129 Expansion of national power (1)
The army of Easterfield Kingdom will be under the command of the Ministry of National Defense, and this command belongs only to Lee Hwan.
Lee Hwan oversees six military organizations belonging to the royal family, gives them orders, and receives various reports.
“Send mercenaries to the Netherlands.”
“When you say mercenary corps, what size are you talking about?”
“Let’s start with the 1st Infantry Division and try to match the size of the Netherlands as much as possible.”
Originally, the Kingdom of Easterfield started as mercenaries, so they also had the nickname ‘the land of mercenaries’.
Countless countries lined up to rent their troops, but Lee Hwan never permitted the lease.
But this time the position was different.
The command team, who received Lee Hwan’s instructions, fully understood his position and happily accepted the dispatch of the mercenary corps.
It would take a huge amount of gold to rent Easterfield Kingdom troops as mercenaries, and he thought that he could take that gold and promote the country’s development.
“I will obey the king’s command!”
“Okay, then, organize a mercenary corps so that we can dispatch troops as soon as possible.”
“Yes, my lord!”
Because the ransom of the mercenaries was the highest in the world, the finances of the Easterfield Kingdom would probably be even more generous.
The military leadership, who had listened to Lee Hwan’s instructions, began to issue reports.
“The improvement of the tank has been completed. Now it looks like it will be ready for mass production and deployment.”
“Good. What will the annual production of the tank be?”
“According to the report of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the target is 4,000 units per year.”
“The amount isn’t that great.”
“Perhaps it is considered impossible to export. Our army will have to have some tanks, but wouldn’t it take at least 4 or 5 years to reach the target?”
He nodded.
This is because Lee Hwan had no intention of exporting tanks to other countries anyway.
“it’s okay. We’re not going to export tanks anyway.”
“Are you thinking of not selling military supplies at all?”
“The military supplies are still being sold. Wouldn’t that be enough?”
“iced coffee!”
Easterfield’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry has a number of defense companies under its umbrella, whose sales exceeded the total trade volume of one country.
Ammunition and shells, and old firearms and artillery, etc. were sold, and huge profits were being generated while selling the parts.
Lee Hwan did not sell cutting-edge weapons because he had many other businesses.
“We can make a living by selling cars alone. So, from now on, stop exporting high-tech weapons.”
“Yes, my lord.”
With the advent of tanks, the war will now revolve exclusively around Easterfield.
Wasn’t it faster and more powerful than cavalry, and a means that could block the fire of a large army with a small number of troops was not invented?
However, Lee Hwan had a strategic material that he expected more than this.
“How is the development of the submarine going?”
“After a year of data collection and continuous improvement along the coast, the design of the charge is only acceptable.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“A 24-seater submarine has been developed, and mines and torpedoes have been developed accordingly.”
Until now, there was no attack that a submarine could do, except for the rifles the troops had inside the submarine.
This is because there was no technology that could directly launch torpedoes or mines from submarines.
However, now you can shoot torpedoes and mines directly, and you can go down to a much deeper depth than before.
In other words, the god of the sea was born.
“According to Your Majesty’s blueprint, our navy will now be able to electrify submarines next year to assist the ocean fleet.”
“It was a lot of hard work. It’s amazing what they’ve accomplished in such a short period of time.”
“thank you. Because the researchers worked so hard.”
“Let’s give them a hefty bonus and give them a pay raise.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Hwan-eun Lee is a person who believes that people need to be full and have a warm back to feel good about work.
He generously rewarded those who did something useful to the country, and made them want to work.
It will provide a foothold for the Kingdom of Easterfield to advance into an increasingly top-notch country in the future.
***
In April 1830, the East Stellar Company introduced the passenger car ‘Ghost’.
The Ghost not only created a ride that felt like running on clouds, but also boasted speed and horsepower that was revolutionary for the time.
Although the price is quite high, the general public can’t even afford to buy it, but in Europe, people with that much money are spread all over the place.
April 5th when Ghost is released.
The front of East Stellar Company was crowded with buyers.
There were so many people, it was just a matter of giving them a numbered ticket.
Jacob Sorokin of Easterfield’s Department of Commerce, Easterfield’s head of sales, gave preference to those who pre-ordered the car so they could pick it up first.
“Priority will be given to those who have pre-ordered the vehicle for pickup!”
“Hey, if I had known there was such a perk, I would have bet money right away!”
“Please stand in two lines. Pre-order on the right, regular purchase on the left!”
Eaststellar’s salespeople were supposed to get a corresponding incentive for selling cars, and they already had a fortune that could easily exceed the average European middle class.
