Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1483 - 1032: Five Years of Prosperity, the Highly Profitable Trade of the Far North Land, the Fierce Raid by the Accounts Division!

Chapter 1483: Chapter 1032: Five Years of Prosperity, the Highly Profitable Trade of the Far North Land, the Fierce Raid by the Accounts Division!

"Uh, alright! The Samurai promised!... We’ve made an agreement, we must go to the Far North Snow Plains to get truly excellent fox and sable furs, so I can give the temple an explanation!"

"Hmm... then let’s continue northward! I also have the family head’s instruction to seek the sand gold held by the Far North tribes..."

At the end of May, the Ocean-Blocking Ship passed the northernmost point of the Kutadai Peninsula, truly entering the frigid North Sea. Along the coast, they sought out small nomadic tribes, engaging in relatively safe barter trade.

In early June, they exchanged for two female Yakut snow horses from a nomadic Shandan Saharan group. These snow horses stood about 1.3 meters tall at the shoulder, though not as tall as the 1.5-meter Jurchen stallion, they far surpassed the barely over 1-meter horses of Kyushu in Wa Country.

The greatest use for these two horses, besides future breeding, was allowing the samurai on the ship to travel more deeply into the northern snowfields, searching for the elusive Far North tribes!...

Then from June to October, a full five months of searching and trading ensued. The Ocean-Blocking Sea Ship stopped and started, heading north then east, circling half of the Far North Sea’s coast for over three thousand li. Most of the time, the ship anchored by the rivermouths of the Far North Coast, allowing the Kaozaki samurai to disembark and search around for the Evon Horse Division by the rivers. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The nomadic tribes of the Northern Land always migrate their herds from around one river to the next. The routes of each tribe’s migration can actually be traced. Whether they’re herding cattle, sheep, or reindeer, the lush water meadows along the rivers are always the most precious stops!

For the Wa Country’s Ocean-Blocking Ship heading north, given time, they could always encounter the migrating Evon Horse Division around the rivers. However, the Evon tribes were not small, while the warriors on the ship were few, carrying conspicuous food, wine, salt, and ironware. They also needed to spend more time avoiding visibly large tribes, opting to trade with smaller groups of dozens when possible.

Thus, through intermittent searching, the ship traded for many fine furs in a variety of types, including reindeer hides, bearskins, wolveskin, fox fur, and sable fur... Among them, the most precious were the snow-pure Arctic fox fur and the radiant purple sable fur, absolute treasures that could make the noble ladies of the Capital City swoon!

"May Hachiman Mahasattva protect us! Aha! This voyage on the Far North Sea, though the waves were treacherous and the sea mists towering, it wasn’t as dangerous as the legends say!... On the contrary, these precious furs, once brought back to the Capital City, could yield several dozen, even hundreds of times profit!..."

"Hmm... the furs from these horse divisions are indeed acceptable... just no sand gold!..."

"Aha! Murakami-kun, actually, we could return! If we head back now, given the speed of the Ocean-Blocking Ship, we can definitely make it back to Ezo land before it freezes over in November!..."

Having traded for the precious furs, monk soldier Watanabe Masumi felt content and considered returning. At this point, Murakami Kitamichi was somewhat reluctant. Before departure, the family head had carefully instructed him to find and trade for sand gold, but he hadn’t found a trace yet!...

"May Buddha protect us! Watanabe-kun, let’s head further east for a loop around the Far North Coast! According to the local tribes, the northeast is where the reindeer-holding Rokube occupy a vast snowfield, with many legendary Divine Mountains... They must have excellent furs... and possibly even more precious sand gold!..."

"Alright! Murakami-kun, then I’ll accompany you for another journey!... But we must agree in advance, once we reach the peninsula on the Far North East Coast, we must return at full speed. It is said that winter here can freeze rocks and ice, and it’s best to avoid wintering here if we can..."

