Chapter 362 Before the Storm
“The Wesson Army entered Keborg yesterday afternoon...”
The news played on the radio sounded in the dining room of a luxurious mansion in the city of Amstel in the Lowlands. At the dining table, Mrs. Franken was eating a "breakfast Wesson bun" leisurely, which is two pieces of bread sandwiched with only a piece of cheese, vegetables or meat. It was just the right amount for breakfast.
People in the lowlands probably don’t know the meaning behind this news. Mrs. Franken naturally knows that Castle is the northernmost castle in the Principality of Franconia and is also an important transportation route to the forest and ocean areas. , its capture meant that the Wesson Army controlled all the lands of the Franconian Duchy.
Under Richard Nall's friendly persuasion, Mrs. Franken was deeply aware that her family's partner was going to die, so she agreed to leave in a dignified manner with her two children under ten years old and the servants.
She was born into a noble family in Bohemia, and she still had a barony in her hometown that she planned to inherit to her second daughter. But now that she no longer had the Archduke of Franken as her backer, she needed to raise an army to protect it, and building an army cost money.
The north of the Principality of Franconia is a forest and ocean area. Over the years, Mrs. Franconia relied on the resources and markets there to arrange for people to open a chamber of commerce, so she did not go back to her hometown directly, but came to the city of Amstel. Cash out the Chamber of Commerce and recruit mercenaries to kill them back.
The morning news ended with the Flying Tulip docking at the port. Mrs. Franken's housekeeper reported today's work arrangements: "Madam, Baron Shylock from Venice has asked for an audience again."
Mrs. Franken waved her hand as if to shoo away flies without saying a word.
After the news that she wanted to sell the Chamber of Commerce came out, a lot of interested businessmen came, and the price was very low. It was normal to pay back the money after asking for it all over the sky.
But Baron Sherlock is different. He not only seeks wealth, but also sex. To be precise, he wants an experience of "sleeping with the Grand Duchess" as a gimmick for himself to increase his worth.
The housekeeper continued: "As of yesterday, the highest bidder was the Sea Flame Chamber of Commerce."
Mrs. Franken recalled that the Sea Flame Chamber of Commerce was also an outsider, said to be from the north. In recent years, half of the top ten most sold tulips each year belong to them, and they have made a lot of money.
The tulip bulbs can be dug out and wrapped in boiled hay and placed in a cool place for two to three months.
It is rumored that someone has developed a way to preserve it for two to three years, but the technology has not been made public, and it is the Sea Flame Chamber of Commerce that masters this technology.
Mrs. Franken thought for a while and then said: "The most valuable things in the Chamber of Commerce are those tulips. This year's new bulbs will be on the market in these two days. Those people are trying to buy them from me at a lower price. Then they can make a fortune out of thin air." "
The housekeeper reminded her: "Madam, our tulip bulbs have been dug up, sorted and packaged. If we can't find a merchant to sell them in a short time, they will rot on our hands. "
Tulips are usually purchased by well-connected local merchants, and the goods stay on hand for a short time. Those with no connections sell them slowly, and the tulips may not be sold out until a new crop of tulips is planted in the fields, so they will be wasted.
This is the problem that Mrs. Franken is facing now. She is a foreigner and has no way out. In previous years, she only sold to other chambers of commerce.
“Ignore those chambers of commerce!” She gritted her teeth, “If we can’t reach an agreement in the next two days, let our chamber of commerce set up a retail stall at the door. The price...is sold at the wholesale price.”
"We don't have that much time. The sooner we sell the goods, the sooner we get the money and the sooner we can hire troops to go back."
The housekeeper said he would do it.
It’s just that no businessman came to negotiate today.
There were a lot of carriages outside the largest bank in Amstel today. In the lounge next to the VIP negotiation room, many famous businessmen were staring at each other, wanting to go over and knock each other to death.
The bank staff came to the door and said: "Please invite VIP No. 8 to the VIP room to discuss business."
