Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1829 - 1316: The Water Runs Too Deep—It’s Beyond My Control!
"Chief Divine bears witness! My Japanese brother, the matter of the silkworm variety, for now, is not urgent. You can first keep an eye on it for me... But what our tribes need right now is more craftsmen, all kinds of craftsmen! And more livestock, especially four-legged ones, horses for riding, and oxen for plowing!"
The sun set, and the day was nearing its end. Faced with Kaozaki Yoshihiro's tempting proposal, Zuwaro, after long consideration, still shook his head with difficulty, temporarily shelving this "huge" deal of "one hundred gold tokens."
As for the reason for his refusal, it wasn't that the kingdom's fleet lacked gold. In fact, at present, the flagship Great Snow Wolf still had four hundred jin of gold in its hold. And in the Shinnan Mountain Port on the Kamchatka Peninsula, there was a stockpile of an additional fifteen hundred jin. Along this journey... he had scattered gold tokens everywhere when heading south, and combined with the current trade, it only used up a mere one hundred pieces, just one hundred jin of gold!
It's important to know that the Great Whale Island, overseeing the northern colonization logistics, is under Chimere's High Priest, having looted half of the Kingdom of the Lake, most of the Totonac Alliance, a small part of the Maya city-state, and retrieved rare high-purity raw ore from the West Coast Gold Mountain, he possesses control over nearly ten tons of gold!
To the countries of the Old Continent, this is virtually an unimaginable, maddeningly fantastic figure, capable of provoking the Crusaders' holy war, rescuing Castile's financial crisis thoroughly, and supporting Spain's extravagant spending for decades like a golden funnel! And even for the gold-abundant Central American tribes, this represents the accumulated extraction over hundreds of years.
However, to Xiulote, he does not value these golden, heavy lifeless items. With people and sufficient production capacity, he can easily replenish these figures, whether it's the gold mountains found along the North American coast, the mines already exploited by the alliance, or the memory of the southern Incan golden kingdom, all can produce even more gold!
So instead of letting these Central American gold take forms like golden idols, funerary offerings, carvings, artifacts, or ornaments, it's better to melt them into Chief God Golden Tokens, firstly transported to North America's western coastal port for storage. Then, waiting for the upgrade of trade with the Western Sea tribes, continuously exchanging for truly valuable talents, livestock, and goods!
In summary, Zuwaro does not lack gold, nor does the kingdom. If the kingdom's gold were really brought by ship, combined with the Fresnillo large silver mine on Sakascat Wilderness, it would easily flood Japan's market, and potentially cause the Ming Dynasty gold and silver prices to plummet!
Of course, for the current Ming tax system, primarily based on physical taxation, a drop in gold and silver prices has significant impacts on the scholars' influence, but it won't shake the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. However, after the reform of the Single Whip Law, when farmers must exchange for silver for tax payment, the power of massive gold and silver inflow will truly determine the future of the Empire!
The commercial prosperity due to the inflow of gold and silver, the real price of inflation, the rapid growth of land annexation, the insatiable greed of vassal kings and scholars, and the despairing bankruptcy of lower-class farmers, will eventually lay the gunpowder keg of the Empire's demise, waiting for the Little Ice Age's crop failure to trigger it, just as history has repeated...
"Chief Divine! Judging by this response from the Japanese, the value of gold among the Western Sea tribes is indeed as Your Majesty's prophecy anticipated, beyond our imagination!"
"But the strength of these Japanese tribes also surpasses my imagination. Even the most peripheral Japanese clan can mobilize over two hundred warriors and a thousand militia, not to mention the greater southern tribes of tens of thousands, such as 'Anton Great Tribe' and 'Southern Great Tribe'..."
"Although I have so much gold, I must use it cautiously. The amount used each time must not exceed the limit of the other party's greed!... As for what the Japanese chieftain mentioned, the 'big personalities' in the capital city, the 'silk craftsman for a hundred gold tokens'... This pool of water is too deep! If a hundred gold tokens were tossed out, the resulting waves might devour our fleet..."
"Chief Divine! Before the power in hand can withstand greater risks, it's still best not to prematurely attract the focus of the big clans in Japan! A lynx catching a rabbit, a jaguar hunting a fox, shouldn't exceed control, otherwise, it cannot be grasped..."
Zuwaro lowered his eyes, allowing the endless thoughts and considerations to flood his mind. He needed to stay calm, letting his heart, swollen by the 'Divine Might of Gold,' regain caution.
"Ah! My Shandan brother, I can understand... One hundred jin of gold is definitely not a small figure! Expecting you to take out such a sum to exchange for silkworm varieties that can only be raised in the warm south is indeed too demanding..."
