Li Tu groaned and asked, "What if you want to buy a cannon in the next place?" Does His Highness Date sell? ”

Date Masamune thought for a while, and said helplessly: "The Sendai Domain will not collapse into a country, and if Your Excellency Li Tu needs it, we will order it with Franc Jiren." Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 info will be available in two years! ”

Kunagashi is the name given to artillery during the Warring States period in Japan. Date Masamune was obviously reluctant to sell the artillery he had already equipped his troops to Litu, but wanted to go to the Spaniards to order it. The Sendai Domain, located in the northeastern part of Japan, sent a ship to Luzon once a year, ordered it from the Spaniards, and then waited for the Spaniards to make artillery before they could get it and ship it back, and it took two years to go back and forth.

Where did Li Tu wait two years?

Changing the route to Sendai is a hassle. Not to mention that Sendai is located in the northeast of Japan, and the distance is doubled, and Li Tu needs to find a guide who is familiar with Japan's inland sea lanes to drive to Sendai. Just talking about those pirates in the Japanese Inland Sea is enough for Li Tu to have a headache. Even if you can sell it for more money in the Sendai Domain, it will be difficult to offset the risk.

With a slight bow to Date Masamune, Li Tu said lightly: "Thank you for your welcome, Your Highness Date, but I have an agreement with the lord of the Satsuma domain to send a boat to Kagoshima every year." After a pause, Li Tu said: "However, my fleet is still expanding, and if I have more ships in the future, and the Satsuma Domain cannot handle my cargo throughput, I will definitely send Sendai." ”

Date Masamune only got a promise of a future from Li Tu, and he was unwilling. But after the words were finished, Li Tu's reluctance to send the ship must have his considerations, Date Masamune could only say slowly: "Your Excellency Li Tu's fleet is expanding, and it is coming soon!" Then I'll be waiting for your fleet in Sendai! ”

Li Tu bowed slightly, and said lightly: "Thank you, Your Highness!" ”

#####

After a few days at Edo Castle, Rito was ready to sell it back to Kagoshima. Before leaving, he met with Shimazu Tadatsune, the lord of the Satsuma domain.

As soon as he saw Li Tu, Shimazu Tadashi said directly: "Master Li, in the treasury of the Satsuma Domain, there are four idle thousand-pound Furlong machine cannons, which I bought with the Furlong machine man in the past, and I can sell them to you at the original price!" ”

When Li Tu heard this, he was overjoyed, and hurriedly said, "Thank you, lord of the domain!" ”

Shimazu Tadashi nodded and said slowly: "Master Li doesn't know yet, right?" Your remarks in front of the shogun have become popular and have caused a lot of discussion in Edo Castle. Even His Excellency the General has decided to suspend the implementation of the policy of locking the country! ”

Li Tu didn't expect such a big reaction to his words, so he nodded and didn't speak.

Shimazu Tadashi exclaimed: "Master Li's foresight is really admirable. Previously, there was an argument that the Satsuma domain should be forbidden to trade with foreign merchants, and that only foreign merchants should be allowed to sell goods in Nagasaki, saying that the trade in Kagoshima would be a strong part of the Satsuma clan and would be detrimental to the shogunate. This kind of discussion is noisy, and it is extremely detrimental to our domain. But after Li Bozhu met with the general, this kind of remarks was suppressed, and the general no longer paid attention to it. ”

After a pause, Shimazu Tadashi said, "Lord Li's far-sighted words have made a great contribution to our domain!" ”

Li Tu looked at Shimazu Tadashi and replied lightly: "The feudal lord has won the award!" ”

Putting his hand on the knee of the cross-seater, Shimazu Tadashi said in a loud voice: "I still have one more matter, I want to entrust Master Li, I don't know what to do with the boss's idea?" ”

Li Tu asked indifferently, "What's the matter?" ”

Shimazu Tadashi said slowly: "I want to invest in a trading ship!" Managed by Li Bozhu! ”

Li Tu was stunned for a moment, and only then asked, "Invest in a ship?" ”

Shimazu Tadashi nodded and said loudly: "Yes!" I contributed to the shipbuilding, the purchase of goods, and the hiring of crews. The Japanese ships are not good, and the owner of Li used my money to go back to Daming to build a ship. Buying goods in Zhangzhou, hiring crews who knew how to handle ships, and transporting goods to Japan for trade. The profits earned, I and Li Bo shared. ”

Li Tu heard Shimazu Tadashi's words and was silent.

Shimazu Tadashi asked, "May I ask Master Li, how much silver is needed to invest in a ship as large as the Zaixing, including the crew and cargo?" ”

Li Tu thought for a while and said honestly: "I need 20,000 taels of silver!" ”

Shimazu Tadashi nodded and said, "Okay! I'll give 20,000 taels! So what do you think is the best proportion of our profits? ”

Li Tu looked at Shimazu Zhongheng and said slowly: "Your Royal Highness, Domain Lord, aren't you afraid that I will run away with the silver?" ”

Shimazu Tadashi looked at Li Tu and said, "The treasurer and deputy on the ship are sent by the Satsuma Domain!" ”

Li Tu said: "The sea is vast, I killed your financial deputy and ran away with the money?" ”

Shimazu Tadashi smiled: "I believe in Lord Li. I have the ability to see people! A far-sighted person like Lord Li would not be treacherous for 20,000 taels of silver. ”

Hearing this, Li Tu smiled, and was a little speechless for a moment by Shimazu Tadahiro, who trusted him so much.

After a while, Li Tucai said: "Then the annual profit will be divided into fifty-fifty!" ”

Shimazu Tadashi looked at Li Tu, thought for a while, and then said: "Okay, just according to Master Li, we will divide it fifty-fifty!" After a pause, Shimazu Tadashi asked again: "Master Li, how long do you think my investment will pay off?" ”

Li Tu said lightly: "If you don't get robbed by pirates, you can return to your capital in a year and a half." ”

When Shimazu Tadashi heard this, he laughed happily and said loudly: "With Master Li's ability, the pirates can't snatch it away!" Master Li can return to Hejinbo with confidence, and I will inform the officials of the Satsuma Domain to send iron cannons, bombs, and national collapses to your ship. The 20,000 taels invested in the new ship will also be delivered to your ship before February next year! ”

#####

Shimazu Tadashi still had to stay in Edo to attend the service, and Li Tu took three of his men and returned to Kagoshima by water. As soon as he returned to Watsubo, Li Tu approached Naomitsu Miyanomiya and asked him to set a price for the goods he had sold.

Now that Li Tu is already an acquaintance of the feudal lord, Naomitsu Miyanoshiro does not dare to slack off, and sets the best price for all kinds of goods. The two ships were purchased at Zhangzhou for 33,700 taels, and all of them were sold to the Satsuma clan for 86,200 taels of silver. When the day of delivery came, Li Tu asked the crew to unload the goods on the dock, and Miyanoshiro Naomitsu sent someone to deliver the silver.

The heavy silver was loaded into three carts before it was transported to the dock.

In this transaction, Li Tu made a lot of profits.

Without counting the honorarium of the crew and the cost of repairing the ship that will only be incurred when returning to Zhangzhou, only the silver that is currently spent in Japan is removed: including 740 taels of silver for landing, 400 taels for miscellaneous uses, money for arquebuses and bombs, and money for cannons, and the profit of a fleet to Japan is 38,360 taels.

Li Tu got 20% of it, and earned 7,672 taels.