Tyranny of Steel

Gunther was a man who had once befriended the German Emperor. He started as a lowly peasant working in the fields, and now he owned a large corporation know as the Gunther Merchant Company. The man owned extensive plots of land throughout the Empire where farmers in his employment grew various crops. Aside from the agricultural aspect of his corporation, he also branched into Food Processing, possessing many factories built for this purpose.

The most recent product that Gunther had brought to the public was canned tuna. Gunther's brand Tuna was a hot-selling item, as it was an inexpensive food item, and provided great nutritional value. There were also Gunther branded condiments that were made by his corporation to accompany his canned meat, fish, and vegetables.

The food tycoon had a monopoly in the sense that he owned every aspect of production. Though he had several competitors, Gunther's brand was well trusted by the public due to its reputation for being of high quality at an affordable price.

Gunther had naturally taken advantage of the fact that the German Empire now had a presence in the Baltic, Mediterranean, and North Seas. With his fortune, he had purchased a fleet of fishing vessels and hired experienced fishermen to catch all kinds of different species so that they could be processed and sold to the public.

Tuna were different however, with Berengar's help, dedicated fish farms were created on the Island of Malta to produce vast quantities of tuna. Due to his nature as a member of the House of Commons, Gunther was able to acquire one of these farms for himself at a fair price.

At the moment Gunther was invited to the Royal Palace where Berengar had met with him personally for the first time in years. The Emperor smiled as he reminisced about years past, where he helped the man toil his fields for the sake of a small amount of lard. He could hardly believe that Gunther was now a tycoon of his industry, and a politician of the people. Despite his fortune, he never ceased to care for the common people, and had even spent a large chunk of his treasury on philanthropic endeavors.

While the two were making small talk, Linde entered the scene with two foot-long tuna melts. She handed them on the table to Berengar and Gunther with a pretty smile on her face. Berengar immediately took a bite of the delicious substance and complimented Gunther on his hard work.

"You know, without your products, it would be extremely difficult to produce a sandwich this good. Thanks to your business, and Linde's ingenuity, such a delicious sandwich can be made by just about anybody. The years have been kind to you, my friend. It is a shame we haven't been able to speak in some time."

Gunther smiled as he gazed at the sandwich made entirely from his products. He took a quick bite and exclaimed in joy as he complimented Linde's efforts.

"I did not know such a tasty meal could be made by my simple products. Empress, your culinary talents are extraordinary."

Linde smiled and thanked the man for his compliments.

"You are too kind, Gunther."

After saying this, she departed from the room, not wanting to interrupt what limited time Berengar had to spare with the man. Gunther gazed upon the lovely empress as she walked out of the door before congratulating Berengar on his marriage.

"Linde has turned into a fine young woman. You are lucky to have her..."

Berengar nodded his head in response before switching the subject.

"She's the love of my life, erm... don't tell the others I said that. On a more serious note, I was wondering if you were interested in some business involving the colonies."

The business tycoon initially chuckled as he listened to the Emperor's words before turning very serious. If his majesty was trusting him with such information, then what they were about to discuss was no laughing matter.

"So they really exist? I've theorized that you discovered some new plot of land which allows you to produce these strange foods that you have introduced. However, until now, I didn't truly believe it."

The German Emperor had a faint smile on his face as he informed the man of the truth.

"It's not just a plot of land, but two whole continents. We're talking about an entirely new world. With native inhabitants."

When Gunther hard this, he took a bite from his sandwich before wiping his mouth with his handkerchief. Having heard this, his interest in the topic grew substantially.

"Are any of these natives a threat?"

In response to this, Berengar chuckled lightly before informing the man of the state of the New World.

"Not in the slightest, they are a bunch of stone age savages. The most advanced of their civilizations are in the south, and even then I brought one of their mightiest Empires to its knees with a thousand men, and a bit of disease. Speaking of disease, in a few decades it will ravage the land and kill off well over 90% of the population. The mortality rate is insane.

Once that happens, it's practically free real estate with an abundance of natural resources. Since you are an old friend of mine who has proven to be trustworthy, I want to let you in on this secret in advance."

