Pillars of the Wu family

Yoshitoki Kira hoped to find some instructors from the Knights of the Hospital to teach the warriors combat skills. European knights are similar to Japanese samurai. They are full-time professional fighters who fight all the year round under the feudal system. Honing his skills and strengthening his physique is to gain victory and honor on the battlefield. If he can learn the best combat skills in Europe, he will have more confidence in building an invincible army.

He originally wanted to propose a few three-pound eagle cannons, which are small and convenient and not as eye-catching as half-snake cannons. It would be perfect if he hired another gunnery instructor, but his proposal just mentioned When she came out, Claudia rolled her eyes and rejected, "Unbelievable! Fantastic!"

"Why is it whimsical?"

Claudia finally found a chance to ridicule him, so she sneered and said: "With the size of our chamber of commerce, the desperate ocean trade is gambling. If we were not forced by the privileged merchants of the Hanseatic League, we would not risk it. It's dangerous to come here to seek profit, wouldn't it be better to run fixed routes in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea?"

Artillery is a large amount of arms in this era. In order to gain the support of Otomo, the overlord of Kitakyushu, the Portuguese spared no effort to produce a three-pound light eagle cannon. Their Dutch fleet only had muskets but no artillery. Pirates can only repel the enemy by boarding battles.

Moreover, they crossed the Portuguese route all the way, and took huge risks to come to Japan to make money safely. If they carry contraband because of his little idea, once they are discovered by the Spaniards or Portuguese, then their Agote Chamber of Commerce I'm sure I won't be able to eat and walk around.

Don't think too much about gunnery instructors. With the strength of the Agot Chamber of Commerce, they are not qualified to hire gunnery instructors. In the budding period of this era of great voyages, all gunnery instructors are the children of nobles. I want to hire them. It depends on whether you have the strength and the corresponding status.

Even if you are lucky enough to invite an idealist, their salary can scare you to death, because the prosperity of maritime trade makes them very sought-after. Now an excellent artillery instructor has an annual salary of [-] pounds, which is [-] pounds of silver. Letting them come to Japan may increase the price by five to ten times, which is simply cheating.

"Okay! I have nothing else to say! Let's make a final agreement!" Finally, for a long time, Kira Yoshishi gave up struggling and signed the agreement happily. Kira Yoshishi paid him two hundred pounds worth of silver. Bring the people he needs to fulfill the contract by the end of next year.

After the contract was signed, Claudia put away his share of Heyue and said suddenly, "Aren't you afraid that I'll 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 dishonorable things, then I can't help it, can't I?" Ji Liangyi looked at her , and then looked at each other and smiled.

After a few days of torment, Matsui Yukan and Wang Dan took the lead in reaching the trade of porcelain and raw silk. Wang Dan said with joy and apology that he would definitely send the craftsmen they needed within half a month. Bring it to Sakaimachi.

Then Matsui Yukan took these goods and the tea, pickles, beans and silver from Omi and handed them over to Frank Argot. After careful inspection of the goods by representatives of both parties, the trade between the two parties was finally concluded. Frank Argot repeatedly Tell him that he will definitely come again next year, and he will definitely bring all the things he needs.

After inspection, the vegetable seeds Kira Yoshishi could confirm included potatoes, corn, sugar beets, pumpkins, grapes, peppers, alfalfa, and unfortunately, tobacco and sugar cane, two important economic crops, but he was not discouraged, and used In the words of Frank Argot, these seeds were given to him as a testimony of their friendship, and no fee was charged at all.

At the same time, Yoshiki Kira also quietly paid the blond little Lolita two hundred pounds of silver. Seeing Claudia smiling happily standing on the side of the boat and waving goodbye to him, Yoshiki Kira silently watched the Nanman fleet go away. .

At this time, Tsuda Zonghe and a group of businessmen from the Tennoji House came over cheerfully, and respectfully said to Kira Yoshi: "I didn't expect His Highness Sakamoto to visit Sakaicho in person. I'm so sorry for the disappointment!"

"You already know that our family is located in Sakaicho?" Kira Yoshitoki snorted sullenly.

"Hehe!" Tsuda Zongkei neither admitted nor denied that Yoshitoki Kira's whereabouts may be secret, but he sat in Sakaicho for seven or eight days in a row, and frequently mobilized the power of Sakamoto Castle to rush to Sakaicho. If he didn't know it, then It's so stupid, I've been pretending to be deaf and dumb to watch his good show, and then reap the benefits of the fisherman.

But from the changes in the early morning to the transaction of the Nanban fleet just now, he realized that he had made a stupid mistake. He watched the goods worth 10,000+ taels of silver fall into the hands of the Kira family. He regretted that he was deceiving himself and others, but he didn't have time to regret it now, he had to find him to discuss business before others could react, so Tsuda Zongji personally waited at the stall where Kira's house and the Nanban fleet inspected the goods. The family came to the port to wait, the meaning of which is self-evident.

Tsuda Zongji said with a smile: "His Highness Sakamoto's time is precious! I dare not realize your time! These goods are eaten by my Tsuda family, and the loan with His Highness Sakamoto will be treated as if he never happened. My Tennoji House will pay for it." Give the Kira family 15 taels of silver, what would His Highness Sakamoto think?"

Kira Yoshitoki 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 [-] iron cannons. There are also clocks, mirrors, blankets, and woolen fabrics. My family also wants to buy them." Keep a few pieces for others."

"No problem! I don't take any of the items that His Highness Sakamoto is not for sale! The few gifts that His Highness Sakamoto asked for are also kept, 16 taels of silver, what do you think?" Tsuda Zongji glanced at the anxiously approaching from the corner of his eye. Tsuda Zongji, a few wealthy businessmen behind him also rushed over, so he immediately agreed to his request, and also raised an additional 1 taels.

