The Leader Leads the Way (2)
The Leader Leads the Way (2)
In the pre-modern era, the antiquated politicians considered merchants nothing more than kind souls who brought them money.
In the East, though they gnawed at society, they had their uses, so the rulers merely granted them 'survival' in exchange for bribes.
However, after full-fledged imperialism began, politicians started to become completely one with the merchants.
The so-called collusion between politics and business began; the conglomerates paid taxes (often bribes) as the state commanded, and in return, the politicians secured colonies for them.
Once a colony was secured, they sold goods there wajangchang, making a fortune, and the politicians used that money to maintain immense wealth, glory, and power.
Even 21st-century politicians, using all sorts of loopholes, accept bribes and legal political funds provided in this manner, fighting hard for corporations.
For the prosperity of our Kreutz Barony, I had no choice but to step forward myself.
If I couldn't improve the people's livelihood quickly, a second or third Flora might appear at any time.
"Do you know the price at which the various blacksmith guilds currently supplying weapons to the Northern Grand Duke jeoha deliver helmets, chest armor, and maces?"
"That is a military secret, is it not? As a mere baron, I cannot know, nor should I try to."
"Three gold coins for a helmet, ten gold coins for chest armor, and one gold coin for a mace. That means it costs fourteen gold coins just to equip the minimum armament. That amount is enough to feed five serf families generously for an entire year."
Fourteen gold coins—that's a fortune large enough to build a 35-pyeong detached house in the outskirts of our Kreutz Barony's central town and still have money left over.
It's a huge sum that could buy as many as two oxen, the standard used to distinguish relatively well-off serfs among them.
Frankly speaking, with this much money, the equipment cost is about twice the value of a serf's life.
"Still, it seems about 20% cheaper than buying from the market..."
"Don't you know that no taxes are levied on weapons delivered to the North? That's how you can buy them at that price. Yet the price you proposed is a mere ten gold coins... Frankly, I find that hard to understand."
I said I found it hard to understand, but I shouldn't take those words literally.
After all, I'm a baron too, so I spoke in a roundabout way out of respect for the count's dignity. If I were just a merchant, Count Knospe would have said this:
'Is this bastard a con artist? How dare he think of exploiting our North?'
So, to shake off the accusation of being a fraudster, I had to explain in detail why I could sell at that price.
"The reason is that all the armaments produced in our Kreutz Barony are made in a blacksmith workshop I personally own and manage."
"Before that, I'd like to ask one thing. Isn't there a blacksmith guild in the Kreutz Barony? If a baron like you directly runs a smithy, there should be a flood of complaints."
"The territory itself is so small... There is no guild in our domain. At most, there is a single blacksmith in the territory who repairs farmers' tools in the countryside or mends weapons and armor bought from other cities."
Guilds—in a word, they are associations of businessmen.
In the 21st century, even attempting what they do would earn you a crackdown—collusive practices they commit as naturally as breathing. They are despicable groups of business owners.
They always enjoy enormous profits by using their monopoly as exclusive suppliers.
Think of the ridiculously expensive and tasteless restaurants near the Nonsan Training Center, the shady owners near military bases who charge soldiers inflated prices, or the people who set up parasols on beaches during summer vacation and charge 50,000 won for a spot fee.
Those are the guilds that, when making and selling a single armor set, would claim that three gold coins are more than enough to cover labor costs and profit, yet brazenly charge ten gold coins just to rake in even more.
'This is exactly the corrupt establishment.'
Even the nobles in this romance fantasy novel world, whose heads are filled with flowers, know this is absurd.
But breaking the cartel of the guilds and starting something new from scratch isn't easy, so they have no choice but to use those bastards.
"So I don't need to mind the guild's interference. Even while making a sufficient profit, selling the helmet, chest armor, and mace at the low price of ten gold coins still leaves me a margin."
"I did think those guild bastards were making a lot on the side, but hearing your story, I now realize how exorbitantly they were overcharging."
"Would mere merchants, who have no idea what honor and pride mean, understand the duty one must uphold as a person? Those bastards just keep shouting about trust, trust—they only meet delivery deadlines and quality standards, but all they really think about is how to extort more money from Your Excellency."
Count Knospe and I may differ in rank, but we are both nobles.
