European Financial Emperor

078 Building a Second Power (1)

On the eve of his expedition to North America, Lee Hwan received a letter from King Willem I of the Netherlands.

The letter written by the king contained the following text:

“I will invade Prussia in a year… … ?”

“I understand that we have already finished talking with the UK. The Austrian Habsburgs readily acknowledged this.”

“Hmm… … .”

“It seems that the Habsburgs are determined to organize the German Confederation and put an end to the recently escalated Resorgimento through this war.”

“Is this a picture of the Netherlands and Britain contributing to the dissolution of the German Confederation and stabilizing the situation in Italy?”

“Yes, it is.”

Recently, Italy was dreaming of independence from the Austrian Empire and reunification of the Italian peninsula due to the revolutionary movement of the Carbonari Party.

As if to prove this, independence movements were taking place everywhere, and it was going against Austria politically.

In addition, the situation in Croatia was not very peaceful as pressure from the Ottoman Turks and the Russian Empire to the east continued in the region south of the Balkans.

In this situation, if Austria won the conflict with Prussia, absorbed a part of the North German Confederation, and solidified its claim to the Italian peninsula, including Venice, there could be no better picture for the Habsburgs.

However, what did Britain gain from it? That was the question.

“I don’t know about the Netherlands, but why the UK… … .”

Britain could not have done anything like this without any gain.

Hwan Lee had a question about this, but the question was quickly resolved.

“Recently, Britain has been sending messengers to Warsaw, Belgrade and Sarajevo.”

“Poland, a messenger to the Balkans? And if there is a war with Russia… … .”

In an instant, Lee Hwan hit his knee.

percussion!

“… … These guys are trying to make Austria a battlefield!”

“Are you using it as a battlefield?”

“Let’s think about it. Austria is bordered by Ottoman Turks to the south of Austria, and imperial Russia to the west and north. What would happen if Britain began an invasion of Eastern Europe to expand its territory?”

“iced coffee! Do you mean using Austria as a bridgehead?”

“It’s like that.”

Lee Hwan was surprised inside.

This is because Elizabeth’s actions, who had been talking about Africa for a while while wearing another pocket, seemed to have predicted the current situation.

If so, what choice should Lee Hwan make now?

“Britain is unbelievable. How’s the UK situation lately? Especially in the military business and finance.”

“For the most part, it’s still stagnant. But for some time now, we are starting to see a little bit of a strange pattern.”

“Do you see anything strange?”

“The stock price of Oxford Canon, which had led the British gun industry in the past, is rising little by little, which is in stark contrast to the fact that the launch of a new product was thwarted by us.”

“The stock price goes up even though the launch of a new product has been delayed. How are their sales?”

“We can’t make any conclusions yet, but the lack of liquidity has been showing signs of easing little by little in recent years.”

“Hmm… … .”

“At the same time, some military companies are trying to pay off their debts one after another, overcoming the lack of liquidity.”

If there is any sign of war breaking out, of course, related businesses will open.

However, the problem was that the recent military industry was monopolized by East Stellar.

It was said that if the war special gave Eaststellar a benefit, it had no effect on many British military industries.

‘Something feels awkward.’

It was clear that Britain was plotting something behind the scenes.

“It is strange that the Netherlands is in such a hurry to go to war, and it is strange that Britain is actively pushing Austria. Perhaps we should proceed with the territorial expansion in North America a little tighter.”

“Should I look for more properties?”

“It’s not just about looking for a property.”

“If it’s not enough just to look for a property… … .”

“Eat the entire western part and expand its power to the south.”

“Huh… … !”

Eaststellar gained dominion and was recognized administratively as a completely separate group from the Netherlands.

Even so, it would not be easy for Eaststellar to survive if the Netherlands was turned into a battlefield with Russia due to British imperialism.

Even if East Stellar is maintained, it is highly likely that it will serve as a Dutch overseas logistical base or become a military procurement area.

In this case, Lee Hwan decided that it would be much better to establish a strong land base and eat up the west and south based on the current migrants and establish an independent force.

“Let’s start foreign diplomacy. While maintaining a close relationship with the Grand Duchy of Haustria, it is also about maintaining close contact with the Golden Child.”

“Are you saying that we should unite the forces?”

“That’s it. Let’s see if there are any forces in the United States that we can unite with.”

“Um, so why not set up a financial company inside the US?”

“Setting up a financial company in America?”

The United States will certainly enjoy its heyday in the future and rise to the top of the hegemony.

Lee Hwan definitely thought it was necessary.

But he painted a slightly bigger picture.

“The idea is to establish a financial holding company in the United States and become a major shareholder by investing in powers with potential for development. And based on western North America and Vancouver, we create a financial market that encompasses North America.”

“Aha! Are you talking about starting the money flow in Vancouver?”

“That’s it.”

“But location-wise, Vancouver is not a very good place to go to continental Europe.”

“So it’s the best. Wouldn’t it be nice for us to advance into Asia without as much European interference as possible?”

