"You madman!!" After a moment of silence, it was Captain Ozak who spoke. His face had become a little distorted with anger.

"I think I'm normal."

"Then you're trying to fool us!!"

"I made this proposal precisely in consideration of the positions of both of us!" Even I myself was amazed at my calmness.

"Haha! It's ridiculous! You ......"

"I'd like to hear how you think about our 'both'!" Ernst interjected suddenly. His face was still as gentle as water, but his voice was as cold as ice.

"In order to show my sincerity, let me first explain my current situation...... "I began the work of patient and meticulous "persuasion education". "My current status in the Oda family is not high, and I can only engage in some low-level affairs. And...... My martial arts are low, and although I have a group of excellent retainers, I am afraid that it is impossible to achieve great feats on the battlefield in the short term! So buying a musket is the highest job I can do right now! ”

The two people on the opposite side glanced at each other and didn't answer.

"For now, if I want to quickly improve my status, I can only hope for this musket business! But ......" I shook my head helplessly. "My lord has put forward a strict requirement for me to be 50 pieces, and even if I buy it according to this requirement, it won't be much credit, let alone be promoted! So I can only have a chance if I break through this condition and complete the task by a large margin. ”

"I understand your feelings, but ......," Ernst said, seemingly casually, turning the ring on his ring finger on his left hand. As a businessman, I can only continue to operate if I make a profit. And as the head of the United Chamber of Commerce in Amsterdam, I must be accountable to the common interests of all the members of the Chamber. Personally, though, I'd love to help you! ”

"I think it's not just my personal business, it's about our common future!" I gradually accentuated my tone. "I was the one I just said, but it's time to talk about your situation?"

"Me? What's wrong with my situation? Ernst's tone was puzzled, and I couldn't tell if he was faking it or not.

"Is your, to be exact, the situation of the Netherlands in the East, really without any problems?" I asked rhetorically. "Your country, with its powerful fleet, may have gained quite a few bases on the west coast of Africa. But what about on the East Coast? What about the Indian Ocean? What about the Strait of Malacca? The vast majority of the ports are still in the hands of the Portuguese, right? ”

"So ......?" Ernst asked tentatively.

"So at the moment your ship will not, and will not be, to arrive regularly and on time! As a result, you are faced with an awkward situation, and it is difficult to establish stable trade relations with the princes of various places. Most of the princes who do business in Japan and Portugal believe in Catholicism and will not pay attention to you anymore! Others, on the other hand, are reluctant to engage with foreigners at all. I'm afraid your business is already in trouble, right? ”

"Are you a bit alarmist?" He had an aristocratic reserved smile on his face. "The goods I bring are also very popular among the wealthy commoners, and they don't necessarily have to please the princes and nobles!"

"Is that really the case? Maybe you have some truth in what you're saying. That ...... "I decided to continue to use my knowledge of world history." "Can you tell me where the motivation for European adventurers to come to the East came from in the first place? Is it from a book called "The Travels of Marco Polo"? ”

"Have you read this book too?"

"Yes! I had the pleasure of reading it. I nodded in acknowledgement. The description of Japan in this book is exaggerated, but it is generally good! Even though that gentleman probably hasn't been to Japan. ”

"And what does that have to do with our business?" Captain Olzak asked nervously.

"The book refers to Japan as the 'Land of Gold'!" I took the pocket from Shima Katsuto's hand, opened it, grabbed a handful of gold cakes the size of a chess piece, and let go of the gold cakes and fell back into the bag with a "bang". I noticed that the two men on the other side were staring at the gold in my hand, their eyes bright and persistent. "In Japan, with the exception of Kofu, Oshu, and Sado, which are famous for producing gold, almost one-third of the feudal kingdoms have gold mines. This is indeed a bit too much in such a small and commercially underdeveloped country! Due to its high value, it was not in circulation, but was kept in the hands of the princes as a coinage and wartime reserve. ”

"As long as things are sold, isn't it the same for whatever kind of money you receive?" Ernst tried to keep his eyes off the gold.

"Mr. Ernst! Should we be more sincere with each other? "I'm sure I've taken the initiative." In Japan, the ratio of gold and silver is 1:4, and the ratio between Ming and Korea, which are only separated by a sea, is between 1:10 and 12, and in Europe it can reach more than 1:15. You've already suffered a loss in bringing back silver, let alone a lot of copper coins? So you're not losing money in this business. ”

"If we agree to your terms, can we exclusively supply all the Oda family's firearms in the future?" Captain Ozak asked after exchanging a look with Ernst.

"Can't!" I answered in the affirmative. "I don't have that status and power at the moment!"

"Can't?" Ernst said with a smile. "So should we get in touch with people at the 'highers'?"

"Then allow me to ask, can you sell me a 'big barrel', which is a cannon?" I asked rhetorically. "I'm not talking about those things that hit solid bullets and groups, but the latest 'landing flower' cannon!"

"Can't! Our Chamber of Commerce does not yet have the right to export this new type of cannon. He thought for a moment and said.

"Then please give me a chance, and give yourself a chance! Once I have risen to the top of my rank, I will exchange the gold that I can dispatch for the copper coins in your hand. "I solemnly pledged.

"12 through!" After a moment of silence, Ernst said. "12 through! That's my last price! ”

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Bear in Winter: The Ming Dynasty in China was on the silver standard, as was the case in Korea and Japan, which were heavily influenced by China, and bulk commodities were traded in taels of silver. At this time, Europe was generally on the gold standard, and in order to meet the rapidly expanding demand for capitalist commodity trading, all major powers were minting gold coins in large quantities, which directly led to a shortage of gold and a relative surplus of silver. In the following hundreds of years, the emergence of a large number of silver household utensils in Europe also illustrates this point. Since no direct information was found, the proportions in the above book were based on my memories from school, but they should not be too wrong.