The Emperor’s Angel of Death

In addition to formulating economic plans, Soshjan also announced the integration of the galaxy's foreign trade and the implementation of a series of trade promotion programs.

On the one hand, this was due to security considerations, and on the other hand, Natesan IV and Natesan V had actually had trade disputes and competition in the past. Although the export products of the two worlds were not completely consistent, the proportion of primary industrial products and semi-finished parts in their main products was very high. Their main export targets were more than a dozen civilized star systems relatively close to the Natesan system, such as the Babak system, the Lemoine system, the Lemo Factor system, and the Chadwell system.

Since the Empire basically adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards trade, and the various worlds basically adopted a 'free trade' model, a large number of interstellar trade guilds were spawned. In order to control prices or trade channels, they even broke out into trade wars and pirate wars (official records show naval battles with hundreds of armed merchant ships fighting each other). Originally, all trade and transport ships should have been managed by the Imperial Merchant Fleet, the oldest department, but the long span of ten thousand years and the dynamic changes in the Empire's territory made this management a fantasy after the Beast Wars. The number of charter merchant ships statistically recorded by the Empire is still the figure from six thousand years ago. There are a large number of 'black ships' not registered in the Imperial Merchant Fleet in the vast galaxy, and these non-charter merchant ships actually occupy a very large proportion of the Empire's trade network, which makes the Empire's trade often have huge gray areas - smuggling becomes difficult to control, trade competition often evolves into armed conflict, and merchant ships can easily be converted into pirates.

The exports of Natesan IV and Natesan V were not only fighting on their own, but the trade groups on both sides had also engaged in price wars with each other, so that they were manipulated and suppressed by foreign star system trade groups, and the trade profits were even lower than the average short-distance star system trade profit rate in the Storm Territory.

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To this end, Soshjan proposed an unprecedented trade institution reform, the main points of which are three:

First, the establishment of the Natesan Star System Joint Trade Representative Association, which will include the entire star system, not only Natesan IV and V, but also the trade associations and individual traveling merchants of the newly developed colonial planets and satellites. It is also a subordinate mortal institution of the Astartes Knights Chapter, but its actual power is greater than that of the Natesan Star System Development Plan Committee. It is not only responsible for formulating and implementing the star system's overall trade policy and implementing unified trade policies, but also responsible for negotiating foreign trade agreements and investigating and retaliating against unfair trade competition methods in foreign star systems, including trade wars. The management and leaders of this association are completely elected by the merchants themselves, which is also more in line with the habits of interstellar merchants.

Second, the establishment of a unified star system import and export and immigration management department. This is more special, and belongs to the administrative law enforcement agency that Soshjan established separately outside the Imperial system. It is also part of the Department of Justice. This department covers the anti-smuggling fleet of the Department of Justice, the biological priests of the Mechanicum, and a part of the Astartes' mortal servant troops. Because it is a member of the star system's armed forces, the department is also directly under the command of the Astartes Knights Chapter. Its role is to be responsible for the inspection and control of import and export goods, to prevent alien creatures from outside the system from invading the star system, as well as goods carrying deadly viruses, and to conduct detailed physiological and psychological health investigations on immigrants.

In addition to ensuring the safety of the star system, the establishment of this department is also part of Soshjan's influence on the Department of Justice. Although in principle the law enforcement power of the Department of Justice should be independent of any institution, but like during the expedition, in order to integrate the forces around him, Soshjan had to break this convention. He can not interfere in specific affairs, but he must concentrate power in his own hands, and only in this way can he promote the entire huge plan more smoothly.

Third, and very critical, is to increase trade tax revenue. (Customs)

It was not until the expedition to the Great Maelstrom that Soshjan realized that the Empire's trade, at least at the official level, hardly required the payment of any taxes. This is also why Huron's establishment of checkpoints and tax collection in the Great Maelstrom aroused such a big reaction. Interstellar merchants hardly have any tax burden, which enables them to quickly accumulate huge wealth. The only things that threaten their income are accidents, pirates, and wars (requisitioned ships).

However, at the private level, some planetary governors will levy import taxes, but often only limited to one world.

Soshjan intends to establish a trade tax system throughout the Natesan star system, mainly targeting imported merchant ships. On the one hand, it is to increase revenue to provide assistance for the upcoming large-scale construction, and on the other hand, it is to use unilateral trade barriers to give the star system's chambers of commerce and trade associations a competitive advantage.

Of course, other places may also increase import taxes on Natesan star system merchant ships, but it is difficult to exceed the scope of one world. Besides, if words don't work, there are still weapons. The Empire's commercial wars have never been about talking. When everyone can't agree, a real battle on the battlefield is the ultimate way to solve the problem, even for merchants.

Seriously, Soshjan's method is a bit shady and not the right way, but now he doesn't have time to take it slowly. The threat of war always exists. It is still unknown how the Third Legion will launch its attack. Only in this way can the Natesan star system's weak trade fleet develop rapidly. The profit-seeking uniqueness of commerce makes it often ineffective to simply use administrative means to force growth. Only by using profits to drive them can they grow spontaneously at high speed.

A huge trade fleet can not only reflect benefits in the economic aspect, but once a war breaks out, these ships can be transformed into transportation capacity and can also provide a large number of skilled sailors.

When trade develops, they can use their advantageous position to obtain high-quality and cheap raw materials and products from surrounding star systems to feed back to the star system's industry and cities.

In fact, the plan and content of this part of trade was not conceived by Soshjan himself, or rather, he only had a preliminary idea. It was Silru Claremont who really perfected it. This Rogue Trader Princess is the formulator of the entire Natesan star system trade integration plan. She had agreed on most of the details with Soshjan before returning to the Natesan star system. After returning, she further investigated the trade and commercial situation of the Natesan star system and finally finalized the outline of the entire plan.

As for why she followed Soshjan all the way here -

The reason is not complicated, it's just that there's nothing else to do, so I might as well come and see.

She has been in charge of the Rogue Trader family for so many years, and later assisted the expeditionary force in planning logistics and temporary war economic systems during the expedition. It can be said that the person around Soshjan who understands the word 'economy' the most is her, so it is no wonder that Soshjan trusts her so much - the point is that Veronica also trusts her.