European Financial Emperor

029 The chubby boss (2)

Aedam continued to try hard to make Lee Hwan belong to the aristocratic group.

“I think it would be right for a man named Lee Hwan to belong to the Netherlands by giving him his first and last name.”

Ben-Herren wasn’t too upset about the nobility being talked about, but the other two clapped on their knees, saying it’s a mystery.

“Ugh! If only I could make Lee Hwan into us Dutch… … ”

“But will he be so docile to become a nobleman? When I heard it, they said that I wasn’t a normal person.”

Everyone looked at Ben Heren.

He knew that Lee Hwan was not a normal person, so he asked what good food to tame him.

Ben-Heren cut it off and drew a line that Lee Hwan was impossible to tame.

“Once upon a time, a young man on our fleet caught a wolf from a ridge in Asia. Even the gray wolf. At first, it was reliable and cool, so I raised it with sincerity. But on the first year of raising the wolf, the wolf ate the sailor’s head.”

“… … Are you saying that wolves are ungrateful animals?”

“No, wolves are not tamed.”

“Ugh.”

“Lee Hwan is like a wolf. Even if they seem loyal on the outside, if they feel they don’t need our fences, they’ll definitely do something out of the ordinary.”

“Then what should I do?”

“It will be important to realize that we need the strength of the Netherlands to grow ourselves to a certain level.”

“You mean we have to make him need us?”

“Yes that’s right.”

“It’s a difficult problem.”

Ben-Heren shook his head.

“no. It may be a simpler matter than you think.”

“Is it a simple matter?”

“Lee Hwan, whom Soshin saw, is greedy and ambitious for goods. Lee Hwan will not turn his back on the Netherlands if it is to his advantage as he is a person who works hard to grow a body that is worthy of such ambition.”

“Ohh?”

“And the more you base yourself in the Netherlands, the harder it will be to leave.”

What Ben Heren was saying now was that Lee Hwan would leave if he didn’t give more.

Adam, who had been quietly listening to him, spoke in a rather dull tone.

“How about if you grant Sir Ritterkirk’s surname and succeed him?”

“… … what?”

There were three deep ribs between King Willem I’s forehead.

But after a while he quietly nodded.

“but. It might not be a bad choice. At the same time, South Korean politicians are also in check.”

“Ugh.”

“What do you guys think?”

All four, including Ben Heren, expressed affirmation.

Perhaps Lee Hwan did not realize that being sealed as a baron would be so simple.

However, Ben Heren put one more condition here.

“I wish I could grant you one more privilege.”

“privilege?”

***

Early in the morning, Lee Hwan received a report from Joshua Rose.

Joshua Rose’s report, written on high-quality leather and paper used in sheepskins, suggested an influx of steel engineers and geologists could be possible.

It was also suggested that scholars from other countries might be brought in instead of the mechanical engineers who had recently come from Prussia.

“British scholars?”

“Steel engineers from the north of England are hoping to settle in the Netherlands.”

“Ohh!”

“Especially in the case of steel engineers, they have been making cannons for over 300 years, so they have a very good understanding of steel.”

The British cast-iron cannons played a decisive role in seizing naval hegemony as their barrel durability was quite good compared to other regions.

Of course, because British iron contained a large amount of phosphorus, it was made dense enough to withstand the pressure of gunpowder.

However, the British had a deep knowledge of iron, so any scholar from a family who had been dealing with iron for more than 300 years was the subject of consideration.

“How did you think that such a talented person would come to us!”

“Also, a mechanical engineer who recently participated in the operation of a mine using a steam engine car is also looking to join East Stellar.”

“Oh, did you?”

The price of not treating people as precious will result in the outflow of domestic talents abroad. Just like the UK and France today.

However, a very serious problem arose here.

“However, the British government has suddenly banned the export of talent. Just like Prussia.”

“… … Are you saying that the entry into the Netherlands was blocked at the source?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Damn it. People say they want to live in a place they want to live, but everyone is doing too much.”

“I think it will not be easy to recruit talent as it is, since crossing the border is illegal in itself.”

In the past, Britain gave away a lot of immigrants to the United States, and even now, talents are constantly flowing out.

Considering such a situation, it would be appropriate to be wary of export to the Netherlands.

However, Lee Hwan had a strong desire to recruit them.

“Isn’t there any way to bring them back somehow?”

“For now, there is only one way.”

“How?”

“The Dutch royal family and the British royal family have reached an agreement on the organization of a private fleet this time, and a memorandum of understanding on population influx has also been signed.”

“Ugh!”

“When we seize slave ships from Africa and bring them to the Netherlands, Britain has full control over the population that comes in, and we, the Netherlands, pay a 30% tax to bring them back. If we give you a 30% tax, we’re giving you a pardon for an immigration bill that’s currently banned in the UK.”

