plumnovel #505 - Not only a common enemy, but also common interests
#505 - Not only a common enemy, but also common interests
Walking into the second-floor tea room, Loulouse immediately spotted the wheat-skinned, black-haired Kush young man.
He looked about 1.7 meters tall, or maybe a little less, because he was wearing thick-soled boots.
Standing by the window, this Saintly Grandson Warlock, famous throughout Thousand River Valley, held an engraved wavy copper cup in his hand, dressed in a simple, unadorned half-cape priest's robe, with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.
On the walnut soft stool opposite him sat an old man, large-framed, white-haired, whom Loulouse had once seen beside Huannuo.
This should be that Dean Ludvik.
When Loulouse saw Horn, Horn also saw Loulouse at the same time.
Even with Horn's thick skin, he felt a little embarrassed at this moment, as Loulouse's identity was not just a business partner, but also Carrie's mother.
Who would have thought this petite loli would be Carrie's mother?
How could such a small thing give birth to such a big thing?
Thinking of Carrie's tall figure and loli heart, and this loli's figure and mature woman's heart, it seemed to make sense again.
At least Horn could be sure that Carrie's father was definitely not right.
Seeing Horn turn his head, Loulouse spoke first: "The timing is perfect, since we're going to establish an alliance, why don't we discuss it now, instead of dragging it out."
"Now?" Horn was a little surprised, he did have a plan to determine the core disputes today, but that should be after the banquet, with plenty of time to talk.
"You wouldn't want to discuss things at tomorrow's meeting with so many people, would you?" Loulouse supported herself on the chair and sat down, her little legs swinging in the air.
"Our common enemy is the Church, so we unite..." Horn was caught off guard and subconsciously started talking nonsense.
"We've heard enough of the clichés, what do you need? What can we provide? That's what I want to hear."
Loulouse stood on the chair in an old-fashioned way, patted Horn on the shoulder: "Don't be nervous, although you and Carrie... but we can treat each other as equals, each to their own."
Horn glanced at Ludvik, who shrugged, indicating that he didn't care.
Adjusting his hair, Horn put down his wine glass and simply dragged a chair over, bringing forward the conversation that was originally planned for after the banquet.
Sorting out his thoughts, he first spoke to Ludvik:
"Lord Ludvik, have you ever wondered why, even though Kasha County is so oppressed, there is still a group of people who insist on not breaking with the Church?"
"It's because the Church is deeply rooted, and people find it difficult to forget this tradition for a while," Ludvik explained.
"There is some truth to that, but fundamentally, it's because the material basis is at play," Horn retorted, "Dean Ludvik, let me ask you, Kasha County is a major grain county, with orchards, grains, and livestock as its main products, am I right?"
Ludvik hesitated for a long time before nodding.
"Your supporters are small and wealthy farmers, self-cultivating farmers, and knight lords. Kasha County's industry and commerce are not developed, mainly relying on agricultural output..."
Horn began to analyze for Ludvik.
Kasha County is different from Langsand County and Hotam County, it doesn't have a large population, so the amount of land per capita is quite high.
Because industry and commerce are not developed, with only Little Pond City as a city, the industrial and commercial population is not large.
Its agricultural products cannot be self-digested, so they must be sold outside in exchange for essential daily necessities.
"Why was the Huannuo faction able to rise in Kasha County?"
"It's because Kasha County is adjacent to Fran, and can sell grain and agricultural by-products to Fran, without completely relying on the Thousand River Valley Church."
"Why have your supporters suddenly stood on the side of the Church, opposing a win-win combination?"
"It's because the Fran people can't eat up the entire grain output of Kasha County."
"If they fall out with the Church and other nobles in Thousand River Valley, no one will buy their grain, and they won't be able to buy enough daily necessities, making it impossible to profit."
"They are afraid of really angering the Church, and fear class degradation, which is why they oppose our alliance."
"Kasha County is hesitant and jumping back and forth because its internal interest entanglements are repeatedly pulling it."
Speaking until his mouth was dry, Horn picked up the black tea on the table and took a sip before asking: "What do you think of what I said?"
"Of course it's right, we can all realize it, but how to solve it?" Ludvik opened his eyes for the first time, with a terrifying light flashing in them.