Gunther came to an understanding when he heard Berengar's reasoning and a sly smile curved itself on his lips as he spoke to his emperor.

"You need investment? Don't you?"

Berengar shrugged his shoulders before taking another bite out of his sandwich, which he washed down with a liter of beer. After doing so, he clarified his position.

"Do I need investment? No, I have enough money to fund the development of the colonies myself. However, I would be lying if I said it wasn't taking a toll on my treasury. Investment would be a nice addition to the funds I have personally thrown towards the new world. What do you say? Do you want to make a larger fortune than you already have?"

Gunther would be lying if he said he wasn't interested in the idea, however he was cautious on the matter and inquired for further details.

"What did you have in mind?"

When Berengar heard this, he smiled before revealing his thoughts on the matter.

"It's simple. I will issue a charter, giving your corporation the right to settle the new world in an area of your choosing. In return, it will officially become a colony of the German Empire and will act as any other German territory in terms of its civil responsibilities. However, the colony itself will be established and operated by your corporation. You will be responsible for the start-up costs, the development costs, the defense costs, and, of course, taxes."

Gunther thought about it for a few moments before asking about the natural resources of the land. He needed to know more about the region if he was going to sink a fortune into the development of a colony.

"What kind of land am I looking at?"

Berengar did not hesitate to respond. Instead, he had a wide smile on his face as he laid out the information they had gathered from the new world thus far.

"That would entirely depend on where you choose to settle. We have found in our colonies agricultural resources, such as potatoes, tomatoes, tobacco, and even cocoa. Some of these things have yet to be introduced to the fatherland. The land is highly fertile, so there is little risk of crop failure.

I'm assuming you want to produce an agricultural colony? Might I suggest branching into an area you have not experienced yet? In my opinion, you should establish a colony in one of the many island chains, where you can grow vast quantities of sugarcane and coffee. It would be nice to have a domestic source of those resources."

Gunther thought about this proposal for several minutes. If he could produce sugarcane and coffee, he could cut out the merchants in the east. After all, such resources could not grow in the fatherland, and were relied upon for imports.

However, the German people were fiercely nationalistic, and if he could create a monopoly over those resources, the people would quickly term to the trusted Gunther brand. Thus, he released a heavy sigh as he dwelled upon the best way to make this a reality.

"I would need ships, as well as workers, from all different aspects of life. This would have to be a long-term settlement, and my employees would have to be promised some serious benefits to sail across the Atlantic into an unknown world where they would have to create a settlement from scratch.

I would also need to hire a private security force to maintain order, and to defend the region from the natives. Such a thing is no small expense. I would, of course, need permission to raise such a private armed force as well."

Berengar understood where the man was coming from. It was difficult finding trustworthy people who could be sent to the new world. The plus side was the lack of communication with the fatherland, making it difficult to leak information. Berengar knew this and decided to cut the man some slack.

"I will allow you to register a private military corporation so that you can maintain security within your colony and defend it from any hostile force that may seek to invade it. I will also permit this company to purchase military arms and naval vessels. However, its size shall be limited to a single brigade, and a small fleet of five Armored Frigates.

As for everything else you may need, I will leave that up to your discretion. Naturally, all of this is strictly confidential and if you are any of your people leak information about the New World, it will be considered treason. So, are you up for the challenge?"

It shocked Gunther to hear that Berengar was so willing to agree to his terms. However, he also understood the position Berengar was in. The Imperial German Armed Forces were limited in their ability to deploy to the New World, and there were plenty of veterans who no longer served that could be used to help aid in the establishment of colonies as mercenaries.

Ultimately, Berengar wanted to claim as much land as possible before the other world powers found out about the New World, and because of that, he was willing to privatize colonies to speed up the colonization process. It was because of this that he was willing to allow the existence of Private Military Corporations. When Gunther thought about all of this, he nodded his head and reached out his hand to seal the deal.

"Very well. I agree with your terms. I look forward to the colonization of this new world."

Berengar smiled and shook the man's hand. Afterward, the two men spent many hours catching up on the years they had spent climbing to the top. With this deal, the Gunther Merchant Company would have the first private colony in the New World.