Under Murakami Kitamichi’s insistence, the Ocean-Blocking Ship continued eastward along the Far North Sea, arriving at the snowy coast occupied by various Kamchatka tribes. Before they knew it, it was October, and they encountered numerous scattered Rokube groups, witnessing the majestic migrating deer herds on the snowfields. Compared to the Evon Horse Division, the Rokube’s tribal populations were noticeably smaller, usually around a few dozen to a hundred people, making trading safer!

Perhaps due to infrequent trading with outsiders, these Rokube held many fine furs in their hands. Though fewer in number, the quality and quantity of Arctic fox fur and purple sable fur they owned surpassed those of the Evon Horse Division!

Monk Soldier Watanabe Masumi marveled at the exquisite, smooth furs, expressing his excitement repeatedly. Ship Magistrate Murakami Kitamichi also received two small bags of sand gold, weighing about two to three pounds, around 40 taels, which was not insignificant and could certainly be reported to the family head.

Knowing that, at that time in Wa Country, based on the Kanto gold market price, 1 tael of gold was worth approximately 4 kan copper coins, 40 taels would equal around 160 kan. The approximate rice price in Kanto was 0.7 kan per koku, meaning these two small bags of sand gold equated to 228 koku of rice, untouched by merchant transaction losses, representing real income! And a Lower Samurai with fief yielding 50 koku would truly receive only 40% of the land income, which is about 20 koku of rice a year...

Simply put, these 40 taels of gold equate to at least the annual stipend for ten Lower Samurai! And the two flasks of wine used to exchange for 40 taels of gold cost less than 400 cash, which is a "mere" 400-fold profit!

"May Buddha protect us! These naive Rokube, tending so many reindeer, wandering the boundless snowfields, herding while hunting beasts, seem utterly unaware of the value of furs and sand gold. Offering just a warm flask of rice wine, a bag of salted meat, could exchange for a bundle of furs, a small bag of sand gold!..."

"May Hachiman Mahasattva protect us! Aha! Such a trade is truly worth pursuing, definitely worth pursuing!... Strangely though, they don’t favor our iron axes, actually finding stone axes more useful? Yet rice wine is extremely popular; they’d offer as much fur as needed just for a hot drink!..."

"Indeed, as Buddha witnesses!... These snowfield tribes are truly overly simple, even quite foolish!..."

"Aha! Mahasattva protect us! Hic!... Since the tribes on Ezo Island are called Ezo. Then these Far North snowfield tribes should be called Rokube, like those antlered deer, foolish Rokube! Hic!..."

"Rokube? Good! Truly, may Buddha protect such goodness!... Upon returning to Victory Mountain Manor, I must report to the family head! This Far North land’s Rokube trade, can be done, can truly be pursued!..."

The early snow of October fell on the gray and white earth, gradually covering everything. Murakami Kitamichi and Watanabe Masumi sat side by side at the ship’s bow, opening a jar of treasured sake, toasting against the sea breeze. They marveled at the hardships and gains of this Far North voyage, and at the simplicity and innocence of the various Kamchatka tribes.

Only, in those times, they were full of spirit, imagining the accomplishments upon returning to Victory Mountain Manor. However, they never foresaw that for the sake of the wine flowing through the Ocean-Blocking Ship’s trade, to endure the harsh winter... the more "innocent" Chukchi Tent Division hunters had already set off southward from the Far North Snow Plains, riding reindeer and husky sleds by night!

And these "innocent" tent division hunters brought no cumbersome fur commodities. They merely tightened their grip on their compound bows, fully supplying with bags of bone arrows, ready to use a more "foolish" method to obtain the lifesaving wine they desperately needed for winter!...

So, in mid-October, when the snow had covered the tops of their boots, those from the landing water-fetching crew of the anchored Ocean-Blocking Sea Ship, were finally caught by the tent division hunters who had been tracking them for so long. It was an unprepared early morning, when a full team of twenty Chukchi hunters appeared at the northwest end of the snow plains. In the face of the morning sun rising in the east, they instantly spotted the five-masted large ship anchored by the coast!

Then, as Buddha witnessed! The howling teams of huskies, the rapidly descending sledges, and the Chukchi hunters clad in winged leather armor, fiercely shooting arrows—those became the relentless nightmare for everyone on board!...