“Uh… … !”

“Also, Panama, which we received from Colombia, is the perfect place to dig a canal to connect east to west.”

“Then what you received in return for the road payment was… … .”

“It was to dig a canal and get an exclusive right for us to connect east-west.”

“Huh! How could you even think like that?!”

“From now on, I will do everything I can. Let’s go into Africa and at the same time buy land in the Suez region and lay the groundwork for its development.”

“Are you talking about developing North America and Africa at the same time?”

“The idea is to build a canal on both sides to shape the future.”

Eaststellar’s bunker and garrison were already taking shape in the Middle East, and they were creating a huge network and market by mixing with nearby residents.

If so, Lee Hwan could become the world’s richest man on two separate foundations.

“However, let’s plan a second expedition for East Stellar to set up another foundation near Suez.”

In the whirlwind of history, Lee Hwan decided to try to establish the foundation of the nation.

It was near the end of the discussion about the plan based on the ambitious aspirations.

The secretary brought a letter to Lee Hwan.

“Sent from Amsterdam by Prince Ben-Herren.”

“Prince Ben-Heren?”

Lee Hwan immediately checked the contents of it.

And soon Lee Hwan’s head tilted.

“… … Would you like to prepare 1,600 ES-1s for 32 cannons?”

***

On February 16, Eaststellar’s main expeditionary force was ready to depart from Amsterdam.

The amphibious force had a total of 40,000 men, 120 ironclad ships, and was armed with 400 artillery and 1,200 mortars.

When these formidable forces land, perhaps Florida will discover the true value of Eaststellar.

Lee Hwan decided to lead this force himself.

A huge fleet of as many as 120 ships was organized to create a spectacular sight heading to North America.

boo woo… … !

As the whistle sounded, the ironclad ships equipped with double-screw engines began to move in a line in line.

People flocked like swarms of bees to see it.

Recently, neighboring countries of the Netherlands have started to line up to purchase the ironclad ships of Eaststellar, but in reality they had to wait three years to receive the ironclad ships.

In the case of Portugal, you have to wait 5 to 8 years, because the payment is even differentiated depending on your credit rating.

Fortunately, some of the armored artillery ships were provided to the Netherlands, and the soldiers went to training, but even that was only five ships.

Hana Eaststellar was so powerful that it could operate more than a hundred such ships.

This was the power of Yi Hwan, who had the wealthiest army in Europe.

Just by moving Lee Hwan, it has now become a big event.

The estimated time for the expedition from the Netherlands to North America was about 75 days.

It took almost a year for Lee Hwan to arrive in the United States after going around the triangle for the first time.

Now it was possible to sail regardless of the wind, and since the ship could move at a constant speed without stopping, the sailing time was greatly shortened.

As Lee Hwan left this place, he sent 32 early recuperators and 1,600 ES-1 tablets to Amsterdam.

“Delivery is complete. But, Baron, what are you going to do with those weapons?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

It was a request that left a lot of questions in many ways.

Since then, more than 70 days have passed.

The results of Eaststellar’s researchers during the voyage were greater than expected.

There have been many technological innovations, and as a result, an opportunity to find a clue of development has been created.

After 70 days, Lee Hwan recorded everything that happened between the voyages, including reports from the researchers.

Lee Hwan, who is about to land soon.

As he looked through the logbook to schedule the landing, he noticed one strange thing.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never met pirates or traffickers.”

“Is it because our forces have grown so strong? Now that everyone around us knows that Route V is the path we are going, pirates may not appear.”

Recently, neighboring countries have referred to the Eaststellar fleet as the ‘black reaper of the sea’.

This is because they buried the Visible Jok Pirates in the sea.

But even so, the fact that there is nothing in the sea so far is absurd.

“It’s a bit strange that pirates have been wiped out in less than five years.”

“Come to think of it, I didn’t see a single merchant ship in the middle.”

“Well… … ! I’m pretty sure I think about it.”

Lee Hwan also went on numerous expeditions and trips, but it was the first time that there was nothing on the route so far.

Of course, there will be generalized routes to cross this vast sea, and the V-shaped route has become one of them.

As long as Europe and America were still engaged in trade, it was incomprehensible that there were no merchant ships.

The voyage continued with such doubts.

A week later, Lee Hwan arrived on the West Coast.

He went up north along the coast of Mexico, bartering between markets, interacting with locals and bartering.

However, an unexpected fact was revealed here.

“Sir, it’s a bit strange. The Mexican government has banned bartering in ports.”

“… … Are you going to ban barter at the port?”

“It is for policing and defense of the coast.”

Warships and merchant ships on long journeys were always short of food and supplies, so it was customary to occasionally exchange barter with the inhabitants through indigenous villages or small trading posts along the coast.

Through this, the villagers would leave a great impression, and warships and merchant ships were good at supplying supplies.

There was no reason for the government to control this small event to collect the shortfall of the citizens.

‘what?’

It was clear that something unusual was going on.