Chapter 106. Shady Trade (6)

As soon as I returned home, I immediately requested an audience with the Emperor.

In principle, any noble baron or above can request an audience with the Emperor, but in reality, it's just something written in 'law'.

If you believe that and put it into practice, you'll receive education through scolding accompanied by clear, fine voices and joint cracking from counts.

'It's the same principle as how even if you rise to director of a large company, hardly anyone has had a one-on-one meeting with the chairman.'

Moreover, requesting a 1:1 meeting is like mixing soy sauce marinated crabs with rice in terms of reading the room.

"Baron Medici, His Majesty has granted you an audience."

But I was able to get permission just like that because I had gained special favor from the Emperor.

"Thank you."

After expressing my gratitude, I immediately headed to where the Emperor was waiting, following the attendant's guidance.

The Emperor welcomed me in his office while drinking tea.

"It's been a few months since I've seen you since you became a baron. Your face has tanned quite dark, probably from being on the Ifriqiya continent."

"Still, I was able to achieve results worth boasting about to Your Majesty."

Successfully pioneering a trade route alone is a great achievement.

Once opened, whether other merchants go or I go sharpening my knife, we can obtain massive profits next time.

The expansion of trade means the empire's national power greatly flourishes, so the Emperor has no reason to dislike it.

'But 10,000 gold coins from the first pioneering?'

With slight exaggeration, this could be called a miracle of God.

"Well, let's hear it."

I conveyed information based solely on facts to the Emperor without missing a single thing.

As my words continued, the Emperor's mouth opened wider and wider.

"I don't understand how you came up with such an evil, no, amazing idea. I understand up to selling gunpowder to the Nador governor and selling matchlock guns and gunpowder to indigenous tribes of Ifriqiya to increase the scale of war."

The idea of selling weapons to both sides waging war is something I had already told Duke Visconti.

The Emperor knew about it in advance, so there's no need to explain further until my mouth hurts.

"There are two things I don't understand, why on earth did you advise them to unite? Won't it be disadvantageous for us if they form a country? Later when we try to conquer them..."

The Ifriqiya continent isn't very bad land for farming, so it seems like they could grow 'wheat' to some extent if they worked their bones out.

But rather than working so hard, it might be better to introduce crop rotation in this world that uses the three-field system.

Why? Because agricultural production efficiency there didn't seem good.

'If the amount of wheat harvested per unit area in Tuscany is 100, it might be 30-40 there.'

Unless it's an 'empty space' like South America where Pizarro or Cortés ran wild, it's not worth pioneering while enduring resistance from indigenous tribes...

"Using that as a base to advance into wider seas will be profitable in the long term. We've only extended our foot to western Ifriqiya now, but we've gained such large profits. How will it be in the future?"

Right now they have no leeway so we could only sell 'matchlock guns', gunpowder, and bullets.

But when they have leeway, we can rake in gold by selling various crafts, luxury goods, alcoholic beverages (spirits) and such.

Does it make sense to just watch this opportunity to scrape up gold?

We should aim for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a fortune and invest even bigger.

"Well, we don't need to wage war to occupy that land. And we're busy dealing with the Grand Duchy of Millania now. It's good to gain distant lands, but now it's better to focus on gaining nearby lands. If you pioneer well, other merchants will enter too, and they will pay massive taxes."

Ah, Your Majesty still has a big misunderstanding.

The reason I'm not thinking of forcibly taking over western Ifriqiya is...

Because those friends are already confirmed to become our colony.

Although we're not directly ruling them, they're guys with iron chains around their necks through matchlock guns and gunpowder, the only means to fight the Nador governor...

'Can those guys really become independent from us?'

From my view, it seems impossible even 100 years from now.

"Your Majesty, conquest isn't the only way to expand the empire's influence."

Why did countries like America give up all their 'colonies', that is, their own country's land, in the mid-20th century?

It's natural for defeated countries to spit out colonies, but victorious countries could have held onto them to the end if they tried to forcibly hold on...