Hearing the clear refusal from the Shandan chieftain, Kaozaki Yoshihiro was somewhat disappointed. After all, if this substantial business of a hundred gold tokens were indeed completed, the Kaozaki Family could at least gain a third, at least thirty-five gold tokens...
"Buddha! The Shandan chieftain appears rough but is actually rational and cautious; he even understands poetry and Buddhist law. Such performance, unlike a barbarian Great Chieftain from the Northern Snowfield without clan heritage... Hmm, although their tribe's location is still unknown. But judging by their peaceful demeanor, they have at least a hundred gold tokens at hand!"
Thinking of the dazzling gold, Kaozaki Yoshihiro felt a surge of excitement. He blinked and then smiled as he asked.
"My Shandan brother! Let's not talk about raising silkworms for now. How about the craftsmen for planting hemp and weaving? Just two Gold Talismans!"
"Witnessed by the Chief Divine! I can only give you one Gold Talisman, and not now. It will be in the next trade when you bring the craftsmen along with the seeds!..."
"Ah, well, alright! After all, you're my brother! Now, about the senior shipwrights you wanted before, how many Gold Talismans are you willing to offer?..."
"Senior shipwrights... Hmm, can they build sea-going ships?..."
"Oh! Sea-going ships?..."
Kaozaki Yoshihiro paused; this was a question he hadn't expected. He pondered for a moment and then smiled as he spoke.
"I know some big figures in the Capital City who have managed to acquire sea ships and shipwrights, even transporting them to the main family, though an accident happened later... My Shandan brother! If you really want shipwrights who can build sea ships, they are equally rare, and at least five Gold Talismans are required, with one deposit in advance! After all, I have to show sincerity to the big figures in the Capital City beforehand..."
"Hmm?... So, in the eyes of the Japanese, craftsmen masters like Gold Shipwrights are only worth five jin of gold? For craftsmen who hold such critical skills, the Kingdom wouldn't hesitate to spend even one hundred jin of gold!"
Hearing this, Zuwaro shook his head internally. He knew full well that the longship he had captured, along with the warrior craftsmen on it, came from what these Insect Mountain Japanese Tribes before him were. There were even two Japanese warrior prisoners at the port of the Far North Peninsula! However, on this southward journey, he didn't bring a single Japanese prisoner to avoid contact between the two sides and revealing the Kingdom's secrets.
Thus, he first posed as a member of the Ainu Clans. After being misunderstood by the Japanese, he decided to go with the flow and pretended to belong to the Great Shandan Tribe. After all, Zuwaro would never be tripped twice in the same pit, and more tribal leather coats could make him and his fleet safer! Ever since he first arrived at the Far North Peninsula, being nearly exposed and almost caused a major crisis due to the straightforward and friendly archetype of the northern tribes when an old grandmother from the Mountain Part pried his secrets out, he gained experience and never easily disclosed the Kingdom's details again!
To this end, Zuwaro even locked several official texts from His Majesty at the very bottom of a chest. These Western Sea Tribes are crafty, with some extremely greedy. Taking out these official texts could potentially attract some terrifying Great Tribe, which would consume them whole! Therefore, keeping a low profile, and while lacking strength, remaining low-key is essential, quietly acquiring craftsmen!
"Haha! My Japanese brother, if you can manage to bring shipwrights capable of building sea-going ships, the tribe can still spare five Gold Talismans! As for the large ships, we can offer the price, but we need to determine if they are truly sea ships... Here, this Gold Talisman is my deposit to you!..."
Zuwaro rummaged inside his coat but came up with nothing, so he turned to Warrior Chief Tamikusa. The latter nodded and took out a Gold Talisman from his own coat. Upon seeing this, the eyes of Kaozaki Yoshihiro widened. As he looked at each Shandan warrior, he imagined them all possessing Gold Talismans, wishing he could reach out and take them! Although, indeed, the appearances of these Shandan warriors were somewhat fierce, like Banners accustomed to martial prowess...
"Ahem! My Shandan brothers! Thank you for your generosity and trust! Although this trade from the main family has brought only thirteen craftsmen, next time, we will surely bring more! Definitely!..."
Kaozaki Yoshihiro bowed slightly and courteously saluted the exuberant Shandan Chieftain. This courtesy, of course, was not for Zuwaro but for the great Golden Divine Might... Afterwards, he smiled and cautiously inquired.
"Honorable Shandan brothers, besides these craftsmen, the main family also brought twelve mares, a breeding pair of cattle, and forty pairs of chickens, ducks, and geese... This has been the maximum that the main family could gather in a short period!..."
"In regard of these livestock and poultry... may I ask for the release of the main family's Chief Retainer Kudo, along with some cavalry warriors, back to the main family?"