Horn didn't have the slightest fear, he reached out and drew a simple map on the table, marking the locations of Jeanne d'Arc Fort, Copper Fortress, and Black Serpent Bay.
"The solution is simple, what the Fran people can't eat, can't we transport it to Black Serpent Bay?" Pointing to the simple map drawn on the table, Horn emphasized the position of Copper Fortress twice.
"The area of Black Serpent Bay is almost twice that of Thousand River Valley, and the demand for grain has always been great, but originally there was the Copper Fortress blocking it and the Church sealing it off, so the grain always had to rely on smuggling.
Now that we have captured Copper Fortress, the shipping route from Jeanne d'Arc Fort to Black Serpent Bay is unimpeded.
Through the Ibe River, grain from Langsand County and Kasha County can continuously flow into Black Serpent Bay.
I dare to guarantee that the Black Serpent Bay market can definitely eat up the grain output of our two families."
Loulouse retorted disapprovingly: "Black Serpent Bay doesn't have extra gold pounds, ah? What can we exchange for the grain transported in?"
This is a big problem, the grain from Kasha County can be exchanged for gold pounds when sold outside, what can it be exchanged for when transported to Black Serpent Bay?
"Who said you don't have gold? You not only have it, but you have two types, black gold and white gold." Snapping his fingers, a maid took out two silver plates from behind the cloth curtain.
One was filled with black powder, and the other was filled with white powder.
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"Pepper? Spices!" Loulouse recognized what the black powder was at a glance, and immediately thought of the specialty spices of Black Serpent Bay.
Spices are not materials for making perfume, but pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg...
In this era of lack of seasonings, these seasonings are almost equivalent to gold.
The Clove Corridor in the south of the Kingdom of Fran was originally a barren land, but it rose by relying on the clove trade.
In this way, the grain output of Langsand County and Kasha County is pulled to Black Serpent Bay, exchanged for local spices, and then sold to the Kingdom of Fran through Kasha County.
Spices are not a street commodity like grain, and are definitely a seller's market in high demand within the Empire.
Horn also controls the official trade channels to the Kingdom of Fran, and can obtain more preferential treatment, and may even be able to set up a Black Serpent Bay Spice Company at that time.
Relying on funds raised by selling stocks and securities trading, early industrialization can be completed in Langsand County alone.
"This may be a little difficult." Loulouse subconsciously patted her chest, waist, and thighs, and found that she didn't bring tobacco leaves and a pipe, and clicked her tongue, "Spice trade has quotas among the secret parties, and is now controlled by several secret parties in the south."
"The grain problem is one of the most important issues in Black Serpent Bay, right?" Ludvik saw the prospect and also held on tightly, "We are not smuggling, we have shipping, and the distance is so close, we must have more grain than them, right?"
"Use political correctness to suppress them, and if they are unwilling to take out the quotas, it means they are watching the Black Serpent Bay brothers starve." Horn followed up with an idea, "To make it even more unscrupulous, you can also ask, why can you exchange for more grain with the same spices, but they are causing famine? Where did the missing grain go? Did they embezzle it? How do they view the fact that so many people have starved and died over the years? We can also cooperate to lower grain prices, operate at a loss, first destroy their credibility, and then acquire and merge them..."
"Stop, stop, stop, are you trying to watch Black Serpent Bay have a civil war?" Loulouse knocked on the table, stopping Horn's idea, "Transferring quotas takes time, and it can't swallow Kasha County's grain in a short time."
Horn and Ludvik looked at each other and sat back in their seats.
"Um..." Horn pondered for a while, "Actually, we can provide loans and guarantee payments, but it can't solve everything..."
"Don't you have white gold? Where is the white gold? We don't have this kind of thing here."
Loulouse stretched out her slender fingers, pinched a small pinch of it in the silver plate and rubbed it, and an even finer powder fell from her fingertips.
Horn's forehead dripped with a drop of cold sweat.
No wonder they say she's a flesh-oriented witch, she looks small, but her physical strength is really sufficient.
"Try licking it."
Looking at Loulouse's suspicious eyes, Horn had to personally pinch a little and sprinkle it in his mouth, swallowing it.
Only then did Loulouse put a little on her tongue and licked it, and the next second, her eyes lit up immediately.
"This is?"