“It’s a pardon.”

“This pardon is granted to King Willem I of the Netherlands, and on the basis of this we can bring in the black population.”

“Then you mean you can bring in enough people other than black people?”

“Yes, it is. If it is the people who have been granted the king’s pardon under the memorandum of understanding between the two countries.”

Recruitment of the talent Lee Hwan had so longed for was right in front of him, but he couldn’t just miss it.

He was determined to turn to Richard Ben-Herren to help him somehow succeed in the signing.

Lee Hwan, who immediately wrote a letter to Ben Heren along the way, instructed him to deliver it to Joshua.

“Take this and go to Amsterdam. And there, you will meet Prince Ben-Heren and deliver the letter in person. We plan to hear the answer at the time of the first delivery soon.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Lee Hwan made as many guns as Ben-Heren wanted, and also produced enough ammunition.

He thought that he might receive enough compensation for this, so he would hear good news, and Lee Hwan did not doubt that.

A few days after the letter left.

In March 1822, the first deliveries were moving to Amsterdam.

After producing 30,000 first-generation cartridge rifle ES-1s, Lee Hwan decided to manufacture and distribute compatible parts accordingly.

After wrapping the gun in oil cloth and loading it in a box, a plan was established to transport it by carriage to the middle of the Mas River for transshipment.

Only 1/3 of the supply has just been released, but the royal family admired the productivity of the East Stellar Company.

In this day and age, there was no precedent for producing 10,000 guns in less than half a year.

At the forefront and flank of the wagon line was escorted by 600 Dutch matchlock troops, and a fleet anchored along the Mas River.

It meant that if there was a force trying to rob a gun, they would crush it with cannons.

The battalion commander of the escort unit, Oscar Veriol, was greatly impressed by the condition of the pavement.

“That’s great. It hasn’t even been half a year yet, but the road over 30km has been completed. And with this quality.”

“It must be because our East Stellar Company worked non-stop.”

As the road was built by steadily compacting sand and soil over and over on a foundation made of crushed stone and gravel, it was in fairly good condition for now.

One important thing was that it was completed in 3 months rather than the condition of the road surface.

It was not unreasonable for Oscar Veriol to admire him because he could not even think of the perfection of three months.

“At this rate, I have a feeling it might be worth considering going overseas.”

“Are you going overseas?”

“With more recent colonization than ever before, Western Europe needs a wider road base. Naturally, there will be more demand in colonies where there are far more barren land than the mainland.”

In fact, I never thought of making money right away by building a road.

There was no advanced cement technology yet, and there was no foundation on which to produce asphalt.

Perhaps if East Stellar had a much more advanced foundation in the chemical field than it is now, then it was likely to try to advance overseas through road construction.

“I think it is still premature.”

“Um, do you think so? It’s not like that on the mainland.”

“What do you think of Amsterdam?”

“If the technology is enough to break through 40km of pavement within half a year, it will be coveted in the UK.”

“… … okay?”

“In the United States, thousands of dollars are broken for paving a carriageway. He said that, in the midst of the already bad economic situation, there are many companies that go bankrupt because even their raw money is broken. It was only about 40 kilometers long.”

In this day and age, civil engineering was a more profitable business than expected.

If Lee Hwan gained experience in civil engineering from now on, he would have had some savory fun in railroad construction in the future.

But he thought it was still premature.

“If there is a chance later, I would like to enter the market, but not now.”

“Hey, he’s a pretty tough guy. It’s a really bad technique.”

Perhaps Oscar Veriol was thinking of investing in Lee Hwan when he established a road engineering company.

This market is definitely a blue ocean, so it was well worth the investment.

One peace thanks is enough if you don’t like it.

As we talked, the 40km road trip came to an end.

However, just because they traveled 40 km, it was by no means possible to immediately ship to a large vessel.

At this point, it was necessary to transship one more time by a small boat to be able to procure goods by a large vessel.

This process alone would take two full days, but at this time, this speed was almost unparalleled.

After the shipment, Lee Hwan boarded a merchant ship and headed for Amsterdam via the port of Rotterdam.

Oscar Berryol continued his conversation with Lee Hwan.

“It is said that the Dutch Royal Voyage Corps will be established.”

“A royal voyage?”

“It refers to a private fleet.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

“I also wanted to join the sailing corps, but the conditions were quite strict. There are a lot of competitors.”

“You seem to have a lot of applicants, don’t you?”

“There are so many volunteers in the general deep sea fleet, would you say that it is a private fleet?”

“Um, right?”

“why? Interested?”

“Well, rather than that.”

“Just speak. Let’s set up a seat for you.”

Lee Hwan smiled brightly.