Yuta Ozaki's visit to the Sasebo base was very low-key and was not made public. However, due to his special status and the delicate situation in Kyushu, he didn't know how many people had been watching him in the dark before. Therefore, he As soon as Bian met Shi Diwen, the news had already spread in all directions.
What is the purpose of Yuta Ozaki's visit to Shi Diwen at this time? There have been various rumors from the outside world, and various big names have confirmed important parts of it through their own intelligence channels.
This is likely to be the last opportunity for the shogunate to purchase arms from Haihan before the outbreak of the civil war. As long as these arms are intercepted, it will not only cause a heavy blow to the shogunate, but also take the opportunity to strengthen its own strength.
The only problem is that there are so many people with this idea that in just a few days, at least three armed fleets belonging to different daimyo appeared outside Sasebo Bay.
The Kyushu region is the main birthplace of Japanese pirates, and plundering ships at sea is not unfamiliar to all feudal lords. It's just that this time, in addition to dealing with powerful cargo owners, they also have to be wary of backstabbing from their peers.
Although theoretically speaking, the Kyushu clans will jointly declare war on the shogunate at the beginning of the year at the latest, and each clan will be nominally an ally by then, but at the moment, no one is willing to share this big piece of fat with others.
However, Yuta Kozaki, who had no idea about this, was still anxious about how to convince Shi Diwen.
Yuta Ozaki needs to solve two problems at the moment. One is to get Shi Diwen to agree to split the arms that could only be packaged and sold, and then sell part of them to the shogunate. The second is to prevent Shi Diwen from selling the remaining arms to the big names in Kyushu, so as not to encourage their ambitions.
But how could Yuta Kosaki's speaking skills be able to control an old fox like Shi Diwen? No matter how much he talked about it, Shi Diwen still refused to give in.
Seeing that several days had passed and no progress had been made after several talks with Shi Diwen, Yuta Kozaki became more and more anxious and had to come up with the lowest conditions.
"Master Shi, the shogunate really can't get that much cash at once. Why don't you see if you can use the discounted value of real estate in Nagasaki Port to offset the amount needed to purchase arms?"
Shi Diwen pretended to be puzzled and said: "Master Ozaki, what do you mean? Are you using Nagasaki Port in exchange for my arms?"
Yuta Ozaki explained: "Nagasaki is our country's number one trading port. If your country can participate in the operation, I believe you will gain a lot. If Mr. Shi thinks it is feasible, I will use the southern port of Nagasaki Port for fifty years." I have the right to deduct the balance of this batch of arms. Are these conditions satisfactory?”
Shi Diwen said: "Is this Mr. Ozaki's own intention or the shogunate's intention?"
Upon hearing this, Yuta Kozaki seemed to have an answer and quickly responded: "I have already asked the shogunate for instructions, and General Tokugawa has no objection to this. As long as this transaction can be completed, everything is easy to discuss."
After hearing this, Shi Diwen just smiled noncommittally, but did not immediately express his position.
Yuta Kosaki continued: "Master Shi, even if you don't have the energy to take care of it yourself, as long as you charge rent, your annual income is quite considerable. Nagasaki also has a private estate, covering an area of more than 300 acres, and I would like to donate it to you." Lord Shi used it as his palace.”
Shi Diwen then said: "Mr. Ozaki, don't you think it's a little inappropriate to use the port of Nagasaki as a condition of the transaction?"
Yutai Kozaki said: "Master Shi, what do you mean by this?"
Shi Diwen said: "I think this place in Nagasaki may change hands soon. When the new owner does not recognize the shogunate's account, what should I do?" Yutai Kozaki smiled and said: "Master Shi is joking. Well, Nagasaki is a place directly under the shogunate, how could it change hands... Besides, the land assigned to your country is of the same nature as the Sasebo base. Who dares to question this? "
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Shi Diwen said solemnly: "I reiterate that our country has no interest in intervening in your country's internal disputes. If Nagasaki Port will become the target of competition among the Kyushu vassals, then I will choose to stay out of the matter and not go to this lake. Muddy water.”
Nagasaki is directly under the jurisdiction of the shogunate and controls most of Japan's foreign trade share. The premise is that the shogunate has enough weight to control the situation. No matter how jealous the Kyushu vassals are of Nagasaki's trade status, they dare not take advantage of this place.
But now the situation has changed, and the Kyushu vassals have a vague tendency to break away from the shogunate's rule. Once these daimyo openly declare war on the shogunate, the first one to bear the brunt will definitely be the port of Nagasaki in Kyushu.
Yuta Ozaki's idea was not only to use part of the use rights of Nagasaki Port to offset the difference in the purchase of arms. His deeper purpose was to attract Haihan to settle in Nagasaki Port. In this way, even if the various feudal lords in Kyushu rebelled, they would certainly not dare to set foot in the areas controlled by Haihan. This would ensure the safety of Nagasaki.
This strategy of killing two birds with one stone can minimize the losses of the shogunate, which is the best solution in Yuta Kozaki's opinion.
The benefits that Haihan can gain from this transaction will far exceed the profits from the arms deal. He has even included his private estate. Shi Diwen should have no reason not to accept this plan.
However, all of his calculations seemed to have been seen through by Shi Diwen.
Shi Diwen did not discuss the amount of income with him, but questioned how long the shogunate's rule over Nagasaki could last. He was not willing to take over Nagasaki's territory at all. It was obvious that he was not optimistic that the conditions promised by Yuta Kosaki could be fulfilled. .
Yuta Kozaki's confident plan to guarantee the bottom line still hit a snag with Shi Diwen, and it was not implemented as smoothly as he expected.
At this time, the reminder was already chasing after him.
After Yuta Ozaki met with Shi Diwen, he received reports that several groups of envoys from various vassals in Kyushu had arrived at the Sasebo base in recent days.
Almost all of these people came quietly in a non-public manner. If it weren't for the local spies installed by the shogunate, Yuta Kozaki would probably not have known about this at all.
Yuta Kozaki could not tell whether these people came for him, but no matter what their purpose was, the current situation did not allow Yuta Kozaki and Haihan to wear down their patience any longer.
Shi Diwen's attitude was obviously unwilling to favor the shogunate, so Yuta Kozaki naturally did not dare to assume that the other party could remain neutral. If he continued to delay, he was afraid that he would not be able to leave Sasebo Bay safely.
Yuta Kozaki could only make an appointment with Shi Diwen again, move all the gold and silver he brought this time to the scene, and stop bargaining. It didn't matter how much, as long as Shi Diwen was willing to sell a batch of arms to him.
The cash Yuta Ozaki brought was equivalent to one-third of Shi Diwen's quotation, but the current purchase method does not allow you to enjoy the package price, and the money can only buy one-fifth of the original quantity.
Yuta Ozaki originally planned to buy a few ships, but Shi Diwen said that the warships can be purchased in packages and not sold individually. The current transaction method can only provide equipment used by the army. Calculating, it can arm an army of about a thousand people. size of the force.