Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1822 - 1310: Negotiation! Bring Craftsmen and We Will Exchange Them for the Tribe’s Specialties!
"Buddha! It's absolutely impossible! The greedy Shandan Tribe, the conditions you set forth cannot be accepted by the Kaozaki Family!"
"Leader of the Japanese, our Great Chief has spoken! If you refuse, he will invite all five Ainu Clans for a grand blood sacrifice!"
In the camp under Ezo Fuji, the "Shandan Envoy" Lu Jiaohu stiffened his neck, glaring at the Japanese Great Chief before him, speaking words of unabashed threat.
"We will erect a sacrificial altar, place your captives on it, and sacrifice them all to the Great Divine Spirit! Then, the Great Chief will invite the five Ainu Clans from the entire Great Island, raising thousands of warriors to join us in a southward raid into Japanese land, plundering your tribes completely!"
"Damn Shandan savages! I will kill you!"
"Come on! The Spirit of the Deer witnesses this, even if you cut off my head, I won't frown!"
At this moment, faced with the real threat from the Shandan people, Kaozaki Yoshihiro's face turned red with rage. He deeply understood the weight of this threat, perhaps more so than the Shandan Envoy who uttered it, fully aware of its terrifying nature!
If they truly conducted such a "blood sacrifice," killing the house elders and retainers of the main family before countless Ezo chieftains, and rallying the thousands of Ezo Tribes southward... then the authority that the Kaozaki Family exerted for forty years, painstakingly establishing its rule and influence over various Ezo tribes, could instantly vanish into thin air. Furthermore, the survival of the Kaozaki Family in Ezo land would face a stormy existential crisis!
The most frightening of all, as the architect of failure, Kaozaki Yoshihiro's reputation as the head of the Martial Family would be utterly destroyed. Once the turbulent storm passed, his best outcome would not even involve retaining the right to succession of the Kaozaki Family. Most likely, he would be forced to commit seppuku to apologize, or be compelled to live out his life as a monk in temples and shrines...
"Envoy of the Shandan people! You are not only provoking our Kaozaki Family, but also our main family the Ando Family, and even the Koga Kubo who oversees various countries in Kanto, and the entire Shogunate!"
However, Kaozaki Yoshihiro was a competent political heir. In the face of the Shandan people's threat, his eyes flushed in an instant, but he showed no fear. He stood up directly, like a fierce wild boar, angrily roaring and counter-threatening.
"Damn Shandan people! If you dare to lead the Ezo people southward, to raid Japanese land... we will immediately call for aid from our powerful allies, the Nanbu clan, our main family the Ando Family, and the Koga Kubo for whom my father served! By then, thousands or even tens of thousands of samurai will cross the sea! They will not only completely sweep through the entire Ezo land, eradicating your Ezo allies thoroughly... but will also annihilate all of you, this unknown Shandan Tribe, throwing you into the endless far north sea!"
"Hmm? The powerful southern Japanese tribes will support you, sending thousands of reinforcements to sweep across the whole Maoshili Island?"
Upon hearing the stuttering translation from the Beiyu people, Lu Jiaohu frowned. These Ainu allies, when facing the Japanese, were too timid, as if they had been thoroughly beaten. He shook his head secretly, recalling the instructions of the Great Chief, responding earnestly.
"Great Chief of the Japanese! If you can indeed call on thousands of tribal reinforcements, pouncing fiercely like a black bear... we indeed will have no choice but to board ships and temporarily evade your sharp claws! But you will not scare us, nor can you harm us; we will be as agile as wolves, and stare at you like wolves... this barren Ezo land cannot support so many battle-hardened tribal warriors! Therefore, your Japanese army cannot linger here for long..."
"As for our Ainu allies, we will temporarily take the Beiyu Clan with us when we leave. As for the other clans, feel free to sweep through them, as it has nothing to do with our tribe! ... And after a few months or half a year, or even after a year, after your army has left, we will still continue to move south, to continue raiding your Japanese territories!"
"I just don't know, by that time, will the Japanese Clan on this land still be yours?"
"Ah! Buddha? The Shandan people will first sail away, and then at some unknown time, suddenly reappear to raid Japanese land? Bastards, truly despicable! Ten times more despicable than the Ezo people!"
Upon hearing such an unexpected response, Kaozaki Yoshihiro gritted his teeth until they shattered, his head pounding with pain. When facing the Ezo people on the Great Island, the Japanese had always maintained superiority, never encountering such a troublesome issue.
