075 Embers of War (2)
After the firearms supply expedition left for North America, Lee Hwan started distributing firearms to neighboring countries as per contract.
The guns went to the countries that wanted to buy guns, such as France, the German Commonwealth and Spain.
“As of December, the distribution of firearms to 11 countries has been completed. We have started practicing for the use of firearms, and it is expected that a contract will be signed for the resupply of the ammunition soon.”
“How are the Manchester Industrial Park purchases going?”
“For that part, it is clearly a contract, and capital has been invested as scheduled, and the plant is operating normally. The question is, where do you make it and sell it?”
“Well… … .”
“It seemed like Britain was going to use war a little bit.”
Recently, Europe has been struggling with the dilemma of overproduction along with a lack of liquidity of funds.
In the case of Britain, in particular, it suffered greatly from the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution.
The amount of bad debts in the factory complex that Lee Hwan recovered was enough to cover all of Greater Manchester.
It was getting bigger and bigger because they were collecting the items that were pouring out almost for free.
Perhaps if they dumped out there, the UK market would be sunk due to overproduction.
However, Lee Hwan had plenty of graves.
“Let’s bring something to the Americas and sell it.”
“It’s the Americas… … !”
“America is always short on necessities. In particular, in the case of the southern part of the country, economic development relied on traditional agriculture and large farms, so there is always a shortage of daily necessities. That trend is no different in the North.”
The northern part of the United States, which has recently achieved advanced industrial development, was becoming a gold center for all the world’s financiers.
However, as the population was concentrated and the industrial trend changed from light industry to precision industry and heavy industry, there was always a shortage of underwear and soap.
It was the same with the neighboring countries of the United States.
“There will be a shortage of daily necessities in places like Canada and Mexico. It is not easy to produce daily necessities there because the agricultural-oriented colonists are accustomed to the management.”
“Again, you are well-versed in the international situation. So, can we send all the goods made in England to America?”
“For now, let’s distribute some in Europe and send all the surplus to the Americas.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“And let’s take some of them apart and let them be consigned to the top of Ben Heren.”
“At the top of Ben Heren?”
“We entrust the consignment sales to the top of our trip to Asia and pay a commission. After all, a large fleet is organized once or twice. Recently, we bought our armored frigates and heard that there is no place we can’t go. Now let’s get some of our stuff out of Asia.”
“That’s a great idea. Despite the abundance of gold and silver in Asia, the living infrastructure doesn’t seem to be very good.”
“Who is in charge of the fleet these days?”
“Reuben van Heidel, who was the head of the Spice Top, is the limited liability member of the fleet.”
Recently, the fleet was gradually forming a corporate structure.
Raising the necessary funds for Wonhaeng was much more systematic, and the heads of the upper ranks gathered to form the Wonhaeng Fleet Co., Ltd., breaking away from the guild’s guild style.
When the change was made to a more modern look, the inflow of investment money increased and the profits left from the original trip were higher.
This meant that trust was building up.
“Uncle Reuben became a limited liability company. Then it will be easier.”
“Would you like to reserve a seat?”
“It would be nice if you could.”
“All right. Where are we going to set up the meeting place?”
“It would be nice to be in Amsterdam, where there is a fleet company.”
“Yes, I understand. Then I will tell you.”
And after a few days.
Hwan Lee, who visited the Amsterdam Benheren Fleet Company, was warmly welcomed by the fleet managers, including Reuben.
These days, when it comes to Eaststellar Company, there is almost no one in Europe who does not know it, so as soon as the word that he was participating in the fleet spread, the investment money was gathering on its own.
Reuben agreed to receive a 1% commission on the condition of consignment sales of British necessities produced by Lee Hwan to Asia.
Considering that the money spent on a trip from Europe to Asia was astronomical, it was almost as if they were offering to sell things for free.
“No, if you lower the fee this much, what will you be left with?”
“We have a brand called East Stellar. The stock price of our company went up even though I only heard that you were participating in the top of the circle. If you hear that your item is sold out, won’t people come from all over the place?”
“Ah, so it’s kind of an advertising activity.”
“You can see that.”
Reuben is definitely a resourceful person.
He was a generous, understanding, and thoughtful man, but that didn’t mean he was giving away money from one person to another.
The reason he gave Lee Hwan a fee of 1% meant that the East Stellar brand was important.
“From now on, we plan to start peddling within six months. The merchants you signed a contract with last year are spread out widely in East Asia, so I think your items will sell well. Besides, there are more and more Indian settlers who have crossed over from Britain these days, and the other colonies prefer British goods, so you don’t have to worry about the market.”
