262 – Side Story – After the unification of the Creutel Empire (4)
Proposing the Age of Exploration to escape the terrible situation where the governor of the Benician Republic used the spice to attack the enemy. I did.
Even if I start the Age of Exploration business and support almost infinite money, there is a possibility that I will not be able to see a merchant ship under my influence going to Indica to buy spices directly before the human named Ciel von Kreuttel dies. Very high.
So I have no choice but to rely on the Benikea guys or give up until the Age of Exploration opens in earnest and I can buy precious spices such as pepper, nutmeg, mace, and cloves directly from Indica.
If I were a normal monarch, I would have been tormented by the reality of having to choose between two options.
If you take a broader view, you will see a much better choice than trying to agonize between two options.
That was to join hands with the Muslim Empire to destroy the Benician Republic.
Although the two of us have different religions and different ideas, even hundreds of years ago we went through a great tragedy like the Crusades.
Now’s interests are more important than feelings from hundreds of years ago, and even if you’re hostile to someone close to you, isn’t it a way to be friendly with someone far away?
As I was drinking a cup of tea with those thoughts in mind, the door opened and a man dressed in a turban and clothes unique to nomadic tribes entered and greeted me.
“God bless you, Your Majesty. I am Sulaiman Yosef Nasser, Vice Chancellor of the Muslim Empire. Please call me Nasser.”
“Prime Minister Nasser, thank you for coming this far. You managed to come by boat.”
“The Sultan said that it would be a waste to send even one slave as a messenger, let alone a chancellor like me, if another European monarch called. You said that our Empire and the Kreutel Empire are like friends as we have a common enemy, none other than Benikia. With such a deep sense of loyalty, how can you say that you have come this far?”
For someone who said that, his face was yellow from the long voyage.
If I say worrying things here, it would be like pointing out the bluff of the Prime Minister of the Muslim Empire.
“Tell the Sultan that I am grateful for thinking that way. Yes, we have a common enemy, the Republic of Benicia. Isn’t that why we can become one even if we have different religions and worship different gods?”
“It is as you said.”
“By the way, did the Sultan agree with the strategy I suggested? Or did you have any other suggestions?”
At those words, the chancellor in front of me said with a serious expression.
“Agreed. Certainly, the Muslim Empire has been trading with the Republic of Benicia for nearly 300 years, even though it is of a different religion, but the curses made by the Francis and Romanians who are working on Cyprusia and Morto Island are deserving of the curse. Now that I know you supported the Knights. Can’t you trust them anymore?”
At those words, I called for joy in my heart.
Because the fact that the person called the second chancellor came all this way and accepted my proposal means that I can feed the f*cking Benikea bastards in the future.
If you’re more greedy here, I’d like the Muslima Empire to transport the spices brought from Indica by sea via northern Ifriqiya and sell them to the Creutel Empire at 3-4 times the price the Benicians buy them. This is a difficult problem for their navigation now.
The trade route to transport spices to the mainland via the Mediterranean Sea is difficult because it has to pass through France, and transporting spices from the Mediterranean to the North Sea all at once is a situation where our sailing technology is not enough.
Even if it’s a bit unfortunate, the best thing I can do now is to f*ck them in other ways.
“Then, as promised, I will support you with 500 kg of pure gold. In return, I want you to attack all merchant ships from the Benician Republic if they come to the Mediterranean as promised, without asking or questioning. Shouldn’t the Valdos Knights be able to pay for the crime of capturing a maiden from the Muslima Empire and selling her as a slave?”
Even in European history, there was a group of mad knights who took monastic vows, locked themselves in Rhodes Island, rode galleys, plundered goods when they saw Muslim merchant ships, and sold sailors and virgins as slaves.
In the continent of Europe, the Valdos Knights similarly cast eggs on the islands of Morto and Cyprus, and often rob merchant ships passing by.
But there is a fact to be aware of here.