Baron Sherlock from Venice jumped up, straightened his appearance as he walked, coughed twice to clear his throat, and walked out of the lounge with confidence. There are two spring sofas in the VIP negotiation room, with a coffee table in the middle. The vice president of the bank and two staff members are sitting behind the desk next to the door.
Baron Shylock walked to the sofa and stretched out his hand to shake hands with today's partner: "Shylock, plenipotentiary of the Venetian Merchant Federation."
For people like them Talking about people, talking about ghosts, the other party did not have a title, but he might be a member of the royal family behind the scenes, and he wanted something from him, so he did not mention his title.
A man with a thin body and an expressionless face like a wooden sculpture stood up on the sofa. He also stretched out his hand: "Chief Commercial Officer of the Sea Flame Chamber of Commerce, Jace."
After the two sat down, Jace asked: "Do you understand our transaction requirements?"
Sherlock nodded and replied: "Only cash is accepted."
Jes picked up the He handed over a form on the coffee table and said in a calm tone: "This is the goods and prices that our Chamber of Commerce can provide, and they will be delivered on June 25."
Sherlock took over the Sea Flame Chamber of Commerce Looking at the tulip varieties and price list, I found that the top few numbers said that they were sold in limited quantities. The most expensive one, which was limited to one, had three 0s after it, and the cheapest one, which was limited to 50 pieces, also had two 0s.
That is the most expensive variety of tulips, and the profit is at least ten times higher when shipped back to the Kingdom of Sardinia.
The following varieties are relatively cheaper and the quantities are larger.
Sherlock discovered that the wholesale price of non-limited tulips on the list was only more than twice as high as the same period last year, which was a huge discount compared to the retail price, which was at least six times higher.
He quickly calculated that this was definitely not all the products of the Sea Flame Merchant Guild. The price was much cheaper than he expected, so he could bite the bullet and eat them all.
So the two parties entered the bargaining stage. After some back and forth, Sherlock found that the other party did not make too many concessions, but after eating them all, the total amount exceeded the amount of cash he could use.
Fortunately, the reputation of the Venetian Merchant is also very loud along the North Sea coast. Sherlock went through the loan procedures with the bank vice president on the spot, then signed a contract with Jess, and finally handled the transfer on the spot.
Sherlock had a bright smile on his face when he walked out of the negotiation room. The next step was to eat and drink at public expense. After ten days, he would pick up the goods and load them on the ship. He would then take the waterway upstream along the Rhine River through Weisen and then down the Danube River to enter After the inland sea return to Venice.
On average, the profit for this trip was six times. He calculated his commission and asked for the most expensive tulip bulbs. When he returned, he could exchange them for a garden and The mansion in the carriage house, when I thought about it, I suddenly realized that the northwest wind that keeps blowing all day long is so lovely.
What is even cuter is the short-haired girl passing by. Her hair shines like gold and her eyes are like emeralds. The most attractive thing is the confident temperament she exudes.
Feeling good about himself, Baron Sherlock sorted out his remains, asked his entourage to stay, and strode up to the girl.
He said to the girl affectionately as if he were on the streets of Venice: "Ah, as beautiful as the most delicate flowers in the garden...ah!!!"
A girl with long red hair rushed out from behind the short-haired girl, kicked Baron Sherlock away, and then punched and kicked him.
Baron Sherlock's entourage rushed over when they saw the boss being beaten. A large group of people who looked like sailors by their skin color rushed out from behind the short-haired girl. In the square, local and Wesson cursed each other.
Some of the entourage from Venice were very skilled in martial arts, but they were too insidious, and the local shoes were carved out of a piece of wood with pointed toes. The Venetians quickly covered their crotches. fell down.
The city defense troops who arrived saw that the people being beaten were outsiders. The one who beat them was Miss Lilu, a famous local landowner. Moreover, the Duke of Wesson behind her had a good reputation in the city, so they waited until the beating was over. Drag people away.
(End of this chapter)