Chapter 1341: Chapter 1341

The late autumn North Asian coast was filled with a sense of desolation. The shore was lined with withered yellow trees, and the distance held a deep forest. The sky was a gloomy gray, and the sea was a tranquil gray-white. A rare three-decked ocean-blocking ship of the North was lowering all five of its sails, anchored by the river’s edge on the coast. This quiet Tang Ship stood in silent contrast to the nearby bustling camp of the Ewenki people, exuding a sense of chill and solitude.

"Frost falls on the plains, Luwei is cold. Far from home, I hold my sleeves tight, yet drift further to the North..."

A cool and elegant haiku floated from the bow of the ocean-blocking ship, carrying with it a sense of melancholy. Yet the one who spoke such a beautiful haiku was a burly and strong monk. He wore a robe made of deerskin, a turban wrapped around his head, and a string of Buddha Beads adorned his neck. Looking at the long Naginata on his back and the conspicuous scar on his face, one might think he was more of a Monk Soldier than a monk.

"Haha! The great sea of the Northern Land, it’s my first time here, my first time seeing it, truly unlike the sea of the Southern Ming Dynasty! I never thought, I, a Great General of the Shoni Family... would end up converting to Buddha... and come to this extremely cold North Sea..."

The strong Monk Soldier chuckled with emotion, then walked towards the Samurai with the moon style haircut at the bow, smiling as he asked.

"Murakami-kun, have you already negotiated with the leaders of the Ezo people? Regarding the crucial matter of the Jurchen Stallions..."

Upon hearing this, Murakami Kitamichi of the Kaozaki Family, snapped out of his contemplation. He turned around, casting a somewhat wary glance at the strong Monk Soldier, speaking in a deep voice.

"Watanabe guard, they are Shandan people, not Ezo people! I have already left a deposit and negotiated with the leaders of these Shandan people. They will trade with the Jurchen Barbarians in the southwest to bring over a tall Jurchen Stallion, one that’s not gelded... When we return next year, we’ll exchange the remaining deposit for the horse! ... And then, this horse is to be presented to the Family Head!"

Hearing Murakami Kitamichi’s address, Watanabe Masumi raised his eyebrows, his expression changing slightly. He addressed the other as "kun," a form of respect, yet was rudely called ’guard’ in return...

"’Guard’ is a low-ranking samurai, subordinate to a ’kun’... Murakami-kun, is this a way to emphasize that he is the leader onboard? Also mentioning that the Jurchen Stallion is to be presented to the Kaozaki Family Head... These levels of vigilance and guarded hostility signify a truly loyal samurai!..."

Thinking of this, Watanabe Masumi squinted his eyes, a murderous intent flashing through his mind. Before he converted to Buddhism, he would have responded to such provocation with a swift slash. But now, he paused in silence, contemplating his Buddhist name...

"Crossing beyond, true clarity... Watanabe... Masumi..."

The Monk Soldier Watanabe muttered to himself, then smiled indifferently. He certainly understood the source of Murakami’s hostility. His presence on the ship represented Mori no Kiyoshi’s side, or the Miao Courtyard faction, formally intervening in this Far North trade!

In March of this year, the great merchant Mori no Kiyoshi returned to Victory Mountain Manor as agreed, bringing Takeda Nobuhiro two customs ships worth of goods, along with an over two-hundred-ton Ocean-Blocking Tang Ship. However, he also represented his backing forces in proposing a condition for this trade. He wanted his people not only as sailors on the ship but also included in the Far North journey!

Takeda Nobuhiro nodded in agreement. Thus, the Monk Soldier Watanabe Masumi boarded the ship as the group leader of the sailors, a navigator, and a goods appraiser. Or rather, he had been on board since departing from the Capital City and never disembarked.

Currently, on the Ocean-Blocking Tang Ship, there were thirty people, half were Kamaozaki clan Samurai, guides, and apprentice sailors, while the other half were Mori no Kiyoshi’s Monk Soldiers, shipwrights, and skilled sailors. Mori no Kiyoshi’s shipwrights and skilled sailors were Koreans who spoke Korean. They could barely understand the Kaozaki clan Samurai, with only Watanabe Masumi capable of communication and command. This balance was apparently a tacit compromise by Takeda Nobuhiro, yet left Murakami Kitamichi somewhat frustrated.

"Murakami-kun, it is already the end of October, is this the end of this year’s trade?"

