Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1823 - 1311: Negotiation! Gold Divine Might and Craftsman Trade

"You all leave now! I want to speak with the Envoy alone about the ransom matter."

"Yes, Young Master!"

In the large tent of the Kaozaki Family, Kaozaki Yoshihiro dismissed the Samurai guards, leaving only his two trusted aides, the Shandan Envoy, and the Ainu Translator. Immediately, he instructed his trusted aide, Kinoshita Ichiro, to test the purity of the Gold Talisman. The other party tested it repeatedly, even disregarding the potential for poison, biting hard on the heavy and soft gold, and then his eyes instantly lit up.

"Young Master, this is 'yellow' gold! The purity of the 'yellow' gold is very high! It's a full jin of 'yellow' gold!!..."

Upon hearing this, Kaozaki Yoshihiro felt invigorated. He reached out, and Kinoshita Ichiro, somewhat reluctant, handed over the heavy Gold Talisman to him. The quality of Japan's gold is roughly similar to that of the Ming Dynasty, also described as 'Seven Green, Eight Yellow, Nine Purple, Ten Red.' And this 'yellow' gold indicated that the gold content of the Kingdom's talisman should be around eighty percent!

Similar to the Ming Dynasty, Japan's measurement for one jin is 16 taels or 600 grams. However, due to inaccurate measures and lower foundry capabilities, one jin gold talisman of the Kingdom is usually thicker and larger, typically between 500 and 600 grams. The Gold Talisman in Kaozaki Yoshihiro's hand is very close to a Japanese jin.

In the Capital City area, 1 tael of gold is worth about 1 high-value string of 'Yongle Tongbao,' or 4 strings of locally minted 'Capital Money.' As for Kanto rice prices, 0.7 string Capital Money per koku of rough rice, converting into millet or grain means more, enough to feed an ordinary farmer tightly for a year. At this time, a koku for a Japanese is about 220-240 jin with some fluctuation, actually inheriting the Tang Dynasty's 'one koku' weight, larger than the Ming system's 150-160 jin per koku.

In simple terms, this piece of Gold Talisman in Kanto is at least the equivalent of 90 koku of rice in Japan, enough to feed 90 people for a year! Moreover, gold is never a worry to use—it doesn't require conversion or suffer loss from fire and will be eagerly accepted by traders, being real substantial big money! These 90 full koku of rice, even at a samurai's consumption of three koku a year, would be enough for Kinoshita Ichiro to eat for thirty years, from twenty until fifty!

"A full jin of gold, worth 90 koku of rice, a Samurai's lifetime stipend!"

Kaozaki Yoshihiro bit his lip, taking the Gold Talisman and carefully examining it in his hand. On the front was a peculiar 'Flying Bird' symbol, which always gave him a strangely familiar feeling, as if he had seen it somewhere, yet he couldn't immediately recall where. Then he turned the Gold Talisman to the back, and his pupils instantly shrank.

On the back of the Gold Talisman was a peculiar variant 'Chinese character' shining brightly! On the left side, it represented lightning with the 'Shen,' the right side was flame with 'Fire,' and below was the sky 'Heaven.' When combined, it was the Mexica-stylized variant 'God' character!

"Buddha! Strange Chinese writing? Like a pieced together symbol!... The origin of these tribes, could it be?..."

Kaozaki Yoshihiro stood silent, his mind fluctuating with some vague speculation. Of course, he would not consider these barbaric, armor-clad Shandan tribesmen as anything related to the Ming Dynasty or Korea. Matching their traits, perhaps only...

"Japanese Great Chief, have you made up your mind?" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

In the tent, the "Shandan Envoy" Lu Jiaohu looked impatiently at the Japanese Great Chief opposite him. Just a mere Gold Talisman, the other side examined it over and over, weighing, carving, biting; they've watched for so long! I don't understand why these southern farming tribes are so obsessed with gold. It can't be eaten or used...

"Ahem! Shandan Envoy, since no one is present, I will speak plainly. Senior Artisans hold a very high status, and getting one is challenging for our Kaozaki Family. They are treasures valued by each clan, producing vast wealth every year, contributing significantly with taxes, and are closely monitored! Unless, we can connect with the Southwestern Fiefs that set sail, but that requires more levels, no, two levels of effort..."

"Therefore, to acquire these 'Craftsmen,' our Kaozaki Family needs to risk offending other clans, needing to pay compensation to other clans! As for ordinary craftsmen or apprentices, it's much easier. Of course, if the price is right and the risk offers sufficient reward, these are all negotiable..."

"As for ordinary farmers, as long as it's not a large number, it's quite easy…"

Kaozaki Yoshihiro was not used to speaking so clearly about these under-the-table dealings. Yet these damn Shandan savages could not understand without explicitly spelling it out.

"So, Shandan Envoy, what is the price you offer for the craftsmen?"

"What? This won't do, that won't do, do you still want your captives or not?!... Oh! The price? So, in the end, you still want 'gold'! Why didn't you just say so directly, instead of beating around the bush..."

