Chapter 162

Margerita has already declared with her own mouth that she will become my vassal, so from now on, she must follow my will in any situation.

However, unlike the other vassals working under me, their power base is not the wealth or territory I have bestowed upon them.

So if the numbers are wrong or the situation changes, no one can predict when they might rebel against me.

Therefore, to ensure I can manipulate them comfortably…

I need to make them reliant on me to the point where they can’t survive without being under my command, just like the other vassals.

And fortunately, I have a delicious piece of meat to throw at that greedy Margerita family and the city of Hamburg.

“If someone from another family suddenly came from Hamburg and asked to be my vassal, saying they wanted to be spared, I wouldn’t have believed it either. But you were the first to come and pledge your loyalty when others hesitated. Therefore, it is only natural to give you an opportunity.”

“Your Excellency the Marquis… thank you very much for sparing my life.”

To that, I replied with a hearty laugh.

“I haven’t said how yet, nor can I assure you that you will survive. I’m simply giving you an opportunity as a way of repaying the loyalty shown by the Margerita family in the past.”

“Your Excellency the Marquis, our family will never betray the favor and trust you have bestowed upon us. So, isn’t it practically a matter of life and death that you have already spared us?”

Sure, the task I’m entrusting to them this time is something they can succeed in without fail, as long as they don’t make a major mistake.

Because what they have to do is to fully utilize the strength of their merchant group to sell the food from the Croilet Marquessate to the lords of the Eraline Empire.

In fact, currently, all the lords of the Eraline Empire are in a situation where, due to preparations for war, the demand for food has suddenly increased, and the supply can’t keep up at all.

In such a situation, there’s no need to worry about whether there will be demand in the selling area, as with other transactions, nor is it necessary to plan to secure sales channels.

They just need to bring the goods, and the lords and other merchants desperate for food will come and buy them.

As long as they don’t openly dawdle or suddenly burn down the carts full of grain, it’s unlikely that the deal will fail.

“I will trust you, who showed good results last time with the herring and wine deal. Now I will give you the orders.”

“Command away.”

“Cut off all trade with Romania except for luxury goods like sugar and various instruments, and transport all the food remaining in our territory to the Eraline Empire for sale. Can you do that?”

Upon hearing those words, Margerita soon showed a perplexed expression and replied.

“Your Excellency, you know better than I do… the demand for food is always unstable. So sometimes we can make 2-3 times our profit by selling flour or barley, but if we miss the timing, there are cases where we have to sell at half the purchase price… or even less than a quarter of the price, right?”

“There are indeed plenty of such cases. In fact, back when I was ruling Windheim, I heard rumors that the File Marquessate was experiencing a famine. When I went there with wheat, the price of flour had dropped due to a good barley harvest, and I suffered a loss.”

At that time, I had just started selling sugar made from sugar beets, so I didn’t have the luxury I do now.

So to avoid losses, I inevitably went to sell in the territories of the Gentry Vassal under Duke Brussels.

Having that experience allows me to fully understand the psychology of someone reluctant to trade in grain.

Of course, it’s frustrating to see someone standing stiffly and objecting in a situation where they should be bowing their heads…

But just like giving a dog a bone to train it, if I provide them with immense profits through this food trade, they will become obedient on their own.

“However, this time there won’t be a loss. Because our Emperor of the Eraline Empire has declared war to conquer the Franche Empire.”

“I am aware of that.”

“This is military intelligence, but I’ll specially share it with you, my vassal. Put your ear closer.”

At that, Margerita looked puzzled but brought her ear closer to me.

“The forces mobilized for this conquest war will be at least 120,000, and the war’s goal is to occupy half of northern and central Franche. And this is confidential information I obtained…”

“….”

“While I received orders to mobilize 20,000 troops, I have decided to mobilize 30,000. I declared that as the one most at liberty, I would bring additional troops amounting to more than half of what I was ordered to take. So, what do you think about the lords who just received territory and now have to keep an eye on the Emperor? Won’t they at least bring 1.5 to 2 times that? Then… we can mobilize nearly 200,000 troops at a minimum.”