After pondering for a moment, the Monk Soldier Watanabe Masumi smiled once more and asked.

"We traded for two shoulder-high Shandan horses, more than thirty bundles of high-quality deer and bear hides, eight white fox pelts, five purple sable furs, twenty superior quality ginsengs, two bundles of antlers, without acquiring sand gold... correct?"

Listening to Watanabe Masumi’s clear count, Murakami Kitamichi pursed his lips, feeling a slight irritation. However, he also knew that these goods wouldn’t be kept by the family; they were meant to be traded with merchants from the Capital City. So, the current inventory was merely ahead of schedule.

Half a year ago, he thought that this seafaring journey was a responsibility entirely on his shoulders, commanding the entire ship, his heart full of dedication and loyalty for the Family Head... yet he didn’t expect a deputy to come along, intruding in everything, and could determine navigation by looking at stars, which made him seem more like the captain.

A few moments later, Murakami Kitamichi gloomily nodded.

"Watanabe guard, the trade for this year ends . The horses, furs, and herbs you require, are all here. We’ve traded with every coastal tribe along the way. If you want better quality furs and herbs, you have to go into the northern snowfields..."

"By the way, the two female horses on the ship are not Shandan horses. Shandan horses are shorter than these horses, not much better than the Kyushu horses. These shoulder-high ones are Mongolian horses or a cross between Mongolian and Shandan horses... I specially had the horse expert Ichiro help choose them!" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ noⅴelfire.net

"Oh! Two Mongolian mares... How clever!"

Upon hearing this, Watanabe Masumi hesitated for a moment, then revealed a sudden understanding smile.

"Murakami-kun, are you thinking that when the Jurchen Stallion is in hand next year, you’ll have them bred before sending them to the Capital City?..."

"Watanabe guard! The Jurchen Stallion is to be given to the Family Head!"

At this, Murakami Kitamichi’s expression hardened, staring intensely into the Monk Soldier Watanabe’s eyes.

"How the Family Head decides to handle it is naturally up to the Family Head! Do you understand!..."

"Oh! Yes! You are right."

Seeing the anger in Murakami’s eyes, Watanabe Masumi raised an eyebrow. He met the gaze for a few moments, then slightly lowered his head in concession.

"The trade in the Far North, of course, takes the Kaozaki Family Head as the primary... May Buddha bless us!"

"Hmm, may Buddha bless!"

Seeing the Monk Soldier Watanabe lower his head, Murakami Kitamichi’s expression slightly relaxed. He pondered for a moment, surveying the ocean-blocking ship under his command, his heart gradually filling with pride.

At this moment, over ten docile Korean sailors, dressed in warm leather robes, moved back and forth, preparing to raise the complex five-panel sails. They were Korean individuals captured by various southwestern Samurai, yet ironically, as skilled sailors who mastered the technology, their lives in the Wa Country were actually much better than in the rank-restricted Korea Kingdom.

This ocean-going Tang ship, capable of long voyages, had three decks, five sails, and over two hundred tons. Here, "tons" is a unit of volume, one cubic zhang is one hundred tons, and one ton of displacement weighs about 0.33 tons. Therefore, the over two-hundred-ton ocean-blocking Tang ship displaces about 70 tons. All three decks could carry cargo, making its cargo capacity medium.

The entire ocean-blocking Tang ship was about twenty meters long, over five meters wide, and about four meters high. The hull was constructed with large timber as the keel, its structure robust, featuring multiple decks and a cross-braced wooden frame to enhance the ship’s stability and resistance to wind and waves. Additionally, unique "sail planks" were installed at the front and rear of the ship, providing wave protection and safeguarding the vessel in harsh weather.

All in all, the ship employed Song Dynasty maritime technology, although its size appeared similar to the Lake Kingdom’s large oar-sail ships, its shipbuilding technology was at least two eras advanced!

Such a complex ocean-going ship wasn’t something the Kaozaki clan’s shipwrights and sailors could easily manage. In fact, throughout the Wa Country at the time, shipwrights capable of repairing such ships were scarce. For the Samurai of the Wa Country, the best solution when encountering such issues was naturally one word...

"Watanabe guard, where is the Gold Shipwright?"

Murakami Kitamichi looked around, not finding the shipwright. He pursed his lips before he spoke to the Monk Soldier Watanabe.

"Please have him check this large ship once more! Next, we are to head directly east, across hundreds of miles of the North Sea, to the southern tip of Birch Island!"