After beating off the pirates, the Zaheung set sail and arrived at the Ryukyus after eleven days. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 After a short replenishment, the Zaiheung continued northeast, and after another eight days, it arrived at Kagoshima in the Satsuma domain of Japan.

The destination of the ship is a port called Wabotsu. Before the ship entered the port, two small boats sailed out of the port. In addition to the boatmen and sailors, there were three Japanese samurai and two Japanese translators standing on the boat. The three samurai had shaved Tsukiyo heads, wore samurai haori, and wore swords pinned to their waists.

The boat sailed to the side of the Zaiheung, and the Zaheung lowered the rope ladder for the samurai and the interpreter to climb up.

Xiao Xiangui, the owner of the ship, greeted him and said something to the warriors on the terrace. Li Tu looked at it from the side, and only felt that those warriors were all smiling and enthusiastic.

Li Tu asked Xu San beside him: "Who is this?" ”

Since Li Tu was promoted to the second shop, Xu San has a little more respect for Li Tu. Looking at the Japanese samurai, Xu San replied: "Erpu, that's the envoy and interpreter of the Satsuma Domain of the Wa Kingdom, go on the ship to check what kind of ship we are." ”

Li Tu knew that the Satsuma clan was a prince of Japan.

At this time, Japan had just ended the Warring States period and entered the Tokugawa shogunate period. Tokugawa Ieyasu founded the Tokugawa shogunate after winning the decisive Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. After the destruction of the old overlord Toyotomi clan in 1615, the Tokugawa family became the new ruler of Japan.

But the princes of Japan's Sengoku period did not perish. As the feudal towns of the Tokugawa shogunate, they were scattered throughout Japan and still managed their own domains. Satsuma Domain was an important feudal town in southern Japan.

Looking at the envoy of the Satsuma Domain, Xu San said again:

"Last year, we went north to Hirato, which was a major trading town in Wakoku, far more prosperous than Satsuma Kagoshima. However, the merchants of Hirado were cunning and refused to pay the price for the goods of the shipowners. The owner of the ship heard that the Satsuma clan gave a fair price, so he came here this year. ”

Li Tu looked at the warriors and asked casually, "If we weren't here to trade with the Ming Dynasty, what would happen to these people?" ”

Xu San smiled, wiped his neck and said, "Then a group of Japanese boats will rush out and capture us alive or drive us out." ”

The Japanese samurai inspectors seemed to be very pleased with the arrival of the Zaixing, and after a brief inspection on the ship, they returned in a small boat to report.

Half an hour later, two more boats came out of the harbor. On each boat stood a samurai with a shaved head and a hatori in his usual clothes. The two samurai could speak the official language of the Ming Dynasty, shouted loudly in the official language of the Ming Dynasty, and guided the Zaixing into Hefangjin.

Unexpectedly, there were samurai in this Satsuma Domain who could speak the official dialect of the Ming Dynasty, and Li Tu was surprised.

Xu San saw Li Tu's curiosity and added:

"Erpu, you don't know, there are five or six hundred Ming clans living in Hefangjin to do trade, and these warriors have learned the official language of the Ming Dynasty with these merchants."

"It's nothing, on Hirado Island in the north of Kyushu Island, there is a Datang Street, where 10,000 or 20,000 Ming people gather. Li Dan, the leader of the Ming merchants, lived there. Nowadays, in the South and the East, where is there no Ming people? ”

Li Tu nodded when he heard Xu San's introduction.

Nawabozu is a natural harbor in the southern part of Kagoshima, and it is a natural harbor with a small outer bay and a wide interior. There are many ships parked in the port, among which there are three lucky boats, which are probably also the maritime merchants of the Ming Dynasty.

The shore of the harbor is also quite prosperous, and when you stand on the ship's floor, you can see that there are thousands of houses in the harbor area, and the smoke curls up.

In addition to the dozens of wooden houses with tiled roofs in the middle of the port, there are civilian houses in the whole city in the port town. The brick and mud houses that are not comparable to the Ming Dynasty, those Japanese civilian houses are all thatched roofs with wooden frames, which are quite simple.

On the farthest mounds of the port town, there is a Japanese-style castle with a four-story castle tower inside, presumably where the port officials were stationed. The large mansions near the castle are covered with Tang-style tiled roofs and were the residences of the samurai.

Li Tu looked carefully at the pawns on the shore, and found that all the samurai people in Japan had shaved their heads with long hair on both sides of the bare. It's just that the samurai pay attention to appearance, and the middle is shaved well, and the civilian pawns have a short hair showing in the middle of the top of their heads, as if the beard is not clean.

The ship entered the port, and before it docked, I saw a large group of Japanese children standing in the harbor and watching the excitement. Seeing the boat gradually approaching, the group of children cheered and cheered.

Among the children, there were seven or eight Japanese samurai.

When the ship had stopped, and a few stewards had disembarked, the samurai came up to meet them.

Single-mindedly watching the excitement, Li Tu also got off the boat.

The group walked to the shore and saw the leader of the group of samurai holding a bottle of sake. Two of his young samurai took a dozen small plates, handed out a small plate to each of the stewards of the Zaixing, and poured sake on them.

The samurai drank his wine saucer and said a few words of Japanese to the personnel here, and the general next to him, that is, the interpreter, hurriedly translated:

"I am a feudal lord of the Satsuma Domain, and Hefangjin pursues the city of Miya, and welcomes the maritime merchants of the Tang Dynasty to Hefangjin."

It means that the executive is the administrative official, and it turns out that this person is the port governor of Hefangjin. Seeing that the Satsuma clan was so enthusiastic, everyone on the Zaiko also quickly drank the sake on the plate.

At this time, there was no sake distillation technology in Japan, so the sake was only 15 or 6 degrees, and it was cool in the mouth. Li Tu took a sip and only felt that this sake was quite similar to Chinese rice wine.

After drinking the welcome wine, Xiao Xiangui replied:

"Xiao Xiangui, a maritime merchant in Zhangzhou in the Lower Ming Dynasty, carried a shipload of raw silk, silk and cane sugar to trade in Japan. I, who are humble people, do not want to be greeted by His Excellency Shimazu, and I am grateful. ”

The general conveyed Xiao Xiangui's words. Naomitsu Naomitsu heard that there was a raw silk and satin cargo on the ship, and he was so happy that he even looked up to the sky and laughed.

Seeing the leader laughing, the samurai behind Naomitsu Miyagi also laughed.

This burst of arrogant laughter made the timid Xiao Xiangui a little nervous. Licking his lips, he subconsciously looked at Li Tu behind him.

After laughing for a while, the port commissioner stopped and spoke out in Japanese.

The correspondent hurriedly translated:

"If you are willing, and I am willing to buy your goods, we will send a commissioner to assess the price of the goods. If you don't want to sell to the Satsuma Clan, you can sell to a merchant at the port. ”

Xiao Xiangui nodded and replied: "I have always heard that the price of the Satsuma Domain is fair, and I am willing to sell the goods to the official. It's just that today I came across the sea, the personnel were tired, and the goods were messy. In a few days, we will sort it out a little and then trade with you. ”

Hearing Xiao Xiangui's words, the port commissioner nodded and shouted something.

"Then I'll be in the city waiting for your news."

Seeing that the official had translated his words, the samurai led by him bowed to Xiao Xiangui's side and left with a group of samurai.