European Financial Emperor

022 The Core of Power, Guns (1)

Ben Heren has prepared two books for today.

One book was a real book organized by Lee Hwan systematically, and the other book was a book about the contents of the damage caused by the pirates’ surprise.

“In order to survive the confrontation with the pirates, we had no choice but to throw away our bulky and heavy luggage. So I lost about 35% of my net profit… … .”

“… … what?”

“However, the British military savagely removes taxes in order to guarantee commercial rights, and let alone investigating the facts of the incident, they pretended not to see a fairly organized pirate… … . What would happen if the Jewish pilgrims heard this?”

“No, are you going to lie to the British and the Jews now?”

“It’s not a lie, it’s just to inflate the facts a little more.”

He even handed over the log of the voyage, which had been written by Aaron, the first mate.

Indeed, the content was similar to Ben Heren’s words. It’s just a little bit of exaggeration.

Willem I looked at Ben-Heren with a bit of absurdity.

“No, that’s right, this… … ?”

Perhaps there was a little bit of contempt in his eyes, but Ben-Heren replied indifferently.

“It is a human being to do anything to survive. The merchant is the most venomous of them.”

“It’s survival.”

“Suppose, for example, we’re going to help set up the UK to annihilate pirates. Will they really listen to us?”

“Hmm.”

“If we, the Netherlands, build a private fleet, we can bring those rescued through him to the Netherlands and settle them. As a proud Dutch army and navy.”

Sometimes, rather low-level means for the purpose of national prosperity are justified.

Richard Ben-Herren emphasized that one little lie can turn the tide of the world.

Hana Willem I tilted his head.

“No, wait. We cut 35% of our dividends to the Jews, and the day we find out, we will have a headwind.”

“Of course, the dividend went right. There was just one more double ledger.”

“… … what? So you’re saying that Jews, knowing this, are also involved in smashing Britain in the back?”

“It’s like that.”

“Huh! This man is indeed a dangerous person.”

King Willem I looked at Ben Heren with a face that wondered if he had all these luxuries.

But Ben Heren didn’t waver.

“Well, you don’t have to worry too much. I have sent as a negotiator the right person to negotiate with the Jews.”

“Is there such a person?”

“There are people who are not famous in our fleet, but they can communicate somewhat with them.”

“Hmm… … .”

Worried Willem I.

Even Richard Ben-Heren pulled the reins of persuasion.

“Thousands or even tens of thousands of slaves immigrate to the United States every year. In the case of the southern regions, there is a shortage of people to the point where, without slaves, it is impossible to run a large farm. However, Britain is ending the slave trade to put pressure on the United States. Now is a great opportunity if we are to fill our forces.”

No matter how wealthy the country may be, the United States is still one of the weakest countries in terms of national power compared to Britain.

Although the United States, which was a former British colony, achieved independence, it was not easy to close the gap in national power, which showed such a marked difference.

Taken from NovelNext.com

Meanwhile, as the trade war between the United States and Britain was getting worse and worse in recent years, the eradication of the slave trade was also a way for Britain to maintain its global economic hegemony.

By forming a private fleet, Ben Heren gave the British a justification for building a naval force while placing restrictions on increasing military power.

“This is a unique opportunity to show the world how well we are in the Netherlands.”

“But if you hear that we are organizing an army, will there be checks from all sides?”

“So we have to negotiate with the UK to get approval for the organization of a private fleet. In fact, the current hegemon is Britain. No matter how much imperial Russia or Austria try, it is not good for Britain.”

“Hmm… … .”

Since Europe has such a narrow land mass, there is clearly a limit to expecting economic expansion within its own country.

In that sense, Britain defeated Spain early and seized naval hegemony, so even after the Continental War, the economy recovered fairly quickly.

Knowing this well, Austria, Russia, and Prussia were so focused on territorial expansion.

“Imperial Russia has already risen to the ranks of a great power, and the Austrian Empire is continuing its terrifying territorial expansion. Prussia is also growing rapidly, isn’t it? Besides, Austria is an empire ruled by the Habsburg dynasty, and as in the past, we never know when we will invade the Netherlands.”

“Hmm… … .”

“Besides, nationalism is now expanding in Eastern Europe. They never know when they will try to wipe out another nation by recreating the glory of the past.”

King Willem I fell into deep trouble.

After the Vienna regime, the Netherlands achieved a unified dynasty, but it was still suffering from a completely different political orientation from Belgium and Luxembourg.

If so, I need something to draw attention to.

Finally he made a decision.

“Well, that’s fine. I will send a delegation to England.”

“thank you!”

“You must immediately begin preparing to arm the army.”

Finally, the moment has come when Ben-Heren moves from the nobility of the periphery to the monarchy’s closest aide in the centralized system.

When Ben-Heren was about to leave, King Willem I asked.

“Look, Prince Ben-Heren.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“I would like to see a person who is the developer of a rifle sometime.”

“I will make a seat for you.”

It was time for Lee Hwan’s name to be known to the world soon.

***

In August 1821, Austrian Chancellor Metternich voiced his support for Greek independence and a full-fledged independence movement began.

The Ottoman Empire naturally reacted to this, but their naval hegemony had long since tilted.