In an era when all transport, marches, and operations are conducted by human hands, soldiers consume at least 2 to 2.5 times more food than ordinary civilians.

Is it any wonder that some military experts say medieval mercenaries consumed over 4,000 calories a day to survive on the battlefield?

Thus, the amount of food they consume will amount to enough for at least 400,000 to a maximum of 500,000 people.

Moreover, it’s traditional to prepare about 1.5 times the estimated consumption of food for contingencies like plunder or spoilage…

“If the war drags on, the serfs will naturally become fewer… So, the food produced in the territory will decrease too. Therefore, what those who can’t become military suppliers aim for is to sell grain to the territories engaged in war, right? While they may not be able to make as much money as the military suppliers who earn several times more, they can still secure at least a 30% to 50% profit.”

“…If we consider that as well, I think there won’t be any loss as you say. No, this transaction will definitely succeed. We will make enormous profits. So, can we operate as the Margerita commercial guild under Your Excellency the Croilet Marquis?”

Normally, they would have demanded dividends from the profits they would gain in exchange for providing the market and resources.

But what if all the food used in this expedition looks as though it is supplied from my territory?

The Emperor and other nobles would likely try to control me before the expedition even begins, flattering and threatening me to sell surplus food for a pittance.

No, if the Emperor acts with dignity and grants me the title of ‘Duke’ in exchange for providing the food for this expedition, I would end up supplying food nearly for free.

Additionally, I would need to offer various supplies to the central army to signal that I have no intention of claiming independence.

So, it’s better to say that I sold off the surplus food from the Margerita family in Hamburg to equip and draft soldiers.

Then I could acquire both the taste of meat from Hamburg and the Margerita family, along with some income from the price discrepancy in grain.

Moreover, if the Emperor claims he was just preparing for war at my behest, it will be hard for him to interfere directly or indirectly due to the ‘right of non-interference’ from the reciprocal contract.

“You will persuade the five major families of Hamburg to become my vassals after this war ends. Until then, Hamburg must remain a perfect free city. That way, the Emperor cannot interfere with the grain trade.”

“I will obey your orders. Then, at what price do you plan to sell us the grain?”

“I will sell wheat at 5 silver coins for 350 kilos, and barley at 3 silver coins for 350 kilos. After transportation, you can sell them at a reasonable price that won’t incur a loss for you. You are free to keep all the remaining profit.”

At first glance, it may seem like a very cheap price, but the prices I proposed are actually double what I would sell to other territories in wholesale.

And when you add transportation costs and the profits they’d pocket, the price will skyrocket by at least threefold, making it at least 50% higher than what it costs in the city.

So even if they realize it’s unavoidable, I still have the greed to want to carry out this transaction myself rather than let Margerita handle it.

But since the Emperor can openly monitor me during this critical period…

“I will obey your orders. So from now on, our Margerita family will become Your Excellency’s vassals. Please ensure our prosperity.”

“Based on how this goes, I will consider whether to grant you the position of a military merchant in the Eastern Command to which I belong.”

Of course, it will appear as if the Margerita-led traders are leading, while the actual power will be me, Croilet.

In exchange for providing a name and a few staff, if they participate as military merchants in this expedition, they could still reap a generous share of the spoils.

And if that share could equate to the income of a minor baron and offers the chance to secure exclusive trade agreements with other noble families?

They could make money that is on a completely different scale than this grain brokerage deal.

Upon hearing that, Margerita, with an intense determination to seize the opportunity I provided, said, “By any means, I will ensure the successful completion of this task you have entrusted to me.”

Then I gently patted Margerita on the shoulder and talked to him about the things he must absolutely accomplish until dawn.

**

The next day, I sent a sealed letter to Duke Orleans, the overall commander of this eastern expeditionary force.

[“I am well aware of my position. So, I only wish to be at the forefront of this expedition, earning His Majesty’s trust through merit, and do not seek silver rewards. Please understand my intentions, esteemed and wise Duke, and allow me to take the lead. If you do this, I will do my utmost to repay you. -SIEL von Croilet Marquis, respectfully-”]