From the northern Shandan, to Ezo Mutsu, Yuhou and Yuehou, then to Noto and Wakasa, Chuyun and Hizen, all the way to the Southern Two Provinces of Korea! Such a turbulent "Golden Trade Route" was a magnificent vision that Kaozaki Mitsuhiro had never imagined! And the value it brings is far more than just gold!…
"Buddha! A trade route driven by gold, as long as it can be opened, the potential it can bring... The fur from Ezo land, the warhorses of Mutsu Province, can be directly sold to Hizen, or even smuggled into the hands of private traders in Korea... And the 'craftsman' of Korea, Korean ceramics, Hizen tea, Chuyun swords, can also be transported to the Northern Country!…"
"On the basis of maintaining the interests of the trade route, each clan along the way has a channel for communication and dialogue, and can even beco allies!… As the great rchant pioneering this trade route, as the link establishing connections among various clans, I, Mori no Kiyoshi, can break away from the identities of 'Kyoto Imperial rchant', 'Omi Business Group mber', and 'Miao Fa Temple Monks', and beco a legendary magnate!…"
"Buddha! If I can have such influence, even the nobles of the capital city who want to deal with , must think twice!… Perhaps, I can beco a character like Tao Zhugong, rowing across Lake Biwa, carrying wealth and fa, to peacefully grow old!…"
At this mont, the desire to escape the cage burned fiercely in Mori no Kiyoshi's chest. He had read the historical Tang books, and seen too many realities. He had never seen a shogunate's great rchant in the capital city, who could peacefully retire with abundant family wealth. The final outco was often the confiscation of ho and death, or handing over the family business and becoming a monk in temples and shrines…
Mori no Kiyoshi originally did not have much hope, just thinking like a cunning rabbit with three hos, able to hand over the rice house and retire in old age, was already satisfying. But now, in the backdrop of the shogunate's decline and the lack of governance outside the capital region, he suddenly discovered another possibility! Another possibility to change his identity and status, to hold his head high and leave the prison of the capital city!
The premise for realizing this possibility is to open the envisioned northern trade route and connect all the forces along the way! And to open this trade route, apart from my contacts and networks as an interdiary, what's more important is the "golden power" from the source, the "Golden Clan" of Shandan, able to knock on the door of any clan with "golden"!
"Golden light of Buddha, let be aware!… The key issue now is to grasp the key issue… Hmm… This so-called 'Golden Clan', is it really as Mitsuhiro said, with an astonishing scale, at least several hundred to a thousand pounds of gold?… If there aren't sufficiently huge benefits, even if I've exhausted my network, it's impossible for the Northern trade route to be sustained…"
"Furthermore, are these 'Restoration' Shandan invaders truly willing to pay the price of 5 pounds of gold to 'invite' a Korean master craftsman? Can this price go up a bit? Such as doubling it… After all, when the daimyo of the Western Country deploys samurai, there will certainly be casualties. Although they never care about human lives and would normally plunder Korea even without commission. But when it cos to negotiations, they surely use this as a reason to claim significant benefits. Add in transportation costs along the way, they all need to be properly discussed!…"
"And those extra plundered gains, how much will the Shandan people want, like ordinary craftsn from Korea?… Like when breaking through Jeolla Road's 'Mupu', breaking Mupu Shipyard… Hiss! Mupu is now a tough nut! More than a decade ago it was broken once, the Western Country brought several big shipwrights, including the Gold Shipwright who made the Ocean Shielding Ship, sold them to the Capital City and Sakai Port afterwards… The Korea Kingdom obviously strengthened defenses, and the daimyo of Kyushu has never succeeded again. Hmm, let think… Besides 'Mupu', there's 'Lishui', Lishui Shipyard is closer! Just don't know how the defenses are..."
"Of course, the defenses of the Korea shipyards are very strict. The easiest to succeed are the civilian workshops. Just like the porcelain workshop in Gyeongsang Province's 'Donglai' (now Busan)... If we plundered the Korea official's porcelain workshop, capturing several master craftsn at the sa ti, there would surely be dozens of ordinary craftsn and apprentices... What price do the Shandan Tribes want for these people? How much do they want? It must be cleared up in advance... If not possible, at least cheaper, handed over to the daimyo along the way..."
The intense thoughts surged in Mori no Kiyoshi's mind, step by step pressing close to the limits controlled by the Buddhist law. Ultimately, there's only one key issue: Is the gold from the Shandan "Golden Clan" enough?
As a rchant, one must first determine the capital of the trading object before deciding how much effort to exert, how much "goods" to stockpile, it can't get stuck in one's hands. As for the channels of "restock," that's for Amida Buddha, to see and not see are both compassion…
"Stop, stop! All sea of karma, arise from delusion! And so stop the delusional thoughts, and let's first look at the capital of the Shandan people!…"
Mori no Kiyoshi took several deep breaths, then quelled the distractions in his mind. For this journey north, he prepared no less than five ships of goods, each with a full load of four hundred Stones and large ships! Among them, one ship filled with rice, one with cattle, one with horses, one gathering refugee craftsn, one with weapons, armor, wine, salt, and tea.