Of course, Yoshihiro Kira saw the wealthy merchants rushing here in a hurry, but considering the important role of the Tsuda family and the future layout in Sakaicho, he decided to let the Tsuda family go, so he said with a cold face: "Yes! But You have to remember, it was your Tennoji House who was unrighteous first, and in the future, if the family asks you not to play tricks on the family, otherwise even if you hide in the Sakai-machi family, you will have a way to destroy your Tsuda family!"

"Yes! The villain must not dare to make such a stupid mistake again! This is the template of the invitation letter drawn up by the villain! Please read it! The little one will fill in the numbers and additional conditions!" Tsuda Zongji said in almost half a minute. This set of procedures was completed in the office, and when Imai Zongjiu rushed to the front in a hurry, Tsuda Zongji had already cheerfully dispatched his attendants to count the goods.

"I'm sorry! I'm going to take the first step, and I'm really sorry for making you all go for nothing! At noon, I'll go to a restaurant in the Ming Dynasty to have a meal!" Tsuda Zongji greeted the group of panting people generously with a victorious expression. Wealthy businessmen, it doesn't matter if they are panting and cursing secretly, or gritting their teeth and sulking.

"Pack up! Let's leave immediately! Miyoshi's family is about to find us!" Yoshihiro Kira called the people to bring the seeds and prepared gifts and began to evacuate. He walked up to the proud Tsuda Zongji and said to him: "Baiyin's The delivery is up to you, I will ask Matsui Yukan to stay in Sakaimachi with a hundred samurai to help you deliver the silver, don't make me wait too long!"

"Little one understands! Little one understands! Please rest assured, Your Highness Sakamoto! Please rest assured..." Tsuda Zongji couldn't laugh any more, greeted the wealthy merchants in a hurry with a bitter face, and ran back to the Tennoji house at a trot, leaving The next few wealthy businessmen looked at each other, and finally burst into laughter.

This time in Sakaicho, he accidentally ran into a group of Dutch businessmen. In order to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Kira Yoshishi tried his best to maintain the trade route between the two parties, because Frank Argot revealed in his speech that this time He would never come to the dangerous East Asian route after the overseas trial voyage, which is absolutely unacceptable to him.

In order to attract the Argote Chamber of Commerce to come to Japan for trade again, he also had to come up with very disgusting rhetoric. In this era, Portuguese routes are taken over by wealthy merchants from Kyushu and Sakaimachi. Although Spanish merchants are new, they are very powerful and domineering. Only merchants who are willing to cooperate In order to have the opportunity to profit from overseas trade, but I did not expect to encounter a big fish.

Generally speaking, although the retainers don't understand it, it doesn't matter as long as they can make money. The Magui samurai of the Kira family are all confidantes, and they will never talk too much in such a big matter.

Leaving Sakaicho, Yoshishi Kira brought a group of entourages along the Yodo River and returned to Kyoto safely. The Miyoshi family and Kawachi Hatakeyama have been trying to part ways since the beginning of March, and they don’t know when they will start fighting. Katsuryuji Temple The current lord of the castle is Harutsune Hosokawa, who serves as the gate of Gongweishan Castle Kingdom to monitor the changes on the Yodo River. In fact, it means to watch the gate.

After more than half a year of chaos last year, Kyoto at this time has resumed its unique prosperity as a national capital. With the arrival of the shogunate's ministers and officials and the construction of a magnificent Nijo Imperial Palace in the semi-abandoned Ukyo, a group of shogunate retainers dragged their families to pack their belongings. Moved to the vicinity of the Nijo Imperial Palace, and thus formed a new business district.

This has always been a blind spot in the development of Kyoto. The business district of Kyoto would rather develop to Dongshan outside the city than stay in Ukyo, which is full of wetlands and swamps. In the whole of Ukyo, only the two main roads in the north are still slightly popular as a traditional aristocratic area. There is even a village in the city. Every day, the farmers in the village in the city look at Ouchili and Nijo Imperial Palace a few miles away, and live a simple farming life.

Kira Yoshito went to Kyoto firstly to inspect the economic recovery in Kyoto, and secondly to visit Katsuhime at the Nijo Imperial Palace, but it was a pity that he was called by Ashikaga Yoshito to study the shogunate's strategy as soon as he arrived at the Imperial Palace. Running out under excuses, Sheng Ji started the daily etiquette training again. When Ji Liangyi could only ask someone to bring in the snacks that Sheng Ji loved to eat, seeing the respectful and indifferent expression of the female officer of the Konoe family, he felt that Out of anger, in order not to cause trouble for Sheng Ji, he could only retreat angrily.

"Famous general of the shogunate? Probably nothing in the eyes of the servants of his Konoe family? The seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister's door, the family is only the top five in the palace, and Konoe Qingji is a high-ranking minister who is the second minister of the interior. In the eyes of servants, my family is just a lucky person!" Yoshihiro Kira felt a little panicked in his heart, given his background and being 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 this kind of thinking. Although the ministers tend to cling to the powerful and powerful names, their pride in their bones has not been halved. It’s just that they are all people with status, and you can’t tell whether they have contempt. Tendency, only these domestic slaves can reflect the general thoughts of the master's family, even if Konoe Haruji doesn't think so, and he can't organize his family, the retainers think so.

Yoshishi Kira sighed, looked at the Nijo Imperial Palace behind him, and said thoughtfully: "Uncle is better! Only uncle can show expressions other than fake smiles... Speaking of which, I should also go to the door Visiting uncle!"

-

ps: In the Ming Empire, there were eight hundred people who could spend 10,000+ taels of silver. Of course, it may be far more than this amount, but in the Warring States Period of Japan around 1550, there were no more than 20 people with such financial resources.

Mobile users, please go to m. to read.