Lu Jiaohu scratched his head, feeling exhausted from communicating with these Japanese Chieftains. Kaozaki Yoshihiro pressed his lips tightly together, evidently feeling the same. Luckily, there are always some "shiny things" that can smooth over the gaps between people and quickly build a bond of mutual trust...

"The specific conditions, the Great Chief has said! You bring in one Senior Craftsman, and you'll get one Gold Talisman! The more senior craftsmen, the better, as the tribes can afford them. Of course, their skills need to be checked first; you can't just fool people!"

"As for the ordinary craftsmen or apprentices you mentioned... Hmm, they don't sound very impressive, so of course they have to be discounted! Several of them can only match one senior craftsman... As for ordinary farmers, twenty-five of them can be exchanged for one Gold Talisman, and they all must be strong young men and women who are good at farming. This time, we only need a hundred in total!..."

"Buddha! One Senior Craftsman for a Gold Talisman weighing one jin? Hmm... this price is indeed a bit low... but a few ordinary craftsmen for one Gold Talisman is barely acceptable!... And fifty farmers for one Gold Talisman, hmm, still reasonable..."

Hearing the price quoted by Lu Jiaohu, Kaozaki Yoshihiro blinked his eyes, quickly doing the calculations in his mind.

One jin of gold is approximately equal to 90 koku of rice. And the wealth a "Craftsman" creates in a year, like a "Master Swordsmith" making several famous swords, is estimated to be about that much. In Japan, a "Craftsman" has a much higher status than in Korea or the Ming Dynasty, usually equivalent to mid to high-level Samurai, or even honored guests of the Martial Family. Unless in war and looting, generally speaking, it is impossible to get a hold of a Craftsman! And even if the Kaozaki Family gets one, it would surely require a premium!

As for ordinary craftsmen and apprentices, such as blacksmiths who can only forge ordinary "katana," or carpenters who can use mortise and tenon structures to build "Townspeople's Wooden Houses," two or three for one Gold Talisman is still an acceptable price. Anyway, since the other party hasn't given a final word, specific prices can be negotiated.

As for ordinary farmers, with a ratio of six parts going to the lord and four to the people, scraping them bare and having them eat wild vegetables and acorns every day can only yield 0.7-0.8 koku of rice. Twenty-five farmers a year can at most yield 20 koku of rice, usually only ten or so. Therefore, exchanging them for one Gold Talisman directly means getting 90 koku of rice, cold hard cash in gold, and it's quite a bargain!

Of course, the people are the foundation of a clan. The Kaozaki Family would never sell the people of their main family; instead, they would use other methods. For example, they could recruit peasant soldiers from other clans, like those of the Matsumae Guardians, and then report battle losses. Or they could directly hire National Peoples from across the Strait to persuade struggling farmers to go north or simply abduct them...

"Shandan Envoy! Farmers are easy to discuss, but for the craftsmen's price... we still need to negotiate!"

At this moment, in the face of the divine might of gold, Kaozaki Yoshihiro completely abandoned his dignity as a Young Master and the honor of the Martial Family. He negotiated prices with the "Shandan Envoy" like a haggling merchant, calculating every penny. However, it was evident that both parties had vastly different understandings of what constitutes a "Senior Craftsman."

It must be noted that even an ordinary blacksmith like Otani Takegou is considered a "senior blacksmith," or even a "master among blacksmiths," by the Kingdom! Yet, Kaozaki Yoshihiro's concept of a "Senior Craftsman," or what the Japanese refer to as a "Craftsman," is of a technical level that the Kingdom cannot fathom...

"Witnessed by Buddha! If you really want a Senior Craftsman... then two Gold Talismans are too few! At least four, no, five!"

"Japanese Great Chief! You really are a, a sly snow fox!... Let me tell you the truth: this price, I cannot decide! But the Great Chief has said, as long as you bring the people and the real Great Craftsman, whether it's three or five Gold Talismans, everything can be discussed! However, before you bring the craftsmen, we absolutely will not release your captured elderly Chieftain!"

"..."

Thinking of the captive Kudo Chief Retainer, Kaozaki Yoshihiro once again fell silent. He felt somewhat angry and even a bit wronged! These Shandan people have enough gold, why didn't they say so earlier! If they had mentioned the transaction earlier, why would we have fought this battle?! It must be known, the tribute demanded by the Kaozaki Family from the Beiyu Cold Swamp Tribe, even if fully calculated, doesn't amount to three Gold Talismans, let alone three jin of gold!

However, Kaozaki Yoshihiro never considered that if the Shandan people had revealed their gold early on, given the Japanese Clan's greedy nature and disregard for the Ezo, the battle would still have been inevitable. It might have been larger and more intense!

Even now, after witnessing the armor of the Shandan Tribe, Kaozaki Yoshihiro couldn't help but subtly inquire during the conversation.

"Shandan Envoy! Where exactly did your Shandan Great Tribe come south from? The gold bestowed by your Great Divine Spirit... was a gold mine discovered around your tribe? ... If you truly have a gold mine and genuinely need many excellent craftsmen... then the main family can make a great effort to help you connect with 'big figures' in the Capital City, or even link you with the Southwestern clans raiding Korea!"