So the question is, if the shogunate is willing to make this deal, can the Sasebo base really come up with enough equipment to arm five thousand people?
Although Yuta Kosaki had some doubts about this, Shi Diwen did not lie. The Sasebo base really had so many weapons and equipment.
But what Shi Diwen didn't say was that this number actually included the Haihan Army's own equipment. If so much equipment was to be delivered to the shogunate at one time, the Kaihan Army stationed at the Sasebo base would have to disarm itself first.
This is obviously impossible, not to mention that most of the Haihan Army's active equipment is prohibited from being sold to foreign countries. Even if it can be sold, Shi Diwen will never order the troops at the Sasebo base to disarm.
The reason why Shi Diwen had the confidence to put forward such a condition was because he was certain of one thing - no matter how much the shogunate wanted to buy this batch of arms, they would never be able to come up with enough cash for the transaction in a short period of time.
As expected, Kosaki Yuta looked troubled and said: "Equipment that can arm five thousand people... must be worth millions of taels of silver. I'm afraid it will be difficult for the shogunate to pay off such a large amount at once!"
Shi Diwen said: "For our country, it doesn't matter who we sell these arms and equipment to, as long as we can sell them for a good price. But if the shogunate cannot come up with this money, there may be other purchases soon." The family came to contact me.”
Of course, Yuta Kosaki understood what Shi Diwen was referring to, and quickly responded: "Master Shi, these local forces in Kyushu are far inferior to the shogunate in terms of credibility and financial resources. How can they afford such a large deal! You might as well expect them to do so. Give the shogunate more time to raise funds!”
Shi Diwen said: "I can give the shogunate time, but can you persuade others to do the same? Once the war is ignited, will the shogunate still have the opportunity to send people to Sasebo Bay to buy arms?"
Yuta Ozaki was silent again. He knew that Shi Diwen was not an alarmist. The Sasebo Bay and Nagasaki Port were both under the nose of the Saga Domain, and the famous name of the Saga Domain, Nabeshima Mitsushige, was not an honest person. If the situation in Kyushu changed dramatically, he would Definitely the first group of people to rebel.
Shi Diwen continued: "The time window for the shogunate to purchase arms is only between now and before the war. If you miss it, you will have to go all the way to our country to buy it, and the delivery time will be far away."
Yuta Ozaki gritted his teeth and asked: "How much time does Master Shi think the shogunate has left?"
Shi Diwen said: "I think it can be as fast as three to five months, or as slow as one and a half years. The specific time depends on the preparation level of all parties."
After hearing this, Kozaki Yuta became more and more anxious. If he wanted to facilitate this matter and successfully escape from Nagasaki afterwards, he would have less time left. He had to send this news back to Edo in the shortest possible time and get a clear response from the shogunate.
There are so many variables in this, and failure to connect any link may lead to a lot of confusion. But if this can be facilitated, I will definitely get a chance to be promoted next year. It is not impossible to be appointed by the shogunate as the new daimyo of a certain domain in Kyushu and become a powerful person from then on.
Yuta Ozaki finally decided to take a gamble. After all, this kind of opportunity that can change the course of history and personal destiny may only happen once in a lifetime.
"Master Shi, could you please stay in Nagasaki Port for two days and make arrangements for the relevant matters?"
Yuta Ozaki knew that things would change later. If he could keep Shi Diwen and finalize the transaction now, he could greatly reduce the possibility of other daimyo intercepting this batch of arms.
Of course Shi Diwen knew what the other party was planning, and after pretending to hesitate for a while, he agreed to his request.
Mrs. Yu Kozaki was overjoyed and quickly ordered her servants to prepare a residence for Shi Diwen and send a batch of supplies to the port to work for the army. Shi Diwen knew that Yuta Kozaki must be busy with a lot of things next, so he took the initiative to resign and ended the meeting.
"Sir, I have said what I have just said. There is no point in staying in Nagasaki for two more days, right?"
Hearing Amakusa Shiro's question, Shi Diwen explained: "The first is to reassure Yuta Kozaki and show our sincerity in cooperating with the shogunate. The second is to guard against changes in things. In case Yuta Kozaki changes his mind, we are here It’s better to respond in time.”
Shi Diwen paused and then said: "There is also another purpose, which is to spread the news about our stay in Nagasaki Port. What do you think other daimyo would think if they knew that we stayed in Nagasaki for three days?"
Amakusa Shiro said: "Then it must be suspected that we have reached some deal with the shogunate... Could this be the real reason why the Lord agreed to him? But in this way, wouldn't it make other daimyo suspicious of us?"< br>
Shi Diwen nodded slightly and said: "We don't need their complete trust. If they feel uneasy, it will be more conducive for us to promote the next plan."
Shiro Amakusa was a little confused when he heard this: "My subordinates are stupid. If they don't trust us, they may not obey our arrangements. Doesn't this go against our wishes?"
Shi Diwen patiently explained: "Except for the great names of Kyushu, Shimazu Mitsuhisa of the Satsuma Domain, who is more reliable, the others still have a wait-and-see attitude. At the moment, they need to realize that the shogunate is not deaf or blind. Also actively preparing for civil war.”
"The contents of my conversation with Yuta Ozaki will probably be spread out in a few days. When these big names know that the shogunate is going to purchase large quantities of arms from our country, do you think they will be anxious?"
Amakusa Shiro suddenly said: "As long as this news gets out, some people will definitely be unable to sit still, and they will probably take action to prevent the completion of this deal."
"So it doesn't matter whether we have the equipment for five thousand men or whether the shogunate can raise enough funds. You had no intention of completing this deal from the beginning!"
Shi Diwen nodded slightly and said: "The explosive barrel in Jiuzhou has been arranged. All we have to do is insert a fuse, light it, and then wait and watch the fireworks."
In fact, the news may spread faster than Shi Diwen expected.
When the Haihan Fleet sailed into Nagasaki Port, many people had already smelled it and started looking for ways to get information.
Although Yuta Kozaki is loyal to the shogunate, not everyone among his subordinates may be so. Especially when someone offers a large sum of money, someone will inevitably leak Shi Diwen's intentions.
Two or three hours after the meeting between Shi Diwen and Yuta Ozaki, news spread through word of mouth through certain channels that the shogunate was preparing to submit the largest arms purchase order in history to Haihan, and that it would be completed in a short period of time. Complete delivery.
As for who the shogunate purchased these arms to use against, those who get the information will naturally have corresponding answers in their minds.