several wealthy businessmen behind him also came over, so they immediately agreed to his request and increased it by an additional ten thousand taels.
Of course, Kira Yoshitoki also saw the wealthy businessmen arriving in a hurry, but considering the important role of the Tsuda family and their future layout in Sakai Town, he decided to let the Tsuda family go, so he said with a cold face: "Okay! But
You have to remember that it was your Tennoji family who acted unjustly first, and if you ask me to do so in the future, don’t play tricks on me, otherwise even if you are hiding in Sakai Town, my family will still be able to destroy your Tsuda family!"
"Yes! I must not dare to make such a stupid mistake again! This is the sample application letter that I have drawn up! Please take a look at it! I will fill in the numbers and additional conditions here!" Tsuda Muneki almost said in just half a minute
This set of procedures was completed, and by the time Imai Munehisa hurried over, Tsuda Muneki had already cheerfully sent his attendants to count the goods.
"I'm sorry! I'm the one who got ahead of me and made everyone's trip in vain! I'm going to Mingguo's pub for lunch!" Tsuda Muneki greeted the group of panting people generously with a victor's expression on his face.
Rich businessmen, it doesn't matter whether they are breathing heavily and cursing secretly, or gnashing their teeth and sulking.
"Pack your things! Let's leave immediately! The Miyoshi family will find us soon!" Kira Yoshihi called for people to bring the seeds and prepared gifts and began to evacuate. He walked up to the proud Tsuda Muneji and said to him: "Silver's
I'll leave the transportation to you, I'll let Matsui Yuxian and a hundred samurai stay in Sakai Town to help you transport the silver, don't make me wait too long!"
"I understand! I understand! Please rest assured, Your Highness Sakamoto! Please rest assured..." Tsuda Muneki couldn't laugh anymore, and hurriedly said hello to the wealthy businessmen with a grimace, then trotted back to the Tennoji House, leaving behind
The next few wealthy businessmen looked at each other, and finally burst into laughter.
This time Sakai accidentally met a group of Dutch businessmen. In order to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Kira Yoshitoki also tried his best to maintain the trade route between the two parties, because Frank Agot revealed in his speech that this time
After a brief overseas trial voyage, he would never return to the dangerous East Asian route. This was absolutely unacceptable to him.
In order to attract the Agote Chamber of Commerce to trade in Japan again, he had to come up with very annoying rhetoric. At this time, the Portuguese route was dominated by wealthy merchants from Kyushu and Sakai. Although the Spanish merchants were new, they were very powerful and domineering. He could only win over merchants who were willing to cooperate.
Only then could I have the opportunity to profit from overseas trade, but I didn’t expect to encounter a big fish.
Generally speaking, although the retainers don't understand, it doesn't matter as long as they can make money. All the Kira family's horseback samurai are confidants, and they will never talk too much about such important matters.
After leaving Sakai Town, Kira Yoshishi and a group of attendants returned to Kyoto safely along the Yodo River. The Miyoshi family and Kawauchi Hatakeyama had been planning to separate since the beginning of March, and they didn't know when they would start a war. Shengryuji Temple
The current lord of the castle is Hosokawa Harukune. As a gate to protect Yamashiro Kingdom, it monitors any changes on the Yodo River. In fact, it means watching the gate. If the Miyoshi family comes to attack, it probably won't be able to defend it.
After the chaos of most of last year, Kyoto has returned to its unique prosperity as a national capital. As the shogunate's ministers moved in and built a magnificent Nijo Imperial Palace in the semi-deserted Ukyo, a group of shogunate retainers packed their belongings with their families.
It was moved to the vicinity of Nijo Imperial Palace and a new business district was formed.
This has always been a blind spot in the development of Kyoto. Kyoto's business district would rather develop to Higashiyama outside the city than stay in Ukyo, which is full of wetlands and swamps. Only the two major roads in the north of Ukyo are slightly popular as a traditional aristocratic district, and the southern part of Ukyo is slightly popular.
There is even an urban village. Every day, farmers in the urban village look at Ouchi Ri and Nijo Imperial Palace a few miles away and lead a simple farming life.
Kira Yoshitsune came to Kyoto firstly to inspect the economic recovery in Kyoto, and secondly to go to the Nijo Imperial Palace to see Katsuhime. Unfortunately, as soon as he arrived at the Imperial Palace, Ashikaga Yoshitō called him over to study the shogunate's strategy tirelessly, and finally found a successor.
With an excuse to run out, Katsuhime started her daily etiquette training again. Kira Yoshi could only ask someone to bring Katsuki's favorite snacks to her. Looking at the respectful and cold expression of the female official of the Konoe family, he felt
He was so angry that he could only retreat angrily in order not to cause trouble to Sheng Ji.
"A famous general in the shogunate? In the eyes of his servants in the Konoe family, he probably doesn't mean much, right? He is a seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister, and I am only a member of the fifth-highest rank in the palace. Konoe Haritsugu is a high-ranking minister to the two inner ministers.
In the eyes of these servants, I am just a lucky person!" Kira Yoshi felt a little panicked in his heart. Considering his background, he was looked down upon by these servants. He really didn't know what was going on in this world.
In fact, I can't blame him for having such thoughts. Although the ministers follow the trend and cling to powerful names, their pride in their bones has not been reduced by half. It's just that they are all people of status. You can't tell whether they have contempt at all.
Tendency, and only these domestic slaves can reflect the general thoughts of the master's family. Even if Konoe Haritsugu does not think so, and cannot organize his sect, the retainers view it this way.
Kira Yoshitsune sighed, looked at the Nijo Imperial Palace behind him, and said thoughtfully: "It's better to be an uncle! Only an uncle can show expressions other than a fake smile... Speaking of which, I should also go to the door.
Visiting uncle!"
——
PS: In the Ming Empire, there were only 800 or less than 1,000 taels of silver who could afford more than 100,000 taels of silver. Of course, it could be far more than this number, but in Japan's Warring States period around 1550, there were no more than 20 people with this financial resources.