It was truly incredible that the hierarchy could change simply by selling vehicles and managing customers.
Easterfield’s car sales with such absolute financial power were sold out in just four days.
Now, I had to sign a product contract through a ‘motor dealer’, a salesperson of East Stellar Motors, and wait for three months to purchase a car.
Around the time Ghost was gaining popularity, Easterfield was developing a masterpiece of conversion.
It was just a motorcycle.
Until now, only four-legged vehicles had been developed and sold, but now they have decided to sell motorcycles with good mobility and relatively low prices.
In addition to a report on car sales, Lee Hwan also received a report on the development status of motorcycles.
“Ghost is sold out, and now everyone is outraged that they can’t get it even if they pay money.”
“Whoa, of course, it’s bound to be popular.”
“It seems that rubber tires were a godsend.”
Since tires that do not explode no matter how much they run on the road have been developed, people who buy vehicles have no choice but to feel their purchasing power.
Lee Hwan read a report on the development status of the motorcycle ‘Ares’, which is expected to be as popular as the Ghost.
“How long does the release of Ares seem to be left?”
“It is expected that two years will be sufficient.”
“Two years.”
“I think it would be okay to start by making innovations in mobility with a four-legged car and then sell a motorcycle.”
“Well, it would be much better to be popular on all fours and draw attention to something a little more unique than to launch a motorcycle at the same time.”
It was decided to postpone the release of the motorcycle for a while.
This time, we decided to discuss the launch of a product that could have a much bigger impact than that.
“The mass production of the trucks that Your Highness has ordered is just around the corner.”
“Oh, was it?”
“Not only 1.5-ton trucks, but also extra-large trucks capable of transporting 25 tons have been prepared.”
Easterfield improved the existing diesel engine to make a small truck, and improved the engine of the tank to make a dump truck.
Through these development activities, the diversity of vehicles will be secured and the power to dominate the market will be created.
“When will mass production be possible?”
“At least by the middle of this year.”
“Then let’s sell them sequentially from inside the Easterfield Kingdom. And let’s put the Commonwealth, the Alliance, and the rest of the volume for general sale as a subordinated order.”
“Aren’t you doing blitz sales?”
“Is it necessary?”
Trucks are an indispensable vehicle in distribution.
If the Kingdom of Easterfield is to gain an absolute advantage in logistics, it would be a strategy to not export heavy equipment such as dump trucks at all.
However, this requires a little more careful judgment.
“For now, 1.5 tons will start selling as I said before, and in the case of a 25-ton truck, let’s try rolling it out in our kingdom first. If it becomes a means for us to take control of the distribution network, it would be okay for us to build a logistics industry instead of selling it.”
“The logistics industry?”
“It’s literally the business of moving things. For now, only sea transport is emerging as the answer to mass transport. And the only means to get it on the ground and move it is practically nothing other than a wagon or a tow truck. But what if there was a truck that could transport 25 tons of stuff?”
“There will be a revolution in distribution!”
“That’s right. What I want is to lead the retail revolution and completely dominate the industry.”
Lee Hwan always thinks one step ahead of his surroundings.
Because he knows very well that he will never be a pioneer if he does not have forward thinking.
“As I said before, let’s do it once and then continue to post reports.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Is there anything else to report?”
“I’m not going to report it, but because I just heard your words and thought of something.”
“What did you think of?”
“If we have a dump truck and we are not going to put it out, why not modify it and use it in many ways?”
“Oh, it could be.”
“It could be possible, for example, to build a car with an oil tank instead of a pipeline that is still being installed.”
Working with Hado Lee Hwan, the heads of the servants were now completely open to business.
Lee Hwan readily accepted the proposals of his servants.
“Anyway, I was about to give an instruction to improve the features a little more and use them in a variety of ways, but you guys are still one step ahead.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank you for keeping the saying that you should be ahead of me in at least one field.”
The driving force that can increase national power comes from nothing other than innovation, and innovation is made by people.
Hwan Lee thought that mobilizing as many talented people as possible to lead innovation was the shortcut to becoming a top-notch country.
“By the way, how is the realization of universities and higher education progressing?”
“Once the Recruitment of the talented people as commanded by His Majesty has been completed. However, as we will continue to nurture talent in the future, it seems that we will need to continuously find talent.”
A number of scholars from the United States and Europe have already been brought in to set up a school, and talents are being produced one after another.
Based on this, Hwan Lee thought to create a slightly more diverse talent pool.
“We are going to call the Ministry of Education soon.”
“The Ministry of Education?”
“It means that we shape the future of our country ourselves.”