In the Muslim Empire, a privateer pirate named ‘Redbeard Hailech’ is also in charge.
For the sake of the sultans and nobles, they are plundering merchant ships that often invade their territorial waters.
But is it because people, or in international relations, getting a thorn stuck in one’s finger is much more painful and desperate than shedding bloody tears in someone else’s eyes?
The second chancellor sitting in front of him blushed and said in a voice filled with anger.
“Since the end of that goddamn Deus Expedition, we have been loyal to them except for a few direct confrontations! However, all the people living in the Muslim Empire, including the Sultan, are worried because those damn Knights of Baldos are sinking our empire’s merchant ships! Even now, I feel like…”
“I know the feeling, as I had the experience of British merchant ships being plundered by privateers from the United Kingdom of Brittany in the past. That’s why, when I donated 500 kilos of pure gold to the Sultan, I didn’t ask for property, territory, or specific interests in return.”
“We, the sultan, are more anxious because of this. What do you want? The Sultan said that if His Majesty wishes, he can give the castle of Prikiya to North in exchange for 500 kilos of gold.”
If you can get the city instead of giving away 500 kilos of gold, it’s definitely a business that makes a lot of sense from our point of view.
Because the Age of Exploration will open in earnest in the future, and from next year or later, merchants will open up gold mines and dig gold like crazy.
As the supply of gold increased, its value decreased, so it was necessary to dispose of the amount we had before that.
I can’t believe it came back like this after leaving the requirements empty to burden the other party.
“Thank you for the favor. Then could you hand over Casablanca and the Mart area to us? There are two cities to request, but aren’t there few people living in those two bases and no special resources?”
Hearing that, the chancellor in front of me pondered for a while, then sighed and said.
“These two cities are not very large, and they are difficult to manage for the Muslim Empire. So I don’t think the Sultan will object to this proposal either. Anyway, why did you ask for a place like that…”
The two bases I requested are in a position to play an important role when advancing to East Euriqia.
However, from the perspective of those who have no intention of moving to Ifriqiya, it will only look like a wasteful purchase of land with a budget of about one degree per year compared to Korea.
But there was no need for me to explain to that man, so I smiled and said to change the topic.
“Don’t worry, I’ll at least write you a written oath that I won’t object to the contract you just signed when you leave here. Also, I will give you a gift for the Muslim Empire.”
“A gift? What are you talking about?”
“What would happen if the Republic of Benicia put a huge amount of orders into all the shipyards they owned and paid the price in advance so that they could no longer spur the strengthening of the navy? Then, even if you aim for hegemony in the Mediterranean again… Since the Benikeas have to build from what we ordered, I think you will have an advantage as you will lose the ability to build new ships.”
Well, if Benikea is completely cornered, they will forcibly postpone the contract with the ‘Empire’ they signed earlier and try to build their own ships first…
At that time, you will be able to receive a lot of alimony as an excuse that the construction of the ship you paid for will be delayed.
Furthermore, if the two nations of Muslima and Benicia were to fight in the narrow Mediterranean…
Even if it is revealed that I am pioneering the East Ifrikiya side, the time to check each other will be very late.
But the chancellor, unaware of the full details of my plan, said with a greedy smile.
“Thank you for devising a plan to undermine Benikea’s potential naval power without receiving anything in return from us. If there’s anything else you’d like, do as much as you want…”
At that, I replied with a snort.
“If you seize the hegemony of the Mediterranean, you can sell spices to East Iprikia at a cheap price.”
I hope that while you guys have been fighting back and forth for 40-50 years, I will seize supremacy in the Atlantic Ocean so that none of you will think of leaving the Mediterranean.
That must be too greedy.
From Noble mtl dot com
Shortly, I’m going to unlock the huge amount of gold I’ve stored in my safe in the Benicia and Muslim Empires, so soon the supply of gold will increase and it’ll be worth sh*t.
I should advise my father-in-law to exchange any gold he has for other real assets.