In reality, people are happy just to meet a fellow Korean abroad. So in the realm of commerce, where one constantly schemes how to stab a fellow noble in the back without getting caught, meeting another noble is a relief.
Naturally, he would lend an ear to the words of someone in a position similar to his own.
Count Knospe smiled with one corner of his mouth raised.
"So how many can you supply?"
"Right now, I can supply about 500 sets. If you pay in advance, I will prepare to supply even 1,000 or 2,000 sets."
"Even 500 sets is no small amount. It's commendable that you already have the audacity to talk about supplying thousands."
"Doesn't the Northern Grand Duke jeoha personally take the field in the war against the barbarians invading the North? I'm just following his example a little, desperately running wild to save my barony."
Although I'd prevented Flora from starting a rebellion, our territory's economic situation was still far from good.
If I let things slide like this, the angry serfs would soon come storming the manor with pitchforks and hoes.
Right before the French Revolution, if a revolt broke out in the countryside, they would kill the lord and his family, then even resort to cannibalism—I couldn't let that happen to me.
Moreover, if I wanted to climb the ladder, I had to think of a way to survive without losing hope in times of crisis like this.
"The payment for 500 sets—5,000 gold coins—will be provided tomorrow morning. Stay here for today."
"Thank you, Count gakha."
"If the quality is satisfactory, I will propose to the Grand Duke jeoha that the armor and weapons made in the Kreutz Barony be adopted as standard equipment for the Northern Defense Corps."
A bigger return than I'd expected was promised, so my head bowed involuntarily.
My joy was so great that I even stumbled over my words.
"Th-thank you, Gakha!"
**
After sending off Baron Kreutz, Count Knospe personally summoned the guild master of the blacksmith guild with whom he usually dealt.
"I'll speak bluntly."
The guild master swallowed his saliva and replied.
"Yes, Gakha."
"The unit price of the arms I provide to the soldiers seems too high. Can you lower it a bit? The barbarian incursions have been intensifying lately, so I need to increase the number of soldiers."
Hearing that, the guild master let out a deep sigh.
"Gakha, we would like to lower the price as well... But we cannot reduce it even a single coin from the current price. Even if you hold a knife to our throats..."
"I see."
Count Knospe felt no emotion toward the guild master in front of him.
Not disappointment over being deceived all this time, nor anger.
"If that's your situation, it can't be helped. However, I hope you will review it."
"We will review whether there is any room to lower the price as much as possible."
"Very well. You may go."
After the guild master left, Count Knospe tapped on his desk and organized his thoughts.
Baron Kreutz—a fellow noble who, like himself, was anxious to save his territory—was offering a reasonable price for a sustainable transaction.
On the other hand, the guild master who had just left, despite decades of trade, had never once considered the situation of the Northern Grand Duke's family.
He was only thinking of squeezing out one more coin.
"If the quality of the goods Baron Kreutz supplies is decent, I'll have to deal only with him from now on."
The Northern Grand Duke's family fights battles against the barbarians every single day.
Thousands die in the process every year, and if a great invasion occurs, tens of thousands perish.
Lately, it seems the barbarians have learned that the Empire is in jeopardy...
The scale and frequency of the invasions are gradually increasing.
That means more soldiers and more weapons are needed.
"Thanks to Baron Kreutz, I can breathe a sigh of relief."
**
As soon as I returned to the Kreutz Barony, I decided to push forward with even more aggressive investment for the territory's development.
"Use the 500 gold coins here to buy cattle, and use another 500 to purchase good iron, then buy farming tools needed for agriculture."
"Yes, understood."
"Then what shall we do with the remaining 4,000 coins?"
"Use 3,000 gold coins to expand the smithy, and keep the remaining 1,000 as a reserve."
"The smithy is already too big as it is... and you, my lord, should enjoy yourself a little..."
"If I don't firmly secure the public sentiment now, I might find my neck hanging at any moment. Same goes for you, Head Steward."
I am certain.
If I expand the smithy now, Count Knospe will soon propose a massive-scale deal.
'If there's a cheap, high-quality product, would any fool buy an expensive one of the same quality?'
And just as I predicted, not long after, Count Knospe contacted me.
He requested that I urgently produce 3,000 sets of weapons including helmets, chest armor, and maces.
"Just as predicted. Now, shall I go see Flora?"
I'm dying to see how the woman who denied me so thoroughly will react to the achievements I've pulled off in an instant.