“Well, that’s right.”
The expansion of imperialism was already set to devour Asia, and a big match between Britain and Russia was starting to kick in.
Britain was already building an advantageous position for mobilizing goods through its forward bases in Southeast Asia, including India, and as a result, a large number of British population and capital had flowed into Asia.
Asia is now a land of opportunity for Britain, but it’s not just about Britain.
It was the same with Lee Hwan that Asia is the land of opportunity.
‘If the settlement in North America is completely established, I will have to advance into Asia in earnest.’
In fact, if the size of the gains and losses were taken into account, the Americas could actually bring a much greater opportunity for Lee Hwan.
However, in order to complete the industrial map of East Stellar drawn by Lee Hwan in the future, Asia was a market that must be entered.
Compared to Europe or North America, Asia has a fairly large population, and compared to Europe, the land mass is incomparably larger.
In fact, it was absurd for Lee Hwan to leave such an Asian market alone.
“Someday in the future, I also want to follow the path.”
“Oh, are you?”
“I want to go to Asia and scrape gold and silver ingots and bring them home.”
“We are always welcome if Eaststellar goes on the road, huh? Just talk to me anytime.”
It’s really good to have enemies somewhere.
Now that you can consignment sales to the top of Wonhaeng, you just need to print out the items.
Lee Hwan crossed the Dover Strait to find someone to cross to England.
After receiving a telegram from Ritterkirk, Mark Morgan came up to Amsterdam at the call of Lee Hwan.
“Tell them to turn the Manchester plant complex around as much as possible and produce it. Some will go to America, some will go to Asia.”
“all right.”
There is a saying that the beginning is half done.
Finding a market where you can make and sell products can be seen as solving half of all problems.
***
While Lee Hwan was still in Amsterdam, an unexpected meeting took place.
It was an interview with Louis Marquette, the French Deputy Finance Minister.
He revealed to Lee Hwan that the troops were dispatched in the sense of defending the French colonies in North America, and that they had to pay war expenses.
“There are so many things to worry about when we, France, are going to finance the North American continent. As you know, credit and cash transactions with hostile countries are virtually impossible. However, if we try to procure military supplies from South America, it seems that each of us will be defeated by the American fleet.”
“In war, what to wear and what to eat is the most important thing.”
“If possible, we would like you to sell the bills and bonds at a discount and finance the proceeds to North America.”
In the past, European armies used methods such as obtaining food from local residents or looting occupied territories to procure military supplies.
However, this was a very inefficient method and was one of the main causes of lowering the morale of the army.
Napoleon said that a hungry army does not move, so it was a part of how important supplies were to war.
France had sophisticated military knowledge created by a war hero named Napoleon, and was working hard to apply it in practice.
One of them was the procurement of armaments.
Lee Hwan nailed that he would accept Louis Marquette’s offer conditionally.
“good. East Stellar will safely finance the war to North America. Can I bring my gold coins and gold bars to the field?”
“Yes, it is. Then we can rest assured… … .”
“There is only one condition.”
“What is the condition?”
“We will jointly sell bills and bonds through a partner company designated by East Stellar.”
“Are you a partner?”
“It’s a Dutch company called Peacers and Brothers.”
“… … Peacers and Brothers? This is the first bank I have ever heard of.”
“This is a new company that mainly buys bonds and bills. Our creditworthiness is guaranteed by East Stellar.”
In fact, from the French point of view, selling the bill was a problem, but how it was sold was not that important.
Louis Marquette quickly accepted Lee Hwan’s proposal.
“Well, if that’s the case. You just said they were partners, are there any other partners?”
“The other place is the Rashid Company.”
This time, Louis Marquette’s expression hardened a little.
This is because the Raschild family financed the Great-French Allies in the Napoleonic Wars in France, and they were debtors who bought the bonds at a bargain price as soon as France was defeated.
“If you are dissatisfied with the existence of the Rashid Company, you may reverse the acceptance of the previous conditions.”
“… … uhm.”
“Think carefully. Then we are… … .”
“for a moment!”
It was not Lee Hwan, but the French side who was urgent now.
They were in a state of exhaustion due to the post-war reparation problem, and the gross domestic product could no longer afford the reparations.
For them, Lee Hwan’s condition was like a dead end.
“It’s nothing. The only thing to do is to bury the past Eunwon and build up the relationship from now on step by step.”
“Then I will understand that you have accepted our terms and conditions.”
From the French point of view, Lee Hwan would have looked like a rope that came down from the sky.
But they were still unaware of it.
It means that North America today is a chess board made by Lee Hwan.