The reason can be summarized very simply.

'It looks good but doesn't make money.'

"The western Ifriqiya region is virtually worthless to our Tuscan Empire except for producing a lot of gold."

Of course, there is the 'merit' of being able to obtain enormous amounts of gold.

Other than that, it's just lion skins and ivory coming out, and very wide land we can reclaim.

Instead, we have to be hostile to Nador, and furthermore, we might become hostile to the entire Sultanate.

'If we give the impression of infiltrating their territory, they can't help but feel uneasy.'

The losses incurred from that will be greater than 'directly ruling' the Ifriqiya region.

Even if there are no such losses, the money to reclaim that land isn't something that comes out when you dig...

"If we gain western Ifriqiya, the empire's territory will expand dramatically. But because they don't farm, the land is virtually all wasteland. To make it a full territory of the empire, we'd have to provide massive food and money support. Can the empire afford that?"

It's not colonial pioneering, but the unification of East and West Germany comes to mind.

At the time of unification, East Germany's economic power was only about 10% of West Germany's.

So when Germany rolled up its sleeves for equalization, the West German government experienced a 'fiscal deficit' to the point of sitting on the street, with much exaggeration?

Even now, decades after unification, Germany is still suffering from those aftereffects.

'Our empire can't end up like that.'

"When I think about it, this would be difficult."

The official decision on the partition of Africa was made in the late 19th century.

At other times, Western powers didn't even think of making them 'colonies' and ruling them.

They just tried to rule ports and some surrounding areas.

"So we just need to put shackles of gunpowder and matchlock guns on them, and make them naturally bound under the Tuscan Empire's influence."

"I think it's better to make them revere us on their own rather than spending money unnecessarily. Good, then let me ask one more thing."

"Please speak, Your Majesty."

"Why on earth did you say you belong to the Kingdom of Granada? I understand the intention to avoid war, but I'm curious if you have any other thoughts besides that."

It's a plan to not spill a single drop of our Tuscan Empire's blood.

How should I say it for the Emperor to understand easily?

"Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Granada is our empire's potential enemy. The Sultanate and Nador's governor are infidels, so they're enemies too."

The reason I'm selling gunpowder circulating in Nador.

It's based on the wisdom of the Eastern hyena country 'China' that says to be friendly with distant countries and beat up nearby countries first.

It's fine to sell to Nador because they're far away so we won't fight with them...

'But they could hinder us when we advance into the ocean beyond western Ifriqiya.'

So it's important to make them unable to even think of holding us back by waging war or conflict with the Kingdom of Granada in advance.

"If those two fight each other, the Tuscan Empire will naturally be removed from suspicion. They'll know the other side is the bad guy."

When people are excited or encounter dramatic situations, their field of vision narrows dramatically.

War and diplomacy are the same.

Moreover, these guys think the other side is more than capable of doing such things.

Even without physical evidence, they'll suspect and fight each other based on 'king-like godly judgment' by circumstantial evidence.

"We need to delay the Kingdom of Granada from going out to the ocean even by one day."

More precisely, until the Medici, no, Rothschild company was established in western Ifriqiya.

So I can eat up almost all the rights in Ifriqiya.

'I'll have to give big cuts to the Emperor, Duke, and other merchants out of that...'

I should strive to be able to eat half myself.

"That directly leads to the empire's interests."

Hearing my words, the Emperor's eyes widened.

"Putting on iron chains without occupying land, and making potential enemies and infidels fight. It's truly amazing. Good, then I'll ask one last thing. What will you change your family name to?"

All merchants must approach deals and business with the determination to fight.

In that process, you make the enemy's blood flow, and your own blood flows too.

"Red shield, Rothschild."

"You may go, Baron Rothschild."

**

And after Fabio withdrew, the Emperor felt goosebumps on his arms.

"It's fortunate that Baron Medici, no, Rothschild was born in our empire..."