This was not the first time that the Tokugawa shogunate had engaged in arms transactions with Haihan. As the senior official in charge of foreign trade in the shogunate, Yuta Kosaki certainly knew a little bit about the prices of Haihan's various weapons and equipment.
However, because the shogunate was in a hurry and failed to raise enough funds for this transaction, it was unable to complete the transaction according to the package purchase plan proposed by Shi Diwen. Therefore, the final transaction price not only failed to obtain the discount as expected, but after careful calculation, it was The price is higher than before.
But it’s hard for Yuta Kozaki to complain about the other party. After all, Haihan Arms has always been known for its long delivery time. It’s very difficult to get the cash in cash this time. Although Shi Diwen is suspected of raising prices, the asking price is not too outrageous. What's more, the failure to get the preferential price in the end was indeed the shogunate's own problem, and they couldn't blame the other party for refusing to let go.
But he was still worried that after he left, Shi Diwen would sell the remaining arms to local lords. However, it seemed more difficult to convince Shi Diwen on this issue than to let him sell the arms to him on credit.
Time no longer allows Yuta Kozaki to stay at the Sasebo base any longer. Even if the transaction does not complete as expected, he must leave here as soon as possible.
After loading all the arms purchased this time at the military port terminal, Yuta Kozaki immediately ordered the ship to set sail and return.
Shi Diwen did not come forward in person, but asked Amakusa Shiro as a representative to see off Yuta Kozaki and his party at the pier.
As the coast in his field of vision gradually receded, Yuta Kozaki suddenly had a strong feeling in his heart that he might not come to this place again in the future.
But he immediately comforted himself that this might be a good sign. As long as this batch of arms is returned to Edo smoothly, General Tokugawa will definitely not treat him badly. Whether it is enfeoffing a daimyo or staying in Edo City to enjoy the blessings, it will be much better than staying in this extremely unstable place. .
After the fleet sailed out of Sasebo Bay, it did not sail south toward Nagasaki, but turned north and headed toward the Hirado Strait.
Yuta Ozaki knew that this batch of arms was of great significance, and he was prepared in advance for the potential risks on the return journey. In particular, the return route was planned by him personally, and he did not announce the route until after leaving the Sasebo base.
If anyone wanted to guard this batch of arms in Nagasaki, they would unfortunately have no choice but to make a comeback. Yuta Kosaki had no intention of returning to Nagasaki Port, but was planning to rush back to Edo directly.
He did not tell anyone about this plan, including during the meeting with Shi Diwen. He only claimed that he would transport the arms back to Nagasaki before making any plans, and did not disclose when and where they would be delivered to the shogunate.
The route planned by Yuta Ozaki was to first pass through the Hirado Strait, cross the Tsushima Strait eastward along the northern coast of Kyushu, and then sail into the Seto Inland Sea via the Shimonoseki Strait between Kyushu and Honshu.
As long as you enter the Seto Inland Sea, it is basically safe. Whether you go to Osaka first or return directly to Edo, Yuta Kosaki will no longer have to worry about safety issues.
Usually the route between Nagasaki and Edo is around the southern tip of Kyushu. The reason why Yuta Kozaki chose this northern route was because he was worried that going south would have to pass through the sea controlled by the Satsuma clan. Shimazu Mitsuhisa had always He was so daring that if he were to attack the fleet at home, it would be difficult for him to escape.
In comparison, the north seems to be slightly safer, and the Fukuoka Domain's daimyo, Kuroda Mitsuyuki, who controls the waters of the Shimonoseki Strait, has always had a good relationship with the shogunate, and may be able to dispatch the Fukuoka Domain's navy to escort him for a period.
Fantasy is beautiful, but reality is cruel. When Yuta Ozaki's fleet sailed thirty or forty miles from Sasebo Bay and entered the Hirado Strait, some sailors came to call the police, saying that an unidentified person appeared on the sea ahead. fleet.
Yuta Kozaki quickly asked: "Which direction is the other party going?"
The sailor responded: "It looks like it stopped at sea, which is a bit weird!" Yuta Kozaki did not dare to neglect, and immediately came to the deck, using a monocular telescope made by Haihan to look at the sea in the distance.
As the sailors said, there was a fleet of about ten ships on the sea on the side of Hirado Island. It was clear from the telescope that these sailing ships were not ordinary civilian ships, but distinct-looking Anzha ships and Seki ships.
As the main force among the Japanese warships of this era, the side of the Anzha ship was covered with a thick wooden wall. There were several shooting holes on the board for shooting with long-range weapons such as muskets and bows.
The Anzai ship has only one main mast, and it can be lowered on the deck during wartime to prevent the sail from being hit by firearms and causing a fire. At this time, it is propelled by human oars in the bottom cabin.
An Anzha ship can deploy eighty oarsmen and sixty warriors, and the ship in good condition may even be equipped with several artillery pieces.
The Kanbune is almost a smaller version of the Anzabune. Except for the difference in tonnage, the Azhabune has a flat bow, while the Kanbune has a pointed nose.
As early as the reign of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, the shogunate issued a ban prohibiting daimyo from building and equipping Anzha ships. Therefore, the standard equipment of the local navy was generally Kanship and smaller morning ships with smaller tonnage.
However, so much time has passed, and the mountains in Kyushu are high and the emperors are far away, of course there will be some famous people who secretly built Anzhai ships.
Kosaki Yuta did not see any flags or daimyo family emblems on these warships. It seemed that the other party did not want to reveal their identity, and had lowered their masts and adopted a fighting posture, which made him feel danger.
Yuta Ozaki does not think that the appearance of this unidentified armed fleet in the Hirado Strait is just a coincidence. No matter who its owner is, it cannot be the troops sent by the shogunate to pick him up.
Yuta Kozaki made a prompt decision and ordered the fleet to turn around immediately.
As soon as the fleet here made a U-turn, the armed fleet in the distance also started to move, and it looked like it was going to catch up from behind.
Yuta Ozaki knew something was wrong and quickly ordered the fleet to speed up and return south to Sasebo Bay.
Although there are several warships in his fleet, they are all merchant ships carrying arms, and their speed is far slower than that of warships, making it difficult to escape tracking at sea.
The safest way to ensure safety is to return to Sasebo Bay immediately, where no one dares to make mistakes.
Yuta Kozaki regretted that he should have sent a boat to explore the road ahead a day and a half in advance. As long as he finds that there are unknown armed forces squatting on the route, he still has time to choose the traditional route to the south.
After the fleet turned around, the armed fleet still followed relentlessly. Seeing this, Yuta Kosaki was even more certain that the other party was coming for him, but at the moment he could only pray that he would not be overtaken by the other party before returning to Sasebo Bay.
If you really can't escape, you can only let a few warships in the fleet break away from the main force to intercept the pursuers. However, the number of our own warships is obviously at a disadvantage. Once a battle occurs, there will be no return.