If the Shandan tribes can consu this large batch of goods and pull out dozens to hundreds of pounds of gold... then the upcoming "big business" in Korea has a foundation for negotiation! And currently, before the transaction, no matter how much empty contemplation or consideration, it's of no use.
Thinking of this, Mori no Kiyoshi switched the topic back to the Kaozaki Family itself, returning to the managent of Ezo land.
"Mitsuhiro, the sixty-plus-year-old hero of the Ise Family, the reason he was able to sit firmly on the Izu Peninsula last year was because he enacted 'Virtuous Governance', reducing taxes to 'four parts for public and six parts for private', which won the hearts of the people!… And now the Kaozaki Family doesn't rely on that portion of land tax either. As long as you implent 'four parts public and six parts private' virtuous governance, regardless of where the people co from, they will fight to the death for Kaozaki Family!"
"Would 'four parts public and six parts private' virtuous governance really make the people fight to the death?… Hmm, if land taxes were lowered, the deficit… let calculate."
Kaozaki Mitsuhiro pondered for a long ti, estimating an annual deficit of eight hundred Stones, roughly equivalent to 6 gold talismans. His eyes flickered for a mont before he nodded in agreent.
"Buddha as my witness! If this northern expedition, and the trade with the Shandan Tribe, can yield returns like the last ti... I will officially enact laws to implent the Four Lords and Six People!"
"Great! Mitsuhiro, as long as everything goes smoothly and the transaction is completed... the enactnt of the Four Lords and Six People law will earn you the complete support of the people in Ezo land! At that ti, it will be the perfect opportunity to act decisively against Matsumae Guardian Ando Sadaki!"
"Indeed! Uncle says it rightly! When Father was here, through marriage, he controlled the Lower Country Guardian. The Kaozaki Family itself is the Upper Country Guardian. The last nail in Ezo land is the Matsumae Guard left by the Ando Family... the main family has long planted so seeds in Matsumae... and the na of the Shandan people, is even more useful than the previous plan, making it easier to report to the main family of the Ando!"
Kaozaki Mitsuhiro's eyes sharpened, revealing the ferocity of the Northern Country Martial Family. He grasped the hilt of his sword at his waist and smiled.
"Uncle, I will oversee Victory Mountain Manor. You, along with Kudo Chief Retainer, run the northern trade route for the main family! ... This upcoming thousand-fold scheming depends entirely on this transaction!"
"Great! This was my wish, and I shall fulfill it without hesitation!"
"Haha! May Buddha protect us!"
Mori no Kiyoshi sat kneeling on the mat, bowed, and saluted. The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.
The April spring passed amidst laughter, and the May scenery arrived under the sunlight. Ezo land is sunny all year without distinct dry or rainy seasons. Only in July and August do they experience sowhat stable rainfall, so the farming intensity here is high, requiring channel construction and frequent irrigation. Now, the spring farming villagers are already busy, sowing rice and millet seeds...
"Plant the seedlings, fertile rice paddies... pray for an abundant harvest, beseech the divine spirit... a good breeze carries on, the sky is vast and blue... the earth's bounty nurtures the rice!"
"Let's plant the seedlings, fertile rice paddies... abundant harvest this year, pray to the gods... the wind is gentle, the sky is blue... the earth's blessing nurtures rice!"
The farming villagers sang rhythmic farming songs, busy in the fields by the river. Then, one farr suddenly stopped, knelt in the field, facing the road. Soon after, everyone knelt facing the road.
"Step! Step!"
Over two hundred Samurai from Japanese Land, displaying the flag of the Kaozaki Family, led ten or more warhorses, heading north along the road. Their flag, vibrant with "four lozenge pattern," represents the Qinghe Minamoto Clan lineage of the Takeda Clan, almost identical to the "Ge Ling Pattern" of the Kai Takeda Clan.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Five large ships of four hundred Stones glide along the winding Ezo Coast, almost in parallel with the Samurai troops, sailing toward the desolate north of Ezo. None of these ships bear any family crest, but instead, stand the Five-colored Scripture Flags of the Tiantai Secret Sect, inscribed with the traditional Chinese nas of the Five Directions Buddha, yet enjoying a unique status, unimpeded throughout Japan!
"Namo Li Fearless Tathagata! Namo Vast Body Tathagata! Namo Sweet Dew King Tathagata! Namo Miao Color Body Tathagata! Namo Treasure Victory Tathagata!"
Tai Mi Five-colored Scripture Flags, blue, white, green, red, yellow, halt greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, doubt, as if seeing Buddha co personally!
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