Taken from NovelNext.com

Meanwhile, Lee Hwan met Marco Virtos, who is in charge of the arms supply of Amsterdam Ben-Herren Co., Ltd.

Taken from NovelNext.com

Marco Virtos was a former warehouse manager at the top of the circle. He was good at counting and had a knack for managing warehouses.

Lee Hwan delivered 250 guns and heard good news on the way home.

“There will be an order for 30,000 more rifles from the top of Ben Heren.”

“It seems that the contact between Prince Ben-Heren and the royal family went smoothly, didn’t it?”

“It is said that the king himself issued a decree so that 50,000 rifles could be prepared in the future. Soon the Dutch parliament will vote on a bill to arm the army around Ben-Herren.”

“okay.”

“Anyway, congratulations. These days, there are a lot of people in Amsterdam who want to invest in the East Stellar Company.”

“It’s all thanks to the Ben Heren Ball.”

“By the way, how was it possible to have a mass production system while fooling everyone like that?”

So far, Lee Hwan has developed firearms by deceiving everyone except for a few locals as well as merchants in the south.

Even now, most of them did not know about Lee Hwan’s firearms at all or only barely knew the existence of new weapons.

If Congress passes a bill that permits the construction of Ben Heren’s army and private fleet, Lee Hwan will be sitting on a cushion of money.

Because it was clear that the gun would become more famous.

Taken from NovelNext.com

Marco Virtos handed Lee Hwan a letter of introduction.

“Take Joshua Rose, who studied Business and Politics in the UK and was responsible for the top round of public offerings.”

“Are you in charge of public offerings?”

“I have a knack for management. The Rhodes are loyal to Prince Ben-Herren, and they are powerful.”

Ben Heren had decided to give Lee Hwan a resourceful person who could manage and nurture the inside of the company so that he could do bigger things in the future.

With a letter of introduction, Lee Hwan headed west to Amsterdam, where the Rose family was located.

The Rose family consisted of a total of 21 families, and all of them were members of the ocean fleet, so there was no one from children to the elderly who did not jump into the business.

By the time Lee Hwan arrived at the Rose family, the village was already quite lively with preparations for the trip.

Robert Rose, the village mayor of Rose and the oldest member of the family, greeted the illness with a cane.

“… … Come on. I have already heard from Prince Ben-Heren.”

“Yes, you are. Who is there to be with me?”

“You are already packing.”

As soon as Robert Rose finished speaking, a wagon and eight men and women walked out of nowhere.

Joshua Rose was rather short, about 160 cm tall, and her stature wasn’t great either.

However, as if to prove his neat and tidy appearance and brilliance, his bright eyes were quite impressive.

He nodded at Lee Hwan.

“My name is Joshua Rose, who will be working with the East Stellar Company in the future. I will stay by your side and help you.”

“Nice to meet you. But others… … .”

“Ah, these will be executives who have the necessary knowledge for business management, company settlement, and the lives of employees. All of them are gifted students who have completed their studies in England and France, and they are so talented that they can be proud to be the best in their respective fields.”

The Rose family decided not to simply provide Lee Hwan with a secretary, but to decorate the entire management team and to strengthen the company’s stability.

Thanks to this, Lee Hwan didn’t seem to have to worry about the company’s business practices.

“Are they all from the same family?”

“All of them have the same last name. They are relatives to each other.”

“Then it would be easier to work with. then Let’s go.”

There was no need to stay here any longer, and the Roses wanted to get used to work as soon as possible.

Therefore, as soon as they greeted Lee Hwan, they took the wagon and headed for Rotterdam.

Joshua Rose didn’t stop working on her way down to Rotterdam.

He stressed the need to overhaul the gun manufacturing system.

“I was told that 30,000 guns should be produced and armed. To do that, I think it will be necessary to at least triple the factory size of the East Stellar Company.”

“Anyway, we will run the factory in three shifts.”

“Three shifts?”

“The current number of 200 people has been tripled and two factories have been added to achieve a perfect three-shift and division of labor.”

Joshua Rose tilted her head.

At that time, it was common to feed factory workers coffee and eat them all day long, and even vicious bastards fed them opium to squeeze out the workforce until the end.

In such an era, the word shift was not appropriate.

“Do I really need to do a shift? Then the work efficiency will decrease.”

“Factories are run by people. People usually find it difficult to work when they are overworked.”

“Well, that’s true, but that’s how all factories work.”

Joshua Rose had a very good knowledge and a clear brain, but the biggest flaw seemed to be the lack of humanity.

Lee Hwan shook his head and emphasized humanity.

“Factories are places where people come to work to live and eat, but if they just work, die without even taking a break, will there be any remaining people?”

“Hmm.”

“And I want to get products of the highest quality possible. Even if I make one part, I want to make it properly and deliver it, but it’s absolutely the opposite of supplying guns with only a rough appearance.”

“Are you saying that you choose quality over quantity?”

“Absolutely. We make guns from only the best quality. Focus on making a good gun rather than just shooting a lot. Going forward, that will be a top priority. Do you know?”

“Yes, I understand. Then, under the guidance of the president, we will help manage the company. Please give me a lot of guidance.”

When Lee Hwan looked at Joshua Rose, who was like a machine, he thought that he had a long way to go.