This despicable habit of fleeing when unable to fight, this shameless tactic of covert attacks, is indeed characteristic of the nomadic Shandan Tribe! Facing the Shandan Tribe that comes and goes like the wind, even if the Kaozaki Family pays a huge political price to summon reinforcements from across the strait, it is impossible to solve the opponent in one swift move, only leaving endless troubles and aftermath behind...
But how could the Kaozaki Family possibly afford the enormous ransom and many craftsmen demanded by the Shandan People? Even if they did manage to provide them once, how could they ensure that these greedy Shandan People wouldn't ask for them again?
Kaozaki Yoshihiro took a deep breath and, after a long silence, reluctantly compromised.
"Shandan envoy! Let us open our arms, sincerely, and have a frank discussion!... What you've asked for in terms of wealth and livestock, we can provide some, offer a bit more of some, and others are simply impossible..."
"We can provide some ironware, gather all the rice wine, and double the rice offering... As for mares and oxen, we can only provide a portion. Regarding sheep and domestic pigs, Ezo Land doesn't have them, and they are rare throughout Ouu. As for the condition about 'donkeys,' I've only read about them in books, never seen one with my own eyes, and there are no donkeys in Ouu... Chickens, ducks, and geese are well taken care of, even though there are temple and shrine prohibitions, Ezo Land still raises them, and we can even offer more..."
"Besides these goods and livestock... the craftsmen you've asked for, are very difficult for the Kaozaki Family to provide, let alone in such quantities! With my authority, it's impossible to make such a decision. In fact, no clan would freely give away such important professionals. These senior professionals are not only the most precious wealth of the town below the castle but also the fruit trees that create wealth! Their status is no less than the samurai you have captured. Unless I use ordinary apprentices to trick you. But these skills, you would know are impossible to fake at a single try…"
Kaozaki Yoshihiro gazed into the Shandan envoy's eyes, full of sincerity. The lower samurai of the Japanese are always pragmatic, their bottom line flexible, not overly concerned about face and morality. Once they find they can't achieve their objectives through force, they become sincere, negotiable "friends," especially in this remote Ezo land.
And though Kaozaki Yoshihiro only mentioned the difficulty in finding craftsmen, he also mentioned apprentices and intentionally did not bring up farmers from the conditions... It's an implication to the Shandan envoy that apprentices and farmers can be discussed! Just in a separate occasion...
Unfortunately, this subtle hint from the Japanese, this painstaking attempt to "wink" is entirely lost on the cunning yet simple Deer Clan Hunter, Lu Jiaohu. He furrowed his brows, tugged at the small braid on his head, and after recalling the Great Chief's instructions, earnestly shook his head.
"The Great Chief said! None of these conditions can be missing! All these goods, livestock, and craftsmen, we want them, and the more the better!..."
"Damn! Greedy Shandan people!..."
Under Kaozaki Yoshihiro's angry gaze, Lu Jiaohu thought for a moment, then reached into his bosom and honestly added.
"The Great Chief also said, estimating your tribe may not have all these things, but you surely have channels to acquire them!... As long as you can bring the goods, livestock, and craftsmen, whether stolen, robbed, or deceived... He will have tribal specialties as benefits for you!..."
"Steal, rob, and deceive? Damn! You despicable Shandan savage, how dare you sully the name of the Kaozaki Family! Damn! I want to cut you down... Hmm? Hmm! This is?! This is!!..."
In an instant, Kaozaki Yoshihiro's eyes widened. And that dazzling golden light gleamed in his pupils, like some heart-twisting force. He gazed in shock at the Shandan envoy's hand, at the source of the golden light. Then, he instinctively extended his palm and took a golden amulet from the other's hand... A solid, hefty amulet weighing a full jin, seemingly made of gold!
"This?... This!… This weight? This hardness?... Could it be?… Could it be?!..."
"Indeed! The Great Chief said so! This is our tribe's specialty, the gold given to us by the Great Divine Spirit!..."
"Ah! A full jin of gold!..."
"Yes, indeed! This is the Great Chief's sincerity for you! And that, oh, is the deposit!..."
Lu Jiaohu grinned, like a clumsy elk, or like a gray wolf that had stolen a fox. He watched as the crafty Japanese Great Chief became dizzy with amazement, finally with a face full of shock and greed, falling into the hunter's trap... Only then did he feign sincerity, smiling as he repeated the Great Chief's conditions. And this time, the translator's words fell on Kaozaki Yoshihiro's ears, no longer harsh, but rather filled with sweet temptation, moving his heart.
"With the Great Divine Spirit as witness! Japanese Great Chief! As long as you can bring the goods, livestock, and craftsmen, whether stolen, robbed, or deceived... We not only will return all the captives to you, but will also use our tribe's specialty, exchanging with plentiful gold!..."
